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Pc to Mac, does any one wish they HADN'T made the switch

evanrousso said:
Anyone here switch from a pc to a mac and been dissappointed? If so, why?
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Last year I was convincing my friends left and right to switch to Mac. The 4th friend I convinced ended up HATING it. (She told me every day.) She's a bit on the computer illiterate side and just never got comfortable with the little things after years on a PC. (like using CMD+C instead of CTRL+C for copy). So yeah, she was a bit disappointed. However, instead of selling her iBook like a suggested, she toughed it out. A year later, she says she's now finally getting the hang of it and enjoying it. So much so that she says she's finally not thinking about switching back.

But yes, I do know someone that was disappointed with the switch.
 
evanrousso said:
Anyone here switch from a pc to a mac and been dissappointed? If so, why?
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I'm not disappointed, I love my Mac, but there are a few things that I'm missing. There's no free alternative to DVD decrypt/shrink, for example, and it's annoying that I'm sometimes restricted in my choice of hardware (a Windows user NEVER has to wonder whether a certain device will work with his OS). I also love the application management of my Ubuntu machine (apt-get, even though available for Mac OS X it isn't really integrated). I'm not going to switch back (though I consider to buy a Windows computer once Vista is out, perhaps a tablet PC, since that is something Apple doesn't provide). Macs are great, but they aren't perfect, either.
 
24 years old. Had nothing but Apple computers and Macs in the house since the day I was born.
 
There is one area where Windows really really shines though... mouse acceleration. It is just so much smoother under Windows, I found OS X to be really anoying in that area, especially since there is no way to really change it. The shortcuts are different too... have to learn.
 
The Intel switch has pretty much lifted any taboos of the Windows Only world.

You can still buy a working P/C for less money, but if you require more than basic
office applications, your money is better spent on the more versitile Apple platform.

The guys at PC Magazine are VERY IMPRESSED with the new MacPro and their
MacBook as well.

The Mac Pro is now a fully worthy high end workstation with all the expandibility
and connectivily that demanding pros were asking for.

There are still some cases where a Linux powered P/C might be a more affordable solution for a server, but you can still do all of this on your Mac.

Right now Apple has a clear advantage over MS powered machines simply because OSX is an established OS and Vista is sure to have a deluge of growing
pains.

OSX Leopard will put Vista to shame, but you'll still be able to run both if you wish.
 
Sesshi said:
*snip*
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Mac for Business is, indeed, an interesting proposition and as you know I'm currently going down that very road.

The first Mac mini I received for personal use was DOA. I received the Apple 'BSOD' many times and, after 24-48 hours, the machine wouldn't even power on. A great 'welcome to Mac'! The replacement I received, however, has been amazing. I've not had a single problem with it, even running Rosetta applications like Office, and the experience has been so impressive that I've been confident that I can use Macs to create a better working environment.

So far all the iMac's I have received for the office have been perfect, but I have barely used them so I'm not going to pass judgement yet. As for the Mac Pro's, well we already have some ex-top-of-the-line Dell Precision 670's and, excellent SBD warranty aside, they're bloody awful. I don't know what's the matter with my one, but it's sluggish, unstable and not being able to trust such an expensive machine really did push me Macward.

So far? No regrets, especially for personal use. By the end of September I'll have a better idea of whether Mac's really are suitable for business purposes. I truly hope to defy Sesshi's woeful tales, but we'll see!
 
I wished I haven't switched, owning a Mac makes me smug and cocky when friends come to me for windows advice, in fact I always end my conversations now with "Well.. you didn't get a Mac like I adviced, you deserve it....!" :D
 
Passante said:
20 years baby :cool:
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I think I've got you, at over 21 years. In order, I've had:
1. Mac 128k bought used
2. Mac Plus used
3. Mac classic new
4. Mac IIci used
5. Powerbook 520c used
6. Beige Powermac g3 tower new
7. iBook g4 new (still in use)
8. Powermac g4 MDD used (still in use)

9. next to come will be a MB or MBP in 6 months or so.
 
Passante said:
That you need a PC for (lets leave boot camp and parallels out of the discussion). Yes this is a thread hijack. But a closely related one. ;)
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.NET/Visual Studio 2005 (used at work)
Chief Architect
Games!

However, now I've got a Mac Pro on the way, I can ditch my PC and free up plenty of desk space. The Intel move has been nothing but a huge positive for me.
 
I think the majority of people who switched back probably dont post here...


BTW, I am so glad I switched, I will never go back! I switched last year around October 05, so it is coming up on a year and I cant believe Ive had a year of problem free computing. That never happened with wincrap.
 
miniConvert said:
well we already have some ex-top-of-the-line Dell Precision 670's and, excellent SBD warranty aside, they're bloody awful. I don't know what's the matter with my one, but it's sluggish, unstable and not being able to trust such an expensive machine really did push me Macward.
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Oh absolutely. They were based on the old Xeons which was basically part of the 'lost the plot' moment for Intel which gave away their performance leadership to AMD. I had a number of HP Xeon and P4 based machines which I was tearing my hair out with until I realised it was the processors which were ****. Switching to AMD for my workstation needs cured that completely. One could accuse Dell of knowingly selling crap machines but in that way they're no different to Apple - for the brain they're tied to the chip vendor of choice.

Had OS X been introduced on those processors the situation would have been broadly similar in terms of what you experienced. However this time around I'm comparing like for like.

The emphasis that Jobs seems to have put into the geek consciousness for 'performance per watt' is very important for Apple especially as they aim to build quieter computers than most. Less noise = less airflow = less cooling = more heat = hotter running Apple systems so in order for them not to melt Apple needed excellent performance per watt and that's what the Core / 2 Duo series delivers.

But as MBP users know, it's not just the processor - hammering the GPU and the CPU the MBP is still very quiet but it results in a system you can almost poach eggs on. In comparison the HP nx9420 (2.16, X1600) and the Sony SZ2VP (2.16, Go 7400) gets progressively noisier (and they're noisier than the MBP to start with) but they keep their relative cool, and the machines are reasonably 'lappable' even when giving the GPU's a reasonable workout.

In the same way, the Dell has better airflow through the 690 at the expense of noise - it's not bad, but it is definitely much more noticeable than the Mac Pro when the system is under stress. But as I said, for that reason I expect the 690's to be more reliable than the MP.
 
I think if Sesshi's original Mac experience had been on a new 2.66 GHz Mac Pro,
I doubt he would have regretted the decision.

This is a really nerve wracking time to buy ANY computer system, so you do need to carefully consider your long and short term goals.

3 months ago, the company I work for just bought several thousand CF-29 Toughbooks and paid roughly $3700 for each truck mounted pedestal unit.

To me, that was extremely poor judgement in timing and showed me that our IT buyers were not staying well informed.

It's truly amazing how different things can be over a few months.

Some people switching over from Windows applications may need some help
unlearning bad habits.

I've seen countless previous Windows users trying to set up their OSX system
the wrong way instead of keeping things organized properly in their home folder.

You also need enough RAM to properly address your desired performance.
A RAM starved Mac will work, but it won't give you a proper reflection of
ideal performance.

The most noticeable problems come from Beach Balling applications trying to
work with too little RAM and Web applications hanging due to firewall settings, download speeds or server/browser compatibility issues.

My kids complain that some images on My Space won't load, but we're also on dial-up and running behind 3 firewalls and a router.

I KNOW there are countless infested machines using My Space, so I'm not about to lower any security settings.
 
Although I dislike apple's ripping off price policy, I do Like the MAC. Waiting for the day OSX can be installed on PC.
 
I've been using OSX for about 8 months now. Any time I have to use a windows machine for more than about 5 minutes, I get SO frustrated. I honestly hate using it.
 
clevin.

I'd love to see your examples, point for point of comparible machines and features
to see just how much you think people are being ripped off.

Keep in mind that we're discussing current machines with Core Duo or better processors.
 
I convinced a friend to buy a mini, but she hated it - she just couldnt get her head around the mac world? It was weird, everything she needed to do - could be done simpler and easier on the mac, and yet she still couldnt leave the windows mindset? In the end, i swapped her a p4 3ghz pc we had doing nothing for the mini and she's been happy since.

Personally after the weekend i've had with people ringing up with windows software problems :mad: i'm glad i'm on mac and have been for the last 8 years..
 
clevin said:
Waiting for the day OSX can be installed on PC.
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The day that happens is the day Apple go out of business. The loss of money from hardware sales will never be made up with sales of the OS, not when you're competing directly with "Mr 90%" Microsoft. All MS have to do is pull the pin on Office and that would be the final nail in the coffin.
 
My mac experience has been great, until my ibook G4 had a logic board faliure:eek: It's not his fault, I know it!

I'll be waiting for a new macbook though, that'll be cool!

One day when I have kids they'll be banned from PC's:D
 
clevin said:
mac mini, $599, why?
osx 10.x, every "0.1" costs $129, why?
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Are you for real? Go check out the estimates on Vista Prices. OSX is like, Half price for a heck of a lot of features - besides which, nobody forces you to buy it.

As for the mac mini...I'm not sure what you want. You want crappy build quality (plastics etc) then go buy a PC. The Mini is a decent deal; the iMac is a superb deal.
 
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