Why I Went Mac But Still Keep My PC

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You should have named this article "Why Mac/OSX is better than PC/Windows" so I wouldn't have wasted my time reading it.
 
[citation][nom]randomizer[/nom]If PC was all that you wouldn't need to get a Mac in the first place. In the end it comes down to preference and/or use. Buying a Mac would be a waste of money for me because I wouldn't know what to do with it, but that doesn't make it inherently useless. It's my fault
I got a 1997 Star Trek game to work on Vista, I think you should give it a go. Admittedly I got occasional BSODs when trying 6xAA at 640x480 but dropping to 4xAA mostly fixed that up.[/citation]
[citation][nom]apache_lives[/nom]Wow this article felt like a total ego tripheres what hardware i was using two years ago:Intel Idontgiveacrap-eron 4 with HT16 giveacraps of rambla bla blaon a totally different note, the computer i use the most in my house is a ~8 year old windows 98 based pc - Tutalain Celeron 1100a @ 1.46, 512 SDR, Voodoo2 SLI, SB AWE32 etc - more fun in old classic games then the newer modern games i think, CARAMAGEDDON NUT!!!!!!I know for a fact that nether MAC's nor XP/Vista machines can play these games![/citation]

I got Command & Conquer Gold (yes the win 1995 edition) to work on Vista. Was pretty cool but my Q6600 and HD2900Pro made it run so fast it wasn't funny. The days before frame limiters.

As for the article, good for he writer. I feel Mac has a superiority complex and is one reason I prefer PC. Plus being able to, as the writer said, customize your PC to what you want with a unlimited choice in hardware and software is much better.

Funny thing if you can easily setup a remot you just need the card for it and some of ATIs cards come with the Remote Wounder and it works well with Vistas Media Center extender.

There are a lot of little sub features in Vista that go unseen that I find very interesting that work very well.

Mac seems great for people who like it but there is no way it will ever replace PC if they keep the same setup. PCs dominate due to the customization in my eyes.
 
[citation][nom]russki[/nom]The article should be titled "why I like OSX." And then there must be compelling reasons - which there are none other than "it is streamlined and does everything I need better."Just what exactly is it? Why is it better? (besides the expose, but can you at least compare it to the modern Vista technology, and not the crappy XP; even with XP, there's a power toy which is much better than the default solution).JESUS. Horrible editorial. Seriously, it's articles like this that reinforce Tom's bad rep as of late.[/citation]

I think I wrote somewhere in the article:

"Still confused about whether or not to take the jump? I'll be following up with an in-depth look at OS X and Apple's suite of applications soon. I'll demonstrate why there are so many worthwhile features, and certain things that OS X does well enough to warrant a switch."

So I'll be following up with that. :)
 
Very objective and well written article. Having been a member of both the Mac and PC camp for many years (Mac OS7 & Windows 3.11) it's really a breath of fresh air to hear from someone who can cut through all the fan fervor and view the options from a purely practical perspective. Many thanks.
 
The 100% overhead I think goes to service. Have you ever tried to get warranty service from an OEM like Gateway or eMachines? I have. It's terrible! Apple is fantastic. If you seem to be running across multiple problems and they can't get it fixed, they sometimes hand out free new machines! Granted, I'm still a PC user because I'm a hardware nut. But the service with Apple shouldn't be discounted because it's expensive. Just to talk to somebody in Dell service usually takes at least 5 minutes of phone menus and 10 minutes of hold time. Apple has like 2 or 3 verbal questions and you've got somebody on the line.

But it really comes down to this, if you're into software usability, get OSX. If you're into hardware usability, stick with a PC. PC takes a lot more software configuration to get up and running. OSX just doesn't play nice with a lot of hardware, but is a breeze to get up and running.
 
I do computer controlled data acquisition and numerical processing. I see no use of Macs in my application. I install Cygwin and have no use of VM ware or dual boot solution. All my linux-running machines are booted into text mode, and I'll do startx to call up xwindow when needed. I bought Made-in-China MP3 for 1/10 the price of an iPod with the same storage capacity and I delete iTune and QuickTime whenever and I found it. I use Samsung camera phone that comes free with T-mobile plan. There will be time I will do web surfing on the move, but not with anything comes with an apple on it. The best GUI to me is still twn with an xterm opened.
 
C'mon... Keep the PC and install Ubuntu Linux! Together with Compiz Fusion it really kicks some serious butts... Ad in Wine and thousands of free alternatives to commercial software and you're set! Almost... ;-)

Don't get me wrong here, I've been using windows for years and still am using and I've also programmed on Macs (older generation) for about 4 years but Linux is free and really efficient. I really think Microsoft should start opening more their APIs and let programmers create much more optimized programs.

It is easy for Microsoft to say they've got the best software since they own the code and keep it for them.

Apple has done a fantastic job on Mac OSX and it really shines but I really believe in open source and it should be the way to go.

Unfortunately, it is not a recipe for everyone...
 
[citation][nom]dobby[/nom]great, so the writers of a hardware website dont even use the hardware they review.[/citation]

Not sure why we're obligated to use the hardware we review, but okay. :) Just because we review a Radeon 4870 for example, and think it's good, doesn't mean we're all going to jump on it and go buy it. Each one of us have different uses for what we do with our computers, and so we all pick our components/systems accordingly. 😉
 
[citation][nom]warezme[/nom]judging by the title, you didn't really go Mac..., you just added a Mac. If Mac was all that you wouldn't need to keep a PC.[/citation]

I think you missed the point I was trying to make actually. I did mention somewhere in the article that I haven't touched my PC for a long time. Essentially the only reason why I keep the PC around is the fact that it was a pure joy to build. With a new Mac you can essentially run every piece of software out there. Not so with a PC (without running hacked OS X with limited/risky update support).

/ Tuan
 
LOL, i agree with the laminator. And of my own opinion i hate the mac, i always will. You can't change me, been a PC nerd since the start and i am never going MAC. Mac's OS looks like shit to me. Tried using my friends mac and i feel so lost, the mouse sucks period. Keyboard looks like it came out of the garbage. And frankly just because it can dual boot into XP doesn't mean much to me. Windows vista may be slower, but for those who can harness the power of Vista 64 r those that overcome and conquer such idiotic articles like this. Vista is not slow, it was just incomplete and it has grown into a great OS, you just need that hardware to run it. I just hope Windows 7 will be the nxt best thing to Win XP. XP is one of the best OS's i've had for years on many of my machines, waiting on my new rig to start running Vista 64.
 
[citation][nom]apache_lives[/nom]Wow this article felt like a total ego tripheres what hardware i was using two years ago:Intel Idontgiveacrap-eron 4 with HT16 giveacraps of rambla bla blaon a totally different note, the computer i use the most in my house is a ~8 year old windows 98 based pc - Tutalain Celeron 1100a @ 1.46, 512 SDR, Voodoo2 SLI, SB AWE32 etc - more fun in old classic games then the newer modern games i think, CARAMAGEDDON NUT!!!!!!I know for a fact that nether MAC's nor XP/Vista machines can play these games![/citation]

I think your definition of "more fun in old classic games than the newer modern games" is up to the individual and his or her tastes. I'm pretty sure there are those that would beg to differ. Again, boils down to personal tastes.

As for an ego trip, I don't think so. The whole high-end PC equipment is a stark contrast to the all-in-a-box easy setup Macs are famous for. This was to provide some insight and suggest that even very serious PC users can find Macs pretty darn good.

/ Tuan
 
apple is making a killing on the ipod( I really still fail to see what the big deal is)and we know those are overpriced as well. So with higher profit margins apple can afford to pay us Fat Greedy Americans to work the phones in Support. Thus the quality of support ends up being better than Dell who used to have stellar support until they outsourced.

Personally I've never bought a pre-built computer so I have no personal experience with any of the companies mentioned, but several of my friends have owned Dells(pre-outsourcing) and my neighbor has had 2 eMachines PC's. Dell was very easy to get warranty service from(back then). And my neighbor got her eMachine so cheap that when it died, she just bought a new one. However had she paid out the a** for an apple I'm sure should would have demanded service, not that normal people would actually pay apple's ridiculous prices*.

*Except that damned ipod
 
im a pc guy and im also a mac user. Im a graphic designer in an Ad company and im using a Mac Pro dual quad xeon, 4 gig ram, 750 HD...."ATI 2600" v-card. its fast and the interface is really cool and yes i would admit its very user friendly when it comes to graphic designing. but when we hit 500MB layered photoshop designs you still have to relax a bit and grab a cup of coffee coz its still rendering. this piece cost $4,000 with the apple 23". i would give Mac a very good rating for its interface and flexibility. but i'll tell you running multi-apps huge files, 3-4 programs, internet browsing 3 sites will get mac crushing sometimes.

now i get home. i open my PC. ASUS SLI ready mobo, 4 gb corsair dominator, single XFX 9800, a simple quad intel 6700.....two monitor 22". this thing cost me half the price of the mac pro. this thing runs the same as the mac, and better with games since it has the 9800. and im using the current windows vista which i would say has an improvement with the XP in terms of graphic designing.

now if you ask me if why im keeping my PC. i would say im a designer and a hardware who does occasional games. Mac is preferred by the design industry for its color calibration, OS is more friendly in the designing category but that its all. Mac hardware sucks...why? you get to buy a mac pro at $3000 with a minimum spec and only a ATI 2600. and upgrades cost 2-3x more then regular. So thats why i use PC.

As for the switch. if your not that hardware and power style and would settle with what is there get a Mac. but if you want really fast speed and more flexiblity get a PC.

Funny thing though is that PC is trying to copy Mac and Mac on the other hand is trying to become a PC.

 
[citation][nom]kitsilencer[/nom]You said it. If I wanted a *nix-based, tech-friendly, solid, mature (the article uses this word WAY too much) OS, I'll take Ubuntu. Snowball's chance in hell I'm paying extra because of a feature that makes it easier scrolling through open apps.[/citation]

According to my Find feature, I only used the word mature once.

/ Tuan
 
As a PC enthusiast and IT Administrator I do not see how Macs will be helpful to me.

That's great if OS X has some Linux elements in it. However, if I need to work in Linux, then I will use Ubuntu, Fedora, or RedHat (depending on what the task is). How do I justify to my boss that we should use Mac computers, which are proprietary, expensive, and likely to cause compatibility issues with current network infrastructure?

In your article you mentioned that you owned some pretty high end server equipment for it's time. What did you use this hardware for? How could one Mac possibly replace all of that? Are you someone who seriously uses server hardware or are you just pretending?

As an enthusiast, please explain to me why I should use Macs. I like to play computer games, are my graphics cards going to be supported? I also like have Dolby digital 5.1 surround sound. Will I be able to use my sound card with a Mac? Can I make any hardware changes for that matter?

These are serious questions that need to be answered before a Mac can become a *real* computer. Right now all that I see is a closed console that looks cool.
 
If apple would sell a powermac desktop at a competitive price, with the option of getting a $100 OEM copy of Vista installed as well in dual boot, I would be interested.

Why cant Apple sell a powermac with the following:
Q9450 $300
4GB PC800 $100
P45 Mobo $150
500GB HD $100
DVDRW $35
Ati Radeon 4870 $300
Case with 500+ Watt PSU. $200.

So around $1200 for components,

Sell those components, with a dual boot of OSX/Vista installed; and I would buy for $1500.
 
[citation][nom]artistin805[/nom]So why did you pay for with the mac ??a way to switch windows quickly- ?I'm surprised they let you post this article...[/citation]

did you miss what the guy wrote in the rest of the article? RTFA?
 
To anyone out there who would denounce this article as uninformed, let me say this; to limit yourself to a single operating environment limits your flexibility and exposure to what may be a better solution to any problem you encounter. Microsoft has done amazing things with Windows, but for some tasks, it is not the best solution. IMHO, I think Apple has developed the best workstation operating system in Mac OS X. As a server OS, it works OK, but both *nix and Windows will outperform and offer more features on more flexible hardware. But Apple has developed the best development environment I have yet to use. And to make it even better, my wife, mother and grandmother (who are all equally computer-ignorant, and want to remain that way) can use the same operating system to browse the internet, play their music and make home movies.

Just like the author, I keep a Windows box under my desk as well, for games and such. Between the two, though, the Mac has paid for itself, the PC box it sits next to, the servers I keep downstairs, as well as paying for the house I live in and everything else I do in my life.
 
Though I strongly dislike Macs. 1) Because I have no use for them as a whole and 2) Because I do not like how the company operates causing most of its users to be quite snobbish.

That being said I dont believe we should be bashing the writer. He was merely sharing an experience of his, which I bet many readers have found interesting.

As he stated...he will follow up with another more in depth article based on functionality and uses. That should be more keen to us more extreme tech's point of view.

I still dont like Mac, but lets not start problem over a stated opinion that imo more or less is just setting the foundation for a larger article (if not a few more).

Best,

3Ball
 
Macs can install windows OS now, so they are similar now. So mac can take advantage of apple software and more features, but its gaming section still its weakest link
 
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