SHOW US YOUR IMACS (formerly iMacs should I bother?)

[Silvergoat]

Re:

It's always best to be fully informed as much as possible before making a decision like this. In practice it's not difficult or much trouble at all really. Pretty much all of what I've outlined would/should be done and sorted out by the seller themselves – they wouldn't want to sell and ship a computer with all their data/files/Apple ID still on it. They should be OK if you need to ask them any questions around this. Essentially, you would be receiving a freshly formatted iMac clean installed with Mac OS ready to go – it would be almost like receiving a new computer out of the box. You would be getting a very good iMac. All you need do is fire it up and follow the set up assistant to configure it to you. The refurbished iMac that I bought was a used computer but was shipped to me like it was brand new – all I had to do was turn it on, then follow the set up assistant to configure it – iMacs are really easy to set up. I've used Macs for the past 20 years in work and at home. iMacs of the past 6 years are a breeze to use.

 

[The History Man]

Re:

Just bought a local one

Apple iMac 21.5-inch (Late 2012) 2.9Ghz Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 1TB with wireless trackpad, mouse and keyboard.

Will be picking it up asap. Will post a pic once set up. Owner has wiped it to factory 'welcome' screen at startup.

Thanks for all your help chaps. Still have the shonky HP Windows 10 laptop to fall back on if I hate it (which i won't)

THM

Next question: are the cheapo dland external drives worth having at £25. will need something for my CDs Also I have a phono stage with usb out. Can I transfer vinyl straight to itunes?

 

[Silvergoat]

Re:

That's great news – you've scored yourself a good Mac! I'm pretty confident that you won't look back to the HP.

At work, I have one of those cheapo slim LG external CD drives (about £25) plugged into my 2015 iMac. It works fine and very reliably – so you'll be ok burning CDs.

I have a turntable USB connected to my iMac at home. I installed Audacity http://www.audacityteam.org/download/mac/ as the intermediary ripping software. You can edit/mix and save into many formats including MP4s for then importing into iTunes. I also have Wire Tap Studio which I use to record music off Youtube and import into iTunes – have found all sorts of rare and obscure gems going back into the 60's. I use all three apps together to record/mix/edit and create set lists. Got about a month's worth of music on iTunes.

 

[The History Man]

Re:

HOme. Just upgrading to Sierra so I can get photos working with my other devices........

EEEEEK!

 

[The History Man]

Re: iMacs should I bother?

what the hell is this coaster for? trackpad.

Office 2016 and lots of other stuff on there now.

 

[Silvergoat]

Re: iMacs should I bother?

what the hell is this coaster for? trackpad.

Office 2016 and lots of other stuff on there now.

Nice bike! I'd stick to the mouse and ditch the mug warmer myself, but I'd be careful with your hand gestures anywhere near the mouse – an unintentional swipe will alter the desktop view. The trackpads are used like swiping smartphone screens. Nice iMac btw! The screens are beautiful and the inbuilt sound is pretty good too. Have fun!

 

[The History Man]

Re: iMacs should I bother?

It's already USB out to an arcam dac to the marantz amp and mission speakers for sound.

Looking for some decent photo software next. Thanks again.

 

[The History Man]

Re: iMacs should I bother?

Affinity 1.5 anybody tried it. Looks good for under £40.

 

[Silvergoat]

Re:

Not seen Infinity before but just had a look at the website and for around £40 it looks impressive. I've tried other apps and free ones like Gimp which is clunky to use. I use full Adobe Photoshop and CS everything at work but can't afford it myself for home. Infinity seems well worth a punt at that price and it looks like it compares favourably with high-end Photoshop.

 

[The History Man]

Re: iMacs should I bother?

Bought affinity. Now I need to watch the tutorials. Looks a bit like photoshop.