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Mac Daniel's Advice
The Best New Mac
- 2000.09.27
Q: What is the best new Mac I can get?
A: The answer is . . . it depends. It depends on what you want to do with a new Mac. The first question you have to ask is whether you want a desktop machine or a portable. Portability has its perks, but it certainly restricts your expansion capabilities, the comfort you have when typing, and the number of available ports, as well as screen size.
Desktops
If you are interested in design and other creative tasks, you will need more horsepower than if you use your computer only for, say, Web surfing, email and word processing. Same thing for game lovers.
If you look for a Mac that will live on for several years, expandability and maximum upgrade possibilities are very important. All the above-mentioned needs would require a Power Mac G4. Do you need multiprocessing? Yes, if you want to take full advantage of Mac OS X and have a big speed boost when all mainstream Macintosh software is ready for the technology.
What if you just want something simple? Look for the iMac. It is inexpensive, especially the indigo model at US$799, and it gives you an elegant all-in-one solution. Of course, it requires sacrificing the PCI slots, the great upgrades and expansion. If you have no plans to revolutionize the world from your desk, though, this is the right choice. It will connect you to the Net, let you type documents, do your finances, etc. With its DV, DV+, and DV SE variations, you can get still more power without going for the most expensive Macs out there.
Too many people look at the G4 as the only computer they would buy,
but they forget that their needs
are not as demanding as they think. An
iMac can do the trick for most Mac users.
The Cube? Well... frankly, it does very little to differentiate itself from the others. It is between a full G4 tower and an iMac in several categories. It offers some expansion and upgrade possibilities. The Cube provides more than the iMac but a little less than the G4. If you want style, it will probably fulfill all your desires, but otherwise, it would be a lot of money for what you get.
Portables
To decide which portable you could want is very easy. Just ask yourself if you want the equivalent of a desktop or if you just need something to bring with you. The PowerBook is a desktop replacement. It has great expansion options, including the ability to handle a second monitor when you are at home or at the office. It offers a bigger display; the iBook offers only 12.1 inch.
The iBook, though, is great for people who need a portable but do
not need all the power of a PowerBook. With lower specs and a lower
price, it is a nice machine for basic tasks such as word processing and
other less demanding work.
Not sure if you should upgrade your old Mac or replace it? Check the Mac Daniel index to see if we've already addressed your problem.
Recent Mac Daniel columns
- WiFi Hardware Compatible with Desktop Macs Running OS X, MetaPhyzx, 03.11. USB, ethernet, PCI, and other wireless hardware compatible with Mac OS X.
- WiFi CardBus Adapters Compatible with PowerBooks, MetaPhyzx, 03.11. CardBus hardware and drivers compatible with PowerBooks running Mac OS X.
- WiFi PC Cards Compatible with PowerBooks Running OS X, MetaPhyzx, 03.11. PCMCIA/PC Card hardware and drivers compatible with PowerBooks running Mac OS X.
- WiFi PC Cards for PowerBooks Running Mac OS 9, MetaPhyzx, 03.10. PCMCIA cards and drivers reported to be compatible with PowerBook running the Classic Mac OS.
- More in the Mac Daniel index.
Links for the Day
- Mac of the Day: 'WallStreet' PowerBook G3, May 1998 - WallStreet offered 3 screen sizes and CPU speeds from 233 to 292 MHz.
- Group of the Day: Mac UK is for Mac users in the United Kingdom.
- February 8 in LEM history: 99: Mac Y2K problems - 00: Graphics and game play - Pismo or graphite iBook? - 01: Adventures in domain registration - OS 8 or 9 for my clone? - 02: Picking the right Mac - 05: The people and stories behind the Mac - 06: NewerTech miniStack - 07: Grow the Mac market by reaching the hobbyist - 08: My first Macintosh experience - Solid state drive vs. hard drive in MacBook Air
- Support Low End Mac
Recent Content on Low End Mac
- Do We Really Need Another Mac Email Client?, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 02.08. Mac users have a host of free and low-cost email clients to choose from. Does Brent Simmons' 'Letters' project make any sense at all?
- MacBook Pro a Revelation, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 02.08. After using G4 Macs for over a decade, spending a weekend prepping a first generation MacBook Pro was a real eye opener.
- 42 Reasons a Netbooks Is Better than an iPad, Hard Drive Upgrade Value, Faster Netbooks, and More, The 'Book Review, 02.05. Also why the iPad can't compete with netbooks, 802.11n WiFi card for older Intel MacBooks and Mac minis, and a DJ keyboard cover for MacBooks.
- iPad Perfect for Handheld Computing, John Hatchett, Recycled Computing, 02.05. You can hold the iPad in one hand and operate it with the other, giving it real advantages over a laptop computer.
- iPad Targets Netbook Users, iPad 'Flaws' Don't Matter, In-page Search for iPhone Safari, and More, iNews Review, 02.05. Also FSF considers iPad 'iBad' for freedom, Touch Mouse app turns iPhone into wireless keyboard and trackpad, privacy screen for iPhone, and more.
- Touch Shifts the Apple Empire, Tim Nash, Taking Back the Market, 02.05. Apple dominates mobile computing, and it will be difficult for competitors to match the value of the iPad.
- 90% of Premium PCs Are Macs, OS and Browser Market Share, Chrome Browser to Dominate, and More, Mac News Review, 02.05. Also 27" iMac too popular for supply, eco-friendly 2 TB hard drive, Puppy Linux for PowerPC Macs, 6-core Mac Pro rumored, and more.
- iPad Should Support a Stylus, CoolBook Quiets MacBooks, Puppy Linux for PowerPC Macs, and More, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 02.03. Also the iPad as a genie in a bottle, Eudora Classic 6.2, notebook battery life, and more uses for 'obsolete' technology.
- More links in our archive.
Recent Deals
- Best 15" MacBook Pro Deals, 02.02. Used 2 GHz, $700; 2.4, $999; refurb 2.53, $1,449; 2.8, $1,699; 3.06, $2,199; new 2.53, $1,610; 2.66, $1,839; 2.8, $2,109; 3.06, $2,550; more.
- Best G3 iMac Deals, 02.02. 500 MHz CD-ROM, $40; 450 MHz DVD-ROM, $60; 600 MHz CD-ROM, $230 shipped; 700 MHz CD-RW, $300 shipped.
- Best eMac Deals, 02.02. 1 GHz SuperDrive, $269; 1.25 Combo, $100; SD, $360; 1.42 GHz Combo, $299; SD, $439.
- Best Mac mini Deals, 02.01. Used 1.25 GHz G4 Combo, $369; 1.5, $399; Core Solo, $399; 1.83 GHz Core Duo SD, $439; new 2.26 GHz nVidia, $580; 2.53 GHz, $759; Server, $985.
- Best iBook G4 Deals, 02.01. 12" 1.07 GHz Combo, $200; 1.33 GHz, $259; 14" 1.42 GHz SuperDrive, $399.
- Best Titanium PowerBook G4 Deals, 02.01. 800 MHz Combo, $285; 867 MHz SuperDrive, $400; 1 GHz Combo, $549.
- Best 13" MacBook & MacBook Pro Deals, 01.29. Used 1.83 GHz, $570; 2.0, $599; 2.4 GHz, $800; 2.26 MB, $849; new, $925 after rebate; Pro, $1,108, 2.53, $1,399 a/r.
- Best Power Mac G5 Deals, 01.29. 1.8 GHz single, $399; dual, $479; 2.0, $549; 2.5, $609; 2.7, $799; 2.3 GHz dual-core, $709; 2.5 GHz Quad, $939.
- Best Mac OS X 10.0-10.3 Deals, 01.29. Mac OS X 10.0, $30; 10.1, $20; 10.2, $50; 10.3, $50; 10.3 Server, unlimited users, $130.
- More deals in our archive.
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