REVISITED: Switchers, how long have you been using a Mac?

[yellow]

3 years ago I put up a poll (on another site (http://forums.macosxhints.com/showthread.php?t=38555)) that asked, how long have you been using a Mac?
From 1669 voters, the choices & responses where:

Enclosed in code tags to retain formatting


I plan on switching sometime in the near future.. 57 3.42%
I just switched for the Mac Mini.. 39 2.34%
I just switched for Tiger.. 91 5.45%
I switched during Panther's lifetime.. 256 15.34%
I switched during Jaguar's lifetime.. 155 9.29%
I switched prior to Aug 2002.. 87 5.21%
I've been a Mac user for more than 5 years.. 163 9.77%
I'm a Mac "Lifer".. 781 46.79%
I'm putting all my eggs in the Longhorn basket.. 7 0.42%
The obligatory "Other".. 33 1.98%

Well, a lot has changed with Apple since those days, and I'm curious what has changed with the (MR) user demigraphic.
Once again..Let's vote and see!

Me, I'm a Mac lifer, though I do own a PC. Gotta play games!

What about you?

EDIT:

I'd like to note that in the original poll, I fully expected Tiger and the Mini to be the driving force behind "switching". But that's really not how it panned out.

[chapel321]

I've only been using a Mac for about a year, why oh why did I wait so long??? Oh well, I'm definitely hooked now!
:apple::apple::apple:

[netdog]

Started with a PowerBook Duo (in 92?).

Lost the stomach for Apple after my 7100 (94?). What a mess that machine was, yet it had so much potential.

Got back on the bus with one of the very first B&W G3 towers with a studio display in 1999. Really wasn't impressed in the end.

MacWorld 2006 was when I ordered a 20" iMac. Haven't used a WinPC since.

[yellow]

Started with a PowerBook Duo (in 92?).

In my book, that's close enough to "lifer" for me. :)

[tersono]

I clicked lifer - 21 years here, although I've used plenty of other things before and concurrently =]

[Sky Blue]

Our first home computer (used to use my dad's work Toshiba Windows 98 laptop before that) was an Indigo iMac in May 2001 that had 9.2 installed.

[gauchogolfer]

I first used a Mac in about 1990 (Performa), but then used PCs in university up until 2005 or so. Since then I've had a powerbook at home and PCs at work.

hmm, I guess I'll put lifer, then. :D

[NT1440]

ill be switching right after the macbook revisions =) the only reason i can actually stand the wait is because i need to get a job (beleive me not easy anymore for a 16 year old in summer) to raise the money.

[grider]

I started using Mac since 2005. Thats makes me from the tiger era! :D

[tMac85]

first mac in 1995 then a break for 5 or so years. then back on after the ipod and straight through to now. once you go mac you never go back!

[yellow]

(beleive me not easy anymore for a 16 year old in summer)

Don't all you CT people own yachts? :D

[bartelby]

I've owned a Mac since 1995 but I have used them since about 1986/87.

[kgarner]

My dad bought the first Mac sold in our sales region (way back in '84). I have been using them ever since.

[NT1440]

Don't all you CT people own yachts? :D



yup, we also just stand idly by while people who get hit by cars lay in the street.


We get a bad rep here in CT (im personally not a big fan of this place, but thats just the need for change that comes with being 16) but really we are just like any other place, unless of course you live where the money is, like greenwhich. If your there then yes, u get a yacht when u turn 3.

[bigjnyc]

2 months. I'm a rookie, buying the iphone last year was what got me intrigued in mac computers.

[newappleboy]

November 5th, 2007 was the day I opened up the box and was introduced to my new lover - my MBP. I'd known for a year I would switch, just didn't have the funds, and was waiting for Leopard anyways (stupid delay after delay *grumble grumble*). Though I'd been stalking this forum for a while, I didn't truly start posting until a week or two before I actually committed to the purchase. Now I'm hooked and have convinced my mom that she needs to get one too. Told her I won't offer further IT support if she doesn't switch from her 4 year old dell to a shiny new iMac. She's convinced. And I may just get a "free" iPod touch out of it. Hooray. Switching makes everyone a winner!

[yellow]

yup, we also just stand idly by while people who get hit by cars lay in the street.

Oh snap!

We get a bad rep here in CT

Well, I am a Rhode Islander by birth, so I think the rep is well deserved! :)

[BillyBobBongo]

Used to always use them when I was in Uni (back in the late 90's) and for most of my career when I was a scientist.

I actually bought my own back during Tiger though!

[godslabrat]

Well, my first Mac was a Mini, but it's tough to say I switched "because" of it. I think it's more correct to say I switched because of Vista. ;) That, and the fact that I had been thinking about getting a HTPC anyway, and I really wanted something that could run OSX.

I'm very happy with it.

[yellow]

I realize this is a bit of a mixed poll..
It's kind of a when & how poll, not quite what I intended.
But I think it will suffice.

The problem is, all the iPhone threads bury it :)

[shaunomacx]

About 2 years ago! Through college :)

[BlakTornado]

Heh... I switched during Tiger's lifetime, but it was about two months before Leopard :P So I guess it still counts ;)

Anyway, I'd wanted a Mac for about a year beforehand, and sold all my childhood possessions on Lego to save up for my iMac... £1000. Most money I've ever had in my life. But the exchange was completely worth it!

[ski2moro]

I think you should add a category. Boot Camp!

I looked at a Mac for the first time when Boot Camp was announced. My business requires a Windows program that will never be Mac-compatible.

I debated switching, and actually bought another Dell notebook in early 2006. It was delivered and ran so slowly, I sent it back. Dell sent another that ran at normal speed, but that one had a bad DVD drive. They sent a third one and when I removed the crapware, reformatted and installed the OS from the restore disks, the drivers were corrupt. I called Dell, spent hours on the phone with their so-called support, only to find out that the DVD drive they had installed was not one of the 3 brands they were supposed to use??!! They had no drivers for that DVD drive. They wanted me to send it in for repair. Instead, I sent it back to Dell and got my money back.

As soon as the 17 inch MBPs were released in May, 2006, I got on the store's waiting list and got one in a week. I installed XP on Boot Camp and never looked back.

I am a Switcher.

[friarbayliff]

I switched when I bought my powerbook back in 2004 - haven't looked back since.

[macfan881]

ive been a mac user since Apple IIGS :)

[katielb]

Switched a year ago by buying myself a MacBook for college. :)

[martychang]

Obligatory other: though I switched after Leopard was released(had decided to during Tiger's lifetime though).

I switched because of Linux, I really loved UNIX systems but was locked out of shrink-wrapped proprietary packages for the most part on Linux. I also want to be a programmer myself, and will probably want to sell my own software eventually. Mac is a great balance of openness/freedom; in the form of no license keys, plus being very customizable if you look for the under-the-hood settings, and commercialism; in the form of proprietary app support, all on the best platform since 1969: UNIX.

[thejadedmonkey]

"Switched" as soon as they were affordable. That is, when I could get a new one for under $500.

My next computer will be a Dell E.
The one after that will be a macbook pro...
etc etc

[ashjamben]

just to be awkward, i had to choose 'The obligatory "Other"..'

although i thought for quite a while i'd prefer a mac, i never took the plunge due to the cost. it was only when i decided i wanted/needed logic for university i decided to buy a mac. but to be honest, i much prefer macs anyway :)

[dXTC]

I think you should add a category. Boot Camp!

I looked at a Mac for the first time when Boot Camp was announced. My business requires a Windows program that will never be Mac-compatible.


Very interesting... I switched for almost exactly the same reason. Before getting my iMac in November 2007, I had been using iTunes for about 1.5 years and really liked it, and got the iPod nano a little later (weird that the "halo effect" started with software for me, not hardware). However, I was still in the PC camp because of Cakewalk SONAR, a Windows-only pro digital audio app-- I had too much money and music work invested to abandon it for OS X.

Leopard and Bootcamp changed that.

I now use GarageBand as a quick music sketchpad, then switch to XP via Bootcamp for full production in Cakewalk. It's a nice combination.

[yellow]

You're right, there should have been a Boot Camp category.. and now there is! :)

[clevin]

I bought MB and mini two years ago.

But as of now, Im still using MB with Tiger, MINI mostly with Ubuntu (sometimes leopard).

I still own and use a Vista desktop.

And I just installed windows XP on my EEE (Sorry!, but I need PDAnet, otherwise, xandros was pretty good)

Switch? there is no switch, the word "own" may fit my situation better since Im not using any OS exclusively.

[Watabou]

I went and brought a MBP for college three months back in February when the new Penryns came out. I was in the market looking for a laptop and knew that I wanted to try something new and didn't like Vista all that much. I had a Dell XPS 410 that kept getting Blue screens everytime I went to Youtube or random times when I logged in.

I went and researched about macs, went to the Apple store close by and saw that i really liked using Macs. So bought one and I LOVE it. :D

[rhett7660]

Switch? there is no switch, the word "own" may fit my situation better since Im not using any OS exclusively.

I have to agree, that is a pretty good statement for me also. However I am finding myself more and more moving away from windows (except at work) and using it more and more.

I can't believe it took me this long to finally get my Mac.

My vote cast was for the Mac Pro. Always wanted one and now that I have one.... :D

I am slowly moving the wife to Mac also... Soon she will have a Mac mini or Mac Book....:D

[aethelbert]

I switched in 1993 with system 7. So it's just a tad prior to August 2002.

[hexonxonx]

I switched because of the iPhone. I bought my iPhone on July 6 2007 and bought my first Mac, a MBP exactly a week later. I was so impressed with the iPhone that I had to finally have a Mac.

[AceWilfong]

to Mac Plus. Never looked back.

[yellow]

I am interested to see that Tiger still seems to be the catalyst of change.

[kabunaru]

I have been using a Mac my entire life.

[sunfast]

Got a second hand iMac G4 in late '05 with Tiger on it. Loved the machine and bought a MacBook as soon as they were released. I then used the iMac to switch my parents and it's their machine now. They're hooked on it.

[steeler]

I responded that I switched during the Panther era, but I really started using Macs back in high school (about 20 years ago). In 2001, I was fortunate enough to receive a free Quadra 650 that was being given away at work with a bunch of other computers. I still primarily used MS Windows though.

It wasn't until 2005 that I bought a Mac.

[naftalim]

Switched to the iMac in September 07. Since then, my credit card has been converted to an Apple Spending Machine tm

I bought an Airport Extreme Base Station, an Apple TV, an Iphone and a Macbook Air. Selling the AEBS cuz I bought a Time Capsule. I also bought an Apple hat, a few Apple Logoed shirts and an Apple mug with the old Rainbow logo. Had a few iPods in there too.

I stood in line for the opening of the Apple Store here in Vancouver.

I no longer use any MS software at home, only iWork for Office type work.

Love them all, and now waiting for the 3G iPhone

[cherry su]

I got my Mac mini (first Mac I owned - $499 plus apple keyboard and see-thru mouse) on the day Tiger came out. Previously I played games on my father's Mac Classic, which he bought while he was doing his graduate studies in Princeton.

[Bwilky]

I switched on September 26, 2007. I will always remember that date :) I switched because of the video editing software.

[Alloye]

I began keeping an eye on Apple as soon as OS X was announced and finally switched (20" iMac G4) when Panther was the new hotness. I've never regretted the decision in the least. :)

[G-Com]

Here's my Switch story:

Years earlier, I'd used an Apple IIe a friend owned. That was really my only previous experience with Apple products.

In late 1998, I bought an HP. I like it, but then I kept getting viruses and I got hacked despite my best efforts. Then the damn system crashed and I had to reinstall Windows from the recovery partition. And I kept getting viruses and was worried that I was getting hacked again due to all the messages I was getting from the Norton's firewall. Then it crashed again! All that happened in a week. I was furious! Why can't Windows just work right? That was the question I posed to Microsoft and I told them what was going on. No reply. The "experts" said I had to take better care. I had all sorts of software which was supposed to protect my system and all it seemed to do was take up space and slow things down.

I'd heard that OS X was much more stable and far less susceptible to viruses. I knew a friend of a friend who had an iMac running OS X. He let me work with it and showed me around OS X and I got hooked.

The next day, I bought an Apple 800 GHz tower. I remember the date: Tuesday, July 10, 2001.

[Wotan31]

I dumped Windows in 1997.... ... for Linux. I used exclusively Linux at home from 1997 to 2007. 10 years. I was a CS student in college in 1997, and I had the choice of spending $600 on Microsoft Visual Studio, or spending $0 and installing Linux. As a poor student, easy choice. :) Once I got comfortable in Linux, there's nothing I couldn't do, I was a Linux King. I was also spending hours and hours a day tinkering and re-compiling and getting everything working how I wanted it. Did that for 10 years, until 2007, when I switched again, this time to a Mac.

Linux is a fabulous OS - if you're a geek and you enjoy spending hours tinkering with the OS - which at the time, I was/did. Now I just want something that works and isn't irritating to use. Obviously, windows is out of the question. Enter OS X. I still have the UNIX command line to comfort me, still have that rock-solid UNIX stability, but now I'm not spending hours and hours tinkering to get things to work - things just work. I'm happy. :D

[soberbrain]

Got my 15" Aluminum Powerbook G4 in Sep 2003 and picked up an iPod 3G in Jan 2004. Both still work well, but I'm itching for an upgrade :D

[yellow]

Tiger still seems to be the "agent of change", though I think it's lengthy time of de facto OShood might account for that.

[iceblade]

I'm not sure at what point I switched.

When I was little (birth until I was 6-7) we always had macs. My dad was the only one who knew anything about computers, and he liked macs, and thats how it was. He started with them when they were just Apples/'84 or when ever, I am not sure. Way back, though.
But then my sister needed a windows computer in highschool for some stuff she had to do. So, everyone but my dad switched to windows. We went through a few that have had issues for one reason or another (windows 98 got killed by spyware and virii before we understood that stuff, the other just didn't have very good specs, 128 MB ram, 1.7 ghz celeron processor running windows XP. Now the graphics card in my current windows machine is dieing. Still works, just doesn't work correctly.) so, I just got tired of the windows problems, part of them hardware, but just as many software (I have fixed a few software issues in windows). I've had used ibooks from my dad for maybe 3 years, and right now I have a ibook g4 that is keeping me satisfied until I can afford a new mac. I decided to get a mac next time partly because I am tired of windows issues, but also because I have gotten into video(some), web(some), music and photography a lot, and I think a mac would be good for those. Well, and I want something that just... Works.

[ajohnson253]

had windows xp like 2 weeks ago....computer crashed. its been messin up. read up on mac's about 2 days later...had to make the switch without hesitation even if money was an option I would have still done it. So i been having this 24" imac for about a week and im lovin it.

[ajohnson253]

had windows xp like 2 weeks ago....computer crashed. its been messin up. read up on mac's about 2 days later...had to make the switch without hesitation even if money was an option I would have still done it. So i been having this 24" imac for about a week and im lovin it.:)

[XboxEvolved]

I switched to Mac during Panther, and I think a lot of what Panther offered is what intrigued me about it. I think the sub-culture, look of Mac OS X, and the fact that in the professional design industry they are used, I got one.

I typically like Apple products, and most of them are pretty good, but for as much as I could write about why Apple is great, I could write for an equally long time as to why they suck.

[ruku]

This poll is incomplete. How about all the hackintosh converted users. It's part of the current Mac culture.

[River Studio]

We have done a 50% switch to a 2.4ghz 24" iMac and we are about to dump our current graphics PC and buy a Mac Pro for all our Photoshop work. The benefits of Leopard, Mac reliability and the temptation to finally kiss goodbye to windows has made the decision quite an easy one. The iMac has been a 'silent running revolution' and we run our business from it using iWork. I just hope Apple maintain their astonishing design and beautifully balanced user interface.
Dave.

[MTorr3]

I started with an Apple IIc and moved up to an Apple IIGS, the "Woz Limited Edition", then finally a Mac Plus back in the 80's. I switched to an IBM PS2 around 1987 because I wanted to play some of the good games and have a color display. I partially switched back to a Mac this year after buying my wife a MacBook for her birthday. I picked a MBP for myself and following the advice I picked up here, loaded it up with memory from OWC.

I still have a PC that I need for work stuff and games but do like the Mac a little better. Hooked up to a 24 inch Gateway display, it is the $h*t!:D

[Dagless]

Got mine just before Tiger's launch, I knew it was coming out but I really needed a Mac. Plus Tiger was ludicrously cheap with a student discount.

Updated to an iMac just for Bootcamp alone.

[AppleFan333]

Lifer. I've been using Macs since I've been able to use a computer. My first was a Performa with OS 7 and my second is an iMac G4 with 10.4 (see sig).

I'll be on my third in a few months with a new Intel Mac and Leopard.

[Cassie]

Used the All-in-one PowerMacs and the first iMac G3's back in elementary school. Couldn't afford a Mac for 8 years, but I finally got a Mac mini in late 2006. So I put "switched in Tiger's lifetime" (Still use Tiger as well.)

[Tilpots]

I picked "lifer," I think a decade qualifies. If not, don't count my vote.;)

[UnixMac]

My Brief History of computing and the Mac!

1980 - Ti99 - 4A
1981 - Apple II+
1982 - Apple //e
1984 - IBM PC/XT
1990 - IBM 386
1998 - IBM Pentium II
1999 - Power Mac G4
2001 - PowerBook G4
2003 - Power Mac G5
2006 - iMac
2007 - Mac Pro / Macbook Pros

[roland.g]

I replied Lifer.

Apple ][e with Duo 5.25" Floppy Drives (1983)
Mac LC with Personal LaserWriter (Sept 1990)
Power PC Performa 6115 CD (May 1995)
450 mhz G4 PowerMac (Feb 2000 - 'Sawtooth')
867 mhz 12" PowerBook (Feb 2003)
1.66 Ghz Mac Mini refurb (Oct 2006 - early 06 SD model)
2.8 Ghz 24" iMac (Aug 2007)

[$1()()0N$]

I first opened my beloved 24" imac :D on boxing day 2008. had used sisters mb previously though and became hooked from a mate of mine who has been using them since 2004.

[Lancetx]

I switched in May 2003. The biggest catalyst for me was the (newly released at the time) 3rd generation iPod and iTunes Music Store. I've never looked back since. :apple:

[Shaun.P]

I have been using Mac's since January 2003.

My first Mac was an G3 iMac "Snow", which I loved! I have to say, the main reason I wanted to 'swtich' was because of the Operating System. Things like 'protected memory' and 'never crashes' caught my attention when I was 15 years old. The iMac came preinstalled with Jaguar (10.2) and Mac OS 9.2.2! I was able to select what OS I wanted to boot into. I could also launch Classic applications inside Mac OS X.

I used the iMac for roughly 2 years. I sold it on eBay and added extra money to purchase an eMac. The eMac was just over double the speed and it was a G4 processor! It has had a 2" bigger screen, which was a lot crisper than the iMac. The eMac was very loud. My parents could not get to sleep at night in the room next door due to the 'droning' from the eMac (which of course was the fan). Also, when closing the CD drive, the plastic section that covered it used to make a loud "clunk!". I did love the machine however, but I only used it for a year.

After using the eMac for a year, again, I sold it on eBay and added money and bought an iBook G4. My two prior machines had been the cheapest entry level Mac's at the time. I was so proud purchasing an iBook G4 - 14" model with Superdrive! I loved the iBook. It was built really well. The only thing that niggled me was the resolution - 1024 x 768. This was my first laptop, and I used the iBook G4 until January of this year (I had it for 2 years). I knew at this point I could never go back to a desktop, considering how much freedom a laptop gave me - especially having a wireless network in the house.

Due to having the iBook two years, and the release of the intel processors, I felt an upgrade to a MacBook would give me huge benefits (iSight, MagSafe, faster, higher resolution, smaller). I purchased the entry level MacBook. I have problems with 3 consecutive MacBook's in a row, however my fourth MacBook in the space of a week seemed to work fine. A month or two later, updated MacBook's were released with the Penryn processors. I thought that considering I had some extra money, by selling my current MacBook and adding roughly £100, I could get a far superior computer. So I sold it on eBay and bought the middle of the line white MacBook which had a 400Mhz faster processor.

Due to my disappointment in the quality and construction of the MacBook (all the models I had did not feel constructed well - no where near the quality of the iBook), I decided to sell my MacBook on eBay last week, and I have used the funds from the sale and some of my own money to purchase a MacBook Pro (entry level) which I am currently using just now. It is the first time I've had one of Apple's pro machines, and I love it. I know that the MacBook Pro will satisfy me longer than the MacBook I had previously. That is part of the reason why I opted to go for the Pro. It is far superior in quality.

A little more in-depth than was probably required, but there is my story on when I became a switcher, and all the consecutive Apple computers I've had since then.

[MinorBidoh]

I fell in love with tiger (and apple) through the first half of 2005 and I knew the summer holidays were my only chance to raise the capital for a new mac. I slaved away for july and august tending bar at a local country club hotel and soon was off to the online apple store. I was quoted at £1239 (with discounts and extras) for my iMac and as soon as the my bank balance hit the magic number, my imac was on order. I was living with my parents at the time, and at 18years old that sum of money was almost unfathomable. It was one of the best purchases of my life, and held true to a family tradition of 'find the best you can possibly afford'. I'm a firm believer in buying the best and appreciating its quality, particularly over time. An apple computer is just so much easier than Microsoft box.

[Kebabselector]

Initially I bought a MacMini in August 2006, Just to try one. I figured that if it was crap/or I didn't get on with it I could sell it and not loose too much. Afterall resale values seemed to be good with Apple.

Now I didn't realise, but I probably switched a day or so after owning the Mini.

Since that day I've sold a few of my PCs off. The remaining PCs have old legacy stuff which I need. But they are rarely used.

[a104375]

I've been on and off the mac.. so far I've had and iMac then got a iBook then a PowerBook and now a iMac again.. and thats been over the course of 3 years I think so I have been using a mac for about 3 and 1/2 years

[Prof.]

I didn't start thinking about switching until i got my first iPod back when I was a sophomore in high school. I finally switched back on May 23, 2007. :)

[ingenious]

I switched August of 2003 with a 12" PowerBook my school bought me, but I still had a PC I used occasionally until sometime in 2004. I purchased my first Mac, an iMac G5 in August of 2005.

I'm hopefully buying a 15" MacBook Pro this summer for university.

[yellow]

Thanks for all the thoughtful responses so far.

Keep it coming folks!

[dizastor]

I switched in September of 2001, just months before I joined MacRumors. ;)

[RNSheets]

I switched from Vista to iMac last month, but had familiarity with Apple products starting with the original iPod, then the iPod Touch last November, then really jumping with the 16GB iPhone back in May.

I won't go back to Vista or PC's no more.

I cranked up my old Vista earlier this evening....man, that acer sure does make a lot of noise :D

I also have an Acer laptop. Bah humbug. I need an Apple laptop soon.

That will probably be my next big purchase from Apple.

[yellow]

Ah the iPhone. There's just too much going on with it to keep this particular topic in the "mind's eye" of the Forum. But I've added a link to my signature, so hopefully (EVENTUALLY) we'll get a larger amount of folks to vote!

[saminsocks]

I started using Macs in high school but didn't own one until 2004. It was the first computer I owned that I purchased, though. All my other Windows systems were gifts.

[Maczamillion]

I have been an IT guy for ever, I have 9 win xp boxes ( they all do something, or so I like to think) I JUST built a quad core 9450 monster gaming rig.

It is gathering dust, Just last month My wife let me buy a Mac ( hell if I know how i did that ) I LOVE MY MAC :apple::D I have spent so much time on it this month that If my other computers were worth anything I sell them all for a Mac PRO.

The OS is just so slick and fun to use i feel cheated that I didnt switch sooner.

[yellow]

Swamped by iPhone spam threads.. Tier is still holding solid.
Of course, it was also out the longest.

[Scepticalscribe]

I switched last April, when I treated myself to the wonderful MBP, which was a birthday present to myself. The general slowness of Windows, crashes, freezes, and endless spam all contributed to my desire to change, plus my old Toshiba was showing its age.

My MBP is a splendid machine, beautiful, fast, powerful, and includes a terrific screen. In common with quite a number of others, I had thought about it for quite a while. My reasons for switching were, beautiful machines, gorgeous design and aesthetics; the iPod which I bought two years earlier, and iTunes (which knocks the socks off Macromedia), a superb design which works and is easy to use, as well as my experience of Apple customer support - (twice my iPod died within warranty and it was replaced twice without any difficulties or attempts to seek refuge in small print).

Other reasons included Apple's reputation for security - I had read about it on a BBC technology blog. When I had Windows, virus and spam attacks were frequent, and this despite the fact that I had purchased (rather than downloaded a free online version) a robust anti-spam, anti-virus package; while that reduced the daily deluge to a more limited number, unwelcome visitors were not entirely eliminated. With Apple, they have been almost completely eradicated (a tiny number still slip under the radar).

Of equal importance to me as a switcher, as someone who needs Word, who works with Word daily, and whose work life requires Word, (yes I accept that iWork is excellent, but Word is what is used in my work universe), is that Apple machines are now compatible with the software now used by a lot of the rest of the world, and one did not need to be a techie specialist to float between systems. I remember the difficulties of attempting to read or transfer documents from the two systems in the mid 1990s, and it was a bit of a bummer, to put it mildly. However, I'm really enjoying my MBP and would envisage remaining a Mac customer; the staff at the shop where I bought were helpfulness itself, and this forum has also been very welcoming and helpful. Cheers.

[InLikeALion]

Summer of '04. That was such a fun experience, getting a G5 Powermac and CS1 in the mail when I got to school, and learning all the new way things were done on Panther. First time computers were actually exciting for me.

[61132]

Since the summer of 05. First computer bought with my own money. I had been looking at apple for a while, but my parents (mainly my dad) were completely closed minded. So I bought one with my own money when I could. Now my whole family has macs :)

[dual64bit]

Been using the Mac since the late 90's. Had a pismo, then a cube, then a Ti Powerbook and so on.. Remember when my dad had one of the original Macintosh's, his business was lucky enough to buy one and let him take it home for me to play with every now and then. It's a good time for people to switch now, with all of the options out there.

[gibbz]

My first Mac was an 1.33 GHz. iBook G4 that I purchased in December 2005.

I have been addicted ever since.

[Radioheadcase]

.

[jodelli]

The switcher term is accurate in my case, but not in the usual context of PC vs Mac.

Sort of like UnixMac a few posts back I've been all over the map with personal computer choices. The oldest one I owned was a TI 99, followed by an even more primitive Timex/Sinclair.
For about ten years it was 8 bit and 16/32 bit Ataris.

My first Mac was a Plus, which I bought used.
In late 1994 I got a brand new 486 as a gift in a store package deal while eying a 520 Power Book on the shelf two aisles over. I bought a 520 later.
Even now I have an x86 box running Ubuntu aside from my Macs, one of which also has Linux on an extra drive.

[IgiveyoutheFBI]

I switched almost 2 years ago, working in IT I was bored with getting a new PC, switching it on and saying "yes it's faster". I bought the Imac so I could learn about Mac's, OSX, ILife etc and re-spark my interest in the personal computer. I haven't regretted a day of it.

[bashveank]

Switched about 6 months ago to a MBP for college, I used Linux for about a year before that though so it wasn't that drastic of a change.

[cbrain]

I switched at the end of 2006. I got addicted to some PC games at the beggining of this year which is why I was away for a few months, but I'm back now.

[djellison]

I've not switched. I still use and love XP on my desktop machine. I simply also started using OSX.

Doug

[SnowLeopard2008]

I switched about 4 years ago. My Dad bought me my first mac, an iBook G4. That little machine juggled through 3 years of hardships before being stolen. I've been using a MacBook ever since.

[SBik2]

i switched the summer of 06..
got an 2nd rev MacBook 2.0 CD mid range model..loved it ever since and converted 3 friends, sister, and soon to be parents..
the first time i thought I wanted a mac was my 7th grade year.. used an iMac g4 and loved tiger and the look of the macs..
so i answered in the tiger era..the mb didnt make me switch.. i just wanted a laptop and happened to want a mac

[bjmach]

Work with windows and PCs by trade day in and day out. About two weeks ago dawned on me that there must be something better and to be honest I think the Apple ads sparked my interest a little. Well switched the the old four year windows laptop to a used Blackbook C2D, fell in love and then just three days ago bought a 24" iMac. I usually research alot of things but Apple snuck up on me, It has literally left me wondering why I didn't switch years ago. I absolutely love it without a doubt.

[hotshotharry]

I rememebr back about 10 years ago (I rememeber seeing the emacs, i thought they looked funny) and a kid in school was raving about apple computers! LOL I laughed at him :-)

Well in about 2006 (right at the C2D stage) I had finally had enough of windows with their windows genuine advantage bs and multitude of problems, and a couple buddies of mine who were part of a popular band introduced me to the idea of macs. I bought a macbook pro and have been hooked ever since, I have bought more macs in the last 2 years than i have pcs in my whole life ! LOL I guess im hooked !!! :eek:

[coupdetat]

I switched during what I'd consider the "golden years", with a 12" PowerBook G4. Lots of awesome designs and innovations were coming out of Apple at that period.. iMac G4, (slightly prior) Pismo, iPods, etc. Apple was really on a roll for that period.

[n8mac]

Don't tell me I am the only one here that switched because of the original iMac!:confused:

I have to thank my high school for introducing me to Mac OS. Good timing as I was getting fed up with Windows. I was so excited with the original iMac introduction and in October 1999 is when I finally had enough $$ to buy an iMac 400DV which I still run to this day as a secondary comp.

I do find it odd that most of the categories are august 2002 onward. That's 18 years vs 6 years :eek: