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Have you gone back after going Mac?

  • No, are you insane?

    Votes: 261 73.9%
  • Yes, because I had to.

    Votes: 19 5.4%
  • Yes, because I wanted to.

    Votes: 57 16.1%
  • I've never owned a Windows computer.

    Votes: 16 4.5%

  • Total voters
    353
Of spending all day yesterday re-installing Windoze on a friends PC. Patch after patch, update after security update Service pack after Service pack.

Nearly 4 hours later, his machine now works again.

That's why I voted "No, Are You Insane":)

That is also why I will not go back. How do you know if you have all of the latest patches with MS? With a Mac, it is very clear.

Glenn
 
If I ever had to return to a non-mac environment, it would be ubuntu.
I would not be happy, but I dont think I would ever go back to Windows.
 
I don't see myself going back at this moment, as I don't see anything comparable to my MBP/OS X on the PC side. Best laptop I've ever owned by a mile. On the other hand, I don't like where Mac is going - MBA-style, iOS-like devices. This closed nature could scare me away in the future to something else.
 
I only voted "Yes, because I wanted to" because I wanted to play games.
And I didn't even get a Windows PC; I run it on Parallels.
So yes, I technically did go back to Windows, but while still on a Mac.
 
I fix windows PC's for a living and I made the switch to Mac at home just over a year ago. I don't think I will ever buy a windows machine again.
 
How about never left? I have both?

PC desktop and Apple for mobile devices.
 
Mac since 2005. At the time, I was cajoled into it by instructors, who maintained that Apple was the only choice for design. I know now that was propaganda, but I don't regret it -- especially considering my last Windows machine was running ME.

I recently got my mom on a Mac. It's been really charming. She's never owned anything but Windows notebooks. When she got her 13" Macbook Pro, replacing her three-year-old Toshiba (running XP like garbage with a host of other fiddly issues) she was floored. I gave her some instruction but for the most part she's been able to figure it out on her own (because that's how Apple do), and for the first time she's enjoyed her machine, instead of just tolerating it because it was useful. Apple is, at present, unrivaled in user experience -- it is pleasant to use a Mac.

But I'm also wary of the hidden tax on that (openess), and weary of the premium. Even though I'm not a fan of Lion, so far, I still much prefer OS X to Windows, and that's more-or-less the big reason I'm still here.
 
That is also why I will not go back. How do you know if you have all of the latest patches with MS? With a Mac, it is very clear.

Glenn

What's so hard about using Windows Update? It works exactly like Apple Software Update and is just as clear about notifying the user.
 
mix of both is actually important for who works in IT. I use macs for design but when I give lectures I have to use windows. Testing of sites also needs a win based machine...
 
I've always loved mac ever since using some mac plus's at university back in the late 80's.

I then went on to use them at work during the 90's doing publishing work.

Unfortunately I've never really had the spare cash to buy one for myself since (got to admit pc's are cheaper).

Anyway I now have my macbook pro and I love it. Will still have to use windows at work though.
 
I'm more of a casual user.
Was PC forever, switched to mac last year. I like it, to me it's different but not like OMG different.

I appreciate it more when I get phone calls from my family asking me to help with their pc's (i've always been pretty handy with tech), and I just shake my head at all the problem I remember going through when I had a pc, and how I actually haven't had a single problem with my apple stuff yet.
 
This poll is in the wrong place. Anyone having gone back would now be on the windows platform and hopefully a non-apple branded computer.

For the record, it should also take into account how many people use windows via secondary partition on the mac; I do, all the time.
 
For full-time work I'll never go back to Windows PC. For gaming I still use my custom built beast.

I also have Win7 installed via Parallels for a couple apps and testing purposes.
 
I'm actually typing this from a Windows 7 custom built PC so I use both. Computers are simply tools to get tasks done. Some tasks are better solved with Mac and some are better solved with Windows. (Or even Unix). Just depends on what I'm doing.

Agree.
 
I use Windows for work, however I was finally able to convince them to purchase a MBP instead of a Dell. Now I have the best of both worlds.

I've been using a Hackintosh for the past 4 years which made me realize I prefer OSX to Windows. I'm just tired of what is involved in maintaining/upgrading OSX on non Apple hardware. The MBP will be here this coming week.
 
Sorry to say, but in an enterprise environment it really makes no sense to go with the Mac. Windows desktops and laptops are commodity items, replaced in 3-year cycles and ordered by the pound. In most cases it's actually cheaper to buy new than upgrade or repair existing systems. PC hardware and Windows 7 is 'good enough' for 90% of the business users who just need to do word processing, spreadsheets and email.

Precisely machined and polished laptop cases may be sexy and have lots of enthusiast appeal, but to an IT budget analyst for a large or even a small enterprise they simply do not make economic sense. A plastic cased Dell Inspiron will do just fine, at about half the price.

Truth is, Windows 7 is a pretty good OS. Microsoft learned some hard and harsh lessons with Vista and did a good job of cleaning up its act. Our experience has been that application developers have been sloppy with the transition from XP to Windows 7, and in particular the move from 32 to 64-bit platforms. This has caused a lot of implementations of Windows 7 to look bad, when it's really the application's fault (hello AutoDesk, you reading this?!)

Where Apple currently shines, and shines far brighter than any of the competition, is in the mobile OS market. Microsoft continues to stumble pitifully, Android is making strides but still not there (yet), but iOS is remarkable in its functionality and integration. I currently use my iPad as a laptop substitute and I'm amazed at how truly useful it is. The others will catch up eventually. They have to - it's a growing market with huge profit potential and they can't afford to ignore it or stumble. But right now in my opinion Apple owns the market segment (and I don't really care how many Android devices were sold last week or last month, it is still a disjointed market).

But watch out for Google's next move. One thing they learned over the last few years is that there really is a benefit to controlling both the OS and the hardware. Seems Steve was right, though Google will never admit it publicly. Google knows it needs an iPhone and iPad killer and the only way they can get that is to control the hardware environment. Can anyone say Motorola?
 
JustMapIt,

Your post was a very interesting read. I agree with about 90% of it, the other 10 is conjecture about the future and we shall see.

Personally, I could switch strictly to Windows in a heartbeat, and yes I'm stuck using them because of work and gaming for personal reasons. But I still think OSX is superior, by a slight margin. At least for now.

And call me elitist, but I hope google fails big time. They come off as a social parasite. Don't be evil...

Sent from remote.
 
There's no poll option for "I use several operating systems every day"! :p
 
I have a MBP 15" and 2011 MBA 11" running Lion. I also have a number of Lenovo laptops and desktops running Win 7 64 bit. I find both to be very stable, intuitive, and advanced operating systems. With two teenagers in the house, I insist that my kids learn the basics of both operating systems and encourage them to use whichever machine will help them in whatever challenge they have on a particular day.

I love the sexy design of Apple products and smile in wonder as I've just finished watching a movie on my 55" Samsung flat panel that was streamed to from my phone on the end table and through the Apple TV. However, I'm shocked at some of the ignorance around here from those who think that Windows 7 is inferior or OS X. It's simply a prejudice that needs to disappear.
 
I've actually had more problems with my Mac than any PC. I'm not trying to flame, but I had my old 2008 MBP replaced with a 2010 unibody because of a string of issues the last of which was that it wouldn't turn on. Little did I know that even though the machines are 2 years apart, they suffer from the same widespread issue of graphics problems (search for forums about the screen going black when using the discrete card).

Despite all this, Macs still feel more comfortable and natural for me to use. That must speak volumes about Windows :D (or about me :rolleyes:).
 
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