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Seems more people I know are making the switch.

B

Big Dave

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Nov 27, 2007
314
25
Crestview, Fl
Usually, the people I know that have computers think that I am odd for having a Mac. Lately however, it seems I am getting lots of calls from people thinking about making the switch. The most common reason they give is that Windows Vista or Windows Seven has them so locked down that even checking their email is impossible. Granted these folks are probably not power users. They can't believe that I don't run anti-virus software or spyware software and that I can still use MS Office and do everything that their Windows machine is supposed to do.
So I guess my question is... Has anyone else noticed an increase in interest in Macs?
 
Many of my family and friends have recently made the switch OS X. Apple is becoming more of a household name and that helps in their decision making.
 
I'd agree im a student and loads of people now have mac's and even more people want them. If Apple sorted out their pricing I cant see a reason why anyone would buy a windows :)
 
I recently bought my first mac - I didnt do it because I hate windows or anything like that. Although I took a long look at PC hardware and dont like what Dell and others have available and I really love the apple hardware. Software wise I looked at it as a cool challenge to learn a new OS - but I think windows 7 is a superb operating system and those that complain about not being able to use it or get their e-mail sounds a little ridiculous to me - it is very easy to use.

OSX has been cool so far, I have a lot more to learn but I wouldnt label myself a "switcher" I would call myself a person who loves technology and appreciates quality products. I am not married to OSX or Windows and can appreciate both. I think there are a lot of people who fall into that category.
 
Thanks for the responses guys. I also wonder if more Mac users is a good thing. I kind of feel like I have been experiencing a private club that is now open to the public. In other words... There goes the neighborhood?
 
I made the switch just this week (Christmas). It started years ago with my getting and digging an iPod (click wheel and shuffle). It continued with a practical love affair with the iPhone 3GS.

Couple that Apple introduction with an aging laptop (pre-USB 2.0) and a frustration with freezing windows, MS included crapware (MSN, IM, and all the other crap they pre-load your computer with), and Windows constant (and sometimes meaningless) error messages to click through. Let all that simmer.

Now throw in my nephew the ucla student (I'm a crosstown rival USC alum but still very proud of him) loving his Mac Airbook, and voila! A Mac convert.

Anyhow, that's how I got here from Windows. Sorry to break into your private club Big Dave, I hope you won't kick me out. At least until I deserve it, which will undoubtedly occur eventually :)

EDJ
 
Even my wife is about to make the switch - mind you, she still plans on using Windows in Boot Camp, but she's tired of her PC not working as consistently as my iMac and MacBook.
 
LOL . . . Another one bites the dust. My sister's mother-in-law wants to know more about Macs. She is tired of dealing with her previous Windows issues and is wanting to make the switch. Now, the question is whether we will steer her towards an iMac or laptop.
 
Two years ago my brother was the first to get a Mac. A Blackbook.

Now, our family has a total of 4 Macbooks and 1 iMac. Not bad, eh?

It's so much nicer not having to fix all the inevitable slowdowns on my parents computer. I'm sure it's a whole lot less frustrating on them too.
 
I just made the switch a few days ago. It certainly helped that I had access to macs from my aunt, uncle, girlfriend, and roommate. Two years ago, I would have never considered a mac. It's hard to make that kind of investment into something that you have absolutely no experience with.
 
OasisNYK said:
I recently bought my first mac - I didnt do it because I hate windows or anything like that. Although I took a long look at PC hardware and dont like what Dell and others have available and I really love the apple hardware. Software wise I looked at it as a cool challenge to learn a new OS - but I think windows 7 is a superb operating system and those that complain about not being able to use it or get their e-mail sounds a little ridiculous to me - it is very easy to use.

OSX has been cool so far, I have a lot more to learn but I wouldnt label myself a "switcher" I would call myself a person who loves technology and appreciates quality products. I am not married to OSX or Windows and can appreciate both. I think there are a lot of people who fall into that category.
Click to expand...

Wow! You sure knew how to get yourself a nice first Mac. :) Congrats on your new iMac i7! Hope you're enjoying it.

Corrode said:
Two years ago my brother was the first to get a Mac. A Blackbook.

Now, our family has a total of 4 Macbooks and 1 iMac. Not bad, eh?

It's so much nicer not having to fix all the inevitable slowdowns on my parents computer. I'm sure it's a whole lot less frustrating on them too.
Click to expand...

I take it you're logging in from the Great White North, right? ;)
 
My family would be switching, but QuickBooks on Mac sucks like a bucket of leeches, and though they both deny it, my parents are pretty ignorant when it comes to computers in general; making them learn a new OS would be hell for them. :rolleyes: Though I have noticed that more people around here have them. (It makes me jealous that switchers have a better Mac then I do. :p)
 
People Seem More Willing to Give Apple a Look

Three years ago, my girlfriend and her family wouldn't even consider switching to Mac. Now, they've all got Macs. I think it takes a combination of people buying iPods, iPhones, and popping in to the Apple Store at the local mall for iTunes gift cards, and seeing that Macs won't bite, and some not too subtle evangelizing on the part of long time Mac users. Of course, people are also starting to catch on to the fact that Microsoft seems bereft of new ideas, and just about every adult on the planet has had problems with every version of Windows. They're finally willing to at least look at Macs, and that's something I never thought would happen, say, 10 years ago. It's a snowball effect. I know a lot of people who have recently switched. I love saying, "I told you so."
 
I've convinced at least a dozen of my friends to make the switch. Miraculously, the amount of free "tech support" calls I got from friends and family dwindled. ;)
 
Eldiablojoe said:
Sorry to break into your private club Big Dave, I hope you won't kick me out. At least until I deserve it, which will undoubtedly occur eventually :)

EDJ
Click to expand...

I'm just hoping that the increased user base does not cause viruses or spyware. I would hate for Macs to turn into bloated Windows boxes.
Just don't start writing viruses or spyware and it's all good.
 
Both my parents are switching to Mac coming the new year. Their PCs are custom built and still running XP, but they do not want to take the plunge into anything like Vista or 7. They will most probably be replaced by two iMacs 21.5".
 
I'm a soon to be convert and my siblings have already beaten me to it. I'm the kind that has always built my own towers from a bare case and power supply up, but, uncommon for me, bought Vista as soon as it came out and I've finally had it. On a day that I was extremely ticked off at yet another format and reinstall to fix Vista, I looked at what the three thousand bucks I spent to build my latest computer could've purchased at the apple store. Low and behold I could have gotten a Mac Pro with more memory and more processors.

I told my brother about it and when his Dell quit on him, he looked and also had the same reaction-he could buy his 24" iMac for less than what he bought his Dell for through a friend with a corporate discount. He's been nothing but happy with it and a few days ago he and I bought our sister a 27" iMac that she's absolutely in love with.

I'd have purchased a Mac Pro by now, but I'm holding out until the new ones are released in a few months. Also, being in grad school now, I'm finally thinking about biting the bullet and getting a laptop. Just never had a use for one in the last 18 or 19 years and never saw the need to spend the money on one.

When Fall semester began I decided to retire my Samsung BlackJack phone and get an iPhone. Admittedly, I'd wanted one forever, just never wanted to spend the money for one and thought I would in August. Been saying it since I purchased it and still saying-best phone ever.


Some old video games may make me run XP in boot camp, but can't wait for the new machine. Looking at the Nvidia 285 graphics card to stuff into the upcoming (presumably) 12 core Mac Pro. Hurry up Apple! :D
 
Most of the people I know that have or are switching are due to the iPhone.
 
I just made the switch as well.

Im not a tech guy, but somehow i always find the joy in assembling my own PCs with my friends. You learn alot about computer this way and its a side hobby for me. Choosing the motherboard, the cpu and ram, you can always get great deals in doing your DIY computers. But lately i got sick of Windows with all the instability that i experienced to the point that it didnt really give me any incentives to create a customised hardware when the software itself is flawed.

I bought the iphone before i switched to the mac. Iphone was a big revelation in what apple could do in both the hardware and software departments. It was the moment where i told myself that Apple could potentially have something unique for the consumers.

I made the switch when i told myself that since im a university student now, I need my computer to be stable. I cannot afford wasting time in dealing with issues related to the OS. I just dont have the time anymore. I did alot of research in what Apple and specifically the Mac can and cannot do, and once i was through that hurdle, it was simply choosing the best hardware based on my need. I'm a science student, and i do zero programming. What i really need is a stable OS, so that the browser or document programs like keynote, office etc wont crash on me when i needed them most or when im writing my thesis or report.

Eventually i chose the Mac mini, since i had an LCD monitor from my previous computer and i reused that. I had been using the Apple keyboard, because it allows me to type faster. What i need now is the magic mouse which i should be purchasing next month or so.
 
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