Hardcore Mac Fans: Why would you never go back to Windows?

[MacNoobGuy]

Hi all, I bought my first Mac about 20 months ago and it's been great. However, it's now time for me to buy another computer. Linux doesn't interest me because it lacks software to run hardware I use like my smart phone and E-Book reader. I need to choose between another Mac or another PC.

What I like about OSX the most I think is that I like having access to the Unix shell in 'Terminal'(I only use this sparingly, but I want to learn more about the commands), I don't need to worry about Windows viruses and it gives me some 'uniqueness' amongst my friends because none of them have a Mac. Even so, another Mac would be much more expensive than a comparable Windows machine.

I'd like to know the reasons why you continue to use a Mac over a Windows machine so that I can see other reasons to buy another Mac or not.

Thanks!

 

[Jessica Lares]

Why are you buying another one?

Most of the software I use now isn't on Windows, that's really the only reason for me. That, and the fact that I'm pretty much paying the same price either way since I need better than decent specs for what I do, so I might as well buy the Mac which is only a few hundred more and has the better warranty.

 

[chrono1081]

I supported Windows environments for 13 years and will never touch another Windows machine at home if I can help it.

I don't miss the constant slowdowns from OS updates, registry errors (why Microsoft still uses that awful registry vs preference files is beyond me), anti-virus/anti-malware being pretty much mandatory (yes you can get infected just by visiting sites, no need to download anything), and the fact that Microsoft just doesn't get users.

When I'm on Windows at work I miss things like Quicklook, multiple desktops*, and easy and reliable screen sharing, simple to set up networking, Xcode, etc.

*And before someone chimes in, yes I know you can get a multiple desktop app but it should be built in.

 

[And]

I left mac computing as my home machine in 1999 because my powerbook 1400cs could not cope with what I needed to do (write a 300 page document with multiple embedded figures, tables, etc.). So I had to jump ship to a beige box to get the MHz to get that written. The transition wasn't as bad as I was fearing (no online issues to worry about) and so I could concentrate on getting my thesis written without the stress of beachballs. Plus, half-life was good; pc gaming is an eye-opener if you've been mac based for a long time!

Although I continued to use macs (I still had my 1400cs and used a beige g3 at work for programming work) I just could not afford to get my own decent machine due to ill-paid work, a lot of student debt, a very costly mortgage, the high initial cost of mac ownership, etc. So I bumbled along with a couple of pc laptops, and as my new work was pc based, that worked well in terms of remote access etc. But I always kept an eye on the mac world.

Then, I got a friends cast off g4 in 2007 and used that offline a little and experienced OSX for the first time, and when my finances transformed I dove into getting a mini (early 2009), which is still my main computer to this day. It has been a joy frankly, and I do not miss the horror of pc security, etc. at all. So to cut a tedious story short, I would only go back to the pc world if...

1) I had financial troubles that meant I had to make a pragmatic decision. This is unlikely now, but of course you never know.
2) I have an essential need that cannot be met by my mac. My needs are fairly MHz non-intensive for a modern computer (word processing, listening to music, a little light scripting, excel) so this is very unlikely to crop up again.
3) Apple decide to withdraw from the computing business or transition their offering so that it becomes too expensive to justify. I sincerely hope that never happens!

 

[dan1eln1el5en]

never go back since OSX is hassle free and powerful Unix.

the terminal you can fix many things, and open up to rather normal Unix things.

on my Windows PC (at work) I constantly get updates, need to keep up with graphics drivers and making a small local web server requires 3rd party developed apps.
The ease of use and great community of freeware (freeware on windows is often ad filled and malware-ish)

 

[JoeG4]

I'm using Windows right this very moment as I write this post. lol Then again, I switch between various machines running various OSes all the time.

No big deal. I like my macs, though!

 

[mikeyhd]

I can use windows/server and I know very well (it's a day work job), but I can't put in words how much I hate everything that come with windows.

I'm more a unix guys, so the choice is between Linux and OSX, and I settle for a long time with Mac along with macport (that can run some open source)

I'm happy with this combination even I realize some software is only available on windows, that where parallels and fusion come to help, but I tried to avoid them as often as I can.

I guess I'm hardcore UNIX fan, because anythings I use is command line (i.e Cisco,NetApp,VMware, fiber switch..), but I don't see any reason for using windows beside the software that need to be on a windows box.

 

[CrickettGrrrl]

Perhaps I'm horribly superficial, but the thing that needles me the most about Windows is its font rendering, it's like wearing a poison ivy sweater to me.

I have Windows with VirtualBox in order to use Quicken, and spend the least amount of time possible in there because it's so annoying. Plus it has fan noise which is super irritating too.

 

[MacPC]

I would say get a Mac of course. With the Mac, you can still run Windows concurrently if you use a Virtual Machine such as VMWare Fusion, Parallel, or VirtualBox. You can also use BootCamp. You kill two birds with one stone.

 

[phrehdd]

I would say get a Mac of course. With the Mac, you can still run Windows concurrently if you use a Virtual Machine such as VMWare Fusion, Parallel, or VirtualBox. You can also use BootCamp. You kill two birds with one stone.

This is pretty much what I do. - Run a virtual of Windows to get to applications that are not on the Mac side.

On the other hand, I have my list of dislikes for Apple and its marketing decisions that impact end users. The two things I miss most are building PC's to spec and a dead OS called OS/2. In its day, I'll say that OS/2 provided MORE than any other desktop OS it was competing with. What of course killed it was IBM's usual idiocy on not knowing how to market it and also lack of applications. It ran a better DOS than DOS, ran virtuals of DOS and Windows 3.1 that ran smoother and faster than native installs of each respectively. The GUI interface was ahead of Windows at that time and more than rivaled Mac's OS. The two Apple items that bother me the most is being told what I want/need (lack of optical disk being one) and not supporting HD audio streams. I can install Windows or Linux and get those audio streams in my movies but under OSX - one simply cannot. This was a decision made for us by Apple for marketing reasons (iTunes etc.).

In the meanwhile, I use my Mac for work and play at home and another computer to handle my serious media that connects directly to my AVR and TV. Apple traded today's technology for their desire to suck us into the world of compressed movies and music. I like the idea of CHOICE not being told what we want.

 

[MacNoobGuy]

Perhaps I'm horribly superficial, but the thing that needles me the most about Windows is its font rendering, it's like wearing a poison ivy sweater to me.

I have Windows with VirtualBox in order to use Quicken, and spend the least amount of time possible in there because it's so annoying. Plus it has fan noise which is super irritating too.

Doesn't OSX do the same rendering?

 

[CrickettGrrrl]

Doesn't OSX do the same rendering?

No, fonts in OS X look smoother. Actually, that's often a complaint from Win switchers, --that Mac fonts look too soft or blurry compared to the crispness of Win fonts rendering. I think I saw a Verge article (not sure where now), that Win fonts are easier for dyslexics to read because of line weights, etc. So it's a matter of preference and what works, for me it's Mac fonts.

 

[glenthompson]

After spending 4 to 5 hour son the phone with my brother trying to fix a Windows problem, it reminds me what I don't miss. I'm tempted to buy him a Mac just so I don't have to answer windows questions.

 

[mtngoatjoe]

I use a PC at work all day, and I hate it. When I get home, my Mac feels refreshing (and useful!).

I use iPhoto, iMovie, and Numbers more than anything else. I love how I can use Numbers on my Mac, iPhone, iPad, and work PC.

I have no desire to move to a PC. None.

 

[Bear]

...
I'd like to know the reasons why you continue to use a Mac over a Windows machine so that I can see other reasons to buy another Mac or not.

Thanks!

Do you remember why you switched in the first place? Do you remember the maintenance overhead of dealing with Windows?

I like the fact I don't need an antivirus program to keep my Mac safe, especially considering pretty much every AV program on windows has at one point or another caused trouble on the Windows system.

No registry to have to try to rebuild when some software trashes it.

 

[wrldwzrd89]

The biggest thing I like about OS X is this: Unlike Windows, which can get trashed beyond repair VERY easily - even in Windows 7 (not sure about 8), it's a LOT harder to do that in OS X. Sure, it's still possible - just much harder to do accidentally or on purpose.

I also marvel at how good a job Apple did with the internet installer tech used since the first Developer Preview of Lion... they NAILED it the first time

 

[Altemose]

The fact that I don't have two running locations for open applications. I am talking about the side bar for "Metro" applications and the task bar for "Desktop" programs in Windows 8. Another reason is the fact that I don't have to find drivers when I reload the OS, or update drivers manually. OS X has a boot set in the OS installer, and updates every time there is a new OS update. Can't beat that!

 

[AndrewMRiv]

I use my iMac and MacBook so much at home because I love the great OS X experience as well as its exclusive apps.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to "completely" switch over. Next to my gorgeous 27" iMac is a home-built PC that is purely for gaming.

Of course the iMac in bootcamp could also game, I like that PC just because I can swap out the graphics card as they become obsolete. That is just a luxury.


If I was forced to pick one to use the rest of my life, it would be a Mac. The games I play all have Mac versions, so I could run them at medium settings for good performance. Additionally, I would have access to all of the great OS X features and apps!

 

[roadbloc]

I happily use both OS X and Windows.

 

[960design]

Short answer: No, I will never go back to windows.

I was part of the 8 beta test team, way back when and my final assessment was this: "This product will be the death of your company. You have paved the way for Apple and Linux(Ubuntu) to take over the market."

This leads me to ask; why not Linux, specifically Ubuntu? I run Solaris on one of my web servers, Ubuntu on another. I use iMac, MacBookPro, iPad Air for work and home. I have a very nice Acer Timeline running Ubuntu and a Nexus10 running Ubuntu Touch.

I believe you could find just about every software need fulfilled with Ubuntu; especially since you mentioned Terminal.

 

[Ardmanz]

I'm a fan of OSX although I haven't been using it for long but seriously, what is everyones problem with Windows 8?

It's just like windows 7 except faster and with more features. The start menu is different, that's the only real negative (for some people, I like it though).

Granted, I'm basing this on home use, this may be different for corporate users but then, Windows 8 was never really designed for this.

 

[Mr. McMac]

I happily use both OS X and Windows.

Same here. BTW, I never have problems with my 2 year old Windows 7 machine, but I've had a few kernel panics on my 2011 Mac Mini. And as far as virus's, the last time I had a PC virus was back in the mid 90's when I had no idea what I was doing.
So from my own experience, Mac's are no better than PC's, just different. I love them both. Both do what I need them to do.

 

[pertusis1]

I have, in my life, switched back to PC three times. The shortest episode was an ACER in the mid-90s (lasted 3 months before we bailed under a barrage of crashes, glitches, and general grief). One time, we made it almost a year, but the bottom line is that the completely open platform that Windows allows for has benefits and costs. The cost is instability, the benefit is flexibility. I just want my computers to work. I want my computer to work for me, not me working for my computer, and that is why I still own a Mac.

btw, be sure to factor in the cost of downtime and trying to clear malware from your computer in the cost analysis

I recently installed Windows 7 on my Mac Pro (not the new one), and I end up rarely using it. Within a month of installing it, in spite of having antivirus software installed, my kids (I assume it was them) still managed to install some malware that was very time consuming to get rid of.

Here I am trying to justify the higher cost, but I think if you spec the components, the cost is not that much higher. If you really pay attention to what you're getting in a budget PC, it's often garbage components. You certainly can get very high quality PCs, but as with Apple hardware, you pay for it. If you're on a budget, get a used Mac mini or a 4,1 Mac Pro.

 

[Ardmanz]

Same here. BTW, I never have problems with my 2 year old Windows 7 machine, but I've had a few kernel panics on my 2011 Mac Mini. And as far as virus's, the last time I had a PC virus was back in the mid 90's when I had no idea what I was doing.
So from my own experience, Mac's are no better than PC's, just different. I love them both. Both do what I need them to do.

I completely agree with you.

My Windows 8 laptop was more stable than my rMBP is but I still love OSX.

I don't know how people have so many problems with viruses/malware etc. I know they do though because my brother is one of these people. I have to reinstall windows for him every 8 months or so.

All it takes some security software and a little common sense and you will never have a virus. (I don't think I've had one since 1998 which was on my first PC).

 

[MacNoobGuy]

Hey guys, thanks a lot for the replies. I'm going through them one at a time now!