Macs

[Benjim]

I personally have a PC at home because it is cheaper but I have my own Mac at school to work on as they are much better for the tasks I do (Music shizzle-wizzle) I have only been using the Mac at school for about a year now and I can see how much better the 2-3 year Mac is compared to my brand new laptop. This isn't to do with specs as my laptop is so much powerfuler (if it is a word) but it is to do with how user friendly it is and how it doesn't break.

The one concern I have is about games. I obviously don't play my AAA titles at school and I am aware that not many games are playable on Macs even though they certainly have the horsepower.

If you want to see how good the operating system is you can visit www.macincloud.com for a free trail (I don't know about any strings attached though).

 

[In Search of Username]

They're fashionable and simple. That's about it as far as I can tell.

 

[SquidVicious]

I use all three types on a pretty regular basis and here's my opinions on the matter.

Macs are okay if you are willing to pay more for pretty much everything except new OS software, which as may other members have mentioned is always under $50 and can be installed on multiple computers. Their products are designed to be aesthetically pleasing and they are very quiet. I use a 13" MacBook Pro for work and I love the detail on the screen, very sharp and detailed. In terms of speed I don't notice that big a difference between this and my laptop with Windows and Linux Mint on it.

If you go the Linux route you'll probably want to go with an Ubuntu or Mint distribution. While Mint is technically a derivative of Ubuntu, their user interfaces are very different from each other. Ubuntu is set up to be a lot more like what you'd expect on a Mac OS, but with a lot of little changes. The Unity Interface is still in its infancy but it still doesn't excuse the real lack of customization with it, but fortunately it's really easy to swap out for something like Gnome, which mimics OSX quite a bit. Mint is more along the lines of what you'd find with a Windows OS, especially if you get MATE, Cinnamon, or KDE versions. The differences will crop up over time, but fortunately the Linux community is very active and you can often find solutions to problems you come across without ever having to call some guy in India or having to create an account and pose the question yourself.

Lastly... Windows... which I only keep around so I can play old PC games and so I can do a few things I need to do for work. That's it. Games and editing videos for work.


I really hate the whole "my operating system can beat up your operating system" debate the computer community seems to be eternally stuck in because each OS has their strong points and their weak points. With a Linux distribution you will come across things you may not know and will have to research and you will not be able to play all your games, but you get amazing security, lots of cool software, and unmatched customization. You want your Linux Mint distro to look like the latest OSX? There's tons of sites that can show you how to do that. PC's will have the most amount of software and probably the easiest usability, but will become bogged down with stuff that gets installed because you don't need to give yourself super user access every time you install something, which means lots of adware and crap can and will get installed on your system, but you'll be able to play your games and not be hindered by software restrictions like you experience with Linux or OSX. Lastly OSX is.. eh to be honest besides the aesthetic and the amazing monitor I really see no reason to own a Mac computer other than as a status symbol, and I'm sorry but I use my computer to work, not be an accessory.

 

[Slayer_2]

I've used a few Macs in my time, and since my job is computer repairs, I've even been asked to fix one once (yes, they get problems too). Here are some of the biggest Mac misconceptions:

1) They can't get viruses. Wrong, and if you get one, have fun fixing it. Just because your OS is not as popular and hence doesn't get much attention from people who make viruses, doesn't mean it's immune to viruses.

2) They're easy to use. I find this to be totally bullshit. It's all about what you're used to using. I'm a computer nerd, it's my job, but Apple's UI and design confuse and annoy me to no end. Don't get me started on the keyboard and mouse.

3) They're higher quality than Windows-based PC's. Nope, if you spent half of what you would spend on a Mac on a custom-built PC with high-end parts, it'd not only be more powerful, but I bet it would have less hardware issues. All the hardware is probably made in China for both systems, anyhow.

4) The case looks better! Even if that is your opinion (and if it really matters to you), you can find millions of different PC cases in varying sizes, from tiny cube computers to large behemoth-sized gaming cases with glowing LED's.

One of the worst things for me about Macs is the lack of freedom. A lot of applications won't work on a Mac, and upgrading one is a hassle, if not outright impossible. In quite a few, the best you can seem to do is plug in more RAM. However, my gaming PC (which I've had since 2008) has undergone one large upgrade in 2011 where I replaced the motherboard, GPU, RAM, and HDD. This breathed new life into an aging machine and still my total cost is under $1000 (that's counting the original purchase price of $550, plus the $400 upgrade). Good luck finding a powerful Mac for $550, or doing major upgrades like I did. Plus there is the whole fact that a big portion of what you're paying for is "because it's a Mac". That just doesn't sit right with me. If someone made a car that performed, handled and looked a lot like a Lamborghini, but it cost less than half the price, who would buy the original Lamborghini if they were in the market for an expensive 2-seater sports car? People with money to waste?

 

[Overusedname]

Mac: Convenience, safety, durability, file protection, organization, adobe loves you more, and decent free programs.

PC: Flexibility, you can fix it yourself, coding is easier, more games, cheaper.

If they weren't as expensive I'd say the average computer user would always pick Mac. Artists and writers also love the file safety and adobe program performance. The biggest downside is the cost, especially if you want the newest ones.

I don't really like where either of the big companies are going right now.

 

[Frezzato]

There's really one huge advantage to having a Mac versus a standard PC laptop, and that's Time Machine. TM comes built in with every Mac, including mine from about 4 years ago. It's a true, no-nonsense backup application that will literally restore your Mac to exactly how it was when you did the backup. Compare that to a Windows Restore point and the Mac wins hands down. This seems minor, but the first time your machine dies, it suddenly becomes hugely important. You can pay for a similar product on PC, but Time Machine comes free and it's better than any product you can buy for PC IMO.

The prices for Macs aren't high compared to PC laptops any more. You can't compare an Apple laptop to a standard PC laptop. They stopped making machines like my white, polycarbonate because the market was already saturated. A fair comparison would be a Macbook Pro with a PC Ultrabook. That's when the prices become really close.


I don't really like the Apple OS. Taking a screenshot in Mac OS is like having to use four or five fingers at once. Nothing beats the simple ALT + Print Screen in Windows. And this is a minor thing, but on a Mac you can have different background images on your laptop and your external monitor. And the Magsafe power connection, it's a lifesaver. And the power adapter for the Macbook? It's designed to be used almost anywhere in the world. That's why replacements cost like $80.

I'm not an Apple fanboy. I'm a lifelong Windows user. My current machine is a nice HP quadcore with 8 gigs of RAM, but when I get tired of this, I'll be getting an iMac or Mac Pro tower and just buy an OEM copy of Windows and VMWare, or use Bootcamp, or Parallels, or....

 

[Mr Binary]

I have had a mac in the past, and I personally prefer PCs. This may be due to the fact that I use my computer for mainly gaming... but even the specs seemed outrageously priced for what they were.

 

[Calibanbutcher]

iSnip
This [http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=macs_cant] and this. [http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/01/30/39-apple-products/]

I found the first link hilarious.
An extremely long complaint, describing in excruciating detail why mac user's biggest flaw is that they won't shut up?
Comedy gold.
Too much profanity for my tastes, but still very enjoyable.

 

[thesilentman]

What aspects do Macs have that are better than Windows/Linux based Pc's

The question is kind of faulty; Windows, Linux, and Mac computers all are the same in terms of functuality.

Why is the price so high for the specs they show does it come with stuff I do not know about.

And people wonder how Apple is the worth a lot... They mark up their prices by almost 100%

What is the OS like to use.

Fast, responsive and overall stable. The only thing I have against it is that the OS treats me like an idiot.

Now I won't be buying one as I own a good pc but I would like to know why they are liked by so many people there obviously is a good reason that I do not know about.

It's all for preference. I use all three (Mac in a VM) and each has their advantages, but it all comes down to what people want as a good user experience.

 

[smearyllama]

One thing about Macs is their lower latency, as far as audio goes. This is one of the reasons my dad got a Macbook, since he does a lot of work with synths/audio engineering.

From what I can tell, the UI is more user-friendly if you're unused to Windows, but for me it's really hard to navigate anything.

I personally didn't find my limited experience with a Mac very exciting or enjoyable, but I can see the appeal. Very shiny, fairly simple, and iTunes automatically updates, so it doesn't constantly bug you about that.

 

[willsham45]

Considering you can put mac on a windows machine if you know how and windows on mac there is not all that much difference between the 2. Both have pros and cons but essentially both do the same things if you have the right software. Both work similarly with a few visual differences and a few differences under the hood as it were.

If you are just on about the stock machines, a mac machines start in the higher range for performance and everything apple works really well with it.

Windows machines on the other hand are more varied with cheap slower netbooks to high end gaming rigs. There is a wide range of different designs to choose from with different features. If you want some variaty with a mac all you can do is choose what colour case you want maybe throw a sticker on the back.

I do like the way if you have a broken Mac you can swap the hardrive with another mac and it will work no problem. No reinstall etc just swap and play.

But ye my conclusion is if you like PCs and have PC software stick with it if you want to try something different go with a mac. Functionally they are the same in my eyes. I like windows cause I have the software and I would prefer to not rebuy half of it to go mac.

 

[wulf3n]

Now to me alot of those statement seem like out right lies like the hardware statement for instance, I came to that conclusion by looking at the specs and price.
...
Why is the price so high for the specs they show does it come with stuff I do not know about.
What is the OS like to use.

wait... how is overcharging the same as lying?

 

[elvor0]

They are quite durable. The one I have has worked for more than 6 years now and I even bought it used. In the same time, my father has gone through 4 laptops and my little brother has gone through 3 and now upgraded to a new gaming PC.

Both of them spent a lot more than I did overall, with my little brother going through more than 4 times what I paid for my Macbook.

While I'm not saying I don't believe you, I don't really think that's a fair point.

I can only say that they...obviously ain't taking care of them if they've collectively managed to go through SEVEN computers in six years, what on earth are they doing them?. That'd be like me consistently crashing my car in to lamposts and sticking diesel in a petrol car and then saying that BMWs are terrible cars.

Secondly, if they've managed to spend that much money, they're either getting fleeced or buying from really overpriced shops.

And hey, if you want to spend more money because you feel it may annoy someone that's your call, but unless you announce it, no body will know, and you're 700 out of pocket, bit of a weird sentiment if you ask me.

OT: I mean Macs ARE overpriced as hell for what you get, they're pretty much "designer" computers, but even worse in the sense that you get less customisation on them. Anyone who tries to argue otherwise is insane or knows nothing about components.

I don't understand it myself. I haven't got anything against them, but I can't for the life of me see why you'd buy one over windows, not only do windows have far more versatility and the ability to build one from the ground up by standard(as opposed to building a hackintosh), they have far more support in both the software, gaming and hardware scenes, and are cheaper. They still have that irritating hold "apple" button to right click motif (WHY WHY WHY?!) going on too, what's with that?

I'm not even sure where the "they're easier to use" concept comes from either. I mean they're not exactly much different from windows. When it gets to the technical stuff yes, but that's going to be the case with Macs too if you're not tech savvy.

 

[Frezzato]

I just read that Apple is dropping optical drives (DVD, etc.) from even their iMac line now. I guess it was so they could get it as skinny as possible. This is why I'll always try and keep a PC tower running, unless everyone decides to copy Apple. Why stop there, Apple? Why not drop support for USB 2.0? This whole minimalist movement is getting out of hand.

 

[Calibanbutcher]

They are quite durable. The one I have has worked for more than 6 years now and I even bought it used. In the same time, my father has gone through 4 laptops and my little brother has gone through 3 and now upgraded to a new gaming PC.

Both of them spent a lot more than I did overall, with my little brother going through more than 4 times what I paid for my Macbook.

While I'm not saying I don't believe you, I don't really think that's a fair point.

I can only say that they...obviously ain't taking care of them if they've collectively managed to go through SEVEN computers in six years, what on earth are they doing them?. That'd be like me consistently crashing my car in to lamposts and sticking diesel in a petrol car and then saying that BMWs are terrible cars.

Secondly, if they've managed to spend that much money, they're either getting fleeced or buying from really overpriced shops.

And hey, if you want to spend more money because you feel it may annoy someone that's your call, but unless you announce it, no body will know, and you're 700 out of pocket, bit of a weird sentiment if you ask me.

OT: I mean Macs ARE overpriced as hell for what you get, they're pretty much "designer" computers, but even worse in the sense that you get less customisation on them. Anyone who tries to argue otherwise is insane or knows nothing about components.

I don't understand it myself. I haven't got anything against them, but I can't for the life of me see why you'd buy one over windows, not only do windows have far more versatility and the ability to build one from the ground up by standard(as opposed to building a hackintosh), they have far more support in both the software, gaming and hardware scenes, and are cheaper. They still have that irritating hold "apple" button to right click motif (WHY WHY WHY?!) going on too, what's with that?

I'm not even sure where the "they're easier to use" concept comes from either. I mean they're not exactly much different from windows. When it gets to the technical stuff yes, but that's going to be the case with Macs too if you're not tech savvy.

I have to admit, my father does use his laptops mainly for work and he does work them a lot, but the Dells he had seemed to break down quite easily. My little brother on the other hand used his for gaming and he basically managed to get every single one of his laptops to overheat and die.
As for the price issue:
I paid 800 bucks for my macbook. My little brother worked his way through 4 x 500 - 700 bucks worth of laptops and now has a 900 buck gaming-PC.
As for my father: He currently uses a Laptop which cost around 4000 - 5000 bucks, and even this one already had it first break down.

 

[SlaveNumber23]

They are very overpriced for what you get and don't accommodate gaming very well so I will never buy one. Unless there is some godly exclusive software for Macs that you need it isn't worth getting one in my opinion. Even if you do need the software can't you just always boot the Mac Operating System on any computer anyway? With Macs you are just paying extra for the brand name and unless that matters a lot to you then you are better off buying something else for a reasonable price.

 

[Dense_Electric]

Speaking as someone who uses Macs regularly at my university:

Maybe MacOS is easier to use if you're an absolute beginner or only have a very basic knowledge of Windows (in other words, how to open your browser and go to Facebook), but if you have any further experience with Windows whatsoever, OS is the most clunky, unintuitive operating system out there. Every little thing that was a, "well duh!" with Windows is a, "WTF!?" with OS.

You drag a file from a folder to your desktop, and it just makes a shortcut to that folder instead of moving the file. You hit the "maximize" button, it does everything but maximize the window. And despite Apple repeatedly releasing two-button mouses since 2007, every single one still functions like a one button mouse that will maybe right click if you hit it in just the right way (because apparently Apple is unaware of a technological innovation called a "button").

And don't even get me started on how insanely limited the options are. Want to download a cool, free, third-party program you found online? Hope it has an OS installer, because at least 80% of third-party programs are still Windows-only. Want to upgrade your motherboard and CPU? Too bad, because that's all proprietary. Got a virus and you need to run tools to clean it up? Your options are limited unless you're willing to shell out cash, whereas on Windows virtually every single tool I use is completely free.

Then there's the fact that they're just slower unless you shell out six or seven grand (or more) for the absolute highest end model. The $1500 desktop (that price includes the monitor and Windows, BTW) I built four years ago and have only spent about $500 on upgrades for can still outperform the newer, $2500 iMacs I use in the graphics lab every day. There's all this bullshit floating around at how "Macs are better at running artistic software" or whatever, but that's a lie. My Windows machine runs Photoshop, Flash, Illustrator, Maya, Blender, and every other program I've used considerably faster.

People rave on and on about how "Macs are more reliable," but if you take care of your Windows PC, there's no reason it should be breaking down on you (other than freak hardware failure, which can happen on a Mac, too - though unlike on a Mac, the component can be easily replaced). The people who "have gone through like six PC's in four years" aren't using any kind of anti-virus protection, they're visiting sketchy-ass sites, they're not defragging or otherwise maintaining their system. I think someone already made this analogy, but it would be like me filling up my gasoline-powered Cavalier with diesel, not changing my tires for six years, and driving it into a concrete barrier, then concluding that Chevrolets are horrible cars when the thing doesn't run.

TLR - PC's are just as reliable (if you take care of them), faster, more customizable, and in my opinion more intuitive, all for less money.

 

[The_Echo]

My questions are.

What aspects do Macs have that are better than Windows/Linux based Pc's
Why is the price so high for the specs they show does it come with stuff I do not know about.
What is the OS like to use.

I'll preface this by saying that I own a Mac. I grew up with an Apple fanboy for a father. I have never owned a PC, though I would like to and will come the time I have the money for one.

1. Mac is pretty. I'm not kidding you, that's it. (I only mean the OS. I find the aesthetic of the hardware to be kind of ugly, honestly.)

2. The price is high because Apple overprices. Why? Because they know people will buy it anyway. The Mac I'm using right now cost my dad $1000 in 2009. My mom bought a $300 laptop that outperforms it in every way.

3. I can't put into words my feelings here. This is the fourth time writing this. Basically, it isn't TOO much different from Windows. But... it kind of sets up boundaries. Like, there are some things you can't do on Mac like you can with Windows, and some things are just plain way too difficult. A lot of this is due to its lack of compatibility with the rest of the known universe. But some of it is due to the OS sort of limiting itself.

Bottom line is, you don't want a Mac. Like, ever. There's just plain no reason.

 

[Crises^]

I don't like Macs. Don't like the overpriced hardware or the OS but that's just due to lack of experience with it.

If I can talk you out of buying one and letting me build you a good PC instead then I'll do it. I have a few friends who want to get into PC gaming and they say macs are the way to go.. -__________________________-

Thank you but I already own a high end pc for games, was just wondering about why Macs are so popular and what the OS is like to use.

 

[Crises^]

Now to me alot of those statement seem like out right lies like the hardware statement for instance, I came to that conclusion by looking at the specs and price.
...
Why is the price so high for the specs they show does it come with stuff I do not know about.
What is the OS like to use.

wait... how is overcharging the same as lying?

It was this page that seemed like it was lying http://www.apple.com/why-mac/better-hardware/
the better hardware line is bull because pc's are so verified in specs and materials you can't say that like my pc for instance is high end.

It isn't really lying more misleading if you get me(specs wise).