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Switch to Mac? Convince me.

waywardsage

waywardsage

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 22, 2006
282
0
CA
Okay,

I've ready the mac website's arguments to convert to mac. I've talked with friends who have them, (and pretty much everyone loves their mac. I don't think i've met someone who said they hatted it. Compared to pretty much everyone who owns a PC.) But, i'm not quite ready to drink the Kool-Aid yet. Mac's are expensive. And i'm not sure I'm ready to drop the dough on one.

I've pretty much never had a PC that didn't crash within a year. Every PC i've ever had became pretty mun inoperable with spyware, virus or just general hardware or software failure. After spending 4 hrs on Microsoft support with a technician as he fixed my media center I realized I'm sick and tired of buying crappy 1/2 broken PC's. The funniest thing about it was that I bought the media center PC for those features but ended up not being able to use it after 3 months of using it. Will I REALLY notice a difference switching to a mac?

I'm going to be doing video editing, writing screenplays and video production business on it, (aside from normal stuff like watching DVD's, email, web surfing..pictures..etc.)

I'm thinking of getting a Macbook Pro 17" pimped out with the high rez display, and the largest HD they offer. I'll upgrade the ram myself later on to save some money. I've also thought of buying a refurbished mac. I'm thinking MacBook Pro because I have a small apartment and My PC tower pretty much takes up all the available space in my office. Any ideas on how to get one for a cheeper price?

Do I need Apple care? I bought the "extended warantee" on my Gateway PC at Circuit City and when I called because I had a software problem they said it only covered software for 30 days. I said that my "extended warantee" I paid $170 covered me for 3 years. Alas, it was a lie. Is the Apple Care program worth it? or is it worthless profit padding by apple?
 
No more viruses, no more crap, no more hideous hardware. The MBP is wonderful and I guarentee you'll love it. The cost of support alone is probably more than the price difference between a Mac and a PC (bear in mind that the MBP is top-of-the-line so many cheaper PCs have worse specs)

AppleCare is great (came free with my education discount w00t!) and worth it...
 
waywardsage said:
Okay,

pretty much everyone loves their mac

I've pretty much never had a PC that didn't crash within a year.

...inoperable with spyware, virus or just general hardware or software failure.

I'm going to be doing video editing, writing screenplays and video production business on it
Click to expand...
To summarise:
Everyone loves their Macs.
PCs crash more
PCs are more susceptible to spyware etc.
The video editing capabilities are one of the reasons that professionals choose Macs.
​
Take as long as you need. I'm sure we'll be ready to welcome you to the Mac-side when you convert. :apple:
 
waywardsage said:
Mac's are expensive. And i'm not sure I'm ready to drop the dough on one.
Click to expand...

Macs are not expensive anymore. If you compare them to similar PCs you'll see that the price difference is minimal or non-existent.

Will I REALLY notice a difference switching to a mac?
Click to expand...

Absolutely, Macs are way more stable than PCs. You won't have to worry about having an anti-virus or anti-spyware.
I have only needed to force restart my Mac about 3-4 times in the 15 months I have used it.:)

I'm going to be doing video editing, writing screenplays and video production business on it,...
Click to expand...

Macs are perfect for this. And with a 17" screen, you'll be very happy.

Do I need Apple care? Is the Apple Care program worth it? or is it worthless profit padding by apple?
Click to expand...

If you see it from a technical point, most times you won't need Apple Care, after all, Apple Care represents a profit for Apple.
But just for the peace of mind I think it is worth it.
 
jczubach said:
your sex life will improve!!!
Click to expand...

actually mine just got worse :D

But seriously I don't think there is a reason not to. You are now able to boot into windows or mac because of the intel chips. So why not have a computer that gives you two choices, instead of one?

Take the plunge, I did and it was worth every penny, even if the sex life is now worse :D
 
Macs tend to have a very long life. As soon as my new iMac arrives, it will be replacing a Mac that I've been using for over 5 years. And I NEVER have problems with it. It's just finally becoming too slow to be very useful.

I'm expecting this new iMac to last a number of years, as well.
 
ViperDesign said:
actually mine just got worse :D

But seriously I don't think there is a reason not to. You are now able to boot into windows or mac because of the intel chips. So why not have a computer that gives you two choices, instead of one?

Take the plunge, I did and it was worth every penny, even if the sex life is now worse :D
Click to expand...

Maybe you can write a note to Steve and he can replace yours with a new one!:rolleyes:
 
Here is the deal: Mac's aren't perfect and they can have problems too. When you compare them to a windows PC they are much more stable and will almost always do what you want them to do.

Apple chooses to use higher end hardware that runs quiet and cool (err, as cool as possible that is). Generally, if you can find a company that is using the same hardware, the price is pretty close (mini and iMac tend to be more expensive)

The only hardware of Apple's that I would recommend is their laptops and the Mac Pro. The mini and iMac are overpriced and underpowered. But the Mac Pro is in great need of an update, so I can't even recommend it right now.

You will be happy with the MBP, I'd strongly recommend it.
 
Just a note to say buy Applecare. Particularly on portables, I think it's essential - not only are portables more likely to go wrong but they're also harder and more expensive to fix. Most stuff is soldered on to the logic board (motherboard) on a portable, and you don't want to be forking out for new boards. You also get the telephone support, which can be useful :)

Defo set on the 17"? I'm sure they're awesome, but a notebook that big is an acquired taste IMHO. The 15.4" is far more portable, the perfect balance of size/weight/performance for me anyway. If you're not planning on taking the machine out and about then I'm sure the 17" will be great, but an iMac would be worth considering too.

Stupid little story, but I'll tell it anyway. We've one headless net-connected Windows system at the office running some legacy Windows software dutifully. A glitch in some router firmware caused a failure of the firewall and, despite being momentary, the Windows (XP) machine managed to get riddled with worms and viruses. I only noticed when I was analysing the network traffic and saw thousands of outbound requests as the worm tried to spread. All of the Mac's were completely fine. Windows being the target of so much malware may not be entirely its own fault, but damn, I was surprised by how rapidly the machine was compromised. I'm glad to be (largely) free of those worries.
 
You've already made the case for it. You know enough that you'll be living a world of regret if you buy a PC now. So the answer is clear.
 
seems to me like you answered your own question in your first two paragraphs. Macs make your computing experience a simple and enjoyable one. PCs try to make your computing as complicated and unpleasant as possible. If you like not having to worry about viruses and spyware, get a mac. I got my first macbook this year, and i will never go back to windows willingly. Just make the switch. All the editing you want to do is perfect for the MBP! Go for it, you wont be disappointed!
 
waywardsage said:
Mac's are expensive. And i'm not sure I'm ready to drop the dough on one.

I'm thinking of getting a Macbook Pro 17" pimped out with the high rez display, and the largest HD they offer.
Click to expand...

sounds like you can afford more than you're willing to admit...

my philosophy on converting people to Macs - especially pertinent given the recent advertising campaign: if you need to be convinced to buy one, you obviously don't yet get it.

i say convinced as opposed to taught because i understand some people don't quite get everything there is to know about comparing Macs and Windows-based machines. convinced - in this instance, at least - implies that one has already made the decision that Macs are better but can't justify the cost, the actual process of switching, etc.
 
Macs are great for video work. And a Macbook Pro seems perfect for your needs.
I would highly recommend Applecare, it's not a scam like most "Warranties" offered by retail places like Circuit City and Best Buy. I bought an iMac G3 in 2001 with Applecare, and even now if I have any problems with it, Apple's retail Genius Bar will still help me with it. It still works after 6 years. From my experience, Macs are built to last, and Apple is excellent are providing support and service for their products.
 
Just get a Mac and give it a chance. If you don't like it you won't lose much as Macs have a high resale value. You are obviously not completely content with Windows or you wouldn't be asking.

Anyway it took me a while and a strong convincing to make the switch back in 2002, but haven't looked backed since.
 
Frisco said:
Anyway it took me a while and a strong convincing to make the switch back in 2002, but haven't looked backed since.
Click to expand...

Hmm...that means that you are using a Windows PC, right?
How does it work? I mean how fast is your machine?
 
If the main reason you want to switch to a Mac is because of viruses and your PC becoming inoperable with spyware, I'll let you know that your Mac will never have these problems. On the other hand (playing devils advocate), if you would of taken the time to protect your PC, you wouldn't have any of these issues either. I use a PC about 98% of the the time (I used to only use a Mac), and leave my PC on 24/7 and always connected to the internet. Honestly, I do not get any viruses or spyware. I keep my XP box patched, use FireFox, and make sure I don't download anything shifty and I haven't had a single problem in years. I worked in IT for a few years and saw some horrible spyware and virus infections, it seem most windows infections stem from shifty downloads and internet explorer exploits executed by shifty websites.

Wait a minute, I own a couple shares of Apple stock... BUY A MAC!* :D
 
All kinds of insurrancies are "profit padding", that's why they are offered =P, but if you are unlucky they are worth it, if not they aren't of course ;)

Speaking of you needs yes, you will notice a difference, an experienced Windows user is informed enough to run antispyware, -virus, not open weird mails or accept weird banners and downloads, run windows update and keep all their **** up to date. Those people doesn't get those kinds of problems but obviously you aren't one of them.

Macs aren't bullet proof or the most secure machines there exist, but they are very safe from spyware and viruses anyway because most if not all of that **** is made for Windows because there are so many Windows machines out there. So yes, if you get a mac it will probably work much better for you.

Some people DO run into problems with their macs aswell thought, but I would assume it's much more rarely and you don't get owned just because you browse webpages for a day.

Also the video apps for OS X might make it more fun to work with, and the MBP got firewire which you camera might use, 1920x1200 is a lot of area for your videos and applications.

So go with the MBP and enjoy your new life =P

Roco said:
Macs are not expensive anymore. If you compare them to similar PCs you'll see that the price difference is minimal or non-existent.
Click to expand...
I'd call ******** on that one, but if you count the PC with Vista Ultimate or all the nifties which comes included with the mac, and then also buy the mac just after it has recently been upgraded I would say they sure are worth it.

Just don't buy at the end of their life before the next update because price are fixed between updates.

mahonmeister said:
The mini and iMac are overpriced and underpowered.
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I think the 24" iMac is nice, sure it could have had better gfx for those money but its form factor probably doesn't give that choice, and if he won't game a lot on it it won't matter.

miniConvert said:
Just a note to say buy Applecare. Particularly on portables, I think it's essential - not only are portables more likely to go wrong but they're also harder and more expensive to fix. Most stuff is soldered on to the logic board (motherboard) on a portable, and you don't want to be forking out for new boards. You also get the telephone support, which can be useful :)
Click to expand...
More likely to get wrong? Yes.
Harder to fix? No. Since the iMac uses it's share of special motherboard and what not and the Mac Pro isn't your average desktop PC either.
 
Nice and simple: go use one. If you like it, buy it. If you don't, don't.

Macs are not infallible, and Apple is not a fluffier company to sell your soul to than Microsoft. It's all about whether you will get your work done quicker/more easily in OS X. If you will, than yep, a Mac is the computer for you.
 
See if you can rent a Mac for a couple of weeks. It's an experience that you have to try for yourself to understand what all the fuss is about.
 
'Things just work'

I switched in January this year and haven't looked back.

A colleague had a MacBook Pro and I had a HP laptop at the time, the pro looked very sleek compared to my (reasonably) new HP, watching it run OSX and XP under parallels blew me away, I decided to go for a 15.4" C2D refurb from the apple website and have not regretted it for one minute.

I added a Mac mini, now used as my main computer and a MacBook for my gf (she loves it).

The thing for me is that stuff 'just works', I plugged in my wireless microsoft mouse and it worked perfectly without having to install anything :) I configured a gaming wireless adapter that my brother just couldn't get to work with his PC, I did it in minutes.

I have bootcamp to dual boot with XP if I ever need it (rarely but I have needed it and it runs great).

You sound like you have the cash if you're looking at the 17", I'd say go for it.
 
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