Windows XP user Michael P. sent us a followup email today. Due to the popularity of the original, we’ve decided to print this one, too. Here it is in its entirety:
“After reading the MacDailyNews ‘Reader feedback’ to the email I sent to you guys yesterday morning, I must say I’ve run through many different emotions. Since you will probably print this email, I will be much more careful with what I write this time.”
“I was looking at what I thought was some great software from Apple. I run one piece of Apple software on my PC – QuickTime. Although it doesn’t work as well as WMP and the files are huge in comparision, it’s OK. And it keeps nagging me to upgrade for a price. Also, I was thinking of Apple as a software company, not as a hardware company. Specifically, I was wishing I could have iTunes for Windows, like I have an iPod for Windows. I think iTunes looks/works better than MusicMatch and I want access to the iTunes Music Store from my Windows PC.”
“I also really would like to have the ability to run iMovie, iPhoto, iDVD, etc. on my Dell after looking them over on Apple’s site and watching movies of those applications in action. I still don’t understand totally why Apple can’t make these programs cross-platform and sell them, but I kind of see the point after reading the responses.”
“Many of the ‘reader feedback’ replies were quite nasty, by the way. But, I guess my original email was a bit hastily written and contained some errors (like saying 1% and calling Apple a tiny, insignificant speck), so I understand up to a point. Many were past the point of understanding. Some of the replies were informative however and they helped me in various ways.”
“I think Apple could make a ton of cash selling iMovie, iPhoto, iDVD, etc. to the much, much larger Windows market. I wish they would try it. But, I see the point of tying it to the hardware side of their business – it’s all integrated and it helps sell hardware.”
“So, instead of waiting forever for something that probably won’t happen, I’m thinking of falling into Apple’s trap. I am considering buying an eMac for $799 to try it. I won’t be able to do iDVD, but I’m not willing to spend an extra $500 for that just yet. This way I can try iTunes (will my Windows iPod work with it?) and iMovie, iPhoto and all the rest. I will see if I like it or I will sell it on eBay.”
“I do think this is a planned effort by Apple to make people have to buy Macintosh computers instead of Dells or whatever. I am a little worried about how I will connect the Dell and the eMac to transfer contacts, MP3’s, pictures, etc. Also, I am a total beginner at using the operating system. We’ll see if it’s as easy as they say. Also, I use Windows at work, of course, so I will still have the Dell for Office and stuff when working on things at home. I am planning to go to the mall and the Apple store to try out the machine first and see if they can help answer some questions. I also have a CompUSA that is closer – which do you recommend? Probably the Apple store, right?”
“Anyway, I will try it out and see if anybody has any suggestions about the eMac or stores or whatever if you do print this online and then I’ll email you about how it all goes. Thank you.”
– Michael P.
Now that’s a much better approach! Actually get your hands on a mac and see what all us macheads are talking about! The eMac itself won’t be the best experience but I beleive it will wet your appetite enough to look at one of the new pro tower 970’s running Panther!!!!!!! Good luck with your experiment.
Get an iMac, not an eMac, if you can swing it, Michael. And definitely go to the Apple Store – not CompUSA – and ask questions and run the Mac through the paces. Good luck!
Congratulations on the plans to switch Michael – please keep mailing MacDailyNews and let everyone know how it goes. I switched last December and wouldn’t go back.
Transfering all your files is really easy, the best way is probably to buy an RJ45 crossover cable for a couple of bucks then you can connect to the Dell from your mac and trasfer everything. Send me an e-mail (link above) if you’ve any other questions!
good reply you actually sound like person with a brain now. the new emacs are a great bargain. personally i think they are ugly as hell and would rather opt for an imac, but a mac is a mac. you’ll fall in love with osx which is what is most important.
i would reconsider and buy the superdrive, you may regret it in a month or two if you dont
Michael P.,
Good to see you willing to give the whole mac experience a shot. I can understand your desire for the applications that Apple has assembled. However, if you think those are nice, just wait till you get to use them in the OSX environment.
As for your worries for switching all your music/contacts from your PC, there is something out there that may help. Although, it should be an easy network thing to figure out. Move2Mac is a software/USB cable that is supposed to make the transition as pain free as possible.
http://www.provantage.com/buy-22075187-detto-technologies-move-2-mac-shopping.htm
Good luck!
eb
I would go to the Apple Store, they’ll have people who know what they’re talking about, and will probably be able to answer more of your quiestions. About the iPod: you’ll have to format it using the mac version of the iPod update. If you have the new, ‘no-moving parts’ model, it may be even easier. I hope you enjoy your mac experience, and I hope you realize what you were missing out on.
Welcome!
If you purchased an iPod for Windows, you can easily reformat it to work on your Mac by downloading the iPod for Mac Software Updater on the Apple Web site. Note that once it is reformatted, it will only work with Macs. You need Mac OS 9.2 or Mac OS X 10.1 or later to reformat an iPod for Windows into an iPod for Mac.
iPod for Mac Software Updater here:
http://www.apple.com/ipod/download/
Good decision and good luck!
I love my eMac–it’s more power than I expected, and will last me much longer than I was counting on. I thought it would just “tide me over” to a higher end system, but it holds its own just great–and its specs are lower than the eMacs they sell now. And if you do want the iDVD/superDrive, that only adds $200. Be warned, though: an eMac has a 17″ CRT and is therefore HEAVY. I like the iMac better, but wasn’t willing to pay extra for the flat panel.
If you are a student or educator, get Apple’s edu price: $749. And when you can afford it, buy 512 additional RAM (easily installed) from eshop.macsales.com or crucial.com or transintle.com. Much better pricing than Apple’s RAM, and important: OS X is not very snappy with just 128. Still a cool OS, but more “wait” cursors. (I also like the swivel stand–but that’s easily added later anyway.)
Your Windows iPod will work on Mac, but must be reformatted. Someone at maccentral.com or ipoding.com can help, and Apple may even have directions for that.
See http://apple.com/switch for help transferring your files to Mac. MP3s are easy: just drop the files into the iTunes window. There’s also the Move2Mac software, but that convenience costs something. Mac OS X now gets along well with Windows all by itself.
Have fun–and i recommend http://maccentral.com (General forum) if you want help/answers without too many flames mixed in.
Read this AppleSupport article http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=42717
This lists the macs that DO NOT need a ethernet crossover cable. The new ATi-grpahics eMacs aren’t listed, but the article was last updated on 3/31/03. The new eMacs were released on 5/6/03, so the article hsan’t been updated yet – keep your eye on it before you possibly spend unnecessary money.
Great email, Michael. I can guarantee you’ll not be sorry if you buy a Mac. However, don’t go for the cheapest one. Get an iMac that will do everything you want to do. If by some chance you’re not happy with it, you can sell it on Ebay and, since Macs retain their value so well, the Mac experience will not have cost you much at all.
Best wishes on your switch!
To Michael:
Go for it … I don’t think you will be sorry. Lots of individuals pointed out to you that (yes) most Apple software is tied to the Mac Hardware. I have to “contend” with Win XP at work (either the program I’m using is buggy or XP or both trying to work together) and I’m very glad when I can get back to comfortable surroundings on my Tibook. I began as a Windows user back in the late 80’s then switched to a Mac and was responsible for a MacLab of about 20 machines in the 7.6 to 8.6 Mac OS days. Did I have problems, yes occasionally, but you will find a lot of helpful listservs with some very knowledgeable and helpful people out there. They will help immensely, and since you are already technology literate on the windows side, you can make the jump with few problems. I’ve enjoyed using OS X – Jaguar for about the last 10 months … it’s solid (applications might go down, but the system rarely does). Next thing you know you will be stating to your co-workers, hey why don’t you give this a try and you’ll know why you rec’d some of the comments on yesterday’s posting … Good Luck –
You should get more help at the Apple store than at CompUSA. It depends on the personnel. You’ll probably see a better selection of software at the Apple store as well. There’s tons of Mac software online … in most cases you can find a Mac application for your needs. The only downside I think you’ll find is paying a little premium for software and hardware … but using eBay and being a smart shopper, you can cut that cost as well. (You’re paying a premium at the Apple store!).
Also, find a local MUG (Mac User’s Group – usually one a month meetings) in your area (ask at the Apple Store) … find a mentor there … I did and he was a tremendous resource when I needed help.
Buy the emac, the future is by Apple. According to my calculation in 2903 Apple user will be 95% vs 5% with windows. Unfortunately, in 2880 an asteroid hit the atlantic ocean, and an 100-meter-tsunami wave will kill everyone.
I have never known anyone to regret getting a Mac. An eMac would probably be fine, and it is inexpensive. The iMac is prettier, but I started with a 500MHz iBook and it still works fine (I just wish it had a bigger disk drive). I have since bought a PowerMac. I use my PC for playing an occasional game and a few PC consulting projects.
Hopefully in a year or so, I can eliminate the PC alltogether.
Michael – I can *bet* that some of those responses were nasty. Mac users can go a bit, well, overboard in defending against real & perceived slights to their platform of choice. Congratulations on being able to see past that nonsense and keep an open mind about things.
I do hope you buy an Mac (whether e- or i-) and that you really enjoy it. You can be confident that if you run into any glitches with it, the Mac community is chock full of experienced, knowledgeable and helpful users.
Michael P.
Go to the Apple store and get qualified information about Macintosh computers. When I read your original letter I could just see the mis-information spilling from both of your ears. It reminded me of my years of selling computers and undoing wrong perceptions about x, y or z company and their products.
Apple is not “denying” windoze users such great applications and that is not their intention. Apple makes an integrated system. The OS and hardward support each other and make possible applications like iTunes and iDVD in their present form.
We Mac owners don’t buy a collection of parts. We buy a computer that works.
Cinque
Good for Michael! Although I don’t mind both platforms, I’m all for peeps trying out different stuff. Personally, I think buying a Dell is a bad idea, but that’s my opinion. Now only if I could custom build a Mac…that would be fabulous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I bought a Imac for school. I tryed to watch divx on it.
Doesn’t work!!!! I can’t hear any sound, there’s some kind of problem with quicktime and audio mp3. I found a little program to fix the movie, but first I have to copy the movie from the cd and then sometimes it doesn’t work either.
> Caccola
> May 28, 03 | 12:33 pm
> I bought a Imac for school. I tryed to watch divx on
> it. Doesn’t work!!!! I can’t hear any sound, there’s
> some kind of problem with quicktime and audio mp3.
> I found a little program to fix the movie, but first
> I have to copy the movie from the cd and then sometimes
> it doesn’t work either.
Not the fault of the iMac. I run into windows media files that dont work on my clone. Generally I find these to be copyrighted stuff, that I have come across on the web. I would think that if you had purchased that copy of the movie, it would work.
Cinque
Caccola,
Try this:
http://www.divx.com/divx/mac/
Got a fix for your divx problem…
The problem playing divx movies via quicktime is that there is a software ‘feature/glitch’ in quicktime that parses the mp3 track incorrectly. The folks at divx.com have informed apple about this for awhile, but to no avail. The DivxValidator included with the divx codec package is the hack way around this. But as you said, you need to copy the movie to the drive, modify it, and THEN play it. The good part is that if you burn this validated copy, it’ll work on both macs and PCs without further need to validate.
HOWEVER, if you don’t feel like validating anymore, then install teh divx codec and use Mplayer to play the movie. Its a free player offered under the GPL. Mplayer site at sourceforge
Hope this helps.
Remember that Microsoft produces Office for the Mac too. It’s pricey but compatibility is great (from what I hear, I can’t afford it myself). You could also try ThinkFree Office as an alternative. You lose some abilities, but all in all I found it quite nice.
Also, your QuickTime experiences on Windows in not a good example of how well the application performs. Try it on a new Mac, I think you’ll like the quality.
Michael,
Welcome to the Mac community! I recently made the switch a year ago (did I say recently?) and I don’t regret it one bit. I do regret having IE on my iMac, but I use Safari every time I possibly can (I do have to use IE to access OWA, go figure). It’s wonderful and I’m now trying to switch everyone around me to a Mac! The power and all the functionality is there and you’ll be kicking yourself when you wonder why you didn’t switch earlier! Keep emailing MacDailyNews to let us in on your journey in switching. =)
Michael:
We all have said things that we should not have said. But when we admit to them…we learn from those experiences. Alas, you get your eMac you will also be getting a camaraderie of people who will be more than happy to help you out. Good Luck.
Nothing else to add except, welcome aboard, fasten your seatbelt, you’re about to go through the Matrix experience.
Part 1
Mr. Michael P.
This certainly has been an interesting read over the last couple of days. I want to interject a couple of thoughts that I hope might shed some, slightly more, technical light into your questions. I work for a VERY large financial firm with offices worldwide. We have MANY technologies & are dual platform (Mac’s officially sanctioned, believe that or not), & new Mac technology is what I do, so I like to think I have insight worth mentioning. Obviously your first post generated a range of responses & I will refrain from opinion & or emotion, but rather would like button up some technical information on this topic. In one sense, you do ask a fair question re: why Apple would not just release a version of various iApps for Windoze (sorry I have to get 1 in), in truth, aside from “Business” factors or the perception of Apple trying to guide people into buying their hardware, which is, in fact true enough, as these things as mentioned in a previous post, are “Value added” it’s Apples way of saying Thank You to it’s customers, for keeping the company going. However, there is also this fact. Most all of these apps are optimized to run on G4’s which utilize a FULL 128 bit Vector Processing unit. In common terms this is called both Alti-Vec & or the Velocity Engine, which NO Wintel hardware has. For instance Final Cut Pro, (although not a free iApp, it makes the point), IS the revelation that it is, because of this unit on the processor, in this way, Apple can do in hardware for a minimal cost, what would have required dedicated hardware & 10’s of thousands of dollars on said hardware (DSP’s etc..), now we have Final Cut, & it does real time rendering etc, all on the G4 chip using that lovely 128 bit (as opposed to standard 32 bit chunks used by everything else).