iMac vs Apple TV

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PokeMaster
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iMac vs Apple TV

Post by PokeMaster »

Thinking about Phytotron's computer situation got me thinking about my own computer situation for the years coming. Here's what I've got:

MacBook Pro 15", bought last year and definitely going to last me for the foreseeable future
iMac 20" first aluminum model, bought in Oct. 2007, almost 5 years ago.
Going to be getting some HDTV, dunno what though (doesn't matter)

The MBP is my main computer, and I haven't even touched the iMac in a year (it's been on loan to my brother). I'll be getting the iMac back though, and I've been planning on setting it up as a media computer in my room, hooked up to the eventual HDTV, and viola, all my media on a bigscreen! Now that I think about it though, an Apple TV would do that just fine, and it's only 100 bucks.

For those of you who aren't familiar with Apple TVs and what they do, they're just a small media box that you hook up to your TV setup that allows you to stream media files from computers with iTunes nearby, as well as connect to internet sources like Netflix and YouTube. And for non-iTunes media you can directly screenshare from a Mac wirelessly. (That's a feature of OS X Mountain Lion, coming in about a month.)

The only thing having an actual desktop in the room would offer would be
a) minimally faster access to a computer, if I have a quick thing I want to look up or whatever,
b) an extra 250 GB of hard drive, and
c) a WiFi base station for my Laptop so that I can get a fast connection without wires. (University WiFi extends to where I'll be living, but from my experience it's pretty crappy in that location, so I'd like to broadcast the ethernet line in my room wirelessly).

If I can sell my iMac for $400 or $500, I could make some solid money and lose just some of the functionality that it offers over an Apple TV. Thoughts? Also, does anybody have much experience on using a computer as a wireless base station?
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Phytotron
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Re: iMac vs Apple TV

Post by Phytotron »

PokeMaster wrote:If I can sell my iMac for $400 or $500, I could make some solid money and lose just some of the functionality that it offers over an Apple TV.
I have zero experience with, and zero use use for, what you're talking about doing, but that's what I'd do.

Does the Apple TV have wireless connectivity? You could get one of those AirPort base station things (used) and use it for both your MBP and Apple TV. I think you'd still come out on top money-wise.
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Re: iMac vs Apple TV

Post by PokeMaster »

Yeah the Apple TV connects wirelessly to your PCs, maybe even over wired network too (there's an ethernet port), but I'm too young to know much about that. Even without having a WLAN though, I can still host a wireless network from my laptop and then I'd assume that the TV could connect to that. Not 100% sure, but I can't see at the moment why that wouldn't work.

Yeah getting a wireless base station might be a necessity, and I'd definitely come out on top money-wise. (Airport Expresses are $100 new, and I could probably get another type for even cheaper). But if it's not a necessity, I dunno if I'd get one. The only functionality it would offer would be the base station functionality of the iMac that I mentioned.
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syllabear
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Re: iMac vs Apple TV

Post by syllabear »

Is there any reason you (and Phyto) are simply dismissing other OS/builds? I personally wouldn't consider macs, but only because they are expensive (student budget woo). If they were the cheapest thing on the market I definately would.

Considering there is more customisation with Windows than mac, and far more with linux than Windows it doesn't really make sense to me you could love that OS that much (to not even consider others).
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Re: iMac vs Apple TV

Post by PokeMaster »

Well the only thing I'm considering buying is an Apple TV, not another computer. And that really doesn't run OS X. (Actually, it might, but only in the same way that iPhones and iPads do.)

Truth, Macs are furiously more expensive. The most I've spent on a Mac thus far was $1200 for my original iMac, and I spent ~$600 for my MacBook Pro (long story short, had a $1400 gift card to the Apple Store after receiving a MacBook for free). Though I guess those pieces of information don't matter because I still plan on buying Macs in the future. For me, I've been very frustrated by buggy Windows machines in the past and I also very much value design and simplicity (both conceptually and practically). And I spend hours a day on my computer, so the enjoyment of my user experience adds up to where the value exceeds the price.
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Re: iMac vs Apple TV

Post by epsy »

Doesn't your internet provider provide something that has a similar function to Apple TV?
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Re: iMac vs Apple TV

Post by Phytotron »

syllabear wrote:Is there any reason you (and Phyto) are simply dismissing other OS/builds?
Poke already answered, but I'll speak for him some more. If you might've noticed, he already has a Mac. One would assume, then, that he prefers Mac. So, you just need to get over that, fanboy. Secondly, considering his Macbook is already his primary computer, one would assume that it would be easier and more compatible to stick with that rather than moving over to all different hardware and software. He just mentioned prior to your post that he's too "young to know much about" the connectivity deal. Presumably having it all Apple would make it easier. Why would you have a problem with that?

Now, answering for myself. First, I have no meaningful familiarity or experience with other OS's or PC hardware (yet), while I have a good bit when it comes to Apple/Mac. So why in the world would I recommend he use something I don't know anything about? (And before you say, "but you said you didn't have experience...." Not with his specific application, but I am familiar with the products and, especially since I've been looking lately, I'm aware prices off the top of my head.)

Secondly, you might have noticed that Poke presented a specific situation and a specific question with two alternatives. He didn't ask generically, "hey guys, how should I set up a media station?" I answered according to his specific question. Had it been, say, you asking specifically about a PC matter and I came in and said you should ditch all your current stuff and do it with Apple stuff instead, what do you think your reaction to me would have been? "Stop trolling and thread hijacking, jerk," or something along that lines, I suspect.

More generally, did you completely miss my Linux thread? If you're so enthusiastic about moving people from Macs to PC's, how about you go over there and give me some good advice about hardware? I would sincerely appreciate that, if you have some knowledge to drop. :)


epsy wrote:Doesn't your internet provider provide something that has a similar function to Apple TV?
Say what?
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Re: iMac vs Apple TV

Post by PokeMaster »

Phytotron wrote:He just mentioned prior to your post that he's too "young to know much about" the connectivity deal.
Actually I meant that everything's been heavily geared towards wireless since maybe up to five years ago, especially for Apple.
epsy wrote:Doesn't your internet provider provide something that has a similar function to Apple TV?
Phytotron wrote:Say what?
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Re: iMac vs Apple TV

Post by Kijutsu »

Phytotron wrote:So, you just need to get over that, fanboy.
Fanboys are people who prefer macs over pc, regardless of bigger price and inferiority.

http://img3.joyreactor.ru/pics/post/mac ... 25943.jpeg

http://retrothing.typepad.com/photos/un ... acvspc.png

http://www.mytechguide.org/wp-content/u ... 013607.jpg

Yeah, enjoy your 11 year old parts, fanboys.
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Re: iMac vs Apple TV

Post by syllabear »

Phytotron wrote:*Pretty useful response, answers my question, could have been a bit less snide, but its phyto and we all love him for it*
Phytotron wrote:More generally, did you completely miss my Linux thread? If you're so enthusiastic about moving people from Macs to PC's, how about you go over there and give me some good advice about hardware? I would sincerely appreciate that, if you have some knowledge to drop. :)
First of all, don't assume I have some kind of "move people from Macs to non-apple machines" (A PC is a personal computer and includes Macs), simply because I asked such a question.

To illustrate, imagine if you were asking about what citrus fruit to have for a snack, and I asked why not consider other fruits, or even other snacks (A very random example I know, but it still works regardless). You would not accuse me of being some kind of citrus fruit 'hater' or non-citrus fruit enthusiast.

And finally, I didn't miss that topic, but I did read through the front half of it which was from 2009 where you did have a "mac or nothing" view. That originally got me wondering about this, but I didn't make a post then since I saw at the end you were considering other options. This topic did prompt me, because it was the second time in a short period when I had seen simple exclusion of other platforms, and was wondering why two people I presumed were quite open minded and logical were simply excluding large swathes of the market in favor of specific brands and items. It could be I was missing something important and there was something exceptional about these devices or their operating systems, in which case I might consider getting one. It might be that you simply had brand loyalty and familiarity, and were unwilling to explore new avenues of doing things.

Sorry for being curious though, we all know where questioning the world around us can lead us to.
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Phytotron
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Re: iMac vs Apple TV

Post by Phytotron »

Kijutsu wrote:Fanboys are people who prefer macs over pc, regardless of bigger price and inferiority.
Fanboys are not exclusive to Apple users. A person can be an overzealous, nonsensical fan of anything, and that includes in equal parts Windows and Linux. I've discovered massive fanboyage in the Linux "community" over the past couple weeks, ironically, considering all their trash talk against both Mac and Windows users. There is also fanboyism as defined in the negative, like you and syllabear in your silly, trendy hatred of Mac and its users. It's all part of the same disgusting culture that equates brands with identity and "lifestyle," while distracting your mindless consumerist noodles from the really bad shit corporations are doing to society that actually f'cking matters. Ya'll should read Naomi Klein's No Logo and other such books on corporate branding and culture/society.

I am looking at those Dell Inspiron desktops, though.
syllabear wrote:(A PC is a personal computer and includes Macs)
And you damn well know that people everywhere, including tech writers, commonly refer to non-Mac, "IBM-compatible" computers collectively as "PC's." So, you can stuff that snot back up your nose.
First of all, don't assume I have some kind of "move people from Macs to non-apple machines," simply because I asked such a question. ... You would not accuse me of being some kind of citrus fruit 'hater' or non-citrus fruit enthusiast.
Of course not on that basis; that would be ridiculous and more akin to what you've done here. Rather, on the basis of your record of it in several other posts, simply reinforced here. As for your hypocritical complaint about assumptions....
I ... was wondering why two people I presumed were quite open minded and logical were simply excluding large swathes of the market in favor of specific brands and items. ... It might be that you simply had brand loyalty and familiarity, and were unwilling to explore new avenues of doing things.
Or it might be that you made an assumption about Poke instead of asking. You could have asked "have you considered other options?" but you didn't. You immediately jumped to "why have you dismissed?" How do you know he didn't consider other options? You didn't even consider that possibility; you just assumed "stupid f*ggy Mac f*g"—is, I wager, roughly the verbiage and attitude that went through your noggin.

As for my part, it's apparent that our conversations regarding operating systems in the past were one-way. That is, you didn't listen to my position. Nothing new there. And likewise, here you are once again, as you have several times in the past on all manner of subjects, attempting to twist and misrepresent my position, and with quite the undertone of snottiness in so doing.

See, what you have made abundantly clear, not just here but since I've been aware of your alter-ego on this forum, is that you are fashionably and sneeringly anti-Apple and perhaps even more so anti-Apple users, mostly on grounds of fashion—your own as well as some ridiculous belief you have regarding some kind of universal fashion and culture of Mac users; this belief that it says something significant, or at all, about a person that they use a Mac, or that you don't. We get it. Now you get this: I am not a "pro-Apple loyalist." I despise the company about as much as I do Microsoft and most PC manufacturers. I have never once given one cent to Apple. I can make ethical, political, consumer arguments against both Apple and Microsoft, as well as PC hardware manufacturers. Can you, beyond "Apple is expensive" and baseless, superficial fashion/culture-based silliness?

I do, however, prefer the Mac operating system to Windows. My question for you is, why would it bother you so much that someone may have tried at least the two major OS's, and possibly some Linux distro, and just plain prefers one and dislikes another? Speaking only about the operating system itself, not the company or hardware. Can you make an argument that goes beyond taste?

(When I ask, "Can you...," I'm not suggesting we digress further into arguing all that. I'm just asking, can you? Does it even figure into your thinking, and to what degree?)
Sorry for being curious though, we all know where questioning the world around us can lead us to.
Yeah, you got me pegged, all on the basis of my using a Mac. I'm a totally blind hipster conformist; my views are so conventional, mayonnaise and unquestioning. And you're a real independent f'cking thinker, representing a broad and enlightened philosophy about the world around us, totally putting it to the man—all on account of using the Big Business, brand-pimping, Chinese sweat shop computer that you use. You radical rebel, you. :roll:

In sum, you are indeed every bit a part of the dumbass, brand-swilling "fanboy" culture.

So there. :P
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Re: iMac vs Apple TV

Post by syllabear »

I'll only go as far as to answer
Phytotron wrote:Can you, beyond "Apple is expensive" and baseless, superficial fashion/culture-based silliness?
Phytotron wrote:Can you make an argument that goes beyond taste?
Both with yes (and I'll guess that you probably know I'm capable of this; it only takes a modicum of reading around to figure out some valid arguments against either company/product). I think I'll stop there since I got the answer I was looking for from your first post. My latter was only defending why I posted (whether you believe me or not thats your call), but maybe I'll just go back to lurking again. Perhaps you'll get bored if there's nobody here to shout at and call a snotty nosed brand-swilling dumbass fanboy.
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