Is it worth switching over to Mac computer from a PC?

Question

i hear to many mixed feelings about both systems

my sister got a macbook and i want one really bad her boyfriend has it too says nothing ever goes wrong with them and they dont slow down, like PC's do

Answer 1

It is not worth it to switch to a Mac, here are reasons why...





PC=Variety of specs, options, quality, prices, vendors, support

Mac=One vendor, limited options, still more expensive. Look below for more information..



Contrary to belief, Macs are not better quality. Apple also has been changing suppliers to try to "lower the price" and thus lowering quality. Even with the lower prices, Macs still cost more, they spend a higher percent of budget trying to make it look pretty, and marketing.



Today, Macs use the same hardware as PCs. Why spend extra to get the same CPU chips, graphics cards and OS X isn't as secure as you think.. Look below.



WINDOWS ADVANTAGES:



Aprox 90% of the market is Windows. Most PCs include windows already pre-installed.

1) A number of websites still require Internet Explorer to view and IE for Mac Stinks (it is really ies4osx which is the Windows IE version running really buggy on OS X and illegal if you don't have a legitimate copy of Windows, too many problems with it).

2) More supported peripherals (printers and other things you hook into the computer) on Windows.

4) Like the Dock on OS X (Mac)? google/yahoo rocketdock, objectdoc.



Install at least Free Versions of Avira AntiVir, Avast, Comodo Firewall on the Vista.



LINUX ADVANTAGES:



1) Install Linux, and then get tons of software for free.Update software easily and automatically. (Checking a checkbox in either two ways to install (Add/Remove or Synaptic Package Manager), search for something you want, check a box and click apply)

2) Like the Mac OS X effects? go yahoo/google COMPIZ FUSION. It can do just about any cool effect a Mac can do and more...

3) Like the Mac OS X Doc? google/yahoo Cairo Dock, avant window navigator.

4) It is faster/MORE SECURE. Surf the internet and even run some windows programs with Wnehq/Crossover..



LINUX OS

If you are worried about viruses, spyware, security, Try Linux (it is free), I have included some information about Linux and links so you are not lost if you decide to try it.



Easily turn your system into a Dual booting computer with Linux, fast, safe and secure, easy to use (contrary to belief). You then get the best of both worlds (Windows with all of its supported products, freely go online without the worry)



My Recommendation would be either Ubuntu (Most popular and well supported linux), Kubuntu (KDE version of Ubuntu),

Freespire (has all windows codecs for watching videos, dvds out of the box),

PCLINUXOS (very nice Linux, easy to use and polished),

There are so many good versions of linux besides these.



PLEASE NOTE: In linux there are many forms of Windows Environments, the two main ones are KDE (K Desktop) and GNOME. Ubuntu uses GNOME, KUBUNTU is a KDE version of Ubuntu, PCLINUXOS, Freespire use KDE... The differences in the window environments (DESKTOPS) control how you configure, open close the windows, the appearances of the windows... linuxfoundation.org/en/OpenPrinting helps with printer support. ScreenCasts.ubuntu.com shows video and non-video help with learning to work with Ubuntu.



There are many good Linux distributions for different reasons, distrowatch.com, polishlinux.org, desktoplinux.com are good websites for overall understanding linux.



Installing Linux in general is very simple and much more secure than OS X(Macintosh) and free.

Also, most Linux distributions have a LiveCD which means you can try without installing...

UBUNTU, KUBUNTU, FREESPIRE, PCLINUXOS, etc.. all have live CDS.

All you have to do is..

A) to download .iso file off the internet from the Linux website

B) burn the .iso file to a CD or DVD (Make sure your burning software can burn an ISO or get InfraRecorder http://infrarecorder.org/)

C) restart the computer with the CD in the drive

D) As computer is restarting, press on F12 Key a bunch of times to get a boot menu

E) Select the option to boot from CD or DVD.



Click on this link and follow instructions up to the point of "Once the system has started up...", (the rest is how to backup windows) for an easy picture guide for steps A-E above http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/use-ubuntu-live-cd-to-backup-files-from-your-dead-windows-computer/

For easy instructions on setting up Dual Boot http://apcmag.com/how_to_dual_boot_windows_xp_and_linux_xp_installed_first.htm



ANOTHER QUICK NOTE: People have been able to run OS X on a PC since the PC and Mac use the same hardware. This is not legal and I would not recommend it for security and legal reasons, the purpose is to show that there is nothing special about the MAC.



A)Price...

A similar equipped PC is much cheaper to purchase than Mac. Lets use Dell (but you can compare with another PC Brand if you like)



*****************(LAPTOP)

Dell Inspiron Laptop $849 dropped to $799

15" Screen

CPU: (upgrade to) 2.1GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

Graphics: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100

Memory: 3GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM

Hard Drive: 320GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm

Optical Drive: Blu-ray Disc Combo (DVD+/-RW + BD-ROM) - WRITES DVDS,CDS, READS Blue-Ray Disks



Macbook $1349 just dropped to $1224

13" Screen (SMALLER)

CPU: 2.1GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (SAME)

Graphics: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 (SAME)

Memory: (upgrade to) 2GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (LESS RAM)

Hard Drive (upgrade to) 250GBSerial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm (SMALLER HARD DRIVE)

Optical Drive: (DVD-ROM/CD-RW) - (Writes CDs, DVDs, cannot read Blue-Ray) (WORSE AND 1/2 SPEED)



****************(DESKTOP)



PLEASE NOTE: I'm comparing Apple Mac's vs Dells best deal. If you decide that you must have an all-in one. The Dell all-in-one has more ram, wireless keyboard and mouse and equivalent to $400 for free making the Imac still more expensive when you upgrade the Imac to try to match. Personally I don't think the All-in-Ones are a good choice, and consider them overpriced, lack expandability and repairs both more expensive and require the entire computer.



PS: Apple knows that they must make Macintosh look different than PC so all Macs except the Mac Pro will not have a tower option. Apple's low end lacks expandability but it makes the Mac "look different", if Mac had a tower for low-end, more people would realize the similarities between the two.



Dell: (Right Now) Specs Below costs $809

CPU: 2.4 GHZ Dell Inspiron QUAD (4 Processor) CORE

SCREEN: 20inch Screen

MEMORY: 3GB Ram

HARD DRIVE: 500 GB hard Drive

OPTICAL DRIVE: 16x DVD/CD Read/Writer

GRAPHICS: (upgrade to ) ATI Radeon HD 2400 PRO 128MB



The Best Deal Mac is not the Mac Mini since it has no monitor, keyboard, mouse, very skimpy on options and setup... IMac is better price than the Mac Mini.



IMac ($1400)

CPU: 2.4 GHZ DUAL (2 Processor) CORE (SLOWER CPU)

SCREEN: 20inch Screen

MEMORY: (upgrade to) 2GB Ram (LESS RAM)

HARD DRIVE: (upgrade to ) 500 GB hard Drive

OPTICAL DRIVE: 8x DVD Reader/Writer (1/2 speed)

GRAPHICS: ATI Radeon HD 2400 PRO 128MB



************************END OF DESKTOP



B) SECURITY:



Mac OS X was hacked in 2006 under 30 minutes, and hacked within 2 minutes in a contest in 2008. Linux and Vista were not able to be hacked until another day when restrictions were lowered.

All macs are standardized with Cameras, if your system gets hacked, the hacker would more likely be able to turn on your camera.

Please Note: All OS's have vulnerabilities.



C) VIRUSES



The argument that OS X has less viruses is true, but that is against XP, BUT Mac OS X has viruses, a friend of mine has a virused Mac. As more users use Macs, more viruses will come out for it. Especially when users think "they are safe".



Google/Yahoo Mac Viruses





D) WINDOWS LICENSE is discounted with PCs



You do not pay the full price, for instance Dell -> you pay $50 or less for Vista Home Premium If you buy a Mac and want Vista, you pay full price.





D) EXPANDABILITY & REPAIR...



Repairs are more expensive than PCs since the IMac, Mac Mini are compact units, and Apple charges a premium for their services. Some repairs can be done by another repair service but the compact design of the computer causes problems.

With an IMac, if the problem is with the monitor, the whole computer would have to be brought in.

IMac and Mac mini lack expansion.





E) PROBLEMS



Sample of problems: Overheating Macbooks, OS X- not responding to keyboard, some units with 16bit screens, etc. Apple statistics are misleading since Mac users with problem machines are more likely to go out and buy a new computer than PC users. Apple is lowering prices which means you can expect lower quality than in the past. Apple had switched the manufacturers producing parts. OS X also has problems slowing down.



http://www.tuaw.com/2008/08/01/apples-quality-dwindling-my-macbook-pro-sob-story/

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-Finds-Irony-in-Mac-OS-X-Getting-Hacked-Before-Vista-SP1-82135.shtml

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-10020263-17.html

http://www.ubuntu.com/

http://www.kubuntu.org/

http://www.freespire.org/

http://www.pclinuxos.com/

http://distrowatch.com/

http://polishlinux.org/

http://www.desktoplinux.com/

http://xwinman.org/gnome.php

http://xwinman.org/kde.php

http://www.linuxalt.com/

http://screencasts.ubuntu.com/

http://www.linuxfoundation.org/en/OpenPrinting/

http://www.avast.com/

http://www.free-av.com/

http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SwitchingToUbuntu/FromMacOSX

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SwitchingToUbuntu/FromWindows

Google/Yahoo OS X on PC

Answer 2

try before you buy.. macs are no way better than a normal pc...



They have their own operating system which has LESS but SOME virus and malware. Don't let the ignorant fool you into thinking macs are immune.



When comparing value, I compare performace to price.. A mac will fail every time. You are paying much more for the same or similar hardware in other top name brands. You can install alternative Operating Systems on ANY pc if you choose, although most manufacturers technical support will not help unless the computer is restored to its original configuration.



"They will troubleshoot it and fix it if it's a software problem FREE" is a pure lie. Nothing more. No way any computer company will fix software issues forever.. just because I bought their brand. Any computer manufacturer has a disclamer against software related issues. That person might have had a lucky examply, but it is not company policy.



PC's are not better at gaming, UNLESS the hardware is supperior in the first place. PC has many times the software selection, INCLUDING games, which makes people think PC's are for gaming, mac's for business. WRONG. Most software is compatible with WINDOWS because that is the STANDARD is 99% of the businesses in the US. Visit any company, officer, retail store, or mall. They either have a custom point of sale operating system, or WINDOWS. I have NEVER seen mac's used in a business. Unless it was music editing or video related. Which a PC can also perform, usually at a much lower price, with equal or better results.



macbooks have a very HIGH return rate, and the customer reviews out weight the hype about them.



The bottom line.. look at the warranty, the price, the hardware, the software selection, and then compatibility. Then you will start to understand why only 5% of people buy macs.. and its only because they probably skipped an important step in shopping.. like common sense.

Answer 3

I have used Windows PCs since they were first available (and DOS before that). I have also worked in IT support & management for 20 years. I bought a MacBook in Sept 2006 and I LOVE IT. It never hangs, freezes or crashes unlike every Windows PC I ever owned. I now use my MAC as a desktop replacement at home and have it attached to a 19" DELL flat panel monitor, along with a wireless MAC mighty mouse and MAC keyboard. The MAC boots in under 12 seconds and does a full shutdown in less than 15 seconds. I do have one Windows program I must still use so I bought PARALLELS 3.0 for my MAC and I run Windows on my MAC when I need it. It is just amazing. I have also integrated my MAC on my home network with the other Windows PCs in the house and everything is shared between MAC/Windows. The .MAC and iDisk features are alone reason to serious consider a MAC. I keep all of my 2007 documents in the iDisk documents folder and everything is automatically synchronized with the MAC servers. This allows me to access my documents from any computer in the world that has an internet connection. This is an optional feature and costs $ 99.00 year. I don't have to deal with Anti-virus software and the list go on. I spent 1 1/2 hours in the APPLE store last Sept with a sales rep. who showed me all of the functionality that is built into the MAC and I was converted. Yes, a MAC is more expensive up front, but the amount of software tools and included hardware more than makes up for it. Also, I just bought iWork 2008 and iLife 2008 which were released 1 week ago to replace the 2006 versions. These software bundles were only $ 79.00 each, unlike Microsoft products which are over $ 250.00 for Office, etc. I would seriously consider a MAC.

Answer 4

Well I use PCs and never goes wrong with them and they dont slow down.

Computers dont slow down because they are MAC or "PCs"

They slow down because of all the garbage people have. And you try doing 10 things at the same time...its going to slow you down.

Same thing with computers. So people brag about one or the other. As long as you care for it then you got no choosing one over the other unless you are REALLY into multimedia and you edit movies and music. Thats what a mac is for.

If you are REALLY into gaming, like I am, then a PC does the job.

Answer 5

different OS is Different



play around with her "macbook" for a lil bit and see if you prefer it



macs are a lot different than XP / Vista / Red Hat



it may end up that you will not be able to do things on the Mac because you dont know how (you can learn to though)



i prefer Red hat over Mac and XP



but if ya manage any of the OS right ya shouldn't get any errors



all in all



if you want it and your looking for a reason

then yes you can get a Mac if ya want a mac because its different it may be a lot better computer for you and not for some



so try out the computer like ask if you can play on it it for a few hours and test it out on everything you would normally do



ask questions about how you would do random stuff on it

Answer 6

its depend what you gonna do, the new Mac are comming with 2 partitions first with the OS-X and on the secon partition you gonna have windows XP.



If you think you gonna play crazy games (high graphics) dont buy a Mac.

If you want to use it for work, buy a Mac!

Answer 7

There are NO CONS. The MacBook does both WinBloze and OSX, no other computer can make that statement. You have the best of the best. Apple Stores are popping up all over and you can make an appointment for a time and date, bring your computer there. They will troubleshoot it and fix it if it's a software problem FREE. What other computer company has stores and can make that statement? Get the 2.4 GHz with 4Gigs Ram and you got a speed machine like mine.