Mac vs Windows

Whatever you do, DON'T switch to Vista.

 

Depends on what you do. If you must use an application that requires windows get a PC. Otherwise, get a Mac. You will be much happier and certainly, no need to upgrade the virus protection (so far).


Of course you can run Windows, either emulated or natively, on Mac hardware too. I even recommend Mac hardware because of better and esthetically less offensive hardware, less depreciation and excellent warranty.

 

barbaram, I have a managed PC with XP at the office, and at home an IMac G5 we bought 18 mos ago, along with a 1 year old Macbook. The IMac was a fluke in that we were planning to get a PC and I got so P**t off at the PC companies who couldn't give advice on how to build my PC that we went to Comp USA and walked out (quite unexpectedly) with a Mac. Except for the first 2 weeks, I've found the switch to Mac and the switch back and forth between office & home no problem. Have had very few technical problems (usually operator error) but when something comes up I love that tech support is someone who is actually in the US. Never had a virus problem. I don't love the browser Safari, but it's not bad. When I replace this IMac and the laptop, it'll be another Apple product.

My oldest daughter's fiance' designs websites (look at High Country News, hcn.org) and just got a Macbook Pro (after seeing our Macbook) and loves it too.

That doesn't mean they're for everyone, though. Can you borrow one and try it first?

 

I don't love Safari either.

I've always used one of the Mozilla products. Either the Mozilla Suite or Firefox.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Alric @ Sep 20 2007, 09:28 PM) [snapback]515566[/snapback]</div>

Even then. Get a Mac. They are the best windows compatible machines out there.

When you compare comparable machines, you just might be surprised. The Mac will cost about the same and sometimes even less.


And the vast majority of PC apps (except action games, heavy number crunching, or deep hardware compatibility) run great in a window with virtualization.

Listening to people gripe about Vista, viruses, or spyware, is like listening to SUV owners gripe about the cost of gas...

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Sep 20 2007, 10:41 PM) [snapback]515569[/snapback]</div>

Thanks, G, I'll look into that.

 

I have both (Windows XP Pro PCs at work and a MacBook Pro with v. 10.4.10 of OS-X at home) and frankly, with the exception of a Windows-only application (such as Visio), the Mac is a far more elegant solution. It is kind of telling which I went with as the system that I used my personal funds to purchase.... If Apple had a 13 inch screen edition of the MacBook Pro, I might have even purchased 2 MacBook Pro notebooks.

 

After many years as an avowed PC user, I finally switched last week. I had been looking at the new iMac for a couple of weeks, and when the local Mac store got them in, I took the plunge. So far, I love this thing. The aesthetics are unbeatable, but-more importantly-it is extremely powerful. I don't really need the computing power, but it is nice for manipulating large digital photos and such. I am basically learning as I go with great success, but it would be great if one of the Mac folks could suggest something to curb my ever nagging desire to right click things! What can I do?

Based on my limited experience, I highly recommend the Mac.

 

I'm a big fan of "whatever works." If you're an "average" computer user (whatever that means) and most of your needs are word processing, web surfing, email, etc, you can get what you need in Windows, Mac, or Linux. Beyond that, it's whatever you like. No one can tell you what you're going to like. There are quite a lot of people who've had really bad experiences with Windows and turn to Mac and are really happy. On the other hand, I personally know of a number of people who weren't satisfied with this transition.

You can certainly get a windows-based computer that does the basic things for less money than you can get a basic Mac, but as n8kwx points out, when you compare comparable system the gap narrows somewhat (although doesn't completely disappear, particularly when you compare the Dell sale "deals" to the Apples, which basically never go on sale).

 

Buy whatever you want... but keep in mind just how much variety is actually out there.

I'm running ultimate on a very well loaded desktop with a quad processer. It has very little in common with a basic notebook. And neither resembles an old XP machine.

 

Ever since Apple switched over to using Intel CPUs last year, you can run Microsoft Windows natively on a Mac.

For all intents and purposes, the Intel-powered Macs are Windows PCs with the added capability of being able to run Apple OSX.

I own an Intel-powered Macbook Pro and I run both OSes on it. For web browsing and such, I use OSX/Safari. I mainly boot into Windows XP to play World of Warcraft.

As far as I'm concerned, I have the best of both worlds. B)

 

One additional observation about Windows - notice how the memory requirements seem to grow ever so greatly? XP Pro would run very well on 512 Mb, but 1 Gb was needed to be able to simultaneously run the OS, Norton IS, Office and one additional program such as Adobe Acrobat Pro. With Vista you are looking at a minimum of 2 Gb and don't be surprised at a realistic requirement for 4 Gb.

2 Gb on a MacBook Pro is plenty of memory. I can open so many applications with 2 Gb that I get lost in the window clutter.

Last observation for tonight: one more nice thing about the MacBook Pro is the magnetic power plug. My Sheltie went racing past me to check out a car that just drove by the house. The power supply cord went flying but the MacBook Pro stayed put on my lap. After the commotion was over, I picked up the power cord and re-connected it to the MacBook. As I said earlier, an elegant solution.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rae Vynn @ Sep 20 2007, 06:52 PM) [snapback]515552[/snapback]</div>

Now I'm no Mac hater and might buy one next time cause I like the hardware form factor and especially since you can run windows on a mac (and there are 3 button mice now that work with them) but I have Vista Home Premium x64 and have had it since February, running on my AMD 64 bit Dual Core platform and I think it's great. I have had no major problems with it. It's as stable and fast as I every wanted it to be and it's very pretty. Sure I've had to wait for the odd driver, but hey that's no big deal. I'm quite pleased overall.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Betelgeuse @ Sep 20 2007, 10:08 PM) [snapback]515582[/snapback]</div>

If you shop around you can find "sales" on Macs too. Online you can usually find a Mac for almost 10% off after rebate. Some of mail order sites also don't collect sales tax.

Check out pcprices.net for a price tracker on Apple stuff. Your ClubMac, MacConnection, MacMall, MacZone sites are reputable places that have been around for 20 years. I have ordered many of my Macs from them over the years.

 

After working w/ Macs for years (AVID systems) I made the personal switch 4 years ago. I won't ever look back. Gone are the days of my computer crashing, getting viruses and worms, and ugly overstyled cases and hardware. I currently own a new macbook core 2 duo, and I love it. My best friend just shelled out 1300 for a Sony core 2 duo. The difference between the tow is like night and day. His takes at least 5 minutes to be up and running (all the firewalls, virus scans, and spyware blockers take forever to run) while the macbook is ready in maybe 30-60 seconds. If you've never had the pleasure of owning one, give yourself a well deserved treat
Spence

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(barbaram @ Sep 21 2007, 03:47 AM) [snapback]515550[/snapback]</div>

Of course, everything depends on your computer usage. If you use it for mainstream applications (surfing, emailing, document editing, etc...) and you appreciate ease of use, I think you will be happier with a Mac than a PC. My next surfing box at home will be a Mac, for similar reasons (plus of course the design!). In fact, since you consider the switch, I think you are ready for it. You would know if you had good reasons to stay with PC's (and, depending on the circumstances, there are good reasons)


<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rae Vynn @ Sep 21 2007, 03:52 AM) [snapback]515552[/snapback]</div>

Why not? We have several Vista machines at work, and I personally consider it a major improvement over XP. Not the graphical design (that's personal), but the underlying foundations are so much better. What are your problems with Vista?


<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(VBsportbiker @ Sep 21 2007, 09:35 AM) [snapback]515651[/snapback]</div>

Either your 5 minutes is exaggerated, or he has a serious problem on his Sony, and should have it solved asap. In fact, even 60 seconds is a long time to boot.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(VBsportbiker @ Sep 21 2007, 09:35 AM) [snapback]515651[/snapback]</div>

if you just don't shut it down but only close it and let it go to sleep, you'll find that it only takes about a second to be up and running... I do this all the time with my Powerbook... it is on now for more than 35 days (since the last update...).

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tchou @ Sep 21 2007, 04:59 AM) [snapback]515672[/snapback]</div>

Yes. Wake from sleep in Macs running OSX is instantatenous.