Windows 7 on a Mac? whats the point...

[gixxerredliner]

Ok maybe its just me, but why on earth would someone pay as much as they do for an apple macbook/imac just to load Windows on to thier system? I understand that windows 7 is supposed to be the saving grace OS for microsoft but serioulsy is it better than OS X?

 

[Tallest Skil]

Games. Maya. AutoCAD. Business-specific apps. No one is stupid enough to only run Windows on a Mac. They use OS X, too.

Do some research.

 

[MarkMS]

I've been playing around with Windows 7 and it's pretty good. Same can be said about Vista. It's just back when Vista came out the drivers were almost non-existent. Is it better than OS X? That's just a preference. I've been using OS X since the early 2000s so I'm used to doing things the OS X way. Same can be said about a Windows user and Windows XP/Vista/7.

 

[twoodcc]

well, considering that i try to keep an open mind, i'm using on one of my macs just to try it out. see how it does compared to leopard and vista. what's wrong with that?

 

[Primejimbo]

Games. Maya. AutoCAD. Business-specific apps. No one is stupid enough to only run Windows on a Mac. They use OS X, too.

Do some research.

I have to agree with the "voice of reason" here. I think it's nice us Mac users have to option to run windows and OSX where PC users don't have have that option. So far I am doing great with just OSX, but it's nice to know if I need windows and I don't have my old Gateway anymore I don't need to buy a PC, I can just load Windows.

 

[gumbyx84]

I have to agree with the "voice of reason" here. I think it's nice us Mac users have to option to run windows and OSX where PC users don't have have that option. So far I am doing great with just OSX, but it's nice to know if I need windows and I don't have my old Gateway anymore I don't need to buy a PC, I can just load Windows.

3rd-ed. Being able to install and run Windows have been a saving grace for me as a student as some of the courses I have taken make use of Windows-Exclusive software. If I couldn't dual-boot my MBP, I would be stuck having to switch to a different machine every time Visual Studio (for example) was needed.

 

[ebony]

For me I installed windows 7 on my imac because:

1) i like new technology, and with the benefit of the mac I have the best of both worlds

2) I wanted to serve media to a playstation 3 ( eyeconnect and media share just don't work well enough for me )

3) I wanted to serve media to a xbox 360 ( again connect360 just wasn't good enough )

4 ) I want to do MSN ( windows live ) video chats.

5 ) its free

 

[NT1440]

Its not like you run one or the other, its about options. Gaming and stuff (if your into that....) is simply better on windows because more games are available amongst other things.

 

[2Shae]

Some people just like the design of the computer itself and run Windows (7) on it, because they just like Windows more then OS X.
Was that so difficult to come up with?

Sure, it wouldn't be my choice unless maybe if Windows 7 would be vastly superior to OS X, but it's a possibility.

 

[theNEOone]

So, we're all in agreement. Sweet.


=|

 

[HLdan]

I think the majority of you are not understanding the OP. He wants to know why "buy" a Mac to run Windows? Its actually a very good question.
So many PC users try their hardest to prove that you can get more features in a physical Windows PC for less than what you would pay for a Macintosh. All of a sudden you will see threads on here from time to time from potential "switchers" that say, "If I buy a Mac could I completely remove OS X and use Windows exclusively?" The question from the OP fits, "What's the point"?

You are not truly a "switcher" if you are just buying the Macintosh hardware but wanting to use Windows instead of OS X. You are just buying hardware to stay on Windows, that's not switching.
Now the existing Mac users that install Windows to run certain software, that makes sense but to buy the hardware when you have very little intention of using the Mac OS X system then what's the point? It's best to buy a physical PC since word has it on the street you can get more for less.

 

[Brother Michael]

I think the majority of you are not understanding the OP. He wants to know why "buy" a Mac to run Windows? Its actually a very good question.
So many PC users try their hardest to prove that you can get more features in a physical Windows PC for less than what you would pay for a Macintosh. All of a sudden you will see threads on here from time to time from potential "switchers" that say, "If I buy a Mac could I completely remove OS X and use Windows exclusively?" The question from the OP fits, "What's the point"?

You are not truly a "switcher" if you are just buying the Macintosh hardware but wanting to use Windows instead of OS X. You are just buying hardware to stay on Windows, that's not switching.
Now the existing Mac users that install Windows to run certain software, that makes sense but to buy the hardware when you have very little intention of using the Mac OS X system then what's the point? It's best to buy a physical PC since word has it on the street you can get more for less.

What?! Who in their right mind is going to buy an iMac to put only Windows on it?

That's stupid.

 

[ebony]

I think the majority of you are not understanding the OP. He wants to know why "buy" a Mac to run Windows? Its actually a very good question.
So many PC users try their hardest to prove that you can get more features in a physical Windows PC for less than what you would pay for a Macintosh. All of a sudden you will see threads on here from time to time from potential "switchers" that say, "If I buy a Mac could I completely remove OS X and use Windows exclusively?" The question from the OP fits, "What's the point"?

You are not truly a "switcher" if you are just buying the Macintosh hardware but wanting to use Windows instead of OS X. You are just buying hardware to stay on Windows, that's not switching.
Now the existing Mac users that install Windows to run certain software, that makes sense but to buy the hardware when you have very little intention of using the Mac OS X system then what's the point? It's best to buy a physical PC since word has it on the street you can get more for less.

I don't think I'm missing the point, I didn't buy a mac just so I can put windows on it, that isn't what the op said.

I agree it is kind of missing the point of buying apple hardware if all you want to do is put windows on it, but I think the majority of people who are currently putting windows 7 on their mac are doing so to enjoy the freedom and choice the apple hardware gives.

 

[theNEOone]

I think the majority of you are not understanding the OP. He wants to know why "buy" a Mac to run Windows? Its actually a very good question.
So many PC users try their hardest to prove that you can get more features in a physical Windows PC for less than what you would pay for a Macintosh. All of a sudden you will see threads on here from time to time from potential "switchers" that say, "If I buy a Mac could I completely remove OS X and use Windows exclusively?" The question from the OP fits, "What's the point"?

You are not truly a "switcher" if you are just buying the Macintosh hardware but wanting to use Windows instead of OS X. You are just buying hardware to stay on Windows, that's not switching.
Now the existing Mac users that install Windows to run certain software, that makes sense but to buy the hardware when you have very little intention of using the Mac OS X system then what's the point? It's best to buy a physical PC since word has it on the street you can get more for less.

No, we are not missing the point. There is nothing "stupid" about preference. Stupidity implies a process/choice/action that defies logic or reason. Barring any technical limitations, there is nothing at all illogical about choosing a piece of hardware that you like, choosing an operating system that you like, and running them together. Saying that there's no point in running only Windows on a Mac is tantamount to saying there's no point to liking the color blue.

Do you know what makes no sense? Threads like this that try to box people's preferences into A or B, not realizing there's a huge spectrum of likes and dislikes. When it comes to preferences there's no right or wrong, and there's definitely no "stupid". I will never understand this ridiculous OS X vs. Windows battle.


=|

 

[nishishei]

Ok maybe its just me, but why on earth would someone pay as much as they do for an apple macbook/imac just to load Windows on to thier system? I understand that windows 7 is supposed to be the saving grace OS for microsoft but serioulsy is it better than OS X?

Because when you go into the Real World (that deals with numbers), you find nearly everyone uses Windows and Windows-based software: Excel with macros, SAS, STATA, ArcGIS, Matlab (Windows version is just better), AutoCAD, and Visual Studio.

And that Office 2008 for Mac is a flaming pile of crap.

 

[Supaklaw]

I use both, and can cite plenty of examples why both work... I primarily have a Windows partition to run games. Fallout 3 is never going to be on the Mac, it's an awesome game, and I don't want a console I prefer mouse/keyboard gameplay. Halo CE is superior on the PC, although it runs fine on the Mac side. When I want to use Photoshop, do video editing, do IM chatting I'd much rather be on the Mac, it's just a better workspace for me, but generally dirtier stuff I do on the PC side like use utorrent and play games.

I tried Windows 7 on VMware Fusion, and it seems finally a fast enough version of Vista (it's very Vista like) that isn't a RAM hog that will run emulated fairly well... I still need to use Bootcamp for games though so, if someone is buying a Mac only to use it for Windows 7 I agree it is silly. I prefer XP 64-bit, it's more stable for games. But I think the OP and the PC box defenders are missing our point that Mac users like the option, and can simply reboot or launch an emulator if it "needs to get done", and don't just have to compromise by having one machine you're stuck with. Is it worth the cost? Depends on each users need.

 

[HLdan]

No, we are not missing the point. There is nothing "stupid" about preference. Stupidity implies a process/choice/action that defies logic or reason. Barring any technical limitations, there is nothing at all illogical about choosing a piece of hardware that you like, choosing an operating system that you like, and running them together. Saying that there's no point in running only Windows on a Mac is tantamount to saying there's no point to liking the color blue.

Do you know what makes no sense? Threads like this that try to box people's preferences into A or B, not realizing there's a huge spectrum of likes and dislikes. When it comes to preferences there's no right or wrong, and there's definitely no "stupid". I will never understand this ridiculous OS X vs. Windows battle.


=|

I'm getting tired of getting misquoted here. WHERE IN HELL DID I SAY THE WORD "STUPID", especially in terms of installing Windows on a Mac?

 

[gixxerredliner]

Sir

I think the majority of you are not understanding the OP. He wants to know why "buy" a Mac to run Windows? Its actually a very good question.
So many PC users try their hardest to prove that you can get more features in a physical Windows PC for less than what you would pay for a Macintosh. All of a sudden you will see threads on here from time to time from potential "switchers" that say, "If I buy a Mac could I completely remove OS X and use Windows exclusively?" The question from the OP fits, "What's the point"?

You are not truly a "switcher" if you are just buying the Macintosh hardware but wanting to use Windows instead of OS X. You are just buying hardware to stay on Windows, that's not switching.
Now the existing Mac users that install Windows to run certain software, that makes sense but to buy the hardware when you have very little intention of using the Mac OS X system then what's the point? It's best to buy a physical PC since word has it on the street you can get more for less.

This is exactly what I was attempting to say. What is the purpose of purchasing a mac and not fully switching over? If you are going to buy a mac but use windows exclusive whats the point?

 

[zap2]

Do some research.

I think this thread is research, relax

This is exactly what I was attempting to say. What is the purpose of purchasing a mac and not fully switching over? If you are going to buy a mac but use windows exclusive whats the point?

You might like OS X for daily stuff, but need a few things Windows offers.

Maybe you want try it out, see if its better then OS X, and if it is, buy a PC next time you update, and until then just use Windows 7 on a Mac until then.

 

[Stridder44]

Ok maybe its just me, but why on earth would someone pay as much as they do for an apple macbook/imac just to load Windows on to thier system? I understand that windows 7 is supposed to be the saving grace OS for microsoft but serioulsy is it better than OS X?

I'm assuming you mean buy a Mac but use Windows exclusively on it? As in Windows only, no OS X? Yeah, that's pretty silly. Running both OS X and Windows makes a lot of sense though.

Who said Windows 7 was the saving grace OS for Microsoft?

 

[cathyy]

I'm one of the 'stupid' people who runs Windows exclusively on a Mac.


"Now Cathy, why would you do such a stupid thing like that? PCs are so much cheaper than Macs"

Not that much for notebooks in Singapore. Other notebooks with similar specifics were only cheaper by about US$100 - 300. However, these models were all either huge and bulky, heavy, or of inferior build quality (or just plain ugly). I figured it'd be worth the extra money to buy a solid notebook that's slim, light and plain sexy. <3


"But you forgot to add in the price of Windows."

School provides Windows XP Professional and Windows Vista Business for free.


"So, why don't you want to use OS X since you have it?"

I don't mind using OS X. It's just that for all the programs that I need/use, it's either not available on OS X, or Windows does it just as well as OS X does. If this is the case, it makes more sense to just stick to Windows.

Gaming? Windows definitely.
Visual Studio? Doesn't work with OS X.
Maya? More or less the same on both.
Photoshop? OS X does it better, but I'm not at that level where it makes a difference.
Microsoft Office? Still better on Windows.
iTunes? Is there any difference?
Movies? Same as above.
Comics? Same as above.
Web Surfing? Same as above.

Arguably, the only thing I need which OS X does better than Windows for me is multitouch gestures. However this isn't enough to make me stick to OS X. Besides, none of the PC notebooks have multitouch gestures anyway


"But Windows is so slow, keeps crashing, and is so vulnerable to viruses!"

Yeaaa, to anyone who actually does say this, you should try using XP under my MBP first. It's every bit as snappy as OS X, extremely stable (<1 crash per month), and has not been infected by a single virus so far.


I'm not that "stupid" though since I still have OS X around, should it become more advantageous for me to use it. I'm not saying whether OS X or Windows is better, it's just that Windows suits my needs better.

Hope this answers the OP's question pretty clearly.

 

[Ariez]

I run windows more than OS X. Why would I spend a premium just to run windows?

-There is nothing on the market that can beat the sleekness of the MBP. When you calculate it, the MBP is actually a very cheap choice.
-Running any visualization program cripples Windows because it cant use Aero.
-Im more comfortable in Windows than OSX.
- I hate changing OS just for specific tasks. Windows let me do everything I need to do. OSX doesnt really.

 

[Ariez]

And also Photoshop CS4 works better on windows than OSX for some reason, I notice.

 

[Tallest Skil]

And also Photoshop CS4 works better on windows than OSX for some reason, I notice.

It could be because it's 64-bit in Windows and 32-bit in OS X, which is a farce, I'll tell you.

 

[Loccy]

What?! Who in their right mind is going to buy an iMac to put only Windows on it?

In all honesty, my first MacBook Pro was issued to me (it was a work laptop) and I had every intention of doing just that. I installed Win2K3 Server (which at the time was my favoured OS) with Bootcamp and figured I'd trash OSX later when I needed the space. I'd always admired Apple hardware but thought their OS was utter gash (although this opinion was formed based on the classic, pre-OSX OS).

And to start with I did use Windows almost exclusively. But gradually I found myself letting it boot into OSX for "quick" things, like browsing the internet and reading email, because it booted quicker and "just worked".

Even more gradually, and before I even realised it, I was using OSX more often than not. But it took me being issued a new laptop, a Sony Vaio with Vista, to realise it. After two weeks of Vista I went and Hackintoshed the Vaio. In the end despite getting the Vaio's hardware almost 100% running, the quirks of the Hackintosh and issues made me go out and buy a white MacBook with my own money (and recently, an Alu).

The moral of the story? "Switchers" who think they're not going to use OSX probably will. And it's insidious, once they do. Once you go Mac you won't go back!