New Addition

Our family is now the proud owner of a brand new iMac.  I feel like I got a great deal since I found it on Craig's List and it was still in its shipping box.

I had several motivations for this purchase:

1. I wanted a home server. I used to leave on an old computer running Linux, and that computer was very old (I built it in 2000) and I don't think it was very energy efficient.  iMacs use mainly laptop components which should consume less power.
   
2. I wanted a computer that acts as a file server for all of my video content.  I can't keep all of our home movies stored on my MacBook Pro, and getting out an external hard drive every time I wanted to access it was irritating.  The iMac has a Firewire 400 and a Firewire 800 port, plus a gigabit ethernet port, so accessing an external hard drive attached to it over the network should be very fast.
3. I wanted a computer for the kids to use.  Kyla plays games on my laptop or Becky's regularly, and I'm always afraid that they will get damaged (my wireless Mighty Mouse was almost a casualty).  If they use a desktop computer the risk is really only to the keyboard and mouse.
4. I wanted something that looked nicer.  Becky and I have been cleaning out a lot of old junk, and my old setup in the den was something of an eye sore.  The iMac replaces the following components: a large beige PC tower, a black PC tower, a big 19" beige CRT, and a dark gray speaker and subwoofer set.  The iMac's all-in-one design takes up far less space and is much prettier.
5. I wanted a homogenous Mac environment.  The more you use Apple's products, the more you discover synergies between them.  Also, since the kids will be using this computer, there is a real virus risk if they use Windows.  Don't worry Microsoft, I'll be running a legally purchased copy of XP via Boot Camp and Parallels on occasion, plus I bought Office 2008 (which is pretty nice).

I strategically proposed this purchase to Becky at the same time we found out we were getting a healthy return from the IRS.  After the purchase of the TV, she is due for a purchase herself, though we both would like to save and invest the majority of our recent positive cash flow, which is why I was motivated to find a bargain.