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So...Why Mac?

Z

Zerka

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 31, 2014
74
0
San Jose,CA
Over the months I've been on the fence about my next laptop purchase, Windows PC or a MacBook. As of now I'm about 90% I'm getting a MacBook Pro 15" in the next few months. While I don't own many Apple products besides a 5th gen iPod Touch and a school issued iPad Air, I just want a new experience. I want the joy of a UNIX system rather than the same old Windows I've been around all my life, even though I am considering dual booting :p I'm also in love with some other aspects of the MacBook Pro and OS X, primarily the display and weight (well, weight mostly), as my current laptop displays 1920x1080 HD and weights about 6 pounds--more of a desktop replacement. With the MacBooks I've tried out, I've progressively fallen for the sleek and smooth OS. So my question for you guys is, why did you guys choose Mac? What were your deciding factors?
 
I haven't personally owned a Windows PC since 1998 (I use them at work--standard issue and no option to choose a Mac). I honestly can't remember what first drew me to the Mac, but I can tell you why I've stayed: I don't run virus protection and I've never had an issue. No weird plug-ins or extra programs get sneakily installed when I download applications. No bloatware. Seamless integration with my iOS devices. Beautiful hardware and elegant software. Portability that doesn't come at the expense of utility. I could go on and on. I just rarely have any issues.
 
I think the build quality and ergonomics are a bit better on Macs than other computers, and if I am going to work on something day in and day out I'd rather be comfortable. Also, there don't seem to be as many driver issues. The organization of the OS is better/more user oriented.

I didn't mind Vista (when it worked) and 7 was alright when I needed Windows for certain things, but OS X is easier to manage/work with on a daily basis.
 
I feel with a lot of Windows laptops, I am making a compromise. I'll have a strong GPU, but a bad display, Good display, strong GPU but **** battery. etc...

The MBP has no compromises for me and the unique OS X features are great like the gesture support.
 
You can run anything on them. OS X, Windows, Linux, and I think there's even a FreeBSD cut for it. I know one guy that, believe it or not, bought a Mac, reformatted the drive and then installed Windows on it. He uses it only as a Windows system.
 
Because they are a joy to use

The title says it all, they are worth the money because they are a joy to use, that means I use it rather than avoid it simple as that.
 
For me, i think the design of the hardware is exceptional, the quality is high, and running OS X is my preference. I use both Windows and OS X, I find both operating systems to be stable and fast, but I prefer OS X.
 
Apart from the sexiness of the design (hahaha I know, I'm shallow!) I originally got the Mac because my past Windows laptops always seemed to get bloated and laggy after 6 months. Snow Leopard felt as smooth as butter, and a lot of the design apps were starting to be ported over.

Having Bootcamp as a final resort as well was what really pushed me over. And from then on I've never looked back.
 
Back at the beginning of the year I decided to move from Windows to my rMBP because I wanted a computer that worked. I got tired of my windows computers always slowing down, the battery dying after a couple hours and it just was not fun to use, it slowed down quite a bit and just did not seem like the came computer I bought.

I had bought the iPhone 5s and it changed my view, before that I hated iPhones and the experience I had with that helped push me to the mac as well.

I walked into the Apple store and they knew from the start I was only there to browse and that I knew nothing about Macs at that point and they treated me like I was the only person in the store, spent as much time as I needed to explain things to me and never tried to push anything on me, but helped me compare the models, that service also helped me decide.

When it came down to it, my Windows computer was on its last leg and I walked in when I was ready, bought my rMBP (was going to get an Air until I compared displays), the store people showed me how to use it and here I am today, a very happy Apple owner. If I can avoid it, I will never buy another windows computer, my son has one and it pains me to use it and I am considering buying him an air for his birthday.
 
Build quality is second to none. The software experience is so much better than Windows. The battery life is so much better than its Windows counterparts. It plays well with my other Apple products.
 
I'm not bound to any one os. I have pcs and macs. All my macs also dual boot windows. I like Mac laptops because the build quality is second to none. Great keyboards, trackpads, and screens. 3x3 wifi with 802.11ac. They also use great batteries that can handle 1000 charge cycles, so you can keep the computer for a long time.
 
For me, Macs have saved me money in the long run. If you are patient and buy wisely, not only will you have a better USER experience but can also save money. This will not work if you buy the newest top of the line macbook pro every year.

I bought a 2010 Mac mini server in 2010 for 500$ used and it came with 3 years applecare. I sold it this spring for $450 and used that money to buy a 2.3Ghz quad core 2012 for $500. Used Mac mini's have gone big time in my market and I would sell the quad core mini for profit.

If you want to buy mac my advice is

Buy used (craigslist)
Buy open box from best buy
Buy refurbished
Buy when Apple has the student promo
Buy on black friday
Buy from Macsales or sites that sell for cheap (since i'm in Canada this does not apply to me)

Never buy more computer than what you need in the next 2 years. BTO upgrades are almost worthless when you sell it.

If you buy it new and only plan to have it for 2 years do not get apple care but rather use a credit card that doubles warranty.

Always have your eye open for deals and get ready to do an upgrade at a moments notice if a deal comes up.
 
As an old tagline stated, "It just works."

I've been using Mac(intosh) since the 1980s. The GUI was a better experience than DOS and then Windows. If you like Unix, then you'll like OS X. It was derived from NeXT Computers (derived from Unix), a Steve Jobs company. I was lucky enough to be able to use one for a bit. It was a cross between a Mac, a Unix workstation and IBM's OS/2 - which I think was borrowed from NeXT. OS/2 was great, but the hardware was too under-powered to run it properly.

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