I'm trying my best to like the iMac but... I JUST DON'T GET IT

[SideStepSociety]

I'm also going to beat this dead horse for just a second.

Quickly to touch on the OP's performance issues: If the drive is noisy and performance is poor, I'd be willing to bet the drive is dead. Run some tests, replace the HDD with an SSD and you're off to the races.

Mac vs PC is kind of a first party vs third party deal.

Apple develops the hardware and software to not only mesh together with a single device, but also with other devices they develop.

Windows is an OS thrown onto a device by users or manufacturers. This is admirable and invaluable in some circumstances. As Windows is developing these days, syncing and "meshing" with other Windows devices appears to be growing more and more.

In any aspect of devices/vehicles/tools/etc, keeping things first party will generally yield better results. A company spends millions upon millions in R&D to make the most out of the hardware and software they're working with. Compare an Apple official retina display (for any model) to any third party display and you'll likely notice some degree of difference.

Third parties exist to cover as many different bases as possible. First party is focused on what they have.

That's not to say there isn't value in third party items, or that they don't fit a particular need better than a first party item.

Third party tires on a vehicle, for example, may offer more grip and durability than first party tires. However, a third party bumper on a vehicle may not fit as well, or third party glass may not be as sound proof.

This is especially true for third party parts (for any object) that boost performance of something. If said object was not developed with that performance in mind, prepare for more maintenance of that object. Go ahead and overclock your PC, but if you're not prepared to rebuild/adjust your cooling system to accommodate that, you're in for a world of hurt.

TL;DR: I, personally, like Macs better because of hardware & software integration.

 

[Macalway]

This is what I like. the 'old stuff' . Classic troll.

"I just don't get it". ....I'm really, really, trying to like it.....All the cool kids like Macs......Why the hate of Windows?" etc,
etc.

Brilliant.

Please, lets see more. Brings me back.... The just don't make trolls like they used to.

Trolls today are so PC.

 

[jerwin]

Please, lets see more. Brings me back..

I don't want to start a holy war here, but what is the deal with you Mac fanatics? I've been sitting here at my freelance gig in front of a Mac (a 8600/300 w/64 Megs of RAM) for about 20 minutes now while it attempts to copy a 17 Meg file from one folder on the hard drive to another folder. 20 minutes. At home, on my Pentium Pro 200 running NT 4, which by all standards should be a lot slower than this Mac, the same operation would take about 2 minutes. If that.

 

[mildocjr]

I am a Systems Admin, I've used Mac OS exclusively at my house since 2006 until building a Windows 10 custom gaming computer last year, this is why I like Mac.

Uninstalling Apps is as simple as dragging them to the trash, the settings remain so if I reinstall later I don't lose my settings. If I don't want the settings I delete the preferences file too. This removes all of the App unless it was installed as a package (*.mpkg)

The default browser kicks IE's butt. (Cleaned up for forum)

I don't have to deal with 160 updates when I get a new mac.

All my stuff syncs across all my devices without any additional setup past the initial setup. (I'm talking 6 months of always on)

The hardware and software work better together (try Synaptics touchpad on Windows after working with the touchpad on Mac)

Built in dictionary since way back when.

No trouble with drivers. i.e. no BSoDs.

The longer Mac stays running the better it functions. This is opposite for Windows.

Updates are delivered for all my apps through the Mac App Store unless I download something that isn't.

Unix Bash - need I say more about this.

Fewer restarts from updates.

Free OS upgrades

Free iWork and iLife vs subscription Office, and a mediocre and no longer existent Windows DVD Maker.

No ads in the Mac App Store apps.

Every Mac I've owned lasted 10 years. Every PC I've owned lasted 5 years.

Photo and video editing is so much easier vs PC.

Almost everything is one click and nothing needs me to click "apply" and "ok"

Built-in scripting for managing apps existed long before powershell.

Mac workflows using Automator.

Scheduling tasks is a lot easier.

Setting up Services (Macros) to perform common tasks such as automatically gathering the url of a webpage, injecting it into the body of an email and sending it out to all of my family. (just an example but it is very extensible like this)

Multiple desktops since at least Vista days.

Stickies since way back when.

Integrated router management with airport utility if you have an Airport base station.

Bootcamp - the ability to run Windows in an alternate partition if you have the need.

So few viruses I haven't had to pay for virus protection, but I am also cautious on the web.

Back to Mac - most equivalent to Remote Desktop Connection except it allows you to connect to any Mac without it being on the same network.

=================================

Reasons I like Windows over Mac:

Hyper-V

Powershell 5 scripting

Gaming (incl. DX12)

More 3rd party apps

Newer drivers better support for newer games

=================================

Both are great development platforms

Visual Studio is pretty awesome with code completion and quick actions

Xcode is better for preliminary testing with Simulator.

Both are fine for debugging but I feel as though Xcode may be slightly ahead by offering more instruments to gauge from.
Xcode also allows you to pinpoint exactly where the issue occurred during runtime whereas VS gives you a general cryptic error around the cause of the error without actually explaining too much.

=================================

Both systems are fine, how much you like one or the other all depends on what you do with it.

 

[Cape Dave]

500GB spinner and 4gb Ram is a slow beast these days no matter what. I would say that is what you have missed.

 

[roadkill401]

I have read this post and can very much understand what the OP is saying. The Apple of old was probably much better intergrated and the ecosystem it was based on was fare more refined for the time.

But lets face it. Everyone else has gotten a whole lot better and the old adage of Windows needed to be rebooted every day to stay working is a thing of the past. Likewise, Apple has tried to expand to do more and more and the tight nit 'it just works' is no longer the case. If you have ever tried to get an iMac fixed as it's acting up or things just are not working, the go to solution from both AppleCare and the AppleStore is 'just re-install the OS'.

I have had my 5K iMac for over a year now, and I swear that I have re-installed the OS more times in that time period than I have ever installed Windows on every computer in my house. It seems like every 5th week when the next bit stops working right, the only solution is to re-install the OS. For example, Last september I think apple had me re-load the OS 4 times in a hope to get it so that the bluetooth keyboard and mouse would stay connected. Funny was I also have one of the tablets and that worked flawlessly. it ended up the only solution was to simply buy a new usb keyboard and put up with the mouse, until they finally rolled out a new patch for 10.11.2 that gave the blue-tooth issue a bit of a reprieve.

Now those who say that "well, apple controls all the hardware and everything just works" obviously must have closed their eyes to the thousands of people who did have issues. But it's rather hypocritical that Apple people point out every single minor glitch with Windows but blind to all the issues that their Apple has.

The OP point was that you pay a hefty premium for the Apple logo emblazed on the front but it really means nothing as the hardware is not any better and the OS has just as many issues and bugs.

 

[Cape Dave]

Now those who say that "well, apple controls all the hardware and everything just works" obviously must have closed their eyes to the thousands of people who did have issues. But it's rather hypocritical that Apple people point out every single minor glitch with Windows but blind to all the issues that their Apple has.

This has been, over the years, the most obnoxious things about some fanboy Mac Users. "Macs always work!" Um, then how come Genius Bars exist? And they always have a LONG line?

 

[Fancuku]

I've been sitting here at my freelance gig in front of a Mac (a 8600/300 w/64 Megs of RAM) for about 20 minutes now while it attempts to copy a 17 Meg file from one folder on the hard drive to another folder. 20 minutes. At home, on my Pentium Pro 200 running NT 4, which by all standards should be a lot slower than this Mac, the same operation would take about 2 minutes. If that.

Finder is a real POS. It''s the worst thing about OS X.

 

[Macalway]

I don't want to start a holy war here, but what is the deal with you Mac fanatics?

Uh....this is a Mac enthusiasts forum, last time I looked; although from the looks of this this thread, i'm not so sure i

 

[Loch.Tulla]

Wow! Very interesting but too deep a pool for a mere beginner to dive into as a first go at a Forum.

Phenomenal amount of knowledge out there.

 

[jerwin]

Uh....this is a Mac enthusiasts forum, last time I looked; although from the looks of this this thread, i'm not so sure i