PC guys finally converting...Looking for an Imac 24 - Need advice!!!

[jacknewton]

Guys/gals,

I am so happy to see your group. I got on your site by pure luck. I am based out of Cantley.

I am a graphic/web designer, and have been working on pc for more than 8 years. I am finally letting go and converting to Mac.

I fell in love with the imac 24, so I am in the market to buy, but I have questions:

1- Where should I buy Mac products? Online by apple.ca? Future Shop? On Ebay? Any advice on what to look for/be careful? Does it worth it to buy it used?
2- I know nothing about mac. What should I buy next? Operating system? Are my PC programs such Photoshop/Illustrator/Dreamweaver compatible or do I need to buy new softwares? If so, any advice where to buy those? How much should I budget in softwares ( Photoshop / Illustrator / Dreamweaver) - and no, I won't put any Microsoft Vista on my mac!!!
3- How painful/easy will be the transition pc/mac?

HELP!!!!  and thanks...greatly appreciated

v75tco95@yahoo.ca

[Steve]

My humble opinion...

1 - buy from apple.ca since you are a designer that way you can customize it. ie more ram better graphics card and I would strongly advise purchasing apple care. You may never need it but if you do it could be a life saver.

2 - No need to buy OS it comes with it + ilife ect. You will need the Mac versions of Photoshop / Illustrator / Dreamweaver. You can order them online from Adobe. There usually the same price as the windows versions.
also google open source for mac. You will find allot of free / open source apps. I use The Gimp as an example, its like photoshop (very very similar) and its free.

3. There is a learning curve but its not bad. I found because windows puts things in an illogical way (and I'm so used to that) that you seem at first to look in those type of places and OS X puts them in a more logical structure. Once you wrap your head around that its easy-peezy.

Have fun!

[AylmerQc]

Just a note on the first point:
For the first Mac, might be better off buying from a local retailer who can answer /help out with any questions and is just a phone call away. There's a few around town who specialize in Macs. See the list elsewhere on this forum. Pay them a visit and see which one is the most enthusiastic about helping you and the product they're selling..

[z-mac]

1 - Buy from Apple.ca. They will ship quickly. You can get good used deals but don't buy used until you know Macs better or unless you have a trusted advisor.
2 - If your money is tight and you can't afford a new Adobe suite for Mac, you can install MS Windows on the latest generation of Macs and run your Windows software seamlessly with an inexpensive software product called "Parallels".
3 - I wouldn't expect that you'd have much pain... except if you have to buy the Mac versions of Photoshop, Illustrator and Dreamweaver. :^)