Considering buying a Mac

Simon_B_2

I've been using XP for years and my Laptop seems to be on the way out.

Is it worth me getting a Mac over a Windows laptop. Would probably be one of the lower spec Mac Books.

I'd need it for storing photos, word and excel spreadsheets i'm currently using openoffice for that and for the internet obviously.

Can anybody give me any reasons to buy one or not?

velvetybubbles

got a imac at xmas as toshiba notebook kept getting problems

id never go back now!

only ever get mac now so much easier and trouble free

go for it!!

Zazen999

No reasons not to:

Remember that you need another program to run word and excel; I use neooffice personally at the moment.

They just work!

Simon_B_2

Zazen999 wrote: »

No reasons not to:

Remember that you need another program to run word and excel; I use neooffice personally at the moment.

They just work!

Thanks is that compatible with word and excel docs this is really my own concern as i'm doing a part-time degree at the moment so need to be able to send word docs to my tutor

Edit "just googled it thanks and looks very similar to OpenOffice"

vincefenlon

Can always go for office 2008 - http://www.microsoft.com/mac/default.mspx

I got my first mac about 2 years ago and now can't stand windows speed and performance at work, so slow. Wouldnt deny you do have applications not responding some of the time but the easy of use is something else.

Currently got a imac 20" and is well worth the price

jim83

Reason not to buy one: they are heinously overpriced for what they are. You pay the privilege of using a Mac.

The moneysaving way would be to get a similarly spec'd PC for a few hundred quid less and install Ubuntu on it. It's got all the benefits that Mac OSX has over Windows, but without having to pay for it. Everything you need it for will work out of the box - it's bundled with Openoffice, etc.

Bob63

NeoOffice is mostly OpenOffice - but lagging by a version or two. Both are free, both are excellent, both do the same thing with the same file formats and can read write all MS files with the exception of the new Office 2007 formats.

OpenOffice 2.4 will ship soon with a native Mac interface. The current version is ugly on the Mac.

NeoOffice 2.2 is the current version and uses the native Mac interface.

Go Mac, you won't regret it.

Mike
(in a 2, soon to be 3, Mac household!)

uggstock

mac all the way........

word docs can be opened and exported to word in Pages, part of iWork.

also multi mac household, kids love em!

isofa

jim83 wrote: »

Reason not to buy one: they are heinously overpriced for what they are. You pay the privilege of using a Mac.

The moneysaving way would be to get a similarly spec'd PC for a few hundred quid less and install Ubuntu on it. It's got all the benefits that Mac OSX has over Windows, but without having to pay for it. Everything you need it for will work out of the box - it's bundled with Openoffice, etc.

Very little difference in price today, a complete misnomer.

Find a comparable all in one PC made by a quality manufacturer to compare with the iMac, firstly you'll be unlikely to find one, even the Sony's look a bit ropey, and secondly they'll be at least as expensive, but lack some of the additional features of the iMac.

Compare a comparably quality PC laptop with the MacBook - same processors, same speed. There will be very little in it.

I'm not suggesting compare a cheap make obviously, but then I wouldn't suggest comparing a Ford with a Mercedes either...

The Mac can also run Mac OS X, Windows (many options for versions) and X11 / Unix / Linux, PCs can run Windows, Linux etc but not OS X.

You can't really compare Ubuntu (or other flavours of Linux) with OS X IMO, OS X offers a very different interface with some unique touches.

You get everything you need out of the box with OS X, including all sorts of extras like the iLife suite. Obviously you can download free OpenOffice, NeoOffice or a plethora of other free software, but you can also run MS Office 2004 or 2008, directly equivalent to PC Office 2003 and 2007.

(I use both platforms daily, at home and work.)

:beer:

BillScarab

isofa wrote: »

The Mac can also run Mac OS X, Windows (many options for versions) and X11 / Unix / Linux, PCs can run Windows, Linux etc but not OS X.
:beer:

Not strictly true anymore. You can get OSX to run on a PC although it is not a very straightforward process.

http://uneasysilence.com/os-x-proven-hacked-and-running-on-an-ordinary-pc/

isofa

BillScarab wrote: »

Not strictly true anymore. You can get OSX to run on a PC although it is not a very straightforward process.

http://uneasysilence.com/os-x-proven-hacked-and-running-on-an-ordinary-pc/

Legally it is true. These hacks breach all the terms of Apples software licence. They are obviously illegal.

These hacks have been around ages, even emulators for OS 7,8,9 were around on Windows years ago...