I like the machine, and I really don’t like windows. However, the machines are pricy, and not discounted. Therefore, am I making a mistake to buy a Mackintosh? What experiences have others out there had with these machines? Do they run most search engines competantly? What are the pros and cons? AND are they worth the extra money?
Geez…almost a simuthread!
[Moderator Hat ON]
I think this 'un would do better in IMHO. Hi slythe!
[Moderator Hat OFF]
I have an iMac. I love it. What do you mean by ‘running search engines competently’? Does it matter on the web what p.c. platform you use?
The iMacs are only 800 bucks or so these days-- not too bad. Anyway, mine works dandy. No complaints, but then again I don’t need a disk drive. . .Many of my friends use PC types and seem to constantly be having some sort of dramatic breakdown with Windows, and I enjoy the consistency and stability of the macs.
My $.02.
I love Macs. I use em professionally and at home.
Plusses include being a lot less buggy, more intuitive to use, and less prone to hacking if you have a cable modem.
Also from a sheer aesthetic point of view, they’re also more pleasing to look at.
Downside is less available software, though besides games I’ve never found that there isn’t a Mac equivilent to most PC programs.
And if you ever get into more design/art related type work, Macs rule these fields. Macs are the industry standard.
And Macs certainly can surf the web just as well as any PC.
While not a low ticket item check out the new Mac Cube at apple.com.
It’s 8 inches square and super powerful to boot. So cool… and so hip.
Also I beleive that if you buy a PC that included everything that came with your Macintosh, you would probably pay a similar price.
Of course, software for the Macintosh can be more expensive.
I’ve used a Macintosh (at home) for more than 10 years now, so I have an obvious bias towards the Macintosh. I still the OS is simpler to use and the machine is more reliable in my experience than the Windows OS.
Ii’m the manager of a macintosh computer lab here at school. I have been using them since sixth grade and I like them. I also like PC’s, but you can do better with the art programs on Macs, and it’s also easier to get around. if you wait about two or three weeks, you can get the new mac. the CPU is maybe one foot my one foot–that is right, it’s a cube. and it works just as fast and great as a g4. i don’t remember what the model is called exactly, but they just talked about it at Mac world convention.
go for it. macs are worth it if you know how to use them.
I just got my first Mac about 8 months ago. I just took the plunge and DID it, even though I only knew Windows up until then.
For a week or two I was a little befuddled. Sure, I got on the internet immediately, things were easy, but there were little details that were different, and that bothered me. But I soon got over that. The things that are better far outweight the things I “miss” about Windows. (I still use my PC, by the way.)
I took the plunge a month ago and got an iMac. I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT! It did come with a problem with the OS (I bought it used) so I had to reinstall the OS. I was terrified - I know how daunting a task that is in Windows. But it was SO easy with the Mac. It took about half and hour, and now things are running smoothly. Troubleshooting for the Mac is so much easier, and the Mac community (in places like http://www.macfixit.com) are very supportive. VERY supportive. Check out Macfixit’s boards. They’ll help you feel more comfortable with your choice. In fact, I think there is a long-running thread in the “New Users” column about why to switch from PC to Mac. Check it out!
1.you pay extra for the hardware
2. you pay extra for the software
3. A lot of games, etc, don’t do MAC
4. And despite what all the folks say about Gates, you are buying from a Company that refuses to let people compete with it. Yep, that’s true, you can NOT buy a Mac clone. Does this make a differance? OK, go to the aisle of the computer superstore, and look at prices for a mouse. You can get a no-frills, working PC mouse for $5>10. You pay $40 for an official Mac mouse. Is there really some $30 more plastic in there? Nope, Apple is just ripping you off.
Yes, Macs are somewhat more “user friendly”, but either system is "better’ once you get used to it.
yeah, like danielinthewolvesden said, mac charges you more for everything.
we recently upgraded our macs at work to g4s. get this… 256 MB of so-called G4 ram was a stinkin’ $600. it’s merely PC100 ram. what gives?
i am sickened when i look through a mac catalogue. it seems that mac owners put aesthetics over functionality.
“oh, i can’t use that device. it doesn’t come in tangerine.”
a pc owner would gladly have rusty pipes and chains sticking out of their machine as long as it meant better performance. a mac owner wouldn’t, unless it came in cornflower blue.
perhaps this turned into a little bit of a rant.
but yeah. mac peripherals and hardware cost more. yep.
True enough, Apple tried briefly allowing clones, but found that in fact they couldn’t compete! The problem was that Apple makes both the hardware and the software - but they make the real money on the hardware. Allowing other companies to make Mac hardware took sales away from Apple and gave them very little in return.
It’s a different situation than Microsoft, which doesn’t make the CPU.
Some would say that Apple has an advantage in making both the hardware and software because they can get the two parts working more harmoniously together, and don’t have to write software to anticipate an infinity of different hardware configurations. This is what Windows has to contend with, and only sometimes is it successful at this.
[/end Mac-addict rant]
…and come on. round mice? who thought of this one? if you don’t see logitech making a round mouse, then neither should you.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by drewbert *
The problem was that Apple makes both the hardware and the software - but they make the real money on the hardware. Allowing other companies to make Mac hardware took sales away from Apple and gave them very little in return.
[/end Mac-addict rant] **[/QUOTE
Sure, and that is why Windows software is cheaper than Mac, as Apple doesn’t make anything on their software. Right :rolleyes:
I have an iMac. I love it-it’s cute, user friendly, and does anything you need it to do computerwise–there is the game problem but usually the big games (I’m still waiting for Diablo II) do come out on mac sooner or later.
I love my Mac. I’ve been using them for years now. What kinds of tasks are you going to use it for? No matter what Daniel says, lots of games are available for Mac that are PC games. http://www.aspyr.com , for example, ports lots of PC games to the Mac. Another great Mac gaming company is MacSoft. You can go to the boards at macaddict.com to ask more specific questions of Mac users.
Buy a good PC, intall both Windows and linux. You will laugh at all they petty little Mac users who think they have a real computer instead of a glorified game boy 
there you go.
the first thing mentioned in their list.
need i say more?
Must… resist… urge…
must… not… post reply…
mustn’t make SDMB into…
news://comp.sys.mac.advocacy …
urge…
fading…
Note that I did not make any mention of cute or tangerine. Efficient. The OS is meant to run on the machine. Windows is a pasted-on quirky OS overlaid onto a quirky OS. It’s like gilding a turd. . .with potmetal.
The Mac is as much of a Gameboy as Windows-running machines are, but it works better (Yes, you’re a Real Man if you use Unix or Linux. But not Windows. That just makes you the kid with the crappy knock-off Gaym Boye made in the Phillipines). Lets face it, most people are happy with the Game Boy for their purposes (I am-- I just word-process, web-browse, play games, balance chackbook, e-mail, etc. And I’m honest about it), while a handful insist that they desperately need the more complicated ones for whatever delicate aero-space work they imagine that are doing (and some actually do). But usually it’s like justifying your SUV purchase because you live up a gravel driveway.
Speaking as someone who has done a couple of years’ worth of tech support (hardware and software for ornery faculty members) with both PCs and Macs, and used both extensively…
Mac advantages:
Easier to set up and to add peripherals, and usually to install programs
Much easier to troubleshoot
In some cases faster
Mac disadvantages:
Slightly more expensive
Less specialized software (though not an issue for your average user) and games often delayed or not ported
In some cases slower
Have to put up with idiots with nothing better to do than insult people for their choice of computer (of all things)
Personally I prefer Macs; either is fine for the average home user. As far as the cost, you should be able to get some machines pretty cheaply on clearance right now, what with the release of the new iMacs and all.
:: attempting to steer away from turning someone’s request for help into a firefight before it’s too late… ::