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PC vs Mac

S

Samwise592

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 4, 2007
163
0
Long Island, NY
Hi there everyone, I am a soon-to-be switcher. Im putting off my purchase of a MacBook until the release of Leopard and the (rumored) Santa Rosa upgrade shortly there after.

Having (unfortunately) only used a mac for a limited amount of time, i thought it would be amusing for you long-term users to compile a list of why the mac OS truly is better then its windows counterpart.

heh, if this gets big enough, ill show it to my friends and maybe you'll have a few more switchers on your hands.
 
well, i am not a "long term user" (i used macs in university labs, and for a few years when i worked in digital prepress, and am now (after 10 years of being an NT/2000/XP user) a mac user at home)....

so my experiences have been consistantly:
1. i make use of keyboard shortcuts on macs, yet would not use more than win+e, ctrl-c, ctrl-p on windows. This makes my workflow more efficient on mac.
2. security is easier to maintain on a mac (i worked as a systems admin as well, so i know the issues with security)
3. installing/uninstalling is easier on mac.

in essence, i find my workflows "just work" on a mac where they were inefficient in comparison on pcs.
 
It multitasks really well.

Mac OS X isn't a hog like Windows. You can run it amazingly well on a G4 Mac Mini 1.25 Ghz.

It looks great, and not just looks great, but with form comes actual function (unlike Vista and, say, flip3d.)

Great stability.

True innovation with features that matter coming years before anywhere else.
 
Samwise592 said:
Hi there everyone, I am a soon-to-be switcher. Im putting off my purchase of a MacBook until the release of Leopard and the (rumored) Santa Rosa upgrade shortly there after.

Having (unfortunately) only used a mac for a limited amount of time, i thought it would be amusing for you long-term users to compile a list of why the mac OS truly is better then its windows counterpart.

heh, if this gets big enough, ill show it to my friends and maybe you'll have a few more switchers on your hands.
Click to expand...

there are numerous post about this topic, im sure u can get more info by searching the forum than read this post.

Also, its so complicated to compare two OSes, its better if you have specific areas of the OS which u interested to see the difference.
 
One of the biggest reasons in a long line of reasons is: iLife. I would go as far as saying it has improved the quality of my life because of what it has done for my family.
 
baseballman1243 said:
I'm surprised this post hasn't had like 12,000 posts already.
Click to expand...
I think we have become numb to these types of threads...

In all due respect, learn to use this.

picture1pi6.png
 
nitynate said:
I think we have become numb to these types of threads...

In all due respect, learn to use this.

picture1pi6.png
Click to expand...

a mod told me forum's search function isn't very friendly for first time user. maybe admins should make some improvements.
 
I'm a relatively recent switcher and this is what I have found.....

1. OS X is visually stunning. BTW.....Quartz Extreme must be seen to be fully appreciated.

2. The Finder is a powerful file management tool.

3. iLife is fantastic suite. I use iTunes, iPhoto and iCal on a daily basis. iMovie and iDVD make video offering a breeze. iWeb allows nOObs like me to create a very nice looking website.

4. OS X includes many cool little apps. like Dictionary and Stickies.

5. Mail is a great email program. It's clean, simple and does everything I want it to do.

6. I can run Windows XP via Parallels if I really need to run a Windows app.

7. When I place a .jpeg on my desktop the icon is the picture.

8. Mac icons are flat out much cooler.

9. Expose is an incredible tool. I have it programmed to the center button on my Mighty Mouse and I use it each and every day throughout the day.

Shall I go on?
 
skinnylegs said:
2. The Finder is a powerful file management tool.

3. iLife is fantastic suite. I use iTunes, iPhoto and iCal on a daily basis. iMovie and iDVD make video offering a breeze. iWeb allows nOObs like me to create a very nice looking website.
Click to expand...

you list some great points. but i feel the need to point out that a lot of people complain about Finder. it definitely needs to be revamped and a lot of us are expecting that to be one of the secrets of Leopard. also, iCal is not part of iLife, but it sure is a great app!

one of the things i like about OS X is the ability (either through the OS or a third-part app (read: Quicksilver)) to customize keys. i rely much less on my mouse in OS X than i did in WinXP and it's amazing what you can program just one button to do using AppleScript or pre-programmed scripts. as said before, too, Expose is a wonder.
 
nitynate said:
I think we have become numb to these types of threads...

In all due respect, learn to use this.

picture1pi6.png
Click to expand...

In all due respect, i did. Aside from it being frustratingly difficult to operate, i found no thread with the same topic, vaguely related ones, but not the same broad, opinion-based question. If i'm gonna take the $1,500 plunge into the mac world, i'd like to be assured im gonna like it there.
 
1. Expose
2. Better Multi Tasking
3. Programs like Keynote, Final Cut, and iLife that are not available on PCs
4. OS X requires less power to run than Windows.
:apple:
 
iCal is not part of iLife, but it sure is a great app!
Click to expand...
You are indeed correct, sir. What was I thinking?
a lot of people complain about Finder. it definitely needs to be revamped
Click to expand...
Interesting. Being a recent switcher, I find the Finder to be a much more powerful and elegant Explorer. I will admit that it would be nice to be able to have files listed after folders. Hopefully this *option* will be implemented in Leopard. What other changes would you like to see?
 
Having not yet really used Aero, so I can't compare to Vista, but I sit at stare at XP 8 hours a day and it's just not... pretty. The whole aesthetics of Aqua make just working on a computer a LOT more... soothing? Also, XP works and thinks like a computer, therefore you have to work and think the same way. OS X has done a much better job of working and thinking like a human, it caters to the user instead of vice-versa.

*Install/Uninstall Apps in MUCH better, 95% are self contained, you can move them at will, and just trash it when you're done.

*.dmg files are great

*the DOCK, the Windows Start menu needs to die

*Hide Apps, minimizing still clutters the taskbar

*System Preferences is a LOT easier to navigate vs Control Panel

I'm trying to point out the everyday features Macs have in general, beyond the eye candy. Most things people probably overlook. And, call it a hardware monopoly and this is why it works this way, but doing a fresh install of OS X is SO much less stressful and annoying than XP. I don't have to install the OS, then install the audio card drivers, then the video card drivers, etc etc. My friend had to Format his Dell Laptop, and I still can't figure out how to install all the needed drivers even WITH the Dell Resore Discs. It's a 15" widescreen, but the display only does 1024x768 stretched because everytime I try to install the driver, I get an error about a missing file. This is one reason why I took him to buy a new Black Macbook yesterday :).
 
I am using a Mac for two month now. You will defenetely not regret your swich (although I was coming from Linux, not Windows).

Besides the things that have already be mentioned, you will be again and again be overwhelmed by many little things you find out. I think the mass of little features and the "it just works"-factor are what really makes a Mac the best computer there is.
 
BigPrince said:
really, whats so hard about it?
Click to expand...

oh yeah, u ask him, i found it to be easy

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/279614/

mr. jsw said
the forums search capabilities are not exactly state-of-the-art, so someone new to the site or who hasn't needed to search before might not find anything of use or might have to wade through a ton of garbage.
Click to expand...

for OP, I searched "windows", this is what I got, i only went back 4 out 11 pages for the result, and these are the posts which have at least 3 pages of discussion.

Also, search term for "bill gates" or "ballmer", u can get many good posts too.
Worst Windows Experience that forced YOU to switch?
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/198162/
Why do YOU use Parallels?
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/273509/
Vista Impressions (and comparison to OSX) (56k warning)
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/259308/
Can OSX do this? (Windows can)
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/248164/
Is there anything positive in Windows XP?
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/242536/
Why use Windows
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/223071/
Mac vs PC
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/217275/
Steve Jobs and Bill Gates at All Things Digital Conference
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/281453/
 
Ive been using OSX since it first came out and a long time Mac user before then and even now I am finding cool little things I didnt know existed in OSX.

The most recent one is making an alias/shortcut without the word 'alias' on the end of the filename. Just hold down 'option' and drag what you want to make into an alias to where you want it. Boom... an alias without having to manually delete 'alias'.

Nothing spectacular but its little things like this that makes OSX so user friendly and efficient.

:)
 
BigPrince said:
really, whats so hard about it?
Click to expand...

It doesn't generally produce relevant results (especially when you use multiple words), you're better off using the Google search box or appending site:macrumors.com to a normal internet search.
 
my mini is, well, very small. and quiet. but never gets a virus, crashes, or tells me every time I wake it up that I need virus update definitions.:eek:

yes, those of us in the mac world have been living like this for years, with an operating system that just makes sense, to boot!:cool:
 
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