Customer Reviews

Apple eMac Desktop 17" M8951LL/B (1.0-GHz PowerPC G4, 256 MB RAM, 80 GB Hard Drive, DVD-RW/CD-RW Drive)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

I written reviews for these eMacs before and most of what was said is still true. It is a great starter machine for those interested in trying out Apple's computers (and the nearly crashproof/ viris-free OS/X operating system). Don't buy this machine if you expect to upgrade it later. The processor is not swappable. You can expand the memory, add an Airport wireless network card (still the easiest and the standard the other networking companies can only aspire to), and put in a bigger hard drive. That's about it. However, there's not a whole lot you NEED to add.

Apple gives you a speedy G4 processor (don't be fooled by it's low by comparison to Intel MHZ rating), a large hard drive, built in 10/100 ethernet, built in 802.11b/g wireless networking capability, built in modem, built in good (not great but good) graphics card, built in stereo sound with internal front mounted speakers, an excellent 17" CRT monitor, industry standard FireWire/USB ports, a keyboard, and a mouse. Cheaper PCs are just that. You get what you pay for.

Software includes the unbelievably great OS/X operating system, the iLife suite of digital tools (iMovie 4, iDVD 4, iTunes 4, iPhoto 4, and my new favorite GarageBand) that all work together almost like a single software suite, AppleWorks (get MS Office if a discount is available, it's much better than AW), and a couple of games to get you started.

If you're worried about file compatibility with your Windows friends, don't be. With the exception of AutoCad (There are CAD programs that have file compatibility, but they typically are not as full-featured. And besides, you don't buy an eMac for CAD anymore than you would use a cheap Dell for CAD!), there are either the same or equivalent software available for everything except games. If you want to play games, buy a frigging PlayStation! OK, that's the good. Now the bad.

Apple doesn't give you enough memory to really use this machine to its potential. Get another 512 megs. If you get involved with digital video (which takes up LOADS of hard drive space), shop around for an external FireWire drive. You may need an analog to digital converter as well for your older video unless your DV camcorder has a passthrough. The eMac also does not have any USB 2 (USB 1.1 only) ports. So you cannot use USB 2 external devices (They will only run at USB 1.1 speeds). Also, I recommend getting QuickTime Pro (30 bucks) from Apple. I recommend as well Erica Sadun's terrific iMovie book that helps you use iMovie to its fullest. Lastly, Apple has G5 processors that are starting to make their way through their lines (Towers already here, portables within the year, consumer machines probably within 2 years). The eMacs will still be great machines, but will lag behind whatever Apple has coming out soon. Unless you need something right now, you may want to wait until then unless they discount them heavily. They're still worth what you pay now however.

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!

The first thing I noticed was the sheer quality of the 17 inch monitor. That's a HUGE advantage oer the iBook--the eMac offers so much screen space to work with. I also wear eyeglasses, and after just 10 minutes of testing the eMac today my eyes didn't fel strained at all.

The applications launch very fast--how does no bouncing icon in the Dock sound-- maybe a flash of the splash screen--if your eyes can catch it--and boom, apps like Safari, iTunes, iDvd, etc are ready to go. Panther (10.3) really shows its stuff using Quartz Extreme and the Radeon video card. Again, everything just snaps into place. And this was the stock model tested--mine will have 512MB of RAM (just the thought of that much firepower gies me goosebumps!)

Audio n the emac will come of two BIG speakers, at least twice as big as the ones on my Ruby iMac. There's also a built in amp to pump out some serious nise. Any externa; speakers would make for surround sound, and most likely some angry neighbors if you're not careful.

The emacs will come packed with iLife (the collection of iApps and Garageband), a 30 free trial of Office x, Apple works, Quicktime, and a very nice looking DVD plaer app. And the 80 Gb hard drive should never be filled up as you use the Superdrive to burn DVD and CD discs.

Other than being a bit heavy, tis will be my next Mac very ,very soon. And I strongly reccomend it for anyone else looking into buying an inexpensive but extremely powerful mac.

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.

If you're like, then you're tired of Windows task bars, start menus, new viruses every month, security issues and those crappy embedded Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player!
Well then, you're welcome to join my group. The new Macs have just blew me away and Apple has surpassed itself once again.
This new SuperDrive eMac features enough power to let you get entertained for a long time. It's a bargain when you consider all the Apple brand technology revolving around this machine. It's compact, it's cute and it's powerful!
You can do just about anything with it, from watching and recording DVDs to creating your own music and videos!
Stop wasting your dough on "China" PC devices and get yourself a Mac from a brand you can trust in and always count on when it comes to cutting-edge technology and good looks!

First of all I'm a switcher. I came over to the Mac side with the purchase of this 1Ghz Emac with superdrive. I have since sold my windows PC and am forever a Mac-Head now. The first thing to know about this machine is that there is SOME fan noise but it certainly isn't a major issue. It's just a light drone not unlike what a fridge may sound like. If the noise is that big of a concern, I would get an iMac with a flat panel display. I heard those things are silent.

The Emac now ships with Mac OS 10.3 "Panther". It's a powerful operating system that remains easy to use and unobtrusive. I wont go into too much on Panther in this review because I want to concentrate on the iApps!

By far the most impressive thing about this and any other Mac is the "out of the box" experience. When you set it up there's so much you can do with it without buying ANY additional software. Right out of the box you can edit a movie and burn a DVD with truly stunning results, you can organize all your MP3's with iTunes, iPhoto handles all your digital images and the best part is they all work seamlessly together. For example you can arrange a slide show in iPhoto and have iTunes play an MP3 for the background without even opening iTunes. If you own an iPod it will sync up with iTunes flawlessly. This kind of cross collaboration between programs and hardware is evident everywhere on this machine.

One area I wish could be improved is that MSN Messenger for the Mac is about 2 years behind its PC counterpart in terms of features. Keep in mind that this has nothing to do with this computer. That is totally Microsoft's responsibility. On the PC end MSN Messenger has voice and video but the Mac version is just text. For great audio and video communication the Mac includes iChat AV which works with AOL's AIM to provide cross platform A/V chat . Too bad everyone I know uses MSN Messenger.

The system sound is ok but you'll probably want to add powered speakers to it and you'll be much happier with the richness of the sound. Overall I have to say I love this computer.

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).