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What can I do with a Mac?

S

SecurityTinker

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 11, 2008
28
0
I'm pretty sure that a Macbook of some kind is in my future, proabably a week or so away. I'm not sure what kind of Macbook it is because I am not purchasing it myself. I'm pretty sure it's going to be a regular Macbook [without a graphics card].

I've been trying very hard to think about what I can do with the Macbook that I can't already do with my desktop PC, and I haven't been able to come up with much. Among the things I can come up with that are:

  • Final Cut Studio (with extremely slow/no Motion)
  • Wake-on LAN (my desktop motherboard doesn't support it)
  • Develop for iPhone/iPod touch

That's not a very convincing list. Especially because I won't be able to run Motion with the puny Intel GMA in the Macbooks. Yes, I know that you can technically RUN it, but it's not going to be practical because of the sloth-like speeds. Everything else I can already do with my desktop PC: web browsing, Evernote, Java programming, Flash, Photoshop, iTunes, word processing etc. Can you guys give me any other reasons I might use the Mac for?
 
Have you ever used OS X? Because once you use it, and give it a fair, unbiased shot for a couple of weeks, you won't be asking that question. It blows Windows away. For one, you can forget about viruses or crashes.

I guess my point is that there is a ton of stuff you can do on windows or on a Mac, but with a Mac it is just so much easier, more stable, less hassle, more elegant, etc.
 
Well I will give you the one over-whelming reason that I switched to the MAC and OSX and have not and will not ever look back...

And that one reason is :



V I S T A



Six months ago, I took the plunge, bought a MacPro and recently bought my wife a MacBookPro laptop.... our previous Win machines are now collecting dust.....
 
well why not think of all the things you can do on a PC that you can't on a mac?

Maybe a PC is better for you and I could care less what computer you use. So I'm not going to try and convince you to get a mac.
 
tuffluffjimmy said:
well why not think of all the things you can do on a PC that you can't on a mac?

Maybe a PC is better for you and I could care less what computer you use. So I'm not going to try and convince you to get a mac.
Click to expand...

Are you sure you couldn't care less? The fact that you even bothered to reply suggests otherwise. :p

I have a PC. It's called my iMac. True, it only functions as a PC a very tiny fraction of the time but it still is one.
 
You can pick up a refurb/end of line macbook pro for pretty much the same price as a new black macbook. Try the Apple Refurb store and see if you can get a deal. If you don't want a refurb then try Amazon for EOL etc.
 
gothamm said:
OS X does not "Blow away" windows. Its better, but it does not blow it away.
Click to expand...

I could not disagree more. For me using Windows is so painful and distracting with pop up security things (and other pop ups) from the system interrupting every minute (and other things, but just on that point alone) that I wiped Windows from my macbook and have never looked back.

Not to mention, it's ugly, has terrible text and garish colors. It's poorly designed as a GUI, and on and on.

I'm sorry, but Windows is pretty awful compared to Mac OS X (especially Leopard), and that's talking about XP! Don't even bring up Vista!
 
OlBlueHair said:
I could not disagree more. For me using Windows is so painful and distracting with pop up security things (and other pop ups) from the system interrupting every minute (and other things, but just on that point alone) that I wiped Windows from my macbook and have never looked back.

Not to mention, it's ugly, has terrible text and garish colors. It's poorly designed as a GUI, and on and on.

I'm sorry, but Windows is pretty awful compared to Mac OS X (especially Leopard), and that's talking about XP! Don't even bring up Vista!
Click to expand...
Agreed. What the OP can do with a Mac that she/he cannot do with a PC is be more productive and more creative because the Mac OS will not get in the way of her/his workflow.
 
SecurityTinker said:
I've been trying very hard to think about what I can do with the Macbook that I can't already do with my desktop PC, and I haven't been able to come up with much.
Click to expand...

So the bottom-of-the-line MacBook doesn't do any more than a desktop PC? So what? It's a general purpose computer, not a screaming speed demon. You get a MacBook for general use and portability, not to run pro video apps.
 
SecurityTinker said:
You know, even though I did ask about PCs, you Windows bashers are not really helping me...
Click to expand...
You're asking us to justify a Mac purchase for you instead of sticking with a Windows-based PC. So we are trying to tell you how we feel that the Mac is superior to a Windows-based PC (of course, a Mac can be a Windows-based PC, as well).

So, what can you do with an MacBook that you can't with a PC?

• run OS X with full Apple support and upgradeability, as well as Windows

• browse the internet without worrying about spyware and viruses (none in the wild yet for Mac OS, although a few proven concepts)

• for the most part, expect that it will "just work" without the need for mods, additional drivers, etc

• run basic consumer apps (iPhoto, iTunes, iMovie, iDVD) right out of the box

• install OS upgrades without worrying about serial numbers, keys etc

• have an attractive-looking computer with high Wife Acceptance Factor

• run high-quality Apple professional creative applications such as Final Cut Studio and Logic Studio

• upgrade the OS (always to a full-featured version) for a reasonable price

• know that according to large-scale surveys of tens of thousands of consumers by Consumer Reports and PC world, you are purchasing one of the two most reliable laptops in the world (the other being Lenovo)

• as opposed to your desktop PC, you can take it with you almost anywhere you go

• get a good resale price for your computer on eBay (much less depreciation than a typical Windows-based PC).

Oh, and as you mentioned, you can develop apps for the iPhone.

You really have to experience both Windows and OS X to really appreciate how features and characteristics of OS X help to eliminate bottlenecks to productivity that are inherent in Windows (I know, I have done teaching and support for users of both systems in the past, although that is not my current occupation). So, if you are unsure, consider doing a test drive with OS X. Try to have as long a test drive as you can, because there is some time needed to transition from one OS to the other, since things are often done in different ways in different OSes.

But no, don't expect to get more computing power or more choice of subspecialized software on a portable consumer Mac than you would with a desktop windows machine.
 
OlBlueHair said:
I could not disagree more. For me using Windows is so painful and distracting with pop up security things (and other pop ups) from the system interrupting every minute (and other things, but just on that point alone) that I wiped Windows from my macbook and have never looked back.

Not to mention, it's ugly, has terrible text and garish colors. It's poorly designed as a GUI, and on and on.

I'm sorry, but Windows is pretty awful compared to Mac OS X (especially Leopard), and that's talking about XP! Don't even bring up Vista!
Click to expand...

pop-up blocker? I get pop-ups using safari...has nothing to do with the OS.

as for those annoying security notifications, you can easily turn that off. It takes less than 30 secs.

not to mention about 10X more apps on windows.

I am not going to turn this into a windows/mac debate, but some mac users need to face reality. Macs have their own set of issues....very annoying ones at that.

Mac is still superior in my opinion, or else i wouldn't be using one. But to say that it "blows away" windows is just nonsense.
 
to the OP: it looks like Macs aren't for you. No biggie. Stick with windows XP, till vista gets more stable. In fact, vista's been making good progress since it was first introduced. Plus, you can run utorrent.
 
You can do everything you can do with a Windows PC, and also everything you can't do with a Windows PC.

Leopard + Bootcamp = the greenest grass.
 
Thanks guys, I really appreciate the attention you've given me even if it was a strange question. I asked it mainly because I do have a fair amount of experience with OSX, but I have never needed to use it as my main computer, so I haven't noticed so much difference when it comes to the two.

I have, however, used Apple Remote Desktop to manage some computers. I am amazed at how easy it is to administer the computers with that program. It is so fun to be able to control so many computers so well with that program.

To eXan: I didn't mean it to everyone, just those people saying "Vista sucks" etc...
 
gothamm said:
pop-up blocker? I get pop-ups using safari...has nothing to do with the OS.

as for those annoying security notifications, you can easily turn that off. It takes less than 30 secs.

not to mention about 10X more apps on windows.

I am not going to turn this into a windows/mac debate, but some mac users need to face reality. Macs have their own set of issues....very annoying ones at that.

Mac is still superior in my opinion, or else i wouldn't be using one. But to say that it "blows away" windows is just nonsense.
Click to expand...

I don't mean internet pop ups (which I don't get in Safari, as that can be turned of in 2 seconds with the "block pop ups" thing in the menu)...I meant, and I'm not sure how to say this exactly, but it is my number one pet peeve when using windows...when you are doing something, windows invariably pops up and interupts you to tell you something about security or other things. I don't know. I just know that when I am using a certain app I don't like the computer to interrupt me.

And I used windows today. Mac OS X blows it away. If you don't feel that way, great...I do, and my opinion is not "nonsense."
 
mac os x versus windows xp/vista

i was a faithful pc user for years. i took up a hobby putting together pcs for myself and others.

one day i decided to purchase a mac mini (G4) just to set it up on a kvm so that i could learn mac os x. (I even dedicated a pc to red hat and at one time ubuntu linux).

i found that i needed my pc for some stuff (gaming and word processing) and my mac for browsing, photos, music, video editing, making dvds, and...well, eye candy too. i was totally amazed by what came with it "out of the box" and how it "just worked".

I've worked on tons of dells, gateways, hps...and homegrown pcs. There are always problems...with what? the windows os structure.

both linux and os x do "blow windows away"...they truly, truly do. unless you have the time to find all the crappy third party software glitches, removing spyware, changing regristy entries, blah, blah, blah.

the bottom line; os x is so much more stable than any version of windows. (but then again so is linux). people are just comfortable with windows and they fear changing due to confusion about what you "can't do with mac" and what programs "aren't compatible"

guess what, mac runs windows better than a pc nowadays...
...i have vista on my mac...and have compared it to my friends' hps...

...and, well, mac blows windows away with windows too. :apple::apple::apple:

:cool:

by the way, this is all just my honest opinion; i really have no qualms with working on a pc, i would just never purchase one ever, ever again.
 
SecurityTinker said:
I've been trying very hard to think about what I can do with the Macbook that I can't already do with my desktop PC, and I haven't been able to come up with much. Among the things I can come up with that are:

  • Final Cut Studio (with extremely slow/no Motion)
  • Wake-on LAN (my desktop motherboard doesn't support it)
  • Develop for iPhone/iPod touch
Click to expand...

I don't understand how you're getting a computer, but don't know which one, nor why you're getting it, and have no say in the matter. Perhaps you can get a MacBook Pro instead? It sounds like you need something with a proper video card for your video work.

Beyond that, there's the obvious. MacBook is portable. Desktop PC is not. You can do work outside your home/office on the MacBook. You can't with a desktop.

Are you in any sort of clubs or organizations? I've found Numbers (part of the iWork suite) to be an easier tool for small-scale finances than Excel.

Do you do public speaking or presentations of any sort? Keynote is an excellent replacement for PowerPoint. In many ways it far exceeds PowerPoint 2003 (I've not used 2007).

Your MacBook will also run Windows, so you're not limited to OS X. In fact, you could replace your desktop PC with an appropriate Mac.

Is this compelling? For me it was, for home use. But we don't know what your interests and hobbys are.
 
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