pc-or mac?

clivejohnson

We're going to be in the market for a new computer within the next few months, and we're seriously considering going for the mac for the first time.

What are your thoughts/opinions on the mac compared to the pc? Is it better? is it more difficult to use? Perhaps some of you use both? What are the main differences? Is it more secure against malware/viruses? Is the mac faster than the PC?

I realise that musicans and graphic designers use them, so they will be biased to some degree, but I want it for home use i.e the usual things web, email, photos etc...

I went into the apple store in salisbury and noticed that the 21.5 IMac didnt maximise webpages to fullscreen and there was a white border to the left and right. is this normal??

Any opinions, please feel free to post them here, and help me choose! :-)

Clive

tronator

He said "JEHOVAH"

SCNR

Martin_Keller

I have Macbook 08 version, still works fine.

Depends what you really use your machine for... It really depends if it's just for the purpose of using from time to time. Mac is what you should consider. If your someone who works on the computer often, uses lots of applications at once etc... I would suggest a pc.

turbobob

clivejohnson wrote: »

What are your thoughts/opinions on the mac compared to the pc? Is it better? is it more difficult to use? Perhaps some of you use both? What are the main differences? Is it more secure against malware/viruses? Is the mac faster than the PC?

I use both. The main difference is the operating system, the hardware is essentially the same. OK Macs tend to be designed nicely but they are more expensive than a similar spec'd PC. They generally hold their value well though.

I wouldn't say a Mac is more difficult to use, although it will take some adjusting to if you've only ever used Windows. I'm not sure if Mac OS is more secure than Windows 7, but it's certainly less targeted by the virus writers, and so malware is less of a problem. Like any Unix based OS, you have to give administrative privileges to any software that wants to make changes to system files, but the same is also true of current versions of Windows. I personally do like Mac OS and find it very intuitive to use, fast and stable.

The_Grandmaster

I personally dislike macs so would definately say windows out of the two - although I'm not especially fond of windows. However in my opinion, some programmes may not have an apple version which may be problematic for you?

penguine

I use both and have done for a number of years, at work and at home. I prefer Macs but as others have said if you haven't used a Mac before you might find you have a bit of a learning curve. I find Macs faster and more intuitive to use (especially once you've learned the keyboard shortcuts) and I have had far fewer technical and virus problems with my Mac at home than with our PC.

If there is certain software that you use a lot I would check first to make sure it's available for the Mac. Computer games in particular are often available for PCs and not the Mac.

newfoundglory

Depends what you use a computer for.

If you play a lot of games, go for the PC.

If you mainly use the internet, email, watch movies, music and general media creation and consumption - its an absolute no brainer - you've got to go for the Mac.

Yes, Mac OS X does feel very different to Windows... but I would guarantee that after you have a used it for a few weeks you wont want to go back to Windows.

Remember that all the new Macs support installing Windows XP, Vista and 7 so if you really must have Windows running on your new Mac for a specific application or game you can install that as well.

clivejohnson

newfoundglory wrote: »

Depends what you use a computer for.

If you play a lot of games, go for the PC.

If you mainly use the internet, email, watch movies, music and general media creation and consumption - its an absolute no brainer - you've got to go for the Mac.

Yes, Mac OS X does feel very different to Windows... but I would guarantee that after you have a used it for a few weeks you wont want to go back to Windows.

Remember that all the new Macs support installing Windows XP, Vista and 7 so if you really must have Windows running on your new Mac for a specific application or game you can install that as well.

Hi, Thats waht quite a few have said. And yes, I looked at Apple's website and indeed noticed that you could install windows if needs be. My main worry is this though;

"I went into the apple store in salisbury and noticed that the 21.5 IMac didnt maximise webpages to fullscreen and there was a white border to the left and right. is this normal??"

so can you maximise a website to fill the entire 21 inch screen or is it a case of like it or lump it?

newfoundglory

clivejohnson wrote: »

Hi, Thats waht quite a few have said. And yes, I looked at Apple's website and indeed noticed that you could install windows if needs be. My main worry is this though;

"I went into the apple store in salisbury and noticed that the 21.5 IMac didnt maximise webpages to fullscreen and there was a white border to the left and right. is this normal??"

so can you maximise a website to fill the entire 21 inch screen or is it a case of like it or lump it?

I dont really understand what you mean about a white border?

suited-aces

Get a PC but replace windows with Ubuntu!

clivejohnson

newfoundglory wrote: »

I dont really understand what you mean about a white border?

what i mean is i looked at a website(in this case, ebay) and it would fll the 21.5 screen vertically , but there was obly about 10 inches wide, thus leaving about 6 inches of blank space either side of the text etc...