Apple Computers

Bryan330i · Jan 5, 2004

I am thinking seriously about getting an Apple. From what I understand the operating system in superior to Windows and the overall quality of Apple is much better and more reliable than most PCs.

The price for Apple does seem to be a lot higher but according to reviews I have looked at the 1.6 significantly outperforms the Pentium based that are up to 1GHZ faster. Also, I understand that the MS Office for Mac is very good and combined with the Apple O/S makes transferring files very easy.

My brother has an Apple and he said that he would not ever go with anything else again. I purchase a Dell Precision 360 a few months back with XP Professional, 10,000 RPM SCSI drive, lots of memory, flat panel, and though I was buying a performance machine at $3,000.00+. I am sick of dealing with all the problems I am having with this Dell and have no choice but to look for something else. I am going to strip down the Dell to a basic system to be used at work.

Anyone have any input on Apple and any potential problems I may encounter? I have a Dell Inspiron notebook that works well and the most I would need to do is transfer Excel and Word files between PC systems at work, my notebook, and the Apple.

Kirby · Jan 5, 2004

I've been a long time user of both Macs and PCs, and Unix. I like to use Macs, but my occupation is extremely Micro$oft centric, so I use PCs heaviliy for work.

I just got a PowerBook 15" G4 1 Ghz about a month ago for my wife as her main PC, and for me to mess around with when I want to get away from Windoze, and to have a Unix system to play with.

Office X Mac's feature set is better than Office Windows right now, and file exchange is totally transparent. I've moved .DOC, .XLS and .PPT files with no problems at all. I have it on a network at home and the PowerBook's drive is shared to the PC to move files around. Office Pro for Mac comes with Virtual PC so you can run Wndows XP as a task on the Mac.

I can't speak for Mac desktop hardware, but here are my thoughts:

Pros: speed - The 1Ghz system performance is as fast as any of the current PC notebooks. Having just evaluated and purchased Toshiba Tecra A1 and M1 systems for my company, I was able to informally compare performance. Apple's browser, Safari, TOTALLY blows away Internet Explorer. Many pages load almost twice as fast.

No weekly virus issues like Windoze. Since there are fewer Macs out there, they are not a target for virus writers. And since the OS is Unix, it is inherently 100 times more secure now than anything Microsoft will EVER develop.

Neutral: Price is higher, but you get what you pay for. That's why you drive a BMW instead of a Kia, right?

Cons: software availability - Only a few areas that this is really a problem. Games, if that's important to you, it's not to me. The biggest issue I have right now is Quicken. I run Quicken on a Powerbook 3400C and want to upgrade to Quicken 2004. The reports on the net are that it is full of bugs (and the Windows version is also getting slammed too!). On the PC, you can get Microsoft Money, but there is no Mac version, Quicken is the only personal finance package for the Mac. I am thinking about running Money under Virtual PC. Of course, Virtual PC eliminates any other software availability issues as well.

By the way, check out their Educational Discount program. If you or a family member are a college student or employed as a teacher, even part time, you qualify and can save about 10%.

wood_e · Jan 5, 2004

I have used PCs and Macs for my entire life. I have always loved ther macintosh. Now is one of the best times to buy a Mac. Mac OS X is one of the best OSes I have ever used. Its stable, easy and intuitive. I have had 3 of my friends (long time PC users) buy macs and they adore them.

Right now I have an iBook G4 and it is a wonderful system.

Apple desktops are also top notch.

This is coming from a certified computer technician & ex counter-strike addict...

Spidey · Jan 5, 2004

Mac's have the coolest cases and flat panels barr none. [thumb]

skandalous · Jan 5, 2004

Now I know I wrote a reply to this thread earlier in the day. Maybe I did, but hit the wrong button. Anyway, I just got a 12" powerbook. I'm in love. I've used pc's my whole life, but decided to try something new. I love OS X. So, So easy. Anything you hook up to the computer, it takes w/o drivers or anything.

MrElussive · Jan 5, 2004

Up to 6th grade, my school used Apple computers, but at home I have always been a Windows user. When OS X FIRST came out, I purchase an iMac and had it for about 6 months, and I just wasn't happy. There wasn't that much software available for it and the operating system just felt so limited to me. Yes, it is really stable and reliable and easy to use. But Windows XP solved my reliability and stability issues, and I think Windows' taskbar is MUCH better than OS X's. I don't know, I am just a lot happier on Windows XP than OS X (especially for games [:D]

).

gbf1lm · Jan 5, 2004

i never liked macs people say they are easy to use but i dont think so. u have to go thrue menus to do anything and unfamiliar user may no t know where the menu is and windows has right click, the sad part is that mac wil never have right click bc they put it down and call it confusing in their ad campaign, cant they just accept it, and incorparate it into their system. plus when u make a computer that stupid people can use, u have to think, which people buy it.

look at this i think windows is easy to use.

win/mac

power on - push power button/push traingle button
power off - push power button/special>>shutdown
reset - push reset button/special>>reset
eject cd - push eject button/special>>>eject>>cd

also macs are extremly expensive, u can get a nice pc for about 400, a mac their lowest is like 1k. you must buy everything mac, like peripherals to make them work properly,

also there is no such program as 'virtual mac' in existance and for a reason.however on mac 'virtual pc' is very popular.

btw build ur own pc from from www.newegg.com use the best motherboard and ull be fine. for abot 700 u can get a pc = $1300 dell. and if u spend as much as u would on a MAC, oh man ull have a awesome machine.

XP is very stable

macs pretty colors piss me off. OS X not just imac

if u do decide mac, g4/g5 all teh way man. except ull be short a few thou

skandalous · Jan 5, 2004

You can right click on a mac. Just a fyi.

gbf1lm · Jan 5, 2004

skandalous said:

yes i know but many mac/pc dual compatible software dont allow it, u must apple+left click.

also doesnt it seem odd to you that schools are GIVEN MACS TO USE FOR STUDENTS. they want people to learn macs form early start (elemtary school) so they will buy em when there old enuff ot have a comp. in my HS where people know how to use a computer and are too old for smilie faces we have those free macs all over but we SPEND TONS OF $$ ON DELLS BC MACS ARE COMPLETE SHIT. we get the g4's too not the imacs.

wood_e · Jan 5, 2004

gbf1lm said:

Obviously you are very ignorant of the mac OS and what works within the system. If a new user is confused all they have to do is ask a question in mac help and they give a list of very helpful topics. Don't believe me? As I stated before I have long time PC users (with XP mind you) using macs and they haven't had ANY issues what so ever with use and setting up of the OS.

"win/mac

power on - push power button/push traingle button
power off - push power button/special>>shutdown
reset - push reset button/special>>reset
eject cd - push eject button/special>>>eject>>cd"

Triagnle button? WTF are you talking about? I have never seen anybody have a problem turning on a mac.
To power off a mac you can also push the power button, it asks you if you want to turn it off and if you click ok it does.
To restart a mac, push the power button and click restart. If you push the reset button on a PC you run the risk of damaging your data on your hard drive by improperly restarting the machine.
Theres an eject button on new macs too....

"XP is very stable"

I agree its the most stable windows OS ever... but thats not saying much. Try releasing and renewing your IP address through the network setup wizard ("reparing your connection")... it crashes almost 9/10 times. That is absolutley pathetic.

"OS X is just not imac"

What are you saying again?

If he wanted to build a PC iI am sure he could. Macs are not that expensive. I bought my iBook for a grand. It is THE best laptop for the money. No stupid buttons everywhere that don't do anything useful, no huge screen and 2 inch thick base. Small light and versatile is the name of the game.

Now I see some of your logic, but most of it in this subject is flawed and untrue.

wood_e · Jan 5, 2004

gbf1lm said:

sigh... again.... WRONG. it is control click, and all the software I use allows my right mouse button to do a right click.

skandalous · Jan 5, 2004

Also, OS X is awesome when it comes to working with networks, be wireless or cables. It took me nearly an hour to set up my pc to connect to the wireless betwork in my dorm. The first time I turned on my mac it connected right away without any trouble.

vlad · Jan 5, 2004

Personally, I have set up two dual 2GHz G5's for work. They're as fast, if not a hair faster than my AMD 2700+ PC on UT2k3 and Halo. I prefer OS X to Win 2000/XP.

The two largest drawbacks to Mac towers are;
1. Lack of video card choices, (plus Mac vid cards are always higher priced than PC versions of the same card).
2. Games are always 2-4 months behind the PC, IF they are relased for the Mac at all.

If those two draw backs were nullified, I'd choose a G5 over any PC at any price.

CosmosBlack · Jan 5, 2004

I have 2 Mac's at home, one for myself and one for my wife: [:D]

gbf1lm · Jan 5, 2004

ok the point is you shouldnt need to go to help to do simple things. no, the new macs have slot load without eject buttons (old ones had eject buttons but only worked to put disc IN) and u must use special or drag to trash to get out. when i want to log out of a server i have to drag the server icon to trash how ***in dumb and retarted is that. ITS CALLED START MENU LOG OFF. HOW THE *** WILL SUM1 FIGURE THAT OUT THEMSELVES. THEY WILL THINK THE EJECT BUTOTN IS BROKEN. AND IN A PC IF THEY CANT LOG OFF THEY WILL FIDLE AROUND WITHTHE MENUS UNTILL THE FINALLY CLICK START(WHICH SHOULDNT TAKE LONG) AND SEE LOG OFF. BUT MACS MUST DRAG SHIT TO TRASH.

in my programming class at school sometimes when executing bad code, infinite loop or something mac crashes--not macs fault. BUT THE DAMN POWER BUTTON DOESNT TURN IT OFF THERE IS NO RESET AND I CANT GET TO SPECIAL BC ITS FROZEN !!!!!!! i have to reach in back and hit the hard switch. this is a ox 9.x. also the 4sec power button reset done work when its frozen.

IN our school teh donated macs all went to the computer labs for the programmihn class, (BC THE LIBRARY ALONG WITH EVERY1 ELSE DIDNT WaNT THEM, they wanted DELLS). i swear to god every 5 min in my programming class. "god damn mac!!!!" or similar.

if wouldnt have to pay thousands to replace it . . . man thered be like a bunch of broken macs outside my programming class window . . . and how tempting -- its upstairs

i didnt say ne1 had trouble turing on a mac but seriosly do they have to make all cute and stuff withtheir special . . . and istn their a triangel button on the keyboard above teh numberpad? that u need to turn it on and reset is hold down ctrl+apple+triangle? i swear ive done that before. . .

BTW have absolutly ZERO experience with X, but seeing 9.x . . . . i figure how much different could it be but maybe it is but i am not going to try. so im sorry if i am not up to date but i will not change how i feel unless sum1 forces me to use MAC OS X and it really is better. did i mention they are ridiculously expensive and un upgradalbe so even if mac os X is wonderful, im not that rich, windows xp is fine for me.

MrElussive · Jan 5, 2004

Hahaha, funny shit, Cosmos.

Oh yeah, if it matters at all, Apple computers have really great resale value !! I think it is because as Apple computers get older they don't seem/feel as "uncapable" as older Windows computers.

gbf1lm · Jan 5, 2004

MrElussive said:

thats bc people can afford new PCs, they cant afford new macs.

think of it this way . . . if cars were dirt cheap new . . . who would buy used.

vlad · Jan 5, 2004

gbf1lm said:

I would like to address those comments and using OS X...
EJECTING A CD: There's and eject button on the keyboard.
LOG OFF A SERVER: In 10.3 you left click and select EJECT "Server" (but only if you have purchased a 3+ button mouse separately)
FROZEN SHUT DOWN: In OS X you can do a Mac "three fingered salute" (command-option-escape), to relaunch the finder or merely hold in the power button for 5 seconds to shut the 'puter down.

gbf1lm · Jan 5, 2004

ahhhh so OS X has improved. o well im happy with my win XP

if u read my thing i carefully i said i knew nothing of improvements form 9.x to OS X

so ya

that would not be true u would be adressing improvments form OS 9 to X.

mrferg · Jan 5, 2004

I don't like Macs, period

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