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Apple eMac G4 Desktop with 17" M9834LL/A (1.42 GHz PowerPC G4, 256 MB RAM, 80GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD-RW Drive) | List Price: $800.00
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Platform: Mac OS X
Brand: Apple
Binding: Personal Computers
Features: - 1.42 GHz PowerPC G4 running Mac OS X version 10.4 "Tiger"
- 256 MB RAM, 80 GB hard drive, and Combo Drive (DVD-ROM/CD-RW)
- 17-inch (16-inch viewable) flat CRT
- Two FireWire 400 ports; three USB 2.0 ports, two USB 1.1 ports (on keyboard); VGA output; S-video and composite video output; headphone jack; and audio line in jack
- Built-in 10/100BASE-T Ethernet and 56K V.92 modem
A good machine... with its share of small problems [Posted on 2005-05-19]
Got this new 1.42 GHz eMac a week ago. I won't tell you all the advantages of switching from PC to Mac (stable OS, no viruses, free softwares...) as they are well known. Instead, I'll start with the little annoyances. Don't get me wrong : I really like my new eMac and wouldn't trade it for a cheap PC, but there are a few tiny problems here and there... And tiny problems are always what you notice first. Let's just see the small things Apple should change to make the PC to Mac transition less annoying.
The first thing I noticed once the (heavy) computer was out of the box is the cable Apple is giving to plug your modem to your phone line. It's about one foot long, too short to ever use it. Why are they giving this useless thing ? Give a proper one (at least a few feet long) or just give nothing. It's not very important, but this little copper wire is a fine example of the "cutting around the edges" method Apple is unfortunately using more and more.
One of the reasons I chose a Mac is GarageBand, part of the ILife line of softwares included with every Apple computer. I took a cheap microphone to test this award-winning application, plugged it in the line in jack... and nothing happened. The reason : the line in is not powered (it doesn't give the electricity the microphone needs to work), so the mike wasn't working. What does it mean ? It means that you'll have to buy something like an Imic, a device using an electrified USB entry as a "real" line in or mic in on your computer. The line in works great with any electrified (or pre-amplified) machine (as a walkman to transfer your songs from tape to CD, etc.) but still, a fully working line/mike in is available on any PCs and should be there. And what's the difference in the manufacturing cost Apple ? 50 cents ? But if you're a serious musician, or if you just wanna record a few songs in your spare time, you'll need to get some USB devices anyway, whatever the system you're using.
Talknig about sound, the Harman Kardon speakers previously used on the eMac are now gone. The speakers Apple is now putting instead are not very good. Not very loud neither. Even a cheap PC has better sounding ones, or at least louder sounding ones, so it tells a lot. As said, the volume is not very loud (in fact, it seems to vary from an application to another), and if you crank it to the (very ridiculous) max, you'll see waves in your screen, resulting from the interference produced by the speakers on the very near screen. Only positive point : there's a bit more bass on these speakers than you'll get on most free PC speakers.
A strange one. I was thinking about getting an IPod Shuffle, both as a MP3 player and memory device. But guess what ? You can't plug the Shuffle on an eMac without a USB extension cable! There's not enough space to plug the shuffle in a USB 2.0 port on the Mac (the USB 1 ports on the keyboard are not sufficently electrified). Two Apple products! I know, the Shuffle wasn't existing when they designed the eMac, but still...
All these things (and a few others) are very minor problems on an overall very nice computer... except for the one button mouse... Very reliable, lots of options and configuration possibilities, strange but cool Space Odyssey design, excellent line of softwares included, more than sufficient G4 processor, nice 16 inches viewable flat screen. real graphic card (64 MB), adware-spyware and viruses free, firewall included (activate it!) and an overall excellent machine for the price (considering that it's an always more expensive than it should be Apple product). If you're a student with a small budget (like I am) and/or you doesn't need the G5's muscle, this is the way to go. The small problems described above keeps the eMac out of perfection, but still, I give it a very strong four stars.
User friendly and virus free, now with faster processor [Posted on 2005-05-31]
Apple is, quite simply, the best and most innovative computer manufacturer. A recent article in Consumer Reports identified Apple computers as the most reliable computers and PC Magazine user surveys have reached the same conclusion. Furthermore, Apple computers -- including this new, more powerful eMac -- are impervious to the viruses which regularly plague Windows-based PCs.
Yes, most people use Windows-based PCs, but do you really want to be just another member of the PC herd -- with all of the problems and frustrations presented by Windows-based computers, including regular virus attacks -- or are you looking for a computer which is user friendly, seldom crashes, and is virtually impervious to viruses? If these virtues are more important to you than being one of the crowd, please seriously consider buying an Apple computer. This new eMac is Apple's latest and fastest iteration of its eMac series of compact, user friendly computers at reasonable prices. This new budget priced eMac is a surprisingly fast computer -- more than twice as fast as a Pentium 4 with the same clock speed. If you're looking for a fast, versatile, easy to use computer, want to stop worrying about frequent crashes and virus attacks, and are willing to try something off the beaten path, you'll love this elegant and now faster new eMac. If you want an even bigger bargain get the eMac with a combo disc instead of the SuperDrive and an 80 GB rather than 160 GB hard drive in this version.
GREAT WHEN IT WORKS [Posted on 2005-08-08]
Functionality of great when the computer works, but we've had it in the Apple store twice already and now it is broken again, all within 6 months of buying it. The computer will not turn on and this problem is somehow evading the Apple people - it is really a pain in the butt now. Love the machine but will not buy another until hardware quality is better. I do have a Powerbook and a Mac Mini as well, and the Powerbook has given me hardware problems as well. Mac Mini okay so far. Sort of like driving a Jaguar - feels good, looks good, very functional, but you never know when it is about to break down.
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