Mac or not?

Ian73

Not long switched over myself. I agree with the posts above,very easy to get used to. Their catch phrase is "it just works" & to be honest it does. Best thing I ever did.
I got a White MacBook off the refurb store & again I would recommend it to anyone.

Go & have a play,see what you think and ask loads of questions


Regards
Ian

Percy1983

To me Macs are overpriced PC's with a different OS.

It really comes down to which OS suits your needs, people may say the macs work and don't get viruses etc, I can't argue with that. To me the problem is in there simplicity, you wan't to do anything more advanced or try a different software for a certain task you are very limited.

As much as the virus arguement is partially valid, they more people on the macs the more likely people are going to start writing viruses for them, with that a windows PC with a free anti-virus and a sensible user will also not get a virus.

Personally I wouldn't buy one but I can see why people do like them.

Idiophreak

Dave101t wrote: »

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

Lol...I didn't think the OP read:

"I want impartial advice on macs.

Only mac fanboys may reply."

I have a number of opinions on macs -opinions which explain why I *don't* own one, ta very much.

Anyway, as the mac [STRIKE]militants [/STRIKE]community has a strong foothold here already, I'll not bother.

Marty_J

carbootcrazy wrote: »

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

A day out at the Apple Store would be a very good idea, and you're very lucky to have one reasonably close-by. If you do decide to buy one at some point, you'll be able to take it along to the Apple Store if there's anything you need to know or any problems your having, and they'll sort it out for you there and then. No more 45 minute phone calls to India. Here's the page for your local Apple store:

http://www.apple.com/uk/retail/meadowhall/

You can see the free events that are coming up there. This Saturday for instance, there's a "Getting Started" workshop for people new to the Mac. It could be worth attending even if you're not a Mac owner yet, just to give you an idea of how things are done. Apple also have an online resource for people switching from Windows called Switch 101.

I've been using a Mac for years now, and there's no way I would ever buy a Windows PC again. I switched from Windows to Linux, which I liked a lot, but IMHO Mac OS X is a lot easier to use.

The fact that Apple continually have the highest rated customer satisfaction and brand loyalty of any computer manufacturer says it all really. Most Mac users have used both Windows and Mac OS X, and prefer the latter. Most Windows users have only ever used Windows.

I know whose opinion I'd trust.

Percy1983 wrote: »

To me Macs are overpriced PC's with a different OS.

You can get much more expensive PCs. Have a look at Dell's latest offering to see what an over-priced PC looks like.

To me the problem is in there simplicity, you wan't to do anything more advanced or try a different software for a certain task you are very limited.

I would say I'd have to disagree 100%.

What can you do in Windows that you can't do on a Mac?

Marty_J

Idiophreak wrote: »

Lol...I didn't think the OP read:

"I want impartial advice on macs.

Only mac fanboys may reply."

I have a number of opinions on macs -opinions which explain why I *don't* own one, ta very much.

Anyway, as the mac [STRIKE]militants [/STRIKE]community has a strong foothold here already, I'll not bother.

Just a guess, but I think they were probably hoping people who knew what they were talking about might reply.

Idiophreak

Marty_J wrote: »

Just a guess, but I think they were probably hoping people who knew what they were talking about might reply.

...so the only people who know about macs are mac owners?

*sigh*

Beware, OP, owning a mac *may* stunt your thought processes...

Crazy_Jamie

Marty_J wrote: »

What can you do in Windows that you can't do on a Mac?

I was going to pose the same question. It seems to me like an awful lot of arguments raised against Macs are years out of date, this being one of them.

Idiophreak

Marty_J wrote: »

What can you do in Windows that you can't do on a Mac?

...pay less than £300 for a brand new notebook?

Marty_J

Idiophreak wrote: »

...so the only people who know about macs are mac owners?

No, but people who opine that "the only advantage is the 'garageband' software" clearly don't know what they're talking about.

You don't have to own a Mac to have an informed opinion.

However, it doesn't then follow that people who don't own Macs have informed opinions.

Marty_J

Idiophreak wrote: »

...pay less than £300 for a brand new notebook?

Yes, some PCs are cheaper than Macs. Congratulations.