To PC or To MAC

[Yooper]

(Fair disclosure. My Partner owns Apple stock.)

I'll go out on a limb here, and say 'Whatever.'

However, if you are sick of things breaking down, constant security updates, virus worries, etc., then consider the switch.

My Partner, who damages electronics by just looking at them--he screwed up his cell phone so bad my Rocket Scientist friend couldn't undo it--has yet to screw up the Mac. Seriously.

And my Mom, 71 years old, who has made the Windows machines at her office melt down and scream for mercy--it took the computer guru THREE DAYS to figure out what she did--still hasn't messed up the MacBook I gave her two years ago. No viruses, no screw ups, no crashes. The only problem she has had in two years she called me at 7 frigging AM 'The computer won't turn on!' I asked her what she had done, she said she chose 'Shut Down' not 'Sleep.' I then inquired if she had pressed the power button. The what? Solved that one.

Mac FAQ:
http://www.apple.com/getamac/faq/

Apple Store (AU):
http://store.apple.com/au

 

[andysayshi]

Regulars here know I prefer Macs in a general sense, for all the reasons mentioned above. BUT if you're comfortable with using and maintaining Windows, and you seriously won't use any other features other than a web browser and Word, why spend the extra dollars? But if the money is not such an issue, it's nice to have the choice of Windows and OS X in one machine.

I'd also mention that, if you're buying in the lower Apple price range (ie the White MacBook) tread carefully. It's a cheap plastic laptop and has had reliability issues. If you can't afford the newer aluminium unibody machines, I'd look at cheaper equivalents like Dell.

 

[Yooper]

My laptop is the cheap plastic MacBook and I've had no problems with it.

However, I will say (and I've told Apple how stupid the design is), the Mighty Mouse has a serious design flaw. The tiny scroll wheel is HIGHLY prone to getting full of crap and stops working, usually with no notice. (For those who think it is only one button, you can tell it to have at least five. Meaningless to me, though.)

Evidently I've pitched a fit often enough I got an email a couple of weeks ago from Apple asking if I'd be interested in beta testing a new design. Have heard nothing back yet. Might be that I returned four under warranty in less than a year.

 

[kallipolis]

Over five years ago I purchased the cheapest Acer PC (Aspire 1353LM) available on my local market.

No problems over the past five years.

I will replace, when my Acer dies a natural death.

Why buy a Jaguar, when a Holden will suffice?

 

[omminc]

If your just going to use it for writing or surfing the net, then don't spend over $500 on the computer, it is not worth it. There are many choices that are under that price range with very good features for what you'll be needing the computer for. Also, with windows 7 coming this month, many, if not all of the computer manufactures are offering win7 upgrade free, and win7 is one of the best OS from M$ to date, IMO. cobble that with a free A/V from AVG or Avast, firefox, and open office, you'll have a good computer that should last quite some time that won't brake the bank.

But if your set on a Mac, then the inexpensive Macbook ($1k) should do just fine. Though you might need to buy new software if it's not compatible with mac, though that is depending on the programs you use. You could look for a certified used mac to save a few more pennies. The Mac OS is clean, stream line, and quite good.

it's really up to you, just thought I would give my two cents. Good luck on finding a new computer.

 

[gambit22121]

I've been a huge mac advocate for a while. The reason...everything just works. No issues or worries. If you're looking to save a bit, Apple offers refurbished machines that some of my friends have gotten, again with no issues.

 

[Paws]

Apple:
+ MacOS
- expensive, proprietary

All other PC hardware/software producers:
+ Linux, cheap hardware
- Windows

 

[kallipolis]

I've been a huge mac advocate for a while. The reason...everything just works. No issues or worries. If you're looking to save a bit, Apple offers refurbished machines that some of my friends have gotten, again with no issues.

This is worth noting. I was unaware of this facility, until now.

 

[deserter85]

I switched over from PC to Mac, but I still run a Windows partition on my Mac as there are certain programs that are Windows only (e.g. Imperialism II).

Get refurbished, they're pretty cheap and they're just like brand new.
Or from time to time, I think Apple has some offers if you're a student (free iPod Touch or whatever it is). You can get the computer and sell the iPod Touch to make things more affordable?

 

[looseliam]

I could by a Honda or a Vintage Jag.

Sure, both are transportation, and one may require a bit more work, but isn't one a little more fun and liberating?

 

[sheep]

The *cheap* plastic white MacBook is actually polycarbonate. If you don't drop it you will be fine. Snow Leopard, the new 64 bit OS is very efficient so unless you need to boot into some flavour of Windows, 2 gigs of ram will be just fine. You don't need any antivirus software and you can download OpenOffice, the open source productivity software which opens and saves as Microsoft stuff.
There is a great email program and the address book imports your Windows addresses. The computers except the Pro all ship with iLife creative software -- full versions, not bloatware trial versions. Getting rid of an application means dragging it to the trash, no uninstaller, and no worries about that mysterious "Registry" on Windows boxes. There is also a pretty good Calendar included and let me tell you, iTunes runs beautifully on a Mac. Safari browser is pre-installed but if you are satisfied with Firefox running at less than half the speed you can download that too.

I gotta tell you tho, I'm a shareholder so if you get a Mac I might get a fraction of a cent.

Recently I did a price comparison with a Dell Inspiron and the Mac was cheaper and included a separate graphics card and Firewire neither of which was available on that Dell model. Happy shopping.

 

[311fan]

I recently made the transition from Windows to Mac and I must say... it was the best decision that I've made. I was tired of Windows always letting me down by crashing, etc. so I bit the bullet and made the change. Sure, it takes a bit to get used to, but after playing with it for a while, you'll get the hang of it all. I love it because it's fast, lightweight, keeps my things organized, and is quiet (unlike my old laptop that used to sound like a space ship about to take off).

 

[bankside]

Will never go back. (famous last words, i know, but mac is just that good)

 

[Apollo]

I would go with a PC. If that's all your going to be doing with it. Mac is supposedly better at media such as video and musicwith their iLife suite.

But regardless, there is no reason to buy even the cheapest Mac to surf the web. Buy a netbook with Windows 7 home premium (released Oct. 22) and your good. Will run you $400-$500 for a netbook, and they are ultraportable.

If your concerned about viruses, get MS Security Essentials. Unless your a high problem internet user, you don't have to pay for virus protection. Security Essentials is light, in the background, and keeps you safe.

Your choice though.

 

[sheep]

Ravenstar, I have to add something.

On a Mac, you can save any document in PDF form. I've used this feature dozens and dozens of time, and believe it to be an indispensable aid to the writer.

A minus: you may or may not have to buy Word. I use TextEdit for all my writing, but you may need more elaborate features.

You can buy iWork, the Mac productivity suite when you order your Mac for $49. iWork '09 gives you everything you need to make impressive documents, spreadsheets, and presentations in minutes. Writing and page layout are even easier using Pages '09. Numbers '09 gives you innovative ways to create spreadsheets. You'll captivate your audience with sophisticated presentations using Keynote '09. iWork will be preinstalled on your Mac, so you'll have all three productivity applications available for immediate use.
You can save Pages as a Word file, Numbers as an Excel file and Keynote as a powerpoint file.

 

[bankside]

^ Will iWork read .doc files, though, straight out of the package? I'm asking 'cuz I don't know.

http://www.apple.com/ca/iwork/compatibility/

Yup!

 

[Alpha1851]

Others rave about their Macs, but I'm one of the rare people who made the switch and hated it. I bought a Mac b/c I thought it would be more secure. I'm probably in the small minority, but I don't love my Macbook pro and after trying it out for two months, I switched back to Windows XP on my old Dell Latitude.

I'm not into the design of the laptop. I kept getting it dirty (it's white, but they come in different colors) and I hate the glowing apple which just didn't look professional to me. I don't like the look of the taskbar either. The laptop just seems as though it was designed for teens--flashy and cute. I don't like the layout of the keyboard either, but it's probably b/c I'm accustomed to the two laptops I've used for ages.

I installed boot camp, but still had compatibility issues at work. Some of my legal software would not run on the mac. Even the techie who's certified on Macs couldn't hammer out the issues. Word and Wordperfect Documents were often formatted incorrectly which was annoying.

Other people love the magnetic power cord, but I found it troublesome. I guess it's true that if a person tripped over a Windows power cord w/ enough force that it might cause the laptop to fall into the floor, but I've never experienced that phenomenon. However, I continuously pulled the Mac power cord off w/o even realizing my mistake, which wasn't a huge deal, but I was left scrambling around to find the damn cord and replug it. It comes detached far too easily in my opinion.

There are some nice features. You make outstanding movies and pictures on a mac, and I was impressed w/ the quality. However, those aren't things that I'm interested in.

Customer service is top notch and in my experience it was much better than anything I've ever experienced w/ Windows.

Macs are more expensive upfront, but in the long run, I believe they might be the better deal since the software is generally much cheaper than Windows and there's no need to purchase a third party firewall or subscribe to a spyware/anti-virus program. I also believe Mac's overseas pricing is more comparable than Windows.

I wanted to love it b/c Macs are more secure, but I tried both and prefer a PC.

 

[Yooper]

Although I don't ever intend to use a PC because I have my own tech issues (I'm a moron with this stuff), I actually agree with Alpha on most of this.

The only thing I disagree with is the Dock, a common complaint amongst switchers. That's because they don't realize you can customize it to your heart's content and even change the icons to your own descriptions or whatever you want. Or hide it completely and not even use it.

I really am not so fond of the white; the dirt problem is constant, even if I wash my hands frequently. And because my laptop generally doesn't get closed (I take it nowhere unless I'm traveling) the dust shows up a lot.

And I've heard about the compatibility problems with certain professions; legal, IT people, and Gamers. And I've had my own, when I was running my own handyperson business I had trouble with producing the invoices I needed because I was too cheap to buy the appropriate appplication ($300 US).

On the other hand, a friend of mine who has been doing semi-professional photography for years had an old Mac and loved it; after the switch to OSX it had become obsolete and he had trouble finding help with the new system; he dumped it and went to PC for a few years. He's Back, though, because the constant updating and fixes and security issues overwhelmed him. And he took a class on how to use his photography software and is back to Mac big time.

Oh, and Alpha, when the Mag Safe plug comes undone, you could have set it up so you were told. . Constantly, if you wanted. It has saved mine a few times when the neighbor's big Yellow Lab comes visiting and the Power Tail from Hell whacks everything in sight.

 

[andysayshi]

I tripped over the power cable of my last Dell laptop and ripped the socket out of the machine. Repair cost for a $1000 laptop: $300. As far as I'm concerned, I'd pay an extra hundred bucks to ensure any machine I bought has a magnetic connector.

To Alpha 1581, there are no white Mac Book Pros - you must have a Mac Book. I commented earlier in this thread that I'm no white Macbook fan - they've had numerous faults in their lifespan, including overheating issues, cracked cases, not to mention just getting filthy. I seriously recommend sticking to the silver unibody models if you're shopping for a MacBook. The white Mac Book is unusually poor build quality for Apple hardware - I'm sorry it was your first Apple experience.

 

[Alpha1851]

The only thing I disagree with is the Dock, a common complaint amongst switchers. That's because they don't realize you can customize it to your heart's content and even change the icons to your own descriptions or whatever you want. Or hide it completely and not even use it.

That's true. Overall Macs are highly customizable. To change the look of Windows (except Windows 7) you'd need to purchase third party software like Windows Blinds which eats up resources and isn't cheap.

Oh, and Alpha, when the Mag Safe plug comes undone, you could have set it up so you were told. . Constantly, if you wanted.

Oh, I did. The warnings drove me crazy...when I noticed them. Sitting in crt, I'm not staring at my screen. It's not a huge deal,but it's more than I want to put w/. To me, it was just as bad as those annoying Microsoft updates. Really though it was the compatibility issues that made me switch back. That and Windows 7.

Windows has plenty of issues that bug me too, most dealing w/ security. Granted, I don't actually have to pay for my spyware subscription or firewall software and I do have access to outstanding techies, but the whole cyber crime issue burns me up to no end. I recently got infected again and my laptop had to be ghosted. Even though I had done everything right. I install my updates like I'm supposed to. I have a third party firewall that I never close. I have anti-virus software and real time malware protection. I use Firefox as my internet browser. And, I have McAfee enterprise and WOT, both of which are supposed to warn against bad websites. I still ended up w/ a couple of nasty viruses. It seems to be a given w/ Windows. Still, it's a keeper b/c I can get my work done w/o having to convert everything to a pdf document and pray that the receiver knows how to reconvert it into a word doc.

I tripped over the power cable of my last Dell laptop and ripped the socket out of the machine. Repair cost for a $1000 laptop: $300. As far as I'm concerned, I'd pay an extra hundred bucks to ensure any machine I bought has a magnetic connector.

Oh, I bet you were steamed! Most folks love the magnetic connector, but I don't. I've personally never tripped on a cord (thank goodness) and I don't think I've ever even tugged on it enough to move the actual laptop. However, I have spilled an entire bottle of Dr. Pepper on it.

To Alpha 1581, there are no white Mac Book Pros - you must have a Mac Book. I commented earlier in this thread that I'm no white Macbook fan - they've had numerous faults in their lifespan, including overheating issues, cracked cases, not to mention just getting filthy. I seriously recommend sticking to the silver unibody models if you're shopping for a MacBook. The white Mac Book is unusually poor build quality for Apple hardware - I'm sorry it was your first Apple experience.

It's definitely white so you're probably correct. It's supposed to be new though. I looked at the Macbook Air too (I think that's its name) but I liked the Macbook more and can't remember why. There weren't many models to chose from.

I love other Apple products though. Itouch gets two thumbs up. So does the ipod shuffle. Macs definitely have their fan base, but it just wasn't the savior of operating systems that I thought it was supposed to be. It crashed, it restarted, and there are updates, not nearly as often as Windows of course, but the Mac didn't just work.

I'm obviously not a techie but wanted to give a detailed opinion about my experience. I hate it when I'm researching a product and all the reviews or comments are "I love it and am never switching back." Well, I'm glad you're happy w/ the product, but please tell me why. Give me more info to help me determine whether it'll work for me.