So what's so good about Apple?

[Blaksmoke]

The PC I have now is four and a half years old. I want a new computing machine by the end of the year, and so far pretty much everyone I've talked to has suggested some kind of Apple....Mac....thing. I've also heard that there are some damn good music recording programs that are only for Macs, which is something I'm interested in. As a few of you may know, I am computer retarded. This is the first time I've even entered, let alone posted in this board for more than a year.

I need advice, dammit.

[Sendok]

I love my macs.

Why do you ask?
-the OS is easy to use (although with any OS there is a slight learning curve)
-the OS dosen't chew up processing power
-silent, i've never owend two more quiet machines.
-no viri
-spyware a non issue (for me personally)
-easy to set up anything on a mac, true plug and play.

on to the software
-iLife
-iWork
-Adobe CS
-Corel Painter
-Final Cut Express
-MS Office (works better on mac)

I love the way macs look. There is just something striking about a mac that no other company (i've seen) can match.

I just love how everything works as it should.

---

Now don't get me wrong, programs can crash on a mac. It does happen from time to time. You can get your mac to freeze up (but man that can be quite hard to do).

I made the switch a while ago, and I have no regrets. Sure if you wanna play games do go get a PC, however I have a console for gaming.

[HereticPB]

Made for simpletons and music/graphics people.

Everything you can do on a mac you can do on a PC 5x better with 2GB of RAM. And your not stuck with the fear of Apple not being around in another 5 years.

Lots of music programs on there yes but there all over 399 dollars. Also with a Apple your paying double the price of a Windows/PC.

If your scared of Microsoft or can't use their software or figure out the start menu or want to run 8 pieces of software cause thats all it has then I suggest you switch.

[Fats]

What type of Mac are you interested in?

[Eidorian]

Garage Band is free with every Mac. I was surprised by 8 track mixing and a decent list of loops included.

You get massive professional media support on the Mac. They may cost more hardware-wise but iLife and the sleek design are worth it. You don't have to deal with virus, spyware, or gaping security holes in your OS.

[Moses]

For music go Mac. Logic Pro is awesome. AWESOME.

[Coded-Dude]

the problem with the PC is there are too many thirf paty companies that develop apps/hardware that you might have issues getting support for.
Sure you can fear that Applie might not be around in 5 years, but as long as they are you can believe they will support your product.

You don't always get that with a PC.....

[Eidorian]

I'd like to see what the Windows users have to say about what makes the PC so great. Other than build it yourself, cheap hardware, and games.

[Fats]

I'd like to see what the Windows users have to say about what makes the PC so great. Other than build it yourself, cheap hardware, and games.

Agreed. The only reason that I'd ever buy a PC is to play some decent games, which I will admit that I miss ever sense I stopped using PC's. Having said that the benefits of a MAC outweigh any reason to own a PC in my opinion.

[Eidorian]

Logic Express 7 (Academic) is $149.99

Here's GarageBand. I've played with it before. It's preinstalled on new Macs.

http://www.apple.com/ilife/garageband/

[HereticPB]

8 tracks that is good for awhile. But when there is 32 to 64 track programs it is laughable.

[Blaksmoke]

I don't care about games....

And this Logic Pro....I've heard of it before.

[Coded-Dude]

two words.......PRO TOOLS

[Eidorian]

two words.......PRO TOOLSQuote for truth.

8 tracks is just for GarageBand and it's free with the machine. =P

[Gegenki]

Want a mac?
Im about to post a thread on this
I want to get a mac.
I don't need my pc generating all his heat just to do my homework and I get side trackedd into things like making XP run better.
If anyone is intersted in mini mac give away - please use my referal link
http://minimacgiveaway.co.uk/index.php?referral=148819 (http://minimacgiveaway.co.uk/index.php?referral=148819)

[Moses]

Quote for truth.

8 tracks is just for GarageBand and it's free with the machine. =P
But who has the room for 26 gigs of Pro apps? It is just plain too much unless you are like an actual professional.

[Derrick Barra]

PC's

1) Stylized cases for those that know what their doing (if your building one.). Stylized cases for the higher level PC builders. (a.k.a. not Dell, although their higher PC's look okay)

2) Since when were noise and heat levels ever a syndrome of owning a PC? It's the computers parts that define that, not the operating system.

3) Right clicking (had to give it its own catagory ^-^)

4) "Lots of music programs on there yes but there all over 399 dollars. Also with a Apple your paying double the price of a Windows/PC."

Who actually buys those types of programs anymore? We've got bittorrent nowadays. And your not paying double the price for a Mac, it depends on the parts inside, which are harder to compare.

5) PC's have a larger family of users (About 95% of all OS's are Windows), so depending on what your doing it is usually easier to get support when something goes wrong.

I would recommend you buy from a vendor like Dell or another big brand so that you can get a warranty. Warranty's are always great for people that don't really want to bother having to learn the technical apects of a computer.

By the way, I'm not really rooting for the PC or the Mac, I'm just laying out the facts. I seriously recommend you read up on this at places like pcworld.com and before doing anything you might regret later.

[Eidorian]

PC's

1) Stylized cases for those that know what their doing (if your building one.). Stylized cases for the higher level PC builders. (a.k.a. not Dell, although their higher PC's look okay)

2) Since when were noise and heat levels ever a syndrome of owning a PC? It's the computers parts that define that, not the operating system.

3) Right clicking (had to give it its own catagory ^-^)

4) "Lots of music programs on there yes but there all over 399 dollars. Also with a Apple your paying double the price of a Windows/PC."

Who actually buys those types of programs anymore? We've got bittorrent nowadays. And your not paying double the price for a Mac, it depends on the parts inside, which are harder to compare.

5) PC's have a larger family of users (About 95% of all OS's are Windows), so depending on what your doing it is usually easier to get support when something goes wrong.

I would recommend you buy from a vendor like Dell or another big brand so that you can get a warranty. Warranty's are always great for people that don't really want to bother having to learn the technical apects of a computer.

By the way, I'm not really rooting for the PC or the Mac, I'm just laying out the facts. I seriously recommend you read up on this at places like pcworld.com and before doing anything you might regret later.

1. You have ATX Towers, Desktops, and Shuttle's. You could also throw in Mini-ITX and Nano-ITX but you're not going to find any performance there. Casemodding is overrated unless you're a professional. It doesn't matter to the average consumer. They just want their machine to work.

The iMac G5 on the other hand is a small wonder of design.

2. Talk to my friend with an Athlon 64 +3800 and 9 case fans. He also had to buy a second power supply since his first one almost died. The damned thing still runs hot.

3.You can install any USB mouse on a Mac. This is irrelevant. You can stick with the one-button Apple mouse or get an Logitech MX1000.

4. You could also torrent/P2P the programs for Apple. You can find just as many professional programs illegally for the Mac as you can the PC. I for one prefer paying for them. Apple gives massive student discounts and you get real support from them.

5. Mac's have a large family of professional media development users. If you want help for your production software you're going to want a Mac. Apple makes Mac only pro-grade software that you're not going to find ont he PC. Don't forget about Adobe, Macromedia, and Digidesign.

[Moses]

That and Apple Care is the best service in the world.

[Sendok]

That and Apple Care is the best service in the world.

that and who dosen't love the genius bars?

[Gegenki]

dell does stupid things like seal your case closed.
My PC is an intel 2.8Ghz and in the summer I had some problemss in my room - basically its like a mini heater - (cept it occupies many times the space of my raditor)

Microsoft tried to patent right clicking - but yea i guess thats good.
95% of the world's ccomputers run on windows because MS cornered the market early on - not because its amazingly good. - they are pretty much unchallenged.

Those non - privi to the tecnical workings of a pc are A. notorious for getting viruses - and some are B. So scared of getting viruses that they won't do anything.

I was gonna get a cool case with a transparent window by sunbeam but its like £50 - and everytime i get the money i decide its better to get someting else (like my 1GB memorystick for my PSP)

Mac's *can* run with more ram
Mac programs cannot interefer with the memory space of another program
Mac OS doesn't use as much processor power as windows
Mac programs cannot even think about getting near the kernel
A Mac is several thousand times less likely to crash. "NOOOOO DAMN YOU BSOD" (damn i hated windows98)
A Mac never feels like its slowing down and could crash (says an art teacher at my school)
Mac has a well constructed file architecture
Mac OS is more mature (older and more refined) than windows OS
Mac is built on Unix (i think - lol)
It just cool

Pc's are easy to upgrade
Theres like 100000000000000000000000000000000000000 different upgrades for em
You can right click
Windows is annoying but its good - sometimes it crashes for no apparent reason, or weird stuff happens for no apparent reason, but I find it several thousand times easier to use than linux and for some reason the screen looks brighter.
You can easily make custom pc's
Case mods look cool.
Your friend probably has one with the same OS
Microsoft cornered the market so if you have a PC theres almost no chance of the company dissappearing
Programmers often make for windows because its the biggest market, so you can usually get all the best stuff for windows first - if ever - and they don't have to be big expensive programs - im talking about freeware stuff too.
I'm bored - so Imo go find something intresting to do on my Windows XP PC - Be the best - vote Windows XP

P.S. - I still want a mac - lol.

[=NukeBlaze=]

I suppose, for me, it comes down to customization and experiance. I am highly proficent at using and customizing many aspects of al versions of windows.

From what I have seen with a Mac, I don't see that level of customization in the OS, mostly because everything is done for you. I really do not have many problems with windows because I know how to manage it, but if you want simplicity, go with a mac.

Another thing that prevents me from a switch is linux and the host of applications that I can run on windows and linux.

Edorian: Is your friend running cool and quite? His system should not being running that hot even with it disabled. My athlon 64 processor has the same thermal output as the 3800 and with a couple of fan my case is quite silent.

[Coded-Dude]

Um....the new Mac OS, OSX, is linux based. Just so you know; its more powerful and robust than windows.
(who is alos trying to make their OS more like linux)

Some people do understand windows very well, and have no issues, but that doesn't mean windows downs't have issues.
It is the buggiest, most insecure operating system every to reach the masses.
And instead of fixing that, they patch - windows XP = windows 95 SP 2736948234524.03

[Eidorian]

I suppose, for me, it comes down to customization and experiance. I am highly proficent at using and customizing many aspects of al versions of windows.

From what I have seen with a Mac, I don't see that level of customization in the OS, mostly because everything is done for you. I really do not have many problems with windows because I know how to manage it, but if you want simplicity, go with a mac.Explain customization. I know you can't completely change the GUI by using a program like WindowsBlinds but there are alternative dock and desktop applications. I like being able to set my icon sizes and viewing perferences universally and window by window. The universal one helps the most.


Edorian: Is your friend running cool and quite? His system should not being running that hot even with it disabled. My athlon 64 processor has the same thermal output as the 3800 and with a couple of fan my case is quite silent.You've mentioned this before. I'll have to check up on this. It's a BIOS setting right?

Pc's are easy to upgrade I just need to take 3 screws off and flip the back off of my iMac to get at the innards. PowerMac's are the upgraders dream though. The one latch casing opening and the wide open and clean spaces are great.

You can right clickWhat scares me most is that Windows users think there is no such thing as a right click in the Mac OS. There is. If you have a one button mouse you just hit Control + Click. If you have a multi-button mouse you just right click. Right click has the same function in the Mac OS and Windows. It opens up context menus.

that and who dosen't love the genius bars?A bit of an annoying wait while you sign up to be served by a Genius. They are EXTREMELY knowledgeable about your Mac hardware though. It's scary how much they know. It's also nice from a support standpoint to have an Apple Store just to go to. You don't go to a typical electronics retail store but a store specifically catered to you machine.

That and Apple Care is the best service in the world. Yeah it's great. Tech support for your Apple hardware and software. Even if you're under the first year warranty they still are willing to replace your product.

[Fats]

I just need to take 3 screws off and flip the back off of my iMac to get at the innards. PowerMac's are the upgraders dream though. The one latch casing opening and the wide open and clean spaces are great.

Don't forget that with a Powermac G5 it's as simple as unlocking the catch at the back and taking of the sidepanel. It's great. I was quite amazed at the simplicity of it. I've never had so much fun upgrading the RAM on a computer!

Kudos to Apple for not only making a system that looks great, but is highly functional as well!

[Gegenki]

See now I want a mac even more but now you guys just made me want a power mac g5 - oh why am I cursed with no money!

I setup this site
http://members.lycos.co.uk/gegenki/mac
would it be ok for me to give the link out on fliers and put them through neighbours letter boxes or would I be breaching some type of law?

[=NukeBlaze=]

You've mentioned this before. I'll have to check up on this. It's a BIOS setting right?

Typically you enable it in the BIOS and also set in windows power mangement for minimal power mangment. Then you download the the althon 64 processor driver that will auto clock and volt the processor.

found here:

http://www.amd.com/us-en/Processors/TechnicalResources/0,,30_182_871_9706,00.html

You may also need a bios upgrade for Cool and quite for his motherboard. I reccomend winflash to flash if possible.

Cutomisation wise, I don't see application that enable you to tweak hardware like available in windows applications. I am sure there are equivialant, but are there options down to the level of setting IRQ and Memory resources, swap file mangement and diable and the ablity to replace files via a command prompt.

[Eidorian]

Cutomisation wise, I don't see application that enable you to tweak hardware like available in windows applications. I am sure there are equivialant, but are there options down to the level of setting IRQ and Memory resources, swap file mangement and diable and the ablity to replace files via a command prompt.Terminal can handle all of that.

[Vishus]

If Mac users were the majority who are the online attackers going to attack? PC will just be in the same position Mac was.

I'm not totally convinced to get a Mac. Gaming, it comes with the right click mouse (I'm not buying 'extra' or paying for that $50 one Apple made), and it can't do 3ds max. I'm not so sure about service. Well it becomes a problem when I say I have this problem and they say that it doesn't exist. I'm not saying that they're bad though. They're still good for things such as photoshope but then again going from photoshop to 3ds max for textures becomes a problem.

[Moses]

If there ever was a Mac virus, Software Update would patch it.

And funny story, I was at a friend's house and saw a funny know on his PC, it controlled the fan. Now I have a G5 and the fan speeds up and slows down based on processor speed. I laughed. And imagine this: Vista will be Microsoft's answer to Tiger, but when Vista is released, OS 10.5 will be ready to ship.

[WolfmanNCSU]

What I like best about Macs are their simple look, and awesome interface. Its like the simplistic modern kitchen. Looks good, no clutter, and gets the job done, very functional.

Most importantly, I like how Mac does not byte swap, which leads to faster instructions!!!!

However, I dont like its proprietariness of it. It really limits its market and is probably the number one reason they have not taken over like they should have. The PC's open archtechture allows more control and customizablity (if you want to use it).

Probably the best thing to do to answer this question is use both. Test drive if possible Grab a Mac, grab a PC and work on them both. Do the normal things you are going to do on either machine and see which one feels right to you.

I have used both - liked both (hey, I just like computers of any kind). If I had the money, I would add a Mac to my collection, but its easier and more practical for me to keep my PCs.

[Coded-Dude]

price is definately the first noticable difference to anyone looking to get a personal computer

[nesman]

I am on a beloved 17" iMac G5 with no problems since I bought it back in August. It has never crashed so far, I have shut it down only two times, (i keep it mostly on sleep mode), it wakes up instantly when I wake it up. There are no viruses, finding illegal software (gasp) is easy as it is on Windows. I have Photoshop, runs so much better on my iMac than on my Dell Dimension downstairs. I also have a wireless keyboard and mouse and they are perfect. A lot of people have said pretty much all the details already, but I have to say that this is one kickass machine. I would prefer a PowerMac G5 but I decided that it's cost was a bit too steep. The iMac comes with everything, its an all-in-one. A slot-loading drive (just stick the CD in, no disc tray, very cool), a nice widescreen 16:10 LCD screen, Blutooth and Airport wireless card standard, and a nice array of ports on the back. A feature I really enjoy on my Mac is true plug and play. All I had to do when I put my printer upstairs was too hook up the USB to the Mac and that was it; it just worked. No need to install or anything. Mac detected the printer and established a connection. Macs are very cool! Oh and by the way, Mac OS X is built on Unix which makes it very stable and memory efficient. Plus this is my first Mac.

Price was an issue though, but my nice educational discount got me the iMac for $1,300. It required some bargaining but my parents finally gave in and bought one. They are truly amazed at its speed, (they're used to Windows crashing), iLife really impressed them. I took some beach photos and used iPhoto to make a slideshow. iPhoto detected and imported the photos as soon as i plugged my camera in. It sorted out all the photos. I added music to the slideshow and made some cool transitions. Then I used iMovie HD to apply some more titles and then iDVD to burn to DVD. iDVD also added some menus. All of this I did during the first hour or so of playing around with a Mac. Everything is so straightforward.