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Why should I switch to a Mac?

Actually, "macchiato" means "to stain" (got that one from a chef), hence a short black or espresso is simply stained with a dollop of foam etc to form a macchiato.

Best ever coffee? Without a doubt, "First Lane" coffee shop in Blenheim, New Zealand. However, I've only visited a couple hundred coffee shops around the world, so there are just 194,498 to go before I depart this earth, so there may be a better one yet.

Max
 
Another potential convert

I am currently going to Indiana University in Bloomington. I had never been exposed to Macs until I came here. I haven't used them much (I bought an HP laptop before coming here), but my friend bought a 12" powerbook recently. Needless to say I was very impressed with OS X and the speed of the machine.

I use my PC mostly for internet, media (DVD and Music), word processing, e-mail, and instant messaging. I have been upset with how loud my PC is. The fan is ridiculous. It also has a tendency to get very hot. It is also very heavy for a 15" notebook.

I also like to mess around making websites and photo-editing, but I'm not really serious with it.

I have also had a lot of concerns about the security. Windows XP has had been serious flaws. I downloaded Zone Alarm firewall, but I'm not totally sure that is will help with a serious problem.

What do you think would be good for me? Why should I switch? What is the best antivirus software? How is Safari with pop-ups (Does it have a built-in blocker)?

Obviously, I am very Mac-illiterate, so any help would be much appreciated. I just want a capable computer with everything I need... and I am tired of giving money to a company as evil as Microsoft :D

Thanks
 
Reimei said:
I am currently going to Indiana University in Bloomington. I had never been exposed to Macs until I came here. I haven't used them much (I bought an HP laptop before coming here), but my friend bought a 12" powerbook recently. Needless to say I was very impressed with OS X and the speed of the machine.

I use my PC mostly for internet, media (DVD and Music), word processing, e-mail, and instant messaging. I have been upset with how loud my PC is. The fan is ridiculous. It also has a tendency to get very hot. It is also very heavy for a 15" notebook.

I also like to mess around making websites and photo-editing, but I'm not really serious with it.

I have also had a lot of concerns about the security. Windows XP has had been serious flaws. I downloaded Zone Alarm firewall, but I'm not totally sure that is will help with a serious problem.

What do you think would be good for me? Why should I switch? What is the best antivirus software? How is Safari with pop-ups (Does it have a built-in blocker)?

Obviously, I am very Mac-illiterate, so any help would be much appreciated. I just want a capable computer with everything I need... and I am tired of giving money to a company as evil as Microsoft :D

Thanks
Click to expand...
IU? I live in Bedford, IN. If ya didn't know it's 20 mins south! I currently go to UE in Evansville!
 
I am absolutely unqualified to comment on Mac vs PC with any credibility, but after a day with a brand new ibook I can say that it works incredibly well, stays relatively very cool (and that's in Brisbane, Australia, a sub tropical climate) and apart from a fairly noisy disk insert mechanism, is almost silent. Oh, and the keyboard is sensational compared to the Vaio. Very impressed.

Multitasking wise, I have had browser, Appleworks, mail, etc etc all running it doesn't seem to make any difference. PS Elements seems to run just a little slower than PC but I can live with that.

That's my 2-bob worth for the moment.


Max
 
Welcome to the Land of Mac!

Reimei said:
I am currently going to Indiana University in Bloomington..... I have been upset with how loud my PC is. The fan is ridiculous. It also has a tendency to get very hot. It is also very heavy for a 15" notebook.....I have also had a lot of concerns about the security. Windows XP has had been serious flaws. I downloaded Zone Alarm firewall, but I'm not totally sure that is will help with a serious problem.

What do you think would be good for me? Why should I switch? What is the best antivirus software? How is Safari with pop-ups (Does it have a built-in blocker)?
Click to expand...

Welcome to the Land of Mac. A 15" powerbook, weighs a mere 5.6 pounds. and you almost never hear the fan when it kicks in--which isn't often. Most folk find Macs to be "whisper quiet." That's all Macs, laptops included. And while powerbooks do get a bit warm (all laptops do, nature of the beast) they never get all that hot.

As for security...If you get a Mac, you almost don't have to worry about security at all. Don't get me wrong, there are viruses out there and you always have to worry some. BUT 95% of all viruses are aimed at Windows--because that's all but 5% of the market. So, if you get a Mac, you immediately protect yourself from about 95% of the viruses out there which are aimed at Windows. After that, Norton's is always good. Also, OS X comes with some really high security features built in.

And yes, Safari has a built in pop-up blocker. Unless the ads are embedded in the site, you don't get them. No pop ups. Period.

And just in case you think Macs a little pricy (hey, they are!), you can get up to 20% off the cost because you're a student--or you can get referbished powerbook which is just like new only less money. Is that enough reasons to switch?
 
Reimei said:
I have also had a lot of concerns about the security. Windows XP has had been serious flaws. I downloaded Zone Alarm firewall, but I'm not totally sure that is will help with a serious problem.

What do you think would be good for me? Why should I switch? What is the best antivirus software? How is Safari with pop-ups (Does it have a built-in blocker)?

Obviously, I am very Mac-illiterate, so any help would be much appreciated. I just want a capable computer with everything I need... and I am tired of giving money to a company as evil as Microsoft :D

Thanks
Click to expand...

Security is a big issue with computers and the Mac reigns supreme for the personal user, currently there are 0 virii for Mac OSX and it has been available in public beta since 2001. A British security firm mi2g I believem noted that UNIX and BSD on which OSX is based on were the least hacked systems over the year.
OSX comes with its own software firewall on by default and is as good as ZoneAlarm without all the random problems that ZoneAlarm can cause. Furthermore, OSX does have Norton Anti-virus and Apple has its own service under .Mac with Virex, so if a virus for OSX ever appears, there are already solutions.
Safari is a fast browser with pop-up blocker and the Mac also can use Firefox, Opera, and even *shudder* IE.
And, if you really want to avoid Microsoft, you can use OpenOffice.
 
kaylee said:
hi ozimax,

i also live in brisbane. which apple store are you going to? i recommendNext Byte (260 Adelaide St), as in my experience i have found their staff to be really helpful and polite. i cant say the same for all of the staff at infinite systems (Charlotte St).
also, do you qualify for education discount, or do you know someone who does that you can get to purchase for you? cos it will save you at between $100 and $300 depending on what laptop you decide on. apple does have a deal currently until the end of march for education only, where you can get some extra ram, and ipod (20 gb) and AE card, and get a couple of hundred off the normal edu cost. alternatively, there is a buy a powerbook, get an ipod (20gb) for $99, which is available through next byte, but you cant use edu discount with that deal. hope this helps you a little.
Click to expand...

Kaylee
Can you tell me how I get the extra ram, 20 gig iPod and the AE Card at the education price - I have yet to find this deal. I am a uni student in WA - and my only offer I have been able to track down at the moment is and education deal (direct from apple) with none of the above mentioned extras - or to pay full retail to get an iPod.

Your assistance would be appreciated as I need to get a notebook ASAP (this week).

Cheers
Kristine
Western Australia
 
Thanks

Thanks everyone. I am definitely going to look into a Powerbook now. The fact that they are quiet is icing on the cake. I can hear my laptop all the time, and since I have to keep it in the room where I sleep, it can get rather annoying.

You have been very helpful. I researched a few websites about Mac myths, but you never really know until you hear it from a user. You have relinguished my doubts.
 
Palad1 said:
Kristine,

You can get a 20% rebate on your system if you register as a student developper with the Apple Developper Connection.

Check there: http://developer.apple.com/students/studentfaq.html#403

It worked for me (in France), plus you get access to lots of really interesting technical data with the ADC.

Hope that helps.
PaLaD1
Click to expand...

Thanks for the information - much appreciated. In Australia, the discount is 10% discount for an iBook or a PowerBook.

Thanks again
Kristine
 
Hi all,
I'm using both Windows XP and Mac at work & home, only a few reasons still having us hang on to a mac and even that is nothing that couldn't get solved anyway else (SQL Database management to be precise). Most has been switched to Mac and not regretted (Photoshop, InDesign, Office, Mail, Photo management (iPhoto 04 - a charm!), ...

a very important reason for me which beats a PC anytime is the operating system - as someone else pointed out, "it doesn't do what you don't" hits it right there. Even more important: it does what you (the user, after all the "master" of the machine... or so it should be) want - example: I've had applications quitting and hanging on a PC and even through trying to shoot 'em down with CRTL-ALT-DEL + terminate process / terminate application etc. - this doesn't work all of the time. Compare a mac: experience a program stalling? click on the Apple, end application - DONE. EVERY TIME - this rock-solid operating system is the real sales argument. Adding a SINGLE source (OS + hardware) makes user complaints go straight to Apple. In the Wintel World, this gets blamed on the mainboard version or the graphics card incompatibility or the memory or the blablabla.

rather save a few month more and get a powerbook (or desktop for that matter). I can not really find anything I dislike about this operating system. after all, it's industrial-strenght UNIX under the hood :)
 
I don't think you can get both academic discount AND the $99 iPod deal in Australia. I also think that the iPod deal ends 26th March

Max
 
ozimax said:
Considering the cost of changing software to Max OS, why should I make the switch?
Click to expand...

If you like macs better, and it has the programs you want, thats the only reason you should need right?
 
Hi, Max,

That's a very good question you ask. You've got a pretty substantial investment in Windows software. What would justify the expense of switching for you?

To answer your question, I suggest that you visit an Apple dealer and sit down with the iBook (and the PowerBook) and play with them a little. One of the things that motivates many Apple users is the conviction that the experience of using a Mac is more enjoyable than that of using Windows. It's somewhat hard to get the full sense of that just puttering around, because part of what appeals on the Mac is the little time-saving touches built into the OS and applications, but hopefully you'd get the sense of that.

I didn't look at it as "switching" when I bought my Mac ~18 months ago. I still have my PC and all the software I had loaded on it; I thought I'd use it as much as the Mac, since I had Microsoft Office and some other software on it that I didn't feel like buying again on the Mac side. As it turns out, I rarely even turn the PC on any more. For the relatively simple office tasks I do, OpenOffice.org (free) and ThinkFree Office ($10) work fine. I've found free or cheap alternative software on the Mac for everything I do; much of it comes with MacOS X. I use the iLife tools a lot more than I thought I would -- so much that I very gladly paid $49 to get the latest upgrade and play with GarageBand. I was into using free and open source software on the PC (I have a Linux PC too), and lots of it exists on MacOS X as well. The software development environment that you get with MacOS X is really, really cool, if that's your cup of tea.

Anyway, it's a cost-benefit analysis only you can do, and it's hard for you to grasp the benefits when they include such intangibles as "user experience". All I can say is, sit down at Macs and play with them when you get a chance. I think you'll like the elegance and user-friendliness.

The one thing to be aware of is that MacOS X and its applications like lots of RAM, and the display models at dealers typically have about the least they can get away with installed. I think 256MB is the factory allotment for the current iBooks. I personally prefer to have at least 512MB RAM in any of my computers, Mac or PC; in my Mac at home I have 1.5GB because I like to do digital audio and video editing. The Mac you use at the dealer would work better with 512MB or more RAM. Apple charges a lot for factory RAM upgrades; I buy mine at http://www.crucial.com -- not the cheapest, but good quality and reliable RAM.

Good luck,


Crikey
 
ozimax said:
I don't think you can get both academic discount AND the $99 iPod deal in Australia. I also think that the iPod deal ends 26th March

Max
Click to expand...

I got the 15" PowerBook (Combo Drive), with a FREE 20 gig iPod as well as a free 256 MB RAM Upgrade (had to pay retail price to get this deal - $3689.00).

Also got free delivery - I am very happy and I am really looking forward to receiving my FIRST MAC! :)

Cheers
Kristine
 
oingoboingo said:
Indeed. Ozimax bought his new 12" iBook a few days ago. Some good advice though :) This kind of stuff needs to go in a sticky FAQ somewhere for switchers.
Click to expand...

Took the iBook back to dealer today, he fixed the sticky F1 key in about 9.789 secs, just slightly unaligned (misaligned?) when he was replacing the keyboard after adding extra ram, that's all.

This Apple OSx is quite amazing, the 12" iBook could most probably do with a nitrous/turbo injection as far as speed goes, but I am happy with the cash outlay and the 10% speed reduction is no major deal. As long as I can keep as many apps open as I want without the thing breaking a piston or blowing a head gasket I'll be happy.

There is so much software included out of the box in this thing that I don't quite know where to start - I feel like a mosquito at a nudist picnic!

Max
 
emmx said:
I got the 15" PowerBook (Combo Drive), with a FREE 20 gig iPod as well as a free 256 MB RAM Upgrade (had to pay retail price to get this deal - $3689.00).

Also got free delivery - I am very happy and I am really looking forward to receiving my FIRST MAC! :)

Cheers
Kristine
Click to expand...

I know this link is a little late now that you have got your powerbook, sorry i didnt see your post sooner, but for anyone else who is interested in the earlier mentioned ipod, AE card and extra ram promo: http://www.apple.com.au/education/promos/havemorefun/. And yes, you cannot use the 99 dollar ipod deal in conjunction with education pricing ( i think i did mention this earlier, but oh well).

EDIT: looking back at the site for the promos, you wouldn't have saved yourself a lot, seeing you got them to throw in RAM and ipod, and the only thing additional the deal has for the 15in powerbook is the AE card
 
ozimax said:
...
This Apple OSx is quite amazing, the 12" iBook could most probably do with a nitrous/turbo injection as far as speed goes, but I am happy with the cash outlay and the 10% speed reduction is no major deal. As long as I can keep as many apps open as I want without the thing breaking a piston or blowing a head gasket I'll be happy.
...
Max
Click to expand...

You shouldn't have a problem with it crashing, but from what I've seen, it happens early on and maybe never again. Unfortunately, the only thing you can do to increase speed on that machine is to install a faster hard drive. More RAM would help but you can't add any more.

If you haven't seen this already, after you've installed software, go to the Utilities folder within the Applications folder and run Disk Utility. Click on Macintosh HD in the list of drives and volumes. Click on the First Aid tab and then, the Repair Permissions button. This will make certain that everything is accessible as it should be.
 
kaylee said:
I know this link is a little late now that you have got your powerbook, sorry i didnt see your post sooner, but for anyone else who is interested in the earlier mentioned ipod, AE card and extra ram promo: http://www.apple.com.au/education/promos/havemorefun/. And yes, you cannot use the 99 dollar ipod deal in conjunction with education pricing ( i think i did mention this earlier, but oh well).

EDIT: looking back at the site for the promos, you wouldn't have saved yourself a lot, seeing you got them to throw in RAM and ipod, and the only thing additional the deal has for the 15in powerbook is the AE card
Click to expand...


Kaylee

Thanks for the information - the prices for this promo due not include GST - if you place an order - then by the time the GST is added - it is more expensive (but you get the AE CARD). I got an AE card (DLink's newest one) for a great price (I got it wholesale) and still works out cheaper.

I am so happy to be becoming part of the Mac community (I am only the second person to become a Mac user out of all my friends and collegues)!

Cheers
 
emmx said:
Kaylee

Thanks for the information - the prices for this promo due not include GST - if you place an order - then by the time the GST is added - it is more expensive (but you get the AE CARD). I got an AE card (DLink's newest one) for a great price (I got it wholesale) and still works out cheaper.

I am so happy to be becoming part of the Mac community (I am only the second person to become a Mac user out of all my friends and collegues)!

Cheers
Click to expand...

actually, as far as i could see when i went through the ordering process (up to the point before you actually buy it), it does include GST in the prices for the promos. the 15in pb deal is 3416.73 excl GST, and 3758.40 incl.
 
congrats!!

two words for mac: they work.

like everyone said, it is all about the stability and ease of use of the system, plus all those intelligent and intelligible software and hardware design choices called "user-friendly".

i love os x -- no more little system bombs and crashes, just the occasional kernel panic and a program quitting.

hope you're enjoying the 'book. :)
 
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