Mac or PC advice needed

[Nekonaruto]

So I've been a PC guy ever since I got one (12 years ago). I basically went from XP to Vista to Win7. Went through 3 PCs (and a laptop) in those 12 years and I'm looking into buying a new one soonish.

Now the thing is: I got myself an iPhone 4 when it came out about a year ago and I really like the user interface and all. Therefor I'm considering jumping on the iMac wagon...

I solely use my PC for the following at the moment:
-listening to music
-surfing
-social networking (MSN, Skype, that stuff)
-downloading & watching series/movies
-doing the occasional thing for work (I'm an accountant, so nothing very demanding, hardware-wise)

I've had a bit of hands-on experience with a friend's Mac Book Pro (with Leopard, I think) and I found the OS to be kind of ... irritating. I'm guessing that's normal if you've been used to Windows for 12 years so not too worried about that.

My main questions are:
-how long does an iMac last before it gets its first signs of age, hardware-wise with about 8-10 hours of use per day?
-are NTFS formatted external HDDs easily recognized by OS X?
-is there a possibility to import CDs as MP3s rather than AAC on a Mac? (I know it works on Windows but not sure about OS X)
-last but not least would you recommend a Mac for the above-mentionned tasks?

Thanks in advance for your time and your comments!

[Isiolia]

-how long does an iMac last before it gets its first signs of age, hardware-wise with about 8-10 hours of use per day?

Very variable - I've seen office-use Macs over a decade old that still purr along fine. Others have problems out of the box. One consideration with iMacs - or all-in-ones in general - is that if part of it goes, you're kinda stuck with less than optimal options (I'm not a fan of the form factor, Mac or PC).

-are NTFS formatted external HDDs easily recognized by OS X?

NTFS drives are recognized by OS X in read-only capacity. There are third party drivers out there to allow for read/write. Not sure on the support status of the free solutions, but there are at least a couple paid ones. Not sure if the developer has updated NTFS-3G for 10.7 (which is the free option I tend to use).

-is there a possibility to import CDs as MP3s rather than AAC on a Mac? (I know it works on Windows but not sure about OS X)

Sure. Though it's a function of iTunes, and not the Mac OS, iTunes allows you to import to AAC, AIFF, WAV, MP3, or Apple Lossless. There are other media programs available anyway.

-last but not least would you recommend a Mac for the above-mentionned tasks?

Not particularly. It's not that I'd recommend against one either, per se. There's just no real compelling reason to use OS X over Windows or Linux for the stuff you mentioned, barring some specialty software from work (though you could likely run it in a VM anyway).

[Nekonaruto]

Thanks for your response.

I'm not very talented when it comes to hardware (I'm more of a software guy, I guess) so even with my current PC it's basically the same as it would be with an iMac if something breaks: get a new one. I'm aware it's a bit stupid/a waste but it's the way I've done things these past 12 years.

The read only problem wouldn't be a problem, I mean I could just copy my date on the Mac and then reformat the HDD to FAT (if memory serves, that is the format OS X formats HDDs into?)

I guessed it wouldn't be a problem with the MP3s but since Apple sometimes has its way of dictating what you can and can't use I wasn't sure.

My main problem with my PC right now is connecting my iPhone to it, since I'm running Win 7 Pro 64 bit my PC doesn't recognize my phone AT ALL...which is kind of a pain in the ass since I always have to use my laptop (with Vista) to synch my phone. That would obviously not be an issue at all with an iMac...plus with the new iCloud service coming out it would be quite neat to use both together, I guess.

The only thing that really puts me off is the price tag...for the model I want (i5 2.7GhZ, 1TB HDD, 8GB RAM) I'd have to pay around 1300€ (around 1700$, I think)...so yeah.

[Melena]

For what your doing, I'd have to say apples are way overpriced on that end. You could get a comparable to better spec'd pc for about half the price. Even if you wanted something that could handle gaming decently, you could get that for under 800 bucks easy.

[Isiolia]

I'm not very talented when it comes to hardware (I'm more of a software guy, I guess) so even with my current PC it's basically the same as it would be with an iMac if something breaks: get a new one. I'm aware it's a bit stupid/a waste but it's the way I've done things these past 12 years.

I'm fairly sure you could figure out a video card or power supply swap if it came down to it. Even with your current setup, you probably don't need to buy a new monitor every time, that sort of thing.

The read only problem wouldn't be a problem, I mean I could just copy my date on the Mac and then reformat the HDD to FAT (if memory serves, that is the format OS X formats HDDs into?)

FAT/FAT32 aren't what OS X natively uses, but it does have read/write support for it (and can format to it). Mac OS has used HFS/HFS+ since the Classic Mac OS days. OS X has some extensions to HFS+, but it's still pretty much the archaic old format (not that NTFS isn't long in the tooth now too).

My main problem with my PC right now is connecting my iPhone to it, since I'm running Win 7 Pro 64 bit my PC doesn't recognize my phone AT ALL...which is kind of a pain in the ass since I always have to use my laptop (with Vista) to synch my phone. That would obviously not be an issue at all with an iMac...plus with the new iCloud service coming out it would be quite neat to use both together, I guess.

It shouldn't be an issue on Windows 7 either. I don't have an iPhone, but I have no problem with an iPad on 7 x64. There were some initial problems, AFAIK, but the 64-bit release of iTunes should have addressed them. Granted, there can be odd issues either way - but the general point is that there's no standing, widespread issue there that I can see.

[Tymon]

I think you might be better suited buying a MacBook Pro and hooking it up to your monitor.

I can't justify anyone buying an iMac, never have.

They use mobile hardware, and since you don't really do a ton of intensive stuff, the slightly better mobile hardware does not give that much of an advantage.

You can just hook the MBP up to your monitor/keyboard/mouse/speakers and have an identical experience, sans the larger screen. And it's portable.

At the end of the day, I wouldn't recommend you a Mac at all. But if you HAVE to get one, really, don't get an iMac.

[Nekonaruto]

Thanks Isiolia for the clarifications! I tried hooking up my iPhone just after you said it...and it was recognized. Which is weird because I haven't done an update of anything since the last time I tried...either way. Thank you!

Tymon: Well, at first I was looking into a MBP but truth be told...I've literally NEVER taken my laptop with me anywhere other than from my bedroom to my living room...so so much for that, haha. The iMac idea is just that right now...an idea. Since I'm buying my own place at the moment, money might be tight for a while but I just want enough time to make up my mind rather than rushing into something because my current PC dies on me.

If I'd go the PC route again I'd probably opt for a barebone...since they're pretty silent and small.