“Shopping for a computer would be easy, if it weren’t for that whole Windows-versus-Mac thing,” Rob Pegoraro writes for The Washington Post. “Fortunately, that may be a simpler choice than you think — and making that call first can greatly simplify the rest of your home-computer shopping. Apple is making a strong pitch these days. The price to switch can be little more than $500, the cost of the Mac mini. That and other Macs ship with an outstanding set of multimedia programs — iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie and iDVD — and continue to be free of viruses, spyware, browser hijackings and many other Windows diseases.”
Pegoraro writes, “Meanwhile, Windows XP, despite a stream of patches from Microsoft, remains a shaky structure that many users struggle to maintain. When even playing a CD can get a computer infected (as buyers of Sony’s ‘copy-protected’ CDs have found), things need to change. But XP’s replacement, Windows Vista, won’t arrive until the fall of next year and possibly later. The choice between these systems is often phrased as ‘why get a Mac instead of a PC?’ But given Windows’ painful history of insecurity and dysfunctionality, it’s worth flipping that around: Why not use the safer, more reliable system?”
“‘Because everybody uses Windows’ is neither relevant nor true. There are other possible reasons, but you need to decide if they matter,” Pegoraro writes. “One is software: While you can find at least one Mac application in pretty much any category of software, the selection of Windows programs is dramatically superior in a few categories (most obviously, games). The Windows market also offers a far wider variety of computers. Apple makes some fantastic machines, but its lineup skips categories that you might like. For example, it doesn’t offer ultralight or big-but-cheap ‘desktop replacement’ laptops, and its cheapest desktop runs about $100 to $200 more than the starter PCs of other firms.”
Full article here.
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A few caveats those considering switching or adding a Mac: Pegoraro writes that the selection, meaning the quantity of software, for Windows is dramatically superior, not the quality. The best-in-class applications are all there on the Mac side from Adobe and other well-known software makers. Microsoft Office for Mac is also available and generally considered ahead of the Windows version; its files are also compatible with Windows. If you create a Word document on a Mac and give it to someone on a Windows box, they’ll be able to open and use it just as if you’d created it on a Windows machine. Same goes for Excel and PowerPoint. Also, most of the basic tools are already included on the Mac: a better browser, better photo management, better movie-making, better email client, better calendaring, better music-making, better DVD creation, etc.; plus a dramatically superior quality operating system: Mac OS X with Spotlight searching, system-wide dictionary, Dashboard Widgets, rock-solid stability, zero viruses, etc.
There are currently over 20,000 software titles for Apple’s Mac OS X and more are added each day. If you spent just a day to learn each one (obviously not enough time for most), you’d be done in about 55 years (not counting all of the new applications introduced over the five and a half decades you’ve spent learning). Explore your Mac OS X software options here: http://guide.apple.com/
The other main thing to remember is that you get what you pay for: Macs actually cost less than most Windows PCs, by the time you add all of the extras to make it approach what the Mac already includes. Try it for yourself by matching features and pricing out Macs vs. Windows PCs online and you’ll see what we mean – just remember that with the Windows PC, you won’t be able to have Mac OS X, iLife and many other Mac-only applications. Lastly, how much is your time worth? There are no viruses, spyware, adware, or other malware on Macs. Macs just work.
Get a Mac today. You’ll thank us tomorrow.
Related MacDailyNews articles:
Apple Macs are less expensive than Dell PCs – April 24, 2005
Apple Macs are far easier, cost less to manage than Windows boxes – March 02, 2005
Want to switch to Mac? Mossberg answers common questions – November 10, 2005
Windows PC retailers face tough holiday season, meanwhile Apple stores are packed as Mac sales surge – November 09, 2005
Analyst estimates over a million Windows to Mac switchers during 2005’s first three quarters – November 07, 2005
Windows sufferers: It’s not your fault, but it is your problem – switch to Mac – November 07, 2005
Tech writer: Windows PCs highly vulnerable to zombie hijacking; get an Apple Mac instead – November 06, 2005
Windows switchers, now’s your chance: Apple Mac mini with Mac OS X Tiger for $379 – November 03, 2005
Computer columnist: anti-virus software purely optional for Apple Macs, not so for Windows – November 01, 2005
Microsoft apologists and why Apple’s Mac OS X has zero viruses – October 24, 2005
Mossberg: Every mainstream consumer doing typical tasks should consider Apple Mac – October 13, 2005
Mossberg: Switching from Windows to Mac – software not an expensive proposition – September 30, 2005
$500 bounty offered for proof of first Apple Mac OS X virus – September 27, 2005
Symantec: 10,866 new Microsoft Windows virus and worm variants in first half 2005 – September 19, 2005
Hackers already targeting viruses for Microsoft’s Windows Vista – August 04, 2005
16-percent of computer users are unaffected by viruses, malware because they use Apple Macs – June 15, 2005
Mossberg offers resources for Windows users interested in switching to Apple Mac – August 18, 2005
ZDNet: How many Mac OS X users affected by the last 100 viruses? None, zero, not one, not ever – August 18, 2005
Intel CEO Otellini: If you want security now, buy a Macintosh instead of a Wintel PC – May 25, 2005
Mossberg: Apple’s Tiger ‘the best, most advanced personal computer operating system on the market’ – April 28, 2005
97,467 Microsoft Windows viruses vs. zero for Apple Mac’s OS X – April 05, 2005
MDN: “Macs actually cost less than most Windows PCs, by the time you add all of the extras to make it approach what the Mac already includes.”
What extras does a Windows PC owner have to buy?
Can you give me a list.
“…and continue to be free of viruses, spyware, browser hijackings and many other Windows diseases.” Maybe “they”, meaning the press, is beginning to get it without the qualifications.
Just got word from a family member who reluctatntly switched on my word alone…: “I love my Mac! This is so fun and easy to use!”
In short, I have never heard anything that would remotely require TWO exclamation pointsw from this individual.
For those who have not switched– switch and get loud!
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Jimmy JJ,
MDN asked you to try it yourself. Things that are included in an iMac G5, for one example:
• Slot-loading 8x SuperDrive (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
• Built-in iSight video camera
• ATI Radeon X600 XT with 128MB DDR SDRAM; PCI-Express
• Two FireWire 400 ports; three USB 2.0 ports, two USB 1.1 ports (on keyboard); VGA output; S-video and composite video output
• Built-in 10/100/1000BASE-T (Gigabit)
• Built-in 54 Mbps AirPort Extreme Wi-Fi (802.11g)3; built-in Bluetooth 2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) module.
Plus, of course, the software and operating system that can’t be matched for any price:
• Mac OS X version 10.4 Tiger
• Front Row
• iLife ’05 (includes iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie HD, iDVD, GarageBand)
• Photo Booth
• Mail
• Dashboard
• Spotlight
• iChat
• Safari
• iSync
• iCal
• DVD Player
• Address Book
• AppleWorks
• and more
Plus these bundled applications:
• Quicken 2006 for Mac
• 2006 World Book
• Nanosaur 2
• Marble Blast Gold
• and more
And more. Go ahead, spec out a Mac against a Dell as best you can and see the truth: Macs are less expensive, plus you can only get Mac OS X Tiger on a Mac. Even without factoring in no wasted time with viruses, malware, anti-virus software having to run, spyware, etc., the Mac costs less.
“What extras does a Windows PC owner have to buy?
Can you give me a list.”
The extras will typically consist of FireWire and Optical drive choice (either Combo Drive or SuperDrive). One of the two optical drives are standard on any Mac you buy, while you usually have to upgrade to a Combo Drive or SuperDrive if you’re buying a Windows box (usually from a CD-Rom, CD Burner, or DVD-Rom Drive).
As for software, you have to try to find something like iLife for the PC (good luck), not to mention all of the third-party software that comes with a Mac (ex: Quicken, QuickBooks, World Book, Marble Blast, Nanosaur 2, etc).
And you still won’t have Mac OS X.
Michael also pointed something out I forgot. All portables, iMacs and two out of the three Mac minis all include WiFi and Bluetooth.
If you happen to buy a low end Mac mini (not a good value) or a Power Mac, you can buy the WiFi+Bluetooth module as an option for $99 USD.
Macs are less expensive
—
It’s a crime to let a fool keep his money. Stupidity has been expensive since the dawn of time. This is news?
Hey, what do you expect, when you let your 12 yr old ‘gamer’ son pick out your home computer?
MDN has gotten it right once again. Good job!
What they left out is: It simply works…better.
Plus for a PC you need to add:
* Delivery (with taxes)
* Norton Anti-virus (or similar)
* RAM upgrade since shared video RAM is insufficient
* Office (no AppleWorks)
* Anti-spyware, anti-popup software
* Upgrade from Windows Home to Professional
Ask a PC and a Mac user how much they ‘actually’ spent in the first 6 months on their system. Mac users tend to buy more things to do more. PC users tend to buy more to just keep it alive. IMHO.
Don´t flame me I own a Mac.
—————————–
I just a bought a PC for my son (he´s a gamer)-
It came with:
Intel® Pentium® D Processor 830
3.0 GHz, 2 x 1 MB L2 Cache, 800 MHz FSB
1024 MB DDR2 SDRAM mit 533 MHz
Harddrive 250 GB
8 MB Cache S-ATA 150 Interface
7200 U/Min.
NVIDIA® GeForce™ 6700 XL High End Grafikkarte
128 MB PCI-Express
# SONY® 16x Dual Layer, Multi-Standard DVD-/CD-Burner with Lightscribe-Technology.
# SONY® 16x DVD-ROM
Built-in 8-in-1 memory card reader
6 x USB 2.0
2 x Front, 4 x Back
2 x FireWire (IEEE 1394)
1 x Front, 1 x BAck
VGA output; S-video and composite video output
• Built-in 10/100/1000BASE-T (Gigabit)
• Built-in 54 Mbps Wi-Fi (802.11g);
built-in Bluetooth
Plus wired to get 2 different channels of TV.
Plus
Remote control for TV watching
Wireless keyboard
Wireless, optical multi-button Mouse
Headset with micorphone
V.90 Modem
—
# Microsoft® Word
# Microsoft® Works 8.5
# Microsoft® Photo 2006 Standard Edition
# Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia 2006
# Microsoft® AutoRoute™ 2006 Essentials
5 Programs for Video- und Audio
* PowerCinema 4.7
* PowerProducer 3
* PowerDirector 4.0 SE
* PowerDVD 6
* Medi@Show
Plus lots of other software – Yeah, I know its not as good as the Apple software.
Total price (no monitor): $1,176.28 (that is with sales tax included).
I added a 19 inch, flat screen LCD monitor with 2ms reaction time that cost $352.05 tax included.
As a Mac owner from what little I have seen my son working with his PC (he´s only had it a week) I have to say the PC is impressive with its speed. Very snappy.
He´s happy.
———————
And remember this is about hardware (and software – maybe) included in the Mac vs. PC computer – not a comparison of the OS….
Don’t forget to factor in the cost of registry maintenance software in the long term if you buy a PC!!
MDN–What are you telling us all this great stuff about Macs? Do you ever go on a windows site and tell them? Everyone on this site knows all this info. it’s the rest of the world that needs to know.
“shootout” is the search term to look for. Here is but one site: http://www.systemshootouts.org/
ron,
MacDailyNews is listed on Google news. Non-Mac users read that headline and click to visit here.
David Reeves,
Let us know how snappy that Windows PC you got for your son is in a few months. I bet you that it slows down considerably. Time to erase the hard drive and reinstall Windows. Get used to it, you’ll be doing it biannually. How much did you save, again?
Er. . .that should be “system shootout”
Holy Mackeral- “Ask a PC and a Mac user how much they ‘actually’ spent in the first 6 months on their system.”
I own both Macs and PCs – spent nothing (other than professional graphics software and increasing RAM to 1GB) in first 3-5 years on my PCs.
Same with Macs.
Holy Mackeral- “Mac users tend to buy more things to do more. PC users tend to buy more to just keep it alive.”
B.S. And before OSX, Macs totally sucked with crashing and freezing up. (I had Powerbook Lombard 400 that went through 4 keyboards and 3 logicboards before some body told me the processor was a defect out of warranty.)
Holy Mackeral-“Delivery (with taxes)”. Oh yeah? Bought mine at a store – no deliver.
Holy Mackeral-“Anti-spyware, anti-popup software”. Its free off the internet.
Holy Mackeral-“Office” Mine came with it installed when I bought it.
I like my Macs and PCs they work fine everyday.
Looking forward to buying a new Mactel when they come out.
Fred Mertz: “Let us know how snappy that Windows PC you got for your son is in a few months. I bet you that it slows down considerably. Time to erase the hard drive and reinstall Windows. Get used to it, you’ll be doing it biannually. How much did you save, again?”
Actually we do have another Windows PC – my college going daughter has it. She got it three years ago while still in high school. It runs on Windows XP. She has never had a problem with it that I recall. Never erased the hard drive or reinstalled Windows. I can´t ever remember her saying it goes slower. But she just uses it for writing papers and surfing the internet and iTunes for her iPod.
Guess we are just lucky with her PC. Sorry you have had bad experiences with yours.
Macintosh OS X, iLife, iChat AV, et al are great.
But the main reason why I’ve owned Macs since 1984 is because I get to be such a damn snob!
Jobs is vegetarian; you have no idea what B & G taste like. Oh the horror!
The Macs may be far superior in both OS and software. However, it isn’t going to see major marketshare gains until there are more games for it. Period. People wil suffer with am inferior OS, as long as they can get the latest version of Doom. Perhaps with this new generation of gaming machines, the focus of games on computers will become less important, but I doubt it.
All you have to do to compare the OS is just watch the CEO’s do their presentations of their OS systems, and youll clearly see who’s the better.
I think that you forget something about the fact that Macs are cheaper than windows! Usually, Macs lives longer than PC’s; our regular computers are 10, 8 and 6 years old and all do their job perfectly. None have ever broken, so we never had to put more cash on it or lose time for failure…
So, let’s do the math: a computer that lives, let say, twice as long, cost twice less…
I only know one PC owner who still use is 6 years old very slow PC, but he keeps having problems with it every 3 months or less: virus, hard-disk reformatting and constantly reinstalling Windows XP. Ouppsss, just find out that he’s PC is dead now…
As for “Ray Lane” saying about games, I don’t really believe that this is important. Don’t know anyone who plays game with its computer, other than basic card and memory ones… In fact, in the 16 years that I have been using computer, I don’t really remember meeting a real gamer on computer. But I know some using game machines; usually teens and younger child.
Wow. David Reeves went out of his way to avoid irritating Mac fans:
“Don’t flame me I own a Mac.”
Still kind of gets flamed:
Fred Mertz: “Let us know how snappy that Windows PC you got for your son is in a few months. I bet you that it slows down considerably. Time to erase the hard drive and reinstall Windows. Get used to it, you’ll be doing it biannually. How much did you save, again?”
David, your response was very cool: “Sorry you have had bad experiences with yours.”
Fred’s point is valid, but David didn’t buy the Windows box for productivity.
I understand buying a Windows machine for a gamer looking for more options (and maybe upgrade opportunities) than consoles allow. Macs usually get ports, and those games that are ported are often months behind the PC versions. For me, that’s fine because I don’t use my computer for gaming. For a gamer, however, Windows makes sense, though I’d want a Mac for everything else.
I’m hopeful that the Macs with Intel Inside will offer game developers easier porting opportunities or offer gamers the option of playing Windows games on the Mac without emulation.
Bring on Macworld 2006.
Well, we have a Windows PC in our house. My son wanted one to play games that are only available on Windows and I told him that one of the two advantages of a windows box is that you can build your own (the other is there are more games which is the reason he wanted it in the first place). So if you want one of those things in my house you will have to sneak it in piece by piece
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Anyway, he did end up building one and I think it was for much cheaper than you could buy a similarly spec’ed ready-made Windoze box or a Mac. He has ended up re-installing the OS three times in the first year and of course has been infected with various malware. He is happy that he can play the games but is starting to get tired of all the work he is having to put in to keep it running – especially when he sees all the Macs in the house running with virtually no maintenance issues at all. Also, he ends up borrowing my machine when he has to do homework for school that involves video and DVDs cuz nothing he has on his box comes even close to what you get included from the get go with the Mac.
Now, having lived in both worlds so to speak, he more fully realizes how much nicer things are on the Mac and has said that when we get him a laptop for college he wants a Mac because he will need it to just work and be reliable and he doesn’t want to have to be rushing to fix it in time to finish his homework. He says he just wishes that there were more games available on the Mac, sooner. I have told him that as the Mac’s market share goes up this will probably get better.
Anyway, having gone out and tested the waters in the windoze world, he is now firmly back in the Mac camp. He has even modded the interface of his box so it looks like a Mac (which I find vaguely obscene in some way but it IS his computer after all).
I don’t like Macs because I am a member of a “cult” or have been brainwashed. I like them because they have been made by a team of people whose goal is not “good enough” but “insanely great” and it shows. They aim for making the very best computer in the whole world with the best user experience and I think they have succeeded. And the reason I wax eloquent sometimes on the benefits of the Mac to windows users is because most of them have no clue that there really is a better solution out there. They just don’t realize most of the frustrations they are suffering through just don’t have to be. There is a better way and it is not even more expensive when you add in all the costs. The Mac is the best kept secret that is not a secret in the computing world. And once a windows user gives in, buys a Mac, and gets used to doing things the simpler Mac way (which can be a frustrating period for a higher power windows user), I am convinced they will be much happier with their computing experience. In fact I know this is true because again and again, people who I have “switched” have come back to thank me profusely for letting them in on the “secret”. Macs aren’t perfect but they are the very best product available on the market today and they don’t even cost more money.
Can a genius tell me why Apple includes the wireless options in a sub-2K iMac, yet PowerMac G5 wannabe’s have to pay *extra* for these?
anon wrote, “Can a genius tell me why Apple includes the wireless options in a sub-2K iMac, yet PowerMac G5 wannabe’s have to pay *extra* for these?”
Sure. Power Macs are professional-level machines and pros want to be able to configure the machine for their needs.
>>I think that you forget something about the fact that Macs are cheaper than windows! Usually, Macs lives longer than PC’s; our regular computers are 10, 8 and 6 years old and all do their job perfectly. None have ever broken, so we never had to put more cash on it or lose time for failure…
This is a total myth. Mac’s use pretty much standard PC components these days (same disks, same DVD-RW, same graphics, same memory, same output standards – and soon the same processor too). The fact that Mac owners hang on to them longer (is there a reference for this “fact” by the way?) tends to say more about the typical Mac owner than the hardware itself. For what it’s worth, my iMac G5 had 4 major repairs in 6 months, and had to be replaced. I’ve also had two major “crashes” with MacOS that resulted in me having to boot into single-user mode and delete corrupted preferences files from the UNIX command line. Good job I know UNIX…
JackA – your son’s experiences about hardware/Windows reliability and lack of bundled software on a PC are more to do with the fact he built it himself. Clearly he didn’t have any bundled applications (duh!). Contrary to the common myth, building a reliable PC takes more than just throwing together a set of components – the mix of manufacturers and drivers can inevitably result in issues. That said, if your son did sufficient research on the Internet then these are usually all solvable. However, building your own *reliable* PC is more than just lego. That’s why companies like Dell take time testing to ensure component and driver compatibility. At the end of the day though, it’s nice that you can even do this with PC’s. I wish I could upgrade my Mac like that.
Compatibility between the MacOS and Windows versions of Microsoft Office is again something of a myth. Sure, both versions will read each other’s files, but there usually are problems. Powerpoint on the Mac takes an age to load Windows Powerpoint files, converting each frame one at a time. Usually some aspects of the pictures are slightly different. I also noticed recently that some embedded images I had in a Windows Word document became unreadable under Windows after having been through the Mac version of Word – the Windows version started asking for a Quicktime TIFF converter to display the images … Compatibility is good – but if you’re going to do “real” work, then it’s not perfect.
Having said all that, I do *love* Office on the Mac. It blows away the Windows version and is in a totally different class to Apple’s iWork efforts.
Thanks Mac Genius. I think you’re correct. However, I was actually being facetious with regards to professional customers getting gouged.
I mean, you spend $3.3K on a machine and you still have to spend another $99 or so on adding wireless…. something which is included in their 2nd cheapest Mac model…. the $599 Mac mini includes them (and they can’t be “worth” $99…)
I think it’s a rip-off personally.
The pro machines are expensive because they are the worlds fastest, most powerful personal computer.
@ Anon >
Whilst I do agree with you a little bit – especially when I want to demonstrate the wireless capabilities of some of the stuff I sell – you have to remember that the professional desktop Macintosh range is designed for professional requirements in industries where file sizes can be measured in the hundreds of megabytes.
Given that 802.11g will probably only sustain approximately 14 mbits in a noisy or compromised environment, moving the kind of files seen in a pro environment over wireless (as it currently stands) is actually a false economy.
Apple have recognised this in the most recent iteration of the Power Macintosh family, equipping them with [B]dual[/B] Gigabit Ethernet interfaces that are capable of being bound together (link aggregation) to create a link capable of sustaining speeds north of 50MB/second assuming that all devices in the network are appropriately specified and configured.
Moving a 250MB file over wireless would probably take over 4 minutes; moving it over an aggregated 1000-base T “fat pipe” would probably take under 10 seconds.
I don’t notice anybody saying that Apple is guilty of a “rip-off” or any other kind of sleight of hand for including dual [B]wired[/B]network interfaces for a community that can use the functionality for genuine return on investment – whereas wireless that meets the needs of creative professionals dealing in video, audio, or high-resolution images is still a way off, and may not even be desirable for security reasons, or practical for environmental (especially building construction) reasons.
Quad Power Mac is not a personal computer it is a workstation and Yes professionals want customize their machines.
The discussions above are inmy opinion a bit pedantic and a bit like asking how long is a bit of string..you’ll never have scientific answer…
From the article thought, the line that will make people switch to Mac is:
“Macs.. continue to be free of viruses, spyware, browser hijackings and many other Windows diseases.”
That, along with Vista not going to be around til end 2006 – or later…
…means game set and match. For 95% of the population Macs are MUCH better for you – and your bank balance (no id theft if not maintenance time).
Also loved this: “..Windows’ painful history of insecurity and dysfunctionality”. That and the fact that that dysfunctionality will continue long into the future with Vista’s 60m lines of spaghetti code says it all.
Until Macs can run the latest, newest games as soon as they come out for PCs, Macs will never be welcome in a huge, huge, huge number of homes.
I don´t care how great the Mac becomes. Doesn´t play the newest games? No gamer wants that computer.
And Gamers don´t care about any of the programs Apple bundles with it (nor do they care about any Windows software -except anti-virus software).
Have you ever seen a LAN party with Macs? My son and his friends regularly get together for a LAN game party – 10-15 of them crowded in one persons house playing games. Never a Mac there. And on lot of online gaming with 100s of thousand of participants daily that are PC only.
Plus the fact that there are lots of people that really enjoy building there own computer – something you can´t do with a present Mac – there are lots of sales lost there. Next time you are in Fry´s check out the crowds around the section where people buy lots of parts and build their own computers.
Macaday – Guess I have to say it again – My PCs have never had a virus or any of the other scary things you bring up.
(I own Macs, too.)
And your use of the word “pedantic”? Pedantic- Characterized by a narrow, often ostentatious concern for book learning and formal rules: a pedantic attention to details.
Guess I missed why you used that word other than it is multi-syllable and sounds quasi-intelligent.
And measuring a “bit of string” is hard for you? Ahhh….now I understand. Tip: stretch length of string along a ruler.
I am looking forward to the new Mactels and hope they are faster and better priced than the current Macs and PCs.
Love the games bundled with the Mac:
• Nanosaur 2
• Marble Blast Gold
Gag. Barf. Puke.
Hell, a PC comes with at least 6 sucky games:
Hearts, Solitare, Minewsweeper,Pinball…
So looking at it from a Mac point of view – PCs give you more sucky games than come with a Mac, so that is a positive for Macs!
http://lavacat.com/
Miles better than the PC version
>> The pro machines are expensive because they are the worlds fastest, most powerful personal computer.
Only Apple’s Marketing Department actually have the bare-faced cheek to make this claim. They also used to claim it was the first 64-bit PC until the advertising authorities told them to stop lying. I’ve yet to see any independent benchmark comparing equivalently priced Apple and PC machines in which the PowerMac can consistently live up to this claim. Indeed, it’s usually fairly mediocre in performance, with one or two isolated successes. Suggest you take a read of http://www.anandtech.com/mac/showdoc.aspx?i=2436 and http://www.anandtech.com/mac/showdoc.aspx?i=2520. The PowerMac is a great all-round machine, and is fast on a few highly optimised applications. However, there are many areas of its performance where it – or more correctly, MacOS – lag far behind the Intel + Windows or Linux competition.
I bought a PC for gaming about 5 years ago and I left it at home going away with my iBook G4. Every time I went on a holiday I came back and my family had either managed to get loads of viruses (even though there is a firewall and AV software installed and runing) or to get some other failure that required me to reinstall the whole machine. Internet Explorer is not compatible with the wlan card for unkown reasons and trying to install my bluetooth stick to sync with my mobile results in windows crashing.
When I came home with my iBook recently, I left it on the desk and when I came back was horrified to see they had all used it. But this time the only problem was them not figuring out how to close Firefox because there were no buttons on the right corner. Now my little sister got an iBook herself and she called me once to ask if it was safe to let the softeware update connect to the internet… I even mangaged to guide her through the installation of skype over the phone. When someone called me to help him with Windows I used to say that I was coming over because I needed to see what was going on.
Well the games. I for my part got tired of all the time the same plots. my favourite company has always been Blizzard so i can still play Diablo 1 and 2, Starcraft, Warcraft and World of Warcraft on my Mac. I just installed the last of them on a notebook comparable to mine and was so happy to have a Mac because the graphic just sucked. To get it runing we had to scale down the details and all that and it looked so plain. My friend really decided to come over to use my mac for WoW instad!
Are there any programs that even take advantage of Apple´s “64-bit” processing?
Nanosaur 2 or Marble Blast Gold???
@ Reality Check >
You really ought to read a little more widely.
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http://weblog.infoworld.com/enterprisemac/
Seriously, the quad-core Mac is reckoned to be anywhere between 60% and 100% faster than the previous top-of-the-line dual 2.7GHz depending on the task.
Interesting articles from Anandtech, but sadly based on ancient history – we’ve now moved on to a dual core, dual-processor flagship and, given Mr. Yager’s comments in the article to which I’ve linked above, I find it difficult to see how your gripe holds much water.
Maybe you should do the benchmarking if it’s a subject that causes you so much angst.
SoE – It is basically one click to install Skype on a Windows XP PC.
Sounds like you did not have antivirus software on your PC. And you don´t let people on a computer that don´t know how to operate and maintain it. Give your car keys to a 12 year old and he will surely crash your car. But it is not the car´s fault.
And Firefox works on Windows. Try it. Don´t use IE – it sucks.
Regarding your game choices—-whew— those were about 10 years right? And your Ignorance of graphics cards needed to run a game is not the fault of Windows.
David Reeves:
My experiences with PCs are similar to yours. A maintained XP box runs fine.
Even though I prefer working on Macs – I spend most of the day on my PM G5 edit bay – there are some aspects of XP I prefer.
Windows-side hardware generally runs faster than Macs, but OSX can make up for that in certains scenarios (multi-tasking for one). Factor in hardware price and Macs seem like an awful choice at first glance. I’m glad Apple has made major improvements since the G5s came out.
—
Things that make switching from XP to Macs costly:
– Software migration and all the time and money involved with that
– OS switch and all the time and money involved with that
– Opportunity Costs… Switching involves spending time and energy to do things on a new platform that you can do very quickly on you existing platform.
There are many costs that people on this board don’t like to mention. The gains need to be weighed by the individual.
For me, I owe no allegiance to Apple or Microsoft. Both work for me! In fact, both work for me in tandem as opposed to sticking to one.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” />
For work: 70% MacOSX + 30% Win XP
For play: 70% Win XP + 30% MacOSX
David Reeves:
My experiences with PCs are similar to yours. A maintained XP box runs fine.
Even though I prefer working on Macs – I spend most of the day on my PM G5 edit bay – there are some aspects of XP I prefer.
Windows-side hardware generally runs faster than Macs, but OSX can make up for that in certains scenarios (multi-tasking for one). Factor in hardware price and Macs seem like an awful choice at first glance. I’m glad Apple has made major improvements since the G5s came out.
—
Things that make switching from XP to Macs costly:
– Software migration and all the time and money involved with that
– OS switch and all the time and money involved with that
– Opportunity Costs… Switching involves spending time and energy to do things on a new platform that you can do very quickly on you existing platform.
There are many costs that people on this board don’t like to mention. The gains need to be weighed by the individual.
For me, I owe no allegiance to Apple or Microsoft. Both work for me! In fact, both work for me in tandem as opposed to sticking to one.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” />
For work: 70% MacOSX + 30% Win XP
For play: 70% Win XP + 30% MacOSX
David Reeves:
My experiences with PCs are similar to yours. A maintained XP box runs fine.
Even though I prefer working on Macs – I spend most of the day on my PM G5 edit bay – there are some aspects of XP I prefer.
Windows-side hardware generally runs faster than Macs, but OSX can make up for that in certains scenarios (multi-tasking for one). Factor in hardware price and Macs seem like an awful choice at first glance. I’m glad Apple has made major improvements since the G5s came out.
—
Things that make switching from XP to Macs costly:
– Software migration and all the time and money involved with that
– OS switch and all the time and money involved with that
– Opportunity Costs… Switching involves spending time and energy to do things on a new platform that you can do very quickly on you existing platform.
There are many costs that people on this board don’t like to mention. The gains need to be weighed by the individual.
For me, I owe no allegiance to Apple or Microsoft. Both work for me! In fact, both work for me in tandem as opposed to sticking to one.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” />
For work: 70% MacOSX + 30% Win XP
For play: 70% Win XP + 30% MacOSX
David Reeves:
My experiences with PCs are similar to yours. A maintained XP box runs fine.
Even though I prefer working on Macs – I spend most of the day on my PM G5 edit bay – there are some aspects of XP I prefer.
Windows-side hardware generally runs faster than Macs, but OSX can make up for that in certains scenarios (multi-tasking for one). Factor in hardware price and Macs seem like an awful choice at first glance. I’m glad Apple has made major improvements since the G5s came out.
—
Things that make switching from XP to Macs costly:
– Software migration and all the time and money involved with that
– OS switch and all the time and money involved with that
– Opportunity Costs… Switching involves spending time and energy to do things on a new platform that you can do very quickly on you existing platform.
There are many costs that people on this board don’t like to mention. The gains need to be weighed by the individual.
For me, I owe no allegiance to Apple or Microsoft. Both work for me! In fact, both work for me in tandem as opposed to sticking to one.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” />
For work: 70% MacOSX + 30% Win XP
For play: 70% Win XP + 30% MacOSX
HK:
Your car analogy is flawed – to drive a car, you need to pass a government mandated test, register it, and in most cases get it inspected on a regular basis.
To use a computer, all you need to do is go to your local Flea Market, spend $100 to $150, and hook it up to the internet. No tests, no registrations, no inspections.
Computers are everywhere in schools now – most 12 year olds know how to use a computer far better than their parents do.
I just love it how PC apologists think they are so cool because they know how to “operate and maintain” a computer, and that people who don’t are to blame for the problems that they suffer using PC’s.
And most people don’t know what Firefox is – they think the only thing available is IE because it came with their computer.
As an aside, I just watched a documentary on the making of Star Wars III – one of the sound effects guys was making effects at home on his iBook. That was pretty cool.
>Qman: I just love it how PC apologists think they are so cool because they know how to “operate and maintain” a computer…
Macs need TLC too. Damaged file systems, corrupt prefs, disk errors, etc…
Yeah… Firefox is a great app. I use it on both Macs & PCs. I can’t stand IE/Safari.
—
>watched a documentary on the making of Star Wars III – one of the sound effects guys was making effects at home on his iBook
Just rented it… will check that out. Thanks for that tidbit!
>Qman: I just love it how PC apologists think they are so cool because they know how to “operate and maintain” a computer…
Macs need TLC too. Damaged file systems, corrupt prefs, disk errors, etc…
Yeah… Firefox is a great app. I use it on both Macs & PCs. I can’t stand IE/Safari.
—
>watched a documentary on the making of Star Wars III – one of the sound effects guys was making effects at home on his iBook
Just rented it… will check that out. Thanks for that tidbit!
>Qman: I just love it how PC apologists think they are so cool because they know how to “operate and maintain” a computer…
Macs need TLC too. Damaged file systems, corrupt prefs, disk errors, etc…
Yeah… Firefox is a great app. I use it on both Macs & PCs. I can’t stand IE/Safari.
—
>watched a documentary on the making of Star Wars III – one of the sound effects guys was making effects at home on his iBook
Just rented it… will check that out. Thanks for that tidbit!
>Qman: I just love it how PC apologists think they are so cool because they know how to “operate and maintain” a computer…
Macs need TLC too. Damaged file systems, corrupt prefs, disk errors, etc…
Yeah… Firefox is a great app. I use it on both Macs & PCs. I can’t stand IE/Safari.
—
>watched a documentary on the making of Star Wars III – one of the sound effects guys was making effects at home on his iBook
Just rented it… will check that out. Thanks for that tidbit!
Own Mac and PC: Strange definition you had for the word pedantic..I used the word pedantic in the context of:
“a pedantic interpretation of the rules, overscrupulous, precise, punctilious, meticulous, fussy, fastidious, finicky; dogmatic, literalist, literalistic, formalist, hair-splitting, quibbling; informal nitpicking, pernickety.”
Perhaps there is one multi-syllable word in the above even you can understand.
I frankly don’t care one iota that YOU haven’t ever had a Windoze virus. Even if you haven’t you spend 10%’ish of your PC’s resource keeping them at bay let alone anything else you have to do to keep ithem clean. If you think everyone lives in a ‘Windoze no virus heaven’ then you must be soft in the head.
I also look forward to the Mactels, but my iMacs and Powerbooks do everything I could ask of them – which is more than I have EVER been able to say about the PC’s I own, or the PC’s I look after for other poor folk whose lives are a misery because of them…
Star Wars sound effects on my computer? Wooo hooo. No thanks.
Oh and ‘Own Mac and PC’, in case no-one said it to you before, don’t be so fscking patronising.
agh, these “games are the reason people want computers” people are so clueless! gaming is still a *comparatively* niche market in computing (not to say it’s a SMALL market, because it’s not) next to people who just want to get online and check email and do ebay and stuff of that nature. tell me that the MAJORITY of compuer owners care whether or not they have integrated intel extreme graphics or a geforce 7800gtx 512mb card. go ahead, just go up to any random person. ask them “do you own a computer?” and they’ll likely say “yeah, i hate the thing” (unless they own a mac) and then ask them what video card they have, and they’ll give you a puzzled look and tell you it’s a dell.
face it – most people buy consoles for games and computers for internet access and office productivity.
besides which, most of the games coming out for PC anymore are just the same damn thing with maybe nicer graphics and a new gimmick or two. (admittedly, the whole gaming industry, sans nintendo, is going that route…)
the mac has fewer games but it has the IMPORTANT ones – doom 3, the sims 2, WoW, etc etc. however i will agree that the mac’s bundled games are lame, except chess, which i think is a far better bundle-in game than solitaire.
ah, that’s enough out of me. MW: i think i’m gonna go *let* my dual g4 kick my ass at chess. =)
Landlord had a computer meltdown, Windows, By her daughter surfing who knows what kinds of sites. Most likely downloading free music and the computer was unusable.
Took it to get fixed and between the cost of reformatting the hard drive and virus ware @ three hundred dollars spent.
I think she is a good example of most casual users in that they don’t know how to reinstalll their own software or care to know how to trouble shoot windows problems.
I tried to tell her the advantages of a mac but time will tell as she is sure to have more spyware issues down the road
People just don’t know any better, there scared to switch to a mac because of false wivestales, not enough software or there slower, Bah!
I tell them that software you see for 9.00 at comp usa is worthless anyways so you won’t miss it.
PC gaming has become the uncle in the basement that nobody wants to talk about. Fewer and fewer people over the age of 17 remain interested in playing the first-person-shooter-of-the-week. Doom is over.
Macs don’t try to be all things to all people… yet. The Intel switch will be interesting because now Intel will have a showpiece for their tech. Also, Apple will suddenly be able to enter some of the markets that have gone somewhat neglected– like gaming.
Hey Macaday – Pendantic
Don´t know if you spelled it right when you looked it up.
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=pedantic
pe·dan·tic Audio pronunciation of “pedantic” ( P ) Pronunciation Key (p-dntk)
adj.
Characterized by a narrow, often ostentatious concern for book learning and formal rules: a pedantic attention to details.
pe·danti·cal·ly adv.
Synonyms: pedantic, academic, bookish, donnish, scholastic
These adjectives mean marked by a narrow, often tiresome focus on or display of learning and especially its trivial aspects: a pedantic writing style; an academic insistence on precision; a bookish vocabulary; donnish refinement of speech; scholastic and excessively subtle reasoning.
————-
http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_1861702240/scholastic.html
pedantic: too concerned with details or fine distinctions and too ready to criticize minor errors ( disapproving )
————
http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?va=pedantic
Main Entry: pe·dan·tic
Pronunciation: pi-‘dan-tik
Function: adjective
1 : of, relating to, or being a pedant
2 : narrowly, stodgily, and often ostentatiously learned
3 : UNIMAGINATIVE, PEDESTRIAN
matt – yes, you are clueless.
The gaming market (including Xbox,playstation) is bigger than the movie market.
The NPD Group tracks computer and video game sales in the United States. It reported that as of 2004:
* Console and portable software sales: $6.2 billion, up 8% from 2003 [5]
* Console and portable hardware and accessory sales: $3.7 billion, down 35% from 2003 [6]
* PC game sales: $1.1 billion, down 2% from 2003.
Figure 5 or more pirated copies for each one sold.
A small, niche market????
matt: “the mac has fewer games but it has the IMPORTANT ones – doom 3, the sims 2, WoW,”
Again, matt, clueless. give it up.
matt: ” most of the games coming out for PC anymore are just the same damn thing with maybe nicer graphics and a new gimmick or two”
matt – you are embarrassing yourself. go play some more chess on your mac.
wannabe: “Fewer and fewer people over the age of 17 remain interested in playing the first-person-shooter-of-the-week. Doom is over.”
ha ha haha ha sheesh where do you people come from???
David Reeves – you note your son´s new computer has a:
“Intel® Pentium® D Processor 830
3.0 GHz, 2 x 1 MB L2 Cache, 800 MHz FSB”
I don´t know if you realize it, but this is the new dual-core processor from Intel. (Something along the lines of the upcoming new Mactels.)
The Pentium D processor uses Flip-Chip Land Grid Array (FC-LGA4) package technology, and plugs into a 775-land LGA socket. The Pentium D processor utilizes the Intel NetBurst® microarchitecture and maintains the tradition of compatibility with IA-32 software.
The Intel® Pentium® D processor supports Intel® Extended Memory 64 Technology (Intel® EM64T)Φ as an enhancement to Intel’s IA-32 architecture. This enhancement enables the processor to execute operating systems and applications written to take advantage of Intel® EM64T.
With the debut of the new Intel® Pentium® D processor with two full processing cores, the cutting edge of computing got a lot sharper. Dual-core processor-based PCs for the desktop are the next generation in PC computing performance and power. Combined with the Intel® 955X Express Chipset, the Intel Pentium D processor makes a perfect solution for your most demanding multitasking needs. Power computing users, multimedia entertainment enthusiasts and gamers who crave optimum PC performance for audio, video, digital design, and high-end gaming are in for a treat.
Intel dual-core products like the Intel Pentium D processor are well suited for multitasking environments because there are two complete execution cores instead of one, each with an independent interface to the frontside bus. The dual-core Intel Pentium D processor offers 1MB to each core exclusively, delivering the resources of two full processing cores, giving you the new capability to accomplish performance-intensive tasks on your PC.
That thing must be pretty fast.
And you got a great deal of a computer.
I am looking forward to the new Intel powered Macs (lower prices, more speed – just like windows users have been getting).
The computer – its a tool, not a religion.
Macaday – One more thing…..come a bit closer….let me whisper something to you about my Macs and PCs…(whisper) my PCs run almost all my programs faster than on my Macs. (!!!!!) Yes, Macaday, the PCs are faster.
Now go sulk in the corner and try to justify your Macady life.
Sheesh – some of you guys take your computers just a tad bit too seriously. They are tools – not a way of life, not your reason to live.
I use both computer systems in my work, they both work fine.
I drive a BMW but don´t go around telling everyone else their vehicles are crap because they don´t drive a beemer. It´s a car. A nice car, but there are other nice cars, too. Even old clunkers can be nice. Same with computers.
dear hk,
quote: (even though there is a firewall and AV software installed and runing)
I have used several firewalls and anti-virus softwares. But never underestimate dau’s (that is what we call stupid users in germany). They managed to do stuff I never imagined to be possible. And I also told them how to use that software and at what times I configured the PC to run Scan Disk, to defragement and all that. They just ignored it or forgot about it or whatever.
That would probably equal to forgetting to go to the TÜV (you have to show them your car in germany every 2 years) but without any consequences from the government.
I don’t say that Windoof is a bad invention but I am happy that I can let my family use my laptop and I am sure I won’t get any virus. Oh, and guess what program was the first to crash on my Mac? Word.
I didn’t mention it but I haven’t used IE for a couple of years. I also could not get rid of it. They now have had netscape for years and refuse to use firefox even though they managed to use it without a prob on my mac.
>Interesting articles from Anandtech, but sadly based on ancient history – we’ve now moved on to a dual core, dual-processor flagship and, given Mr. Yager’s comments in the article to which I’ve linked above, I find it difficult to see how your gripe holds much water.
Hmm. Suggest you actually read the articles before regurgitating your religious beliefs. If you *had* read the articles you’ll see that they don’t criticise the hardware (it runs rather well under Yellow Dog Linux in the tests) but the lousy performance of MacOS. Dual cores and water-cooling don’t actually make any difference to the flaws in MacOS. MacOS is very pretty and has some seriously cool user interface ideas – but in terms of sheer performance it is sluggish and slow. If you aren’t aware of that, I suggest you go try a bottom of the line Dell and compare the speed of basic tasks like opening and closing applications. Then go read Anandtech (properly this time) and see how MacOS really blows when it comes to serious computing. This is not a criticism of the hardware – it can perform very well – but more a criticism of Apple for concentrating on the bells and whistles before getting the underlying basic OS functionality sorted.
Compare simular Mac’s and PC’s here, mouse over the menus at the top
http://www.systemshootouts.org/processors.html
MacDude worthless reading there.
I helped a girl at work switch earlier this year. She wanted a machine which was powerful enough to do graphics work (Adobe) and organising her ‘digital life’ (Apple iApps) and all the regular stuff (surfing, email, MS Office, etc).
We found a second hand PMG4 Digital Audio 533MHz syste (including 17″ Studio Display, Keyboard and multi-button mouse) in great condition on eBay, had the winning bid of $650.00 AUD. In all respects except for the mouse, this machine is in original condition, so there’s mountains of headroom for future upgrades to this machine to keep it going for another 10+ years.
The first thing she said to me the following week at work:
“I can’t believe how fast it is compared to the (brand spankin’ new) Dells (3.4GHz P4) at work.”
She loves OS X and wishes (like I) they’d ditch the Dell Windows boxes at work for Macs because she’s “more productive on the Mac.”
We can rave on and on and on about how insanely great the Mac experience is, but until a person sits down in front of one and experiences it for themselves, they really won’t get it. And when they do, from my experience with many switchers, they won’t want to go back.
Own Mac and PC – you’re being patronising again….
Why do you have such a thing about SPEED?? You give me the impression you’re just a games freak.
Speed is nothing to me if things don’t work – and continuously work – as I need them to. Windoze doesn’t. Full stop. Macs are just plain more productive regardless of the relative speed, which makes as much difference as nothing… (Anyway we’ll probably see that one resolved to in January as Yonah chipped Macs clean up).
Macs are no religion to me. I do have to spend a lot of my life living with them which makes them very important to me. Having had years of crap from Windoze I’ve now had years of bliss with OSX and I feel I owe it to Apple to return the favour and promote the product. Too many people have it in mind to dismiss the Mac and many would have preferred Apple to have died. It hasn’t and the 5% of us who benefit from using them should help to spread the good word.
Bookboy: try a Thesaurus. Just using the dictionary IS narrow! Think different.
Own Mac and PC – admit it…you’re in the Microsoft PR department aren’t you? You say you have Macs but you don’t really do you? You’re playing a clever game of bluff, ‘subtly’ infusing a balance to TRY and keep Windoze from being whitewashed. Fat chance.
Provocative or what? Let’s see the sparks fly from OMPC!!
Owns a Mac and Pc owns a Mac and PC and that bothers you?
I own a Mac and PC (I owned the PC first and just bought a Mac over a year ago). My PC worked all right, I had no problems, but was curious about the Apple computer so I got one.
It´s great.
But then I have no real complaints about the PC.
I must say that my PC is snappier than the Mac. I think the Mac gets too loaded down with eye candy and stuff. It´s cool how it works, but when you get down to working in Painter or Photoshop, the OS doesn´t seem to matter. Except that the PC is faster.
And you think that speeds doesn´t matter? What in the heck do you use your Mac for? Writing your letters to MDN? Speed is everything on the computer.
Ecspecially when working in Photoshop with 300+ MB photo and you want to apply a filter too it. If the Mac takes 30 seconds and the PC 15 well that´s twice as long. Over a day, week, month this adds up.
Time is money. But then you don´t seem to use your computer in a time critical manner.
Don´t go fudding us PC owners – we know what PCs do and soon more of us will be buying Macs and hanging out here listening to your lack of knowledge on PCs and Macs.
Macaday – “Why do you have such a thing about SPEED??”
Wow – read it here first from Macaday – speed does not matter when working with a computer.
Macaday – My PCs and Macs work fine. My PCs are faster than my Macs. My PCs do not crash or have ever gotten viruses. They are operating basically 24/7 for the last 1, 3, and 5 years (I have three of them.)
In my line of work speed is very important in creating graphics – animation, 2D and 3D video.
My Macs work great, too.
I wish my Macs and PCs processed my graphics faster.
I will be getting a new Mactel when one comes out that fits my needs. I will probably get another PC, too, in the near future unless the new Mactel has a great price and just blows the PCs away as far as speed.
These computers are my tools for my creativity. They work. I work. If they did not work I would get rid of them.
If you like to live in your little world that thinks Macs are the best in the world for you, live in your world, have fun. Everybody has to believe in something – your life seems to be consumed with the Mac. Good for you. I hope you convince lots of people to buy Macs. I own Apple stock. And Intel. And Dell.
I will keep creating with my Macs and PCs and enjoying them both.
—
By the way, what do you do with your computer that you do not want a faster one? Nanosaur 2 or Marble Blast Gold???
And do you even know what “patronizing” means?
You seem to have had trouble with that other multi-syllable “p” word.
@ Reality Check>
Sure, occasionally my copy of MacOS will go away to LaLa-land for a while whilst it does something and, judging from the performance of the till I was served at in the Apple Store the other day, it’s not an isolated problem.
However, MacOS X is getting quicker with [B]every[/B] iteration: indeed, the recent 10.4.3 update has made several applications run with a lot more zip including Safari. It should also be noted that many organisations are making investments (notably, by Omneta plc) in MacOS-based computing despite the so-called issues alluded to by Anandtech.
Maybe what this shows is that the problems that exist with MacOS are mainly limited to some of the “bloat” of the user interface which in a super-computing environment is effectively amortised over all the computers in the grid. In any case, I’d still rather have the elegance of the Macintosh OS than the clueless inconsistency of Windows or the DIY geekdom of Linux.
Stick to graphics Own Mac and PC ,English isn’t your strongpoint! I said the DIFFERENCE in speed between the Mac and PC makes no difference.
You have said more than enough to reveal your true position. And of course you have every right to it. Just face facts and admit that:
– Windows suffers from viruses, trojans, spyware etc etc etc
– Windows is hard, time consuming and expensive to maintain (well)
– Windows is considerably less intuitive than OSX
– Windows goes awry far more frequently than OSX
– And in the final analysis Windows has been trounced by OSX
In other words don’t bother to go defending the indefensible.
Over and out. Moved on…
I am so happy for all the wonderful XP experiences so many of you have related here.
My “video-gaming” son brought his new $1400 Dell to its knees in under a week. It has taken two weeks to bring it back to life and it’s still sucking.
My wifes 400 MHz Grape iMac (6 years old) and my daughters 500MHz Blue iMac (4 years old) are extremely reliable and working great without intervention. My daughter is a Pre-Med junior at University of Missouri. She regularly makes PowerPoint presentations crafted on her old iMac and delivers them on University PC hardware.
I tried to convince my son to consider a Mac but he was determined to get a Dell (the power of advertising). Unfortunately I can’t help him much with figuring out what’s wrong with it (I’m just a really stupid Mac user
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” />. Last week he had our home phone tied up every afternoon trying to get Dell support to work out the problems. He spent all his savings on his new Dell and now can not afford a new X-Box.
Microsoft Office on the Mac is the least reliable piece of software I own. About half the time when I fire up Word my machine does something wierd. If I don’t use Office I have no problems.
This sent me back to Appleworks. It starts in about 2 seconds and types letters just fine.
I wish they would give Appleworks a serious update.
Yes, of course, Macaday and Pee Sea are the same person.
Macaday – do you even own a PC?
If so, could you please describe it? How old, processor, OS, etc, etc.
And your Mac, please describe it.
What do you use your computer for? From your putting down OMAP for using his mac (and pc) for graphics I wonder what you do with yours?
Randy Thompson
Graphic Artist
(Who also has a Mac and a PC)
I am absolutely NOT the same person as Pee Sea!
I use a TiBook (2001) 400Mhz G4 with 768mb RAM. I have given over to family members my G5 iMac 1.7mhz with 1 gb RAM and 12′ Aluminium PowerBook 800mhz.
I run a library of about 13,000 photographs and website (my own material), I publish a monthly technical newsletter for the insurance market and I look after a small business where I installed Dells on a network 2 years ago and maintain today. The Dells we have kept virus free (with very strict rules on usage) apart from one occasion and they have had 2 hard disk failures. I regularly go to reinstall corrupt HP printer drivers, other “stopped working” instances of accessing insurance company networks and other typical nuisance Windows activity. I also get called on like many others by: “our computer has stopped working” to be faced with the appalling mess peoples home pc’s get into. I also see a local PC repair shop near me doing fantastic business with queues to hand over PC’s.
Not always simultaneously, I typically run: Photoshop CS2; Dreamweaver; Entourage; Excel; Skype; Dejal Simon; Notetaker; iView; Adobe Bridge (for RAW nef file processing); iTunes; iPhoto (just to produce Books); Safari; Pages; Keynote; Word (less and less) and a few utilities like YASU.
I may not be the greatest expert alive Randy, but I reckon I have enough experience to feel I can determine the real life difference between running Windows and OSX. I have no doubt if I were using a Windows PC I would have it running sweetly and without viruses. I simply know that I can do that on my OSX without ANY effort on my part. I typically only reboot on software upgrades.
Why we need to have this discussion I’m not sure. The pre-eminent IT reporters in the US have been saying this for months..it isn’t anything new, and it isn’t rocket science!
Funny places these forums: I found the following gem below… (I ran a quick check on Own Mac and PC’s input to the forums and it seems he’s been the stauch defender of Windows since time immemorial!).
Read this and say well done Charko!:
Charko Apr 29, 05 – 03:44 pm
Although I’m 57, I’ve never owned a house or a car (don’t have a license and never wanted one).
I borrowed €10,000 four months ago and bought Apple shares with it. When the shares fell recently, I scraped together another €1500 and bought more Apple shares.
Everything (the little) I have is in Apple.
Of course my estimates of Mac sales are my opinion – I didn’t say I had proof, but Amazon is one of many indications that lead me to this conclusion.
It doesn’t matter how many Macs Amazon sells, it’s the proportion of the computers that are sold that is revealing.
And I see these indications all over the Internet and among my friends and aquaintances in Europe.
That’s why I have risked so much.
Comment: From: Stockboy Apr 29, 05 – 04:46 pm
Charko – First rule of investing: never put all your eggs in one basket. Diversify.
Mmmmmm. I see that Own Mac and PC has been saying he’s in the market for a new Mac….since ’03. And some-one thought there was something fishy about him THEN!
“
Comment: From: me Jan 03, 05 – 06:42 pm
Own Mac and PC said: “My next purchase of a computer will be a Mac – maybe the fictional cheap Mac people are rumoring about or the dual 3+Ghz whenever that comes out”.
That’s quite the contrast. Either a base cheapo or top of the line… sounds fishy…
You appartently have a problem. Step away from this website. Get a life.
Are you a stalker?
You are now getting scary and weird.
Macaday – don´t you realize that anyone can use any name and not be the same person???
I am the eggman, koo-koo-ca-choo!
Tis the season to be a fruitcake!
I love PCs, I just made all the mac love up.
Do not believe any of the Macaday comments made in the last 5 posts, I, Macaday, did not write them.
Note how I always say Dells suck and full of viruses and then I make the comment above:
“The Dells we have kept virus free…”
What, me a hypocrite, untruthful???
We wish you a Merry Christmas!
The pro machines are expensive because they are the worlds fastest, most powerful personal computer.
You must be talking about dual dual-core Opterons, as AMD quads continue to put a hurt on G5 quads just as their previous processors have done for so long.
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/fabien.corrente/MR.htm