iMacs iBooks - no pretty colors :(

My old PC is starting to give up the ghost, and with Mac's OSX, I thought now would be a good time to consider switching. I was *really* hoping for one in pink, but they've discontinued the colored casing (think Reese Witherspoons' laptop in Legally Blonde).

I'm sold on getting an iMac once I can afford it, which will be in about a year. Maybe the colors will return by then.

Doubtful. Possible, but doubtful. Apple isn't one to reopen old graves: they popularized transparent-candy-coloured-plastic design, and one everyone else adopted it, they moved on to something else. (Too bad, too: when they first came out, I wanted the Bondi Blue one but couldn't afford it, and then they came out with the strawberry/orange/grape/lime/blueberry line and I wanted the grape but couldn't afford it, and then came the sage/ruby/snow/graphite line and I wanted the ruby but couldn't afford that, and when I could finally afford one, I ended up having to get the graphite

Do not despair. The iBooks have paint on the inside of the casing. You can open them up, remove the paint, and then you're left with a translucent IBook. This can be painted anyway you like:
http://homepage.usask.ca/~cjn339/paint/ http://www.applefritter.com/hacks/tronbook/

<snip> if you've been using Windows all your life, then 1) you'll have to buy all new software, unless you want to use Virtual PC to run it on your Mac, as I do, and 2) you'll have to learn a whole new operating system, which isn't impossible but is still a learning curve. <snip> The big appeal of OSX is that UNIX underlies it all, which I'm very familiar with. Okay, not their Darwin version, but that's splitting hairs to me. No learning curve, great exterior design (for the iMac with the floating plasma screen), and Sid Meier's Civilization comes in a Mac version. All I need is the money to switch.

I still wish they came in colors...

- Heather in Oregon

As a lifelong PC user, I disagree. I made the switch from PC to OSX, and I

I've got a new iBook and it's bone white (forget what Apple calls it), but the really neat thing with those machines is the Airport!...that is too cool

Oh, and the Airport's colour matches the iBook! WOW, they think of *everything*

I switched from the PC to the new iMac early this year and have had no problems at all. I work more efficiently now and am very pleased as well with the looks of the machine. I am about to get the new Jaguar software (OS X upgrade). I would not go back to the PC.

There is a website out there where they painted the new iMac black, so I'd think with some creative painting you could get any color you want. But the shame of painting such a beautiful computer...

I Most companies (with the exception of MS) have cross platform upgrades, which are usually the cost of the upgrade version. You do have to call and ask, though. For MS Office, Appleworks can take care of most files, or you could find someone enrolled in school (any school, even 1 class works) and get the academic version of Office for $199...

<snip> There is a website out there where they painted the new iMac black, so I'd think with some creative painting you could get any color you want. But the shame of painting such a beautiful computer... <snip> I painted my current PC. Even with the proper prepping for a plastic surface the paint peels a bit. I think it's due to the heat generated by the machine. What I really liked about the older iMacs is the appearance of the colored plastic. I can't achieve the same effect by painting. I don't know how. I think the coloring has to be done during the manufacture of the plastic.

And, like you said, the shame of painting such a beautiful computer...

I know, I could buy an older Mac, and get OSX separately. But I love the new iMac design with the floating screen. I want it all, MY way. Since I can't afford it yet, I can enjoy the 'sour grapes' aspect of the whole issue

- Heather in Oregon

Hmm.. They don't get that hot to cause paint peeling. Car manufacturers have been painting plastic for years and those see much more abuse than a PC. Maybe try car paint next time around? As for the colored plastic - it definitely has to be made that way from the factory. But, I imagine with some plexiglass and a way to bend it... A clear new iMac would be one AWESOME Mahcine!

You could do that, but the old iMacs don't have the G4 and that's what runs OSX most efficiently...