"You don't take a photograph. You ask, quietly, to borrow it..." LENSED: IMAGE IS EVERYTHING
I'VE FINALLY DECIDED to give up on Windows.I'm sick and tired of its endless tantrums, off-days, viruses, and general slow-assness. In the words of Siralan, it's a shambles.
So, I'm on the verge of buying a Macbook, but I've never had an Apple before. My friend T recommends this course of action, but for near enough £700, I'd like second, third and fourth opinions. Will a Macbook be safer, faster, more durable and more robust than a Windows laptop? Comments please - and make them constructive! Here's some Shawn Sutton, lensed by Idris+Tony, by way of a bribe.
EVERYTHING LENSED
ELSEWHERE - Idris+Tony
OK, here comes my opinion, since I do IT support, and I use both Windows and Mac extensively.
ReplyDelete- Go through your most-used programs, and find out if it runs in Mac. Not everything does, and some have a native version in Mac, but may not function the same way.
- Email program seems to be the biggest thing that people bitch about. If you use a web browser for your email needs, then you're fine. But if you use Outlook or Exchange, then you have some getting used to. Not to mention there are annoying compatibility issues that pops up once in a while (like, Windows users not being able to read your emails).
- Learning curve. Some aspects of Mac are bound to be annoying to you, because you're used to Windows. Patience is a must. There are no "right-clicks", for instance. Ctrl-key shortcuts are wholly different (learn to use the "Apple" key).
- Safer, yes in general. But Macs are increasingly targeted because it's becoming more popular, so don't forget to install an anti-virus program. There *are* botnets for Macs running around out there...
- Faster? Not really. It runs on Intel processors now, 64-bit, CISC. Architecturally no different than a Windows machine.
- Durable and robust? Depends. They do crash once in a while. And at least from my point of view, fixing a crashed Mac is more painful than a crashed Windows machine.
- If you like to tweak the operating system and know your way around DOS, then you need to get familiar with Unix. Mac OS is built on Unix.
I hope that helps!
i'm a strong advocate (and user) of the macbook. it's just great overall and is more stable and reliable than anything Windows. The main thing I love about it is that it's versatile. Whether doing somethign writing-related, graphic design related, video editing related, dvd burning, etc. it's always been a great resource. and it's small.....just like a thin textbook.
ReplyDeleteOh that's the name of God among men...I have a few pix of him on my pc but never knew his name...I think his eyes are the most beautiful thing on him
ReplyDeleteI'm no computer-whizz by far, but I have to say I'm a committed Microsoft user, just because Macs seem to be all style and no substance. It is true Windows are going the same way (my new Vista laptop simply baffles me, sometimes), but I still feel safer with the Microsoft package.
ReplyDeleteNothing particualarly techy, there, but you know how I love to stick my oar into a debate
Aaahh, what a man. I'd a chop a friend up into little pieces to get to him.
ReplyDeleteOkay, not a GOOD friend ...
I was a PC user up until 07 when I switched to a MacBook. In my opinion when the Mac started using the Intel chip, the Mac basically became a PC. In fact, I run a virtual PC on my MacBook using Parallels (you can also use Boot Camp). I sit in front of my MacBook and run OS X on in one window with a Safari browser and XP in another window with a Explorer browser. The hard drive is my network.
ReplyDeleteThe only reason I purchased a MacBook was to run Final Cut Pro editing system, which doesn't run on a PC. On the PC side I prefer to run MS Office. I like the PC version of Office better then Mac version. And up until a few months ago, I wasn't able to watch Netflix movies online on the Mac side but I could on the PC side.
On the PC side I run Spyware Doctor and the Mac side I don't run any spyware, but I probably should, even though I have a personal policy to never, never, never download anything unless I absolutely trust the site, like iTunes. Its worked for me. I've never had a problem to date. I don't even open attachments on emails, unless I absolutely need to.
Only real difference between the virtual PC and the Mac is that on the Mac side there is no right click, but there is an apple key. On the PC side I have a virtual right click via the ctrl and left click bar. Stuff like this is not always easy to remember especially when flipping back and forth between windows.
I'd say if you want to spend the money to get a Mac then do so. If you want to save money, get a PC, provided you don't have software that you need to run on a Mac. But if you do get a Mac, also purchase Parallels and set up a virtual PC, if you still have XP or Vista.
Thanks to you all - Dusty and Mike especially for your detailed critiques, although Dusty you've raised more doubts and questions. I think I need to have a play around on one at least, since I haven't seen one "in the flesh" yet.
ReplyDeleteka-os: Ahhh.... doubts and questions. Switching platform is always a scary thing, but fear not! Like Mike said, he uses both PC and Mac because each has a specific application that suits him best.
ReplyDeleteIs there a way that you can borrow one for say, a week or two? Maybe a friend has an extra one or something? That'll give you a fair time to test drive and see how it works.
LOL - oh sure, I've got a dozen friends with spare Macbooks lying around not being utilised.
ReplyDeleteIn the serious department, however, my primary concern is that of reliability and durability. I don't want it getting slow after 6 months or a year, or simply going haywire. And only time will tell if it has staying power.
Not my fault you don't live near me....
ReplyDeleteMac definitely has the advantage on reliability.
Here, I ran some numbers for you. I just looked back thru my work queue (department-wide), it's about 1:50 ratio (for every 50 PCs that crashed or otherwise got mysterious problems, 1 of that would be Mac). There are just over 506,000 ticket IDs spanning about 15 years. The platform ratio is about 1:10:4 (1 Mac installed per 10 Windows and 4 Linux). Total installed systems are 5,880 machines.
MAC is the god among computers .................. GO GET ONE NOW!
ReplyDeleteJust to double-stress the point that even by using Mac computers - itself is less targeted, but is increasingly becoming one - good computing practice is a must, regardless of hardware/software platform:
ReplyDeletehttp://blogs.zdnet.com/Apple/?p=3745
So if you do get a Mac, don't forget to get the antivirus and anti-spyware programs.