On 11/29/13, 6:12 PM, Mr. Luddite wrote:

Decided to brave the crowds today and visit a nearby Apple store to
check out the iMac that I was thinking of getting for Mrs.E.

This was my first time in an Apple store and despite the number of
people there, I was really impressed with how efficiently it was run.

As I entered and saw the place packed with people (day after
Thanksgiving shoppers), I almost left figuring it would be impossible
to get a salesperson to ask questions of. But then I realized there
were at least 30 of them walking around with iPads and iPhones ready to
help anyone who needed help. Not pushy either. They wait until you
*want* some help.

Long story short, after discussing how and for what my wife uses a
computer, the salesperson told me the entry level, 21.5" iMac would be
more than she needs. The salesman told me that for watching Netflix
movies, etc, there really would not be any difference between the base
model and the bigger 27" model that has more Ram, a faster CPU and the
upgraded video card, but in the end it all comes down to screen size.
Mrs.E. wanted a "BIG" screen.

So, I went for the 27".

Took it home and decided to give it to her now rather than wait until
Christmas. She wasn't home, so I set it up to surprise her. Took me 10
minutes just to find the on/off button. She's on her own now.

The store also gave me a $150 gift certificate to apply towards any
training or accessories she may want.

Have to admit, it is impressive. I just don't have a clue how to use
it. We will have our lawyer friend who is also a major MacNut over to
help her get it all setup.


The crowds are in those stores almost all the time, and it is worse, of
course, this time of year. When I visit the local store, I try to get
there just as it opens.

All the "mainstream" software that your wife might use works pretty much
the same way on an iMac as it does on a Dell, for example. If she writes
stuff, though, and she uses the inexpensive Apple word processor, Pages,
and she wants to send her "work product" to others, she has to remember
to save it as a "WORD" file, which is not the native, automatic file
saving mechanism. An alternative is to buy Microsoft WORD as part of the
Office Suite, but that really is overkill.
Simple stuff can be saved as a text file in the included text editor.

It takes a week or two to "adjust" to a Mac after using a PC. I still
use Thunderbird instead of Apple Mail because to me, Apple Mail is more
complex than I need.

The on off button on the back of the iMac used to be more prominent.
Now, you have to feel around for it. Too much design thought went into
that.

Buy Apple Care. It's worth it.

--
Religion: together we can find the cure.