“Computers are made and marketed as all-purpose machines, but for a lot of people they have a rather limited job description: Web browsing, e-mail, MP3s, digital photos, the occasional letter… Sound familiar? Those are roles that any remotely new computer can easily fill. Unfortunately, just because any random computer will suffice doesn’t mean that you should buy any random computer,” Rob Pegoraro reports for The Washington Post. “Instead, find out how the computer will be used once it’s plugged in. If the user isn’t interested in installing new software but would rather use the tools that come with it, you should shop for a Mac.”
Pegoraro reports, “That’s not the cheapest option, though. A Mac Mini, iMac desktop or MacBook laptop — starting at $599, $999 and $1,099, respectively — will often cost more than a PC with about the same storage and processing power. But it is the easiest option.”
“An Apple machine will be much simpler to set up and maintain, thanks in large part to Mac OS X’s outstanding record of security. It will also include Web, e-mail, photo and music software far superior to the junk on most PCs,” Pegoraro reports. “A Mac can read and write almost all PC files, including Microsoft Office documents. Apple’s switch to Intel chips even lets a Mac impersonate a PC, running Windows with the help of such software as Apple’s free Boot Camp.”
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Tommy Boy” for the heads up.]
MacDailyNews Take: If the user is interested in installing new software you should shop for a Mac, too, since Apple Macs can run the largest selection of software in the world, as only Apple Macs can run Mac OS X, Linux, and Windows natively and/or via fast virtualization.
Related articles:
Apple Mac’s 2007 market share climb will dumbfound almost everyone, create mayhem in PC market – September 08, 2006
A Windows Vista reality check for Microsoft – September 08, 2006
Dude, you got a Dell? What are you, stupid? Only Apple Macs run both Mac OS X and Windows! – April 05, 2006
Apple introduces Boot Camp: public beta software enables Intel-based Macs to run Windows XP – April 05, 2006
Intel-based Macs running both Mac OS X and Windows will be good for Apple – June 10, 2005
Why buy a Dell when Apple’s Intel-based computers will run both Mac OS X and Windows? – June 08, 2005
Don’t shop for yourself silly. It’s Christmas! You should shop for ME. That’s right .. you should put a nice new iMac under my tree. Just imagine how generous you’ll feel. Go ahead, click that BUY link. You won’t regret it.
Hey, don’t forget my other submissions…
From Tommy Boy: Microsoft’s J Allard Owns 9 iPods
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_49/b4012001.htm?chan=tc&chan=technology_technology+index+page_today's+top+stories
“The soul of the new Microsoft, though…may just be Allard, the vice-president for design and development at its Entertainment & Devices unit. Allard looks and acts nothing like the prototypical Microsofty. Over the years he’s swapped his plaid shirt and khakis…for edgy jackets made by Mark Ecko and other designer wear. He loads up his nine iPods…with songs from hardcore bands like A.R.E. Weapons.”
From Tommy Boy: Check the Fresh Alternatives to the iPod, Then Remember Ease of Use
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/25/AR2006112500041.html
Of course the headline writer had it right, but the author blew it here, by leaving out the phrase “iPod Nano, iPod Shuffle,” from the second sentence: “Hard-disk players such as the iPod and Zune have the highest capacities, but are easily damaged with a lot of shaking. Flash players, such as the Zen Nano Plus from Creative Technology and the iRiver T30, don’t have the same sort of moving parts inside. That makes them a better buy for exercise nuts — and kids.”
From Tommy Boy: Nothing Succeeds Like Accessories For the Technology They Already Have
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/25/AR2006112500062.html
When it comes to the iPod, there are accessories galore.
For the iPod:
Some MP3 players can broadcast digital music to your car or stereo, but the iPod can’t. Griffin Technology fixes this with the iTrip Auto ($70, http://www.griffintechnology.com), which includes a car charger. It works with a wide range of iPods, letting your passengers enjoy your tunes while you drive. Griffin’s $50 iTalk Pro enables high-quality stereo recording directly onto the iPod’s hard drive. Griffin also makes a $50 iKaraoke microphone that fades out the voice track on most digital audio files and blasts the music plus your stunning vocal performance from your stereo via cable or wirelessly over FM.
Good iPod speaker sets can cost hundreds of dollars, but the compact Logic 3 i-Station produces terrific sound for only $100, complete with subwoofer. iPods are notoriously easy to scrape, and screen scratches on an expensive video iPod are catastrophic. Fortunately, iCleaner ($15-$35, http://www.ipodcleaner.com) restores much of the original luster and clarity.
Hey, the Post and the Times can actually agree on something.
last Friday i converted one of my friends to a Mac user
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she ordered a new black Macbook.
i am jealous since i have a 12″ Powerbook 🙁
It’s not exactly a secret anymore, but I predict that after this holiday season, there are going to be a lot of macbooks around.
Oh, and Peterson will have a complaint of some sort…
“If the user is interested in installing new software you should shop for a Mac, too, since Apple Macs can run the largest selection of software in the world, as only Apple Macs can run Mac OS X, Linux, and Windows natively and/or via fast virtualization.”
Well, that the key word is ‘IF’. Not everybody wants/needs to have a million applications just for the sake of having them. Feeling powerful, huh? “I’ve never had so much software. Hahaaa”
But hey, it’s true that only Macs can run that three Operating Systems, giving users the possibility of changing OS without changing hardware. Well, with a generic PC they could run just two (until Apple decides to license the OS. Here I’m avoiding that OS X86 Project due to obvious reasons). But, given some necessities of software (and given the cost of a machine), why would someone pay that extra for a machine when he clearly has established his software necessities?
Macs have clearly some advantages over other OSs but macs are not for everybody
TT-
You just have to start trouble, don’t you?
I have racked up two (2) converts this weekend.
Feels good!
A R
Well, it’s Christmas time, and MDN needs the hits.
I have racked up three converts. Unfortunately, they are my kids and want me to Santa Clause them…
It’s embarrassing that all Macintosh computers now ship without a word processor, which for many home users is probably the third most common computer activity after web browsing and email. A trial version of iWork does not qualify. Just plain silly if you ask me, and almost certainly a big turnoff for first-time Mac buyers.
It’s embarrassing that all Macintosh computers now ship without a word processor
What’s wrong with TextEdit? Don’t laugh, it works.
If Apple needs more than that on the cheap, couldn’t they bundle the wp part of AppleWorks/ClarisWorks?
All Mac’s ship with Text Edit. Its not flashy or loaded with options most folks don’t use anyway. It just there in the background forgotten by most.
I racked up 1 convert last week. He’s already excited about the new OSx system that he is learning about. He told me he was tired of the frustration of Windows. It will be interesting to see the number of sales that Apple puts up over the holiday season. My friend was a lifelong microsofty who couldn’t take it anymore.
There is Text Edit on the Mac…
If you want a good word processor on your Mac get Pages. It’s far less expensive than Microsoft Office.
Besides how many PCs get shipped with Office?
Never used Microsoft Works so does it really count? Text Edit is probably just as good.
Concerning your take- Macs ARE Unix computers – there is the whole world of Unix software that can be run on Macs too! And without the fuss and bother of installing Linux. Also, a lot of Unix software is available with a friendly Mac interface to drive the less-friendly command line driven program.
If you are going to make the sale, make the whole sale!
Don’t forget about all the freeware word processors out there that are compatible with Office …
It is not an issue at all …..
I did this with TextEdit. Not a bad result from a “not-a-word-processor”.
Don’t get me wrong. I have Pages from iLife ’06. It does beautiful lay-out work for more extensive projects.
However, for Joe and Jill Sixpack, TextEdit is more than ample.
Hey guys. What about Neo Office.
I use it whenever I need to open an Excel Spreadsheet or Edit a Word doc someone sent me. It’s based on Open Office and free GPL open source….
I have good luck with NeoOffice.
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Especially the price.
(don’t be put off by the name
Don’t get me wrong. I have Pages from iLife ’06. It does beautiful lay-out work for more extensive projects.
However, for Joe and Jill Sixpack, TextEdit is more than ample
I agree, but if the peson is a switcher he’s thinking Notepad, which isn’t the same. Apple has added the ability to save and open Word files, it needs to promote this better to new users, heck to old users, if you don’t have a Mac geek to help out there is an awful lot of the OS that never gets explored by the average user.
I use TextEdit myself for anything that doesn’t require serious formatting, but I stand by my opinion that TextEdit is a bit too bare-bones to be featured as Apple’s built-in word processing solution—which basically leaves Apple with no word processing solution in the eyes of first-time Mac users, which is the perspective from which I’m looking at this situation. If the user has to buy software or even download free software before he/she can perform basic tasks, that’s a negative IMHO. If I were Apple, I would not want to irk my new customers right off the bat. That’s not a good way to make them glad they bought a Mac.
A vanilla PC preinstalled with Windows comes with what word processor? Notepad? Wordpad? How are these any better than TextEdit?
New macs come with trial versions of Office and Pages. At least that gives a new mac switcher an option to try both and decide which to buy.
NeoOffice is all you need.