Thinking of going to Mac...

[propita]

after I take the Bar at the end of July.

Hubby dragged me to the Apple Store and he was like a kid in a candy store. He wants a desktop with a big monitor, a laptop, and an ipad (which he considers to be a toy), and maybe an ipod or iphone for me. He was told by a friend to just get a faster computer. Strangely, he's rarely on a computer!

We go online and do word processing. No games. No videos. But he likes the apps Apple has that were demo-ed--the photo stuff and video stuff and such. He says that, if he had that, he'd use it.

Our current Dell laptops are a bit old but still good. They'd be relegated to the "I'll take it out of the house and not worry about it" status.

So what are the pluses and minuses of going Mac?

 

[Shikarnov]

As a relatively recent switcher, I'd point you to the switcher forum at mac-forums.com . The folks there are knowledgeable and [mostly] fair.

In my opinion, the biggest drawback is the initial investment. While studies show that Macs and PCs have comparable costs, those estimates are over time. You will spend more upfront though. You'll also draw criticism -- partly justified -- from the PC crowd, and those who think gigahertz and terabytes are the only measures by which a computer should be judged.

The plusses, I think, are numerous. In general, Macs are simpler to use. The interface is top notch, and mostly trouble free. You'll occasionally have an application crash, but rarely will it take down the OS. The "baked on" software (my term, non official), like iLife, iMovie, and others are very useful and beautifully easy to work with. And Time Machine is the greatest backup solution I've ever seen.

Unfortunately, some of benefits of the Mac can only be expressed via juxtaposition. When I had PCs, I had numerous programs for maintenance: Spybot, Ad-Aware, Windows Defender, AVG antivirus, and others. My computers ran slower when scans were ongoing, or had to be left on overnight. I had registry cleaners, and a defrag schedule, and etc. I lost lots of time maintaining my systems so that they would be suitable for general use. All of that went away the day I switched.

Yes, learning a new operating system was challenging; even daunting at times. But over time, I found the switch to Mac to be well worth it.

Good luck to you.

 

[Amaris]

I recommend visiting macrumors.com as well. When I switched, they were an invaluable resource. I highly recommend getting a Mac, just make sure you're ready for the changes. They are wonderful machines, though. I'm currently using a PC and gave my iMac to one of my relatives, but what a great computer!

 

[propita]

We're not rich, but we're careful. Hubby is looking long-term, so higher up-front costs (not too high) aren't bothering him. We have a few months before we buy.

I've marked those websites and will check them out. Thanks!!

Has anyone taken the classes the Apple Store offers? Are they worth the time and money? I know zilch about Macs. I last used one at work in...uh...maybe 1993? 1998? Sometime around there.

 

[Shikarnov]

I don't know anything about the classes, but there are some great books that can help you. Here's one that I read and found quite valuable:

OSX Missing Manual
http://www.amazon.com/Mac-OS-Snow-L...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1272410960&sr=1-1

 

[the Dagman]

We're not rich, but we're careful. Hubby is looking long-term, so higher up-front costs (not too high) aren't bothering him. We have a few months before we buy.

I've marked those websites and will check them out. Thanks!!

Has anyone taken the classes the Apple Store offers? Are they worth the time and money? I know zilch about Macs. I last used one at work in...uh...maybe 1993? 1998? Sometime around there.

If that was when you last used them, throw out all of that old info. MacOSX was a game changer over Mac OS 9 and earlier.

And yes, you might spend a bit more up front (not really though when you compare models that are actually equal instead of just looking at lowest price points), but every Mac I have ever owned is still up and running. Even my first one, a G3 266MHz tower that took a hit from a lightning bolt the same night I did.

 

[bigdaddy]

Unfortunately, some of benefits of the Mac can only be expressed via juxtaposition. When I had PCs, I had numerous programs for maintenance: Spybot, Ad-Aware, Windows Defender, AVG antivirus, and others. My computers ran slower when scans were ongoing, or had to be left on overnight. I had registry cleaners, and a defrag schedule, and etc. I lost lots of time maintaining my systems so that they would be suitable for general use. All of that went away the day I switched.
.

And the day 51% of the population switches from a PC to a Mac all those problems will switch over. People make virus for PCs because 100 times more people use them. if that weren't the case then Macs woudl have the problems.

 

[Tom Hendricks]

We're not rich, but we're careful. Hubby is looking long-term, so higher up-front costs (not too high) aren't bothering him. We have a few months before we buy.

I've marked those websites and will check them out. Thanks!!

Has anyone taken the classes the Apple Store offers? Are they worth the time and money? I know zilch about Macs. I last used one at work in...uh...maybe 1993? 1998? Sometime around there.

My 70 year old mother-in-law has taken several courses at her local Apple store. She switched from a pc to a imac and she went from someone who was bearly turned on her pc to being able to use her Mac confidently. So if she can do it, I have full confidence that you would gain from the experience.

 

[spinnerlys]

 

[Small White Car]

Bookmark this:

http://videocarpenter.wordpress.com/2010/03/23/your-new-mac/

I've helped a LOT of people go from Windows to Mac. I eventually started writing it all down and created that document.

That's my explanation specifically FOR Windows users. It explains everything in terms you'll understand since I explain what each thing is like on Windows.

But just save it for now. That won't help you decide if you want a Mac. It's only useful as your "first hour with your Mac" training.

(Suffice it to say, I highly suggest doing this, but I don't even bother trying to convince people anymore. You have the facts, you can make up your own mind. You don't need me yammering on about it. If you go that way, feel free to DM me any time with any questions, even trivial ones. I don't mind.)

 

[Bloodwhiner]

And the day 51% of the population switches from a PC to a Mac all those problems will switch over. People make virus for PCs because 100 times more people use them. if that weren't the case then Macs woudl have the problems.

I disagree, a hacker would give his eyeteeth to be the first one to infect Mac's with a credible virus. Who cares about yet another Window's virus when you can be the first to take down a system that advertises itself to be virus safe.

And to save a few dollars be sure to look at the Apple refurb store - those units carry the identical warranty as a brand new Mac. Many longtime Mac users only by refurbs from Apple because there is no real downside.

 

[bigdaddy]

^ There have been a few Mac Virus, but being that less than 10% of the people use them no one cared.

 

[propita]

We don't really need convincing, it's just a matter of "when." Which will likely be after I'm done with the Bar.

It's time for Hubby and I to enjoy life a bit, and that includes not having computers that frustrate us so much.

 

[spinnerlys]

^ There have been a few Mac Virus, but being that less than 10% of the people use them no one cared.

The have been maybe a dozen or less viruses for Mac OS 8 or 9, but as of now, there are NO (ZERO) Mac OS X viruses out there. It's been a decade since Mac OS X arrived, but no virus has come to the surface yet. There are some malware products though like trojans, but again, there are less than two dozens of them, and the user of the Mac has to install them by giving away the password, so if one does not install every untrusted application one comes upon, one is relatively safe.

And regarding the market share myth, here is an article explaining, that market share has nothing to do with it, but the Unix underpinnings of Mac OS X (thus the X in Mac OS).

And the Mac OS X market share has grown since 2003/4, and especially since 2006.

 

[Lindley]

And the day 51% of the population switches from a PC to a Mac all those problems will switch over. People make virus for PCs because 100 times more people use them. if that weren't the case then Macs woudl have the problems.

Even if that were true---and I offer no opinion, it's not my area of expertise---it's still irrelevant, because everyone knows that won't happen.

You might as well point out that if sea levels rise by 2000 feet, you could get some sweet seaside property in the Adirondacks. True, but irrelevant to practical real estate considerations.

 

[John Picard]

Windows user at work, and a Mac user at home. Ever since I switched, I couldn't be happier. The Apple developers are very clever at how everything integrates, and I love the ease of use.

 

[propita]

Windows user at work, and a Mac user at home. Ever since I switched, I couldn't be happier. The Apple developers are very clever at how everything integrates, and I love the ease of use.

That's what we want--integration and ease of use. Hubby is disgustingly smart, but isn't really great at computers. I think it's because windows doesn't make sense in some ways. I have a feeling that he'll take to Mac like a duck to water.

 

[John Picard]

Windows user at work, and a Mac user at home. Ever since I switched, I couldn't be happier. The Apple developers are very clever at how everything integrates, and I love the ease of use.

That's what we want--integration and ease of use. Hubby is disgustingly smart, but isn't really great at computers. I think it's because windows doesn't make sense in some ways. I have a feeling that he'll take to Mac like a duck to water.

I'm in the classic VW hobby and frequently photograph pictures of cars or parts to post online. With the Mac, I simply plug my memory stick into the USB port, and *BOOM* iPhoto fires up and opens the memory stick, asking which photos to upload. The user can select just a few or all, and when finished will ask the user if the originals should be deleted or kept. After that, the iPhoto program opens the new photo collection ready for review. None of the old laborious processes with the old Windows-based programs I ever used. And that's just one example.

Also, NeoOffice is a freeware equivalent to MS-Office that can read/import/write/export MS Office .doc, .xls, and .pps files. Someday, I'm going to actually *learn* how to use the Automator as well as many of the other functions of the Mac

 

[Shikarnov]

Unfortunately, some of benefits of the Mac can only be expressed via juxtaposition. When I had PCs, I had numerous programs for maintenance: Spybot, Ad-Aware, Windows Defender, AVG antivirus, and others. My computers ran slower when scans were ongoing, or had to be left on overnight. I had registry cleaners, and a defrag schedule, and etc. I lost lots of time maintaining my systems so that they would be suitable for general use. All of that went away the day I switched.
.

And the day 51% of the population switches from a PC to a Mac all those problems will switch over. People make virus for PCs because 100 times more people use them. if that weren't the case then Macs woudl have the problems.

You're probably right about viruses and spyware. But that day isn't today. And it's unlikely to happen anytime soon. Windows is entrenched with a large user base that's knowledgeable with the product. And the overwhelming majority of people will stick with what what they know.

The other stuff - like registry cleaning, defraging, system files cleanups, and other maintenance -- will never be an issue on the Mac because it's fundamentally different.

 

[Bisz]

I just got my first Mac, a 15" MacBook Pro, on Monday. I'm loving it.

Before you spend any money on classes or books make sure you watch all of the videos on the apple.com website, they have a tonne of them that explain everything from the difference between Windoze and OSX, to basic OSX operation, to how individual programs work. I found those videos to be very, very helpful.