“A couple years ago, the notion of replacing a PC with one of Apple’s stylish Macintosh computers was fraught with risk, uncertainty, and incompatibility. Today, the computing landscape isn’t so black and white. Thanks to Apple’s conversion to the same Intel-based computing platform that mainstream Windows-based PCs use, as well as a host of software tools that make it easier than ever to interoperate between the Mac OS X and Windows worlds, buying a Mac is easier and smarter than ever. Sure, there are some hurdles to overcome. But for many people, choosing between a Mac and a PC doesn’t have to be an either-or proposition anymore,” Paul Thurrott writes for Connected Home.
Thurrott writes, “Apple and various third parties have also released software solutions that make it easy to run Windows on these new Intel-based Macs. (Although the reverse isn’t true: You can’t legally run Intel-based versions of Mac OS X on PCs made by other companies.) There are two basic types of solutions. First, you can use software such as Apple’s Boot Camp beta to dual-boot between Windows and Mac OS X on the same Mac hardware. Second, you can utilize a number of virtualization environments, such as Parallels Desktop, to run Windows ‘under’ Mac OS X on a software-based virtualized PC. Both methods involve some trade-offs, but either should satisfy any users’ particular needs.”
“Of course, before you can decide whether to use one of the interoperability solutions, you should determine if a Mac is the way to go. Historically, Macs have been more expensive than comparable PCs, but prices have come down in recent years and Apple’s machines are now much more competitive. Here’s the difference today: Because Apple offers only very specific Mac configurations with few customization options, you don’t get the wide range of price points in the Mac world as you do with PCs. So, you’ll generally be able to find much less expensive and—go figure—much more expensive PCs than Macs. But if a particular Mac model does meet your needs, you’ll generally find that it’s comparable in price to similar PCs,” Thurrott writes.
Thurrott writes, “All Macs share certain characteristics. They’re incredibly well made, beautiful to look at, and generally devoid of any extraneous ports and other doo-dads… for those who appreciate design, Macs are top-notch. All Macs come with Mac OS X and Apple’s highly valued iLife suite of digital media applications. In some ways, iLife is reason enough to own a Mac: There’s nothing like iLife on the PC side. Mac OS X isn’t as full-featured as Vista, but it’s also a lot less busy looking and serene in nature. Aimed more at technical users than consumers, Mac OS X isn’t so much friendly as it is austere and Spartan. But once you master its quirks, you’ll find you can be as productive as you are in Windows.”
MacDailyNews Note: Invest a bit of time and you’ll find that you’ll be more productive with a Mac than you would be with Windows. We also have no idea how Thurrott defines “full-featured,” but the statement “Mac OS X isn’t as full-featured as Vista” certainly doesn’t ring true with us. Perhaps he meant “derivative, bloated, unintuitive, and woefully insecure” instead? Mac OS X is clean and well-thought-out, more than it is “austere and Spartan,” and it can be as “friendly” as you want it to be, plus there’s always that Unix power underneath for those who wish to utilize it.
Thurrott continues, “With less than 3 percent of the market for computers worldwide, Mac OS X and the hardware it runs on might not seem a viable alternative to the Windows hegemony that most of us simply take for granted. Nothing could be further from the truth: Macs offer the best of both worlds, giving you the ability to run both Windows—with its huge software and games libraries—and Mac OS X—with its better security and iLife solutions—side by side on the same hardware. You might argue that a Mac is, in fact, the ultimate PC, simply because it can do so much more than other PCs. I believe this to be the case for many users.”
Oh, yes, there’s more in the full article, mostly all of it extremely positive about Apple’s Mac platform, here.
MacDailyNews Take: Wow! The fog has — at least temporarily — lifted for Thurrottt.
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Longtime Windows sufferer switches to Apple Mac: ‘I’ll never buy another PC’ – April 09, 2007
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IT manager for Fortune 500 company seriously considering OS-unlimited Apple Macs – April 06, 2007
WSJ: Apple makes inroads with Macs that can run Mac OS X, Linux, Windows – March 20, 2007
Network World: Need a new PC for Vista? Switching to Mac may cost less and give you more – March 16, 2007
Windows expert dumps Windows, switches to Apple’s Mac OS X, finds software plentiful – March 12, 2007
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Netscape founder Marc Andreessen switches to Apple Mac – February 28, 2007
Computerworld: Windows expert dumps Windows, switches to Apple’s Mac OS X – February 08, 2007
Microsoft’s Windows Vista: Five years for a chrome-plated turd – January 30, 2007
Those unfamiliar with Apple’s Mac OS X may be impressed with Windows Vista – January 29, 2007
A Windows expert opts for a Mac life, finds the experience ‘superb’ – December 07, 2006
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A Windows expert opts for a Mac life – November 06, 2006
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Embrace and Extinguish in action: TechIQ’s ‘The VAR Guy’ dumps Windows, switches to Mac OS X – September 25, 2006
Top Windows developer dumps Microsoft’s ‘pile of crap’ for Apple’s Mac OS X – September 12, 2006
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Apple Boot Camp’s ‘Windows Insecurity Blanket’ helps buyers decide to switch to Macs – May 19, 2006
Apple Macintosh simply does more and costs less than Windows PCs – February 14, 2006
Intel-based Macs running both Mac OS X and Windows will be good for Apple – June 10, 2005
You are a discredit to people who have switched from Windows to OS X. These people don’t have the blind hatred you have for anything not pro-mac,
You don’t know the history of lying MS’s mouthpiece puppets Thurrott, Dvorak, et al. We do.
Dammit! Will MDN never learn? Do not link to anything by Thurrott. The man is nothing more than a cynical media whore who believes in nothing he writes. He tailors his message depending on his audience, and merely comes across as schizophrenic in his opinions. If he has anything complimentary to say about Apple or Apple products, you can be damned sure it’s because the site he’s writing for has a large audience of Mac users. Don’t believe me? The article in question was on Connected Home Magazine. Check his Wininfo site and get back to us if you can find anything other than inflammatory insults and outright lies about anything Apple there. He caters to the idiotic Microsoft fanboys on that site. I’m willing to bet that you’ll find any number of pieces he’s written there that directly contradict his statements and “opinions” in Connected Home.
I realized this when he wrote an extremely complimentary piece on the iPod for Connected Home, praising the simplicity of the interface, the genius of the click-wheel, and the superb music-management software (iTunes). He sang hallelujahs and hosannas about the brilliant vision of Steve Jobs and the incredible ability of Apple to deliver a well-thought out product. At the same time he was running an article on Wininfo bashing the iPod as derivative, inferior to other music players, its puzzling interface, the bizarre click-wheel, the total lack of “basic” features such as an FM tuner and voice recorder and other bells and whistles etc, etc.
His opinions are worthless because they can’t be trusted, and his motive is not to inform, but to harvest site-visits, period. Don’t feed the troll.
Who drugged this guy to say these (mostly) wonderful things about Macs? Maybe he’s off the drugs Gates and Ballmer were giving him to brainwash him into believing in THEIR beleagered company!
Thurrott is still a tool – he hasn’t convinced me just yet. He still comes from the same gene pool as Enderle, Dvorak and Kantor, all schmucks without any knowledge of the industry.
You know dude’s, we’re all going to have to pitch-in to cover for Pauly T., when M$ starts to hold out with Homey’s funds.
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Vista full featured? I think thats bloated in Paul talk.
It’s not a setup, people, nor is it a bait-and-switch on his part. It’s all about what publication he’s writing for. Connected Home magazine isn’t aimed at the Windows Stockholm sufferers, so he doesn’t spout his vitriol. Instead, he plugs how nice it all is, and then slams it to the MS fanboys. That’s just how he plays.
Has the clue bat worked its magic?
Thurrot: “[Mac OS X is] Aimed more at technical users than consumers
The man is mad.
“full featured”
= every single thing every large organization has ever wanted MS to shove into the OS. A massive quantity of features YOU DON’T NEED. That IS a fundamental difference between the platforms. One of my favorite SJ quotes is “The secret is knowing what to leave out.”
Look, for example, at Security. My gawd, does Windows have security features. A mindboggling set of concepts, privileges, etc. Allows tremendous fine tuning of legit access. Ironically, of course, doesn’t make it SECURE since that is a matter of illegit access. But man does it have features…
Alternately, in honor of its 30th anniversary, I remember this definition from the original Apple II hardware manual.
“Feature A bug as described by the marketing department.”
And, of course, Vista has numerous new DRM “features”…
Fuck Thurrot – he’s a goddamn asshole