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From a PC users perspective

S

Spies

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 21, 2006
108
0
United Kingdom
Firstly I don't want to start an arguement but I'm thinking about buying one when the Intel iBooks (MacBooks?) come out later in the year.

What I want to know is, other than it's design, What makes a mac's so great? What can you do on a mac that you can't do on a PC?

I guess pro's and con's would be a good start?
 
i don't think there's much you can do on a mac that you can't do on a pc, honestly. the thing about macs is: you can do it much more easily on a mac. (with notable exceptions such as CAD and gaming)

my impression when i had a mac ("between macs" atm) was that it was more transparent than working with windows--the computer didn't get in my way.
 
Spies said:
I guess pro's and con's would be a good start?
Click to expand...

Actually, I think searching would be a better start, as this question has been asked once or twice before you.

For the moment, start with the Horse's Mouth.

Otherwise.. you're almost comparing Apples and Oranges here. Yes they are both fruit, and yes they can both be eaten, but they way that is done is very different.
 
Searching for things is really easy on a mac.
Just like on this site. ;)
There are approx. 1000000 threads on this subject here already, all going into extensive detail, with plenty of arguments over the finer details (don't even think about bringing up gaming).
 
Agreed. As another "pc user" (been using windows for almost 15 years, mac os for 5) I'd have to say that the big advantage is the sheer usability of the operating system. Everything about mac os is more intuitive than windows while being just as capable. The main disadvantage is that you don't have the enormous amount of hardware upgrade options available to you. Also games.
 
yellow said:
Actually, I think searching would be a better start, as this question has been asked once or twice before you.

For the moment, start with the Horse's Mouth.
Click to expand...
What would you suggest I search for "Mac vs PC" yields nothing of relevance.
 
You should just find someone with a mac and try spend a little time on it, you will see the experience s much more enjoyable. I have both a PC and a mac, I rarely ever use the PC anymore because the Mac does everything I need.

One major thing I like about mac is the ability to install software and not have to reboot everytime I install something. That and the fact I dont have to worry about spyware or viruses yet. You wont like a Mac the first time you use it since you have been a PC user for awhile, but it will grow on you and you will soon find yourself saying "I should have switched to Mac years ago."
 
Nobody I know has a Mac and I get the same windows fanboyism's from everyone I ask about them. That's the problem, some people are just so narrow minded :p
 
Spies said:
Nobody I know has a Mac and I get the same windows fanboyism's from everyone I ask about them. That's the problem, some people are just so narrow minded :p
Click to expand...

Take a trip to a store selling them and check them out. I am sure you will enjoy the Mac Life once you dive in. The Windows fanboys are just people who havent ever used a mac and thinks they are bad. I USED to be one of those fanboys, now I know the truth.
 
What makes the Mac so great is the operating system that runs it. OS X is years ahead of Windows as far as stability, ease of use and features go. The iLife suite is also brilliant. All of these apps work with each other seamlessly. I could go on and on about this, but just check out http://www.apple.com/ilife/ Also not having to worry about spyware and viruses is a huge plus! You really have to use a Mac for an extended amount of time to appreciate what it has to offer. Don't listen to the Windows-biased people... I have to deal with them from time to time at school and it does get annoying. Luckily I met a couple Mac users in the past year, so I do have someone to relate to.
 
A big problem with PC laptop's is you cant use them on your lap (due to vents and heat which can make it uncomfertable) is this the case with the ibook's/pb's/mbp's?
 
Spies said:
A big problem with PC laptop's is you cant use them on your lap (due to vents and heat which can make it uncomfertable) is this the case with the ibook's/pb's/mbp's?
Click to expand...
I have an iBook G4, and it isn't much of a problem for me. Granted, being in Florida, having anything on your lap is going to be hot and uncomfortable after a short period, but it isn't even too bad with all things considered. Not to mention the fact that the iBooks/PowerBooks are completely silent unless they reach the upper 150's in temperature.
 
Spies said:
A big problem with PC laptop's is you cant use them on your lap (due to vents and heat which can make it uncomfertable) is this the case with the ibook's/pb's/mbp's?
Click to expand...

When using my 15"PB for wireless surfing, typing and music I can hardly feel the heat from the case.
Do get a bit hotter when watching videos, playing games, editing video etc., but my Second Skin cover is a great membrane.

I got my portable about 3 months ago. My first Mac. Now I only use my Windows Box for games, compression and rendering. As someone else mentioned, you look past the computer and use your Mac as a tool, which Microsoft, in my opinion, don't achive with their OS.

OSX work great at multitasking, is intuitive, stabile and looks and feels great.
 
I use both regularly, and honestly, i don't know if i'd ever bother getting a Mac Desktop.
I have a recent powerbook (june of last year), and find that OSX is much more friendly for use on a portable than windows ever has been.

The one button holds up some people on the laptop, but i can use my powerbook much faster than my friends can use their significantly faster (spec wise) PC laptops.

However, i do prefer windows on a desktop. Mainly because i can disable all the pretty little graphical touches on winxp and make it a lean, mean, encoding machine.

For pure functionality, particularly in a portable, i'd say go Mac. But check one out, steal a friends (not literally) or go to an apple store. I wasn't convinced until i tried out a friend's powerbook, and then i got pretty much hooked.
 
The problems for some PC users is that they are so used to having issues with their PC that they don't see them as issues anymore, but simply as part of what it is like to have a computer.

Here are some examples: drivers. Ever have problems with your printer and had to reload the driver -- or the driver for anything else like a scanner? Ever have a problem with burning a CD, ever? What about spyware or viruses? Ever decide it would be better to reboot and start over? Ever have problems getting online?

I'm not saying that you never have problems with a Mac, but they are few and far between. I think users of this site have more problems than any Mac users I know -- but that is because the majority of people here seem to download every update and every piece of software known to man (obviously, I'm a little cautious compared to the average macrumors user).

I've never, ever reloaded a driver on a mac after an initial installation -- and I've been an Apple user since two years before Macs were introduced. I've probably had no more than a couple bad burns -- and they were always caused by bad media. If I can't get online it is because the cable is out, not because there is something wrong with my PC.

But how do you experience a negative? That is, when many of these issues are no longer around you may simply see it as normal. Here is how it will work: you will use a Mac for a year or two, then be forced to use a PC again. Suddenly a light switch will go on and you'll realize what you have missed the past two years: headaches.
 
Some things that I like:
1) No viruses (arguable, but in any case, nothing malicious)
2) No spyware
3) UNIX subsystem
4) Application paradigm - In Windows, there is a .exe executable that runs the program, meanwhile all of the program files reside in the same folder as the executable. In OS X, the application's folder IS an executable with all of its pieces inside it (you can look inside this folder if you'd like). I find this to be cleaner than the Windows approach.
5) Smooth UI - I think there is a better user interaction with the interface than with Windows. After years of being a niche graphic design computer, Apple has experience in making sexy UI.

Recently, I got a good friend of mine to buy an iBook. The one thing he continues to be amazed by is how much all of the applications tie into each other. For instance:
1) Entering a contact's info in Address Book makes that person's name appear in iChat.
2) Mail auto-completes email addresses using the entry.
3) iCal has a preference that can turn on birthdays so that Address Book entries, for which you have birthdays, are automatically added to iCal.

I would recommend a Mac to anyone, unless:
1) They are a gamer and buying a computer for such activities.
2) Use very specific software that is only available for Windows. (Don't let anyone fool you into thinking VirtualPC can bridge this gap, it's garbage)
 
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