Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
why do you use a mac
- Thread starter blindpcguy
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
It is. Luckily I have a 2011 MacBook Pro that is running OS X 10.10 for life aka: email, internet, syncing iPhones. 10.6 runs on a 2010 MacPro with Logic 9. No issues, solid reliable performance, no need for upgrade.
I am not generally a huge fan of macOS, mainly use Macs because I like the built quality and design of Apples hardware. I use macOS on it too because I also have an iPhone and there are just a few more things here that work together better like Photo Library and Notes and there are Mac versions of a few iOS apps I like (Downcast, Tweetbot, Deliveries...), but I also like Windows and use it often via Bootcamp (why I hope Macs will never switch to ARM).
Oh, goodness. I've been using Macs since MacOS 7 or before. I've just always admired the way they work and their ease of use. No PC I've owned has ever come close. Yeah, they cost more, but it has been worth every penny. There has never been anything I wanted to do on a computer that I couldn't do on a Mac and it's just gotten easier over the years. I like the security aspect of the OS, too. Much safer than Windoze.
I do all my work on a mac, beause OSX has a better/faster and more convenient workflow than Windows.
The Macbooks have a far superior trackpad compared to all windows laptops. OSX has a far better software for the trackpad. (try using the trackpad in bootcamp)
I also use a windows 10 pc for gaming and I have to say Windows is catching up.
What I don`t like about Mac is that they are not upgradeable.
The Macbooks have a far superior trackpad compared to all windows laptops. OSX has a far better software for the trackpad. (try using the trackpad in bootcamp)
I also use a windows 10 pc for gaming and I have to say Windows is catching up.
What I don`t like about Mac is that they are not upgradeable.
Started with MacOS 8
It's always been better looking, more stable, faster; and today, the ecosystem is incredible. The way all of my devices work together in harmony is just fantastic! I simply enjoy using my Macs more than my PCs.
And I used to say that MacOS (later OSX and now macOS) was the only reason. But when I finally broke down and bought my first ever Apple notebook, my 2012 MacBook Pro, that shifted as well. It's simply better built, and functions better, than any windows laptop I've owned in the past or own today. Bar none. And it's been a tank for the last 4 years. I plan to upgrade it perhaps this year or next, assuming something is announced relatively soon.
It's always been better looking, more stable, faster; and today, the ecosystem is incredible. The way all of my devices work together in harmony is just fantastic! I simply enjoy using my Macs more than my PCs.
And I used to say that MacOS (later OSX and now macOS) was the only reason. But when I finally broke down and bought my first ever Apple notebook, my 2012 MacBook Pro, that shifted as well. It's simply better built, and functions better, than any windows laptop I've owned in the past or own today. Bar none. And it's been a tank for the last 4 years. I plan to upgrade it perhaps this year or next, assuming something is announced relatively soon.
Ah, its the half-annual why do you use a mc thread 
From my perspective:
- the only usable unix-based distribution on the market currently
- very flexible and comes preloaded with great tools (Mail, Notes, scripting)
- streamlined and meaningful UI design guidelines
- great dev frameworks which make exploring new things quick and fun
- constant evolution and improvements
- probably the best all-round laptop on the market (yes, even with outdated hardware)
From my perspective:
- the only usable unix-based distribution on the market currently
- very flexible and comes preloaded with great tools (Mail, Notes, scripting)
- streamlined and meaningful UI design guidelines
- great dev frameworks which make exploring new things quick and fun
- constant evolution and improvements
- probably the best all-round laptop on the market (yes, even with outdated hardware)
Well, one thing is for certain: It's not because I like to spend money.
But, early 2000 when I was building Windows machines to do web development and web design on a freelance basis. And later to do online tech support and photography retouching. And mind you - I came from a unix cli world as my first few systems. I became utterly frustrated that part of playing games, using adobe products, getting the max out of my systems. Handling large media files as well as database files. The time I was 'wasting' on just drivers, configuration stuff, and incompatibility nonsense. Versus the fun I was having when it finally worked.. it got in the way. I had my eye on the OSX for a while, but never had the 'guts' to make the move. Because of all those myths people are spreading like 'its too expensive' and 'you can not even right click', 'there are no apps for it', 'it will never be 64bit', blah blah..
Finally I got a powerbook and Tiger got released. After a few weeks of learning and figuring things out I realised I haven't even booted my Window box anymore. The reason why? The frustrations were gone. I improved organizing my data, and much improved on my workflow. It helped me get stuff done and use my time to get it done right.
Never looked back. And while Mac has some obvious flaws in their design and usability. Hello Finder, can you f* die already! (stuff like that). The software is open source, free, or so affordable. The support from 32bit powerbook to Intel's 32bit, then 64bit, emulation here and there, etc. You never had to worry. It just .. worked. It was such a smooth transition with data migration, or os updates and upgrades. Not to mention that it simply didnt' require me to constantly reboot with every configuration file change. Or not getting 500 popups just to find a configuration setting. What a joy!
Adobe products worked so much better with large files. Consistency with handling huge database files ended up being something I could rely on. And the support community has been great.
And if someone asks me, why don't you run Linux Desktop? My answer is: The GUI just isn't OSX, which I prefer, it is much more consumer friendly. And I follow up saying I use Linux as a server for Mail, DNS, Web, etc. And UNIX under the hood on OSX gives me what I was missing in Windows as well. Then if they ask why not windows, I used to have a few replies: Expensive software, and everything is so dodgy when it comes to malware and virus infections, which come by the millions! But now my one reply is: ransomware..
The architecture and rootless system of macOS will simply help prevent a lot of stupid end-user mistakes that cause infection of malware, remote code execution and ransomware infection. At least, compared to Windows.
The day I read on Slashdot news that people can get infected through ads on a website manipulating the cursor on Windows to install some crap .. and that without user interaction you can get ransomware on the system. Was the day I declared Windows obsolete. Windows 10's release put a few nails in that coffin.
While Apple has some terrible update cycles when it comes to modern hardware, while bragging that they are having the courage to take steps towards being all about the right way of implementing modern hardware .. and that sort of stuff that they are pulling. I take that over Windows 10.
if people don't see it from my point of view, or prefer windows over mac for whatever they do with their system. That's all fine by me. This is why I picked Mac, how it helped me improve my workflow, being organised and feeling a bit more secure online. It works for me, I hope they can respect that in return.
Will I ever consider changing to Linux or Windows again as a Desktop solution? Hell yeah, of course.. I want to use what I can afford, what lasts me more than average, what looks great, has great software and community support, etc. Be it a Google OS, Facebook OS, Windows OS, Some linux distro, I don't care. When Apple goes down the drain, and Google steps up their game. And we have something that simply works, etc. Why not at the very least consider it?
This industry is ripe for an OS revamp, and maybe Apple won't be the one. But until then. Mac
But, early 2000 when I was building Windows machines to do web development and web design on a freelance basis. And later to do online tech support and photography retouching. And mind you - I came from a unix cli world as my first few systems. I became utterly frustrated that part of playing games, using adobe products, getting the max out of my systems. Handling large media files as well as database files. The time I was 'wasting' on just drivers, configuration stuff, and incompatibility nonsense. Versus the fun I was having when it finally worked.. it got in the way. I had my eye on the OSX for a while, but never had the 'guts' to make the move. Because of all those myths people are spreading like 'its too expensive' and 'you can not even right click', 'there are no apps for it', 'it will never be 64bit', blah blah..
Finally I got a powerbook and Tiger got released. After a few weeks of learning and figuring things out I realised I haven't even booted my Window box anymore. The reason why? The frustrations were gone. I improved organizing my data, and much improved on my workflow. It helped me get stuff done and use my time to get it done right.
Never looked back. And while Mac has some obvious flaws in their design and usability. Hello Finder, can you f* die already! (stuff like that). The software is open source, free, or so affordable. The support from 32bit powerbook to Intel's 32bit, then 64bit, emulation here and there, etc. You never had to worry. It just .. worked. It was such a smooth transition with data migration, or os updates and upgrades. Not to mention that it simply didnt' require me to constantly reboot with every configuration file change. Or not getting 500 popups just to find a configuration setting. What a joy!
Adobe products worked so much better with large files. Consistency with handling huge database files ended up being something I could rely on. And the support community has been great.
And if someone asks me, why don't you run Linux Desktop? My answer is: The GUI just isn't OSX, which I prefer, it is much more consumer friendly. And I follow up saying I use Linux as a server for Mail, DNS, Web, etc. And UNIX under the hood on OSX gives me what I was missing in Windows as well. Then if they ask why not windows, I used to have a few replies: Expensive software, and everything is so dodgy when it comes to malware and virus infections, which come by the millions! But now my one reply is: ransomware..
The architecture and rootless system of macOS will simply help prevent a lot of stupid end-user mistakes that cause infection of malware, remote code execution and ransomware infection. At least, compared to Windows.
The day I read on Slashdot news that people can get infected through ads on a website manipulating the cursor on Windows to install some crap .. and that without user interaction you can get ransomware on the system. Was the day I declared Windows obsolete. Windows 10's release put a few nails in that coffin.
While Apple has some terrible update cycles when it comes to modern hardware, while bragging that they are having the courage to take steps towards being all about the right way of implementing modern hardware .. and that sort of stuff that they are pulling. I take that over Windows 10.
if people don't see it from my point of view, or prefer windows over mac for whatever they do with their system. That's all fine by me. This is why I picked Mac, how it helped me improve my workflow, being organised and feeling a bit more secure online. It works for me, I hope they can respect that in return.
Will I ever consider changing to Linux or Windows again as a Desktop solution? Hell yeah, of course.. I want to use what I can afford, what lasts me more than average, what looks great, has great software and community support, etc. Be it a Google OS, Facebook OS, Windows OS, Some linux distro, I don't care. When Apple goes down the drain, and Google steps up their game. And we have something that simply works, etc. Why not at the very least consider it?
This industry is ripe for an OS revamp, and maybe Apple won't be the one. But until then. Mac
After being an MS-DOS/Windows person (from 1987 - 20001), I made the move. It was after my son was born. I had just spent tons of dough on Adobe Premiere and a video capture card for my Windows computer. I spent -- literally -- hours on a video for my father. It was supposed to be his father's day gift -- his first as a grandfather. Well... after hours of work, I had nothing to show for it and tons of internet searches yielded zippo. I was out money and time with nothing but frustration to show for it.
I went to an Apple store the very next weekend and looked at how intuitive iMovie was. Many people talk about how expensive Mac is -- but compared to the dough I spent on Adobe and a capture card for the video (Apple had all of the above built in) and looked at how easy the Apple system was, I was ready to make the jump. I've never looked back. Apple meets all of my creative needs for video and more. I even have progressed to the point where I now use Final Cut Pro.
It just works.
Add to this the iPhone and Apple Watch plus Apple TV and iPad and I have a great system of tools that communicate well with each other.
I went to an Apple store the very next weekend and looked at how intuitive iMovie was. Many people talk about how expensive Mac is -- but compared to the dough I spent on Adobe and a capture card for the video (Apple had all of the above built in) and looked at how easy the Apple system was, I was ready to make the jump. I've never looked back. Apple meets all of my creative needs for video and more. I even have progressed to the point where I now use Final Cut Pro.
It just works.
Add to this the iPhone and Apple Watch plus Apple TV and iPad and I have a great system of tools that communicate well with each other.
i switched to mac after i bought a brand new windows laptop when vista came out, brought it to my local starbucks and set it up. then got to work trying to send an email to one of my storm chase team members about the severe weather safety presentation we were going to do at a local junior high school. the miserable laptop decided to crash 4 times in less than the time it took to take it out of the box. took it back to the best buy where i got it and they proceeded to tell me that windows vista won't work well with less than 4gb of ram, this laptop had 2. they wanted another fairly crazy amount of money to install more ram that should have been installed from the factory. they wouldn't accept returning it either so i took it back with me, tried again to send the email all while swearing at the miserable laptop when my friend who had an iBook at the time said here try sending it with my computer. opened gmail, typed the entire email without any issue and sent it in a third of the time i spent trying to make the new laptop work. i asked him what type of computer it is.... not knowing anything about computers then except that they are supposed to work and make life easier. he said it is an apple iBook. asked him where i can get one, he said that they were not being made anymore since that is when apple went to the intel chip, but said since he just bought a MacBook, i can have his iBook. i used that iBook for 4 more years while using that miserable windows vista crapbox for weather radar only. i now have a unibody white MacBook running sierra, a mac mini running sierra 2 iPads and an iPhone. still have a windows laptop for weather radar and programming digital ham radios but for my every day computer usage i only use apple products and will never look back. apple is the ultimate in computers and they just work and work extremely well!!
I started using Macs in 2006 because I was absolutely sick of Windows for many reasons already mentioned above, and I craved the integration with my iPod and the upcoming iPhone. I stayed in love with OSX because with each upgrade version, they stuck with what worked and stayed away from all the unnecessary reinvention like Windows would do every couple of years, which to me always laughingly seemed like Microsoft admitting complete and utter failure, and thus the need to try something radically different and often not better (opaque borders, Metro interface)... Unfortunately now with Jony and Tim at the helm, Apple has been doing the Windows-unnecessary-reinvent-mode in OSX and iOS. But it's still better than Windows, for now.
I have used a Mac since the PowerBooks and that is what I know. I don't plan on switching or dealing with Windows anytime soon for my main PC. I love and am deeply entrenched in the Apple ecosystem, with everything from all of the Apple devices (iPhone, iPad, Macs, Appel TV) to home automation products, and much more. It would be prohibitively expensive to literally switch now.
That being said, I plan on purchasing a Microsoft Surface Go for using it on the road, so that way it is my office in a small package for using on the road. It is strictly going to be used for on the road, and I don't plan on ditching my Macs anytime soon.
[doublepost=1534179622][/doublepost]
That being said, I plan on purchasing a Microsoft Surface Go for using it on the road, so that way it is my office in a small package for using on the road. It is strictly going to be used for on the road, and I don't plan on ditching my Macs anytime soon.
[doublepost=1534179622][/doublepost]
LOL! This is what I do when I use a Windows PC. Totally can relate to those guys.
I first fell in love with Macintosh computer after I saw the informercial “he martinettis bring home a computer” back in 1995. At the tine i could not afford one then after everyone I knew had windows pc’s.
I’ve always enjoyed watching on tv the Mac help segments on show like call for help, the screensavers!, Datto on data... threw the years.
What I always like about macs were the way they looked graphics, icons, the top menu, the hardware...
Hopefully I can get my very first mac in a few months.
I’ve always enjoyed watching on tv the Mac help segments on show like call for help, the screensavers!, Datto on data... threw the years.
What I always like about macs were the way they looked graphics, icons, the top menu, the hardware...
Hopefully I can get my very first mac in a few months.
i’ve been on mac since around system 7
i’ve done both windows and linux also
i really like the mac os but i’m ready to go back to linux so i can build a machine from commodity parts
the problem now is most of my computer time is spent in logic pro and mainstage
but apple isn’t making a machine i want
and i simply don’t have time to mess around hackintoshing
so i’m locked in to mac only for softwares
which is pretty genius of
them really
i’ve done both windows and linux also
i really like the mac os but i’m ready to go back to linux so i can build a machine from commodity parts
the problem now is most of my computer time is spent in logic pro and mainstage
but apple isn’t making a machine i want
and i simply don’t have time to mess around hackintoshing
so i’m locked in to mac only for softwares
which is pretty genius of
them really
I'd say that it's not so much why I use MacOS but why I don't use Windows, which I have to do for software maintenance. Its frustrating, non-intuitive, clunky, in-your-face UI drives me nuts. In MacOS if you don't know how to do something the solution is often the obvious, not so in Windows. I spent an hour trying to put something on that mess they call the Start Menu and ended up having to do some long-winded workaround. Now I'm not a computer newbie, I have a BSc in the subject and I've been programming for over 40 years, so I really feel sorry for those that are.
I grew up using both and built a bunch of gaming machines, but most businesses I've experienced in my industry use Macs so I ended up having more use for a Mac than a Windows machine. One day I'll build another Windows desktop but for now I'm happy with a MBP and a Switch.
Started on the Original Mac SE 512, The design philosophy and the ergonomics of the apple eco system have always worked for me. During the 90's during the PowerPC years I abandoned it because of instability and bad leadership during that period for the PC platforms. The Microsoft platform has always been treacherous and self serving in it's design philosophy as well as it's lack of support and DIY (just figure it out) mentality to getting it to be stable and just function, forget about workflow or other considerations.
I came back a few years after the leadership returned to what it should have been and they seemed to be going forward on a clear vision of practical design and effective software with functional workflows and always improving and advancing.
I pay the apple tax. I don't mind it. I get something for it.
I came back a few years after the leadership returned to what it should have been and they seemed to be going forward on a clear vision of practical design and effective software with functional workflows and always improving and advancing.
I pay the apple tax. I don't mind it. I get something for it.
Since the 10.5, there wasn't an OS that suited me more. I have tried to return to Windows, I have tried several Linux distros...but nah. They were all good, but they had a problem: they weren't Mac.
There has never been such a fusion between the user experience, aesthetics and stability, such as Mac. It is everything I ever asked for in an operating system. It feels...human.
The only way for me to ever to leave Mac is if Apple ever seriously change something in this philosophy.
Hardware is debatable. I am worried a little bit lately regarding that.
There has never been such a fusion between the user experience, aesthetics and stability, such as Mac. It is everything I ever asked for in an operating system. It feels...human.
The only way for me to ever to leave Mac is if Apple ever seriously change something in this philosophy.
Hardware is debatable. I am worried a little bit lately regarding that.
Because it works for me. I just got a 2018 MacBook Pro and it's super overkill for what I need it for. I'm not too invested in the Apple ecosystem where I couldn't change to Windows, but nothing on their side has gotten my attention. I looked at the premium XPS system, but no Windows Hello for the 15" model and the webcam is in a stupid location. Asus had some nice ones and so does Acer. But the Mac just works for me. Easy to use, fast, light, and looks great.
A few reasons:
I don’t like windows
It’s easy to use, requires minimal user maintenance
Regular and pain free updates
More secure than windows
No bloatware
Excellent hardware
I like the way it interacts with all of my other Apple devices
iCloud Drive
Only started using MacOS but wish I’d done so years ago. I could have done without my last windows laptop because it was a nightmare.
I don’t like windows
It’s easy to use, requires minimal user maintenance
Regular and pain free updates
More secure than windows
No bloatware
Excellent hardware
I like the way it interacts with all of my other Apple devices
iCloud Drive
Only started using MacOS but wish I’d done so years ago. I could have done without my last windows laptop because it was a nightmare.
I enjoyed reading this!
Especially the old 80's to mid 90's fable 'you can not even right click' LMAO ... I actually recall those days. where pressing a command or option button (cannot recall) sufficed for rigs-click. Then the touch trackpad debuted: BOOM OSX, 3D Touch Track Pad: Badda-BOOM!
No it hasn’t been debunked at all. Good value at $10,000.00 doesn’t stop it being $10,000.00
I buy Apple gear but it’s expensive. Period.
Watching movies, web browsing, microsoft office , that’s pretty much all. I’ve bought the 27 inch model, mostly because of multimedia and IPTV. I don’t use TV anymore in my room.