You don't know how lucky we are

dygysy

I get to work today and there is a new Sony Vaio 2.8gig PC in the box sitting on my desk.



My boss says to me "I know you'll enjoy working on this even though you like Macs"



I try to get onto our network, no go, I try to add our two printers I get a message "Windows has a problem installing your hardware" etc..

Then Windows Explorer had a problem and had to shut down.



Folks you don't know what a pleasure OS X is until you use a PC.



Oh and by the way, it is way louder than my Quicksilver 933Mhz.Powemac which I'll take anytime over this 2.8gig Pentium 4.

not unlike myself

Answer to this problem? Ebay the sucker and buy a second hand 3rd generation Mac with the proceeds. Problem solved, thanks for using MacHelp.

ghost_user_name

Be sure you take note and catalog ALL of the little problems like that. I'm sure they'll add up into an inpressive list. That way you can have a concrete argument with oodles of examples when you ask to "switch" away from that beast.



I feel for ya, man. <img src="graemlins/hmmm.gif" border="0" alt="[Hmmm]" />

matsu

I just don't see it. My home PC keps on chugging along without any problems in Office and Internet related tasks. Dial-up and ethernet, it logs on without a hitch. Same thing with my brother's new Gateway, all the office Dells... I know PC's can have problems, but it must be just the people in Mac land who have trouble using perfectly reliable PC's. Mebbe you're all practicing for that coveted spot in the next "Switch" commercial or something? <img src="graemlins/oyvey.gif" border="0" alt="[No]" />

luca

So now you've gone from saying how Macs are bad to saying how PCs are good, Matsu? What's the deal?



I agree they are overpriced. The least they could do is not require you to add sales tax when you order from the Apple store online - sheesh, no other online retailers do that.

ast3r3x

I've seen both sides, I have a friend who has a computer that is just as reliable as a mac, but the school's computers are always down or getting repair or you always see one of the IT guys working on something, many times with the case actually open.

matsu

I didn't say PC's were good, I just said I've never run into any of the problems that seem to plague mac users (on a PC). I suspect most of you would gloss over 90% of similar problems if you were on a mac.

dygysy

Well I got news for ya, the new PC at work crashed twice today, I got the blue screen of death.



At least Windows XP comes with a System Restore utility, they must know that it will be needed.



I had to restore to the point just after I booted the machine for the first time, so I lost all of the software I had installed.



I'm not saying there are always problems with PC's and that Macs don't have any problems but I find PC's much more frustrating when there is a problem.



I find it outrageous that Microsoft has 95-97% of the market when Windows is obviously an inferior OS to Mac OS X, believe me I'd love to enjoy using Windows, it would make my life easier.



I left work early today because of the snow, I dread using that machine tomorrow.

progmac

[quote]Originally posted by Matsu:

<strong>I didn't say PC's were good, I just said I've never run into any of the problems that seem to plague mac users (on a PC). I suspect most of you would gloss over 90% of similar problems if you were on a mac.</strong><hr></blockquote>



I agree. I don't have any problems on the PC i use at work, aside from it doesn't have enough ram, but that is hardly a PC issue. Ease of use and stability-wise, there isn't near as large of a difference between OS X and XP as some Mac folk want to think

serrano

[quote]Originally posted by progmac:

<strong>



I agree. I don't have any problems on the PC i use at work, aside from it doesn't have enough ram, but that is hardly a PC issue. Ease of use and stability-wise, there isn't near as large of a difference between OS X and XP as some Mac folk want to think</strong><hr></blockquote>



In my experience some pc's will just be lemons. They'll be cursed, and you'll always have problems with it. I've never come across a lemon of a mac, but I hear horror stories. Vaio laptops seem nice, but a little on the cheap side (maybe it's just the plastics), i've never liked their towers for the same reason. I've had endless problems with Gateways, and Dell's hard drives die on me. HP has never given me any problems, neither has Toshiba. Compaq's tend to be very reliable, though almost impossible to upgrade with all their proprietary hardware/software.

progmac

[quote]Originally posted by serrano:

<strong>



In my experience some pc's will just be lemons. They'll be cursed, and you'll always have problems with it. I've never come across a lemon of a mac, but I hear horror stories. Vaio laptops seem nice, but a little on the cheap side (maybe it's just the plastics), i've never liked their towers for the same reason. I've had endless problems with Gateways, and Dell's hard drives die on me. HP has never given me any problems, neither has Toshiba. Compaq's tend to be very reliable, though almost impossible to upgrade with all their proprietary hardware/software.</strong><hr></blockquote>



in the past, PCs have had a greater lemon potential because they used cheap parts, while Macs used high-end parts (high quality SCSI drives, great Ram, et al.). PCs are definitely still using cheap parts, especially the sub $500 computers. Unfortunately, Apple seems to be using cheaper and cheaper components themselves, despite overcharging for their systems. The best I can tell, the warranty service needed now far passes the warranty service needed on older Macs (this isn't based on statistics, just observation). Furthermore, Apple's apparently lousy tech support does not help the situation, but that's another argument.

chris cuilla

[quote]Originally posted by Luca Rescigno:

<strong>The least they could do is not require you to add sales tax when you order from the Apple store online - sheesh, no other online retailers do that.</strong><hr></blockquote>



This is not an Apple thing, it is a tax code thing. I believe the tax code requires that if a company has a retail establishment in your state, then they are required to charge you sales tax even through an on-line or catalog sale. For example, I live in Colorado, there is an Apple store in Colorado. I will get charged state sales tax for my Apple (on-line) store purchases.

progmac

[quote]Originally posted by Chris Cuilla:

<strong>



This is not an Apple thing, it is a tax code thing. </strong><hr></blockquote>



<img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laughing]" /> <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laughing]" />

stunned

I know PC sucks... but there are just so many programs that are windows only. Like it or not, PCs are here to stay and only get biGGER and BIGGER.



While mac users will get SMAller and Smaller....



In my country, a recent survey puts the number of mac users at 1%, down from 2%. Pathetic

paul

[quote]Originally posted by Chris Cuilla:

<strong>



This is not an Apple thing, it is a tax code thing. I believe the tax code requires that if a company has a retail establishment in your state, then they are required to charge you sales tax even through an on-line or catalog sale. For example, I live in Colorado, there is an Apple store in Colorado. I will get charged state sales tax for my Apple (on-line) store purchases.</strong><hr></blockquote>



it has nothing to do with apple retail stores...



the idea is that Apple has a "presence" in all 50 states... because of that they have to charge sales tax there (where applicable... i want to move to NH...)



APple charged sales tax before the first retail store opened...

thegelding

it's not new at apple, but is becoming more common...bestbuy now charges tax if they have a store in your state...so does compusa...and circuit city...probably they all do now....if you get free shipping it is usually still a good deal to shop on-line......g

amorph

In my experience, PCs tend to have more things go wrong with them, but if you can nurse them along for a while. Macs are either stalwarts or total lemons.



There is a special case of the despairing Mac, and that's any Mac left in the hands of Windows gurus. They immediately go spelunking deep into the system and mucking around in low-level voodoo, not even looking for the checkbox in the control panel that solves whatever problem they're having. Heh. I've had to resuscitate a few of those.

chris cuilla

[quote]Originally posted by Paul:

<strong>



it has nothing to do with apple retail stores...



the idea is that Apple has a "presence" in all 50 states... because of that they have to charge sales tax there (where applicable... i want to move to NH...)</strong><hr></blockquote>



This is the jist of what I was saying. I believe though it goes beyond "presence" to actually having products available for sale. The idea being that if you have no other way to get the product (than catalog or on-line) you don't have to get dinked on taxes for the given state.

wrong robot

[quote]Originally posted by thegelding:

<strong>it's not new at apple, but is becoming more common...bestbuy now charges tax if they have a store in your state...so does compusa...and circuit city...probably they all do now....if you get free shipping it is usually still a good deal to shop on-line......g</strong><hr></blockquote>



Smalldog.com does not charge sales tax....this is why I'm getting my tower from them and not apple.

matsu

Do they ship to Canada?

macluv

[quote]Originally posted by ast3r3x:

<strong>I've seen both sides, I have a friend who has a computer that is just as reliable as a mac, but the school's computers are always down or getting repair or you always see one of the IT guys working on something, many times with the case actually open.</strong><hr></blockquote>



Yeah, it's an amazing concept that IT people need to make a living by fixing computers. Maybe they should all be flipping burgers at McDonald's instead.



Weeeee....



<img src="graemlins/smokin.gif" border="0" alt="[Chilling]" />