[geeks] Help me convert a computer illiterate to an iMac!

[Chris Byrne]

Well if she bought a VAIO I can guarnatee you it was for one (or more)
of three reasons

1. It looks really cool
2. It's supposed to be good at multimedia
3. It says Sony on the side and she figures that if they do good vcrs
and stereos it must be more like that than a "real" computer
4. She believed those windows XP adds

How about these thoughts:

1. VAIO's have one of the worst reliability records of any mjaor brand
PC
2. VAIO's are so propietary that you are only gonna be able to get
drivers from sony
3. Sony has an unfortuante habit of abandoning products very quickly (so
when the reliability does become a problem or she does need new
drivers...)
4. She could have gotten twice as much computer for half as much money
anywhere else
5. WindowsXP, nuff said

Ok so those are sepcific reasons not to buy a VAIO. How about buying a
mac in favor of a VAIO:

1. Macs have a far better reliability record than VAIOs
2. Macs don't go obsolete nearly as fast as PC's
3. Macs look even cooler than Vaios
4. The iMac will take up less space
5. The iMac will use less power
6. The iMac will make far less noise
7. The iMac will look far prettier on the desktop both when turned on
and turned off

In the programs shes running (Im assuming email, web browsing, wordx
processing and home accounting?) and assuming you get her 512m ram she's
never gonna notice a real performance difference. If anything theMac
will prolly seem a little faster. Oh and get her a three button mouse
with a wheel. As a user who regularly switchesw back and forth I hate
one button mice and command key combinations. 

Can you get her to at least go to a store and look at a 17" iMac in
action? 

My mother is a total technophobe. She does exactly what shen needs to do
in the only way shes figured out how and then she shuts the thing off
"before she can do something stupid and break it". Honestly she lives in
paralytic fear of breaking her computer just from using it. A couple of
weeks ago I took her into the apple section at Frys. She damn near
started drooling. She absolutely loved them. Loved how they looked, how
they sounded, how they worked. And she was amazed at the screens, and
how great video looked etc... She finally said "ok let's go. I feel bad
enough about buying that other computer now anyway. You just made me
want to spend more money"

Chris Byrne