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

Is switching from PC to Mac as scary as I think?

D

D35P3R4T0

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 17, 2008
59
2
Should I switch from PC to Mac?

I know, I know, Im on a whole website dedicated to Mac, so most everyone probably thinks this is a simple and dumb question, and maybe it is, but I have a little bit of background and history that makes me contemplate this question.

first off I have been an avid Windows PC user all my life. not only that, I am also a very knowledgeable and well advanced user. I have taken many high school classes and done alot of tinkering with Windows on my own time. I am a college student who, at work, is the designated computer fixer when things go wrong or someone has a question (because it is alot cheaper than calling a tech guy/ computer repair person). What I am basically getting at is that I am so deeply entrenched in Windows that I'm scared to try something new like Mac because it would make all that knowledge of Windows totally irrelevant (atleast thats what I think).

I have never messed with Mac computers, the closest thing I have to one is an iPhone, but I am so impressed with the company that I am seriously considering getting a Mac notebook as my next laptop.

Please, will other people who have made the switch to Mac just give me their opinion on the subject. was it easy/ hard to get use to? and was it worth it?

Thank you:)
 
As long as you have an account here to ask questions whenever you get stuck, you're good to go. :) Seriously this forum was (and still is) my best resource for getting started fast when I got my first mac. (Macbook Pro) And, no, it is not as scary as you think. It takes a little bit of getting used to, but once you get acquainted you realize how much sense OS X makes and how little sense Windows does. So go ahead, make your next laptop a Mac. You won't regret it. Besides with Boot Camp, there's nothing to be afraid of right?
 
Xander562 said:
As long as you have an account here to ask questions whenever you get stuck, you're good to go. :) Seriously this forum was (and still is) my best resource for getting started fast when I got my first mac. (Macbook Pro) And, no, it is not as scary as you think. It takes a little bit of getting used to, but once you get acquainted you realize how much sense OS X makes and how little sense Windows does. So go ahead, make your next laptop a Mac. You won't regret it. Besides with Boot Camp, there's nothing to be afraid of right?
Click to expand...

So true. :D
 
Let me make *many* people cringe:

Once you go Mac, you don't go back! :p

Also, a few years ago (about 5) I was a huge Windows person. Then, I bought a Mac. It was a life changing decision. My life is better now.;)
 
Yep, I'm gonna chime in with the same:

It is scary, but it's only scary to realize how much time you spent learning something that makes so little sense. Jump in, the water's fine.
 
D35P3R4T0 said:
first off I have been an avid Windows PC user all my life. not only that, I am also a very knowledgeable and well advanced user. I have taken many high school classes and done alot of tinkering with Windows on my own time. I am a college student who, at work, is the designated computer fixer when things go wrong or someone has a question (because it is alot cheaper than calling a tech guy/ computer repair person). What I am basically getting at is that I am so deeply entrenched in Windows that I'm scared to try something new like Mac because it would make all that knowledge of Windows totally irrelevant (atleast thats what I think).

I have never messed with Mac computers, the closest thing I have to one is an iPhone, but I am so impressed with the company that I am seriously considering getting a Mac notebook as my next laptop.
Click to expand...

Actually, let me be serious for a minute. Just because you switch to Mac, doesn't make your knowledge of Windows totally irrelevant (so you were wrong ;)). What it does is make you MORE knowledgeable, because you will learn TWO operating systems. People will be amazed at your in-depth knowledge to both Windows and OSX.

OSX is very simple to use, and I think you'll have fun tinkering and playing with your Mac (this isn't a pet name, now :p). Check out your closest Apple Store or Apple Reseller to tinker with a Mac. You're going to love it!
 
Hum easy ...

I was working on Unix systems in 1982 V6, V7, System III, System V ... then, UnixSwear, Linux, etc. I have dreamed of a graphical interface running on a Unix kernel, but Linux has never quite made it. So me, it was a very easy transition and one that I regret not making as soon as the shift to Intel CPUs occurred. However, I am a very experienced user of Unix type OS systems and could see that some MS Windows users might not like the differences in the user interface. My wife is a speech pathologist in the local school district and ended up with a Mac in her room along with several PCs. One day she called me when she could not figure out how to eject the CD on the Mac. When I told her that she had to drag and drop it on the trash can, she thought that was a dumb idea.

If most of your use of a PC is web browsing, e-mail, word processing, etc. Then the transition is mainly some tweaks to your mental "firmware" to the Apple UI metaphor. If you are a big time gamer, write Windows software for a living, or have to use tons of Windows specific software, then the transition may not be as easy.

Clearly, it will go best if you have an open mind ... I am still puzzled by the "green" button on the top left side of the title bar. I find the behavior completely baffling ... sometime the window grows, sometimes it shrinks, occasionally it does nothing.
 
gwerhart0800 said:
I am still puzzled by the "green" button on the top left side of the title bar. I find the behavior completely baffling ... sometime the window grows, sometimes it shrinks, occasionally it does nothing.
Click to expand...

:p Soooo true. I'm afraid of that little green button.

To the OP ... OS X is a dream.
 
PC Zealot

For the longest time I used to hate all Apple/Mac products 110%, I was a linux fanboy. I used to work for a printing company that was 50/50 Mac/Windows and the Mac users would totally irritate me with their irrelevant Mac love. At least I thought their love and admiration for Mac was irrelevant. At the time the Macs were running PowerPC processors and OS 9 classic as the OS which were inferrior to the Intel CPUs and Windows. I don't care what anyone says, It's my opinion not a start of a flame war here. My opinion is that Mac OS classic is dogbarf unfit for any or all computing tasks. Systems running Mac OS classic should be destroyed on sight.

Right now I don't totally hate Mac but I don't love it totally either. The only thing I love about OS X is the unix posix certified subsystem.

But with Mac OS X running on top of an OS that I love, unix, I don't have much to complain anymore. And now that Apple has shut up about the fact that CPU frequency isn't the most important factor for CPU performance, which it is, I'm not so peeved so more either.

Also most of all, since they trashed the horrible PowerPC processor and went to Intel processors, which are awesome, you can run just about any operating system you want on your Macintosh. (With Boot Camp)

So if you buy a Mac and absolutely detest Mac OS X, do not fear you can install Ubuntu or Windows XP or Windows Vista as you feel fit.

OS X is easy to use, however, OS X is not simple. OS X is one of the most mature state-of-the-art and complex operating systems in existence today.

If you decide that you want to write programs for computers or develop web applications then OS X is even better than using windows. Because let's face it, unix/linux has the most servers on the internet still and it's difficult to write web programs for *nix when you're using windows as your development platform. So having an environment similar to your target environment is much better than using an environment that runs scripts like a retard (windows).

It's actually funny how the times change. Mac OS X is fantastic, Windows Vista is garbage and systems running Vista should be destroyed on sight.
 
I'm a recent switcher. In April, I bought myself a longed for, and promised MBP, as a birthday present and must say it is by far the best computer I have ever had. Beautiful, fast, powerful, has a terrific screen and it works really well. Prior to that, I had spent months, many months, contemplating the switch. Like you, I had spent my working life in Windows; can't say I much liked it, but I knew it; additionally, Word was and is vital to my work; everybody in my universe uses it and until Apple enabled users to have Word/Office on their systems (rather than become a techie guru in order to be able to do so, which most of us are not) their world (mine now) was going to remain remote from our concerns.

Wadejc85 makes a very good point; you'll still be using Windows most likely in other work environments - I still do for a lot of business environments are still configured for Windows, it's still the default standard - thus, knowing both systems is a huge help.

Among the reasons for my switch were the sheer beauty of the design and the fact that the products work. You mention the iPhone; for me, it was the iPod, exquisite, wonderful (I love music) an absolute boon for long journeys and commutes. The iTunes system knocked the socks off the Macromedia on my old Toshiba in terms of a well-designed functioning system. Secondly, was the very good quality Apple support. Twice, my iPod died while still under warranty, and twice it was replaced without fuss or seeking refuge in obscure small print. This impressed me enormously. Moreover, the Apple is pretty good on security. While in the world of Windows, I had actually purchased (and not just downloaded a free online version) a rather robust anti-spam/anti virus package; it reduced the daily deluge to a modest amount, but still failed to eliminate unwelcome visitors entirely. Since I've switched, spam and virus visits are virtually (although not completely, a very few still slip under the radar) eliminated.

Yes, the system takes a bit of getting used to; I must say that the big things are hugely better. However, some small things, which one takes for granted on Windows, can cause frustrating glitches in the new world of Apple. I still have questions and am still learning. For example, the lack of a delete key in Apple (one I always found handy on Windows). Very often, the function exists, but it is somewhere else, or is called something different. In Windows, the useful right-click function is also often taken for granted; certainly, I took quite a while to master the absence of the right click function on the Apple keyboard. Again, it's there, (control and track-pad pressed simultaneously) but elsewhere.

Of course, some things bother me. The spinning beach ball of death gives me an ominous feeling that the hourglass on Windows never did, and I've still not mastered the green light. However, that's what the guys in the Apple shop are for (they were very helpful with my queries and worked out how to make my Dell laser printer think that it had been friendly with my MBP from day one); likewise, that's what this forum is for (it's excellent and I've used it for questions).

One final thought, and one I never realised would actually happen. I've had friends and relatives come to visit my Apple when calling to see me; they have not quite drooled, but the longing looks and lengthy conversations have been telling. Indeed, it's been a big talking point for friends online to my considerable astonishment (but secret delight). Good luck with the leap; you'll not regret it.
:apple: MBP 15.4, 2.4ghz, 2 GB RAM, 160 HDD
:apple: iPod classic, black, 30 GB
 
thanks guys, everyones replies were very very helpful. I still won't say I'm 100% sold on getting a Mac yet, but as the days go by it looks more and more like that will be my best option. I just have to do some more homework and go up to my local Apple store to bug the tech guys up there for awhile and play on the demo notebooks there.
 
My wife switched recently. I spent an hour with her showing her the basics and I answer a question for now and then but she picked it up no problem. Not she wants a MBP instead of the iMac!
 
D35P3R4T0 said:
....am also a very knowledgeable and well advanced user. .... designated computer fixer when things go wrong or someone has a question (because it is alot cheaper than calling a tech guy/ computer repair person).
Click to expand...

I'm often the guy who fixes everyones problems on windows machines. I've been working with PC's for 25 years, most of it MS stuff. Get a Mac; you'll be happy. Your knowledge is not useless. Because you know how things work on a PC, you'll know why they work on a Mac. All the reasons I could think of not to, didn't pan out. Every once in a while I run a virtual machine with Win 2000 on it. I don't miss fixing device driver problems at all.
 
It's not bad. If you're really looking to do a serious move, I'd get One-To-One for $99 and take a class every week and you'll be an expert in no time!
 
The last apple OS I'd used before leopard was over a decade old, so I had to start from scratch aswell.

Once you get the hang of it, OS X is the easiest OS ever to use, though it does take about a week until you're confident with everything nevertheless. My guess is that you should be able to figure the basics out within a couple of hours, though.
 
D35P3R4T0 said:
Should I switch from PC to Mac?

I know, I know, Im on a whole website dedicated to Mac, so most everyone probably thinks this is a simple and dumb question, and maybe it is, but I have a little bit of background and history that makes me contemplate this question.

first off I have been an avid Windows PC user all my life. not only that, I am also a very knowledgeable and well advanced user. I have taken many high school classes and done alot of tinkering with Windows on my own time. I am a college student who, at work, is the designated computer fixer when things go wrong or someone has a question (because it is alot cheaper than calling a tech guy/ computer repair person). What I am basically getting at is that I am so deeply entrenched in Windows that I'm scared to try something new like Mac because it would make all that knowledge of Windows totally irrelevant (atleast thats what I think).

I have never messed with Mac computers, the closest thing I have to one is an iPhone, but I am so impressed with the company that I am seriously considering getting a Mac notebook as my next laptop.

Please, will other people who have made the switch to Mac just give me their opinion on the subject. was it easy/ hard to get use to? and was it worth it?

Thank you:)
Click to expand...

I just recently switched over to a Mac and am amazed how easy the transition was. I love the way the OS operates and amazed at how well thought out and intuitive things are in the OS. I've been a big Windows user for years and never realized how user friendly Macs are...It took me getting an Ipod Touch and wanting to integrate it with my PC for me to start thinking about a Mac..Once I did, I started doing my research online and was amazed to find how many pro Mac users there were out there...I thought to myself..there has got to be something to this if the enthusiasm is so high so I started visiting the Apple store in my neighborhhod mall and talking to the Apple "geniuses" so to speak, and they educated me on the differences between Windows and PCs. After many months of research and educating myself I took the plunge 2 weeks ago and picked up a MBP.

Needless to say it's been a great deal of fun getting acclimated to my new laptop and I still amazed at how speedy it is compared to my Vista desktop and even my 2 other XP equipped laptops..The networking integration was a piece of cake and now I'm seriously considering picking up an Airport Express to widen my wireless network at home.

I'm glad I did the research before hand because like you, I was apprehensive to start learning a new OS and was even a moment away from ordering a new Dell laptop when I spoke a friend and he talked me out of it..I'm glad he did because I love my MBP and how cool it looks! Apple for one has a great deal of style and it shows in their products...these are Ferraris compared to VW bugs (PCs)...Check out the Apple vs PC ads...pretty much true! LOL!

Good luck on your decision but like someone said earlier this forum is a great source to get your questions answered...no worries..just do it! :)
 
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