To mac or not to mac

Alcmene

I have a Macbook and a PC desktop.

I think really if you are not sure whether a Mac is for you then ir probably isn't.

You need to have a think about what tasks you perform on a PC and whether they will be portable to a Mac. You should also think about what systems you need to use at work.

Remember that we are creatures of habit, so if you use a PC at work all day you may get frustrated transferring to a Mac in your personal time.

I love mine, I have always had an Apple laptop, but a Windows PC as I built my own and they work out at better value for money.

Don't forget that you can get a hefty educational discount if you are entitled to it!

DatabaseError

vintagegirl wrote: »

i have always had a mac and can safely say i have never ever ever had a virus on it. not like pcs which are riddled

I have to assume this is either a joke or trolling..not sure which

Currently there are 4 PCs in my house, 2 used exclusively by kids, none have viruses or malware on them because I'm not an idiot!

PCs are undoubtedly more 'susceptible' to viruses, but prevention is pretty easy.

[troll]
Think of a PC as a virile man, if he wears a prophylactic he's gonna be safe, the mac equivalent is safe for other reasons, he's not only a castrato, but most people don't want to go near anyway..

[/troll]
:P

(and I do love apple design!)

kittiecat1949

We have a PC laptop and a Mac laptop (my ma's and mine respectively), but it all depends on what you use your computer for. If you deal with a lot of graphics/music/film based work, then a mac is a good piece of kit to have. It can run a variety of software at the same time and still keep speed when flitting between programmes. As a graphic designer, my mac is my life line - they are very good at handling the software I need to use and, having worked on PC & Mac, they don't crash as much. Personally, I also find the Mac OS a lot more easier to use that the windows OS. It's a neater layout than the PC and less cluttered. Regards to virus's - Macs are less likely to be attacked by virus's than PC's, but they are not immune. Also, the software for macs is more expensive - which has always naffed me off a little! In the end, you have to decide what you really want based on your needs and your budget.

sgoode

Where I work we have 200+ PCs and 5 Macs. Every single Mac has had a hardware fault and has had to be physically mended, yet the PC failure rate is very low. We also still see a lot of compatibility issues between Mac and PC. I really don't think they are worth the extra money.

rodenal

I agree, Macs are exceptional for any design / music / production work but if this isn't what you're going to be using it for then it's hard to see by a windows machine.

The iphone 4 is much improved and can be well justified against an android phone but I struggle to think of a bigger waste of money than an ipad -imo obviously...

almillar

And how exactly are you planning to get this 2 screen setup with an iMac? When you want to get into customisation, an all in one PC (that includes the original one, the iMac) is not the answer, towers would be a better option, don't even look at the prices of Mac Pros!

gazfocus

almillar wrote: »

And how exactly are you planning to get this 2 screen setup with an iMac? When you want to get into customisation, an all in one PC (that includes the original one, the iMac) is not the answer, towers would be a better option, don't even look at the prices of Mac Pros!

The Mac Mini also now supports dual displays, so no need to get a Mac Pro.

gazfocus

In our company we have both an iMac, a Macbook Pro and 2 PC's, the iMac being the most recent addition. However, the iMac isn't great for dual displays. I was hoping to use the iMac alongside my Dell 24" screen but it just doesn't look right. If you want dual displays, go with a Mini or a Mac Pro.

I was in the same situation as you, I'd used PC's forever and I had a really good spec Quad Core i5 with 2 x 24" monitors and it was a really tough decision as to whether or not to get the iMac, but I'm so glad we did. The iMac is so much better than the PC's we have (despite the PC's being quad core and the iMac a Core 2 Duo), it's just more pleasurable to use.

Additionally, when it comes to getting a new iMac/Mac of any description, the old ones hold their value very well. Looking on eBay, a 2 year old 20" iMac is still about £600.

knightstyle

Get a Mac!!!! To reduce the price can anyone you know get it through a College or Uni? If not look here http://store.apple.com/uk/browse/home/specialdeals/mac
I have a basic Macbook, bought refurbished but it was new, never opened. I love its simple way of doing things. Plus Photoshop, iTunes, iPhoto etc run effortlessly on a Mac.

King_Nothing

x.x.x. wrote: »

they are of a higher build quality, and importantly, also retain their value when it comes to resale...

I built my PC, so it's definatly a high quality build, and probably cost half the price of a macpro.

Quick speccing. I can spec a PC, the same as Apples basic 12 core mac pro for £3,100, i.e. £900 cheaper than apple.