What are the pros and benefits of a Mac?

Deathmageddon

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Evil Smurf said:
I use a Mac because the GUI is easier to use and there is less chance to get viruses. even with porn

Hoplon said:
Build quality mainly, the slaves at Foxconn are top notch!

It's way more locked down but with apple software anyway more stable.
this, all of it.

Giftfromme said:
All you need to know is that Steve Jobs is a Prophet and his products are Godlike and you should buy his products.
I hate fanboyism like this.
Pretty much this ^

My best friend was pretty much a PC elitist until he got a Macbook pro and found out that he can run Mac OS, Windows, and Linux simultaneously (and well!). Bottom line, If you're used to using a PC, Macs are probably better than you think. Not necessarily better than PCs, because that really depends on what you use your computer for. Macs are well made computers that just work.
 

Gatx

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Alfador_VII said:
Syzygy23 said:
saintdane05 said:
FOr all of those saying that gamers have "Limited options"" I would like you to meet a friend of mine named Boot Camp.
You mean the that thing that is LIKE running windows except it hogs nearly ALL of your RAM to do so, resulting in a very nice slideshow of nearly all games made in the last 6 years?

Yeah, I know about Boot Camp.
Maybe that's how it was, but these days it's not LIKE running Windows, it IS running Windows. Most modern Macs run Windows extremely well, and with standard hardware, there's less driver issues. They actually have decent video cards too.

However, it's still massively more expensive than a similarly specced PC :)
I've always thought that the main difference between Macs and PCs was that one ran Windows and one didn't, but if you're just going to run Windows on a Mac, wouldn't you just go out and buy a PC? I guess some people prefer the aesthetic qualities of a Mac...
 

Ascarus

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Saulkar said:
Because I have no idea.
there are plenty of pros to Mac - everything from Mac store across the country you can walk into for help to the Linux based OS. however, the biggest downside to Mac (imo) is they are fucking expensive.
 

ex275w

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Talking only about pros and benefits is hard for Macintosh since most other computers have either cloned Apple products and sold them at reasonable prices and most of the software functions can be also used in Windows with other software. I am going to end up saying, Final Cut Studio is a benefit along with the devices aesthetics and having a piece of fruit as a logo. These three are the benefits of using a Mac.
 

Calibanbutcher

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Nov 29, 2009
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Res Plus said:
Erana said:
Res Plus said:
Erana said:
Someone bought a Mac and now doesn't want to admit they bought a slow PC, without the inherent flexibility of real PCs, for a huge mark up. : )

Captcha: be serious now

A gentle chiding from captcha... bless you captcha
Sounds like someone didn't read the post they're quoting, seeing as the first paragraph just stated that I just bought a PC with Windows 7. Now how about you cut the attitude and try to make a meaningful contribution to the conversation?
I thought smiley faces indicated a light hearted comment intended to raise a wry smile and then we all got on with our business. I had hoped the trite and short lived reply to your lengthy and heartfelt post would contain some minor comedic value. I further hoped in someway to parody the enternal sides of the Mac vs PC struggle. Finally, I hoped by pointing out the captcha the frivolous nature of my message would be underlined. Sadly I seem to have failed. Apologies. I did enjoy the irony of you accusing me of having attitude though, so at least one of us eventually gained from this exchange. :)
Well, it did seem as if you were being an asshole, the smileys only made it worse.
 

Calibanbutcher

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Matthew94 said:
Calibanbutcher said:
But is simple processing power everything?
The Mac UI is supremely polished and easy to use, yet fast enough for daily use.
Do I want a giant throbbing elite-pc that looms over me like a black monolith in my sleep?
Do I want the hassle of building my own PC?
Or do I maybe even want a laptop? With specs that are slightly above average at best but which alse features great looks and easy to use interface?.
If you don't want a big PC then get a mini itx PC. You can still get full desktop parts but you use a small chassis.
I did hope the "throbbing" part in "giant throbbing elite-pc" would have made it obvious that I made this hyperbole solely for comedic reasons and purposes.
I am fully aware that you could get a smaller chassis but "small limp elite-pc throbbing over me in my sleep" does not sound nearly as intimidating, nor does "smallish black box" in comparison to "gargantuan black monolith packed with pure processing power looming over me in the darkness, illuminated by the ghastly light of blue LEDs, the cables like appendages seemingly moving slighty closer, but that had to be but a trick of the brain".
 

OriginalLadders

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As an avid Linux user I may be biased but I can see only one reason to buy a Mac; you don't know a thing about computers and don't have any friends who can set one up for you. They're ridiculously overpriced and incredibly restrictive, offering no real benefits apart from being easier for the complete layman.

That said, I have a good friend who loves Macs and one who considers Windows to be the consistently superior OS, and based on the conversations we've had about computers I think this image is pretty damn accurate.

 

halfeclipse

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Erana said:
At least in my experience, I have a much more enjoyable computing experience on a Mac because it doesn't make me want to scream every time I try to do something new. I just got a new computer because my Macbook is on its last legs after years of good service and being vastly more reliable from both a hardware and software perspective, (though I think that's prolly just my weird computer juju and doesn't apply to everyone, I'm sure) and its a PC with windows 7.
Holy fucking shit, there are so many dumb, dumb dumb design choices!

I wanna use my graphics tablet with my new computer? Well, they bundled all their software with their tablet computer software and settings, so in order to not have a hideous circlie-thingy appear every single time that my pen is making contact to the tablet for more than a second, (AKA: every single stroke) I have to go disable some bullshit setting that's on by default. And then I still have to deal with it changing my cursor without letting me change it, and every time I click something, there's still this little grey blip that appears that can only be disabled by editing registry keys. Oh, and the functionality of my tablet pens' second and third buttons is pretty much nothing now. Even though on OSX (and Windows XP for that matter) it could be set to a third click, or a right click, the closest thing I can do to getting a normal right-click is a process now involving holding down the secondary button until an indicator fills up, then left-clicking by tapping the pen.
That sounds more like an issue with the graphics tablet's software being a PoS then Windows?

In terms of hardware, at least compared to the PC laptops I've experienced now and in the past, the touch pad for Macbooks are by far the best track pads I've ever known. Let's just put it this way: on my Macbook, I'm as good as with the track pad as I am with a mouse. And the software for swiping is better, as well. And my pinky doesn't ache when I use the COMMAND button on a Mac keyboard, while the CTRL button's PC location has always baffled me.
Middle click will work as crtl+click for 99% of things, and you're probbaly trying to reach for the control button with just the pinky rather then moving you're hand slightly as well.

Also, I plugged in my mic/headphone combo so I could play some TF2, only to find that the mic automatically channels any devices like this to a seperate "communications device" audio channel and will only allow audio input from programs like skype or mumble, and automatically send any other audio through the computer's speaker. You know how you fix this? You disable the device. You know, like what you do when you want to make your other speakers not work at all. And then the computer will recognize it as normal headphones.
Shitty driver for your soundcard, or shitty headset. Not an OS problem

Oh, and to make the computer stop instantly full-screening something when you bring it to the top of the screen, you have to change a setting in the ease of access center. That makes no sense.
You actually need to drag the program above the screen for it to do that so once you get used to it, it stops being annoying. Suppose it might cause problems with track pads

Oh, and this insistence on changing every damn thing between operating system versions is another complete pain! Now, I did grow up on PC, and this has plagued me all my life. When I was a toddler, I was crying over our switching from Windows 3.1 to Windows 95, because so many things were changed, and this frustration still plagues me to this day.
My mother's work website stuff will only work with vanilla Internet Explorer in compatibility mode, but it stopped working the other night, but for some reason, it wasn't allowing her to log in, so I try to go through general troubleshooting (clean caches, disable anti-malware, etc) and Everything's in a completely different place. Java's in a different place. The Control Panel's both laid out and grouped differently from previous OSs. There are so many changes to things that most users will use so infrequently that trying to use them means spending an extra several minutes figuring out what Microsoft thought would be more "convenient."
Then you're mother's work website is a PoS that really needs to be updated. That's not the OS' fault. The control panel can be changed under the view by menus (Helpfully located in the top right with pretty blue colours even)



And good God, MS Word. What did they do to you, old friend? (I know this is old news, but I've managed to avoid it up until now)
No idea about this. I end up using Google docs most of the time anyways since it saves every few seconds keeps every save in the revision history, uses cloud saves on so on.

Oh, and Manufactuer's Bloatware. Screw you if you dare not build a machine yourself. And good luck trying to get rid of it all.
Unless you're buying from something really sketchy add-remove programs will get rid of that. Failing that format out of the box. Macs do this too btw, Apple just labels it as a feature and discourages or out right prevents anyone from creating similar software quashing.

And then all these other little things that are so damn shabby. Like when the computer tries to ask you if it can run a new program or change an important setting or something- its gotta pause, flash to black, then grey everything out except for the text box, then flash black again before returning to your normal screen after you tell it yes or no. That's just so sloppy! How have these sort of visual issues not been ironed out yet? And those text boxes from the start bar have certainly improved from previous OSs, but they're still a headache. And the different types of the same OS? Nothing's more annoying then thinking that I've found the answer to my problem, only to find that the setting I'm looking for doesn't exist on my version of Windows 7? Also, why can't I toggle constant administrator access on a Home edition? Oh, and the AUTOMATIC UPDATE RESTART BULLSHIT. And the location of the window that allows you to change the settings for that has, again, changed from previous OSs. This means another hunt for a specific setting that may or may not have a new name.
Only time I've ever seen it do the flash black thing is when loading something full screen. though why you're running with UAC on in the first place I don't know. Not sure what you mean about text boxes from the start bar unless you mean alerts from the action center (in which case turn on your anti-virus, configure a firewall, and set up regular back-ups.)

Find it on the start menu, go to properties, Shortcut tab hit the advanced button Check the run ad admin box. If it's not on the start menu create a shortcut for the .exe and repeat the same.

You've never actually been able to disable the auto restart via control panel, which is mildly annoying. It can be done via a simple regedit though.

Constantly babysitting multiple anti-malware programs and having the constant issue of them potentially screwing up your other programs (one of which was causing the aforementioned problem with my mother's work website, and kept causing the problem until I uninstalled the program) is a hassle. On other OSs, if you're like me and are decently internet-savvy, don't torrent and don't use porn, just an occasional monitoring of running services and scans are all you'll need to keep yourself clean of malware.
If you're having problems with you're antivirus messing with other programs, you're either running a bad antivirus, or the program you're using is doing something it shouldn't be.

Oh, and the thing I hold against Microsoft the most strongly is that new OSs and updates are almost always broken. You have to wait for who knows how long until you know that new updates from Microsoft won't harm your data, your workflow, or make you altogether unable to use software you were using previously. A new operating system with Mac works. It works, its almost always superior to the previous OS in every way, and its $30. And though we're not talking Linux here, even that is more reliable than Windows. At least, if something breaks and you were using a verified stable version of something, its prolly your own damn fault.
There's not been a new Mac OS since 2001 which is why not too much gets broken. Going from OS X 10.7 to OS X 10.8 is closer to a service pack upgrade then a new OS.

They still break things even then mind, there's a reason they got Mountain Lion out the door inside 8 months (And then had the gall to charge you 20 bucks to clean up their mess.)
 

aba1

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I am just going to drop this here because it needs to be said.


If you do not use Mac on a regular basis you have no business commenting here.

If you do not use both Windows and Mac on a regular basis you have no business comparing the two

Just because some apple products suck does not mean they all do.
 

DugMachine

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Well this turned into a flame war quickly but it is mac vs pc after all.

Anywho, the advantages of owning a Mac are apparent and I've used one for at least a year so I figure I have a right to comment. Straight out the box they're aesthetically beautiful, quick to start up, run like a charm, less prone to viruses (most of the time) and the OS is nice and polished and easy to use....

Now for me OS was a fucking nightmare just because I was so unfamiliar with it I didn't know where shit was but that is my only complaint, you gotta get used to it. PCs on the other hand have a familiar and stable OS that usually only crashes cause you're either downloading a metric fuckton of porn or just plain torrenting but even then, if you're smart you shouldn't get viruses. Hardware isn't as locked down and you're able to upgrade alot easier and cheaper. You have pretty much full access to videogames although that really can't be used anymore as Mac is starting to catch up in that regard

Personally I prefer PC just because I built it myself. Had I bought a Mac for around 1K I probably could have built that PC with the same specs for $700... and that's exactly what I did. I'm more familiar with the OS, don't have to worry about video game limits and while I do like aesthetics on macs I still prefer my uber leet gaming case cause NEON LIGHTS. So that's my take on things.
 

DugMachine

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Cowpoo said:
It's pretty. People openly say this to me. Literally "I just like how it looks, PCs are so ugly."
Ah yeah this one annoys me to no end. I tried to get my aunt to give me some money so I could go and build her a PC but the next day I go over and there is a mac just sitting there. I ask her why the fuck didn't she just give me the money I could have saved her a few hundred and all she said was "they're pretty. PC's are ugly"... sigh
 

Shivarage

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They are cheaper and much more fattening and the red headed clown is hilarious

... oh, you meant the computer
 

aba1

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DugMachine said:
Cowpoo said:
It's pretty. People openly say this to me. Literally "I just like how it looks, PCs are so ugly."
Ah yeah this one annoys me to no end. I tried to get my aunt to give me some money so I could go and build her a PC but the next day I go over and there is a mac just sitting there. I ask her why the fuck didn't she just give me the money I could have saved her a few hundred and all she said was "they're pretty. PC's are ugly"... sigh
Yaaaaaa I prefer Mac but this annoys me too. So many people buy Mac's for the wrong reasons.
 

nifedj

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For me, the utilities/simple features built into the OS are a big plus. I just replaced my desktop with a MacBook Pro and I'm absolutely loving the Magic Trackpad. I'm able to easily keep track of what I'm doing with lots of full screen apps open. The 3 finger tap for definitions is a great example of a nifty little feature that just makes your life easier.

The way my MBP and iPhone keep in sync using iCloud is helpful too - being able to make a note, create a new contact, set an event etc and have it sync up just means one less thing I have to do myself. It's also a simple, free tool for locating your devices if they are lost or stolen.

I really like some of the first party Apple apps as well. Pages in particular makes doing reports faster and easier than, say, Word and the end product looks much better. I find Keynote presentations typically look better than PowerPoint ones, too.

The Mac App Store is a good place to find programs - having them categorised and rated makes it easier to find good software than just searching online - and the seamless way in which they install and update is pretty cool. Some of the free utility apps like Alfred and Caffeine are very handy.

The customer support is great too. Between Apple stores and AppleCare phone support you've not only got help if something breaks, but just if you want advice or tips. Plus, if something does go wrong, and it isn't something they can fix quickly and/or simply, it's reasonably common for their solution to be "We'll give you a new one and transfer your stuff for you." Which is awesome :D

I like to think I'm pretty knowledgable when it comes to choosing a computer - at least in that I know what's right for me. These days, people treating all Mac users like hipster morons is becoming as much of a cliché as the hipster morons themselves (they do exist, but it's an unfair generalisation).
 

sunsetspawn

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Saulkar said:
So instead of taking Apple's word for it, are there any real benefits to a Mac that I cannot get when building my own or buying a pre-built Windows computer?
No. I have 3 PCs and 1 Mac and each computer performs a different function and I will explain.

One of my PCs is the shit eater and I don't do anything important from it (I'm on it now). It had a rootkit that I removed at one point and I don't trust it, even with e-mail. All my shenanigans are done from this PC, and I also dock my iPod here for the podcasts.

Another PC is the laptop, which I never use unless I need portability, which I never do because I have desktops at work and home.

The last PC is the clean machine. The internet connection is only used for banking, e-mail, and facebook. This machine is also the one I'll play games on, but I don't fuck with those shiney new games that require internet just for single player because fuck that shit.

Now, the Mac is for pro-tools, and ONLY for pro-tools. Apple has created a very stable platform with their hardware and software unison, and when that is a priority over performance, you should always turn to Apple. I've never run into a hardware limitation on the tracks, and it doesn't crash, ever ever ever ever ever ever.

The perfect crash record is a personal thing. In this day and age a crash isn't a super big deal, but when it comes to creating music a crash would be unacceptable, to me.
 

DugMachine

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Matthew94 said:
DugMachine said:
Anywho, the advantages of owning a Mac are apparent and I've used one for at least a year so I figure I have a right to comment. Straight out the box they're aesthetically beautiful, quick to start up, run like a charm, less prone to viruses (most of the time) and the OS is nice and polished and easy to use....
Looks, no different from windows, my windows machine is fully loaded in 25 seconds (so that's not a mac "thing"), and W7 doesn't? subjective, if you're not a tool you won't get many or any viruses on windows, so is W7

Wow, that was a great post.

Anyway. I got a virus a few weeks back. The first in years. My my was I embarrassed. Safe mode + malwarebytes took care of it in 5 minutes.
Oh I agree with you. My custom PC will blow any Mac out of the water by far i'm just saying for the people who just want a computer without having to learn much (besides the learning curve of a new OS) I can understand why it's appealing. I still think it's a waste of money though if all you're doing is buying a $2000 facebook machine.