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On the fence about Apple...

C

CompiledMonkey

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 21, 2002
2
0
Richmond, VA
I've been thinking about buying an Apple computer for the past 6 months or so. In the next 2 months I'll be in the position to buy one. However, I'm held back by the functionality of the Mac. Each time I've visited the Apple store, I've never been too impressed. I've never found something I could do on one that I couldn't do on my PC. I've actually found the opposite to be true considering I develop on MS technology everyday.

For reference, I had been looking into the Mac Mini. Recently I've been more interested in the iMac for the G5 and LCD.
 
CompiledMonkey said:
I've been thinking about buying an Apple computer for the past 6 months or so. In the next 2 months I'll be in the position to buy one. However, I'm held back by the functionality of the Mac. Each time I've visited the Apple store, I've never been too impressed. I've never found something I could do on one that I couldn't do on my PC. I've actually found the opposite to be true considering I develop on MS technology everyday.

For reference, I had been looking into the Mac Mini. Recently I've been more interested in the iMac for the G5 and LCD.
Click to expand...

Windows machines are far better at getting viruses, trojans, malware, spyware and adware, you'll find. ;)

They are also better at letting an application drag down the whole OS, too.

What kind of functionality do you need, can you be specific? Have you looked at X-Code or any of the OS X developers tools? :confused:
 
$500 stopping you?

If you find the Mac mini or the iMac G5 doesn't suit you, you can always find an eager buyer, and you'll only be out a small fee. Or buy used, to save on taxes.
 
If you are pretty happy with Windows and don´t see the benefit of the Apple OS, then I guess you should just stick with what you have.

My wife which is not much into computers sees a world of difference and therefore we agree about having only macs.
 
Well you comment on the functionality of the Mac, is there something specific you plan on doing that needs Windows specific software? If not then the Mac will probably do the job for you just fine. While you may not be wholly comfortable with the Mac versions of some software, its usually just as good or better than that for windows in my opinion, it just takes a touch of time to get familiar with, just like you did at one time with Windows.

Though my favorite part I have to say is the uptime. On my windows machines I end up reseting daily, just to fix some one program that has frozen everything. I have yet to have that happen on my Mac. In the end though, each side has its own flaws and positives. It's up to you to weigh the choice and see which you would profit from the most.
 
CompiledMonkey said:
I've been thinking about buying an Apple computer for the past 6 months or so. In the next 2 months I'll be in the position to buy one. However, I'm held back by the functionality of the Mac. Each time I've visited the Apple store, I've never been too impressed. I've never found something I could do on one that I couldn't do on my PC. I've actually found the opposite to be true considering I develop on MS technology everyday.

For reference, I had been looking into the Mac Mini. Recently I've been more interested in the iMac for the G5 and LCD.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure I get it. You develop code using MS technology, and you are considering a Mac? If you are a developer, the question seems rhetorical, at best.
 
For me, the stability of the Mac is key. I have had only one hard restart since buying my OSx flatscreen iMac over 20 months ago. The only other things that have happened has been various programs that need forced quitting and restarting but that only takes only seconds to do and is usually due to a werid web site code or something. Never having to deal with viruses, adware, spyware, crashes saves me loads of time and allows me to use my computer to get stuff done.

Another key for me is the syncing I do with .Mac with iCal calendars, bookmarks, mail contacts, mail, etc. across multiple Macs...currently I have three Macs all synced every hour...can't wait to get all three on Tiger for more functionality too!
 
One thing no one has mentioned so far-Macs are a blast to use. If you bring one home, you'll be playing on it for days. :) I used Windows when I first started using computers. I thought computers were just a necessary evil. Then a friend convinced me to get a Mac- honest to God I couldn't quit playing with it for a month it was just so much damn fun. That and the fact that I couldn't crash the thing if I tried. Since then I've turned on three friends to them. Every single one has said the same thing: "Why didn't I do this sooner?" :)
 
leekohler said:
One thing no one has mentioned so far-Macs are a blast to use. If you bring one home, you'll be playing on it for days. :) I used Windows when I first started using computers. I thought computers were just a necessary evil. Then a friend convinced me to get a Mac- honest to God I couldn't quit playing with it for a month it was just so much damn fun. That and the fact that I couldn't crash the thing if I tried. Since then I've turned on three friends to them. Every single one has said the same thing: "Why didn't I do this sooner?" :)
Click to expand...

I have to agree whole-heartedly on this. I really wanted a laptop for school as I am in my last year, and it seemed like a good grad-school thing to do. I initially bought a Dell on one of their many blowout sales they have every other day.
I get it one day, great and of course I was excited because I love getting packages, especially those containing electronics and such. I open it up, looks nice charge it, blah blah blah....you get the point. That night I was using the thing from bed for a while, browsing the net, installing a ton of programs and downloading programs....and I got bored since it was basically a portable version of the other computer I had running in the corner.
I called the next day to return it. Dell gave me a hassle, tried to take money off, but I really just didn't want it. So finally, off it goes. It wasn't for a while after that that I decided to get the Mac I currently have (sig). I was in no major hurry as I was waiting for P-M prices to come down so I could get the 2mb L2 cache Dothan core instead of the Banias....so waiting, waiting, apple.com, reading, more mac-rumors, reading, on and on.

I finally pulled the trigger, ordered a 12"PB, and as stated I couldn't put the thing down for weeks straight! All my roommates (live with 4 others while in session) thought I had gone looney! I used to play GT4 all the time as I was the best (haha, in our apartment that is) so they always wanted me to pass hard races and stuff. I refused to play more than a short race lasting 5-7 mintues since I wanted to get back to my Mac, seriously!

Sorry that went on and on, just wanted to tell you how much FUN it really is to order/receive/USE your Mac....which I'm confident you will experience quite soon ;)
 
PCs and macs are both computers, sharing the same interfacing technologies, USB/Firewire/DVI etc. In hardware terms, there is nothing that one can do that the other cant.

The difference is in the software that runs, and as both platforms have pretty much got all bases covered, the difference is not even in the software functionality, but in the way the software works.

If you are a professional, particular applications will likely pull you towards one platform or the other. If you are a consumer, you will likely be swayed by the OS.
 
If you are heavily vested into Windows and make you money that way, why even consider switching? You are just probably hard core like those of us on Macs and would never consider switching.
 
CompiledMonkey said:
I've actually found the opposite to be true considering I develop on MS technology everyday.
Click to expand...

You do understand the MS | Apple relationship don't you? If you don't understand why MS products aren't fully supported/offered on the Mac platform ... you need to do your research. MS isn't the only software dev. out there.

If you have specific needs ... just ask; otherwise, this is yet another 'vague PC switcher who still doesn't get it' thread.


peace | neut
 
A huge number of Microsoft Certified IT professionals earn a very comfortable living maintaining and repairing the Windows platform.

This does not mean that they want that kind of hassle in their own computers.

We have to remember that many companies and individuals are trying determine how their next major IT budgets will be spent over the next 24 months.

The best arguent in favor of OSX is the security, stabilty, licensing, ease of use and total cost of operation.
 
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