First thing the Apple store manager (who knows me well) said to me when he saw me in the store today admiring the new iMacs was 'B&O '

They really are stunning computers. Think MacPro build quality, and comparably outstanding performance, all wrapped up in the nicest eye candy yet designed by Apple!

Anybody else seen/used one yet?

No but hope I´ll be able to see the new imac soon. I think the design is great..will look great paired up with a couple of BL4

I was actually a bit disappointed that they retained the old form factor. I will head over to the apple store this weekend though and take a look.

So was I originally, however they do look very different in the flesh.

Yes, they are much better looking in reality. And yes! they remind me of my BV7... Aluminium and black glass... Shame I do not have enough space at home... I am waiting for new laptops to replace my 12" powerbook.

p. 

I'm bored with Apple, everythings over-hyped. I've had Mac's for years but the new stuff, so what. I want something new, not just something made of aluminium/glass instead of plastic. Nor a new iPod or another mobile phone to add to my phone mountain. Its time for something revolutionary. Wake me up when it arrives please.

>> And yes! they remind me of my BV7<< 

The NXT speakers won't sound anywhere near as good as what's in there at the moment. They've got two 24 watt digital amps driving a pair of speakers which fire down onto the surface under the iMac and back up to where you are sitting. They sound very very good!

Of course the BeoCenter 6 is better finished, and it should be for the price! The iMac is still the nicest computer I've ever used though...

I'm hoping I can offload mine to my mother for her shop, the white will fit in better to the design and she doesn't need the latest and greatest!!!

I'll do her a really good price for mine, about the same as 20" new one   I'll of course be getting the 24" 

 

>>The NXT speakers won't sound anywhere near as good as what's in there at the moment<<

I doubt it, the power supply is in the chin of the machine, and that's about how much space it takes up. They can't make the chin much smaller at present...

I saw the new iMac today in a store. It is the first iMac I like, because it doesn't look like it came out of a fashion show to mee.

I never used a mac, only PC, but this iMac could make me change my mind...

Make the switch. After a month or two of use, you'll never look back .

tom:

I saw the new iMac today in a store. It is the first iMac I like, because it doesn't look like it came out of a fashion show to mee.

I never used a mac, only PC, but this iMac could make me change my mind...

I'm kinda a neutral as well. I have Macs, and always try and use them instead of PCs. I also have a Dell and school is kitted out with ~350 PCs, so there's no escaping PCs for me. However, as Lee says, PCs do their job well, but given the choice Macs are much better IMO. As Lee says, you can't really know what it's like until you've owned one...

i'll tell you one thing that pc's are much better at than macs

 

landfill

 

:) 

In other news, the BeoWorld server has run out of space again due to an incredible influx in posts in a particular thread...

I’ve been writing Windows software for about 15 years, and more and more I am becoming disillusioned (/frustrated) in the progress and direction of the OS.

I have been looking at the Mac for sometime and now with the release of the new iMac I would like to make the jump – alas the only thing holding me back is the lack of understanding for the OS.

If I do jump I’d like to put BootCamp/Parallels on the machine – so I can still revert to a PC (for work etc).

The design of the iMac I think is really really nice, and something PC manufacturers should learn from (horrible beige boxes and a sh*t load of cables), that and I think the iMac would look nice among all my B&O gear

JoC 

There is one issue that is essetial for me before making the PC-Mac switch: I am working quite a lot with MS Access, and as far as I know, there is MS Office for Mac, but as far as I know, these office versions only incluse outlook, word and excell. I have made a lot of googling, but never found anything comparable to MS Access for Mac? (Would be great if it was compatible, so that I could convert my .mdb files to the new format).

Tom. I don't know of any DB software that would do for you on the Mac, but if that's your only sticking point, buy a new iMac and Parallels software. Parallels runs Windows XP or Vista in a window on the new (and any Intel) iMac, so you could run your DB in that window, and enjoy the rest of the Mac as it is. I also recommend iWork and iLife as two must have application suites --- and they aren't as dear as Microsoft applications by any stretch of the imagination!

A very quick google turned up database software on the Mac called FileMaker altho this does not seem to allow you access to MS Access files, another quick google and I found this software which seems to allow MS Access in FileMaker and Apple's iLife software.

Or you could try BootCamp/Paralells - which I would like to try at some point.

JoC 

Thanks JoC!

I knew about FileMaker, but the Actual ODBC Driver was unknown to me. Looks interesting! Thanks a lot!

One underrated program which should play a role in moving the needle to the Mac side for the prospective switcher is iWork'08... it is absolutely stunning for the everyday user of MS Office.

I have been using Macs all my life (since my Dad was a graphic designer way back in the early 90s), but Office had been the gold standard. iWork '08 has made me switch fully from MS Office not only because Keynote rocks, but Numbers also does more of the routine things I need from Excel in a much more intuitive way.

Hardcore users of PPT or XL won't makje the switch (and they shouldn't) but for the casual user, this is a great value!

 

-Sal