Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

How do you get yourself to buy a Mac?

M

mr.johnny

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 29, 2008
2
0
I have been toying with the idea of buying a Mac for probably two years now. I have been a PC user all my life and love them, but certainly see where Macs could be a big advantage with my work going forward.

However, I have never been so nervous to buy a piece of technology in my life! I feel like multiple times a year, Mac comes out with these groundbreaking hardware features that every Mac user who purchased in previous cycles are jealous of. Multi-touch track pad. Glass pad. Aluminum body. Backlit. Etc/etc.

I love the new MacBook, and since my PC is on it's last legs, I would love to buy the new 2.4ghz. But what is going to come out in 3 / 6 / 9 months that is going to make me completely regret buying this?

Helps! :(
 
In my opinion, USB3 is what I'll want. I try not to have regrets about tech though... it is ever changing, jump in and embrace what you have at the moment.
 
dannyboxer said:
Just buy one! You'll be waiting for ever for the next MacBook update.
Click to expand...

I agree and PC's are the same, you buy one and something faster, and better will always come out.

I been toying with the idea for years also and just said to myself 1 day, screw it I'm doing it now and never looked back.
 
Primejimbo said:
I agree and PC's are the same, you buy one and something faster, and better will always come out.

I been toying with the idea for years also and just said to myself 1 day, screw it I'm doing it now and never looked back.
Click to expand...

Right, but PC laptops and Macs evolve at completely different rates. My last three laptops have all been extremely similar with physical features - plus/minus things like Firewire, webcam, etc. but you can also go out and look at 100 different laptops and buy the one with the features you want. It is normally between springing the $ for features or not. Unlike Mac, where it's not being able to get them, or even know they are coming.

Macs are completely different. There is one model and HUGE new features each time that simply didn't exist in the last iteration.

I understand this is the risk with all technology, but this is much different .. I feel like in 3 months I am going to hear rumors of something just AMAZING that my Mac doesn't have and it will feel like a total wash.
 
mr.johnny said:
Right, but PC laptops and Macs evolve at completely different rates. My last three laptops have all been extremely similar with physical features - plus/minus things like Firewire, webcam, etc. but you can also go out and look at 100 different laptops and buy the one with the features you want. It is normally between springing the $ for features or not. Unlike Mac, where it's not being able to get them, or even know they are coming.

Macs are completely different. There is one model and HUGE new features each time that simply didn't exist in the last iteration.

I understand this is the risk with all technology, but this is much different .. I feel like in 3 months I am going to hear rumors of something just AMAZING that my Mac doesn't have and it will feel like a total wash.
Click to expand...

Its two different arenas, they are hard to compare. Since Apple makes their own hardware its a bit different than people like Sony or Dell. However, if you focus on a single company like Sony or Dell to compare Apple to, then you'll see the hardware progression is actually pretty similar.

As for springing for a new one... Well, you just have to make that decision. The latest update isn't a good one to go by. This was a major design revision, and those aren't happening every 6 months. What all the in between revisions are are internal stuff like processors and chipsets. Intel is on a tick-tock roadmap, and that is what sets the times for processor updates. Since the Nvidia chipsets are new to Apple, I'm really not sure what their roadmap is, but you might be able to find it out there somewhere.

With the design revisions done, now would actually be a pretty safe time to buy. It is at the beginning of a design AND hardware revision, so you are going to get the maximum life out of it before newer technology comes out. Also, the stuff that is in the current notebooks isn't going to be rendered useless any time soon.

Good luck making the jump.
 
Actually, the new groundbreaking features come ever 2-3 years, and between then its just speed bumps and things of that nature. macbooks have been pretty much the same since 2006 until this new release
 
well i was planning on switching for a while now and two weeks before i planned on buying my very first mac i just closed my eyes bought one on black Friday...i saved some money and i just hopped i made the right choice cause i don't plan on buying anther laptop for the next 3 yrs :) so my mac will do me just fine.
 
I also agonized over a switch to Mac for a few years. Having started on computers in the DOS days, I grew with Windows and became knowledgable for what I needed.

I'd grown tired of slow response because the system bogged down with antivirus, spyware, firewall software, etc. and having to do a clean install every 6 months to a year, and promised myself that the next time I had to do that, it would be MacTime. That happened this past April. The problematic Windows Vista and its associated learning curve just made that an easier decision.

Still run some Windows programs using VMWare Fusion as there are compromises in the available Mac software and budget issues besides, however, the Mac system simply doesn't crash. I have had BSOD on the Windows XP installation and there certainly is a learning curve to Leopard, however, I find I don't need as much technical knowledge as the Mac is so much more stable than Windows and I've had no problems there.

Some of the Mac "things" don't seem as user friendly as on a Windows box, like having to quit an application, even though you've "closed" it by clicking the "X". Maybe its the years of familiarity, but I don't find the Mac OS as logical as Windows. On the other hand, I don't need to constantly worry about programs hanging or having to launch "Task Manager" to end programs (which only seems to work sometimes anyway"). When you quit a Mac program, it actually works!

I know this is practically heresy in the Mac world, but bottom line to your question, IMO, is that if Windows has annoyed you enough, as it did me, then go for the Mac. If not, then stay in the world you're used to.
 
There aren't huge new features released each cycle. Basically nothing changed with the Macbooks from day one other then getting faster, and the Macbook Pro's got better screens and a bit better video cards. This most recent change is the biggest one in a while, so if you buy now you'll keep it for a while...but you also get to deal with the problems with a new design which Apple usually has.
 
I set myself a switch date; I told myself on this day no matter what, I buy a Mac.

Then I went to the store that day and I got a Mac.
 
Nehalem is the only update in the coming future worth waiting for. Other than that, I would buy right now.
 
mr.johnny said:
I have been toying with the idea of buying a Mac for probably two years now. I have been a PC user all my life and love them, but certainly see where Macs could be a big advantage with my work going forward.

However, I have never been so nervous to buy a piece of technology in my life! I feel like multiple times a year, Mac comes out with these groundbreaking hardware features that every Mac user who purchased in previous cycles are jealous of. Multi-touch track pad. Glass pad. Aluminum body. Backlit. Etc/etc.

I love the new MacBook, and since my PC is on it's last legs, I would love to buy the new 2.4ghz. But what is going to come out in 3 / 6 / 9 months that is going to make me completely regret buying this?

Helps! :(
Click to expand...

Buy it right now. With technology you buy today the greatest and fastest and tomorrow (literally) there is always something better that just came out. I bought mine, and I came from a PC environment. Long story short, I love it and I don't regret leaving Winhell.
 
How did I get myself to buy a Mac?? Easy, the last PC I purchased was a Acer Laptop with Vista installed. Slow, unstable, UAC, etc....... That will even get the most stubborn PC user like me to look for alternatives......
 
fandsw said:
How did I get myself to by a Mac?? Easy, the last PC I purchased was a Acer Laptop with Vista installed. Slow, unstable, UAC, etc....... That will even get the most stubborn PC user like me to look for alternatives......
Click to expand...

The key is to install Vista 64-bit, use classic visuals, and to disable UAC.

Works like old times with DX10 support and without all the resource hogging.
 
alphaod said:
The key is to install Vista 64-bit, use classic visuals, and to disable UAC.

Works like old times with DX10 support and without all the resource hogging.
Click to expand...

Let's not forget Anti-Virus, multiple daily updates, unstable hardware (especially Wi-Fi), 4 minutes to come out of sleep mode.....
 
it just works..

I was in the PC group for a while and i loved the idea of toying with it and always trying to upgrade it but that always meant some sort of problem with this and that. But after i while i got tired of that and i wanted a computer that would just work and i toyed with the idea of an HP or dell and was hoping that they would just work, and well my parents bought one of the ones i was thinking about and out of the box it was dreadfully slow and had all this random crap on it. It had to be the worst "top of the line" computer. About a week later went to the apple store just to look cause it was nearby and ended up walking out with a macbook pro. It sat in the box for about a day, i was going to let it sink in i had spent that much and to make sure i wanted it. Since then ive never looked back and it really does just work. While i pity my parents because they called me the other day....their HP wouldn't boot after 2 months. :eek:
 
Switch

Just made the switch today. I've been in the Apple store for a week messing around with a MacBook to familiarize myself with the navigation, preferences. Glad I made the switch. Can't see myself using my PC too often anymore.
 
well neleham comes out fall 2009 and usb 3.0 will someout in Q1 2010. give 2 year there will be a redesign. people are also saying that there will be an iphone screen trackpad in the next redesign. i, personally, am buying a 2.0 now and i will sell and buy another probably in fall 2010, or even 2012, when i go to collage;) the decision is really up to you, but if you cant live without opinions, like me, ask a bunch of questions!:D good luck!
 
Unlike most of the people on this board, I don't hate Windows and I don't think that Vista sucks. I actually "switched" because I wanted a digital jukebox and net portal in the living room and the only computer that my wife thought was stylish enough to live outside the den/office was the iMac G4

imac_G4.jpg


I fell in love with iTunes, then iPhoto, then iMovie (in that order). I finally learned to appreciate the stability of OS X and loved the fact that I did not need to reinstall the OS every few months. Most things just worked when I plugged them in and my Windows box started to collect dust. The process took about 6-12 months.

If you're interested in Macs, then just get one. OS X is not perfect. Office for Mac still sucks and so I almost always do important MS Office tasks in Windows (through VMWare).

There will always be something newer and better around the corner. That's half the fun with technology. Just don't keep waiting - life is too short. I mean really, do you transfer gig's of data routinely??
 
If you want to get into Macs cheap, here's a suggestion if you are good with hardware (i.e. you can follow directions on ifixit.com, have a good understanding of PC hardware and don't mind taking some gambles).

Over the past several months I have purchase 4 broken Macbooks. Just like people who buy used cars (running or not), I have turned these "donors" into 2 good working MacBooks. Two had broken screens, but were otherwise working, and two had working screens but broken logic boards (spills).

The total cost for the 4 Macbooks has been $490. One was without a hard drive, but otherwise they were all complete (except as noted for broken parts). I got them all on craigslist, it takes patience to work through many listings over many months. I live in the SF Bay Area so there are more in my area than some others.

If you go down this direction, be aware that for any architecture (Macbook in this case), there are several changes along the way that can make some parts incompatible while others are more compatible. Do your homework. Wait for great deals ($100-$150 for a dead system that seems to have either only a dead motherboard or only a cracked screen). Make sure that you don't have to transplant incompatible parts. Screens are compatible across the first generations of white and black macbooks, but NOT as a complete unit with top case, for example. The inverter connector is different, so it's possible to swap the LCD only, but not the whole upper lid/case/LCD as ifixit shows it. Unless you swap inverters...

Buy same generation broken macbooks, it's easy. Buy different generations, it's harder. But it's fun as well.

I now have 2 working macbooks (need to update my sig), a drawer full of spare parts, and a lot of fun for just under $500. One of them sits in the spare bedroom (used to be slaved to an external monitor) and the other is for my 11 year old.

Good luck
 
fandsw said:
Let's not forget Anti-Virus, multiple daily updates, unstable hardware (especially Wi-Fi), 4 minutes to come out of sleep mode.....
Click to expand...

Actually I have none of those issues; my wake ups are faster than in OS X and Vista has never crashed contrary to OS X which has crashed many times. *knock on wood*
 
I have Vista on my partition through bootcamp and it works well. No complaints. I still prefer OS X, but Vista is pretty good IMO. I haven't had one problem with it in 6 months and has worked flawlessly. It is quick out of sleep, not that many updates, and I haven't encountered any viruses. Works great for me, but then again I'm not blinded by all things Apple. I try to stay objective on this.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back