Mac versus PC (OFF TOPIC)

[Audio Girl]

Getting ready to invest in a new notebook and am considering being a "switcher"...going from PC to Mac. Curious if others have done it and your thoughts. We purchased a desktop from Dell about 2 years ago -- in fact we've never purchased any other brand since 1988 -- and had a lot of problems with their technical support. Seems its handled out of the country and has been poor (from our personal experience).

Your thoughts -- pro or con -- would be appreciated. I will be using it for personal as well as business. Thanks!

[Troy]

The Mac OSX is pretty much bulletproof. It's incredibly self contained. It has many built in features like a program that allows any digital camera to be plugged in and dowloaded. No software from the mfg required. ANY camera. The CD burning software is great too. The whole thing operates seamlessly because the software is integrated into the operating system. They are self contained, coming from the factory with all the sound and graphics cards you will ever need.

Macs are more expensive. There isn't as much diversity in software available for them. Virtually no games. If these things are important to you, go PC.

I've been using Macs since the mid-90s and find that I spend virtually no time thinking about making the computer work compared to friends with PCs. It's like a Honda; it's simply a turnkey item. You just sit down and go, every time.

[tentoze]

I've been using Macs since the mid-90s and find that I spend virtually no time thinking about making the computer work compared to friends with PCs. It's like a Honda; it's simply a turnkey item. You just sit down and go, every time.

Took a look at the latest line-up of Macs yesterday, since I had to unexpectedly replace a fried computer. Haven't used Macs since about 97, but always liked them. If style alone sold, the new ones would take over the world- they are slick. But I stayed in pc-land with a P-4 2.66 ghz sony that is blindingly fast compared to what I was used to.

[nobody]

I used to be a big mac fan, still like them a bit better really. A couple years back, the mac was so much more stable than a PC it was an easy choice for me. But, now that XP has come out, my PC runs without a hitch as well, so the cheaper price on PCs pretty well forced my hand now that I can use one and not have it lock up and crash 12 times a day.

Have to admit thought that I still do like Macs better. The operating system is a bit more intuitive and the graphics look better. Even the machines themselves are much better designed aesthetically. If it wasn't for the pretty substantial price diffecrence, I'd go back to mac in a heartbeat. As it is, if you can get a PC running with stability, you're just talking practically half the price for a similar machine.

[Audio Girl]

Took the plunge yesterday and purchased a new Powerbook G4 (15.2" screen) with quite a few bells and whistles. Got to set it up today, and am enjoying going wireless. This Mac was fairly easy to get up and running, but I still had to call Technical Support about 4 times because of my newbieness. Very impressed with the machine and customer service. It puts Dell's customer service to shame. So far, so good! I'll report back in a few months. Thanks again for your thoughts on the issue.

[tentoze]

Took the plunge yesterday and purchased a new Powerbook G4 (15.2" screen) with quite a few bells and whistles. Got to set it up today, and am enjoying going wireless. This Mac was fairly easy to get up and running, but I still had to call Technical Support about 4 times because of my newbieness. Very impressed with the machine and customer service. It puts Dell's customer service to shame. So far, so good! I'll report back in a few months. Thanks again for your thoughts on the issue.

I be jealous- those new Powerbooks are cooler than the other side of your pillow.

[jack70]

...The operating system is a bit more intuitive and the graphics look better. Even the machines themselves are much better designed aesthetically.

Agree with the intuitiveness... PC's can be infuriating. But A LOT (most?) people I know don't have a clue how to set up their monitor on their PC (graphics quality). Optimizing their resolution, card drivers, and menu settings and display settings takes a good hour or more. It's true you needn't mess with that so much with a Mac, but PC's CAN look equally good too.

I've been looking at the possibility of going Mac when/if I eventually get a new machine, especially after seeing one with a fantastic 21" flat screen display a few months ago. I was thinking of using it just for graphics, audio and video work, without conecting it to the web at all. I could probably get duplicate installs of the software I use for those tasks that are Mac-friendly, but I know a lot of the extra stuff I've gotten over the years (small helper programs, cool freeware & shareware, filters, and just neat tools) probably wouldn't run under a Mac.

As much as Mac's have less problems, understand that they have their own liabilities too. Their browser doesn't give you a lot of the extra frills that IE has (if you know how to set it up properly). I'll admit Microsoft seems to be run by dunces at times, but the main reason Macs aren't subject to hacks and stuff is that hackers don't mess with them... their small demographic footprint precludes that. As for stability, I've never had many problems with my PC after the first few months. Occasionally it'll hang when asked to shut down... I simply hit the "off" button, not so difficult a task.

I don't know if I can justify the expense of such a tool (Mac), cool as it may be (especially with that awesome display attached). And it means all those hours of learning to edit the registry, and exploring and manually deleting orphan files and such would be wasted. I DO like the flexibility the PC gives you... you can tweak and change programs to your liking... I know most people though, just don't want to put up with that semi-tech/geek crap (I didn't either).

[Troy]

Congrats on the new Powerbook AG. While I've never had to contact Apple for anything, I have heard they are very accessible.

Yeah nobody, I have one of those 21" HD flatscreens. It is truly beechen.

Keep in mind that the Mac probably already has all those freeware "helper" programs built into it.

[Audio Girl]

For those interested, the local Apple stores are going to be having a nationwide sale on Friday (yeah, I know...the day after Thanksgiving will be terrible!) and there are supposed to be some good deals to be had, particularly on their music-related goods. If you've been interested in getting a Mac or iPod, you might find a sweet deal. I'll be going because they will issue me a credit on anything I just purchased which has been marked down. :-)

[Whooptee]

Ok, I'm jealous. I'm saving my nickels and dimes so I can one day enjoy an OS X system.

John

[Audio Girl]

Hi, John, how the heck are ya? I've been on vacation this week, and enjoyed the time I had to play with my Mac. Burning a comp yesterday of songs that I purchased at iTunes was a breeze. Actually, it was the easiest process of making a comp that I have ever been through. The sonics of the finished product were not bad either.

Good to hear from you. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

Mary

[Whooptee]

Hi, John, how the heck are ya? I've been on vacation this week, and enjoyed the time I had to play with my Mac. Burning a comp yesterday of songs that I purchased at iTunes was a breeze. Actually, it was the easiest process of making a comp that I have ever been through. The sonics of the finished product were not bad either.

Good to hear from you. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

Mary

Thanks Mary! I hope you had a nice holiday. Ours was good. I'm glad to hear that your Mac is treating you well.

I talked to Michael Hearne at a music festival last month. I said hello for you, but he was being hustled off to sign autographs, so we couldn't finish the conversation. Later, I met up with him at a campfire jam session, but I don't recall much of that conversation. It was a long day and I drank a lot of beer, but I'm sure he told me to tell you hi!

John