Customer Reviews

Apple M9461LL/A eMac SuperDrive (1.25 GHz PowerPC G4, 256MB RAM, 80 GB Hard Drive, 8x SuperDrive, 17" Flat CRT)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I just bought my eMac in December for $$$ more! But with that aside, this is the first computer I bought that I've been thoroughly satisfied with since I bought my FIRST computer (a Windows 95-based PII)--and let me say that my computer savvy has grown a whole lot since then, so for me to be satisfied now is saying a lot.

And there's a lot to like about the eMac. First off, is price. You're paying less for more! The eMac is basically the iMac in a different shell, but it's several hundreds less. If you can live without a flat-panel LCD (and most people can), then get this computer!

With a 1.25 GHz G4, this beauty is as fast as a 2.4 GHz P4! And combined with the wonderful iLife suite, it makes multimedia work simple. From making movies and DVDs (iMovie + iDVD), digital photo slideshows (iPhoto) and playing music (iPhoto) everything is simple to use and fast, too. And with the new iLife '04, you can MAKE music, too, using GarageBand!

Heck, at this price, it's cheaper than any quality PC with similar specs: 17" flat screen monitor (16" viewable), 256 MB RAM, 1.25GHz G4 (2.4GHz P4 equiv.), 80 GB HD, 32 MB ATI Radeon graphics card, 8x DVD burner (w/32x CDR write), 2 USB + 2 Firewire and a great bundle of software in the iLife suite!

I was a long-time Windows user and worked rebuilding old PCs, but I just got so sick of the Windows clutter and the inherent problems with the OS that I decided to go with Apple and I have never been happier.

If you're thinking that you don't want to go Mac because you don't want to have to relearn how to use a computer, don't worry. Mac OS X is easy to use, as it uses almost the same GUI as Windows (although Apple came up with it first), and the only differences are that icons line up on the right on Macs and you can't just click on the button on the window to close the app--you have to select "Quit..." to close it. If you can make those adjustments, you can use a Mac! And, if you have any problems with the OS (eg. a "kernel panic"), you can restore the OS without deleting precious information on your HD! How convenient! Try doing that with Windows XP! Sure, XP can restore to a previous point, but that rarely works (I've had to do that about 30 times in two years until I went Mac)--I've had to restore Mac OS X once (four months ago--it was my fault for downloading the wrong version of a program), and everything was like brand-new again and I haven't had another problem since. Wonderful!

But, I can't only spout about the good. Some problems with Mac are that it can't natively play AVI files--a fairly common video file format. Software is expensive--up to as much as twice that of Windows. Sudden price changes/model releases--like when I bought my eMac in December, they released the new iLife in January--so I didn't get a free upgrade (I missed the cutoff date by a week), but had to BUY iLife for $$, even though I hadn't had my computer for a month! Had I known, I'd have waited the extra week and saved myself some money! Oh, and I also would've gotten Final Cut Express 2.0 for $$ instead of FCE 1.1!! Now if I want FCE 2.0, I'll have to shell out another $$!!! What a pain!

But that's more problems with Apple the company, rather than the computer. Hence, my giving this computer 5 stars. No computer I've owned up until now deserved it, but you won't find more bang for your buck.

I did a lot of research before I bought this eMac. I was a windows user, and was worried about having a smooth transition. I was surprised to find that there was virtually no transition. Everything was extremely easy to figure out. There are only 3 wires! How easy of a setup is that? My old Windows machine had so many wires, I couldn't even begin to find where things went. I was also surprised to see that the speakers and the processor were built into the monitor. So there's no extra "tower" that sits on the floor.

Panther is very easy to use also. I find myself thinking "thats how it should have been" a lot while I use my eMac. Everything just...works. For example, to connect to the internet, all you needed to do was turn it on. Easy as that. Bluetooth is the same thing. Just turn it on and it works.

Don't let the 1.25 GHz fool you. A 1.25 G4 feels considerably faster than my 2.0 GHz Pentium.

I am very pleased with Apple, and I will definitely be buying more Apple products.

I recently purchased the 1.25 ghz eMac SuperDrive model in May and it's a great all-in-one machine. If you want to switch to Apple but not pay two or even three months worth of your well-earned paycheck for a G5 or G4 Powermac then the eMac is the model to go for. I also upgraded the memory to its maximum 1 gig and got the very cool JBL Creature II 2.1 speakers. I have everything that I need right on the eMac: burn dvd's or cd's, download music & more, play games, surf the web, print or scan with no problems, have a bluetooth connection with my 6600 nokia or connect to my olympus digi cam with ease.

The only negative things I have to say is the loudness of the machine which can be really annoying especially when watching a dvd or listening to music. If you can't stand a loud fan then go for another model. I also wish Apple products or programs weren't so overpriced.

Overall I'm very happy with the eMac and Mac OS X Panther, now all I need to get is an iBook and an iPod.

A recent user survey in PC magazine identified Apple computers as the most reliable and easiest to use computers currently available. Yes, most people use Windows-based PCs, but do you want to be just another member of the PC herd -- with all of the problems and frustrations presented by Windows-based PCs -- or are you looking for a computer which is user friendly and seldom crashes? If ease of use and reliability are more important to you than being one of the crowd, please seriously consider buying an Apple. The eMac is Apple's least expensive computer, so it's a terrific way to enter the user friendly world of Apple computers at a very reasonable price. Furthermore, this new eMac is a very fast computer; faster than the previous eMac because it now uses a 1.25 GHz G4 processor which is equivalent in processor speed to a 2.4 GHz Pentium 4. This version of the eMac comes with a DVD burner plus a terrific software package for downloading, organizing and recording (on CDs and DVDs) music, photos, and movies. If you're looking for a fast, versatile, easy to use computer and are willing to try something off the beaten path, you'll love this new eMac.

Very fast. My only complain is the noise of the fans at the back. When i work at night its really annoying. Try listening music with itunes when you always hearing those big fans in background... Also the screen lack sharpeness. At night again its become very hard for the eyes to read words at the screen specially when you're doing desktop publishing. So im planning to buy an other flat screen (a PC one, bigger and scrisper) later. i find a patch on the internet where i can go in dual mode with 2 monitors. It works perfectly and make me really happy, i can't understand why apple did not included it in the machine.
Yes the noise is really the big annoying thing.

I just ordered one of these from Apple, and let me say that this surpasses the worth of any Apple computer in history for its value. At 1.25 GHz, this machine is comparative to a 2.4 GHz Pentium 4 (because the G4 chips have much less of a bottleneck). Also, the 8x DVD±RW drive is the most value you'll find anywhere. iLife '04 is great too. It includes the new Garageband, a program for amateur to pro musicians everywhere to mix beats and record themselves. It also comes with tons of other programs.

The one I ordered has 1 GB of RAM. This may bring the price to about $1200 USD. I highly recommend raising the RAM to at least 512 MB so that the system can run at its greatest speed and efficiency.

Lordy lord, where to begin! The eMac is Apple's low cost consumer model, but don't confuse that with the low value you get from other PC makers. In many mays, it is better than the next rung up iMac. MacWorld Magazine rates it as slightly faster is most applications.

This model replaces the 1 Ghz model that was also 200 bucks more expensive. Less than a grand for Apple's terrific O/S, the near uncrashable, so-far virus free (knock on wood) Unix with a friendly face OS/X! You also get the digital lifestyle suite that PCer's can't touch, iLife. Make movies, your own songs, DVDs, touch up digital photos, and arrange your recorded or purchased music in any fashion you like. Then, put them all together with these tightly integrated aps.

Apple has finally addressed some of the issues I had with these machines. They put in more memory (Though I would still get 256-512 megs more), a bigger hard drive, and Airport Extreme (802.11g for those in the know!). This is a great first computer or even a replacement for that older Mac you've been hanging onto for so long. Still no G5 available for the consumers (If you have the swag, get the G5 dual tower. WOW!), so you won't be obsolete for awhile anyway. I'm thinking of getting one to replace my 2001 QuickSilver tower. It really is that good.

i have been on mac my whole life, and most of my life i felt left out. then i got this machine and that all changed. i have had it for a few months now, and it has only craashed once. i play americas army on it and have aim and itunes running and there is no lag. ichat is a great program if you want to just jump on and see who is on without going throught the aim sign on screen, garageband is hella fun to play around with, sound studio is fun to make alert sounds with, and itunes is quite possibly the best music listening software ever. mac osX is the best OS ever, i have used PC's in school, and they always get slow or crash, and just aren't user friendly. everything about OSX beasts windows. this is definately a computer to get for anyone with a small budget who wants a nice, easy to use, and fast computer. i went with the superdrive because i wanted to be able to burn dvds, and it is really good for that, but if you don't need the dvd burner, just go with the combo drive. it will save you another 200 smackers

I did a lot of research before I bought this eMac. I was a windows user, and was worried about having a smooth transition. I was surprised to find that there was virtually no transition. Everything was extremely easy to figure out. There are only 3 wires! How easy of a setup is that? My old Windows machine had so many wires, I couldn't even begin to find where things went. I was also surprised to see that the speakers and the processor were built into the monitor. So there's no extra "tower" that sits on the floor.

Panther is very easy to use also. I find myself thinking "thats how it should have been" a lot while I use my eMac. Everything just...works. For example, to connect to the internet, all you needed to do was turn it on. Easy as that. Bluetooth is the same thing. Just turn it on and it works.

Don't let the 1.25 GHz fool you. A 1.25 G4 feels considerably faster than my 2.0 GHz Pentium.

I am very pleased with Apple, and I will definitely be buying more Apple products.

My first Mac was the 20th Aniversary model. It was like having a toy. It had a TV tuner, FM radio, and a flat LCD screen. I used it for photography and Cad drawing. I own a small contracting business and my records and drawings were all on that old Mac.
My new eMac is more than twice the computer at less than half the price I paid for my old Mac. Consider all the included software that comes standard with the Mac and it is a far better deal than what you get with a PC. I was able to transfer all my old files with my now obsolete Zip drive. The eMac has Mac classic operating system so I am still able to use my old CAD program. I would have hated to have to relearn to use a new CAD program because the learning curve was steep and time consuming.
My wife works for IBM and she had to admit that she loves the MAC too. For one thing you don't have to worry about viruses. I can read and write MS Word documents with the built in Appleworks software. The computer is compact for a CRT. There is no tower underfoot with a snakepit of wires. Photoshop works about twice as fast as my wifes PC. The operating system is updated through the internet for free. A window pops up periodically that prompts you to update the system. The finder makes it easy to find and organize obscure files.
The Safari browser works fine but will not read pdf files. It is supposed to read pdfs but I can't get it to work. I have to go to IE to read pdfs. The pop up blocker on the Safari browser is starting to develop a few holes because I now get a few popups when the blocker is supposed to be turned on. I also use the Firefox browser. The eMac comes with the World book encyclopedia and a handy dictionary. I have several of my favorite radio stations linked through I-tunes to play while I work. The fan is noisy but no more noisy than the PC we have.
Overall the eMac is a pleasure to use and it feels less like work when compared to what it feels like to work on a PC.