Apple eMac Desktop 17" M8951LL/B (1.0-GHz PowerPC G4, 256 MB RAM, 80 GB Hard Drive, DVD-RW/CD-RW Drive)
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(5 out of 5)A great computer... Mac or Otherwise
Like many who have written reviews before me, I am a switcher. Acutally, that's not entirely accurate, as I was a long-time Mac user prior to 1997. My last two machines were PCs running Windows 95 and XP, respectively.
My PC actually worked resonably well for MS office, high-speed internet, and digital photography. It was weak on digital music and useless for digital video processing. The last straw was a few weeks ago when I tried to install a DVD RW drive. After that fiasco, I made good on my contiuning threat to switch to Mac.
Enter the Emac. First of all, I purchased the 1Ghz model with the Superdrive, as we're expecting our first child and I want to be able to author DVDs to share with the family. I upgraded the unit to 512MB RAM (Using one DIMM slot) from the 256MB standard. I also ordered the tilt/swivel stand based on other reviews I've read.
The first thing to say about the computer is it's big. Sure, it doesn't have an under-desk box to go with it, and cable issues are much improved over multi-component systems, but this is a big, heavy machine.
The screen, though a CRT, is simply stunning. Increadible resolution, and the Quartz graphics and text rendering make this easily the nicest computer screen I've ever worked on.
Right out of the box, the computer is ready for DSL or cable internet with it's built-in ethernet connection. A quick phone call to my DSL provider had me online in no time. Hooking up my Linksys wireless router (for my wife's PC notebook) was a breeze with the auto-configurer located in the System Preferences / Network section. It worked so well it was almost scary.
The real strength of the system is OX 10.3. This is a beautiful operating system. First of all, it is increadibly intuitive. Want a picture from the net? Just drag it onto the desktop. The little things are just so much easier and less cumbersome. The interface is gorgeous, like liquid mercury. Thanks to the powerful graphics processing, even things like minimizing windows and switching users is a joy to watch. The "Dock" at the bottom of the screen keeps your most used programs accessable, and it's translucency and animation are visually very pleasing.
The software Apple included with the Emac is wonderful. ILife includes Itunes, Iphoto, Imovie, IDVD, and Garage Band. Itunes is simply the best jukebox / audio organizer on the market, period. Importing my favorite CDs, converting to and from MP3, and purchasing new tunes from the Itunes store is a piece of cake. Streaming audio (online radio) is very easy to use, and a huge improvement over Windows / Real player. Burning CDs, and making playlists (and smart playlists) is no problem either. Iphoto allow very logical photo organization, cropping, and some effects (though for high-end effects, you will need Photoshop or Photoshop Elements). Ordering prints directly from apple (Kodak processing) is simple too.
My favorite of these programs, however, is Imovie / IDVD. I was able to take footage from my mini DV (via 4-6 pin firewire), and within 1 hour I had a nice video of my dog playing (remember, I'm practicing for the arrival of child #1), complete with dual channel audio overlay (our voices and the dog along with imported audio, appropriately mixed). Video transitions, fades, splicing, cutting were all intuitive and quickly learned. Setting up a DVD with menus, graphics on the title screen, and fully functional on my home DVD player took just minutes. I can't wait to WOW my friends and family with professional quality family and vacation videos. It simply amazes me that this computer can do this so well right out of the box, without the extremely costly video editing software and hardware that projects like this used to require.
A program not often discussed, but very impressive is Sherlock, also preloaded on the machine. It basically works like Yahoo, with channels such as yellow pages, E-Bay, Translator, Movies, and others. The phone book feature is especially handy. Just type in what you're looking for and the number appears, along with driving distances, an excellent (and acurate) map, and driving directions. The movie channel automatically displays theatres near your house, movies playing, times, and (quickly) downloads previews.
Apple now has a new web browser, Safari, which also ships with the Emac. It is also very nice to use, and offers some important new features including tabbed browsing, an excellent menu / favorites bar, and an excellent downloading system for files, programs, and other info. It does have some quirks (ie difficulty downloading attachments from Hotmail), but all in all it offers a much nicer environment than Netscape or IE (in my opinion). The Emac also ships with IE, so if one prefers they can browse with it instead.
Ironically, MS Office for Mac OS X (purchased separately) works even better than Office XP in my opinion. The interface is so much nicer, and it's functionallity is superb. One drawback is no MS Access for Mac (though rumors abound that it will be available this year).
The only negatives I have are: 1. Poor written OS instructions. Though intuitive, OS X is a big change from Windows, and some instruction is often needed. A "getting started" guide is included, and Apple.com has wonderful on-line support and Q&A sections, but a real OS book is nice. I purchased "Mac OS X: The Missing Manual, Panther Edition", and have been very happy with it. 2. Internal speakers. These are actually pretty nice sounding for the size, and having them built in is compact and convenient. However, I love listening to music on the computer, and I'm happier with powered external speakers (either USB or through the headphone jack).
I had very high hopes for this computer, and it has more than exceeded my desires. This is a great computer for anyone looking to be able to handle digital audio and video in a stable environment, and the cost makes this a very accessable machine for many more people than Apple's other products.
If you are looking into getting one, order the swivel stand, and consider upgrading the RAM to 512MB from the factory (you don't use up the 2nd precious DIMM slot that way). If authoring DVDs is important to you, make sure to get the Super Drive model.
(4 out of 5)Educational excellence
I purchased an eMac for my daughter several months ago -June, 2003,-before the latest model came out and the price dropped--which makes the eMac an even better value than before. It is an all-in-one machine that is simple to set up and install, with a fast G4 processor. It does need more RAM if you can afford it: at least 256, preferably 512 if you want to run Photoshop or some of the heavy duty graphics applications. For school use, it is plenty powerful enough, and many online stores offer free printers with your purchase as well as RAM upgrades for a minimal fee. OS X is very stable, and versatile, and rarely does a virus come along that bothers your machine. If you MUST have Windows, purchase Windows XP for Mac through Microsoft, and you can do just about anything with your eMac. Happy computing!
(5 out of 5)Macs keep getting better
I've owned Macs for over 10 years now (my first was an LC III with a 120mb hard drive, with the then brand-new System 7!) and I am thrilled with my new Emac. We'll know personal computers are appliances for the masses when all you need to do is take the machine out of the box, plug it in, connect the cables, and turn it on - and that's all it took to configure the Emac! Even the most computer-phobic will find it intuitive and easy to use. I've had an occasional crash of a software program, and I am happy to report that a crash no longer freezes the whole computer - you can get out the offending application easily in Panther(OS X.3) and keep working in other applications - even relaunch the app that was acting up. The Safari browser and Preview PDF reader/graphics utility are way cool, as, of course, are iTunes, iDVD, etc. I have seen the future of personal computing, and, once again, it's Mac that brought it to us.
(2 out of 5)Reliability Issues
Beware -- there are some very nice features with the eMac and OS X but there's some bad stuff too. I love iTunes and iDVD and have made some nifty gifts with these apps. However, OS X is so different from 9 that it's hard to adjust to. Also, my eMac that I bought little over a year ago broke last night and it's been difficult navigating through Apple Care (which of course I would highly recommend).
(5 out of 5)Great Computer for the Money
This computer is a great deal for the price. I highly recommend it as a general workstation.
A previous review says to buy Window XP from Microsoft to run on this machine. The actual program you need to do this is called Virtual PC for Mac OSX. It allows you to run most recent Windows operating systems (you can run multiple versions as well) and most windows software on the Mac. With Panther though, there isn't much need for this unless there is a Windows ap you just can't live without or if you already own a ton of Windows software.