PC Magazine’s Brian Bennett offers a basic top ten Q&A for those who still have questions about switching to an Intel-based Mac.
1. Should I buy a Mac-Intel PC now or wait until new systems running the new OS X 10.5 (code named Leopard)?
2. Can I run Windows and Mac OS simultaneously toggling between the two?
3. Can I play my favorite Windows games, like Doom3, on a Mac? What other games can I play?
4. At home, I have two Windows PCs networked via WiFi. How difficult will it be to add the Mac-Intel into the mix? Will I be able to share files between my Windows PCs and my Mac-Intel whether it’s running Windows OS or Mac OS?
5. Can I still use my old printer/scanner/wireless router or do I need to invest in a device?
6. I do a great deal of work in Photoshop, and heard it runs slower on a Mac-Intel computer. Is this true?
7. Will I be able to see my IE bookmarks in both Mac OS and Windows OS?
8. Does it slow the computer down to have both OS’s open?
9. Is the Mac surround sound interface compatible consumer electronic devices such as home theater receivers? I have a nice 5.1 living room speaker set up already.
10. Can I boot Mac OS X on a PC?
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Note: One quick note for question #2, “Can I run Windows and Mac OS simultaneously toggling between the two?” Although Bennett doesn’t mention it in his answer (he does later in question 8), you can do this with Parallels Workstation (US$$39.99): http://www.parallels.com/en/products/workstation/mac/
[UPDATE: 10:08am EDT: Added mention that Bennett writes about Parallels later in his list of questions.]
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He mentions Parallels under point 8.
I think it’s extremely cool to even see an article like this in PC Mag, not to mention that they go over each point with good info. I hope this helps people considering a switch.
Finally Mac gets a serious look by PC Mag instead of the usual “yawn”. This is exciting stuff for the pc using world, a real alternative that’s always been there, it just took a different approach to get noticed, i.e. the iPod.
He did leave off some obvious questions:
11. Will I have to run the usual set of 3rd party security apps for spyware, firewall, antivirus, popup blockers, and disk defrag?
12. Can I boot both OS’s on a pc?
Of course, it’s “no” on both.
PC World has generally had very good things to say about Macs and OS X, and I have to say that they’ve been pretty balanced in their Apple coverage.
Even worse! He knows about Parallels but doesn’t mention it in the direct question (can I run OS X and Windows together) only as a negative “it will put a strain on the Mac’s resources” in a related question. Sad, sad sad.
Windows pundits are becoming really pathetic (or perhaps they always were and it is just becoming more apparent)
dbcoyle-
The answer to question 11 is “yes” when running Windows. Not sure about disk defrag, though. Can one run a Windows disk utility on the Windows partition in a Boot Camp situation?
PC World is just grabbing for hits. They of all people know better. It’s trendy to say Macs are great, so they do it. Please tell me one thing that’s truly better about buying a Mac when I could get a Dell for the same money and have $20 minimum left in my pocket.
Going on about how much better Windows XP is may be the truth, but it won’t sell ad space, will it? It’s old, boring news, because Windows just works and has worked for years! What a world.
That there was not more recommendation to wait until all the hardware and software problems that abound throughout the Mac community these days have been resolved if, in fact, they can be.
I would say third or fourth quarter ’07 at the soonest before anyone ought to count on Macs working right again…. burning hot laptops, noisy operations, internal messes, OS crashes, and the biggie: virus invasion surrounding the Mac community and the total denial of that reality we are all facing.
But, we all seem to be frantic over the WOW factor of our beloved Steve so we will continue to be the testers, ginny pigs, and dupes who cause Apple to fix problems they never admit even exist.
“I would say third or fourth quarter ’07 at the soonest before anyone ought to count on Macs working right again…. burning hot laptops, noisy operations, internal messes, OS crashes, and the biggie: virus invasion surrounding the Mac community and the total denial of that reality we are all facing.”
Doom, gloom, and agony!
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Hmmm … my Mac works right. But, then, It’s a 17 inch PPC Powerbook.
I’m waiting until the desktop Pro Macs come out before I step into the intelmac universe. However, I don’t expect there too be too much of a problem. You’re assumption that we’re heading for virus city is just too much scare-tactics. Yes, I’ll be watching closely. Yes, if there is a real need for protection I’m sure we’ll all adopt it. But … I’m not just going to sit here and whine and complain that it’s coming when we DON’T KNOW how bad it will be … or, even, if it will be bad at all.
Amazing the number of PC trolls who spend their days now reading Mac sites and posting comments on their forums.
You don’t know the history of switching from Windows to Macintosh… I do.
Tumeric,
Windows just works. LOL
Windows just works if you back up important files, twice.
Windows just works with firewall protection.
Windows just works with Anti-virus and Anti-spyware protection.
Windows just works if you reboot daily.
Windows just works if you update AV definitions biweekly.
Windows just works if you update the OS regularly.
Windows just works if you defrag regularly.
Windows just works if you instal a fresh copy of a program that starts to act weirdly.
Windows just works if you buy a new computer along with a major OS upgrade.
Must I go on?
Turmeric: I’m deeply saddened by your choice of name. Turmeric is a wonderful spice with helpful, positive qualities and attributes.
You’re NOT. What a misnomer you are!
To: Surprised (or should I just call you Johnny?)
Come on, dude. EVERY new model (Apple included) comes with problems. Always have. The first iMac G5 had heat problems. There are always bugs to work out. If you don’t want to deal with them, buy last year’s model, or wait for Rev. 2.
And even when you consider these problems, they are always a minority of users. It’s not like every single MacBook Pro is being returned, because if it was, you’d definitely be hearing about it.
And I’d like to see the track record for every other manufacturer. If there actually WERE accurate data about this sort of thing, I bet Apple would be at least as good as any other Rev. 1 hardware released in the market.
And please show me where this virus invasion is, Johnny. Come on! You’ve been peddling this crud for weeks now and NO ONE is BUYING it. There IS NO VIRUS INVASION. If you want to install Boot Camp and get viruses on your Windows Partition, go ahead. They WILL NOT AFFECT the Mac partition.
So keep crying, Chicken Little. Not happening. IF / WHEN there truly is a Virus Problem for Macs, I’ll worry. But I’m not worrying yet.
MW: little, as in Chicken Little. I am NOT making this up! How do it know?
Did the article get changed?? He mentions Parallels under Question #2 as a way of running Windows and Mac OS’s simultaniously.
Overall I thought these were good answers.
1. Should I buy a Mac-Intel PC now or wait until new systems running the new OS X 10.5 (code named Leopard)?
Wait if you want the upgrade for free as it comes with new hardware.
2. Can I run Windows and Mac OS simultaneously toggling between the two?
Yes and no. With Parallels Software you can run XP in a Window at the same time as Mac OS X, however graphics performance is not as good as if you would reboot into Windows using Apple’s “Boot Camp” feature.
3. Can I play my favorite Windows games, like Doom3, on a Mac? What other games can I play?
Mac OS X has it’s own version of Doom3, however you can run Doom3 Windows version while booted in Apple’s “Boot Camp” in Windows because you’ll need all the graphics potential to run heavy duty 3D games.
Hardware wise, it’s best to wait for a new Intel based Tower from Apple to run 3D games. Windows Vista may require a DirectX capable video card.
4. At home, I have two Windows PCs networked via WiFi. How difficult will it be to add the Mac-Intel into the mix? Will I be able to share files between my Windows PCs and my Mac-Intel whether it’s running Windows OS or Mac OS?
Yes
5. Can I still use my old printer/scanner/wireless router or do I need to invest in a device?
Yes and no depending upon the device and driver software.
6. I do a great deal of work in Photoshop, and heard it runs slower on a Mac-Intel computer. Is this true?
Yes because Photoshop for Mac is PPC processor based, so it runs in emulation under Rosetta on Intel based Mac’s, a future version is in the works that will be totally capable.
7. Will I be able to see my IE bookmarks in both Mac OS and Windows OS?
No, but one can copy the bookmarks to Mac OS X and have Safari use them. IE is discontinued on Mac OS X. IE is crap anyway.
8. Does it slow the computer down to have both OS’s open?
Under Parallels software it does because your running another application, “Windows” with Mac OS X. Under “Boot Camp” Windows runs fast because Mac OS X is not booted.
9. Is the Mac surround sound interface compatible consumer electronic devices such as home theater receivers? I have a nice 5.1 living room speaker set up already.
Most Mac’s now support digital optical connections as well as stereo line out. The digital passes on the uncoded 5.1-7.1 surround sound signals to a reciever capable of decoding the various formats.
If you have one of those cheap 3 plug 5.1 surround sound systems designed to be hooked up to a PC 5.1 video card, then no, your going to need a M-Audio 5.1 card to do the decoding.
10. Can I boot Mac OS X on a PC?
Yes if you have a cracked copy of Mac OS X, it’s not legal or binding, nor supported by Apple.
The correct answer to question 5 is “Only if it’s a USB device.”
Well, there may be USB-to-parallel adapters, but they probably cost about the same as a new printer.