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Why exactly do you buy Apple computers?

I have to say that you thinking that "I like the OS better" is a cop out is some what faulty. I mean, you can get a better value on anything on a non mac PC. There probably are some people who like the way they look, but for me the OS is totally the only reason I use Apple products. It just works. There was no comparison to how long it took to get familiar when learning the two OS together. One seemed to be intuitive, simple, elegant, and easy, while the other defied all logic as to how it was layed out. Closing a window quits the app? What? I can't uninstall IE? Huh? I actually have to use IE to get certain software updates? Why so many versions of one OS? With macs, everything was right where I there where I though it should be.
Heck, I still feel wierd using XP, and I need to work on it.
 
This should be interesting :). Ok, here goes...

Why do I purchase Apple computers? When I was in elementary school, the very first computer I remember operating on was a seriously old Mac. I don't remember what it was (Apple II maybe?) but it was so old that it didn't even have a hard drive. You had to use a Floppy (the huge, actually floppy floppy drives). I remember the kids huddled around a tiny, monochrome screen, giggling at our daring, avoiding schoolwork by playing Oregon Trail.

After that, when I had all grown up, I got myself into building computers. It was a fun challenge, figuring out which parts fit where, and understanding the intricacies of overclocking and system cooling. It was a fun time, and by the time I left college I must have built six or seven systems. I never did it for profit, I just wanted the challenge, the thrill of watching something that I built with my two hands come to life.

Which made it all the more frustrating when these creations misbehaved, which they did. Often. I can't count the number of times when obscure drivers for specific motherboards and chipsets had to be dug up from some corner of the internet, not to mention the fact that you HAD to ensure the ethernet cable was NOT plugged in until you're CERTAIN you've got virus scanning software installed along with the latest service pack.

Now, currently, my desktop at home is a beast. An unruly, occasionally stubborn beast, but it can handle even the most demanding application or game that I throw at it. I view its occasional recalcitrance as simply the price I must bear for its sheer processing might and graphical prowess.

But sometimes, all I need is the internet, word processing, and a storage container for all of my media, which I can carry around with me. Now a PC can achieve that, but given the fact that I am my family's tech support, I know from first-hand experience that PC laptops are prone to just about every problem under the sun. Additionally, unlike my desktop at home, I cannot take it apart and replace a part. There's also no singular location I can go to for help.

For a desktop, I would avoid the iMac simply because in a desktop I like customization and power, which the iMac cannot compare to a custom-built PC. But for a notebook, when the two things I prize most are stability and the knowledge that should it break, I would know exactly where I could go for help, nothing beats a Mac.

I won't deny also that the Mac does simply look better than most PCs. In additionally, I still do not understand why PCs don't wake up and give me bigger trackpads. After being spoiled by the Unibody Macbook Pro's massive trackpad, I just can't use the minuscule trackpad on my parents' Sony Vaio anymore. How are you supposed to track on less than 2 inches worth of trackpad?
 
I got sick of spending most of my time on the computer trying to make it do what I wanted, now I spend that time here.
 
Going to sound like a cliche here, but I buy them because they just work. I use Windows PCs at work all day, and troubleshoot friends'/family Windows PCs all the time, and it's nice to know that at home I have something simple that just works. I can't count the number of times I've tried to show people how to do various (what should be) mindless tasks on a Windows PC, while I've sat there thinking to myself, "if this were a Mac, this would be so easy."

The out-of-the-box experience you get with a Windows machine simply doesn't compare to what you get with a Mac. The tasks that most users buy a computer for -- web surfing, email, working with pictures and maybe an occasional movie, etc. -- are just easier to do right out of the box with a Mac. It's simple, straightforward, and without a lot of clutter, bloatware, pop-ups etc. Everything you need to get started comes with it. The support is better, and hell, the Mac even comes with a pretty good manual.

(and FYI, I've been using Windows computers far longer than I've been using Macs. I'm comfortable with both, and I used to be one of those "Macs suck" kind of people who just said it out of ignorance. They truly, simply are easier to use.)
 
Before I entered my graphic design course, I was a diehard PC user. At first for college I wanted to build myself a gaming PC and hack the useful Apps I needed (Photoshop, Ilustrator, InDesign and Word essentially). Then, I wanted to make an hackintosh but finally I settled for a real Mac. After a few months now I won't switch back. Seriously, I never had a real issue with Mac OS X (all the trouble I had was with the adobe suite and a broken keyboard, repaired by an Apple Center freely) while I spend my time fixing Windows on my Mac and on the comp of my Friends. My cousin as a PC that been 3 times in repair since october, and they refuse to replace it or give back her money so she can buy her own Mac.
 
I bought a Macbook Pro because:

1.) Design and build quality.
2.) OSX is simple and intuitive on the surface, yet very complex if you're so inclined to dig under hood.
3.) Change.
4.) Re-sale value is much better than PC's.
5.) Community.
6.) Product releases are exciting.
7.) I don't have to worry about viruses.
8.) I can still run Windows when I want/have to.
 
I a dual cit. Brit/Yank. Lived all over the place and can't stop eating the hottest food available. :confused: (Like Tenn. though, even if it's more conservative than a monastery)

I grew up on windows. Dad had whatever that system was in 1984 that wasn't mac (everyone had macs back then). I used the version before win 95 and then 95 at uni. My first computer (the first that I bought with my own hard earned money) had '98 then xp. Why change? Because I do a hell of a lot of writing and with windows I ended up doing less writing and more fixing every darn thing. Really, it was just one problem after another. XP was better than the others, but still took up more time than I wanted to give.

I used macs at work and really abused them (since I didn't know what I was doing at first), but no matter what dumb #$% I did, they didn't freeze up, shut down, require registry fixes etc. So, once the win box became obsolete, I bought a mac and have had plenty of time for writing ever since... I can even join internet forums ;-).

I credit Windows for teaching me so much about computers. ...
 
I bought mine because it's sexy, same reason my PC rolls with a $400 aluminum case and $600 of blingy looking watercooling hardware that I don't really need.
 
Not really sure honestly. I grew up with my family using Windows, and they all still do, I'm the only Mac user.

But I do believe my interest was sparked in elementary school. I've moved around a lot, so I don't remember when or where it occured, but in one school I went to, we used those original Bondi Blue iMac G3's for computer classes, and we had older AIO PowerMac's and LC's in the classrooms. I remember being intrigued by how the OS and the computers themselves were so differrent from what I used at home. I guess that's where my fascination started. Unfortunately, the next school I went to used PC's and every school since.

I remember getting an iPod for Christmas one year. I don't remember how I knew about it, but I wanted one. And I loved it. At this time, I started looking into Macs more (Around 2005 I guess.). And my interest only grew as I learned more about them. I bought a few older Macs including an iMac G3, but I was still on a PC at home. Finally, I convinced my parents to get me an Intel Mac mini in 2006, and the rest is history. (Though I actually use PPC Macs now, oddly.)

I use Macs because of the OS. Much more stable then Windows, no viruses and overall more user intuitive. (Though I have some gripes there.)
 
My first Mac was an LC III (we're talking Motorola 68030 with System 7 here) that I inherited from my dad, who was a graphic artist. I tried to convince him that the software he used at work (Quark Xpress) worked just as well on Windows as the Macs he used at work, and thought he was crazy getting a Mac at home. I sold it within a month and was one of the "Macs are overpriced" people. Fast forward ten years to 2005 when I started a new job. I needed to control network test equipment with software that only runs on Windows so I got a Dell laptop, but most of the rest of my co-workers had PowerBooks. At home I have several Linux boxes for my MythTV and file servers and am comfortable using Linux and Unix. I was interested when my coworkers discussed how Fink made patching many Linux apps to run on X11 on OS X seamless and started thinking about Macs just when the rumors that Apple would be switching to Intel started. I got one of the original Intel minis, knowing that it would not be long before you could run either Windows or Linux on it natively or through virtualization if I completely hated OS X. I was right about both, and ran Windows under Q for a while. By the time Bootcamp and Parallels came around I had decided that I liked OS X itself and wouldn't need to turn my Mac into an Apple Windows machine (although I do have a Bootcamp partition as well as Fusion). Now I have a MacBook Pro at work and am looking to get a Macbook for home use. Forget the iPod halo effect, the Mac halo effect even got me to buy my first iPod last year, a 16GB touch Gen1. :D
 
macDonalds said:
I bought a Macbook Pro because:

1.) Design and build quality.
2.) OSX is simple and intuitive on the surface, yet very complex if you're so inclined to dig under hood.
3.) Change.
4.) Re-sale value is much better than PC's.
5.) Community.
6.) Product releases are exciting.
7.) I don't have to worry about viruses.
8.) I can still run Windows when I want/have to.
Click to expand...

I could let all that speak for me also. I switched about 2 years ago and will never buy another PC. Each day I go to work and have to use one reminds me of how much I enjoy using my Mac when at home or other.
 
I am a designer, an artist, and i put reason behind every decision. I think through every out come and boil choices down to the very best option. Simple useful and looks good while doing it.

Apple does not compromise ( ok a little with specs, lets not go there) for beauty. They find ways to make it work to matter how long it takes.

It may take forever for apple to update and really refresh a product. But as we all know it is worth the wait.

Apple designs great computers that are so incredibly user friendly. you dont have to think to use an apple. Its all right there. Beautifully and Simply.
 
I used to be a windows user, 95-XP. I got tired of all the viruses, virus scanners, windows update ( I really hate there update system), fixing all my relatives windows computers and coming home to the same junk. My first attempt at moving away from windows was Linux, I loved it and still do but it can be a pain to get it to do everything you want it to do sometimes, and hardware drivers can be a pain. When Apple released the G4 Mini at a price I could afford I bought one, the first couple days where a bit painful cause the OS is pretty different in some ways, but once I figured out I was making it harder then it was, I loved it. Basically turn it on and use it, no fuss, no endless tinkering, I really have had no problems at all in the several years I been using it now. Only thing I dislike about it is the insane hardware control, Id love to get a mac that I can upgrade stuff on and be cheaper then a Mac Pro.
 
Because using a Mac is fun. I have nothing against Windows per se, but when I am using a Mac it doesn't feel like I am even using a computer or a machine. It just feels natural.
 
Depending on how I feel, I may give different answers.

In the past, I went for Macs because they were far better than PCs, easier to use, and more durable. These days, anymore, buying Apple is more of a habit without very strong reasons why.

Apple has stayed good consistently over a long period of time. The PC side has played catch up and are nearly as good today, imho. If I had to have a job where I used a PC, I would be just fine and not fret over it. And if Windows gets their act together for the next few Windows releases and they are as good as OS X has been, I could even use a PC as my main machine at home. But so far, when I have had both, I favored the Macs.

Though I once believed Microsoft was all terrible and all evil, I no longer see them as that. There are actually companies I trust way less and I would specifically buy a MS product I didn't need before I would get something from E-Machines or HP.

After I got over hating Microsoft and started seeing some good things about them, I had to get over bad experiences and reviews I have heard about IBM. And when Lenovo sprung from IBM, my initial reaction was not that positive being I thought IBM finally got their consumer PCs up to par, only to sell off their computer division. Today I see Lenovo running a future version of Windows as a very real possibility as a main computer someday.

I think Apple's real strong point is iPod and iPhone, and it's taken over that company's identity of being that "company that makes Macs and OS X". Within a year after the iPod release, I heard Apple referred to as "that iPod company/maker". Where as the Macintosh in 1984 was the ultimate technology pop culture symbol of that period in history, the iPod is the most recognizable high tech symbol of today.
 
Well, I suppose the reason I was driven (and I really was, I thought Windows and Dell was as good as it gets) into the arms of Apple was Windows XP.

Sure, when XP first came out it was a saviour. It brought levels of stability and reliability to the Windows desktop world that had never been seen before. However after several years of using the same operating system without any notable improvements in user interface and a bout of dubious performance and reliability with Dell during their own darkest days, coupled with my own increased reliance on computers due to the success of my business, PC's became restrictive and a chore.

So, I got a Mac mini to test the water and three years later my entire business runs Mac. Ever since that first Mac mini my reasons for buying Mac have been that it's so much more conductive to my personal productivity. Networking has also been very easy, and 'Terminal', which probably doesn't even get a look by most users, is fantastic for SSH right out the box without needing something like Vandyke's SecureCRT.

I've found Apple hardware to be reliable and, despite really needing same day on site service, Applecare has thus far been sufficient with only minor issues. Security in a business environment has also been enhanced - managing malware on one's own computer is one thing but when it comes to staff computers it's much easier if malware is simply not an issue.

So yes, that's a brief summary of 'why Mac' for me, and my business.

Now, of course, there's the iPhone and MobileMe, which have been phenomenal for me. You could say I'm pretty 'locked in' now for the foreseeable future, so I have to have a reasonable amount of faith that Apple is going to behave itself and not fall down another rabbit hole.
 
Because my first computer had windows ME. not a joke. I couldn't go back to windows after that.
 
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