advice on making the switch...

[dellavoce]

Hi there, I've never posted in this forum before; I pretty much stay in the iPod touch and iPhone forums, but lately, I've been giving some real thought to making the jump to Mac. I have some questions though and I hope you won't mind helping me out with your thoughts:

1. I've been looking at the Mac Mini because of price (which is a main reason that I haven't seriously thought about switching before). It seems to have the stats of a serious desktop machine. How does it stack up?

2. Is it hard to get used to the Mac OS? I am a very proficient Windows user and I wonder if I will feel like a novice for very long on a Mac.

3. How many years, typically, do Macs "last"? With a PC they are usually way out dated by 3 years; how does Mac stand up?

Thanks for your advice, I really appreciate it!

 

[Milty77]

Hi there,

I too made the switch and only last August. I used the original Macintosh & apple IIe in school but since leaving school I’ve used windows PC's, mainly because of work. I have a windows laptop (which I’m using to write this) through work and I have always wanted to jump ship to Mac to feel the experience that everyone went on about. I recently bought by 1st house (rented alot) and when the mini came out i thought it was the ideal machine to cross over too with the price etc. I use it for general internet etc at the moment along with my music, movies and photo's. The plain is to have it as a HTPC. I have to say 'I LOVE IT'! The OS X experience is great and simple to get used too. That’s with me working with windows during the day and home to OS X. In fact I’ve been trying to get the job to change over. I have now ordered my 27" iMac and have entered a whole new world. With my iPod classic, my iPhone, my Mac Mini and soon to be 27" iMac things can only get better.
All i can say is that the change for me was well worth it and my advice to anyone is to try it out you won’t be disappointed.

Regarding how long they last, I think Mac's have pretty much the same longevity as PC's. Don’t know too much about this but I'm sure someone will answer that for you.

Best of luck with whatever you do.

 

[mstrze]

I used my iMac from 2000-2006 and it was solid still when I sold it.

I currently have been using Minis...had two since 2006. The only reason I upgraded was my original Mini was a PPC processor, but current one is Intel.

I don't think there will be a major change that will keep you from using your Mini for 3-4 years or more if you wanted. The Mini is a great way to 'get your feet wet' in the Mac OS since it's a bargain price-wise and you probably already have a USB/wireless mouse and keyboard and a montior with your current setup.

I have no qualms at all about getting another Mini in the future. Although I might shell out the additional cash for a full-fledged iMac, but that probably won't be for another year or two. It does everything I want it to...and more. I have never been held back by my Mini except when OS X got to the point where PPC processors were no longer being supported.

 

[eawmp1]

1) Mini is most Mac anyone needs (but not enough Mac everyone craves)
2) http://www.apple.com/support/switch101/
3) I have a 2001 iMac as a second machine now that surfs the web, runs most apps well, and checks email fine. Have over the years upgraded RAM and faster/larger HD. Video brings it to its knees now, however.

 

[splitpea]

1. I've been looking at the Mac Mini because of price (which is a main reason that I haven't seriously thought about switching before). It seems to have the stats of a serious desktop machine. How does it stack up?

It's probably equivalent to a mid- or upper-range Dell. The main thing it lacks is expandability.

2. Is it hard to get used to the Mac OS? I am a very proficient Windows user and I wonder if I will feel like a novice for very long on a Mac.

This will depend a lot on you. If you're willing to let go of your expectations that things will work in a very specific way, step outside your comfort zone, and accept the ways that OS X differs from Windows, you'll be fine. The basic computing concepts will transfer -- you'll be able to use your Mac from Day 1; it may just take some time to become accustomed to the differences.

3. How many years, typically, do Macs "last"? With a PC they are usually way out dated by 3 years; how does Mac stand up?

Depends a lot on what you use it for. Apple usually supports older hardware with newer operating systems for at least 3-4 years, and software makers will keep releasing for older operating systems for a few years after that. The hardware tends to hold up pretty well (it's not unusual to find Mac users still happy with 8 y/o hardware as their primary machine; you'd almost never see that with a PC), and the operating system doesn't get bogged down after a couple years of use the way Windows does.

Today's Mac Mini probably won't be much use for editing the newest ultra-hi-def video standard or playing the latest graphics-intensive FPS games 4 years from now, but if you anticipate using it for web browsing and word processing and communications and a bit of photo editing... or even editing home videos with the same software you'd use today... the shelf life is pretty good.

Plus Macs hold their value pretty well. G5 Power Macs (the equivalent of today's Mac Pro), which are 4-6 years old and on a hardware platform that's increasingly unsupported, are still selling for $600 on Craigslist and eBay (resellers have them listed for as much as $900). With PCs, even most nonprofits won't take donations of hardware that old. Minis don't have the same expandability, but even after that much time, you should be able to recoup a portion of your purchase price to plow into a new machine.

 

[danistyping]

It seems to have the stats of a serious desktop machine. How does it stack up?

2. Is it hard to get used to the Mac OS? I am a very proficient Windows user and I wonder if I will feel like a novice for very long on a Mac.

The mini is more comparable to a good laptop than it is to a desktop. The Core 2 Duo processors are really just mobile processors at this point. For the same price, you could get a PC with a quad core processor and more ram. But...then you'd have a pc. Get the mini, just don't expect it to be blazing fast.

Mac OS is easy. You'll figure it out, and if you can't, there's plenty of help in the OS and on the net.

 

[talmy]

1. As was just pointed out, the Mini uses a notebook processor (reduces heat generation) and hard drive (lower power and space saving) so has performance similar to a good non-gaming laptop. Its hard drive performance is inferior to most desktops but the processor performance is OK. Graphics performance is fine for non-gamers. Should be fine for anything but Aperture or heavy video production.

2. I use lots of different computers over the years (Windows, Mac, Linux, Sun Solaris) and move among them with little difficulty. The Apple website has lots of tutorials you can watch. If you have a store nearby you can try one out and take the free introductory classes or even buy the $100/year one-to-one instruction.

3. Except for gamers or others who demand the fastest system possible, I don't think any computer is obsolete after three years. We still use our first iMac bought 5 years ago, but also still use (as servers) Dell desktops that are 6 and 7 years old. (These are the only PCs we still are using). All still going strong without any repairs.