Walter S. Mossberg has written his “Spring Buyer’s Guide” and has this to say about choosing a Mac or a Windows PC: “Because they are beautifully designed and so far haven’t attracted viruses or spyware, Apple Computer’s Macintosh models are getting more consideration than they have in years from Windows users. You can now buy a full-fledged, decently equipped Mac, called the Mac Mini, for just $499. It doesn’t include a keyboard, mouse or monitor, but it can use the ones you already have on your old Windows machine. Doubling the memory adds $75.”
Mossberg, “Apple’s iMac G5 models, starting at $1,299, are an even better choice. They use a powerful processor called the G5, and they have a brilliant built-in flat-panel screen. The Mac does everything a typical user needs at least as well as a Windows computer, and it’s about to get a major new upgrade of its operating system, which already bests Windows in some respects.”
“But switching to the Mac isn’t right for every user, and it requires buyers to master new software, some of which must be bought separately. Plus, the cheapest Windows PCs still cost less. So most Windows owners will likely stick with Windows,” Mossberg writes. “If you do go with Windows, you will need to immediately install an array of security programs. These include a firewall, an antivirus program, an antispyware program and an antispam program. Most of this isn’t needed on a Mac, but Mac buyers may want to get an antivirus program because the Mac isn’t invulnerable.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Buyer’s should keep in mind how much the collection of Windows security anti-this, anti-that programs (and how much of their time used to keep Windows running) will cost and remember that the Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac Student and Teacher Edition costs just $149.95. You can buy that edition of Office via Apple’s online and retail stores.
Mossberg’s writes, “Mac buyers may want to get an antivirus program because the Mac isn’t invulnerable,” but, let’s be clear – there just aren’t any Mac viruses in the wild. And wouldn’t there have to be a known virus first for it to be defined in the antivirus program? You have to wonder just how useful an antivirus program would be for a platform that has no viruses.
You’ll also want to consider Apple’s excellent iWork ’05 which contains two applications, “Pages” and “Keynote 2” for just $79 that work with Microsoft Word and PowerPoint formats. Most people will replace Word with “Pages” for most common word processing tasks and use “Keynote” instead of PowerPoint. Keynote 2 and Pages make it easy to create professional-looking presentations and media-rich documents. More info about iWork ’05 here.
You’ll enjoy personal computing and be more productive with a Mac than with a Windows PC.
[UPDATE, 11:10AM – rewrote take]
Related MacDailyNews articles:
97,467 Microsoft Windows viruses vs. zero for Apple Mac’s OS X – April 05, 2005
Symantec details flaws in its antivirus software – March 30, 2005
Motley Fool writer: ‘I’d be surprised if Symantec ever sells a single product to a Mac user again’ – March 24, 2005
Symantec cries wolf with misplaced Mac OS X ‘security’ warning – March 23, 2005
Symantec’s Mac OS X claims dismissed as nonsense, FUD – March 22, 2005
Symantec warns about Mac OS X security threat – March 21, 2005
Apple’s Mac OS X is virus-free – March 18, 2005
68,736 Microsoft Windows viruses vs. zero for Apple Mac’s OS X – March 12, 2005
Microsoft tries to turn its own security flaw into commercial gain – February 25, 2005
Cybersecurity advisor Clarke questions why anybody would buy from Microsoft – February 18, 2005
Microsoft’s Gates espouses homogenous operating system environments for better security – February 07, 2005
Windows’ mounting security problems make some consumers eager to purchase Macs – January 03, 2005
Windows Media songs and videos found to carry Windows malware payloads – December 30, 2004
Anzae/Inzae worm affects all Windows versions after 3.1; Macintosh unaffected – December 28, 2004
Unlike Windows users, Mac OS X users surf the Internet without a care in the world – December 28, 2004
Multiple unpatched Windows holes crop up; Windows systems compromised within minutes in experiment – December 24, 2004
Windows spyware mess is out of control, get a Mac and surf with impunity – December 21, 2004
New Microsoft Internet Explorer exploit spoofs Web sites on fully patched Windows XP systems – December 17, 2004
Microsoft may charge extra for Windows spyware protection software – December 16, 2004
Detroit Free Press: Windows malware problem getting worse, it’s time to get a Mac instead – December 16, 2004
Sick of spyware, adware headaches? Get a Mac and surf the Internet freely – December 13, 2004
Mossberg: Windows PCs plagued with problems, Apple’s Mac is ‘rock solid, elegant and affordable’ – December 09, 2004
Security expert: Don’t use Microsoft Windows, Office, Outlook, Internet Explorer – December 09, 2004
Security test: Windows XP system easily compromised while Apple’s Mac OS X stands safe and secure – November 30, 2004
Sick of spyware, adware infecting your PC? Don’t fret, just get a Mac – November 01, 2004
Microsoft: The safest way to run Windows is on your Mac – October 08, 2004
Spyware plagues Windows users while Mac users surf Net with impunity – November 01, 2004
Ballmer blames Windows users for not upgrading systems as Microsoft’s biggest security problem – October 22, 2004
Windows users line up to pay for spyware removal; Mac users surf Web with impunity – October 18, 2004
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Windows users’ security woes spark interest in Apple’s secure Mac OS X – October 06, 2004
Windows desktop monopoly threatened by secure, safe Apple Mac OS X – October 04, 2004
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Cyber-security adviser uses Apple Macintosh to avoid Windows’ security woes – September 27, 2004
Information Security Investigator says switch from Windows to Mac OS X for security – September 24, 2004
Mossberg: Apple iMac G5 ‘powerful, affordable, virus-free with better, more modern OS than Windows XP’ – September 23, 2004
USA Today: people are switching from Windows to Mac because of security issues – September 21, 2004
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USA Today columinst angry about Windows viruses, adware, spyware – September 15, 2004
University of Chicago recommends all students patch Windows at least once a day – September 14, 2004
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Mossberg: Dump your Windows machine and get an Apple Macintosh to free yourself of spyware – August 25, 2004
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Gartner: Worms jack up the total cost of Microsoft Windows – May 07, 2004
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Wall Street Journal’s Mossberg on making the switch from Windows to Mac – September 18, 2003
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This is great publicity for the mac (first post). This seems to really be taking off.
Hopefully the masses will take notice.
“Student and Teacher Edition costs just $149.95 and nobody really asks you if you’re a student or teacher – we’re all students of life anyway, right?”
Hmm…advocating breaking licensing restrictions for the sake of justifying your point is really quite unethical.
But if you’re going that route, the Academic version of Office for PC’s is $125. Do a little research, OK?
stantheman..
wanna break the law even more? download the thing from Acquisition!
stantheman,
Give us a break, you sanctimonious simp. Nobody gives a shit if you’re a student or teacher – that’s why nobody, not even MS refuse to sell it to anyone.
People who don’t know can find out important info in this article and avoid wasting extra money for MS crap they really don’t even need.
Use Apple’s Pages – it’ll read and write Word documents which is what the vast majority of people are looking for when they plop down a huge wad for the full version of Office overkill.
What seems to be missed again and again in these reviews is the fact that any cheaper hardware costs you get when going the Wintel route is made up for with the extra antivirus and antispyware software you have to buy.
I would also argue that the learning curve for moving to the Mac is equal to the learning curve of protecting your Wintel computer from the very Internet you expect to put it on.
If we all started at zero, why would any home user buy Windows? It’s just too dangerous. The cost of ownership for Wintel is higher. Most people buy Windows because most people buy Windows.
I have to totally agree with stantheman here. I mean, come on, you can’t make an argument based on advocating that somebody violate the terms of use, especially when you fail to point out that the Windows version of doing the same thing is even cheaper still. I generally like MDN’s takes, but sometimes they are just off the mark and I think this is one of those times. Fork Ball, you are right that anyone can buy it at that price, but you just bring back the old adage “What would happen if everybody did that?” And if Word is all most people want, you can buy that seperately for a cheaper price. I’ve checked out Apple’s Pages app, but I didn’t care for it too much. It’s a cross really between a word processor and a page layout program, and I don’t like the sacrifices made toward the latter part since I don’t need that functionality. So for me, Word is a much better choice, at least compared to Pages 1.0.
“What seems to be missed again and again in these reviews is the fact that any cheaper hardware costs you get when going the Wintel route is made up for with the extra antivirus and antispyware software you have to buy.”
Thats pretty much a tipoff that you’ve never used a PC for any extended period of time. Its pretty much a known fact that quality anti-spyware software is free and anti-virus software is either free or nominally priced.
And what about the amount of time used to clean infected computers you say? Not a whole lot in my book. At least compared to my iMac. Firewall, run as a XP user, and keep anti-virus updated. Maybe i’m the luckiest guy out there (hardly) but never run into any problems in over 4 years of ownership.
“The cost of ownership for Wintel is higher.”
Really? Give me some figures that prove that. Windows higher TCOS than Linux? Certainly. Against Macs? no way.
Are Macs easier to use? Some might say (myself included) Are Macs safer to run? Yes, they probably are for those who are inexperienced. Are Windows computers “dangerous” to run? Not in my book.
My point: stop spreading FUD
Thanks for rewritng that MDN take. It was needed. Got a little nervous, did ya now?
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Shempy, Shempy . . . you remind me of a Fox Terrier I met after the Westminster Dog Show last year. Yeh-hessss. We went out clubbing, took a limo down to Battery Park City, and had a pretty good time at CBGB’s.
But then she got all ‘proper’ on me and started acting holier-than-thou — kind of like that Kirk Cameron kid after the Jesus conversion. So I told her to lighten up. I mean, even the Savior enjoyed a flask of wine now and then.
But de last straw was when she said we needed to go to St. Patrick’s morning service before I dropped her at home. Hey-hey-heyyyy, she may have had some sins to repent, but this dog don’t do morning church no more . . . at least, not since my kennel days when we were forced to.
No, but seriously, I had the driver stop in front of Scores and I booted her out. She had such a great attitude . . .
FOR ME TO POOP ON!
Didn’t read Mossberg’s entire article, but does he mention iLife? You compare a Mac Mini at $499 (+ $75 for RAM and add a monitor, kb and mouse) to any PC (+ whatever for a decent package of malware protection – the good ones are not free) and it looks close on the surface. But find a package on the PC that is comparable to iLife and works seamlessly between the components, and see how much you are talking about spending.
Triumph, I’d love to actually read one of your posts someday that in any way attempts to actually address the topic at hand and/or someone’s post. You know, the real Triumph didn’t go to the Star Wars geeks and start rambling on some prewritten piece about orange juice. Keep workin’ on it.
I think Mossberg was pointing out the price of the Student/Teacher edition to PARENTS, and not necessarily to anyone else. No big deal.
And Triumph, please, unless you’re really Robert Smigel, give it a rest.
Does anybody know where I put my pills? Make the voices stop! PLEASE!
Nobody mentioned OpenOffice or NeoOffice – which are full fledged word processing apps that (drum role please) are completely free. Not $150, not $125 – FREE. I use OpenOffice and it looks and functions, for the most part, identicle to M$ Word – so why piss away $150 or even $125 when OpenOffice does everything you need for free?
Check it out here: http://porting.openoffice.org/mac/ooo-osx_downloads.html
Triumph’s takes are always hilarous. They’re more enjoyable to read than those from anal-retentive nerds. (Maybe Triumph should hump a few to loosen them up!)
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stantheman — your take on the anti-(insert function) software is a little off. It’s simply not as easy as you’re making it. The Mac way is like starting a car: you turn it on and it goes until you turn it off. I personally think av software for the Mac is a waste of $50-100 (call me a risk taker). pc software is nominally priced (again, say $40-80), but the time involved costs $ too. Then again, why don’t companies simply put av software on pc’s and work the cost into the price…oh, but wait a minute, that would make computers more COSTLY and hurt a pc-maker’s BOTTOM LINE. So this is never done. And the real point is that in owning a pc you MUST put av software on your computer. There simply is no option to stay virus free (except buy a mac). And that is the crux of the argument. In today’s world of always-on connections, a person would be a fool not to spend the extra $100 on personal av and firewall software; a person would be foolish not to download spyware blocking software (some of those programs are a type of spyware). I used to administer Macs and any problems I had were related to our Win2K servers which absolutely sucked when trying to serve our Macs.
“Are Windows computers “dangerous” to run? Not in my book.” OK, I get your point (although ‘dangerous’ is a bit strong, I actually agree with the sentiment – the computer is not safe to just turn on and put it on the internet). But, and you have to concede this, that $399 Dell advertised on TV is now at least $499 because of the extra software you need to be safe. And guess what, that’s the price of a Mac mini.
On a side note: I too like Macs for their ease of use, design and software that is included with the machine. for my $$, there is not a single pc out there that can compare (and I mean apples to apples compare — forgive the pun) with what Macs offer. I’ve done this at least 10 times price comparing Dells (usually touted as the cheapest pc) and Macs and Macs either come out dead even (Dell and Mac are equal within $50-100 of each other, depending on model, which is a wash) or as a better value.
Anybody who claims “Dell’s are cheaper” must be put in their place: Dell has shared memory on all of their computers under $1000, the pc world has nothing close to iLife, iLife (if you tried to mimic it in pc-land) would easily cost $250 (and I would argue as much as $500), anti-anything software always costs money (either in $ or in time).
You can’t say “show me the numbers” with this. Apple won’t be involved in any studies and I wouldn’t trust any study commissioned by Redmond. So you won’t have hard TCO numbers. You will have OPINIONS expressed by people like Mossberg, people who realize that TCO is more than just how much $ over a certain amount of time. TCO also includes the user experience. I am amazed at least once every week at just how intuitive my Mac is compared to my XP work laptop. I have to dig for settings to do something as simple as span my desktop. With OSX, it’s 2 clicks away. And the whole OS is like that.
So you can’t compare TCO, and you can’t say “show me hard evidence”. There is none. But it does not mean that Windows has a lower TCO than Mac. If anything, I would argue that Macs have lower TCO than Windows. I don’t have evidence, just enough experience with both systems to know that I never want another Windows machine ever again. It’s not worth my time.
Sorry for the long post
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I went from Mac to Windows to use one propriety piece of software that my clients demanded. This piece of software uses a hardware key for copy protection and V PC does not recognize hardware dongles.
I had to relearn everything that I easily did on my Mac.
I had to learn Windows. I had to learn how to use it to keep files, et cetera, the same general way I did on the Mac. I discovered right clicking and a few other Windows centric short cuts.
I had to learn how to communicate using Windows. How to send faxes, email, attachments, encryption, using LAN’s, WiFi, connecting over digital and analog cell phones, land lines, satellite phones and direct satellite connections. What a nightmare, especially knowing the Mac could do these things first time, every time.
I had to learn that if nothing works, just reboot, it might just work after a reboot.
On top of everything I had to learn all about viruses, spyware phishing et cetera and anti malware software. I found that the easiest way to download virus cures when Windows was compromised was to use a Mac.
I spend hours maintaining Windows and minutes maintaining Macs.
Believe me, the learning curve going from Windows to Mac is nothing compared to the one going from Mac to Windows.
For God’s sake, if you are a Mac user, do not switch for any reason.
beatsme: “And Triumph, please, unless you’re really Robert Smigel, give it a rest.”
Couldn’t disagree more. We need MORE of Triumph. Everyone around these forums gets SO uptight and high-strung in arguing their points. We need someone to lighten things up.
GO T-Dog!!!
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Really — TRIUMPH . . .I would LOVE to party with you at SCORES! YES!!!!!!!
Triumph — Mac news is really slooooooowww lately. Thank GOD for ur posts.
(BTW I am a girl who thinks triumph is funny- – it’s not just guys
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First post ever here…
Who still need MS Office Suite ? There’re plenty of softwares to replace it, and most of them are free…
Another thing that doesn’t get mentioned about anti-virus software and anti-spyware etc is that for the commercial products, you don’t just pay once, you pay EVERY YEAR to update the definitions / database etc – so $50 after purchase of your PC for AV software becomes $200 after a few years, and that’s not counting the other stuff you have to buy and update.
One of the many things I really like about the Mac is basically, you pay for it, and it keeps getting better, without you HAVING to pay more, especially with Apple’s free and frequent point updates to Mac OS X eg. 10.3.0-10.3.9, in which we have seen:
– speed increases,
– new features,
– improved security etc etc;
It’s just the opposite of many home user’s PC experiences where their OS updates sometime bring them:
– decreasing speed (lots of friends wish they hadn’t upgraded to XP)
– loss of features (eg. XP SP2 stopped many programs working until they were updated (how many home users knew about updates to their broken apps?))
– reduced security (certainly for the average Win 95-Me users, who if they don’t know about free AV / anti-spyware etc), now face more risk than ever as an ever-greater number of virus threats have come out since they first bought their PC; even if they do pay for software, in my experience, the average PC user (especially home users) don’t seem to have a clue – they get a free trial AV package installed, and never update the definitions, download upgrades or have a scan running.
Mac for me and always will be…