What could possibly go wrong with a new Apple iMac Core Duo?
Note: Scroll to the bottom of the page to read user comments or to post your own comments for Kent
There is a post over at Scott Moschella's Plastic Bugs" blog from a user named "Kent" who has recently made the switch from Microsoft Windows XP to a new, Intel based Core Duo iMac running Apple OS X Tiger 10.4.4. In the post, "Kent" explains that he is .. well.. frustrated. Although technically, he hasn't really "switched" because he's never owned a PC - he does use a Microsoft Windows XP computer at work every day - so I guess you could call him a "Windows XP User".
Well..Here's the thing. I know Kent.. I work with Kent, and it WAS ME that twisted poor frustrated Kent's little arm and forced him to purchase that awesome, fast, new Core Duo Macintosh iMac.. So I have to admit, I'm feeling a bit guilty about his current level of Mac frustration. In my own defense, I still say that "Kent" is far better off with his iMac than he would be with a new Windows PC as far as frustration goes. And, I've already offered to buy that Intel Core-Duo iMac from Kent if he really doesn't want it anymore. So here, posted with personal permission from "Kent", is his post from Plastic Bugs.com
I miss my windows. What was I thinking? I’m a new switcher with the new Intel core dual. I didn’t realize that I can’t print, nor view nearly all web videos, nor enjoy any windows media platform, nor copy and send a file without it trying to go through .mac…and where the Hell is “right click”? |
Kent - Redefined
I am going to take a moment to officially re-define Kent. I stated above that Kent uses Microsoft Windows and is now an Apple 'Switcher'. But after further consideration, I think it's best that we label Kent as a 'new Apple user'. True, Kent does sit in front of a Windows XP PC all day long at work. But Kent's XP experience is limited to Microsoft Outlook, and some fancy program that he uses to define right-angles and sine-waves (or, something fancy that has to do with his job). Mundane things such as the Control Panel, adding printers, even screen saver settings are all removed or automatically pushed to his PC. Because Kent's Windows knowledge and experience is so limited, I think new Apple user is a more accurate way to describe him.
Do you want to help Kent with his new Intel iMac?
If you have any comments or suggestions for sad little Kent, feel free to post them at the bottom of this page.
We'll post updates on Kent's iMac 'nightmare'
I will continue to post updates on Kent's progress with his new iMac. Check back for updates on the I hate my new Macintosh iMac soap opera.
- Kent update: 2/16/06 The drivers and software for Kent's new Epson printer would not install. On our advice he called Epson who confirmed that the drivers that shipped with the printer would not run on a new Intel iMac. Epson pointed Kent to their website where he downloaded a new driver and successfully installed it. The only problem: The new Epson drivers for the Intel iMac lack a few capabilities. Luckily, Kent doesn't care about these particular features. As soon as Kent forwards his 'official' review on installing and configuring his Epson printer we'll post it.
- I hate my new iMac update: 2/18/06 I haven't spoken with Kent for a couple of days. I hope he's not still angry at me for forcing him to buy that iMac! I doubt it - I know that deep down he loves that Jay-Leno-chinned white beauty. The last thing he mentioned to me the other day was that he was going to buy a "How To Use OS X Tiger" book. That should help him with his learning curve quite a bit (maybe then he'll realize that you spell Mac, 'Mac' and not 'MAC'). I know too that he was struggling getting Flip4Mac to install. I looked it up last night and I think he needs to get the 10.4.5 update to fix that. That should knock one more thing off his "I hate my new iMac" list.
- 2/19/06: I've gotten several emails and offers of help for Kent which I've forwarded to him. As soon as I hear from him I'll post his status.
- 2/20/06: Apparently Kent's "I hate my new iMac" story has been posted in several elite Mac or OS X user groups and forums. I've read thru some of the posts about Kent and I'm rather surprised at the level of arrogance that many Mac users display when 'ranting' about poor, helpless Kent. I guess many of these users forget the first day they sat in front of their very first Mac. Although I agree that using a Mac is far more simple than using Windows, if a new Mac user such as Kent is not aware of what/how/where to change or fix something, the Mac is not going to automatically do it for him. Kent has a lot of reading to do in his new "Using OS X" book, but unlike me, and probably many of those arrogant Mac users in the forums, Kent does have a life, and actually spends time away from his new iMac! Kent promises me another update on his "big list of problems" soon.
- 2/22/06: I finally got the promised update from Kent. He's still having a few problems, but things are getting better. I'll see if I can help him with his remaining problems, but since I too am new to the Mac world, I may not be of much help. One other note: Even though Kent praises our website for helping him, virtually all of the help has come from readers that I've forwarded to him. Also remember that Kent has a sense of humor, so take his sarcasim with a bag of salt.
Dear GrownUpGeek, The suggestions that you gave me to implement my new Epson printer (R340) into my new iMac-Intel-core-duo have changed my printing world. Thanks to you, not only can I print from my new iMac, but the speed, quality and ease are almost mind boggling. My new Mac can actually talk to my Epson printer - who knew? As a new Mac user (switcher) I am enjoying my large learning curve though, I must say, you guys at GrownUpGeek have made my transition to Mac a bit easier. Still frustrated? Yeah, a bit. There are issues that remain so I'm wondering if you have suggestions for my next hurdle. My Windows based PC will play anything - Mac won't. I mean, video clips that are sent to me, news footage from news websites and even little, animated jokes with other cool stuff. My new iMac (Intel core duo) can't interpret most of these things which makes me feel as though the world is passing me by - with a smirk. By your suggestion, I downloaded WMP and some things will play but most things it will not. This makes me hold Bill Gates in high regard. I've never had problems playing stuff on His Windows OS. Someone sent me a commercial made on a Mac for a Mac and I was able to view it on my Windows PC but not on my new Intel core duo - Surprise, surprise! There are times when I want to view a video clip from a news site (is that what we're calling it?) and Mac downloads it to my desktop, I double click on it and it opens iTunes. What the #&%&? It won't play, it just sits there. Yes, this makes me want my Windows back because there are many interesting and enlightening clips out there that Mac has decided to bar me from. I'm a hostage to Apple and I can only see what Steve Jobs will allow me to see - and I'm not even Chineese! (Google humor). Maybe if I ask Mr. Jobs nicely he will allow me, and other switchers, to actually join the online world. Then again, Apples have been known to be rotten. --KentKent's gripe about "playing stuff" refers to a problem he's now having displaying
activeX 'things' in Safari. I havn't looked into this yet, but if anyone can tell me how to get Active Xmultiple animated GIF's in Safari, I've Google'd this and I havn't found a solution. If you know of a fix or workaround please email me! It seems that he's also having trouble playing some WMP files on Windows Media Player .. Some play, others don't. - 2/24/06: This morning Kent told me he was actually becoming happy with his new iMac! He was able to watch his Windows Media Player video after doing the software update and getting Flip4Mac installed and the issue with viewing animated GIF's turned out to be a Yahoo Webmail issue not related to OS X at all. He's still having trouble with his new Epson printer. It supposed to be able to print directly on CD's/DVD's but when he tries to print, he gets a message that CD printing is not supported. He called Epson who instructed him to install yet another update, but when he went to download the update from the Epson website, it wasnt available! Kent understands that this is an Epson problem and not really an Apple problem. I also passed along a suggestion that many readers have emailed to me: Join an online user group! I'm pretty sure that Kent is beginning to see the light! Hopefully Kent's next update (the last?) will be more about how he loves his new iMac instead of hating it.
- 6/3/08: I haven't spoke with Kent for a while so today at work I asked him how things were going between him and his iMac. "I love my iMac!" he (nearly) shouted. I talked Kent into posting an update himself, which you can read here: Now I Love My iMac!
Comments
I agree with Kent, I find our new Mac a bit hard to get along with also. I know that I am the problem and I will just have to work it out. I can't open zip files or obviously .exe files ( windows ), can someone please tell me what to download so that I can use them.
Is it a new Mac? If so, ZIP support is built in! What happens when you double-click on your ZIP file?
Awwww.
"It's never too late to become who you might have been." - Unknown
In this case, it's from a PC user to a Mac!
lol!
Thanks.. I have been going through issues, irritations of my own with my PC and am ready to switch!
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Kent is a idiot...enough said "right click" you dumbazz...its right there below your fat finger. GOD people are so helpless...you would be able to view all that poo!poo!roodly! if you knew how!!! How about windows media player for MAC you jackazz? Dont be so helpless and learn. Just because you know how to use a windows based machine doesnt mean its the best...hell we all drive around in our f'ing SUVs and consume all the gas but that doesnt make our gas guzlers better than a hybrid.
PS you fat lazy piece of poo!poo!roodly!...I bet you wont be saying "where's my PC, where's my PC" six months from now when you have downloaded 69GB of PORN and not a single virus!
PPS...suggestion for the noob...
1) stand up
2) put hands down pants
3) grab your ears and PROCEED TO PULL YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR FAT ASS!!!
Can't we all just get along? lol
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I bought an brand new imac intel core duo, and before that I had the iBook G4 (actually, I still have it). From the minute it came out of the box, I've had problem after problem with the new iMac - and I'm a hard core mac lover. My printer doesn't work properly, I've reinstalled my OS X 10.4.6. The warranty only covers the hardware on the Mac, not the operating system, which is where my problems stem from.
Can anyone tell if they had similar experiences with their iMacs any if they have any suggestions on what to do,, that would be great.
thanks!
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I had my iMac for a while, and I found it unfriendly and unable to perform most of the tasks that I needed. Perhaps I was expecting too much. I had had the same problems with PCs as everyone else and was hoping for a Mac that would perform like a sports car. I got my sports car, but it turned out to be a 1968 Fiat 128 Spyder, affordable, beautifully designed, and with the cool factor, but you had to be a mechanic with specialized tools to get it to work. My Mac had the rotating disc thing going on often and DID crash, even though Mac's claim to fame was that it never did.
I'm glad to have gotten a new PC that works better with Adobe products and with the web. It's more like a Saab Turbo. 10 years ago some of the PC vs Mac criticism was probably valid, but the PC world has advanced in leaps and bounds since then. Macs are pretty. I don't have popup or spyware/virus problems because I'm careful.
I guess the Mac is the computer version of the stick shift. I love my 5-speed, so I understand why Mac users love their choice, too. But sitting in rush hour traffic every day going 15 miles per hour with a clutch doesn't make much sense when you can take the subway and get where you're going faster and with less hassle (and you can listen to you iPod, the savior of Apple. I love mine and it works well with my PC).
A few of my friends had been Mac users in the past but had switched to PCs. I thought one of them would take my Mac for one of their kids, but no one bit even thought it was fairly new and had current software. So I put the Mac, software, books, and all the other stuff in the alley where it stayed for a week before anyone claimed it.
It was just a machine, but I hope it found a good home. It WAS cute.
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Hi GrownUpGeek,
I've come across another annoying problem with my iMac concerning iDVD. I come to you first because you seem to know everything.
I've made an awesome slidshow, put it to my choice of music the burned it to a DVD. It plays well on my Mac and on my PC (Windows) at work. But (you knew I had a but...)when it's played on a DVD player (mine, my friends and my family's) the music cuts out when each picture changes. I want the music to play without interruption while we all watch it on TV but like I said, the music cuts out durring each picture transition.
I have all trust in the great GrownUpGeek as you have NEVER let me down.
Thanks again for all your help as I now love my Mac Intel Core Duo.
Hi Kent;
Try burning the DVD at a slower burn rate, or, try a "slower" DVD.
For example, instead of burning at 4x, try it at 2x or 1x, or try burning to a slower DVD (2x) ..
Another thing to try: if you burned to a DVD+R, try it on a DVD-R or visa-versa.
Please post your results .
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Hi GrownUpGeek,
You haven't heard from me in a while but for good reason. I've been learning.
I dove into the Mac forums, as well as the outstanding help from this site, and my learning curve continues. Mac is good! Gawd, I thought I'd never say that.
As of now, there is nothing that the Mac can't do that a Windows PC can do. As a matter of fact, I see daily that Mac is in a class of it's own. It's so solid, never locks up, keeps up with speedy tasks but will never let me (the newby that I am) mess things up. It's as though Mac is watching out for me. It will not allow spyware, unwanted software or viruses to infect. That alone was worth the switch.
Every Apple store offers free classes. Mac users groups are abondant and freindly. I must say that I'm glad I switched.
I sometimes think, "Why doesn't everyone stop buying Windows PC's and switch to Mac" then I realize how long it took me to do it. I'm glad that I did and I'm in no way a computer geek. My Mac Intel Core Duo gives me so much power at my finger tips and it will even 'talk' me through my trouble spots.
Yes, it's true. I'm falling in love with my new Mac and I'm going to reccommend my freinds and family jump on the Mac train for a much more dependable and safe ride. Come on people, if I can do it - anyone can. No more windows updates for me. No more frozen programs. No more slowing down as time goes by and besides, windows were made to be broken!
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My friends, also Mac users kept telling me to switch, how much better it is on a Mac. I kind of thought they were a little too in love with there computers, the way they were always talking up there Macs. Well I finally decided to see what all the hoopla was all about and did it, I bought a iMac. (besides my Dell was ancient history, it finally bit the dust, and it was too expensive to fix) I went through that learning curve you discribed almost exactly. I was hating life on a Mac, I couldn't fine !@#$ or seem to do anything that I was used to on my Dell. I was so angry with those nuckleheads, I got so frustrated that I wanted to tell them to stick this iMac were the ............! But, just like you, I got good help and advise and it took a little while but I finally figured Mac OSX out and I don't know if I could ever go back to a Windows machine. No viruses, no pop-ups, no spyware, no problems and everything just works. I love iLife, awesome programs. Come to think of it, I can't ever remember my Mac crashing since I've owned it. I now would highly recommend a Mac to anybody. Also I think I understand why my friends talk about there Macs the way they do. By the way I think Steve Jobbs is a jerk also, at least Bill Gates is doing some good with his money, helping those in need.
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Kent, you DO have right clicks on the iMac. Buy a cheap USB two button mouse and plug it in! (You can also CTRL-LeftClick). I switched to Mac a year ago and will NEVER go back.
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Just be patient man. I bought my imac and was disapointed on the windows media thing as well. Keep in mind thats not Apple's fault its Microsft to blame on that. Also this is like a new kind of mac in its early stages. Give it time and before you know it you'll wonder what you were ever frustrated about and be demanding your boss to order you an imac.
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Dude, if you would take two seconds to look at your mac you would find it is a lot better than windows. I cant vouch for the new intel ones, as i dont own one, but you dont seem to know much about computers in general seeing as you bought a rev. a computer. future reference, always wait for rev. b, until they've worked out most of the kinks. And did you think the transition would really be that easy? I mean, seriously, its an entire new operating system! Of course its not easy at first. But I can tell you personally as a former Dell owner, in time, you will wonder how you were ever able to put up with a pc. They suck in comparison to macs.
I don't remember if i posted this or not, but as of today, Flip4Mac does NOT run on MacIntels..
Their website says they'll have an update soon.
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Holy Moly,
Huston, we have lift-off.
The people at EPSON have corrected my printing problems. Yes, finally my EPSON R340 prints to CD's and DVD's like a champ. Using my new Mac Intel core duo, I can now create professional looking CD pictures and print them right on the face of the CD. This is what life is all about - getting what I want!
My switcher problems are diminishing as I continue to learn that Mac is OK.
Just between you and me, I can deffinately tell that my new Mac is built better, leaner, faster. You can tell when a car is better made. You can tell when clothes are of superior quality and you can tell when electronics reach far beyond the usual assembly line quotas.
Run, don't walk, to your nearest Apple store (no, not the produce section) and try a Mac for yourself. I think I'm gunna like this thing and I still say that GrownUpGeek, as well as the people who have helped me by replying, have made my switcher experience a bit more pleasing.
It's scarry to switch but there is help out there that I was not immediately aware of. The user groups are plenty and Mac is kinda easy. Thank you GrownUpGeek for suggesting that I run out and get the new Mac Intel Core Duo as opposed to just another assembled windows based PC. Now I dream of Mac, I dream of iDVD and I dream of Jeanne - but that's a whole other story.
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the PlasticBugs site is down due to exceeding their bandwidth limit! it must be due to all traffic generated from the hype about Kent and his iMac love/hate story.
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Dear grown-up-geek,
I must say that I'm experiencing way too much fun on my Mac (Intel core duo) lately. Epson is aware of their problem with printing picures on the face of CD's and such - they are working on an update. I can print 1 picture on a CD from the control panel on the face of the printer itself but look forward to being able to print my personal, edited one's form my Mac.
I have learned so much and, if I'm not mistaken, I think that I will like my Mac in the near future.
I do quite a bit of work in iPhoto and iDVD and I must admit, they are awesome programs. Also, the speed of the Intel core duo is mind-boggling.
I am able to view vidio clips and I feel as though I am once again becoming part of the world without the fear of viruses and hacking - which Mac is almost impervious to.
The user groups are a wonderful place of learning and the real Mac users seem to enjoy a world free of pop-ups, worms and the old PC problems. Mac is strong, fast and well designed.
I cannot think of anything that my Mac won't do, thanks to your help, though I am still a newbe switcher but now I have an optomistic outlook.
The iDVD is an amazing program. It's amazing that a newbe like me can make a professional looking DVD of my homemade video clips and slideshows. My friends are gunna die when they see how beautiful they are on a Mac-made DVD.
I can't wait to get home and create!
By the way...did I tell you that I have my MTV?
If this keeps up, I'll have to reccommend everyone switch to Mac.
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Hello, I have been thinking about making the switch, and Ken's experience has shown me that not everything is rosy when you do take the plunge. I am going to blog about this on my site as a counter point that not everything does according to plan, but if you stick to it, better things will happen. I would love to stay up on updates to see how the switch/transition goes. I am still trying to get the finds for my own switch campaign. Good luck, and let me know If I can be any assitance as a future switche. You can check out my new blog at http://www.geekster.org/maketheswitch
I may have to break down and get my own domain for it, but time will tell.
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i promise in 2 months Kent will love his iMac
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Tell Kent to sign up in a Mac or OS X user forum. He'll learn a lot by reading and asking questions.
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Reading the newsgroups is definatly the way to learn and solve problems.