Partner wants a new PC, I would like another MAC

[chill.]

Well, I'm just speaking from experience here, but as 'the computer guy' for all my friends and family (as well as for my job), those who have moved to Mac's need my assistance far less than those on PC's. My mom is a perfect case study. She has a small business that for years had 3-4 pc's, each of which inevitably needed some kind of major software maintenance every 18 months to 2 years. Then she started switching to Apple. Her first was a 12" Powerbook. She just retired that machine late last year after 6 years of daily use. I never did a single thing to that computer. And she sold it for $400 after all that time! Same deal with her iMac that is now 5 years old; I've never had to touch it. It's been a similar story with my other friends and family. Whatever the technical reasons or the 'possibility' of getting infected, in the real world, in my experience, they just require far less maintenance.

that sounds legitimate, but you also have to keep in mind the intel switch, which might have changed things. since then, many have agreed that the build quality and resale value have dropped a bit compared to the ppc days

my own macbook i bought in late 2008 for $1500. right now it is worth $850 15 months later. i shudder to think how much it'll be worth in a couple years

 

[zhenya]

that sounds legitimate, but you also have to keep in mind the intel switch, which might have changed things. since then, many have agreed that the build quality and resale value have dropped a bit compared to the ppc days

my own macbook i bought in late 2008 for $1500. right now it is worth $850 15 months later. i shudder to think how much it'll be worth in a couple years

Well, compared to what you paid for it not much, but compared to what a similar PC would be worth, probably quite a bit.

 

[Cave Man]

This is pretty easy. Get a new Mac or a new partner. I'd choose the former.

 

[macfem]

This is pretty easy. Get a new Mac or a new partner. I'd choose the former.

Ah, well you know I left that question off the suitable partner checklist.

 

[IntelliUser]

From what he's wanting, I doubt he's that technical

Anyway, convincing a PC fanboy can be quite hard.

Use the power of Lust. It works on everybody.

 

[MrCheeto]

Use the power of Lust. It works on everybody.

-1 here, unless it's a mad rad badical Pontiac or AMC with a super juiced V8...I love you American Muscle, where'd you go

Bootcamp, problem solved.

 

[sweex]

I don't think a mac is that more expensive than a windows.
When you buy an Apple computer you get OS X, iLife,...
You won't need to spending 200bucks every time you wan't an upgrade(don't mention this when you're saying that he can run his windows OS on your Mac, it a bit contradictory ), you don't need an antivirus, you already have a good video-editing tool (for amateurs of course), iPhoto, iWeb, iAllTheOtherStuffThatComesOnAMacAndNotOnAWindowsThatIAmTellingYouBecauseIAmAnAppleFanBoy,...
Or maybe a little quote:

Why should I spend more money on a Mac?

When you compare the cost of a PC and factor in the additional software, memory, and other extras you have to buy to go along with it, the difference in price between a Mac and PC isn’t as great as most people believe. And because the Mac comes with so many built-in applications that you’ll enjoy using for both work and play (rather than useless freebies you’ll want to uninstall), a Mac makes good financial sense. Finally, a Mac is built with the most cutting-edge technology by some of the smartest hardware engineers, software developers, and product designers on the planet. So you’re getting the latest technological advances and a computer that isn’t in danger of becoming obsolete anytime soon.

And to be honest if you buy a Mac, he will complain in the beginning, saying that this thing is easier on a Windows, that he found an App, ow sorry program, functioning on 7 but not on OS X, bla bla bla, then he'll use OS X once because he won't have the time to reboot the hole thing. He will think (very important step, think he won't ever admit it!) that well may-be it isn't that bad after all, a bit later he will just be too lousy to reboot into Windows, afterwards he'll only reboot into Windows for a specific program, and after a year the only thing he'll boot Windows for will be for playing a game. Then he will begin to tell to all his friends how wonderful his Mac is, and how well it functions and that he did a great job by buying a Mac( don't be bothered, just be happy to have a Mac )
End of story.

 

[rdowns]

He's very technical and I'm having a hard time winning him over

. Any talking points that might help me win him over?

Tell him it's a Mac or no sex.

 

[MH01]

He's very technical and I'm having a hard time winning him over

. Any talking points that might help me win him over?

All you can do is allow him to use you mac, if he is still not keen after that, well its just not for him. I am not sure what you mean by technical, though if he is a developer like a .net etc, a mac might just not suit him, sure you can bootcamp, but thats alot to pay for a shiny PC.

How is "spending time protecting against malware" vs. "not spending time protecting against malware" solved by being technical?

Well having half a brain, as the OP has suggested, he will know how to setup his PC in about 10 min to be protected, then after that its all automatic. Owning 5 macs to 1 PC, the last thing i can think of being a huge issue is malware. This whole virus/malware is so blown out of proportion in current windows OS.

No sure what you means when you say your partner is very technical. There are plenty of technical people on the Mac side too.

1) Macs and run Windows, PCs can't run OS X

2) Macs are easier to maintain and have less downtime = greater productivity

3) Macs are more secure

4) You are more comfortable with OS X, which means you'll be more productive

5) If your company is already using a Mac it doesn't make sense to split OSes. The bulk of the company should be on one system, going to the other only when s/w isn't supported by the other.

1. Yes PC can run OSX, -----> Hackintosh, very simple
2. Windows 7 is very stable. Same cannot be said about SL when it launched. Though productivity comes down to software you are using. You windows blue screen of death is about as common and an apple spiny ball of death.
3. I assume you refer to virus/malware. Cause thats it, Apple takes along time to patch security exploits in the OS, M$ will patch it in a matter of days.
4. Exactly the same can be said about windows 7 if you are a windows user...
5. Well most companies use a windows os, so does that mean us mac users should not use macs at home???

 

[Consultant]

a lot of these reasons are really nonsense. this is what it boils down to in the end:

reason to get a pc: cheaper

reason to get a mac: looks

99% of the things windows can do, osx can do and vice versa (for the casual user). if you are a more technical user then windows starts trumping osx due to its compatibility, variety, and flexibility with programs. if you have some common sense then viruses aren't a problem. macs and pcs are built from the same parts. etc. etc.

so weigh looks vs cost

Nope, PCs are not cheaper. Total cost of ownership with windows is actually more.

PCs are cheaper if your time is worth exactly nothing.

 

[MH01]

I don't think a mac is that more expensive than a windows.
When you buy an Apple computer you get OS X, iLife,...
You won't need to spending 200bucks every time you wan't an upgrade(don't mention this when you're saying that he can run his windows OS on your Mac, it a bit contradictory ), you don't need an antivirus, you already have a good video-editing tool (for amateurs of course), iPhoto, iWeb, iAllTheOtherStuffThatComesOnAMacAndNotOnAWindowsThatIAmTellingYouBecauseIAmAnAppleFanBoy,...
Or maybe a little quote:
And to be honest if you buy a Mac, he will complain in the beginning, saying that this thing is easier on a Windows, that he found an App, ow sorry program, functioning on 7 but not on OS X, bla bla bla, then he'll use OS X once because he won't have the time to reboot the hole thing. He will think (very important step, think he won't ever admit it!) that well may-be it isn't that bad after all, a bit later he will just be too lousy to reboot into Windows, afterwards he'll only reboot into Windows for a specific program, and after a year the only thing he'll boot Windows for will be for playing a game. Then he will begin to tell to all his friends how wonderful his Mac is, and how well it functions and that he did a great job by buying a Mac( don't be bothered, just be happy to have a Mac )
End of story.

For the average user, I agree with you iLife is great. For anyone that is gong to use a mac for work/productivity (making money) iLife will not be used at all. Real power users are still going to have to get photoshop, Episode, etc etc and all this software costs lots. And macs are not state of the art, PC hardware is far superior, though none of it looks as sexy as a mac, or is as compact.

Nope, PCs are not cheaper. Total cost of ownership with windows is actually more.

PCs are cheaper if your time is worth exactly nothing.

Oww really? Care to explain?

I could not justify a Mac Pro, cost me 2000 pounds for the base model. So i bought a PC i7, explain how this is going to cost me much more???

 

[Winni]

Bring up the malware issue.

She already said that he is very technical. In other words: He won't buy into that cheap malware FUD.

 

[Winni]

He's very technical and I'm having a hard time winning him over

. Any talking points that might help me win him over?

There is zero reason why a technical person would want to use a Mac except for the design. But most technical people care more for hardware specs than they care for designer machines.

You could tell him that a Mac runs Windows better than most PCs. It's just more expensive to buy a Mac for that purpose, because besides the more expensive hardware, you also have to add a Windows license to the calculation. And the fact that Apple does not even support their own software named "Boot Camp".

You could tell him that OS X is based upon FreeBSD Unix. But... FreeBSD, Linux and a multitude of other operating systems also run on much cheaper, yet more powerful PC hardware.

In fact, these are the only reasons that I can think of why anybody would want to use a Mac and OS X instead of a PC:
- Aperture
- Logic Studio
- Final Cut Studio
- Scrivener (the only app that is not from Apple on that list, by the way)

 

[bootedbear]

There is zero reason why a technical person would want to use a Mac except for the design. But most technical people care more for hardware specs than they care for designer machines.

Horse pocky! I'm "highly technical" and I have better things to do with my time than screwing around trying to keep a toy operating system limping along.

 

[iMouse]

Horse pocky! I'm "highly technical" and I have better things to do with my time than screwing around trying to keep a toy operating system limping along.

Agreed.

I spend more time fixing crap with Windows that shouldn't be broken or malfunctioning in the first place.

Then, I gotta watch what I download, what browser I surf the web with, what my friends IM to me, what I brought home on my flash drive, what antivirus is picking up what malware this month, what zero-day will leave me vulnerable...the list goes on and on.

I go home, turn on my Mac and do what I sat down to accomplish in the first place.

BTW, the recent SMB 2.0 negotiation vulnerability/exploit was a fun one. Had a few cocky Windows friends that got knocked down a peg when I BSoD'ed their PC from my Mac.

 

[yamawho]

Nothing wrong with having both ...

 

[eddiehaskell]

IMO - just buy a imac or macbook and put windows on it for your partner. They can be had for $900-$1300 (check the refurbs too). When you figure in resale value/no antivirus software, etc - the price difference between the mac and a nice PC is probably less than $300. When you consider the 3-4+ yr lifespan of your computer, that's $100 or less per year. For such a small price difference why shouldn't you both be happy?