Why do people say that Mac's just work?

[PamalaLauren]

Seriously I've heard this God knows how many times and I can't tell you how many problems I've had with my iPod, Apple TV, iMac and MacBook Pro. First the iPod freezes for no reason. I managed to fix that issue on my own. Then the MacBook Pro gets stuck during bootup so I had to run the Disk Utility and fix permissions on it because somehow those got screwed up. Then the Apple TV won't connect anymore. Now the iMac is broken, won't boot at all. So I have to take that into the store.

On a side note I will say that I like the Macs a whole lot more than any PC. I just hate the saying "they just work"!

 

[Deleted 2]

Clever marketing. Statements like "they just work" don't even stand up to logical scrutiny (they just work and do what?), but they sound good, and project an image of lack of complication that attracts the technophobic.

 

[PlixTixiplik]

My iPod froze up the very first time I tried to use it! And it was on the airport bus so I couldn't get online to look up the reset button (which I now know) and I had to wait for the battery to discharge.

I think the Mac reputation is largely a holdover from the Windows 95 days when we PC people were plagued by the blue screen of death. Well, I'm being a bit facetious but PCs were much less stable than they are know. Since the onset of XP I'm not sure that there is a big difference in stability and crashing between Macs and PCs.

-MEC

 

[romulus]

The only recent experiance I have with Apple tech is ITunes. It came bundled with some other software, cant remeber what. Tried to use it a few times but its was useless to me. I liked WMP, VLC, and other players better. Plus the thing was anoying, everytime I used it, it would try to sneak its way into my startup programs and then beg me for updates and shit.

When I was in school we had Macs, they where ok, but of course thats was all I knew and did not have any PC what so ever at home.

I don't buy that "Mac's just work" thing, let them put up with all the shitty third party software, viruses, spyware, and clever teens looking to get 15 minutes of fame, and see how well they would do.

 

[Crazy_Uncle]

I guess it just depends on your point of view, and what experiences you've had. I've talked to a considerable number of people at work and at various electronics stores that have Mac's and just love them. Whether it be laptops, iMacs, iPods, and I've even talked to a few people that have iPhones that that "just work" and have had no problems with them. I bought an 20" iMac late last December and it's done just that "It just works" I've never had one problem with it and I've used it for both school and general home use. I even play Call of Duty 2 on it all the time and it works great.

On the other hand I bought and HP laptop last month for school since they are using Office 2007 for several of my classes and that won't come out for the Mac until sometime next year if I'm lucky. I have had nothing but problems with it and it's not the laptops fault, it's the operating system. Microsoft Vista is the worst operating system I have ever had the pleasure of using. It "Doesn't work at all" should be the slogan. Nothing in the operating system makes sense MAC OS-X has worked flawless for 9 months straight without a problem and all Vista has managed to do is to try and imitate what my Macs been doing for 9 months very badly. That's not saying there aren't some bad apples out there, pun intended, but generally the impression I get is that they do in fact "just work".

 

[Pensive]

PamalaLauren said:
I just hate the saying "they just work"!

SHHH don't question the propaganda!

 

[PamalaLauren]

You can run XP on a Mac if you do something which I can't remember and then run Office 2007. I'm thinking of having my husband do it because I would like 2007 rather than 2004. But it requires good knowledge of how to split it and all.

 

[The Doctor]

Mac OS X is generally more stable and user-friendly than its Microsoft counterpart, particularly Vista. That said, it's not perfect and I've had my fair share of annoyances with OS X over the past year. As a 'total package,' I think that Macs acquit themselves well: they have slick designs, a user friendly and powerful operating system and a good bundle of software like iLife and iWork.

I've never owned an iPod, so I can't comment on them.

 

[Chaos Descending]

SA22C said:
Mac OS X is generally more stable and user-friendly than its Microsoft counterpart, particularly Vista.

I dispute that wholeheartedly.

 

[Crazy_Uncle]

PamalaLauren said:
You can run XP on a Mac if you do something which I can't remember and then run Office 2007. I'm thinking of having my husband do it because I would like 2007 rather than 2004. But it requires good knowledge of how to split it and all.

I considered getting a MacBook laptop and then using Bootcamp to dual-boot into windows and then loading office 2007 on it. But the cost of that is a lot more than this pour college student can spend and not have his wife leave him (not that she would ). I also considered doing that on my iMac but after my experience with Vista there is no way in heck I'm letting that (P)OS near my Mac. I know you can still get OEM copies of XP, but after my last PC died from spyware for the umpteenth time no matter what spyware blockers I used I kinda gave up on it. That's why I got my iMac. From the people I've talked to it's really easy to do and bootcamp makes sure you have all the drivers you need. You can also get virtualization software that will let you run windows in a separate window in OS-X. I think it's called Parallels.

You'd like Office 2007. I haven't used it to much yet but it's a marked improvement over Office 2003(win)/2004(mac). I find it much easier to navigate the menu's and to get things done.

 

[Arrqh]

PlixTixiplik said:
My iPod froze up the very first time I tried to use it! And it was on the airport bus so I couldn't get online to look up the reset button (which I now know) and I had to wait for the battery to discharge.

My iPod freezes whenever I plug it into a PC unless I first lock it into a manual disk mode. For me it's just a minor inconvenience, but it destroys any possibility of reselling it (or giving it to my parents).

I think it's sort of funny actually... whenever I think of Macs I can't help but think of the ones we had in my high school back in, say, 1997... the ones that used to system bomb with "error number 47" or something for no apparent reason at least once a class period. Intellectually, I know that OSX is completely different from the old MacOS... but it's hard to shake that image.

 

[PamalaLauren]

You'd like Office 2007. I haven't used it to much yet but it's a marked improvement over Office 2003(win)/2004(mac). I find it much easier to navigate the menu's and to get things done.

I know I miss it. I had it on my Toshiba before I switched the the MacBook Pro. I've had this MacBook for about a month now. it's taken some getting used to to go back to Office 2004. I really like how 2007 is set up. I hope they release something similar for the Mac sometime soon.

 

[Crazy_Uncle]

PamalaLauren said:

You'd like Office 2007. I haven't used it to much yet but it's a marked improvement over Office 2003(win)/2004(mac). I find it much easier to navigate the menu's and to get things done.

I know I miss it. I had it on my Toshiba before I switched the the MacBook Pro. I've had this MacBook for about a month now. it's taken some getting used to to go back to Office 2004. I really like how 2007 is set up. I hope they release something similar for the Mac sometime soon.

From what I've read at macworld.com and zdnet.com it will. It will also include some changes that the PC version has been doing for a while but the MAC has not. I don't remember the specifics but it will have the ribbon interface that Office 07 has. That much I am sure of.

 

[Deleted 2]

Arrghman said:
I think it's sort of funny actually... whenever I think of Macs I can't help but think of the ones we had in my high school back in, say, 1997... the ones that used to system bomb with "error number 47" or something for no apparent reason at least once a class period. Intellectually, I know that OSX is completely different from the old MacOS... but it's hard to shake that image.

But even then, Mac adepts were fond of saying that their computers "just worked".

 

[Marc]

PamalaLauren said:

You'd like Office 2007. I haven't used it to much yet but it's a marked improvement over Office 2003(win)/2004(mac). I find it much easier to navigate the menu's and to get things done.

I know I miss it. I had it on my Toshiba before I switched the the MacBook Pro. I've had this MacBook for about a month now. it's taken some getting used to to go back to Office 2004. I really like how 2007 is set up. I hope they release something similar for the Mac sometime soon.

From what I've read recently it's either going to be very late this year or early next with the product given a 2008 version number.

bought myself a Mac Mini a few weeks back and well I haven't run Windows at home since. It performs well (though I'm now regretting only getting it with 1GB ram) and it's best advantage - it's quiet and comparatively cool. My Intel D805 based system generated a packet of heat and noisy as all hell.

The mini does what I need, quiet and I can play X-Plane on it so I'm set

 

[David cgc]

Zero Hour said:

Arrghman said:
I think it's sort of funny actually... whenever I think of Macs I can't help but think of the ones we had in my high school back in, say, 1997... the ones that used to system bomb with "error number 47" or something for no apparent reason at least once a class period. Intellectually, I know that OSX is completely different from the old MacOS... but it's hard to shake that image.

But even then, Mac adepts were fond of saying that their computers "just worked".

Well, you got us. We might have a leg to stand on if the Windows computers of the period had some glitch that was just as annoying as the Type 11 Error, that could prevent it from being a deal-breaker. Something equally obscure and insoluble.

Sadly, though, the error message "This program has performed an illegal operation and will be shut down" is merely a product of my fevered imagination, and never actually happened to anyone. Other things that never happened include Microsoft Bob, Windows ME, and Steve Ballmer jumping around on stage screaming with giant sweat-stains under his arms.

 

[Charlie Kelly]

I hate Mac propaganda; I don't like being told I'm using some inferior and less cool piece of hardware. But why would I want to switch to a Mac? My PC 'just works'.

Charlie

 

[PamalaLauren]

Marc said:

PamalaLauren said:

You'd like Office 2007. I haven't used it to much yet but it's a marked improvement over Office 2003(win)/2004(mac). I find it much easier to navigate the menu's and to get things done.

I know I miss it. I had it on my Toshiba before I switched the the MacBook Pro. I've had this MacBook for about a month now. it's taken some getting used to to go back to Office 2004. I really like how 2007 is set up. I hope they release something similar for the Mac sometime soon.

From what I've read recently it's either going to be very late this year or early next with the product given a 2008 version number.

bought myself a Mac Mini a few weeks back and well I haven't run Windows at home since. It performs well (though I'm now regretting only getting it with 1GB ram) and it's best advantage - it's quiet and comparatively cool. My Intel D805 based system generated a packet of heat and noisy as all hell.

The mini does what I need, quiet and I can play X-Plane on it so I'm set

My MacBook tends to get hot on occasion but it's great otherwise. I really like it. We got the most expensive one available because my husband said if we were going to get it we were going to get the best! I haven't been on Windows since I bought this one.

 

[MacWin]

Office for OS X will roll out in Jan 08
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/07/09/06/microsoft_offers_new_peek_at_office_2008_updates.html

And Apple consistently ranks very high in quality in reports and polls

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2184120,00.asp

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/95811/lenovo-and-apple-top-reliability-poll.html

This is partly where "It just works" comes from.

 

[Marc]

PamalaLauren said:

Marc said:

PamalaLauren said:

You'd like Office 2007. I haven't used it to much yet but it's a marked improvement over Office 2003(win)/2004(mac). I find it much easier to navigate the menu's and to get things done.

I know I miss it. I had it on my Toshiba before I switched the the MacBook Pro. I've had this MacBook for about a month now. it's taken some getting used to to go back to Office 2004. I really like how 2007 is set up. I hope they release something similar for the Mac sometime soon.

From what I've read recently it's either going to be very late this year or early next with the product given a 2008 version number.

bought myself a Mac Mini a few weeks back and well I haven't run Windows at home since. It performs well (though I'm now regretting only getting it with 1GB ram) and it's best advantage - it's quiet and comparatively cool. My Intel D805 based system generated a packet of heat and noisy as all hell.

The mini does what I need, quiet and I can play X-Plane on it so I'm set

My MacBook tends to get hot on occasion but it's great otherwise. I really like it. We got the most expensive one available because my husband said if we were going to get it we were going to get the best! I haven't been on Windows since I bought this one.

Trust me, getting hot on occaions is not a trait that is unique to the Macbooks. You'll be luck to find many current model laptops that you can use in your lap without toasting one's privates.