iMac loathing
Jul. 14th, 2008 04:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
chhotiiThe iMac: a horrible, horrible design.
The lab bought a raft of iMacs when I was out on maternity leave (and not around to object). The power supplies just die over and over again. Not only does this cost money to fix, but I have to drag them over to the repair shop. They are very awkward to carry, so I have to bring the car around to the main entrance and wait, getting hassled by the security guards, while a co-worker brings the computer down to me. Then the computer has to lie screen-down on the seat to avoid tipping over as I drive. Furthermore, when we've decided that we've had it with a particular unit and put it out to pasture, its perfectly good screen goes with it. I have insisted on a new policy here: no more iMacs! If someone doesn't need the power of a Power Mac or the portability of a laptop, they are getting a Mac Mini. I don't know if the Mac Mini will be any more reliable, but at least if it croaks, I can carry it to the repair shop in my hand, and if we throw the computer away, we keep the monitor to use with the next computer.
Another hysterically bad thing about the iMac design I discovered today. (Not the original ones with the CRT monitor; the newer flat-screen ones.) It has a slot-type CD/DVD burner positioned on the side, near the top. Today I copied a bunch of data to a DVD. (Not a fun process itself; anyone have experience using something like Roxio Toast instead of Finder for making data DVDs on Macintosh?) I told the computer to eject the disk. I didn't realize I would have to catch the disk as it came out. The DVD came rolling out, fell, and bounced on its edge on the desk so hard that the layers were visibly separated around the point of impact. This must have come out of Apple's "Inventing New Ways to Eit Yourself" department.
The lab bought a raft of iMacs when I was out on maternity leave (and not around to object). The power supplies just die over and over again. Not only does this cost money to fix, but I have to drag them over to the repair shop. They are very awkward to carry, so I have to bring the car around to the main entrance and wait, getting hassled by the security guards, while a co-worker brings the computer down to me. Then the computer has to lie screen-down on the seat to avoid tipping over as I drive. Furthermore, when we've decided that we've had it with a particular unit and put it out to pasture, its perfectly good screen goes with it. I have insisted on a new policy here: no more iMacs! If someone doesn't need the power of a Power Mac or the portability of a laptop, they are getting a Mac Mini. I don't know if the Mac Mini will be any more reliable, but at least if it croaks, I can carry it to the repair shop in my hand, and if we throw the computer away, we keep the monitor to use with the next computer.
Another hysterically bad thing about the iMac design I discovered today. (Not the original ones with the CRT monitor; the newer flat-screen ones.) It has a slot-type CD/DVD burner positioned on the side, near the top. Today I copied a bunch of data to a DVD. (Not a fun process itself; anyone have experience using something like Roxio Toast instead of Finder for making data DVDs on Macintosh?) I told the computer to eject the disk. I didn't realize I would have to catch the disk as it came out. The DVD came rolling out, fell, and bounced on its edge on the desk so hard that the layers were visibly separated around the point of impact. This must have come out of Apple's "Inventing New Ways to Eit Yourself" department.
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no subject
Date: 2008-07-14 11:29 pm (UTC)I had one of the very first generation of flat panel iMac (iMac G5, rev A; it lacks the webcam of the later version); it had major major problems. The later versions ("iSight", with the Intel chip) that Apple replaced that machine with has been a joy.
I burn discs all the time and have never had one fly out; with both machines, the disc consistently pops out about a third of the way, for easy grabbing.
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Date: 2008-07-15 05:38 am (UTC)I've never had a disc fly out of the drive slot as you describe. It kind of irritates me that they don't eject far enough to be able to stick my finger in the hole, but they seem to be gripped by the felt at the opening quite nicely.
Toast is a dream to use to create CDs with. I do think it's easier than the built in disc burning capabilities, although that's not too terribly bad. It's improved a fair amount in 10.5, not sure if you're up to that version or not, though. But I highly recommend Toast.