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Why Don't You Own a Mac?
- Thread starter AtlantaGuy
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I'm having trouble with the "price" excuse.
You can certainly buy an entry level Windows desktop for much less than an Apple, but when I priced a replacement for the DELL laptop I use in my consulting practice - the PowerBook was only about $500 more and it came with so many more benefits.
For me, price was not an issue becuase a similarly equpped laptop was closer in price than I thought it would be.
You can certainly buy an entry level Windows desktop for much less than an Apple, but when I priced a replacement for the DELL laptop I use in my consulting practice - the PowerBook was only about $500 more and it came with so many more benefits.
For me, price was not an issue becuase a similarly equpped laptop was closer in price than I thought it would be.
OldManJimbo said:
Probably software selection. I went to a Mac store today and that would be the only reason I can see. Quicken 2004/2005 is terrible, Print Shop is cripped compared to the PC verson as well as Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.0. No Microsoft Access, Publisher or native Outlook PST file support.
The best selection of Mac software is online that I find from VersionTracker, and Apple's own shareware Mac OS X Software section. PC people probably aren't use to buying software that way. It's probably too expensive to distribute software thru retail outlets for a small market.
OldManJimbo said:
500 bucks to a pc user is alot. They are used to upgrading every 16 months while mac users upgrade every 4 years. 500 isnt alot to a mac user because they understand how long the laptop will be usefull and able to provide a service.
Thomas Veil said:
That's a good point, because most gamers end up spending more than a mac anyway, they just do it over time. You need a good computer to play games, simple as that, pc, or mac. Ram, new graphics cards. etc
well whatever, i'm sure i'm wrong, but it's the way i see it.
Games take quite a bit of compter if you want good graphics.
-All
What I dislike about these 'statistics' is that they never seem to track - or even consider - the multiple-platform users, like myself.
So how the hell can 'Market Share" even really be calculated? There's an awful lot of overlap.
What I dislike about these 'statistics' is that they never seem to track - or even consider - the multiple-platform users, like myself.
So how the hell can 'Market Share" even really be calculated? There's an awful lot of overlap.
supermegatron said:
Tell me just how many mac users haven't bought another hard drive, a better video card, or more RAM in 16 months time. You'd be surprised at the numbers. What is your definition of an upgrade? Components? Incremental upgrades provide incremental increases in performance.
Do you know the difference between a Tbred and an Athlon XP Mobile Barton? While both of these CPUs can be run on the same socket, the performance delta between these chips is staggering. (1733Mhz Tbred = 256K L2 Cache, 266fsb, 2500Mhz XP Mobile Barton = 512K L2 Cache, 400FSB). The cost of the upgrade is only $95. This kind of upgrade is worth easily 4-5 years if I wasn't a gamer.
These upgrades have less to do with usability, but with increasing performance. As a gamer, you cannot get by with last year (or with the Tbred, nearly 2.5 year old chip) technology. Modern games require modern hardware. The ideal situation would have been Athlon 64 chip, but that would have required a mobo replacement.
Can you guess how much my box cost at the beginning with the Tbred chip? $500.
Good to see us hijacking that vote!
This thread drew me to it...
and as a very proud Mac owner - of course I had to vote!
Some good comments listed above - and as a recent switcher - I agree.
The Mac community is much tighter, more proud, more of a minority supportive community in a protective way... so when there is more Mac bashing we love to get the odd one back!
Oh yeah vote is up to 26.32% do own a Mac! WOOHOO
This thread drew me to it...
and as a very proud Mac owner - of course I had to vote!
Some good comments listed above - and as a recent switcher - I agree.
The Mac community is much tighter, more proud, more of a minority supportive community in a protective way... so when there is more Mac bashing we love to get the odd one back!
Oh yeah vote is up to 26.32% do own a Mac! WOOHOO
Alright, we're at 26.64% or something like that for I do own a mac - Oct 3rd, 2:52PM Mountain Time
Stewie said:
Do you mind sharing some info on how you worked around those issues? My work uses all three!! I got a VPN solution, but the next step is to use the actual tools that work uses.
Thanks!
This poll will only heighten the cult of Mac belief for the rest of the world, which is not a good thing. It makes Mac users look a bit sad.
I just wish Apple would do a bit more to promote the platform.
I'm lucky cus I work in a Mac world but there are even people here with PC's at home who think their Mac's at work run windoze. - yes its true
quote of said person "what do you mean how am I get on with macosx - what's that? - doesn't this run windows like my Dull at home?".
I just wish Apple would do a bit more to promote the platform.
I'm lucky cus I work in a Mac world but there are even people here with PC's at home who think their Mac's at work run windoze. - yes its true
quote of said person "what do you mean how am I get on with macosx - what's that? - doesn't this run windows like my Dull at home?".
I had to buy a P°C laptop the other day for a project I'm doing. I didn't need much, so I got the cheapest one on the shelf. $1600 for the computer.
Got it home, out of the box, back to the store for a mouse - the trackpad is useless +$50
It weighs about 10 pounds so I won't be taking this thing anywhere with me and I won't be using it on my *lap* better get a desk to put it on. Back to the store. Desk +$200
What are all those horror stories about viruses, better get some Norton anti-virus +$50
I want to type a letter. Nope can't do that on here until I buy some software. M$Word +$95
For the same price I could have had a new iBook.
So comparing features: the iBook is lighter, the screen is clear, bright easy on the eyes, zero flicker. The P°C (I love that option+shift+* action) screen is so bad that I'm thinking of getting a companion dog that can dial 911 for me in case I start having seizures from looking at it for too long
The P°C came with a wireless card (whoopdeedoo) I have a wireless network. I've spend 2 days trying to get the darn thing to connect. My PB is always connected, rarely fails. The P°C can only see my network once in a while, connects for a couple of minutes and then looses out to some neighbors network. I've tried changing channels etc. Nothing will keep that thing connected.
Keyboard. What can I say. I think I'm going to have to go and buy a real keyboard if I need to do any real work on the thing. Not set up well at all.
So for the same price as a decent Mac, I got a real P of C that has too little RAM, a bad screen, a useless trackpad, no software, a painful keyboard, heavy, Windoze.
My guess is that 2% of the population are hardcore gamers and need the big iron. 95% of the people strolling around in Best Buy are getting a computer so they can email and surf the net. In my not so humble opinion, they would be far better off with the iBook for the same price.
Don't know why Apple doesn't tell them that.
Margaret
Got it home, out of the box, back to the store for a mouse - the trackpad is useless +$50
It weighs about 10 pounds so I won't be taking this thing anywhere with me and I won't be using it on my *lap* better get a desk to put it on. Back to the store. Desk +$200
What are all those horror stories about viruses, better get some Norton anti-virus +$50
I want to type a letter. Nope can't do that on here until I buy some software. M$Word +$95
For the same price I could have had a new iBook.
So comparing features: the iBook is lighter, the screen is clear, bright easy on the eyes, zero flicker. The P°C (I love that option+shift+* action) screen is so bad that I'm thinking of getting a companion dog that can dial 911 for me in case I start having seizures from looking at it for too long
The P°C came with a wireless card (whoopdeedoo) I have a wireless network. I've spend 2 days trying to get the darn thing to connect. My PB is always connected, rarely fails. The P°C can only see my network once in a while, connects for a couple of minutes and then looses out to some neighbors network. I've tried changing channels etc. Nothing will keep that thing connected.
Keyboard. What can I say. I think I'm going to have to go and buy a real keyboard if I need to do any real work on the thing. Not set up well at all.
So for the same price as a decent Mac, I got a real P of C that has too little RAM, a bad screen, a useless trackpad, no software, a painful keyboard, heavy, Windoze.
My guess is that 2% of the population are hardcore gamers and need the big iron. 95% of the people strolling around in Best Buy are getting a computer so they can email and surf the net. In my not so humble opinion, they would be far better off with the iBook for the same price.
Don't know why Apple doesn't tell them that.
Margaret
Abstract said:
Your right, it doesnt prove the point, but I think Stoid had a legit arguement. True that Macs only have a roughly 3% maket share, but what percentage of the home market do they have? I bet its alot higher than 3%.
Businesses, which buy tons of low in cost, high in number PC's certainly skew the data. Purchases from University's which buy a bunch of macs skew the data as well.
stoid said:
wow stoid....you should really educate yourself on statistics..
a poll on a website is not a representation of the population that is out there...it is sampling bias (dont jump to dumb out conclusions..OMG..WTF!)
Truth is..it is only 3% of the Market..but slowly...growing.
winwintoo said:I had to buy a P°C laptop the other day for a project I'm doing. I didn't need much, so I got the cheapest one on the shelf. $1600 for the computer.
Got it home, out of the box, back to the store for a mouse - the trackpad is useless +$50
It weighs about 10 pounds so I won't be taking this thing anywhere with me and I won't be using it on my *lap* better get a desk to put it on. Back to the store. Desk +$200
What are all those horror stories about viruses, better get some Norton anti-virus +$50
I want to type a letter. Nope can't do that on here until I buy some software. M$Word +$95
For the same price I could have had a new iBook.
So comparing features: the iBook is lighter, the screen is clear, bright easy on the eyes, zero flicker. The P°C (I love that option+shift+* action) screen is so bad that I'm thinking of getting a companion dog that can dial 911 for me in case I start having seizures from looking at it for too long
The P°C came with a wireless card (whoopdeedoo) I have a wireless network. I've spend 2 days trying to get the darn thing to connect. My PB is always connected, rarely fails. The P°C can only see my network once in a while, connects for a couple of minutes and then looses out to some neighbors network. I've tried changing channels etc. Nothing will keep that thing connected.
Keyboard. What can I say. I think I'm going to have to go and buy a real keyboard if I need to do any real work on the thing. Not set up well at all.
So for the same price as a decent Mac, I got a real P of C that has too little RAM, a bad screen, a useless trackpad, no software, a painful keyboard, heavy, Windoze.
My guess is that 2% of the population are hardcore gamers and need the big iron. 95% of the people strolling around in Best Buy are getting a computer so they can email and surf the net. In my not so humble opinion, they would be far better off with the iBook for the same price.
Don't know why Apple doesn't tell them that.
Margaret
I absolutely have NO IDEA where you get your numbers....blatant ignorance
i can buy a PC laptop for about $900..
why the hell would you justify in comparing a desktop computer with a laptop? Oh..I have to buy a desk? (i dont see the logic)
Heres my f***** reality
Bought a P-Book
$2699
Guess What?
applecare gone (should i buy more years? --> hmm...i GUESS apple is trustworthy and the hardware is reliable)
warping...um...ok
harddrive failure...ok
airport reception--> little / none at all.
....
oops
to correct some of my info--> didnt read carefully about laptop
anyways..same thing
ok..it's 10 pounds (where the heavens earth would you get a 10 pound laptop--> i dont see the justification)
Ok..and assuming its a brand name one...it comes with everything included..ms word, powerpoint, etc...
i dont see the logic
compared to the ibook --> you gotta buy office for $300 +
get it?
to correct some of my info--> didnt read carefully about laptop
anyways..same thing
ok..it's 10 pounds (where the heavens earth would you get a 10 pound laptop--> i dont see the justification)
Ok..and assuming its a brand name one...it comes with everything included..ms word, powerpoint, etc...
i dont see the logic
compared to the ibook --> you gotta buy office for $300 +
get it?
OldManJimbo said:
I don't have a personal story, but most of the stories I've heard have been of two general types:
1) "I used a PowerMac 6100 in a lab at school, and it was slow and crashed a lot." Hard to argue that the early PowerPCs ran pretty slow, and the classic MacOS wasn't super solid -- but any computer that is set up in a general-access computer lab is likely to get flaky.
2) "I loved my old Macintosh, then Apple foisted that evil MacOS X on us and I switched." People did love Macs prior to OS X, and some didn't want to make the adjustment to the new OS. I was the opposite: I liked Macs prior to OS X, but OS X made me need a Mac.
Interesting that the percentage for that response was so low. And the reasons for it could be any of the reasons given by those who didn't have Macs.
Crikey
gmail1 said:
Excuse me. I should have mentioned I'm using Canadian dollars. If you can get a name brand PC laptop for $900 go get it.
The one I got was $1499 + tax (in Canadian funds) It was the cheapest one on the shelf and yes it weighs 10 pounds. Why didn't I buy a $3000 CDN IBM ThinkPad or some such, 'cuz the project isn't worth it.
Part of the reason I bought the machine I did was specifically to show that for the same amount of Canadian dollars, I could have had a much better iBook. The lowest price iBook is listed at the Canadian Apple store for $1299 Canadian dollars and I wouldn't have to buy a mouse for it, it's light enough to carry around comfortably and comes with Appleworks pre-installed so I could get to work without buying ANY software. The PC I bought for a comparable price didn't come with any software.
The iBook also comes without the headaches of viruses, spyware, adware and other xxxxwares that will soon infect my new PC - another part of the project is to see how badly I can screw it up - that's going to be fun - and then what it takes to fix it again - oh joy
Even without the desk, the PC laptop is already costing me more than a new iBook would have so I don't know what your point is.
If I wanted to compare a PC laptop to my PowerBook, I would have looked for a comparable PC laptop but that's not the objective of the project.
Have a nice
day, Margaretwinwintoo said:Excuse me. I should have mentioned I'm using Canadian dollars. If you can get a name brand PC laptop for $900 go get it.
The one I got was $1499 + tax (in Canadian funds) It was the cheapest one on the shelf and yes it weighs 10 pounds. Why didn't I buy a $3000 CDN IBM ThinkPad or some such, 'cuz the project isn't worth it.
Part of the reason I bought the machine I did was specifically to show that for the same amount of Canadian dollars, I could have had a much better iBook. The lowest price iBook is listed at the Canadian Apple store for $1299 Canadian dollars and I wouldn't have to buy a mouse for it, it's light enough to carry around comfortably and comes with Appleworks pre-installed so I could get to work without buying ANY software. The PC I bought for a comparable price didn't come with any software.
The iBook also comes without the headaches of viruses, spyware, adware and other xxxxwares that will soon infect my new PC - another part of the project is to see how badly I can screw it up - that's going to be fun - and then what it takes to fix it again - oh joy
Even without the desk, the PC laptop is already costing me more than a new iBook would have so I don't know what your point is.
If I wanted to compare a PC laptop to my PowerBook, I would have looked for a comparable PC laptop but that's not the objective of the project.
Have a nice
Margaret...it's fun to blind yourself..isn't it?
Why did you assume I was American...I'm in Toronto and the Prices are Real
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pr..._id=0665000FS10031565&catid=11520&newdeptid=1
You cannot assume/blind yourself with the fact that all Pcs have adwares. Mine has Absolutely Zero.... and It has been staying for that for more than 3 + years. (No spyware crap software installed, whatsoever)
Compare that laptop and see (included is word, etc, and all the different programs you have to require)
you go have a nice day with your blindfold
gmail1 said:Margaret...it's fun to blind yourself..isn't it?
Why did you assume I was American...I'm in Toronto and the Prices are Real
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pr..._id=0665000FS10031565&catid=11520&newdeptid=1
You cannot assume/blind yourself with the fact that all Pcs have adwares. Mine has Absolutely Zero.... and It has been staying for that for more than 3 + years. (No spyware crap software installed, whatsoever)
Compare that laptop and see (included is word, etc, and all the different programs you have to require)
you go have a nice day with your blindfold
http://www.staples.ca/ENG/Catalog/cat_sku.asp?CatIds=89,90,91,450&webid=582083&affixedcode=WW
Shucks, there I go again, I only paid $500 more and got twice the processor speed, twice as much RAM, a DVD burner and a WIFI card - and a nifty case to carry it in.
I guess that's what I get for going in to the first shop I come to. When will I ever learn.
You need to relax for a bit before you hit the 401, don't want to be hearing about you on the 6 o'clock news. Yeah that's right, we get the TO 6 o'clock news way out here in hayseed country and some of us only wear blinders to keep out the shining light of wisdom pouring from the east - oh is that just the sun, what was I thinking.
Margaret
I'm wearing blinders 'cuz I'm doing what I want and the goal of the project I'm working on is to help a group of senior citizens get the most enjoyment out of their computing experience with the dollars they have to spend.
At the outset, I think their money would be better spend on an iBook. Many of them are snowbirds who travel south for a good part of the winter and an iBook is a lot easier to carry. Of the laptops in the store, this one was the only one in the price range of an iBook that had decent equipment. Sure there were cheaper ones, but they had less ram and slower processors, no DVD burner, and no WiFi. There were also lots that compare in size and weight to the iBook and have the faster processors and much better screens, but they were also way higher priced so as far as my experiment goes they were out of range.
As far as keeping it clean. Good for you. You obviously know what you're doing. These folks don't and will run into problems. My job will be to help bail them out. In order to help them, I need to know what they've done - I've never had to deal with a virus, that's why I'm anxious to *catch* one just to see what it's like
With only 3 days experience under my belt, I've already solved a wifi problem that had several network *experts* bamboozled. I think I'll be ok.
Oh and for what it's worth, when I'm done with the computer, I'll be donating it to the food bank.
Have a nice day eh!
Margaret
Go get 'em!winwintoo said:http://www.staples.ca/ENG/Catalog/cat_sku.asp?CatIds=89,90,91,450&webid=582083&affixedcode=WW
Shucks, there I go again, I only paid $500 more and got twice the processor speed, twice as much RAM, a DVD burner and a WIFI card - and a nifty case to carry it in.
I guess that's what I get for going in to the first shop I come to. When will I ever learn.
You need to relax for a bit before you hit the 401, don't want to be hearing about you on the 6 o'clock news. Yeah that's right, we get the TO 6 o'clock news way out here in hayseed country and some of us only wear blinders to keep out the shining light of wisdom pouring from the east - oh is that just the sun, what was I thinking.
Margaret
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