Mac users, help me solve this dispute with dd

[Tangerine]

:lol:

 

Mac here too. Always and forever, barring something pretty epic.

[Hannah C.]

I grew up on Macs and had a Mac through college. I totally agree with your DD. My first laptop had no problems for three years, until the hard drive died (back up your hard drive!) and my second laptop is going strong. I also got AppleCare - I recommend that.

 

That being said, there are occasionally faulty Macs, as with all technology. My best friend from high school bought a MacBook Pro the same year I bought my MacBook, and her Mac has had all sorts of technical issues - which were all replaced with no cost to her, because she had AppleCare. She didn't even have to pay to mail the computer to Apple for repairs!

 

And Macs almost never get viruses. ;)

[Sugarfoot]

We're a family of Mac users here. I have a MacBook Pro, the kids have MacBooks, DH has a MacBook, and we have an iMac. Mine needed a new battery last fall.

 

I recently helped my mom set up a new PC. Oh, my, goodness... I'd forgotten about all of...that! :lol: A Mac comes out of the box ready to go...and go, and go!!

[CalicoKat]

I would be firmly on DD's side on this one.

 

:iagree: I replaced my PC with a mac last year. DH thought I was nuts to spend the money. Now he wants a mac too. :D

[SonshineLearner]

Get a Mac with the educator discount... and buy the Applecare ;) I wuv my MacBook Pro... 13" .... With an REI case... :)

Yay!!

[rafiki]

.

[awstgs]

Another vote with your daughter! We love all things Apple here. On the rare occasion when there was a problem, Apple took care of everything BEYOND our expectations! It's wonderful to find a company that stands behind their products! Can you tell how much I love Apple?

[whitestavern]

Another who agrees with your daughter. We heart macs.

[calandalsmom]

My 2 yr old mac runs like the day it was set up.

 

My ds's 2 yr old laptop runs like.... a 98 yr old with a walker?

 

Firmly Team Mac.

[PeterPan]

Uh, I hate to tell you this, but if you get a mac you won't NEED to service it. ;)

 

I got a mac a few months ago, and it's SUCH a tremendous change. I got it with an SSD, and it's unbelievably fast and smooth. Everything looks gorgeous on it. Utterly quiet. Huge screen. Not a single problem. This after years of me removing viruses from my pc, dealing with registry codes, this and that and this and that going wrong. The mac just WORKS.

 

PCs aren't bad. Macs are just better. :)

[mom2att]

Dear OP: I am sorry to report that the score is now dd 98, you 2 (and I counted ;-) I think this thread proves that while it cannot be said that there are zero discontented Mac users in the world, or zero Mac users with zero problems, we can certainly safely say that there are very, very few of either.

 

And this, in the interest of full disclosure, is being typed on my stylish and extremely reliable MacBook.

[PeterPan]

I hate Apple (my ipod, iTunes, all that junk...) but, truth be told, if I had the money, I'd have a Mac. I go through PCs like they're going out of style for some reason. I've never heard anyone complain about having a Mac. ;)

 

I hated my ipod shuffle, iTunes, etc. too, till I got my imac. Now I know how they're supposed to work. LOL The whole thing is utterly seamless on an imac. With this huge screen, the expose feature (sort of like having unlimited desktops), and screaming RAM (16GB), I can have my email, calendar, stickings, 12 tabs in Safari (the internet browser) and process pictures AND play some music or work in the word processor (Pages) or Numbers (spreadsheet). I mean it's just INSANE how much I can do at once. It never balks or complains. It just DOES it. And with the nifty trackpad, it's even better! I finally have a computer that can keep up with me. Love it. I was looking at the new updates for the imac and trying to figure out why they even need them. Mine is amazing. :)

 

You know what else I love about my mac? I love how customizable it is. Today I was subscribing to custom calendar additions to add to my basic version (all free downloads). So now I have the moon phases, the weather, and even the best fishing times if I want them, all on my computer! It's just endless the way you can customize things with it. And I love the OS. Everything is right where you think it ought to be, so logical and easy to find.

 

Basically everything you do on a PC, the mac does, just a bit prettier, a bit better. I could change the font sizes on my pc browser, but with my mac I can zoom and make smaller every tab a different way, with just a quick keystroke. Love it.

 

The price is the only issue. But if you can find a way, yes the mac will be worth it.

[sarahbobeara]

once you go mac, you never go back. at least i never will!

[kalanamak]

Another vote for your daughter! Go Team MAc!!!

 

Yup. I've had both, starting with a Mac for 8 years in the 80's, then PCs during the 90s, and then I bought my own computer for the first time (all the rest were fairly new hand me downs). I went back to mac, and will most likely never have a PC again. I've never lost data, never had a crash.

[kalanamak]

Did we "solve" your dispute? :lol:

[JessReplanted]

We switched to macs several years ago, and we could not believe the years of our lives that were wasted messing around with PC's. And, I thought that learning how to use a mac would be tricky, but it really wasn't.

 

~ another happy apple family :)

[mommymilkies]

I have never ever had a problem with a Mac. I've owned 4 over the last...17 years or so. I have gotten about thisclose to burning my PCs, though. I will NEVER go back to PC. I only did because dh insisted for years, but he's a convert now. And if he changes his mind, too bad, because I'm the one that fixes the computers when he messes them up!!!

[kolamum]

Mac's aren't known for their problems because generally they don't have them. They aren't susceptible to viruses like pcs are.

 

My husband told me that for years, and his Mac was always 100x quicker then the top of the line pc I had. So, when my last pc blew out 5 years ago I said I'd get a Macbook.

 

I had problems with my Macbook that made my dh, his brother, and the mega techs in the shops heads spin! I mean seriously!! Turned out I had bad ram and because none of them caught it, it set off a team of other problems. Once they found the problem never had another issue with the thing.

 

Mac was gracious enough to extend my warranty on the last one because of all the issues and to make sure everything was resolved before the warranty ran out. My new Macbook had no problems at all from the get go.

 

 

The only major Con of a Mac is that 97% of computer programs don't run on a Mac. It's a pain in the rump and not the fault of a Mac, but the fault of the developers. That said, Mac systems can run a Windows programme which allows you to overcome that small hitch. ;) Kinda gives you the best of both worlds.. BUT, don't think just because you run Windows {parallel} on a Mac computer you'll get any better service from Windows. After all.. windows is windows. :lol:

 

All that said, I'd still go with Mac over PC any day of the week and twice on Sundays. :D

[specialmama]

Totally with your dd on this one, mom... sorry! Macs excel, there's no two ways about it. Anyone who says otherwise has probably not had enough time to get over the slight learning curve.

[TammyinTN]

Yep...your daughters right. ;) We now have 3 macs and are so happy. I'm working on moving my stuff off the PC onto our new mini mac. Definitely worth the money!!! When you get a Mac...you never go back! :D

[Lolly]

We are a family with two macs and 6 PCs. The two macs almost never have an issue. The PCs, well, ummm, they are PCs. It seems like dh is always cursing over them. If there is a problem with the mac, a trip to the genius bar will usually clear up the problem. (Dd has my old mac. Seems it wasn't working properly because it had too much junk stored on it. A bit of deleting and problem solved.) I did have some speed issues with my new (a few years ago) mac/laptop that Apple couldn't figure out; it worked fine when I took it to them:001_huh:. I have no idea what changed, but it works fine now?. Bottom line, I am voting with your dd.:D

 

Btw, I dislike Apple's policies on iTunes and such. Way too greedy. I actually wish I didn't like Macs so much. I'd love to go with a pc. It would drive me crazy having to wait on dh to fix it or take it in and pay $$$ to have a professional look at it like the kids have to do with theirs every single time they crash.:glare:

[IlluminatedAttic]

Your daughter must be one happy girl right now. :lol:

 

P.S. We love our Macs here too. The only reason we have a PC in the house is for dh's work. If he could he would switch in a heartbeat.

[Jenny in Atl]

Apples to lemons... Our Macs, we have three (only one issue in over six years). We've been through four PCs in that time (as in they have die or I wished they would) :lol:

[ciyates]

Love my mac! I forget it is fast until I get on someone else's PC :D

[kewb]

Go with the Mac. Even my pc loving husband prefers my mac. A classic story in our house:

When I upgraded to Snow Leopard and he upgraded to Windows something it went like this.

DH: here is the disk for Snow Leopard.

Me: Great. Insert disk. Pop up window: Install now? I click on yes.

 

One hour later I am done and surfiing the net.

7 hours later dh completes his upgrade.

[3lilreds in NC]

We are Apple lovers here, too! I haven't had a PC since I worked in Michigan which was about 13 years ago. :D Dh has been an Apple geek since he was in high school, and now he works for Apple - living the dream, I tell you. :lol:

 

Macs are awesome. I rarely have problems with mine. There is no "blue screen of death" in the life of a Mac and viruses are basically non-existent.

 

I agree with kath that running Parallels to get Windows programs to work has not been the most fun I've ever had, but there is very little that I need to run in Windows. Actually, there is nothing that I *need* to run in Windows because I don't do it and no one has died. Ha.

[DawnM]

I bought my first Mac about 18 months ago and am SOLD, SOLD, SOLD!

 

I am getting an iMac this summer (during the educator deals) and will not be purchasing another PC EVER (ok, well, there may be a reason at some point, but not if I can help it!)

 

Dawn

[BeckyFL]

Such a smart girl!

[love2read]

Your daughter must be one happy girl right now. :lol:

Understatement. Fortunately, it has been her father and not me telling her macs were no good :tongue_smilie:

[Lolly]

Understatement. Fortunately, it has been her father and not me telling her macs were no good :tongue_smilie:

 

So, when does she get her mac?:D:lol::lol:

[WishboneDawn]

It would drive me crazy having to wait on dh to fix it or take it in and pay $$$ to have a professional look at it like the kids have to do with theirs every single time they crash.:glare:

 

I wonder what kind of PCs people are buying here. I've had a Dell, Compaq, Toshiba, IBM and a few old clone and have never had a serious issue. The occasional optical drive failure but that's it.

 

The Dell is now almost 12 years old and was only just starting to show signs of a hard drive failure in the last year.

[Amber in AUS]

Once you go Mac, you wont go back :)

[Xander]

We're a Mac family whenever we have a choice. We've had very few problems and the ones that do crop up tend to be the sort that can happen on any system.

 

If money were not an issue, I'd choose Mac. OS X is NOT the same Mac you were using 20 years ago - it's a much more capable operating system.

 

 

It's basically BSD UNIX underneath the graphical interface, so you can pull up a terminal window (command line interface) and use UNIX commands, vi and shell scripts.

 

I went kicking and screaming to Mac. Once I found out how much better it was, I won't go back. (And I was a Comp. Sci. Major in college so i don't buy that "Macs are only easier for people who don't understand computers.)

 

Macs are great for people who understand computers! When people spend all day fixing computer problems, they don't want to spend their evenings and weekends doing the same - they want something that just works.

 

Of course, Macs are great for people who don't know much about computers too - there's no need to interact with the underlying OS if you don't want to and there are relatively few ways for a novice user to stumble into something out of their depth. I've come across cases of Windows users messing with the registry without having the slightest idea what it was.

[ChrissySC]

I will bump in here and let you know that Mac is no better or worse than an windows-based machine. If cost is a factor, look for a linux os to substitute if dd is stuck on the idea of unix-based systems.

 

Ignorance is bliss with the Mac. Let me explain, or ramble a bit.

 

There are unix exploits that infect the Mac. No, the normal user does not know until it is often too late. A Mac surfs the same internet that the rest of the pc-windows machines do. You are not elite or special with a Mac. You will get the same malware/spyware/viruses that infect through the internet. The Washington Post did an article this year that stated that Mac is not a center for attack but that it suffers from the same potential threats as the pc-windows machine. As I stated, isn't ignorance bliss? Most of what your dd will do is surf the internet. It seems a little ridiculous to spend over a thousand dollars for internet access and mail.

 

Anyway, let me ask you this ... Is she wanting to get a Mac OS or a Windows OS on the machine? If she goes Windows, she has just given up every bit of safety in a unix-based OS that she would have had and joined the rest of us in the world of attack and defend.

 

IMO, unless you are working on video and graphics, plan to learn the command lines, want to program, and do not use Windows-based OS, applications, and/or software, just buy the darn regular run-of-the-mill computer. I think what most people see is the "hype." And then, they go and stick Windows on a Mac, and make it a more expensive version.

 

Mac runs AMD and Intel chips now. There is nothing special or different here. Memory is the same too. Multithread versus multitask are the only difference between AMD and Intel. (Google ... they argue all the time over this. I have an i9 at the house. I can't argue with 12 g of ddr3. I wouldn't know if there was difference. What is 1000th of a millisecond to me?:lol:)

 

Mac is upgrading their OS now. I believe it is 'Lion' that will be released now. There is a great deal of controversy of the file mangement tree and accessibility. But, that is a bit complicated and beyond most. It should be a great little OS. Yet, you must consider that most games and applications are not released at the same time if at all for the Mac.

 

You will still need to purchase AV/Internet security for the Mac too. I suppose that even in my world that I see limited benefit and more hype involved with the Mac. The only thing that Apple has to offer me is the iPad, iPhone, and iTouch!

 

If you really care to discuss it further, give me a shout. To me, I have been around since the dawn of personal computers, a computer is a computer is a computer. You get what you need to get the job done and done well. :001_smile: Again, ignorance is bliss - just watch more of those commercials!:lol:

 

 

Speed: I think intel/amd ignorance is where buyers get "tossed" crap. Why are you all still buying celeron processors? Helloooooo ... that crap is old! So, don't say a windows-based machine is slow and troublesome when you buy antique processors and memory.

Edited May 10, 2011 by ChrissySC

[Haiku]

Mac products are superior. They are better designed and run better. It's that simple.

 

My husband is a designer/programmer. All they use are Macs.

 

Tara

[KristinaBreece]

I will bump in here and let you know that Mac is no better or worse than an windows-based machine. If cost is a factor, look for a linux os to substitute if dd is stuck on the idea of unix-based systems.

 

Ignorance is bliss with the Mac. Let me explain, or ramble a bit.

 

There are unix exploits that infect the Mac. No, the normal user does not know until it is often too late. A Mac surfs the same internet that the rest of the pc-windows machines do. You are not elite or special with a Mac. You will get the same malware/spyware/viruses that infect through the internet. The Washington Post did an article this year that stated that Mac is not a center for attack but that it suffers from the same potential threats as the pc-windows machine. As I stated, isn't ignorance bliss? Most of what your dd will do is surf the internet. It seems a little ridiculous to spend over a thousand dollars for internet access and mail.

 

Anyway, let me ask you this ... Is she wanting to get a Mac OS or a Windows OS on the machine? If she goes Windows, she has just given up every bit of safety in a unix-based OS that she would have had and joined the rest of us in the world of attack and defend.

 

IMO, unless you are working on video and graphics, plan to learn the command lines, want to program, and do not use Windows-based OS, applications, and/or software, just buy the darn regular run-of-the-mill computer. I think what most people see is the "hype." And then, they go and stick Windows on a Mac, and make it a more expensive version.

 

Mac runs AMD and Intel chips now. There is nothing special or different here. Memory is the same too. Multithread versus multitask are the only difference between AMD and Intel. (Google ... they argue all the time over this. I have an i9 at the house. I can't argue with 12 g of ddr3. I wouldn't know if there was difference. What is 1000th of a millisecond to me?:lol:)

 

Mac is upgrading their OS now. I believe it is 'Lion' that will be released now. There is a great deal of controversy of the file mangement tree and accessibility. But, that is a bit complicated and beyond most. It should be a great little OS. Yet, you must consider that most games and applications are not released at the same time if at all for the Mac.

 

You will still need to purchase AV/Internet security for the Mac too. I suppose that even in my world that I see limited benefit and more hype involved with the Mac. The only thing that Apple has to offer me is the iPad, iPhone, and iTouch!

 

If you really care to discuss it further, give me a shout. To me, I have been around since the dawn of personal computers, a computer is a computer is a computer. You get what you need to get the job done and done well. :001_smile: Again, ignorance is bliss - just watch more of those commercials!:lol:

 

 

Speed: I think intel/amd ignorance is where buyers get "tossed" crap. Why are you all still buying celeron processors? Helloooooo ... that crap is old! So, don't say a windows-based machine is slow and troublesome when you buy antique processors and memory.

 

I don't think it's quite as simple as people buying into the "hype." I have had far superior experiences with Mac products. Obviously, I'm not alone in this, as almost everyone in this thread has stated the same. Windows-based computers run slower. They're (in my experience) more complicated, and less intuitive. They are MUCH less susceptible to viruses. I don't understand how the fact that millions of people have had similar experiences when comparing the 2 equates to everyone just drinking the Mac Kool-Aid. KWIM?

[rhrice3]

I would be in full agreement with your daughter. We have owned 4 during our short computer life of 13 yrs - we still use 3 of them. We have spent very little on any repairs. They are fast, reliable, great for games and photography, etc. We will definitely be buying a smaller laptop than the one my hubbie has for ds to take to college next year.

 

Not so funny story - three years ago someone put a killer virus into all the large churches in our area. The computer system at our church was messed up for 4 weeks - all areas of it. The only 2 computers working in the huge church complex were the pastor's and mission liaison - both macs. The mission guy has started and owned his own software company, and he believes that macs are superior than anything out there. We agree!!!!

[ChrissySC]

And therein you support me - I am a network designer and programmer too. :P

 

The Mac is not superior. The OS is leaner and cleaner. Stability and performance are still the responsibility of the user/owner.

 

What everyone is failing to understand is that it is the UNIX system that is superior. Not the Mac ... *sigh

 

Go buy your Mac .... I tried to explain. It is not easily understood. Sorry.

 

 

(I work from a dual bootsystem with a command line driven linux and win7 ultimate.)

Edited May 10, 2011 by ChrissySC

[Jumping In Puddles]

The mac is worth every penny of the premium to me. Like Amber said, once you go mac you will never go back!

[Ellesmere]

[quote name

[KristinaBreece]

And therein you support me - I am a network designer and programmer too. :P

 

The Mac is not superior. The OS is leaner and cleaner. Stability and performance are still the responsibility of the user/owner.

 

What everyone is failing to understand is that it is the UNIX system that is superior. Not the Mac ... *sigh

 

Go buy your Mac .... I tried to explain. It is not easily understood. Sorry.

 

 

(I work from a dual bootsystem with a command line driven linux and win7 ultimate.)

 

I think I understand what you're saying. But for the person who wants the smoother running system, who is not a programmer & who doesn't have the time or desire to learn to run command line driven Linux, wouldn't that make Mac the better choice?

[Spy Car]

And therein you support me - I am a network designer and programmer too. :P

 

The Mac is not superior. The OS is leaner and cleaner. Stability and performance are still the responsibility of the user/owner.

 

What everyone is failing to understand is that it is the UNIX system that is superior. Not the Mac ... *sigh

 

Go buy your Mac .... I tried to explain. It is not easily understood. Sorry.

 

 

(I work from a dual bootsystem with a command line driven linux and win7 ultimate.)

 

There are two parts to why a Mac is superior.

 

One is the OS. To say the OS is "leaner and cleaner" (which is true, but only the beginning of how much better OS X is than Windows from a user perspective) and then say the OS is not part of "the Mac" is somewhat bizarre. Of course the OS is an essential part of what makes using Macs such a pleasure.

 

The other part is hardware. It is true that in most ways the basic parts used to make a Mac and a PC have converged. The proof of that is current Macs can boot up vatively in Windows and work as PCs. And not just "work" but often show up in tests as the best performing PCs.

 

So what's the difference between Macs and PCs hardware wise? The components, for one. The PC market is mostly a commoditized business with a drive towards shaving every cent of the production price, and this leads to sourcing the lowest cost components possible (in most cases). Cheap power supplies, cheap memory, cheap drives, cheap everything.

 

Apple, on the other hand--while not being prolifragafe--pays serious attention to the quality of the components that go into their machines. They don't just slap in the cheapest part they can source. Does it mean the hardware generally costs a little more? Yes, but it is worth it to many to have a machine they can rely upon rather than one assembled from "junk."

 

Now there are specially made high-end PC made from quality components. That is true. But to get one of these, built to Mac quality, one usually pays more for the machine than buying a Mac.

 

In the television and film world 3-D graphic work has been done mostly on PCs. It is an almost unique niche where PCs dominate in an otherwise Mac oriented industry. The 3-D guys used to spend big dollars on custom PCs because they need processing power and reliability. Now, since Macs will run Windows better than PCs, many of the 3-D houses just purchase Macs to run their Windows apps because they get the high-end hardware they need for premium performance, at a cost below what they would pay for a similarly configured PC.

 

The advantage is two fold. A demonstrably better OS. And a de facto expectation of premium hardware chosen by very quality conscious company. Apple is legendary for being "picky" about every element of its designs, so the point when there is a flaw like the antenna design in the iPhone 4 an arguably minor issue becomes a great drama.

 

The bottom line for consumers is the computers work. No hassles. The OS is elegant and fast and intuitive. And the hardware is quality stuff chosen by obsessive quality control freaks and integrated and tested to run well as a system with the other components and the OS.

 

Bill

[EKS]

I think Macs aren't as wonderful as people seem to say they are. There are fewer applications that will run on a Mac (though it is better than it used to be). Many of the applications for Macs are *not* user friendly--in fact, there are two programs in particular that are specifically for Macs, iPhoto and Quicken for Mac, that are designed to be so idiot proof that they are almost non-functional.

 

On the other hand, my Mac always starts right up--it still takes 20-30 seconds after two years, whereas my PC took a good 5 minutes.

[Spy Car]

I think Macs aren't as wonderful as people seem to say they are. There are fewer applications that will run on a Mac (though it is better than it used to be). Many of the applications for Macs are *not* user friendly--in fact, there are two programs in particular that are specifically for Macs, iPhoto and Quicken for Mac, that are designed to be so idiot proof that they are almost non-functional.

 

On the other hand, my Mac always starts right up--it still takes 20-30 seconds after two years, whereas my PC took a good 5 minutes.

 

I would disagree about iPhoto being "almost non-functional." it works quite well for importing and organizing photos.

 

I do not like the way they "hid" the file structure of the iPhoto library from the casual user (there are work-arounds for power users) because I agree this bit of "idiot-proofing" makes file management more difficult than need be for experienced users. And I've sent my report on the matter to Apple (not expecting they will change it). They think it is a feature, I don't.

 

Still this is a "niggle" when compared to the very high overall satisfaction.

 

Bill

[Marylou]

There are two parts to why a Mac is superior.

 

One is the OS. To say the OS is "leaner and cleaner" (which is true, but only the beginning of how much better OS X is than Windows from a user perspective) and then say the OS is not part of "the Mac" is somewhat bizarre. Of course the OS is an essential part of what makes using Macs such a pleasure.

 

The other part is hardware. It is true that in most ways the basic parts used to make a Mac and a PC have converged. The proof of that is current Macs can boot up vatively in Windows and work as PCs. And not just "work" but often show up in tests as the best performing PCs.

 

So what's the difference between Macs and PCs hardware wise? The components, for one. The PC market is mostly a commoditized business with a drive towards shaving every cent of the production price, and this leads to sourcing the lowest cost components possible (in most cases). Cheap power supplies, cheap memory, cheap drives, cheap everything.

 

Apple, on the other hand--while not being prolifragafe--pays serious attention to the quality of the components that go into their machines. They don't just slap in the cheapest part they can source. Does it mean the hardware generally costs a little more? Yes, but it is worth it to many to have a machine they can rely upon rather than one assembled from "junk."

 

Now there are specially made high-end PC made from quality components. That is true. But to get one of these, built to Mac quality, one usually pays more for the machine than buying a Mac.

 

In the television and film world 3-D graphic work has been done mostly on PCs. It is an almost unique niche where PCs dominate in an otherwise Mac oriented industry. The 3-D guys used to spend big dollars on custom PCs because they need processing power and reliability. Now, since Macs will run Windows better than PCs, many of the 3-D houses just purchase Macs to run their Windows apps because they get the high-end hardware they need for premium performance, at a cost below what they would pay for a similarly configured PC.

 

The advantage is two fold. A demonstrably better OS. And a de facto expectation of premium hardware chosen by very quality conscious company. Apple is legendary for being "picky" about every element of its designs, so the point when there is a flaw like the antenna design in the iPhone 4 an arguably minor issue becomes a great drama.

 

The bottom line for consumers is the computers work. No hassles. The OS is elegant and fast and intuitive. And the hardware is quality stuff chosen by obsessive quality control freaks and integrated and tested to run well as a system with the other components and the OS.

 

Bill

 

Thank you for all this info! I am considering getting my first Mac. My 2005 Dell is still going strong, but I'm ready for a change.

 

Do Macs come with a bunch of (unwanted IMO) "trial" garbage on them like PCs do? I know there are programs to get rid of all the trial junk; I would just rather not have to use them.

[Spy Car]

Thank you for all this info! I am considering getting my first Mac. My 2005 Dell is still going strong, but I'm ready for a change.

 

Do Macs come with a bunch of (unwanted IMO) "trial" garbage on them like PCs do? I know there are programs to get rid of all the trial junk; I would just rather not have to use them.

 

Not they don't. They do come with some basic Apple software: Safari, iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie and other things like that. But not "trial" software.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[KristinaBreece]

I would disagree about iPhoto being "almost non-functional." it works quite well for importing and organizing photos.

 

I do not like the way they "hid" the file structure of the iPhoto library from the casual user (there are work-arounds for power users) because I agree this bit of "idiot-proofing" makes file management more difficult than need be for experienced users. And I've sent my report on the matter to Apple (not expecting they will change it). They think it is a feature, I don't.

 

Still this is a "niggle" when compared to the very high overall satisfaction.

 

Bill

 

I love iPhoto for importing & organizing. I especially love that it can view RAW files directly from my camera. I don't have to convert them to jpegs or install the conversion software. I can organize them in iPhoto, then edit & convert the ones I want to share in PS. It did take me a while to find the file system once they were in iPhoto, though. ;)

[Ellie]

Uh, I hate to tell you this, but if you get a mac you won't NEED to service it. ;)

Y'all say that, but I have more than one friend who is on a first-name basis with the Mac store techs because there have been so many problems with their Macs.:001_huh:

[DarlaS]

And therein you support me - I am a network designer and programmer too. :P

 

The Mac is not superior. The OS is leaner and cleaner. Stability and performance are still the responsibility of the user/owner.

 

What everyone is failing to understand is that it is the UNIX system that is superior. Not the Mac ... *sigh

 

Go buy your Mac .... I tried to explain. It is not easily understood. Sorry.

 

 

(I work from a dual bootsystem with a command line driven linux and win7 ultimate.)

 

I understood perfectly. I wonder how awful a PC would be if the buyer upgraded components (especially RAM) until it was comparable (quality wise) to the mac? Might be an interesting experiment. Remove the most obvious handicaps from the PC and then compare.

 

I have bought Dell computers for the last 4 we've purchased (still have all four and they all still work) and a RAM upgrade was the first thing I did. I've never bought a stock computer of the starting @ $399 variety without giving it some serious upgrades. Better components can make a MUCH better PC!

 

My son is a Linux user, and built his last computer piece by piece from newegg.com. I'm not willing to go quite that far (yet), but it works for him. :001_smile:

[Spy Car]

I understood perfectly. I wonder how awful a PC would be if the buyer upgraded components (especially RAM) until it was comparable (quality wise) to the mac? Might be an interesting experiment. Remove the most obvious handicaps from the PC and then compare.

 

I have bought Dell computers for the last 4 we've purchased (still have all four and they all still work) and a RAM upgrade was the first thing I did. I've never bought a stock computer of the starting @ $399 variety without giving it some serious upgrades. Better components can make a MUCH better PC!

 

My son is a Linux user, and built his last computer piece by piece from newegg.com. I'm not willing to go quite that far (yet), but it works for him. :001_smile:

 

As I alluded to in an earlier post such "high end" PCs already exist. They are somewhat of a niche market used for applications like 3-D graphics, and the upgraded components do make a difference. But then the machines cost more than Macs. Some hobbyists will build their own PCs, something Mac users can't do, and that is fun for some people.

 

The superior parts go way beyond RAM. It goes to virtually ever component in the machine. Yes PCs can be built that match the component quality (and usually this involves a higher cost to purchase one commercially) but even with Mac quality hardware one is still running Windows OS. And that is not a positive for most.

 

Bill