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Al Fasoldt's reviews and commentaries, continuously available online since 1983

Cheapskate's Buying Guide: Choose an iMac, not a Windows PC


Nov. 19, 2000

This is the first installment of the annual Cheapskate's Buying Guide.
   
By Al Fasoldt
Copyright ©2000, Al Fasoldt
Copyright ©2000, The Syracuse Newspapers

   Shopping for a new computer as a holiday gift? Don't give someone a headache. Choose a computer that will be safe and reliable.
   In most cases, that means an Apple Macintosh computer. Macs aren't found in every corner store the way Windows PCs are, so you'll have to look around -- try the Yellow Pages under "Computers" if you don't know of an Apple Computer dealer nearby, or check Apple's Web site at http://www.apple.com. Macintoshes have been around since 1984 -- longer than Windows PCs -- and they're designed to work more reliably. Most importantly in this era of Internet-borne computer viruses and break-ins, Macs are much safer than Windows PCs.
   In most of the 17 years I've been writing about personal computers, I've recommended Windows PCs. Times have changed but Windows PCs have lagged behind. They were difficult enough to use in the mid-1980s; today they are even harder to use and are much more likely to lock up and crash. They're also less safe than Macs. I no longer recommend Windows computers for typical home use except as game-playing machines. Windows PCs are superb for playing games, but Windows users who do a lot of game playing probably ought to consider a Macintosh for their normal computing.
   I'm not completely sour on Windows, however. I consider one version of Windows suitable for serious use. It's Windows 2000. I'll tell you more about it in a minute.
   You have many choices among Macintosh computers. The least expensive model is the basic iMac ("Internet Macintosh"), at $799. Because iMac computers have their display screens built into the case, prices of iMacs always include the monitor. Keep that in mind if you're comparing prices with Windows PCs, which are usually advertised without monitors to make them seem cheaper.
   My personal choice among iMac models is the iMac DV (for "digital video"), at $1,300. It has built-in video editing software so your lucky recipient can make digital videos (with all sorts of professional editing effects) out of VCR tapes or camcorder shots.
   Apple's iMacs are faster than most Windows PCs, even though they seem to have lower processor speeds. Their processors work more efficiently than the ones in PCs, giving them what amounts to a 25 to 50 percent speed boost over a PC that runs at the same apparent speed.
   Apple also sells non-iMac Macintoshes. They aren't all-in-one models (they don't have a built-in screen, in other words) and could be ideal to give to someone who already has a good computer monitor. (Macs can use the same display monitors Windows PCs use.) These are called "G4" Macintoshes, named for the kind of processor chip inside the computer. The sex-appeal champ among all the G4 Macs is the G4 Cube, about the size of a pregnant lunch box. It's a full Macintosh computer that runs without making a sound. It doesn't need an internal cooling fan, the source of most of the noise that comes from PCs, and it looks gorgeous sitting on a desk.
   G4 Macs cost more than typical Windows PCs, but don't let price comparisons confuse you. Those who say that a fast Windows PC is cheaper than a Macintosh are comparing Apples and oranges. If you could outfit a PC with the same standard equipment that you get on a G4 Mac, the PC would cost more. (The problem is simply that you can't outfit a PC so that it's like a Mac. PCs use a design that hasn't changed much since 1980. G4 Macs are very modern.)
   Many computer users (and even many of the sales people at computer stores) assume that anyone who uses a Windows PC at the office can't do work at out of the office without a Windows PC at home. This is nonsense, as I've pointed out in a recent article. (You can read it at twcny.rr.com/technofile/texts/bit102500.html.) Mac users even have a newer version of Microsoft Office than Windows users do, a tribute to the close cooperation between the Macintosh programmers at Microsoft, which makes the Office suite, and the software engineers at Apple Computer.
   What about Windows 2000? It's a heavy-duty version of Windows that is leagues ahead of Windows 98 and Windows Me, the most recent consumer versions of Windows.
   For non-typical home use -- for a home-based business or for someone who does a lot of office work at home -- Windows 2000 is the only version of Windows I consider suitable. It looks like the standard versions of Windows but has none of the wimpy crash-and-burn problems they have. Windows 2000 isn't good for games (it can't play most Windows games, in fact) and it takes more effort to configure.
   It's also harder to find in stores. If you want to buy a Windows 2000 PC, you'd probably have to pay extra for a separate boxed version of Windows 2000 when you buy the computer, then have the store install it before you pick it up. (If the store won't do this, shop somewhere else.)
   Finally, if you're shopping for an operating system to give as a present, not a full computer, pick up a copy of Linux. Unlike Windows and the Mac, Linux was developed by volunteers working together to make better software. The result is an operating system that is bulletproof and immune to viruses while being harder to use than Windows or the Mac. Geeks on your gift list might find it fascinating.
   I use Mandrake Linux version 7.2 and recommend it for beginners and pros alike. You can find it at software stores or at large bookstores, packaged by Macmillan, the book publisher.