Why can't I justify buying a Mac?

[dusk007]

Do people that use Macs feel confined in any way?

The only thing that really annoys me is that for bigger papers I always find myself running Word 2010 in a VM because Office for Mac is just crap, bad performance, bad features, bad gui.
If you need more than what an Open Office can give you or Apple's iWorks you can forget about a native Mircosoft Office that doesn't suck.
That is the only thing that really annoys me, because MS should be able to to some touchpad integration, get some decent performance. And put the damn 2010/2007 GUI 1:1 on top instead of this nonsense in Mac Editions.

And you are still stuck with rebooting to Windows for a game. I used to a little in between gaming on Windows sometimes. Don't ever do that anymore. Just too much hassle. Every few months I launch Windows for some gaming on a weekend when I am bored and nothing else is happening.

 

[DockMac]

Don't think about it too much.

I remember when I had the same dilemma, I was debating over a decked out Gateway laptop, or a PowerBook G4. (Gateway, LOL, probably shows my age.) Windows and the software collection I have amassed for Windows was one key factor. The other that the Gateway was half the price of the PowerBook.

I just said eff it, take the plunge. I have never looked back.

 

[Cordless_Drill]

The only thing that really annoys me is that for bigger papers I always find myself running Word 2010 in a VM because Office for Mac is just crap, bad performance, bad features, bad gui.

I'm using the brand-new version of MS Office (Word) and it's 100% bad ass.

I love it.

 

[chrislaw]

I switched a few years ago and felt apprehensive as well. I had always used windows growing up and had very little Mac experience. Nearly 3 years later and I do not regret it in anyway. I find it convenient to use a Mac, especially when it comes to keeping my now 2 and half year old MBP running to its optimal ability. I felt like it was a chore to keep my PC running at its peak, and never had one that seemed to be running in the same manner as it was when I bought it after two years. Now i truly dread going to work and using Windows.

 

[WardC]

The only thing stopping me from getting a PC again is that it is Windows....

Yes, THIS I would have to agree with. I do like some of the PC designs coming about, some of the ultra books, and some of the Sony and HP stuff. I might actually buy one (if they gave Apple hardware a competition) if they DID run OS X. I just think Windows is so damn crappy and still a second-rate, utterly half-tastic OS. That is what is keeping me out of THAT area of computers...Windows!

As for getting a Mac, the Mac version of Office is *very* good and 100% compatible with exporting and saving all modern PC-compat versions of documents. It is very good, very feature-rich, and very stable. About the only thing in Office that the Mac can't do is MS Access, for that you will need to run Windows, which can be easily done on a Mac through Bootcamp, Parallels, or VMWare Fusion. The Mac will also run all the Windows games through bootcamp at full speed with accelerated graphics.

The Mac ships with QuickTime, which I think is pretty lame for playing most video formats, because it cannot play AVI, Xvid, or DiVX, or Flash video, however there is a great free video player called "VLC Player" which can handle all of those formats and more. There are a host of other video players that can handle the various video formats that QuickTime cannot handle. That is one of the only complaints I have about the shipping version of OS X today, is that it can't play most Internet video formats.

 

[Benbikeman]

As someone who made the switch from Windows 7 to OSX a while back, the vast majority of software is identical on Windows and Mac. There are always a few miscellaneous apps you'll have to find alternatives to, but this only took me a short time.

90% of the user-interface is sufficiently similar that you'll jump right in. The other 10% is, IMV, better on OSX.

And, as people have said, there's Bootcamp or Parallels if you really need Windows as well. There's really no downside apart from a 10%-ish price premium (spec for spec).

 

[brianfast]

Lion is a disaster. Do not get a Mac with Lion if you are going to attempt to do serious work other than word processing. The Lion workflow is designed for people who use an iPad, not professionals, or even students

 

[RC85]

Lion is a disaster. Do not get a Mac with Lion if you are going to attempt to do serious work other than word processing. The Lion workflow is designed for people who use an iPad, not professionals, or even students

works just fine for me, it has it's quirks, but I don't feel it's anything that would hold back doing work on a more powerful machine that MBP.

 

[torana355]

works just fine for me, it has it's quirks, but I don't feel it's anything that would hold back doing work on a more powerful machine that MBP.

He is right, Lion does not play well with large workflows like Heidelberg prinect so at work we are still using leopard as it is compatible with all the professional software we use. I know 10.7.2 has issues with the Adobe suite with macs using the intel 3000 graphics chip aswell.

 

[mofunk]

As much as I like Apple, I've never been able to commit. Going all the way and becoming all-Apple.

I like diversity in my technology but I do need a new laptop- and the MacBook Pro appears to be the cutting edge.

From its design to its software, it's all around perfectly manicured. The only thing stopping me from buying one is that it isn't Windows.

I feel like I would be losing a lot and setting myself back if I get a Mac.

Lol its a window but in a different house. Remember Apple and Microsoft started around the same time. Both use QWERTY keyboard and GUI what else are you missing. Only difference is that you get more software in Apple computer and Word Processing is cheaper.

 

[alphaod]

Well if you need Windows, but want to try a Mac, you can install Windows on another partition via BootCamp.

If you just like how the Mac looks, but really just prefer Windows, then I see no reason to buy the Mac. I have a Thinkpad and I think it works great. In fact, I have had Thinkpads for ages now and it's my go-to Windows machine.

 

[polbit]

For the sake of the argument, I'm going to assume you have a genuine dilema, and are not a troll.

I've had a similar problem for years. I've always admired and wanted a Mac, but every time I had money to upgrade my computer, I couldn't justify the price of one. Then one year I said, what a heck, you only live once, and spent, spec wise, twice what I could get a comparable Dell for. Well, guess what, I never looked back. In 4 years my house went from Windows/Linux to all-Mac, and after some initial "readjustments", it really is nice not to have to worry much about all of it just working. Two MBPs, two iPhones, iPad, Time Capsule, Apple TV, and it "just works." Love it.

 

[chrono1081]

As much as I like Apple, I've never been able to commit. Going all the way and becoming all-Apple.

I like diversity in my technology but I do need a new laptop- and the MacBook Pro appears to be the cutting edge.

From its design to its software, it's all around perfectly manicured. The only thing stopping me from buying one is that it isn't Windows.

I feel like I would be losing a lot and setting myself back if I get a Mac.

I work in IT for a living supporting Windows desktops and servers. I used to be die hard Windows, but now you won't find a single Windows machine in my house. I assure you by getting a Mac you are not losing anything, but actually gaining.

Mac OS will run not only Mac, but Windows as well, natively. Linux and BSD will also run fine on it if you get virtualization software such as Parallels or VMWare Fusion.

That being said you have to give us a list of software you use for us to help you make an informed decision. If you use a slew of Microsoft exclusive software and are a gamer, maybe a Mac isn't for you. If you do a lot of media work with video, music, imagery, etc, you can't beat Apple in stability in that department.

Part of it also comes down to personal preference.

 

[bdodds1985]

works just fine for me, it has it's quirks, but I don't feel it's anything that would hold back doing work on a more powerful machine that MBP.

works fine for me too.

OP, go to the apple store on a day they are having a class and take it if you are interested at all or have thought about buying a mac. I was a PC user my whole life up until july of last year. Now I will never go back.

 

[malman89]

Part of it also comes down to personal preference.

It all comes down to personal preference. End of story.

 

[chrono1081]

It all comes down to personal preference. End of story.

No it doesn't. Some people have workflows that don't work on one operating system or another.

High end 3D work flows for example often use software that come out on Linux first.

Many sound people have workflows that revolve around Logic.

Game artists often use 3Ds Max which is Windows only.

etc.

 

[dusk007]

If I bought a Mac to put Windows on it, I'd feel like I've defeated the purpose of buying a Mac.

I want to enjoy Mac's OS for what it is, polished and sophisticated, there's lots of media design type applications.

Do people that use Macs feel confined in any way?

I'm using the brand-new version of MS Office (Word) and it's 100% bad ass.
I love it.

While 2011 has a much better GUI than 2008 if you like 2011 you must have much lower standards than I do. 2011 is not exactly brand new either and despite its name was released in 2010.
The inconvenient way of switching language is infuriating in 2011. The GUI offers less direct access to important function while still being clunkier. A good number of things don't work at all or worse and one would think that it is actually 100% compatible on a document level. Yet it consistently enters compatibility modes of all sorts and wants to convert certain stuff.
Why cannot you zoom in and out with a touchpad? All kinds of freeware program seem to be able to allow such.
Why does it feel like a have a 5 year old MBP when 2010 in the VM is blazing fast? (on a 2010 MBP with SSD)
And a lot of small UI changes that just don't make any sense at all and less customization capability than the Windows Version.
It just still is really poor software and only okay in that kind of quality if free.
Open Office has no perfromance problems on OSX and works just as well as on Windows.

 

[maflynn]

It all comes down to personal preference. End of story.

No it doesn't. Some people have workflows that don't work on one operating system or another.

I usually say two things when choosing a computer. One, its personal preference, and two get the machine that best fits your needs. Sometimes people (including myself) forget there are tools available on one platform but not another.

 

[thermodynamic]

As much as I like Apple, I've never been able to commit. Going all the way and becoming all-Apple.

I like diversity in my technology but I do need a new laptop- and the MacBook Pro appears to be the cutting edge.

From its design to its software, it's all around perfectly manicured. The only thing stopping me from buying one is that it isn't Windows.

I feel like I would be losing a lot and setting myself back if I get a Mac.

OS X I prefer over Windows due to not having encumbered with a registry and the performance issues it brings. And it's the only non-Windows platform Adobe supports.

As with all things, there is a transition period in getting to know a new platform, but OS X is easy to use... backing up and transferring data between Macs is far easier to do compared to Windows machines as well...

Ultimately, what do you use your computer for? There are some needs where Windows is the better choice, where even emulation or BootCamp won't do.

 

[mzjin]

As much as I like Apple, I've never been able to commit. Going all the way and becoming all-Apple.

I like diversity in my technology but I do need a new laptop- and the MacBook Pro appears to be the cutting edge.

From its design to its software, it's all around perfectly manicured. The only thing stopping me from buying one is that it isn't Windows.

I feel like I would be losing a lot and setting myself back if I get a Mac.

Just install Windows? I didn't think that was such a novel idea in this day and age.

----------

If I bought a Mac to put Windows on it, I'd feel like I've defeated the purpose of buying a Mac.

I want to enjoy Mac's OS for what it is, polished and sophisticated, there's lots of media design type applications.

Do people that use Macs feel confined in any way?

Well, Lion costs like $30.. so you're down $30 bucks? I'm not sure if you think building a PC that comes without an operating system defeats the purpose of it instead of buying an Alienware or HP premade.

 

[dusk007]

Just install Windows? I didn't think that was such a novel idea in this day and age.

It is not novel but also not a very good idea. If yon ends up using Windows in the end a real Windows Notebook offers a better deal.
On the 15" you cannot make use of the Intel GPU and that sucks for battery life. The Touchpad drivers offer less functionality than most on real Windows Notebooks.
If one ends up running Windows anyway a Dell Latitude E6520 with 1080p screen is a better notebook than a MacBook Pro.

A MacBook Pro is good for gaming in Windows or running some odd app in a VM for some reason but not for actually using Windows on it most of the time.

 

[malman89]

No it doesn't. Some people have workflows that don't work on one operating system or another.

High end 3D work flows for example often use software that come out on Linux first.

Many sound people have workflows that revolve around Logic.

Game artists often use 3Ds Max which is Windows only.

etc.

Sorry, professional users tied to OSX solely due to productivity apps (and not preferred productivity apps) are the minority. I wasn't thinking of them.

 

[corax1231]

Something else to consider...

Apple is not a computer company. Apple is a home entertainment company that happens to make some legacy computers.

If you want active support for 3-5 years, you're probably OK going with the Mac. Longer than that -- who can say? But Apple has a fiduciary responsibility to their shareholders to focus on those aspects of the company that generate the greatest profit -- and that hasn't included computers for some time now.

I've owned Macs exclusively since 1992 and I'm pretty sure this is the last one I'll own. iPhones and iPads, sure -- but I also need a real computer, and even if Apple is still making "computers" when I need my next one, they will pretty much just be over-sized iPads with lids.

 

[chrono1081]

Sorry, professional users tied to OSX solely due to productivity apps (and not preferred productivity apps) are the minority. I wasn't thinking of them.

No worries I have a feeling the OP is a preference scenario

 

[motoleo]

Using an operating system within an operating system or dual booting isn't practical for me. It's kind of an all or nothing deal.

As I see more and more people using Macs, I can't help but ask myself if I bought a MacBook Pro, it would be strictly for the coolness factor, and not usability.

Best of both worlds. Apple has strength in mobile computing. Windows has strength in laptop computing. At least that's what I like about both companies.

Why put all your eggs in one basket?