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REVISITED: Switchers, how long have you been using a Mac?
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Obligatory other: though I switched after Leopard was released(had decided to during Tiger's lifetime though).
I switched because of Linux, I really loved UNIX systems but was locked out of shrink-wrapped proprietary packages for the most part on Linux. I also want to be a programmer myself, and will probably want to sell my own software eventually. Mac is a great balance of openness/freedom; in the form of no license keys, plus being very customizable if you look for the under-the-hood settings, and commercialism; in the form of proprietary app support, all on the best platform since 1969: UNIX.
I switched because of Linux, I really loved UNIX systems but was locked out of shrink-wrapped proprietary packages for the most part on Linux. I also want to be a programmer myself, and will probably want to sell my own software eventually. Mac is a great balance of openness/freedom; in the form of no license keys, plus being very customizable if you look for the under-the-hood settings, and commercialism; in the form of proprietary app support, all on the best platform since 1969: UNIX.
"Switched" as soon as they were affordable. That is, when I could get a new one for under $500.
My next computer will be a Dell E.
The one after that will be a macbook pro...
etc etc
My next computer will be a Dell E.
The one after that will be a macbook pro...
etc etc
just to be awkward, i had to choose 'The obligatory "Other"..'
although i thought for quite a while i'd prefer a mac, i never took the plunge due to the cost. it was only when i decided i wanted/needed logic for university i decided to buy a mac. but to be honest, i much prefer macs anyway
although i thought for quite a while i'd prefer a mac, i never took the plunge due to the cost. it was only when i decided i wanted/needed logic for university i decided to buy a mac. but to be honest, i much prefer macs anyway
Very interesting... I switched for almost exactly the same reason. Before getting my iMac in November 2007, I had been using iTunes for about 1.5 years and really liked it, and got the iPod nano a little later (weird that the "halo effect" started with software for me, not hardware). However, I was still in the PC camp because of Cakewalk SONAR, a Windows-only pro digital audio app-- I had too much money and music work invested to abandon it for OS X.
Leopard and Bootcamp changed that.
I now use GarageBand as a quick music sketchpad, then switch to XP via Bootcamp for full production in Cakewalk. It's a nice combination.
I bought MB and mini two years ago.
But as of now, Im still using MB with Tiger, MINI mostly with Ubuntu (sometimes leopard).
I still own and use a Vista desktop.
And I just installed windows XP on my EEE (Sorry!, but I need PDAnet, otherwise, xandros was pretty good)
Switch? there is no switch, the word "own" may fit my situation better since Im not using any OS exclusively.
But as of now, Im still using MB with Tiger, MINI mostly with Ubuntu (sometimes leopard).
I still own and use a Vista desktop.
And I just installed windows XP on my EEE (Sorry!, but I need PDAnet, otherwise, xandros was pretty good)
Switch? there is no switch, the word "own" may fit my situation better since Im not using any OS exclusively.
I went and brought a MBP for college three months back in February when the new Penryns came out. I was in the market looking for a laptop and knew that I wanted to try something new and didn't like Vista all that much. I had a Dell XPS 410 that kept getting Blue screens everytime I went to Youtube or random times when I logged in.
I went and researched about macs, went to the Apple store close by and saw that i really liked using Macs. So bought one and I LOVE it.
I went and researched about macs, went to the Apple store close by and saw that i really liked using Macs. So bought one and I LOVE it.
I have to agree, that is a pretty good statement for me also. However I am finding myself more and more moving away from windows (except at work) and using it more and more.
I can't believe it took me this long to finally get my Mac.
My vote cast was for the Mac Pro. Always wanted one and now that I have one....
I am slowly moving the wife to Mac also... Soon she will have a Mac mini or Mac Book....
I switched because of the iPhone. I bought my iPhone on July 6 2007 and bought my first Mac, a MBP exactly a week later. I was so impressed with the iPhone that I had to finally have a Mac.
I responded that I switched during the Panther era, but I really started using Macs back in high school (about 20 years ago). In 2001, I was fortunate enough to receive a free Quadra 650 that was being given away at work with a bunch of other computers. I still primarily used MS Windows though.
It wasn't until 2005 that I bought a Mac.
It wasn't until 2005 that I bought a Mac.
Switched to the iMac in September 07. Since then, my credit card has been converted to an Apple Spending Machine tm
I bought an Airport Extreme Base Station, an Apple TV, an Iphone and a Macbook Air. Selling the AEBS cuz I bought a Time Capsule. I also bought an Apple hat, a few Apple Logoed shirts and an Apple mug with the old Rainbow logo. Had a few iPods in there too.
I stood in line for the opening of the Apple Store here in Vancouver.
I no longer use any MS software at home, only iWork for Office type work.
Love them all, and now waiting for the 3G iPhone
I bought an Airport Extreme Base Station, an Apple TV, an Iphone and a Macbook Air. Selling the AEBS cuz I bought a Time Capsule. I also bought an Apple hat, a few Apple Logoed shirts and an Apple mug with the old Rainbow logo. Had a few iPods in there too.
I stood in line for the opening of the Apple Store here in Vancouver.
I no longer use any MS software at home, only iWork for Office type work.
Love them all, and now waiting for the 3G iPhone
I began keeping an eye on Apple as soon as OS X was announced and finally switched (20" iMac G4) when Panther was the new hotness. I've never regretted the decision in the least.
Here's my Switch story:
Years earlier, I'd used an Apple IIe a friend owned. That was really my only previous experience with Apple products.
In late 1998, I bought an HP. I like it, but then I kept getting viruses and I got hacked despite my best efforts. Then the damn system crashed and I had to reinstall Windows from the recovery partition. And I kept getting viruses and was worried that I was getting hacked again due to all the messages I was getting from the Norton's firewall. Then it crashed again! All that happened in a week. I was furious! Why can't Windows just work right? That was the question I posed to Microsoft and I told them what was going on. No reply. The "experts" said I had to take better care. I had all sorts of software which was supposed to protect my system and all it seemed to do was take up space and slow things down.
I'd heard that OS X was much more stable and far less susceptible to viruses. I knew a friend of a friend who had an iMac running OS X. He let me work with it and showed me around OS X and I got hooked.
The next day, I bought an Apple 800 GHz tower. I remember the date: Tuesday, July 10, 2001.
Years earlier, I'd used an Apple IIe a friend owned. That was really my only previous experience with Apple products.
In late 1998, I bought an HP. I like it, but then I kept getting viruses and I got hacked despite my best efforts. Then the damn system crashed and I had to reinstall Windows from the recovery partition. And I kept getting viruses and was worried that I was getting hacked again due to all the messages I was getting from the Norton's firewall. Then it crashed again! All that happened in a week. I was furious! Why can't Windows just work right? That was the question I posed to Microsoft and I told them what was going on. No reply. The "experts" said I had to take better care. I had all sorts of software which was supposed to protect my system and all it seemed to do was take up space and slow things down.
I'd heard that OS X was much more stable and far less susceptible to viruses. I knew a friend of a friend who had an iMac running OS X. He let me work with it and showed me around OS X and I got hooked.
The next day, I bought an Apple 800 GHz tower. I remember the date: Tuesday, July 10, 2001.
I dumped Windows in 1997.... ... for Linux. I used exclusively Linux at home from 1997 to 2007. 10 years. I was a CS student in college in 1997, and I had the choice of spending $600 on Microsoft Visual Studio, or spending $0 and installing Linux. As a poor student, easy choice. Once I got comfortable in Linux, there's nothing I couldn't do, I was a Linux King. I was also spending hours and hours a day tinkering and re-compiling and getting everything working how I wanted it. Did that for 10 years, until 2007, when I switched again, this time to a Mac.
Linux is a fabulous OS - if you're a geek and you enjoy spending hours tinkering with the OS - which at the time, I was/did. Now I just want something that works and isn't irritating to use. Obviously, windows is out of the question. Enter OS X. I still have the UNIX command line to comfort me, still have that rock-solid UNIX stability, but now I'm not spending hours and hours tinkering to get things to work - things just work. I'm happy.
Once I got comfortable in Linux, there's nothing I couldn't do, I was a Linux King. I was also spending hours and hours a day tinkering and re-compiling and getting everything working how I wanted it. Did that for 10 years, until 2007, when I switched again, this time to a Mac.Linux is a fabulous OS - if you're a geek and you enjoy spending hours tinkering with the OS - which at the time, I was/did. Now I just want something that works and isn't irritating to use. Obviously, windows is out of the question. Enter OS X. I still have the UNIX command line to comfort me, still have that rock-solid UNIX stability, but now I'm not spending hours and hours tinkering to get things to work - things just work. I'm happy.
Got my 15" Aluminum Powerbook G4 in Sep 2003 and picked up an iPod 3G in Jan 2004. Both still work well, but I'm itching for an upgrade
Tiger still seems to be the "agent of change", though I think it's lengthy time of de facto OShood might account for that.
I'm not sure at what point I switched.
When I was little (birth until I was 6-7) we always had macs. My dad was the only one who knew anything about computers, and he liked macs, and thats how it was. He started with them when they were just Apples/'84 or when ever, I am not sure. Way back, though.
But then my sister needed a windows computer in highschool for some stuff she had to do. So, everyone but my dad switched to windows. We went through a few that have had issues for one reason or another (windows 98 got killed by spyware and virii before we understood that stuff, the other just didn't have very good specs, 128 MB ram, 1.7 ghz celeron processor running windows XP. Now the graphics card in my current windows machine is dieing. Still works, just doesn't work correctly.) so, I just got tired of the windows problems, part of them hardware, but just as many software (I have fixed a few software issues in windows). I've had used ibooks from my dad for maybe 3 years, and right now I have a ibook g4 that is keeping me satisfied until I can afford a new mac. I decided to get a mac next time partly because I am tired of windows issues, but also because I have gotten into video(some), web(some), music and photography a lot, and I think a mac would be good for those. Well, and I want something that just... Works.
When I was little (birth until I was 6-7) we always had macs. My dad was the only one who knew anything about computers, and he liked macs, and thats how it was. He started with them when they were just Apples/'84 or when ever, I am not sure. Way back, though.
But then my sister needed a windows computer in highschool for some stuff she had to do. So, everyone but my dad switched to windows. We went through a few that have had issues for one reason or another (windows 98 got killed by spyware and virii before we understood that stuff, the other just didn't have very good specs, 128 MB ram, 1.7 ghz celeron processor running windows XP. Now the graphics card in my current windows machine is dieing. Still works, just doesn't work correctly.) so, I just got tired of the windows problems, part of them hardware, but just as many software (I have fixed a few software issues in windows). I've had used ibooks from my dad for maybe 3 years, and right now I have a ibook g4 that is keeping me satisfied until I can afford a new mac. I decided to get a mac next time partly because I am tired of windows issues, but also because I have gotten into video(some), web(some), music and photography a lot, and I think a mac would be good for those. Well, and I want something that just... Works.