Do you have a mac ?

Question

What are the benefits over a pc?
I am saving up for a macbook for christmas, but i dont know whether to wait untill January for snow leopard to come out. Will it have bugs like vista, and will the price go up?
Also, should i get a white macbook, or the aluminum one?

Answer 1

Yes, I have a white Macbook. I wouldn't recommend that colour/finish. I've had it for about 18 months, maybe a couple of years now, and it looks really grubby and certainly older than it is.



I have many computers and I always choose to use my laptop PC over my Macbook, if I can - I much prefer it. I only have the Macbook so that I'm familiar with the workings of Macs for my job, but I don't recommend them to friends.



If the house is particularly cold I might choose to use the Mac as it really warms up my legs. Basically a design fault is its best feature, LOL!



Another point is that they're not inherently more secure than PCs either. As they gain market share, the proportion of virus writers that will target Macs will likely also increase.



******************************************************************

Edited to add:



Oh the arrogance of mikedamirault!



So everyone and anyone who has used both extensively and - heaven forbid - still prefers PCs to Macs:



"it's because they are not willing to learn something new"



PMSL!!!



And to quote: "every PC I have ever used/owned started having problems within the first year"



Ermmm... Ok... Surely that ridiculously high failure rate could be saying as much about your useage of those PCs (or the build quality of your home build PCs!) as it does of the robustness of an average PC?



Sorry if this seems a bit personal, but your comment that I must be unwilling to learn new things (?!?) is a bit of an insulting generalisation, to say the least.







Edit again:



"and for those who still don't like Macs, it's because they are not willing to learn something new"



was the statement I was objecting to, not the other part of your answer where you said "A lot of Mac haters..."



And for what it's worth, I don't hate Macs at all - I just prefer PCs and feel Macs are over-hyped & terribly overpriced for what they offer, performance wise.

Answer 2

Wow, Over priced bling? You know all it takes is the time to make a materials list in a hd powerbook pro and compare it to Dell or Hp. The gaming issue is a moot point. Apple moved to intel and all the new laptops have invidia graphics cards that now allow mac users to play games.



I have both and appreciate many easy things on a mac and some things that at pc can accomplish. Get the best computer that meets your needs. BTY the mac that I bought in 2001 still works with Apple's latest Tiger OS. Try that with Vista. Microsoft is being sued for saying that you could use your old pc with Vista when it was blatently obvious that it would not work. Please see references below.

Answer 3

Vista doesn't have any bugs anymore. Snow Leopard will probably have bugs initially.



Anyway, the benefits over a PC: It's more rare to get a virus on a mac

.... that's about it.

Answer 4

I personally own and use macs on a daily basis, and I personally think they are one of the best line of prebuilt computers out there (I say prebuilt, as you can't build your own Mac, of course you can build a PC and run a hacked version of Mac made to run on PC hardware)



A lot of the "Mac haters" are usually people who have never used a Mac, so their view only comes from what they have heard or seen, not what they have found out firsthand, and is usually biased, I bet you take every "Mac hater" to an Apple store, and if they try out the computers for more than an hour, their views will change and they will start to like Macs, and for those who still don't like Macs, it's because they are not willing to learn something new



I build and repair computers (PCs) for a hobby, sometimes to earn a couple bucks, so I have quite a bit of knowledge about both Macs and PCs, and in my experience, every Mac I have ever owned lasted longer than a PC with comparable hardware, every PC I have ever used/owned started having problems within the first year, I have had an iBook for over 4 years problem free, and I practically abused the thing, I had to replace it just this year, and not because it broke, but because somebody stole it, i'm lucky if a PC lasts 2 years before something bad happens



My current Mac is a MacBook Air, and I just installed Windows Vista Home Premium on it, it suports DirectX 10, Aero, and has a 2. or 3.something Vista Experience rating (I know that's kind of low, but still), I took the same DVD I used to install Vista on the MacBook Air and put it in my gaming computer I built (currently runs XP Home, but plan on installing Vista Business 64bit since I got it for free from MSDNAA), and right at the point the bootsplash is supposed to come up, it blue screened (BSOD), and I built the computer to support Vista



Every Mac guaranteed to support the next 3 operating systems, so if you buy a Mac now (before the release of Snow Leopard), it will support that, and 2 other future Mac operating systems, but if you wait, the Macs then will be able to support Snow Leopard, and 3 future Mac operating systems, it would be a better idea to wait, but you can always get one now, then just upgrade to Snow Leopard, it should work just as well as if you were to wait



Also, the thing about Macs not having games is wrong, the last time I was at the Apple store, there were shelves lined with Mac games, I own copies of Mac games, and yes, even some Mac ONLY games (games made for the Mac that have not been ported to the PC), also, with bootcamp, it has been proven that you can play PC games on Mac hardware through Windows



I would say get the aluminum one, there is just something about the aluminum case that seems cleaner and more professional than the white one



Edit:



@ AlexD-Take from it what you like, if you don't like Macs, then fine, that's your opinion, I just disagree with it, I said "a lot", not "all", I just find that a lot of "Mac haters" find some little problem with Mac, and turn it around to make it sound like it makes the computer unusable, or that it's not compatible with a lot of software



I do admit they get a bit hot, but this only seems to happen in Windows (at least in my experience), and usually runs pretty cool on OS X



As for incompatibility, like I said before, I used to have an iBook (G3), and I had Microsoft Office, FireFox, Internet Explorer, Yahoo!, MSN, and AIM messengers, some games, console emulators (like N64, GBA, NES, and SNES), and converting programs used to conver files for game consoles and flashcarts, and it's not hard to look for software like a lot of people think



Also, most importantly, I have only seen Mac crash once, PC's are known to crash a lot (the infamous blue screen of death)

Answer 5

The biggest thing about Mac is that you won't get as many viruses as if you have a PC. But, the untold truth is that Mac isn't any LESS vulnerable to viruses, it's just that since most users are PC users, there are more viruses written for Windows. A program designed to work on a Windows machine usually won't work on a Mac and vice-versa.



With this, you have to realize that most programs written are only written for Windows and won't be available for Mac. There are an abundance of third-party software out there that you'll never get to use if you have a Mac. Also, Mac is very Nazi about their propriety. Almost anyone can build a piece of hardware that goes in a PC, but a Mac has to be all-Mac or nothing.



See, when you upgrade a PC, you shop around for the best deal. For instance, if you buy RAM for a PC, you go to a lot of different stores and compare and contrast different companies' different types of RAM. With a Mac, the only RAM you can use is Mac RAM. So, you have to go to the Apple store, get talked down on by a bunch of elitist Mac nerds, then get screwed on buying the only type of RAM that'll go in your Mac. Of course, this is IF you can do an upgrade on your Mac. In most cases, you buy a Mac and you're stuck with it. You want an upgrade? You're buying a new Mac!

Answer 6

snow leopard will be an incremental release. you should get a mac now if you want to get one.



benefits are many -- you should go to the apple store and try out operating system. you'll find it has a lot of similarities as windows but hardly crashes.



the new macbooks are much better than the white ones. for a bit more money, you get more speed and better graphics. upgrading to snow leopard will be a breeze.



check out http://tuaw.com for more info on macs!

Answer 7

Have both. Prefer Mac. You could get the Macbook now, with the good price, and upgrade the software in January: best of both worlds. I'd say, get the aluminum. MacOSX is just as good as Windoze, better. You can get as much software online for it as you want. It's NOT just for artsy fartsy stuff: IBM is moving many of its employees toward MacOSX. (Remember the B in IBM stands for Business.) MacOSX is at the moment very safe from malware, far less memory intensive, and requires far less ongoing performance tuning than Windoze. Apple hardware is rated at the top along with IBM for hardware durability. So there.



(P.S. as for the above comment on having to upgrade with only the hardware that fits the Mac... You can buy upgraded Mac chips from several sources and, of course, upgrade chips for ANY laptop have to be compatible with THAT laptop!)

Answer 8

It depends on what you want to run. Windows = gaming Linux/Unix = programming and Mac = Artsy fartsy

Answer 9

I wouldnt have that garbage in my house. Get yourself one but dont come asking why you cant play games or run most of the software on the store shelves. That overpriced, overrated crap is nothing but powerless bling! As far as safer! Sure it is! Aint much you can download off the net that will run on it LOL!



WELL SAID CHRIS!

Answer 10

Get a PC, not a Mac, here are reasons why...



PC=Variety of specs, options, quality, prices, vendors, support

Mac=One vendor, limited options, still more expensive. Look below for more information..



Contrary to belief, Macs are not better quality. They use a lot of the same parts as PCs. Apple also has been changing suppliers to try to "lower the price" and thus lowering quality. Even with the lower prices, Macs still cost more, they spend a higher percent of budget trying to make it look pretty, and marketing.



Today, Macs use the same hardware as PCs. Why spend extra to get the same CPU chips, graphics cards and OS X isn't as secure as you think.. Look below.



WINDOWS ADVANTAGES:



Aprox 90% of the market is Windows. Most PCs include windows already pre-installed.

1) There are a number of websites that still require Internet Explorer to view and IE for Mac Stinks (it is really ies4osx which is the Windows IE version running really buggy on OS X and illegal if you don't have a legitimate copy of Windows, too many problems with it).

2) More supported peripherals (printers and other things you hook into the computer) on Windows.

4) If you like the Dock on OS X (Mac) google/yahoo rocketdock, objectdoc.



I Would also install Avira AntiVir, Avast, Comodo Firewall on the Vista since there are free versions.



LINUX ADVANTAGES:



1) Install Linux, and then get tons of stuff for free. Updates done, etc.. Linux is very easy and has tons of software that will be updated automatically. (Checking a checkbox in either two ways to install (Add/Remove or Synaptic Package Manager), search for something I want, check a box and click apply)

2) If you like the effects on a Macintosh go yahoo or google COMPIZ FUSION. It can do just about any cool effect a Mac can do and more...

3) If you like the Dock on OS X (Mac) google/yahoo Cairo Dock, avant window navigator.

4) Linux is MORE SECURE. I surf the internet and can even run some windows programs on Linux.



LINUX OS

If you are worried about viruses, spyware, security, Try Linux (it is free), I have included some information about Linux and links so you are not lost if you decide to try it.



Easily turn your system into a Dual booting computer with Linux, fast, safe and secure, easy to use (contrary to belief). You then get the best of both worlds (Windows with all of its supported products, freely go online without the worry)



My Recommendation would be either Ubuntu (Most popular and well supported linux), Kubuntu (KDE version of Ubuntu),

Freespire (has all windows codecs for watching videos, dvds out of the box),

PCLINUXOS (very nice Linux, easy to use and polished),

There are so many good versions of linux besides these.



PLEASE NOTE: In linux there are many forms of Windows Environments, the two main ones are KDE (K Desktop) and GNOME. Ubuntu uses GNOME, KUBUNTU is a KDE version of Ubuntu, PCLINUXOS, Freespire use KDE... The differences in the window environments (DESKTOPS) control how you configure, open close the windows, the appearances of the windows... linuxfoundation.org/en/OpenPrinting helps with printer support. ScreenCasts.ubuntu.com shows video and non-video help with learning to work with Ubuntu.



There are many good Linux distributions for different reasons, distrowatch.com, polishlinux.org, desktoplinux.com

are good websites for overall understanding linux.



Installing Linux in general is very simple and much more secure than OS X(Macintosh) and free.

Also, most Linux distributions have a LiveCD which means you can try without installing...

UBUNTU, KUBUNTU, FREESPIRE, PCLINUXOS, etc.. all have live CDS.

All you have to do is..

A) to download .iso file off the internet from the Linux website

B) burn the .iso file to a CD or DVD (Make sure your burning software can burn an ISO or get InfraRecorder http://infrarecorder.org/)

C) restart the computer with the CD in the drive

D) As computer is restarting, press on F12 Key a bunch of times to get a boot menu

E) Select the option to boot from CD or DVD.



Click on this link and follow instructions up to the point of "Once the system has started up...", (the rest is how to backup windows) for an easy picture guide for steps A-E above http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/use-ubuntu-live-cd-to-backup-files-from-your-dead-windows-computer/

For easy instructions on setting up Dual Boot http://apcmag.com/how_to_dual_boot_windows_xp_and_linux_xp_installed_first.htm



ANOTHER QUICK NOTE: People have been able to run OS X on a PC since the PC and Mac use the same hardware. This is not legal and I would not recommend it for security and legal reasons



But, I have included a link to show you, purpose is to show that there is nothing special about the MAC.



A)Price...

A similar equipped PC is much cheaper to purchase than Mac. Lets use Dell (but you can compare with another PC Brand if you like)



*****************(LAPTOP)

Dell Inspiron Laptop $849 dropped to $799

15" Screen

CPU: (upgrade to) 2.1GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

Graphics: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100

Memory: 3GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM

Hard Drive: 320GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm

Optical Drive: Blu-ray Disc Combo (DVD+/-RW + BD-ROM) - WRITES DVDS,CDS, READS Blue-Ray Disks



Macbook $1349 just dropped to $1224

13" Screen (SMALLER)

CPU: 2.1GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (SAME)

Graphics: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 (SAME)

Memory: (upgrade to) 2GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (LESS RAM)

Hard Drive (upgrade to) 250GBSerial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm (SMALLER HARD DRIVE)

Optical Drive: (DVD-ROM/CD-RW) - (Writes CDs, DVDs, cannot read Blue-Ray) (WORSE AND 1/2 SPEED)



****************(DESKTOP)



PLEASE NOTE: I am comparing Apple Mac's vs Dells best deal. If you decide that you must have an all-in one. The Dell all-in-one has more ram, wireless keyboard and mouse and equivalent to $400 for free making the Imac still more expensive when you upgrade the Imac to try to match. Personally I don't think the All-in-Ones are a good choice, and consider them overpriced, lack expandability and repairs both more expensive and require the entire computer.



PS: Apple knows that they must make Macintosh look different than PC so all Macs except the Mac Pro will not have a tower option. Apple's low end lacks expandability but it makes the Mac "look different", if Mac had a tower for low-end, more people would realize the similarities between the two.



Dell: (Right Now) Specs Below costs $809

CPU: 2.4 GHZ Dell Inspiron QUAD (4 Processor) CORE

SCREEN: 20inch Screen

MEMORY: 3GB Ram

HARD DRIVE: 500 GB hard Drive

OPTICAL DRIVE: 16x DVD/CD Read/Writer

GRAPHICS: (upgrade to ) ATI Radeon HD 2400 PRO 128MB



The Best Deal Mac is not the Mac Mini since it has no monitor, keyboard, mouse, very skimpy on options and setup... IMac is better price than the Mac Mini.



IMac ($1400)

CPU: 2.4 GHZ DUAL (2 Processor) CORE (SLOWER CPU)

SCREEN: 20inch Screen

MEMORY: (upgrade to) 2GB Ram (LESS RAM)

HARD DRIVE: (upgrade to ) 500 GB hard Drive

OPTICAL DRIVE: 8x DVD Reader/Writer (1/2 speed)

GRAPHICS: ATI Radeon HD 2400 PRO 128MB



************************END OF DESKTOP



B) SECURITY:



Mac OS X was hacked in 2006 under 30 minutes, and hacked within 2 minutes in a contest in 2008. Linux and Vista were not able to be hacked until another day when restrictions were lowered.

All macs are standardized with Cameras, if your system gets hacked, the hacker would more likely be able to turn on your camera.

Please Note: All OS's have vulnerabilities.



C) VIRUSES



The argument that OS X has less viruses is true, but that is against XP, BUT Mac OS X has viruses, a friend of mine has a virused Mac. As more users use Macs, more viruses will come out for it. Especially when users think "they are safe".



Google/Yahoo Mac Viruses





D) WINDOWS LICENSE is discounted with PCs



You do not pay the full price, for instance Dell -> you pay $50 or less for Vista Home Premium If you buy a Mac and want Vista, you pay full price.





D) EXPANDABILITY & REPAIR...



With AppleCare you have to put down $300 and there is no guarantee the computer will be fixed, may cost more.. Repairs are more expensive than PCs since the IMac, Mac Mini are compact units, and Apple charges a premium for their services. Some repairs can be done by another repair service but the compact design of the computer causes problems.

With an IMac, if the problem is with the monitor, the whole computer would have to be brought in.

IMac and Mac mini lack expansion.





E) PROBLEMS



Macintosh's are far from bug free. Sample of problems: Overheating Macbooks, OS X- not responding to keyboard, some units with 16bit screens, etc. Apple statistics are misleading since Mac users with problem machines are more likely to go out and buy a new computer than PC users. Apple is lowering prices which means you can expect lower quality than in the past. Apple had switched the manufacturers producing parts. OS X also has problems slowing down.



http://www.tuaw.com/2008/08/01/apples-quality-dwindling-my-macbook-pro-sob-story/

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-Finds-Irony-in-Mac-OS-X-Getting-Hacked-Before-Vista-SP1-82135.shtml

http://www.ubuntu.com/

http://www.kubuntu.org/

http://www.freespire.org/

http://www.pclinuxos.com/

http://distrowatch.com/

http://polishlinux.org/

http://www.desktoplinux.com/

http://xwinman.org/gnome.php

http://xwinman.org/kde.php

http://www.linuxalt.com/

http://screencasts.ubuntu.com/

http://www.linuxfoundation.org/en/OpenPrinting/

http://www.avast.com/

http://www.free-av.com/

http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SwitchingToUbuntu/FromMacOSX

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SwitchingToUbuntu/FromWindows

Google/Yahoo OS X on PC