Considering a Mac

Personally I prefer OS X (9, 8 etc) over Windows. It sounds like you don't need tremendous processing power so perhaps you will find some deals in the refurb store. Amazon may save you a few pennies as well but generally, savings come from refurbs on Apple or second hand.

Is a Mac right for you? I think a Mac is right for just about anyone.

 

From what you wrote, you could easily live with a "Nettop" or a "Barebone" PC that runs Ubuntu Linux. That option would save you A LOT of money (compared to a Mac) and you actually wouldn't miss anything.

 

A Mac computer is right for everyone.

I would sugest simply getting the MacMini, as apparently you already have a keyboard and mouse and monitor from your current PC. This will get you to the Mac world. The MacMini doenst come with a built-in DVD drive, but you can buy a external DVD drive at any store. moreover you will need a blu-ray drive from 3rd party developers anyway as no Apple computer comes with blu-ray.

Havins said that, sell your PC components asap, but keep optical drive and case, you may want to build a new computer in the future to so some gaming.

Nevertheless, the magic mouse is part of the Mac experience, so if you are going desktop, get one. You dont need a mouse to operate macbooks, you will understand once you start using the OS.

If you happen to want a macbook, they have been recently refresehd. If you decide to go MacMini or iMAc, wiat a llittle as they are expected to be refreshed around septermber 12

 

13" MacBook Pro. I'd do the current generation if you can afford it. If you can't, look at the refurbished machines. Either way, just about any 13" MacBook Pro will be technologically better than your aging PC desktop in literally every respect. If you want a monitor, you can attach one to it. If you want desktop keyboards, mice and speakers, you can attach them too. A laptop can serve at the desk very easily, but with the added benefit of being able to be taken anywhere.

First off, no a Mac computer is NOT right for everyone. There are specific uses for which a Windows PC will ALWAYS make much more sense. Granted, this isn't one of them, but still, there is a whole computing world outside of our nice Macintosh bubble.

Secondly, their PC is from 2001; their components won't be worth selling. Their case and optical drive, given that machine is a Dell from circa 2001 are both worthless. Better cases exist out there that don't cost much and better optical drives exist out there that are comparable to the cost of two well drinks at your neighborhood watering hole.

Thirdly, as a staunch Mac user, The Magic Mouse is NOT part of the Mac experience. Multi-touch is becoming more and more of something that is integral to the experience, but that mouse doesn't even allow you to do half of that. It's also an uncomfortable fit on the palms of most people.

Otherwise, I have no problems with the advice you are giving here.

 

If you don't mind Windows, then building a PC is a fine option. Really, the only reasons to buy a desktop Mac is to run OS X and to avoid the extra labor and potential instability in building a Hackintosh. Otherwise, if you're torn between an iMac or a Mac mini, I'd say go with a beefed up higher-end Mac mini (2.7 Dual-Core Core i7; 750GB HDD + 256 SSD) and buy the upgraded RAM aftermarket. It's a little pricier than the 21.5" iMac, but it's tons more reliable than either iMac models and is built to last you a while. Either that or this:

http://store.apple.com/us/product/FC560LL/A

Otherwise, I've seen way too many iMacs come in for service compared to any other Mac (let alone computer) out there; they are NOT reliable on average.

 

Yes, it is better in that regard. There is no registry to clean, you can keep a Mac malware-free without antivirus software if you practice safe computing, drivers are usually a non-issue unless you have some obscure hardware, and with very few exceptions, most Mac users will never find a need to defrag a drive. You don't need to do anything to "maintain" a Mac, as Mac OS X does that very well without user interference. That's one of the primary things I enjoy about using Macs. Just use them for what you use a computer for, without needing to "tinker around under the hood" to keep it running well.

 

Excuse me? A Windows PC will make much more sense? I think I have to remind you that In terms of software, A Mac can do everything Windows can, provided that you have Bootcamp or Machine Virtualization Application installed.

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Not when you're after extreme ease of use.

 

If you are in an all-windows corporate environment (and yes, as much as we love the Mac platform here at forums.macrumors.com, let's face it, Windows is still prevalent in many places. And, I'm sorry, no matter how you spin it, Macs at their low end are more expensive than Windows machines at their low end. Sure, the lower-end Mac is higher-end than the lower-end PC, but in those environments you don't need the extra oomph, thereby making Macs, even if they're used as a PC, impractical. I'm sorry if you disagree, but if you do the math, you'll find that I'm right about this.

You clearly missed the "If you don't mind Windows" part of that sentence.