My parents are currently using a 6(+) year old Dell which disgusts me in every way. I'm a Mac user myself and I want them to make the switch, but my father is convinced that he'll have loads of compatability issues if he does because some IT staff at his work told him so. How can I convince them to get a Mac?
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How to convert my parents to Mac
- Thread starter vpjayant
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I'd start by telling them that there are NO viruses for the mac (only trojans). Then, explain that they can run Office on a Mac, as well as Windows if they need to. Then, talk about Parallels and Fusion. After that, explain that with Entourage, they get Exchange support (rumored to be in Snow Leopard as well), and they can use VPN with Macs if that is a necessity. Also explain that 99% of their current peripherals will work just fine without drivers. Also, tell them that you will be able to support their Mac more easily than their Dell, and that will hopefully win them over. Good luck!
It sounds like your dad is a competent computer user. If he isn't having problems with his setup now then I would say forget it until he actually needs a computer.
However, if he is having problems, go for the current-gen refurbished Mac Mini. You've got to watch the refurb page close because they go fast. Today they were up for about 3 hours before being completely sold out.
The Mini is the cheapest way to try out a Mac. Plus he can just hook it up to what he's already got.
However, if he is having problems, go for the current-gen refurbished Mac Mini. You've got to watch the refurb page close because they go fast. Today they were up for about 3 hours before being completely sold out.
The Mini is the cheapest way to try out a Mac. Plus he can just hook it up to what he's already got.
I made a thread exactly like this not too long ago.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/705685/
Check out the responses.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/705685/
Check out the responses.
If you use this kind of attitude when you talk to them, I'm not surprised that they won't listen to you.
Don't be a fanboy in front of them, try to convince them in a reasonable and grown-up way.
Honestly, why does it matter what type of computer they use? Unless what they currently have is dishing out problems, I see no reason why they need to change anything.
It IS having problems. Loads of problems. They have a 6 year old installation of Windows XP on there. Do you have any idea how slowly it runs now? They won't let me format it though, yet they continuously complain that it's slow. They'll probably get something new soon, probably another Dell; all I want to do is make them get a Mac instead of another PC.
My mother is using an 8 year old 1 GHz Pentium III PC with Ubuntu and it works really great. About 3 years ago, I maxed out the RAM to 1,5 GB (3 x 512 MB), replaced the old 80 GB HDD to 250 GB, so it is perfectly fine for everyday work.
The only problems I see is, when she gets to any Flash intensive sites, but still, the Pentium III is in many ways better than the equivalent PowerPC G4 CPUs on the Mac site for browsing that kind of stuff.
I would leave theam alone. Your parents don't need any Mac at all...
And why is a problem for you, when they get a new Dell? Because it doesn't have an Apple logo?
The only problems I see is, when she gets to any Flash intensive sites, but still, the Pentium III is in many ways better than the equivalent PowerPC G4 CPUs on the Mac site for browsing that kind of stuff.
I would leave theam alone. Your parents don't need any Mac at all...
And why is a problem for you, when they get a new Dell? Because it doesn't have an Apple logo?
So how would forcing them to learn a new operating system which has its own different set of problems help them to be more efficient?
They should stick to what they know best and keep in mind that Windows is constantly improving, which is more than can be said for OS X.
Find a happy medium. Tell them that you would be willing to chip in what you could towards a Mac Mini. Also mention to them that you can run both OS's on a Mac, via boot camp.
Here is what I did.
My mom did not have a computer and was not exactly computer savvy. However; I knew that she had in the distant past worked on a cnc and could load programs so I figured she could learn. Her wanting a computer coincided with apple upgrading the mac minis to core 2 duos and I bought her a closeout mac mini. Now a year and half later she wanted an Imac and I helped her pick one out and she gave me her mini. Free htpc!
My mom did not have a computer and was not exactly computer savvy. However; I knew that she had in the distant past worked on a cnc and could load programs so I figured she could learn. Her wanting a computer coincided with apple upgrading the mac minis to core 2 duos and I bought her a closeout mac mini. Now a year and half later she wanted an Imac and I helped her pick one out and she gave me her mini. Free htpc!
Have your parents tried mac to do work stuff. Mine would never have changed without using my mac, they releiysed how simple and easy to use it is! Went to an apple store and the sales woman did the rest. But if they prefer windows then you shouldn't push them towards a mac, because they'll probably end up hating it lol
@ OP - I'm sure you regretted posting this here as it appears you've been totally flamed by most people. Shame.
My parents wanted a laptop and they're not "Tech savvy" in the slightest. I ordered a Dell Mini 12" with Ubuntu, which when it finally arrived about 4 weeks after ordering, it was the biggest bank of toss ever. It only has a 4,200rpm disk and can take only 1GB RAM max. Because Dell had put their custom front end on Ubuntu, it was so slow and pretty much unusable. If you turned the Dell stuff off and went to "classic" Ubuntu, it wasn't very user friendly for someone who hasn't used a computer much before. It was also still so slow and basically an under-spec'd piece of crap with rubbish build quality and a 4 cell battery that only lasted about 75mins.
My folks liked my MBP, especially when seeing what I'd done in iMovie and making them an awesome Calendar in iPhoto. My Dad used it for 3 days and decided he wanted to try a Mac. I managed to get a great deal on a current 2Ghz White MacBook which they love.
To help them out, I typed a decent document in Word with plenty of screen grabs to assist. They're still not Pro's with it, but have come on in leaps and bounds. They like how user friendly it is and straight forward to use.
Mac ftw (and ignore trolls).
My parents wanted a laptop and they're not "Tech savvy" in the slightest. I ordered a Dell Mini 12" with Ubuntu, which when it finally arrived about 4 weeks after ordering, it was the biggest bank of toss ever. It only has a 4,200rpm disk and can take only 1GB RAM max. Because Dell had put their custom front end on Ubuntu, it was so slow and pretty much unusable. If you turned the Dell stuff off and went to "classic" Ubuntu, it wasn't very user friendly for someone who hasn't used a computer much before. It was also still so slow and basically an under-spec'd piece of crap with rubbish build quality and a 4 cell battery that only lasted about 75mins.
My folks liked my MBP, especially when seeing what I'd done in iMovie and making them an awesome Calendar in iPhoto. My Dad used it for 3 days and decided he wanted to try a Mac. I managed to get a great deal on a current 2Ghz White MacBook which they love.
To help them out, I typed a decent document in Word with plenty of screen grabs to assist. They're still not Pro's with it, but have come on in leaps and bounds. They like how user friendly it is and straight forward to use.
Mac ftw (and ignore trolls).
"How to convert my parents to Mac"... take their Dell while they are out one day and setup the new iMac you buy them... they'll thank you in the long run
Tell them it is the only true OS. That there have being other OSs before it but they are all imposters and OS X is the past, the future, the present and the eternal interface that all mankind must embrace or they'll be struck down by the evils of the horned one at redmond and forever burn in a fire of .dll files, viruses and blue screens of injustice.