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This topic comprises 6 pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6
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Author
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Topic: Are Apple products really worth it?
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Scott Norwood
Film God
Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 07-29-2013 07:36 AM
Randy: some upgradability issues with current Apple hardware include, for example, replacing the hard disk in the current Imac. This requires removing the front glass panel and the LCD and is not exactly the sort of thing that Aunt Millie would be able to do. Same for the Mac Mini--this is not a user-replaceable item, even though hard disks have one of the highest failure rates of all computer parts. Similarly, the latest laptops have the RAM soldered in, which prevents upgrades and also prevents users from replacing bad RAM.
Contrast this with your standard desktop tower or a well-designed laptop like a Lenovo T-series or Dell Latitude, where pretty much everything can be replaced easily by removing a few (normal, Phillips head) screws.
As for the chiclet keyboard, I have a few issues with it: the key throw is very short, the keys are not scuplted to keep the typist's fingers in the center of the key, and the frame of the keyboard itself is very small and that makes it awkward to pick up the keyboard and move it to another part of one's desk without pressing a key. My preference in keyboards is the Unicomp "customizer 101" (same thing as an IBM model M "clicky" keyboard), which is pretty much the polar opposite of the chiclet keyboard. I like noisy keyboards and find that having both tactile and audible feedback from a keyboard reduces errors and increases typing speed. I realize that noisy keyboards are not always appropriate (in libraries, for example), however.
Actually, my favorite keyboard layout was (and is) the Sun type-5 Unix-style layout, but the IBM/Unicomp buckling-spring keyboard feels better to type on.
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Randy Stankey
Film God
Posts: 6539
From: Erie, Pennsylvania
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 07-29-2013 09:03 AM
Flat panel iMacs use laptop hard drives? Don't they? I have used flat panel iMacs at work but I wouldn't buy one for myself. Thus, I don't know how to replace a drive in an iMac. Being an Apple user, not an Apple fanboy, I buy computers based on how they work, not how they look.
Soldered-in RAM. My Snow White iBook has soldered-in RAM but it also has an RAM expansion slot. Russ Meyer iMacs had that. Deflated Basketball iMacs had that. Toilet Seat iBooks had that.
As long as the computer has the ability to add expansion RAM, I'm mostly okay with it.
Model M is the king of all keyboards! Like you said, Unicomp still makes them. ![[Cool]](cool.gif)
The keyboard is usually one of the first things I replace on a computer. Just put the original keyboard back in the box and plug in the third party keyboard. Next time I buy a keyboard, I just might buy a Unicomp/Model M.
I like the light touch and the short keystroke of this Apple keyboard. However, I agree with you that sculpted keycaps would be better.
After five years of heavy use, my Apple keyboard is starting to show some wear. Maybe it's time to replace. Maybe I ought to look into one of those Unicomps.
BTW: I think Unicomp will customize your key layout. If you want the Sun/Unix they might have it: http://pckeyboard.com/
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Scott Jentsch
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1061
From: New Berlin, WI, USA
Registered: Apr 2003
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posted 07-29-2013 12:42 PM
When I was younger, I used to get into the this vs. that competitions. I would engage in drawn-out discussions about why product A was better/worse than product B. Over time, I realized that I was often arguing points over what amounted to a very small difference between products, and very often, the products were similar enough to satisfy a vast majority of their intended audience. That said, I'm not too old to throw my opinions into the ring...
The Mac vs. PC thing is age-old. Few things in the technology field have been hashed over as many times. I think it largely comes down to 1) what you have a need for, and 2) what your preference is.
Do you need to run particular software applications? If so, which platform will run them? That will often make your choice for you. Concentrate on the use first, and the tool second.
Some people are Mac people, some are Windows people. I think it largely comes down to familiarity. I've not used the Mac OS much at all, but my limited experiences with it have been frustrating because I'm not accustomed to the Mac way of doing things. I was a WordPerfect person back in the day, and using Word continues to be a challenge for me. Things that were so incredibly easy in the very early versions of WordPerfect are still incredibly obscure, inanely designed, or just outright missing in Word.
It's the desktop/laptop vs. tablet choice that I think is the real choice to be made, however.
Few people have a need for more than a tablet can provide. I think that explains the surging popularity of tablets. The form factor is great for tasks like E-Mail, web browsing, and reading news, as well as the plethora of apps out there. Once you use a tablet, you will likely not want to pick up a laptop or use a desktop unless you absolutely have to. There are, of course, needs that are best suited to the keyboard/mouse/monitor combo, but that's an ever-diminishing percentage of overall use. I could never imagine not having a desktop/laptop available, though.
I've spent several years using Apple's portable devices. It started with the iPod Classic, Shuffle, Nano, and Mini. Then with the iPod Touch, iPad 2, iphone 3GS, and most recently, the iPad "4" and iPhone 5. I also have experience with non-Apple products in each of those segments.
I'm not an Apple fanboy by any means. Each of Apple's products could be better in my opinion, but overall, they are all better than any of the rest of the products in their segments, in my judgement.
I don't mind the choices that Apple has made for the most part. Would I like a removable battery? Sure, but not if it makes my phone thicker and/or heavier. At first, the non-removable battery idea bothered me, but every single device I have still has its original battery and it works fine. Sure, after three years of use, my 3GS battery was starting to drain a little faster than I would have liked, but was attributable to the age of the battery, or the fact that the apps and OS got more power-hungry over time?
You can't beat the ecosystem built around Apple products. If you can think of an accessory, it's probably available. That's the thing that pushed me over the edge from the beginning with the iPod Classic and is still true today.
My best advice is to ignore the this vs. that battle that is oh-so-easy to get sucked into. Define your needs. Give multiple products a try to see what you like and to verify that they meet your needs. Compare on value, not price. Good luck!
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Dennis Benjamin
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1445
From: Denton, MD
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 07-29-2013 01:41 PM
My son recently asked me for an Apple brand computer.My children all use Apple products, Ipads and Ipods.
I too was floored when seeing the prices of these machines. There was no way I was going to buy him one brand new. So for his birthday, he got a used one. I told him that he needs to take a year to get to know the OS, and how it works, before I'd ever consider getting him a new one.
Since I had purchased it for him, I took the time to actually use the machine myself. It reminded so much of a Linux machine, it wasn't funny. I would have to agree with the sentiment that if it is indeed the machine and programs you need - than you should get one. However, a 14 year old kid really doesn't need one.
I build my own desktops and laptops at this point. Personally, I only use Linux. At work, I have to deal with Microsoft - and that is fine. But when it comes to a computer that I a personally going to use - it will be a machine that I built and configured - that way I only have myself to blame when it doesn't work. I am not going to pay some ridiculous amount of money for a machine that eventually will be obsolete.
And yes, I do indeed build my own laptops...
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