Need help deciding on first Apple CPU

I can't blame you for wanting to make the switch. I made the switch in 2006 when my secretary returned from a week vacation. I asked her how the vacation was and she said "here, I made you a DVD"!! I played the DVD and found a full production movie of shark diving with music, titles and at the end, credits. I walked straight out of my office and asked her how she did this. She said "on my Mac".

I bought a Mac that same week and have never looked back. (I also promoted her).

The choice of which Mac is dependent on your needs. If you need mobility, obviously a laptop is in order. If you travel a lot, the Mac Air is great.
The iMac 27" provides me the best "home experience". (also where I make my movies now).

The Mac mini is a great little machine for specific purposes. If you need an unattended server, it great. As an "inexpensive" desktop it works well as long as you provide a monitor, keyboard and mouse. It's great as a media server.

One thing is certain. When you switch, you'll buy more than one Mac. Evaluate your needs and buy accordingly.

You won't regret switching. 🙂

Looking at this further, I think you'd be happy with a $1,200 iMac 21.5".
I know the price of a mini looks tempting but you still need the monitor, keyboard, mouse. HDMI only provides 1080, if you have an HD tv next to where your computer will reside, or an existing DVI monitor. I think your experience will be better with an "all in one" system.

just my opinion.. 😉

Cheers

I have the mac mini with 4GB of RAM and the 320GB HDD and it works perfectly for what i use it for which is basically minor gaming, HD video, online stuff.. school work.. blah blah.. all in all i got a new 20 inch monitor, apple keyboard (you can get a cheaper usb keyboard if you want) and since i got the late 09 version I had to get an HDMI adapter, but I kept it all under 1000 dollars.. then again I got it refurbished from apple.com which saved me 100 bucks.. if you want to go IMac get the 999.00 refurbished that comes with full 1 year warranty and so on.

Personally, I find the iMac too big, but I am in the minority. I had one before moving to the mini and am much happier with a "small" 19" monitor that is lower to the desk. minis are a good starter system and they are easy to sell if you go on to something else.

You didn't say what you use a computer for. That can determine what to get.

There are lots of used Macs on eBay but some are way overpriced. As a first time Mac user, a better option might be to go through Apple's online store to buy a refurbished unit. You still get a 1 year warranty with it and 90 days of phone support.

If you would consider yourself a typical computer user (and not "power user") and you're not looking to do music production, video production, or heavy gaming, then the Mini would be great for you.

You'll probably want to upgrade to 4GB right away. It makes the system perform much better.

I have been a Mac user for 5 years now. I started off with a G4 MacBook Pro laptop and then moved on to a MacBook Air. The reason why I initially went with a laptop is because I wanted a computer for day to day use but I also wanted to be able to take it with me when I traveled. Also I already had a Windows desktop which I planned on continuing to use.

I found myself using my Mac laptop almost all of the time. I also have an iPhone and now an iPad. I found that the Air's slow processor, low RAM and small hard drive made it difficult to use heavily on a daily basis especially managing an iTunes library for both the iPhone and the iPad.

As a result I decided to invest in a Mac desktop and deciding the iMacs were too big and I didn't need the dedicated display as I have a 32" Sony full HD LCD I opted for a Mac Mini. I managed to get a refurbished one from Apple's store at a savings of approximately $185 which I put towards an Apple wireless bluetooth keyboard and mouse.

I use my Mac primarily for the internet, email, light word processing and some light gaming. I also use it for my media needs through iTunes ( music, photos, movies, podcasts etc. ).I have several games consoles for my main gaming needs. I've had it for a month and so far it's been great and I've had no issues at all.

I would say unless you have the need for heavy gaming or productivity use a Mac Mini should be fine.

As a first time Apple buyer/user, I would not get a used computer. Refurbished from Apple, yes. Used from any Joe out on the street? No. You do not know how to effectively test the system and could easily get yourself a lemon.