Why Should I Buy a Mac?

[Jason Dunn]

I've been pondering buying a Mac off and on for about a year now, quite seriously. The design of both the hardware and software appeals to my inner designer (the one that can't draw :lol:), but the price tag has always put me off. So here's an honest question: why should I buy a Mac? For those of you familiar with both OS X and Windows XP, what makes them different? What core functions of OS X make it your preferred OS? This is a legitimate question - I'm not looking to start a flame war here, I'm looking to hear from the Mac users out there. Let the OS X praises begin!

[James Fee]

I have both WinXP and a Mac. I use my Mac for my photo and video editing, while my PC for programming. If I had the choice, I'd love to have a dual boot WinXP/OS X, but I guess that won't ever happen. :cry:

iPhoto is pretty good and iMovie isn't too bad, but Final Cut Pro really is about the best video editor out there IMO (I do like premier, but FCP is better). I have MS Office on both computer, Quicken on both, Photoshop on Mac, Photoshop Elements on PC. Its really a wash with software. Syncing Pocket PC's is easy (you'll love iSync). Safari is a great browser and the lack of virus problems is a plus.

I'm a UNIX head so being able to drop to the terminal is a great feeling, but the GUI is such a joy I rarely do bother. The only software I do have on my windows box that I can't get on my Mac is some mapping software (well I guess Visual Studio isn't available on the Mac ;) ) that I use with my GPS.

I have a G4 and I can say a dual G5 would be pretty good about now. :lol:

[encece]

I cant say that I'm really proficient on the MAC. I work in a design group where half (including myself) use PCs and the other half use MACs. Most have G5 dual processors. One friend has a new 17" Powerbook which is a beautiful machine.

I'm also a big fan of the UI on MACs. It's beautiful. I'd switch now that most programs are available on both...but I cant get up the courage to relearn a new OS and all it's settings. It's easy to learn the basics and get around, but I dont want to relearn how to troubleshoot and tweak settings. I wouldnt know what to do if there was ever a hardware or software conflict.

[Macguy59]

Your 2nd sentence sums up my response. I like the elegance and rock solid stability of OS X paired with uniquely designed hardware. For photo editing I rely on iPhoto and Photoshop Elements. For video I use Final Cut Express (I haven't found the need for FC Pro yet). We all treat our hardware as precious items but without question my 17" Aluminum Power Book is the crown jewel. And being a former devout Linux user I love being able to run some of those apps while maintaining the look and feel of the Aqua UI.

[Macguy59]

I cant say that I'm really proficient on the MAC. I work in a design group where half (including myself) use PCs and the other half use MACs. Most have G5 dual processors. One friend has a new 17" Powerbook which is a beautiful machine.

I'm also a big fan of the UI on MACs. It's beautiful. I'd switch now that most programs are available on both...but I cant get up the courage to relearn a new OS and all it's settings. It's easy to learn the basics and get around, but I dont want to relearn how to troubleshoot and tweak settings. I wouldnt know what to do if there was ever a hardware or software conflict.

Not sure what you mean by "tweak settings" unless your referring to mucking about with registry, which isn't neccesary with OS X. Nor will you find hardware/software confilcts. It took me a couple of days to get the hang of OS X. The 2 biggest hangups for window users are the Finder behavior that the close button only closes the window and not the app and the [apparent] loss of right-click functionality. I say apparent because OS X does have that, but since it ships with a one button mouse most people assume it doesn't.

[Kent Pribbernow]

Since you asked an honest (non-flame) question, I'll give you an honest answer. If you are happy with your PC experience, there is no reason to purchase a Mac. From a functional standpoint, there is nothing a Mac can do that a PC can't. In certain respects, the inverse is true. My reason for choosing to purchase a Mac was that I was bored living a strictly PC lifestyle. That's not to say that there is anything wrong with Windows XP, I happen to love it for its stability and ease of use. But OSX and the shear elegance of Mac hardware finally peeked my interest. Previously I was an unabashed Mac hater. OS 8/9 was, and is, little more than a toy OS, whereas OSX truly put Macintosh once again on the cuttting edge of technology....even more so than XP in many respects. The same is now equally true of the G5 processor. Intel is still dragging its feet in the 64bit desktop waters while Apple and AMD have plunged in head first. Macs are now hot, sexy machines.

All that said, you can find every piece of software on the PC side that will enable you to do anything that Apple can offer, usually for less money. So why buy a Mac? Well, I would say that depends on your personality and whether you have an open mind. Would you like to try something new? Something different (and no I'm not making reference to the ridiculous "Think Different" campaign)? I'll put it to you this way. I was once EXACTLY like you. I was totally a Windows guy, and still happily use a PC as my primary workstation. But as I mentioned earlier, OSX and the shear elegance of Apple hardware finally drew me in. In April of 2002, I purchased my first Mac as a sort of belated birthday present to myself, and it was one of the best decisions I've ever made. The Mac introduced me to a different way of computing. Not radically different, but just different enough to show me that the sun doesn't rise and set on Microsoft. And again, I don't mean that in a slanderous way. I really do respect Microsoft and enjoy using their products. It's just that my Mac offers me something a PC can't; Style and class. Like the difference between a Chevy and Lexus. They both take you the same distance, but only one gets you there in style. Data is data no matter which platform it resides on. My email doesn't look any different in Entourage than it does in Outlook (except that reply text gets posted to the bottom of messages, which I hate :wink:), music doesn't play any different in iTunes than it does in Windows Media Player, photographs look no different on a Mac than they do on a PC, and video is rendered just as smoothly in XP as it is in OSX.

On a PC, you get work done. On a Mac, you get work done...and have an epiphany. :) In some ways I have learned more on a Mac than I ever have on a PC. That's hard to quantify, you just have to experience it for yourself in order to understand what I mean. And that relies largely on personal preference. Some people will always hate Macs because they are different from PCs. Others see that as an advantage. There really is no one right way to look at the issue.

I would offer you this piece of advice. If you have the cash to spare, and you really are interested tasting the grass on the other side of the fence, get a Mac purely as an accessory. I would NEVER recommend to anyone that they blindly switch to a Mac, because that would be technological suicide. But do try out a Mac and see how you like it. You may just be suprised at how much can be accomplished on a something that wasn't written by Microsoft. :)

[encece]

I dont really mess with the registry unless I hear of something that I like/need.

So, I don't really know what I mean. I think I'm basically just afraid of all the things I dont know that you take for granted knowing on a PC. I'd list some stuff, but you could probably come back with a MAC equivelent (sp?) so I won't. I should just sit down with one of the many MAC at my disposal and give it a try.

OH! I remember a cool thing on TechTV where Yoshi, the mod guy, took a G4 and put a PC right into an empty bay slot and wired it so he could use the same monitor, keyboard and mouse. You could use it either as a PC, a Mac, or Mac with PC running in a window. I remember he had to cut down the heat-sinks to make it fit. I'll try to find the link.

[Macguy59]

On a PC, you get work done. On a Mac, you get work done...and have an epiphany. :)

Interesting idea for a T-shirt :D

[Gary Sheynkman]

Ill be the shallow one: They look sleek!

[marlof]

Yeah, what Kent said. <- seriously, I recognized a lot of my experience in his story.

If you just want to browse the Mac OS X, finding out if it is something you'd like to use, you might want to try the iBook G4. You won't get top performance, but with the G4 it will be decent enough. It's not very expensive, it looks great, is sturdy like hell, and makes a great portable device. You have some limitations (no panning of additional displays, unless you hack your Mac; no ADC/DVI port; no DVD burner). But if you want to get rid of it (if you decide Mac is not for you, or it is for you, but you want to move up), there's a good market of second hand Macs. If you've got money to burn, the 15" or 17" PowerBook would be great choices.

[EmmeDi]

Hi
I have been using PCs from about 1986, when i was 8. I had Commodor Vic 20, Olivetti M24 (8088), 286, 486, pentium, pentium mmx, athlon, athlon mobile and tried lots of operavite systems (from Dos to win XP). I bought my first 3 months ago: it's an iBook 12" G4. I wanted to try out that pretty OS X and so...

Now i really love it. There's nothing you can do with a mac that you can't do whit a PC, but it's the way you do it. I could write down lots of examples, but you would not believe me if you don't try it!
However, i love the way OS X manages bluetooth and BT devices (i use it with my Ericsson t39 and my Dell Axim), i love iSync and Exposè (which is amazing when you work with images and photoshop), i like the way you install and uninstall programs and many other things...and, of course, using iTunes with my iPod!

However, if you want to read something really cool about XP and OS X, you can look at this: http://www.xvsxp.com

Bye! And sorry for my poor English...but i'm Italian...

[Macguy59]

Hi
I have been using PCs from about 1986, when i was 8. I had Commodor Vic 20, Olivetti M24 (8088), 286, 486, pentium, pentium mmx, athlon, athlon mobile and tried lots of operavite systems (from Dos to win XP). I bought my first 3 months ago: it's an iBook 12" G4. I wanted to try out that pretty OS X and so...

Now i really love it. There's nothing you can do with a mac that you can't do whit a PC, but it's the way you do it. I could write down lots of examples, but you would not believe me if you don't try it!
However, i love the way OS X manages bluetooth and BT devices (i use it with my Ericsson t39 and my Dell Axim), i love iSync and Exposè (which is amazing when you work with images and photoshop), i like the way you install and uninstall programs and many other things...and, of course, using iTunes with my iPod!

However, if you want to read something really cool about XP and OS X, you can look at this: http://www.xvsxp.com

Bye! And sorry for my poor English...but i'm Italian...

Lei ha fatto bene :)

[Gary Sheynkman]

chao

[Suhit Gupta]

chao
I believe that is 'ciao'. ;-)

Suhit

[Suhit Gupta]

Since Apple controls both the hardware as well as the OS, there is some very tight integration between the two, not to mention the look and feel. This is a dual edged sword as you have some fantastic applications and, since Apple really concentrates on the user experience, all 4% of computer users, get a fantastic environment. But then you also have an system that one has to pay a tremendous amount of money for and are at the mercy of one company. In fact, I find it odd sometimes that people blame Microsoft for weaving a tremendous web of control to get their users stuck in while being ok with Apple's policies. This is just from my own perpective.

Suhit

[David Prahl]

I'd suggest getting a Powerbook to "test the waters". I think a "blog style" article about your experience would be very helpful, too.

You know about running VirtualPC, right?

[Mr. MacinTiger]

I am a switcher for 2 years now and have been with OS X long enough to make a couple of observations.

I have found the Mac to be better for me in all areas except for:
1) Quicken - Intutit's OS X version is noticeably not as good as the Windows version. I blame this on Intuit, not Apple though
2) Games - Not as many and the ones that are available usually come out way after their PC counterparts.

But with multimedia stuff, Jason, you would love it, I promise! :D Once you fire up iMovie or Final Cut Express, you will be pleasantly stunned at how the Mac and video editing just go together hand-in-hand. Ditto photography. Ditto music.

[lawson]

I recently went through the same thing. My old ultralight Windows notebook died, and I needed a notebook. Although I once built Mac apps back in the dinosaur days (System 6, System 7), I've been up to my butt in Windows machines since; my desktop, my servers, even my TVs :-)

So I got a 15" Powerbook. There's nothing I need to do on a notebook that I can't do on a Mac; conversely, there's nothing I need to do that I couldn't do on a Windows notebook. That being said, the difference is immense.

For me, the overwhelming experience of using a Powerbook is the pleasure of using a machine that is seriously over-engineered. I can look at feature after feature where I just know that some engineer said "It'd be much cooler if we did this, but it'll raise the price $50", and everyone chuckled and said "So?". It's sleek and elegant, and much more like handling a piece of fine instrumentation or camera gear than a portable computer.

Things I particularly like -- sitting up against a 17" monitor, it's clear that this is more of a widescreen 17" display than a 15" display (1280 x 960). It's lightweight, yet the aluminum gives it a feel of solidity -- by comparison, most windows laptops feel like they were made by a toy company. I can connect to an 802.11g network or GPRS via my cell and bluetooth, and never have a single card sticking out. Sleep mode works with very few gotchas -- I close the lid, and put it in my bag. I take it out an hour or day later, and everything is loaded, running and working.

Frankly, it's like the difference between spending a few more bucks on a luxury car, or buying another basic grocery-getter. Either one does the job, but I sure enjoy the time I spend with one more than I would with the other.

My only caveat is that if you are going to do it, get the good stuff (even if it means waiting) -- a powerbook instead of an ibook, a powermac instead of an iMac or an eMac; otherwise, you end up with just as much of a "comfort curve" getting used to it, without all of the pleasure of the heated seats and the fine corinthian leather.

- Chuck

[rsajdak]

I have found the Mac to be better for me in all areas except for:
1) Quicken - Intutit's OS X version is noticeably not as good as the Windows version. I blame this on Intuit, not Apple though


What version of Quicken are you running? I ask because I am considering switching to a Mac but my wife uses Quicken (2004) religiously and having a lessor version would be a major downfall.

[Mr. MacinTiger]

Running the latest - Quicken 2004 for OS X

You may want to check out the Quicken bulletin board at Macworld ( http://www.macworld.com/forums/ubbthreads/postlist.php?Cat=&Board=quicken) and read up there. The general consenus is that it lacks the features of Quicken for Win and the features that it does have aren't as intuitive or are buggy.

[mrkablooey]

A lot like Kent and some of the others, I grew tired of the constant fighting with Windows (pre-XP) and wanted to learn something different. Back in 2001 I turned off my IBM 333Mhz P-II, drove to Circuit City (when they still carried Apple) and bought a G4 Cube. Even with all the nay-sayers about expandability limits on the Cube, it's been a great machine. Very solid and smooth, and you don't really notice the thing is still a 400Mhz G4 when running on a friend's 1Ghz G4. They're just very efficient that way. When OSX came out, it was like getting a whole new computer. I upgraded the HD from the 20GB it came with to a Seagate 80GB, and put in a new high-end video card (from discussions at www.cubeowner.com I found one that fit) and the thing is renewed. I can even get a new processor for it if I'd like but it still runs great.

A year or so ago I bought an iBook (G3 800Mhz) and it's my daily machine. There's something about a laptop and its portability around the house with an Airport network that is very appealing. Neither machine is ever turned off, they just sleep, and neither has had to be rebooted. With the laptop I just close the lid when I'm done with it or even not done with it, and when I'm ready to use it again I open the lid and it springs back to life. With the desktop I click the Apple logo in the top left and select SLEEP. Everything spins down until I hit the spacebar next time I need to use it. It fires back up to where I left off.

I still have the P-II machine upstairs, directly connected to my Airport base station via ethernet, while the Cube and iBook are connected wirelessly. Win98 is set on DHCP and it's online without a hitch. Surprisinly enough didn't even have to install any additional software on it to get it to work with the base station.

With a Mac it's not so much that you use it as much as you experience it.

[asglobal]

I have also thought about buying a MAC number of times over the past few years. I love the look of the MAC, the smooth interface, and some of the great exclusive applications. However, every time I seriously look into buying a MAC the same issues come up – cost, time, and trust. Cost in both terms of the original purchase of the computer, but more important, also in terms of the software. Time to learn a new computer system. And trust that Apple will not shaft the consumer. Like many people I live in two worlds – work (PC) and home (digital camera, camcorder, web surfing and iTunes). It would be great to have a PC for work and a MAC for home. But Apples basic computers are relatively expensive and generally under-equipped to handle extensive digital processing. Additionally, Apple is notorious for leaving the "affordable consumer out in the cold” when make substantial changes. Until the solid $1000 MAC with great support and flawless operation is born, the world of two computers is unrealistic – at least for me.

[Littleshmee]

I suppose this isn't a fair comparison, but...

A couple years ago, my parents bought a 600 mhz G3 (to replace our Cyrix 6x86 from '95). During my last year of high school, I did everything on that machine, and it frustrated me to no end.

First off, it crashed constantly. 3 times it crashed so that we had to reformat. We eventually got a new hard drive, and haven't had to reformat since, but I still can't run iMovie or burn a CD without holding my breath. It looked at Adobe premiere and hiccoughed a few times, and that was that.

Secondly, I personally did not like the software. I didn't like how all the iLife applications had to have files in their own folders - when I import pictures onto the computer, I want to sort them into my own folders, and not have to go digging through "2003/01/28" to find a picture, especially when I'm not sure of the specific date.

When I went to university, the same amount of money that went into the mac got me a P4 2.8 Ghz processor with hyperthreading, a nice video card, plenty of ram, and a nice 17 inch monitor. It's got tons of room for whatever I might need in the next four years of school, be it a new harddrive, upgraded CPU, or whatever - the point is, the option is there.

Needless to say, I'm not a big fan of macs. Maybe we just had a lemon. Still, that doesn't change the fact that macs are very difficult to upgrade, their software is limited, and they're just plain expensive.