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Why exactly do you buy Apple computers?
- Thread starter Jpoon
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I purchased my first Mac on Saturday. I bought it, basically, out of curiosity and based on the good experience I've had with the iPod I purchased last spring with much hesitation. The pleasant surprise of that experience led me to try a Mac.
Having said that, my initial experience with the MacBook is pretty good, although being a PC guy, it's taking some time for me to figure out certain things. Initially, I missed the taskbar, to find running applications quickly, until I discovered that the panel at the bottom of the screen appears to host the running applications (correct me, if I'm wrong). I really miss my start-menu for quickly finding my applications without having to open a "finder" window.
I am taking a free class from the business that sold me the MacBook in April, so I hope to learn where some of these equivalencies on the mac OS can be found.
I haven't tried the hot-corners yet, but I suspect that I won't like it. Time will tell.
PS: I was too lazy to drag out the MacBook tonight, so I am typing this on my PC.
PPS: What gives with the "one-button" touchpad? I hate it so much I had to order a bluetooth mouse.
Having said that, my initial experience with the MacBook is pretty good, although being a PC guy, it's taking some time for me to figure out certain things. Initially, I missed the taskbar, to find running applications quickly, until I discovered that the panel at the bottom of the screen appears to host the running applications (correct me, if I'm wrong). I really miss my start-menu for quickly finding my applications without having to open a "finder" window.
I am taking a free class from the business that sold me the MacBook in April, so I hope to learn where some of these equivalencies on the mac OS can be found.
I haven't tried the hot-corners yet, but I suspect that I won't like it. Time will tell.
PS: I was too lazy to drag out the MacBook tonight, so I am typing this on my PC.
PPS: What gives with the "one-button" touchpad? I hate it so much I had to order a bluetooth mouse.
I switched because I was tired of the problems that I was experiencing with Windows. I know that there are folks out there that never have problems with their windows machines, but I couldn't seem to go more than a few weeks without some expletive hitting the fan.
Actually, I have very few problems with my PCs. I don't think I've gotten a blue screen in several years. Most of the people who have so many problems with their PCs have these problems because they aren't real knowledgeable. They delete system files, install every application they find, and/or don't run antivirus software. They also never wipe their hard drive and re-install the OS. So after about a year, the PC is toast and they're screwed. I reinstall the OS about once a year and am still using a PC that I've had for 7 years and it still runs like a new PC. Yeah, I've replaced the hard drive and I'm not a gamer, so I can easily get 7 years out of a PC.
When I got my first PC, I didn't exercise any common sense, and found myself needing to rebuild the PC after about 4 or 5 months. Following the experience I had with the company I purchased the PC from, I decided that I was going to learn everything I possibly could about them to avoid such problems in the future.
12 years later, and I have very few problems with my PCs. I bought the mac, I think, out of boredom. I can do pretty much anything I want with Windows. I wanted to be able to experience an operating system that made me feel like a complete newbie again. I want to learn how to make a Mac sit up and beg like I can with my PC.
I don't know how long a Mac can go without a rebuild, but I'm looking forward to finding out.
When I got my first PC, I didn't exercise any common sense, and found myself needing to rebuild the PC after about 4 or 5 months. Following the experience I had with the company I purchased the PC from, I decided that I was going to learn everything I possibly could about them to avoid such problems in the future.
12 years later, and I have very few problems with my PCs. I bought the mac, I think, out of boredom. I can do pretty much anything I want with Windows. I wanted to be able to experience an operating system that made me feel like a complete newbie again. I want to learn how to make a Mac sit up and beg like I can with my PC.
I don't know how long a Mac can go without a rebuild, but I'm looking forward to finding out.
Really? I've been using Vista since its launch and I haven't had one single system crash or lock up. Not one. It's been rock solid.
This is my second go-round on a Mac. My very first was a low-end Performa model back in 93 or 94 maybe?? It was my first computer purchase and I bought the Performa because I used both Windows 3.1 and a Macintosh at work and found the Mac easier to use. It was a good little computer 
My computers over the next several years however were all Windows-based - it was what I used at work and what I was used to. I switched back to Macintosh in 2005 after I managed to get the Blue Screen of Death on my Dell laptop and then my next laptop, an HP, I kept getting crazy .DLL errors when I tried to remove programs (I know, user error of some sort, but it was very frustrating).
My husband is a Mac tech who had always been trying to get me to switch. He became frustrated with my frustration so he went and bought me a MacBook. It took a little getting used to but within a couple of months I was loving my new computer and I haven't looked back since. I upgraded to a MBP a year and a half later for the bigger screen size, and I love it. This is one of the only times that I openly admit that my husband was right
My computers over the next several years however were all Windows-based - it was what I used at work and what I was used to. I switched back to Macintosh in 2005 after I managed to get the Blue Screen of Death on my Dell laptop and then my next laptop, an HP, I kept getting crazy .DLL errors when I tried to remove programs (I know, user error of some sort, but it was very frustrating).
My husband is a Mac tech who had always been trying to get me to switch. He became frustrated with my frustration so he went and bought me a MacBook. It took a little getting used to but within a couple of months I was loving my new computer and I haven't looked back since. I upgraded to a MBP a year and a half later for the bigger screen size, and I love it. This is one of the only times that I openly admit that my husband was right
Put your applications folder in your dock and set it to 'View contents as list', it will work similar enough to a start menu.
Do you know that if you hold two fingers on the track pad and then click, it works like a right-click? Takes some getting used to if you came from a two-button track pad, but I find I like it better. Don't have to aim for one button or the other.
As for my contribution to the topic at hand, I buy macs because they integrate better with the unix environments in which I work while being much friendlier for the less worky stuff I like to do.
You should really take some time to find out how your new computer can work for you before you go rushing out buying unnecessary peripherals.
If you go into system settings (the icon with the cogs in your dock at the bottom of your screen) and choose 'trackpad', you'll see bunch of options, with video tips, on how to do all sorts of gestures (including tapping the trackpad for both a click and a right-click).
What a load of bull. Do you think people are mindless drones so that "advertising hype" can make them like MacOS X more than Windows? If you want an intelligent discussion, then start with an intelligent post.
Try this to start TextEdit, for example: Type Command-Space, the Spotlight box appears, then type TextEdit. Do this slowly the first time, so you see what happens. As you type, Spotlight finds all relevant items on your computer, including applications. And it remembers what you picked, so the second time TextEdit will come up immediately.
For example, to start Address Book, I type Command-Space A D Return.
I think I am finished buying apple computers. Sadly after years of being a devoted mac user, I am looking to switch my laptop to a linux distro and my desktop back to a windows OS.
I originally bought macs because of final cut and dvd studio pro but I have stopped using those programs. I am finding myself needing to use Windows on a more regular basis and constantly need more knowledge of Windows. As for Linux, it is something new and something close to OS X, so might as well go to there.
I originally bought macs because of final cut and dvd studio pro but I have stopped using those programs. I am finding myself needing to use Windows on a more regular basis and constantly need more knowledge of Windows. As for Linux, it is something new and something close to OS X, so might as well go to there.
I now use Apple computers because of one simple thing: they're just plain awesome. I love the way it works, and with few complaints, it just works. I know it's a cliché statement, but it's true for the most part... It just does what it's supposed to when it's supposed to.
Now, why did I first start using Apple computers and Mac OS X? Easy: because I couldn't stand Windows in all of its craptastic incarnations. That operating system is the most frustrating, ridiculous piece of crap software I've ever made regular use of. I found myself left and right cursing the absolute stupidity of how idiotically incompetent they must have been to make the OS so unstable, so inefficiently, so bug-ridden.
Seriously. I have a regular PC system with new hardware. It's a standard set of hardware that millions of people use all over the world, I'm sure of that. It took me, NO JOKE, 10+ installs to finally get a working Windows system on the machine. And by working, I don't mean "fully." I still can't update my Vista install because it installs the same 45 new updates every single time it reboots!! Holy friggin' crap!! Honestly!? Every single time, the same updates, installing over and over and over.
Well to make Vista and XP laughable at how they could never properly install on my fully functional standard hardware, I actually installed Leopard on my PC machine (Hackintosh). Guess what? After swapping out a DVD-ROM that wasn't compatible, I got the install to work the first time I tried. My Leopard install is still running nearly flawlessly on my PC hardware, and I've updated it with all the latest updates. Virtually ZERO problems. Every now and then my USB devices need to be unplugged and plugged back on in startup, but that combined with a non-functional sleep is the limit of my problems.
I couldn't stand that absolute piece of trash that Microsoft produces, so I went to Apple and started with an iBook G4. Loved it. My more powerful desktop Windows XP machine was collecting dust as I preferred my iBook to it at every turn. Finally I just unplugged my monitor from the desktop and plugged it into the iBook. I sold the desktop for $100 just to get rid of that piece of trash.
Monetarily Apple machines are more expensive. Sure, they got style and design and some convenient features, too (remote, blue tooth, webcam, magnetic power cord connection, etc). But overall a bit expensive. That's why I love my Hackintosh, I've got 3.0GHz with 8GB of RAM, a nice 8800GT graphics card, 1.5TB of HDD space, and room to grow and update for all around $800.
To get what I have in a Mac Pro, it would cost over $4000. Sure, the Mac Pro would be a much more powerful machine with better processor and RAM and whatnot, but still, there is no alternative to trying to get what I have in anything other than an extremely overpriced Mac Pro.
I have Windows Vista installed on my PC desktop. So is Leopard. I use Leopard most of the time, switch to Vista only to play a game like Crysis or something. Windows to me is like a video game console. A really, really, really, really unstable console. I have a PS2. I pop in a game, it works, no problems, piece of cake. With Windows, you have to fight it to get it to work right. It doesn't like you. I try to copy files from one folder to another on the same HDD and it crashes. No, that wasn't on my current install, that was my last install before reformatting. No hardware problems, I checked. Leopard is now using the same HDD problem free for months.
Sometimes when I start a game it will just hang endlessly. I checked everything out, no hardware problems reported. I've reinstalled countless times, it just will NEVER work right. NEVER. Some people claim Windows works for them without a problem. GOOD FOR YOU.
It doesn't work for me so that's that. Apple is much, much better anyway.
Now, why did I first start using Apple computers and Mac OS X? Easy: because I couldn't stand Windows in all of its craptastic incarnations. That operating system is the most frustrating, ridiculous piece of crap software I've ever made regular use of. I found myself left and right cursing the absolute stupidity of how idiotically incompetent they must have been to make the OS so unstable, so inefficiently, so bug-ridden.
Seriously. I have a regular PC system with new hardware. It's a standard set of hardware that millions of people use all over the world, I'm sure of that. It took me, NO JOKE, 10+ installs to finally get a working Windows system on the machine. And by working, I don't mean "fully." I still can't update my Vista install because it installs the same 45 new updates every single time it reboots!! Holy friggin' crap!! Honestly!? Every single time, the same updates, installing over and over and over.
Well to make Vista and XP laughable at how they could never properly install on my fully functional standard hardware, I actually installed Leopard on my PC machine (Hackintosh). Guess what? After swapping out a DVD-ROM that wasn't compatible, I got the install to work the first time I tried. My Leopard install is still running nearly flawlessly on my PC hardware, and I've updated it with all the latest updates. Virtually ZERO problems. Every now and then my USB devices need to be unplugged and plugged back on in startup, but that combined with a non-functional sleep is the limit of my problems.
I couldn't stand that absolute piece of trash that Microsoft produces, so I went to Apple and started with an iBook G4. Loved it. My more powerful desktop Windows XP machine was collecting dust as I preferred my iBook to it at every turn. Finally I just unplugged my monitor from the desktop and plugged it into the iBook. I sold the desktop for $100 just to get rid of that piece of trash.
Monetarily Apple machines are more expensive. Sure, they got style and design and some convenient features, too (remote, blue tooth, webcam, magnetic power cord connection, etc). But overall a bit expensive. That's why I love my Hackintosh, I've got 3.0GHz with 8GB of RAM, a nice 8800GT graphics card, 1.5TB of HDD space, and room to grow and update for all around $800.
To get what I have in a Mac Pro, it would cost over $4000. Sure, the Mac Pro would be a much more powerful machine with better processor and RAM and whatnot, but still, there is no alternative to trying to get what I have in anything other than an extremely overpriced Mac Pro.
I have Windows Vista installed on my PC desktop. So is Leopard. I use Leopard most of the time, switch to Vista only to play a game like Crysis or something. Windows to me is like a video game console. A really, really, really, really unstable console. I have a PS2. I pop in a game, it works, no problems, piece of cake. With Windows, you have to fight it to get it to work right. It doesn't like you. I try to copy files from one folder to another on the same HDD and it crashes. No, that wasn't on my current install, that was my last install before reformatting. No hardware problems, I checked. Leopard is now using the same HDD problem free for months.
Sometimes when I start a game it will just hang endlessly. I checked everything out, no hardware problems reported. I've reinstalled countless times, it just will NEVER work right. NEVER. Some people claim Windows works for them without a problem. GOOD FOR YOU.
It doesn't work for me so that's that. Apple is much, much better anyway.
It's not just the right click issue. I've also found that the touchpad button itself isn't as responsive as the buttons on my Toshiba notebook's touchpad. Besides, I thought the mouse would be handier. But thanks for the suggestions. I will try them the next time I get on the mac.
I recently made the switch over to a mac for personal use. I've used them at work and in school a few years ago when I took some graphics classes, but never had one just for myself. The college I go to gives students laptops as part of a program. Graphic design majors get MacBooks (the white ones) and everyone else gets IBM Thinkpads. On top of my IBM I also have a Dell XPS desktop that I used for gaming back when I still had time for that. I never had any problems with my Dell, even after doing some upgrades and switching to Vista. But I hated Vista. Now I'll admit, I never sat down and really spent a lot of time playing with settings, etc. and trying to change it, but it just wasn't for me. There's nothing wrong with the computer itself, it's just personal preference.
My decision to buy my MacBook was based off of several things.
1) I do like OS X and enjoy the difference features and the ease of using them
2) I've had great experiences with Apple customer service, and working in customer service myself I find that an important factor when buying something. I want to purchase from a company that stands behind their product. I work for an Apple reseller, we check products in for service that are often sent to Apple and we always receive stellar results.
3) I like the look. Call me a fool to advertising if you want, I love the look of the Apple computers. I have for years. I don't mind paying a little extra for something that looks nice. It's like cars, do people need little sports cars to get from point A to point B safely ... nope ... but if you can afford it and it's what you like then who cares?
My decision to buy my MacBook was based off of several things.
1) I do like OS X and enjoy the difference features and the ease of using them
2) I've had great experiences with Apple customer service, and working in customer service myself I find that an important factor when buying something. I want to purchase from a company that stands behind their product. I work for an Apple reseller, we check products in for service that are often sent to Apple and we always receive stellar results.
3) I like the look. Call me a fool to advertising if you want, I love the look of the Apple computers. I have for years. I don't mind paying a little extra for something that looks nice. It's like cars, do people need little sports cars to get from point A to point B safely ... nope ... but if you can afford it and it's what you like then who cares?
I got the MightyMouse today, so this is no longer an issue. Incidently, I love it.
Thanks for the tip! In windows I start the calculator, excel, word and notepad in the same manner using start --> run.
This worked beautifully. Thanks for the tip.
My fiancee got one before I did. I give hers a shot and really liked it.
What keeps me here is the "It just works factor." I don't need to worry about defrag, viruses, or complicated procedures to back up data. My performance requirements are slim, so it's really about the experience. I also appreciate the commitment to design. I also like the unix aspect (although it took them until leopard to add work spaces).
What keeps me here is the "It just works factor." I don't need to worry about defrag, viruses, or complicated procedures to back up data. My performance requirements are slim, so it's really about the experience. I also appreciate the commitment to design. I also like the unix aspect (although it took them until leopard to add work spaces).
I got a Mac for school/work related reasons. I'm into film/video and photography for school and work. Mac OSX runs the two major video editing software suites, Avid Media Composer and Final Cut Studio. It also can run After Effects, Photoshop, Maya and Lightwave for my compositing, graphic design (logo's, lettering, graphics etc...) and my 3D modeling needs. I can also run Aperture or even Photoshop Lightroom to manage my 30k+ photo's. These were the reasons back in 2007 when I bought my first Mac, not to mention that I grew up with Macs since around System 7, but always had PC's at home. Ever try editing in Vegas Video? Its a disaster!
Also, in terms of hardware, when I got my macbook pro, I couldn't find another laptop that had all the features I wanted and/or needed in it. High quality matte, hi-res screen, webcam and a lot of power and ports, and portability. I found a Lenovo of similar cost, but that did not have a 17inch screen, nor OSX.
Also, in terms of build quality, I have yet to see another non-mac laptop live up to the style, and pure elegance of my 17inch, nor its vesatility. I have an expresscard for my SDHC cards, and for eSATA and firewire ports.
I also buy macs because I believe in quality hardware, software and the amazing solutions Apple can offer me as a student and for business purposes. Dot Mac/MobileMe is one of the most amazing ways I've ever used to transmitting anything to anyone (public folder/share file anyone?) as well as to easily chat with someone securely. I had dot mac before I bought my mac.
I believe in a product that is more then a product, its an extension of myself.
Also, in terms of hardware, when I got my macbook pro, I couldn't find another laptop that had all the features I wanted and/or needed in it. High quality matte, hi-res screen, webcam and a lot of power and ports, and portability. I found a Lenovo of similar cost, but that did not have a 17inch screen, nor OSX.
Also, in terms of build quality, I have yet to see another non-mac laptop live up to the style, and pure elegance of my 17inch, nor its vesatility. I have an expresscard for my SDHC cards, and for eSATA and firewire ports.
I also buy macs because I believe in quality hardware, software and the amazing solutions Apple can offer me as a student and for business purposes. Dot Mac/MobileMe is one of the most amazing ways I've ever used to transmitting anything to anyone (public folder/share file anyone?) as well as to easily chat with someone securely. I had dot mac before I bought my mac.
I believe in a product that is more then a product, its an extension of myself.
to start with it was purely for the software, i needed logic, but now i won't look back. i just prefer the mac osx feel and features. things like expose and spaces are invaluable
had a hardware issue with a vaio i had so i bought an ibook way back when. im pretty loyal to quality products, and i have had no reason to complain about any of the apple products that i've purchased, so i'll continue to support them.
plus its cool to own a mac, right?
plus its cool to own a mac, right?
