Get A Mac? Why Should (Or Shouldn’t) I?

Comments

1. 1May 22nd, 2007 at 1:05 am

   Yvonne Says:

   I’ve had an iBook for two years now and I’ve hardly ever used a PC since. I’m not going to give a step by step list of WHY Macs are better … they just are ;)

   The only tiny pitfall is that there are some PC apps I love that I can’t use on my iBook (though there are usually alternatives).

   But, yeah, if you’re looking for something personal with an uber-wonderful UI, go with a Mac!

   
   

2. 2May 22nd, 2007 at 1:08 am

   Webomatica Says:

   For what you describe a Mac would work great. You can use iTunes for listening to music and iPhoto for photographs. They come with every Mac. As for making websites, you have freeware text editors or iWeb. Firefox is available on the Mac for websurfing.

   I enjoy having a Mac as a home computer because it works well and I find I don’t have to do much troubleshooting when two people share it.

   I suggest you go to an Apple Store and ask one of the salespeople to show you the iLife Apps…

   
   

3. 3May 22nd, 2007 at 1:35 am

   Char Says:

   Phil - I have both. My PC is a Dell Pentium4 with 3GHz processor and 3 GB of RAM. I also have an iMac G5.

   The G5 is slick! I love that there is no clunky space hogging CPU. I love the flat screen. The graphics are phenomenal. But, remember, you will need to purchase software for it.

   Let me know if you have other questions. I’d get the Mac just because and keep your PC to use as needed and aid with the transition.

   
   

4. 4May 22nd, 2007 at 3:08 am

   Douglas Karr Says:

   There is a cool factor involved with having a Mac. I’ve got a brand-spankin MacBookPro 15″ and love it. I have one really unique problem right now but I don’t have the time to take it in and get it fixed!

   I run Parallels on it as a necessity for work to run Windows XP applications and it works great. So, with the Mac you can now have the best of both worlds.

   I think the experience is a little more elegant and it is truly easy. As well, since it runs on a Unix core, you might learn something outside the MS world.

   Now… the real question… would I purchase a MacBookPro myself?

   Nope… can’t afford it! I’m afraid that I wouldn’t personally pay for design over practicality. There’s really nothing extra that I ‘get’ for running a Mac… especially when I’m in DreamWeaver or Firefox most of the time!

   Good Luck!

   
   

5. 5May 22nd, 2007 at 9:55 am

   Thomas Guest Says:

   I’m a recent Mac convert and use both an iMac and a MacBook. The computers are a delight to use. They cost a bit more but do a great job of bundling in everything you’ll need. I’m not particularly into iPhoto, iTunes and all the multimedia stuff myself, but I can confirm that OS X is a fully powered software development platform.

   There are a couple of risks: 1) you might become a tiresome Mac evangelist 2) you might find it painful when you have to work on a Windows platform.

   
   

6. 6May 22nd, 2007 at 10:26 am

   Hayley Says:

   This is long, but I hope it’ll help.

   I got my first Mac, an iBook G4, in 2004…because it was pretty and I was working in sales so money was no issue. Initially, I found the operating system (Mac OS X) not as intuitive as people claimed and, rather than taking the time to get used to it, I stuck with my old laptop and the Mac got shelved.

   Then my laptop was stolen. This was the best thing that ever happened to me.

   I was forced to use my iBook and once I’d got over the initial learning curve, it was awesome. It was so much quicker, my graphics software ran so much better, it didn’t crash and even a year after I bought it, it didn’t need upgrading to run the latest Adobe stuff.

   When the Intel MacBooks were released, I bought one. I now run both Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows using Parallels so I can run PC software just as quick as if it were on a PC. It means I can use Adobe etc. on the Mac and run things like PaintShopPro and EditPad (my old tools of choice and what I go back to when I hit creative block) on Windows.

   If you can afford one, get a Mac (get the basic spec and then stick some more RAM in it - cheaper to do it yourself). Then get Parallels and install Windows XP (or Vista, but probably best to wait till more software’s released for Vista) so you can have the best of both worlds.

   
   

7. 7May 23rd, 2007 at 1:23 am

   ms.angel Says:

   I bought an iBook in 2002 and another one in 2005 and I love them! OSX is very easy to use and it’s not that different from Windows. It really doesn’t take too long to get used to the different commands and where things are.

   I use iPhoto for my pictures and it’s very easy. I love how it puts everything in order by date and it uploads mpegs too.

   If you switch over, you should keep your PC for a while until you can find all the Mac versions of programs and get used to it. I’ve never used Parallels but I would probably try to use a Mac version of a program if available and only use Parallels to run programs that don’t have Mac versions. There are Mac versions of Firefox, I use NVU for html editor (opensource) and text edit instead of notepad. For FTP I use Fugu or Cyberduck.

   good luck!

   
   

8. 8May 23rd, 2007 at 8:01 pm

   Phil Says:

   Thanks everyone for commenting! You all sound like you’re having a great time with Macs (except, perhaps Doug and your rather cold MacBook). I kind of want to get one just to join the party now!

   I like the idea that Macs run smoothly and quickly and don’t crash. I have a laptop as well as this old desktop, so I am definitely not throwing Windows out the window.

   It seems that the only problem will be if I buy one and proceed to bore the pants off of anyone who still owns a PC!

   Nice to see that no-one could come up with a reason not to get a Mac too.

   Thanks again for your help guys!

   
   

9. Pingback by Link Sharing: 5/24/07 » Webomatica - Technology and Entertainment Digest
   September 22nd, 2007 at 10:49 pm

10. 9March 5th, 2008 at 8:43 am

    Eric Says:

    If anything I would get a pc. Dont become one of those people who claim a mac is the best. Plug n play a great windows feature. Upgradability that is easy. Less expensive. A lot less. Custamizability and compatibility. A mac is good for someone who likes to use a computer for creative things and only creative things. If you want to do anything else on a computer then get a pc. Sure you can get viruses if you dont know how to protect yourselut who makes viruses for a computer that has less than 10 percent market share. Plus many great freeware and open source programs are only on a pc. If you want something that looks and runs like a mac OSX then get Linux. Plus people who think macs are just better for no reason other than just being macs are just d bags.

    
    

11. 10July 7th, 2008 at 2:37 pm

    mark.lim Says:

    i don’t know much about mac but i think it’s OS is very interesting. and it’s good for graphic task,but programs that support mac is less than others.

    
    

12. 11September 4th, 2008 at 5:08 pm

    Mike Says:

    I bought a macbook a little over a year ago, and loved it… however, the machine had a few problems develop with the magnetic lid, and i couldnt afford a replacement so i had to move back to a windows machine, although it is more customisable, it crashes frequently, i have lost work frequently through windows’ less than ideal standby system. Im getting another mac now, and i intend to keep it for as long as possible. The OS is so sleak, reliable and secure - but thats just what you get from a smaller company who make the system and software (windows is like buying a dvd and putting your own software on it, or a moile phone and adding a generic software, it wouldnt work, theres too many configurations for it to be reliable)

    
    

13. 12January 18th, 2009 at 9:14 pm

    ray Says:

    no doubt, go with a mac!

    
    

14. 13August 25th, 2009 at 9:30 am

    kpmedia Says:

    Just came across this older blog, but it’s still relevant and pretty current. Not much has changed in the past 3-4 years at all. Just remember that a Mac cannot do everything that Windows can. For example, video — Windows has far more niche task software available. On the other hand, basic web browsing, photos, music and websites — you could do that on Mac, Windows or even a Linux OS.

    
    

15. 14September 11th, 2009 at 9:17 pm

    mostafa karim Says:

    I have had Macs for 30+ years. PCs are crap. I am a pharmacologist who creates training videos in my spare time using iMovie (free with every Mac as part of iLife suite). Windows MovieMaker is crap. All creative studios use Macs and Final Cut Studio to make most of the top films. Macs can do more than PCs. MS Word/Excel were designed for Mac originally. Macs make one think better and there are less health risks in that one does not suffer from so many viruses/adware etc. Mac OS X is Unix based hence it is the most secure/most stable/most powerful OS.
    Quality and not quantity of software is important as well as the user experience. Children learn better on Macs hence Apple is number 1 on the world in terms of providing academic solutions.
    Apple is like Lexus and MS are like Ford (rubbish). Macs are very affordable once one considers what comes with the Mac. Why would one tolerate something that does not work when PCs are not designed to work?

    
    

16. 15January 8th, 2010 at 12:28 pm

    Adam from Accounting Says:

    Mostafa Karim
    You are terribly biased. “Children learn better on Macs” - Where are the stats? Where is your proof? What is your source?
    You talk to any computer tech expert and I guarantee you he’ll say that PCs are a million times better than Macs. More bang for your buck.
    “All creative studios use Macs and Final Cut Studio to make most of the top films” - again, where are your sources? You’re a “pharmacologist” not a movie maker.
    “Macs are very affordable once one considers what comes with the Mac.” - Macs are MORE expensive than PCs and come with LESS hardware and potential customization. You’re paying ridiculous prices for a “pretty” design and shitty OS/specs.

    Phil
    I realize you’ve probably already bought a Mac but if you haven’t then DON’T. Contrary to popular belief Macs DO crash and CAN get viruses. And worse yet if you do get a virus there will be very FEW choices for you in the department of anti virus products.Don’t get a Mac because it is “stylish.” They design their product with a philosophy of “design over practicality.” By switching to a Mac you’ll be significantly limiting the choice of software you’ll be able to use.

    And hell here is some more reasons on why not to use a Mac.
    http://www.geekpoint.net/gener.....t-mac.html