Mac vs Mac

You might think the title for this post odd. I'm trying to decide whether or not to buy a new computer and if so, which to purchase. One might expect the title to be "PC vs Mac" or some variation, not here. I've made the decision that enough of my money has been "donated" to PC companies for products that work for a virus infested, sluggish period before finally crapping out and I'm ready to transition to a Mac. The title, therefore, refers to the new iMac vs the G5, which , competitively, puts Apple in a very good position, but also means in a way they just cannibalized their own product. I don't hear Steve Jobs complaining.

Based on the Intel Pentium processor the iMac is proclaimed to be 2x as fast as the G5. This claim, however, is based on basic computing tasks that are used to make such statements. When it comes to a more practical test using software performing tasks and executing commands that uses might actually benefit from, the spectacular achievements and speed increases are no longer as astounding or even existent. Macworld recently completed tests with this exact comparison in mind and their results can be seen here.

I'll summarize their findings here. For basic computing tasks using programs that are written specifically for the new Intel chip and iMac, tasks are accomplished more quickly than on the G5. The sped difference is not astounding, and more in the realm of 30%-50% faster. Programs that are not native to the iMac platform use a program, cleverly named Rosetta, to translate the code and allow the programs to function properly. This causes the remarkable processing time to be not-so outstanding.

Given the brief period that has elapsed since the intention of using Intel chips in Macs was announced publicly and the subsequent product release, few companies have adapted their programs to operate on the iMac platform. Specifically, programs that I will primarily be using such as Photoshop CS2 and Dreamweaver currently perform tasks significantly 30%-70% SLOWER than the G5.

It has been stated that as more programs are written for the iMac platform the speed comparison will turn strongly in favor of the iMac. But at the cost of new software packages that will likely take months or even years to be adapted and developed. The question therefore is the following: Is it better to buy the faster yet currently slower iMac now and buy the software for it later, or buy the slower but currently faster G5 now and buy a faster computer and new software later. Hmmmm.

It can also be assumed that the initial round of products created using the Intel chip may have some kinks to be worked out. Just another aspect to take into account.

Initial Post

I've never had a particularly high opinion of blogs. It seems to be an interesting offshoot of our society that we feel our opinions are so tremendously important that everyone should listen. In conjunction with collectively being such poor listeners, it drives people to write their opinions in blogs and such. It is said that rather than listening to what other people are saying, individuals are more apt to plan, structure and word their next statement, which doesn't so much make for a dynamic conversation as it creates dueling monologues competing for attention.

There are other uses for blogs as tools, however, which is the motivation I had for starting my own. As a particularly one sided conversation, almost diary, and publicity tool, a blog can be used as a motivational tool; publicly setting goals and time lines makes it much more likely that these will be acheived. The blog can allow for analyses of these goals and time lines and hopefully lead to self improvement.

Thus I embark on the self-motivational, self-analytical, quasi-public forum that is this blog.