There has been some recent discussion on our list
about the new Intel Macintosh computers that have the
capability of running both PC and MAC OS operating
systems. If I remember correctly Michal said
something about thinking about getting a one of the
new Macs.
I have an iMac which I purchased just a couple of
weeks ago. In making my decision to purchase I
discovered that Consumer Reports for several years has
rated the Macintosh computer number 1 for
Micro-computers. My iMac has the new Leopard
Operating System and of course the Intel chip which
allows me to use both the MAC OS and Windows XP. I
purchased Parallels Premium (rated four stars) to be
able to use both Operating Systems. Parallels Premium
recommends 2 GB of RAM. So be sure you get a RAM
upgrade. The iMac comes with 1 GB of RAM.
The neat thing about Parallels Premium is that you do
NOT need to partition your hard drive or restart your
computer to switch operating systems. It is seamless
and pretty kewl! A competitive software called Boot
Camp requires users to shut down and restart the
computer in Windows and it requires that you have to
partition the hard drive. Using Parallels Premium
with 2GB of RAM will not slow your computer down.
There is virtually little difference. I do highly
recommend getting Windows XP. It is cheaper than
Vista and much, much more stable than Vista. Many PC
user friends who bought a PC recently switched to
Windows XP even though Vista was installed.
When purchasing the iMac or the higher end MacPro or
Mac Book Pro (laptop), please understand that some of
your software may need to be updated or upgraded if
you want to use it as a Mac. This is why it is
especially important to have Parallels Premium and
Windows NT. So if you have a non Intel Mac now and
are thinking of purchasing the new Intel Mac, most of
your software can be used if you install Parallels
Premium. The only thing you will need is to purchase
the Mighty Mouse. It has two clickers and a neat
clicker on the top to access your dash board software,
etc. The Mighty Mouse is wireless and requires
batteries to operate. If you are first and foremost a
Mac user it will require some getting used to the PC
environment, etc., especially if you have been used to
using keyboard commands. I never got into the habit
of memorizing keyboard commands, so it is not a
problem for me.
Finally Windows XP academic price is under $200.00.
Finally, I highly recommend getting Apple Care. It
provides a lot of goodies and also pays for any
technical assistance and guarantees your computer for
an additional two years beyond the one year guarantee
Apple provides. It is well worth the money. Also get
a virus protection software, since you will be using
PC software. PCs get a lot more viruses than MACs and
it is unclear if you will get more viruses if you use
both operating systems. (The PC operating system
really runs in emulation mode with Parallels Premium)
I also purchased Disk Warrior to use for maintenance
etc. I did also get Data Backup 3. It is a very good
habit to back up all of your data, iTunes, podcasts,
etc. You could also get an .Mac account and with this
you can get iDisk which allows you to back up all your
data to an Apple Server. This is way kewl since you
can access your data with any type of computer, MAC or
PC, via the Internet. I did this before my old G4
crashed, burned and died after 5 years of faithful
service and I was able to restore the files which were
on my old computer. I can also go anywhere on the
planet and get access to my data. All I need is an
Internet connection. I find this ability very
comforting, especially if I am traveling or commuting
to work. If I left something at home, I can get it
from the iDisk from my computer at work. My
university is very PC oriented and now I have much
fewer problems being able to do my work. I can switch
back and forth easily and quickly. If I want to buy
some software in the future that is only available for
PCs, I can go ahead and get it, switch quickly to
Parallels and then voila I can use this software.
I hope this long explanation helps those who are
considering the purchase of a new computer in the near
future.
