Okay, I bought the new iMac. It’s 27-inch with the Retina display. It has a quad‑core 3.3GHz Core i5 processor, a 2TB Fusion Drive, and a 2GB AMD Radeon R9 M395 graphics processor. I upgraded the RAM at the point of purchase to 32GB. I improved the multi-core performance by opting for the 4.0GHz Core i7 upgrade. So all the bells and whistles. I expect this will be the last large desktop computer I’ll buy. By the time this is out of date, it will be enough to just have a laptop. It might have been enough this time, but I’m kind of hard-nosed about a big monitor and full keyboard (which is extra).
New…shiny…fast…lots of storage…
So then there is the setup. Man, I hate setting up a new computer. Here’s why.
- Everything looks different. What used to be here is now there. Why developers feel obligated to move stuff around and make changes to the placement of objects is something I don’t understand. but it’s a fact to be dealt with.
- Setting up a network should be easy, but it never is. I spent 2 hours trying to get the laptop to print remotely to the printer that’s hooked up to the new iMac. No luck so far, even though that function was just fine on the old computer. It’s something we use a lot, and it needs to be solved. Gaah!
- Different physical design. The old iMac (hereafter OM) had an optical drive for CDs and DVDs, a slot in the right side. Worked great, very convenient. New iMac (NM) doesn’t have it. Would I rather have “Oh, how sleek!” or “Oh, how useful!”. I’ll bet you can guess. I had to buy an optical drive (called an Apple SuperDrive or some such silly name).
- Different connectors. The Old Mac had several USB ports plus Firewire 400 and 800 receptors and an Ethernet port. The New Mac has the USB ports and 2 Thunderbolt slots. So where the hell am I supposed to plug in my backup hard drive (needed to use the backups to load all my files and stuff onto the new machine)? That drive uses the Firewire 800 cable. Solution: a return trip to Apple Store, steam coming from my ears, to point out that I asked this very question when I bought the NM, and they said adapters would be included. Nope! At least they gave me half off on the ones I had to buy – and they were NOT cheap.
- The new, “better” programs (the new kids like to call them apps, short for applications, but they are in fact programs in my opinion). Whatever, these “improvements” make all my stuff look, feel and act differently than before. My music is in iTunes, and the face of the program has been changed a lot. It may look more zingy and cool to Millenials and under, but I value function over style. Lots of adjusting default views and such.
- More of the same with the Photos app. I liked the way iPhoto was set up, easy to find and organize what I had and wanted to see. Now it’s Photo, and all zingy. “Hey, we’ve found all the pictures with a specific face in them!” “Hey, look at all the ones with a mountain, or taken at the beach, or…” NO, NO, NO! I want them grouped into events by date, like before. No such luck.
- Someone decided that everyone has great eyesight and so small text is just the ticket. I’ve been two days going through the programs trying to find a way to increase default font size. I’ve been successful about half the time so far.
Oh, I’ll get this all sorted out, and get used to the changes, and it will be great. But for a few days, what a pain in the neck!
Update: I’m all set up now (July 4) including a 4 terabyte secondary hard drive used for backups and extra photo storage. Niiice.
Tip the Wink 
I desperately need a new one and I do want a big monitor, but set up is keeping me from making the move.
Yep, I understand, but a couple of days (3 in my case, due to also needing a new secondary hard drive for back-ups and extra storage) of work and then it should be smoother sailing. Prices will never be lower.
8. Should we get off your lawn now?
Seriously, sounds very impressive. Congratulations and enjoy it. I agree 100% with you about what usually seems to be change for the sake of change rather than any real need. I hate that, a lot. Fortunately, the new (er) Subaru’s changes seem to be helpful ones for the most part.
I don’t (usually) have a problem with upgrades in cars (we love our Subaru), but the computer stuff…well, I live with it as best I can. Sorry your (and now George’s!) computers are/have conked out. Hopefully you’ll both get new, dependable machines that meet your needs and make you happy.
I hope so too. We’re going away for three days so will get it – perhaps on the 11th, Prime Day, from Amazon.
Richard, fortunately for me, I can set up a new computer for a small fee of Rs.1,000 ($15). I usually request my office IT engineer to do the job. That said, I don’t think I’ll ever be as comfortable with a laptop as I’m with a desktop computer.
Patrick and Katie are suggesting I buy an iMac similar to yours. Congratulations on your new desktop. I’m with Prashant on desktop computers and full keyboards.