Mac or not?

[Deleted User]

Hi all

I've never ventured onto this forum before:o so please be gentle with me!

I've been a regular home computer user since 1997, mainly for personal use and latterly using it for a small home business. I've had various PCs in that time, upgrading as and when I could afford/need to, and working my way through from Windows 95 onwards. Apart from Windows 2000NT, all other Windows versions have, at times, caused me a lot of strife!

I now need a really good laptop with a reliable OS and am seriously considering a Mac. However, despite all the glitches and hassles I'm pretty much 'at home' with Windows and fear at my 'advanced' age I may find learning a whole new OS a bridge too far. Or am I just fearing the unknown? . Is the Mac system so different and is it complicated?

Any advice from any of you dedicated Mac users will be most welcome indeed. I must get the purchase of the laptop sorted before Easter and with the messageboards being offline for upgrading this weekend I realised I've chosen a bad time to post my request:rolleyes:

Thanks in advance

zildjian

I'm not a mac laptop owner, but i go into the apple shop to try them alot. If i'm honest i dont see what the big deal is about them. I mean the only advantage is the 'garageband' software. But somehow doubt you need that, i presume.

Your paying over the odds for essentially a basic laptop, 'style' and the os.

The going price for a mac laptop? £700 atleast? new? I mean for that money you could get a really good laptop.

Dave101t

not a mac owner, so really, why do you have an opinion?

i have used pcs and laptops for 10 years and the amount of rubbish, spyware, shareware etc that clogs them up is unbelievable.

bought a mac for fun, and the best way to describe it is a 'laptop that does what its supposed to'

no compatability issues, no viruses, no freezing, no waiting 30 seconds for a window to open. they really are worth paying more for.

this is just my opinion

Zazen999

I have a Toshiba, a Dell and an Asus. I bought an Imac last year and when my Dell decided to kick the bucket, I went for a macbook. My Dell was mainly for my work stuff as I am a consultant and dealt with alot of spreadsheets and word docs.


The difference is that the Macs just work. If they do crash [not often] you can force it to quit and the problem is solved in seconds, you are not waiting ages for a program to shut down.

Software wise: I use Open office and I use it alot....there are a few minor issues but it is mainly in the useage, not the ability.

I'd never buy a windows based computer again. I've been using computers in work since the late 80s. I've used alot of computers, from those that used simply BBC Basic onwards.

Once you play with your Mac for about 15 minutes and set up your emails and work out which buttons do what....it is plain sailing.


ETA: I forgot about viruses...thats because I don't have any!

Crazy_Jamie

zildjian wrote:

I mean the only advantage is the 'garageband' software.

This statement goes to show that you've never actually owned one.

Personally I took the leap of faith and bought a MacBook Pro In June 2007, having never previously owned a Mac. It took perhaps a month of moderate use to get used to it and for everything to become second nature, because Mac OSX does work differently to Windows. I haven't looked back since though, and honestly finances permitting I see no reason why I would ever buy a PC again. Mac OSX is not more complicated than Windows. On the contrary, it is much simpler, it just takes time to get your head around that fact when you're used to Windows. It's also significantly more stable and doesn't degrade like Windows does. I have used my MacBook Pro an awful lot in the last (almost) two years. It still runs just as fast as it did when I first turned it on, I haven't had to deal with any bugs, glitches, viruses and so on. Macs are expensive, but you really do get what you pay for. I was very apprehensive when I bought mine because of the money involved, but if anything it has exceeded my expectations.

asininity

Macs OSX is designed so that idiots can use it there shouldn't be much of a learning curve. However you pay a premium for hardware that isnt that expensive in other laptops.

If you want a cheap reliable laptop I'd go for a thinkpad with a linux distro such as Ubuntu. Theres a slight learning curve though but Ubuntu isnt that bad.

macman

'Learning' OSX will take you no more than a few days, because it is completely intuitive.
Those of us who use both and have been using Windows for years are probably still trying to learn the latter...
The only reasons for not buying a Mac are 1) cost and 2) compatibility. On the latter, there are still some programs that don't have Mac equivalent software, but not many. And in these few cases you can now use Boot Camp to run Windows on your Mac...if you really must.
Don't take my word for it though, go to an Apple Store and try it out for yourself.

Crazy_Jamie

macman wrote: »

'Learning' OSX will take you no more than a few days, because it is completely intuitive.
Those of us who use both and have been using Windows for years are probably still trying to learn the latter...
The only reasons for not buying a Mac are 1) cost and 2) compatibility. On the latter, there are still some programs that don't have Mac equivalent software, but not many. And in these few cases you can now use Boot Camp to run Windows on your Mac...if you really must.
Don't take my word for it though, go to an Apple Store and try it out for yourself.

'Intuitive' was the word I was looking for throughout my whole post that I couldn't put my finger on. As you say, you just have to get used to things working how they should, which is not an initially straightforward task for Windows veterans.

[Deleted User]

asininity wrote: »

Macs OSX is designed so that idiots can use it there shouldn't be much of a learning curve.

I don't consider I'm quite in the idiot catagory yet :think: but wanted to make sure I'm not spending/wasting a lot of money on something which might be more problematical than Windows' incompatibilities and increasing uselessness.

Thanks to all posters for the very quick and useful advice. Your comments have reinforced my own hunches and my next purchase will probably be a Mac. I've taken lots of Martin's money-saving advice about 'downshifting' brands etc when it comes to groceries etc, but given the amount of usage the new laptop will get I don't think price is an issue. After all, I've saved a fair bit lately at the supermarkets;)

My nearest Apple Store is at Meadowhall (50 miles away) so I think a nice day out at the weekend is on the cards. Might not buy it there though if there's any chance of getting one cheaper online but at least I can have a 'play' and get the advice of a saleasperson no-doubt young enough to be my grandson!

Will post again when/if I do the deed and buy one.
Thanks again

macman

Do bear in mind that some of us may be ever so slightly biased in favour of Macs... if you want to get a discount, either a) get a student to buy it for you, or b) look in the Apple Outlet section of the online store, they do refurbs/returns which are typically 12-15% off list price. These machines are as good as new and probably better, as they will have undergone a rigorous inspection and testing when returned. You still get the same 1 year warranty.
There's very little discounting of new Macs online otherwise.

Crazy_Jamie

macman wrote: »

Do bear in mind that some of us may be ever so slightly biased in favour of Macs...

Whilst this is true, it's not generally due to blind fanboyism as can be seen with games consoles. Personally I took a large leap of faith when buying my Mac, but couldn't be happier with the purchase two years on. I have no reason to be biased or prejudiced against PCs (indeed, I use them for work with the Mac at home). I simply have no problem recommending a product to other people that is, in my experience, superior to other products in the same category.

macman wrote:

if you want to get a discount, either a) get a student to buy it for you, or b) look in the Apple Outlet section of the online store, they do refurbs/returns which are typically 12-15% off list price. These machines are as good as new and probably better, as they will have undergone a rigorous inspection and testing when returned. You still get the same 1 year warranty.
There's very little discounting of new Macs online otherwise.

Good options, though teachers get the same discount as students (my OH is a teacher, so looking forward to getting that discount for the rest of my life). If you want to buy new and don't know any students or teachers, it should also be noted that you can get 4% back through Quidco with the Apple Store.

at least I can have a 'play' and get the advice of a saleasperson no-doubt young enough to be my grandson!

On this point, don't be afraid to ask any and all questions you have, no matter how small or insignificant they seem. It's a big purchase and you should be as comfortable as possible with it before buying. Personally I had three or four visits to the Apple store before buying mine and must have driven the sales assistants mad each time with my questions. But that's what they're there for, and at the end of the day at least the last one was happy because he secured the sale