A Web Designer & Developer in Wichita Falls, TX. Working for Crane | West Advertising Agency.
James Fleeting
 
05 Feb

Apple iMac Owner?

I’ve talked about it a lot the past few months and have wanted to for the past 2 years and the time has come. This morning I finally purchased my first Mac. I went with the 24″ iMac as I prefer desktop over laptops and technically we have a laptop in the house plus I’m thinking about a MacBook Air next year. The iMac has everything that I want and need. I’m used to dual monitors and working on my 22″ Dell so now I will use the 24″ iMac and the 22″ Dell for a complete workspace. There will be a minor size difference of course but this Dell is only 11 months old so I’m not ready to replace it with an Apple monitor yet. The price of the iMac is a little much for most however honestly I have spent the same price or more on PC upgrades and parts in the past. In fact last year I spent $800 on a few internal upgrades (fan controller, light controller, etc). I have done lots of research on the iMac and visited lots of great sites with plenty of resources. I also bought the MacHeist bundle last month to give me several apps to play with and some I planned to buy anyways like CSSEdit.

Here are the iMac specs for what I bought;

  • 2.4Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor
  • 1GB of Memory (bought a 4GB kit to max it out)
  • 500GB Hard Drive
  • Super Drive
  • Apple Wireless Mighty Mouse
  • Apple Wired Keyboard

I would have preferred the wireless keyboard for a slick look on the desk however the Apple Wireless Keyboard doesn’t have the numpad and the arrow keys are moved. I use the numpad all the time and can’t do with out (of course I’m not used to laptop keyboards either). So, the keyboard will be wired but not a huge deal. I also went with 1GB of Apple Memory because I bought the 4GB (2x2GB) Kit from Crucial for $145. So, I will be maxed on ram which will be nice. Also with the order I purchased the mini-dvi to dvi adapter to use my 22″ Dell as dual monitors and a new Canon PIXMA MP520 Photo All-In-One Printer. We have a printer but its an old HP that has served its use and time for a new one and since Apple provides a $100 rebate for printers if bought with a new Mac, it was nice.

Everything was bought this morning and should arrive by Monday. I’ve actually already gotten the tracking number for the Crucial Memory as its being shipped today and should arrive by Friday. The Printer and adapter will also be here by Friday however the iMac shouldn’t arrive until Monday as its labeled as ‘custom’ due to the upgrade HDD and wireless mouse it won’t be shipped today. Did 2-3 day shipping though so we will see when it shows up. The total from the Apple Store came to $2,174.79 and $145.03 from the Crucial Store. My goal was around the $2,000 mark and I only went over by $320, so did pretty good. I still have some apps to buy but I’m happy with the purchase and look forward to it getting here. I will of course post after it comes in with pictures of the unboxing (as if there isn’t enough Mac unboxing pics on flickr).

14 Jan

Sick Kids

Well it seems that I didn’t get sick and have been feeling great but both my kids are sick. Chase stayed home from school today after being sick over the weekend and today my daughter started a fever and feeling sick. Its never fun to have a house full of sick kids.

On another note; the MacWorld Keynote is tomorrow and of course I’m looking forward to it. Mostly excited about anything announced for the iPod line and the iMac (rumor of an HD iSight?). I know most of the news should be about the MacBook and iPod/iPhone but I’m waiting to see what is announced regarding the iMac so I can hurry up and purchase mine already.

08 Jan

8 Cores?

With MacWorld just around the corner Apple has been releasing minor information regarding their products. Of course its nothing earth shattering and no major overhauls yet but everybody is waiting for MacWorld for that. One of the announcements which is also now available for purchase is 8-Cores in the Mac Pro. I’ve looked at getting a Mac Pro as my first Mac but the cost just wasn’t great for me which is why I will be getting the 24″ iMac. I priced a new Mac Pro without the monitor of course and for one that I would like (not maxed out or anything) it comes to $4,500. Compared to the $2,100 my iMac will be costing thats double. Then of course a Mac Pro I would like came to $18,000. I’m pretty sure I will never be in a position to purchase an $18,000 Mac and I’m not sure why anybody would want to but just in case Apple has left that option open. I’m looking forward to what else Apple has in store for us at MacWorld.