The Apple route

ime

As some of you that have read my postings before know, I am currently not an Apple user. I came to these forums as a way to read Apple news and happenings and to decide if purchasing an Apple notebook was a way to go.



So with all that said, and after much research on my part, I will ask a simple question to all those that have bought an Apple computer (more importantly the PowerBook): Why did you buy an Apple over a regular PC based computer?



I ask this simple question because, as I?ve said earlier, am in the process of buying a notebook computer that will last me the next 4-5 years.



I?ve had my eye on this PowerBook:



15.2-inch TFT Display

1280x854 resolution

1.5GHz PowerPC G4

512MB DDR333 SDRAM

80GB Hard Drive

ATI Mobility Radeon

9700 (64 MB DDR)

Backlit keyboard

Gigabit Ethernet

FireWire 400 & 800

Analog audio in/out

DVI & S-Video out





I know that the PowerBook is a solid piece of technology; however, for $2,500 CAD I can also have a much better PC based notebook.



So once again, to a possible future Mac user, why should I go the route of the PowerBook? Is that amount of money worth of just getting an Apple?



Thank you in advance.

hmurchison

Quote:

I know that the PowerBook is a solid piece of technology; however, for $2,500 CAD I can also have a much better PC based notebook.

Decide on if you want



A mediocre Operating System and better hardware (PC)



or



A great Operating System and less flashy hardware(Mac)





PC users still don't understand why Mac users are so loyal and it's because they have never developed a fondness for Windows that equals the feelings Mac users have about Mac OS.



Many of us don't really care about Apple we're here for the OS

kickaha

Basically it's because I don't have time to screw around with keeping it running. I'm a CS doctoral student, and y'know, I get enough flexing of my techie brain bits on my research. I don't need to be fighting my tools every step of the way as well.



The CS dept has problems with worms/viruses/etc mostly due to folks having home machines on VPN and not keeping the home units clean. We've had runs of days where people's PCs were more or less unusable. Me? Never had an issue. Not once.



I can count on one hand the number of kernel panics (BSOD) I've had in five years.



My research needs require that I have access to, and easy integration of, several other research packages. The Unix layer made this a no-brainer. Download, compile, done. While Windows versions of the tools are offered, they wouldn't allow me to do the chaining I needed so effortlessly... and Cygwin is, from what I've seen from other people's problems, simply not up to the task. (FWIW, I'm typing in this Safari with 7 other apps running, one of which is Terminal, where I have four copies of my research app analyzing a C++ codebase, pegging my CPU at 100%... and I'm not experiencing any lag.)



So why not Linux? See first item.

kingofsomewherehot

yep ... it's NOT about AMD/Intel vs. Motorola/IBM ...



It IS all about Windows vs. Mac OS.





Will you really notice that the latest AMD chip is faster than a G5 ???

Will you really NOTICE day to day that you only have a 64MB video card instead of 256 ?



you WILL notice that the MacOS is more refined and easier to work with than Windows.

cosmonut

I think of my computer as a tool which I use to get my projects done and to facilitate efficient communications (both with others and in gathering information). In many ways I consider a computer an extension of myself in accomplishing things.



I want a tool that is user-friendly, efficient, simple to maintain, and that is easier to fix if something does go wrong. It also must "think" like I do, to some extent. To me, a Mac is better at all of these things.



I use PCs at work and a Mac at home, and my Mac just seems like a better extension of how I think. With my PCs at work, I use them to do stuff. With my Mac, it works with me to accomplish my tasks. It's a subtle difference, but overall a very significant one.



If all you ever intend to do with your laptop is check e-mail and surf the Web, you'd probably be fine going with the least expensive PC laptop out there. Get a good virus checker.



If you want a computer that will be a *tool* that works with you to accomplish all sorts of tasks in your daily life, seriously consider a Mac. Virus checker optional.

stustanley

I bought an iBook about 6 months ago when i started my A levels. I bough one because i was fed up of my windows cmputer and i wanted something small and portable. My 1ghz G4 iBook is actually much faster than my 1.4ghz windows tower at about everything (from logging on to starting ie/safari). Its also really well built unlike my mums toshiba laptop, and has the best keyboard ive ever seen on a laptop (full size keys). I also find it works really well multitasking and i normally have 6 apps open at once. Ive only managed to crash it once, when i had 12 apps open including a rendering program and burning a cd in itunes.



Stu

kwsanders

Quote:

Originally posted by hmurchison

PC users still don't understand why Mac users are so loyal and it's because they have never developed a fondness for Windows that equals the feelings Mac users have about Mac OS.

I am a PC user who currently has a new Power Mac sitting on his living room floor according to my wife. I can agree with this. I saw it written best last night... "PC users are just numb to virus issues" and we do not have fun with our OS. It is just there to get things done and that is it.



I can't wait to get home this afternoon to setup the Mac. I have been like a kid waiting on Christmas for a week now.



All of a sudden, I am not feeling well.

hmurchison

Great stuff Kerry!



I think you're hopping in at the right time. I see a lot of cool apps coming and adding to the good stuff out now. Say goodbye to crappy apps and Spyware/Adware/Trojans/Virus and just flat out windows flakiness.

kwsanders

Quote:

Originally posted by hmurchison

I think you're hopping in at the right time. I see a lot of cool apps coming and adding to the good stuff out now. Say goodbye to crappy apps and Spyware/Adware/Trojans/Virus and just flat out windows flakiness.

I was just listening to the Inside Mac Radio podcast. They were interviewing Chris Pirillo, who happened to just purchase an 20" iMac recently. He stated how much he loved the interface on Mac OS X. He said that "even the crappiest application on the Mac is beautiful".



He was referring to how develoers for the Mac all try to put out the same looks with their apps generally using Cocoa, I would imagine, and how they do not put out some trash just to be putting it out.

bostongeek

Like has been stated before, I think of the computer as a tool. Take a hammer, for instance, how useful would it be if you had to tweak it, adjust it, fiddle with it, before each strike of the nail head. It would get in the way of you driving that nail into a piece of wood. This is the same with computers, I wanted something that would be "less in the way". Granted, the Mac OS isn't great for everyone. But, for many it is the perfect PC. As a Computer Science student, it has been a handy computer (a PowerBook G4), and I have just recently gotten rid of my last Windows PC (a nice Toshiba Satellite P42.8GhzHT) to purchase an iMac 20" G5. If I were interested in PC gaming, I wouldn't have been able to do this. If I were using some other software that did not have a Mac counterpart, I would not have been able to do this. Or, if I used my computer in some very specific corporate/office environments, I would not have been able to (easily) do this.



But, if you do the research, and find that all the software you do actually need and use is available for OSX (or some acceptible equivalent), you will not regret switching. You will simply be able to use your computer, without it getting in your way.

ragingloogie

well the nice thing about macs is that they dont get viruses. thats a big plus. they look nicer, and w/ the PB(powerbook), they're smaller as where something like a dell laptop is bigger, takes up more room in a bag and is heavier.. also, Mac OS x and also Mac OS tiger are way more easier to use then windows.



another note also is that my PB is about 4-5yrs old that i got from my brother, its 15" powerbook, it doesnt have many if any of the new technology... i would guess, but for what ive been using it for, its been great... its fast for me.. to something lieka programmer or something its slow, but its also old technology.. youll be buying new so thats not even an issue for you, the fastness b/c it will be fast



anyways, those are my thoughts on the macs, both IMac and PowerBook... hope it helps... take care

macaficionado

The funny thing is that I went to Best Buy today to inquire about the price of a Firewire 800 to 400 cable. The PC guy was like:



"what, firewire goes from 4 to 6 pin, but 800? Is that something new?



Then I knew I had better hardware in my backpack that these guys have seen.



my 2 cents.

ime

Thanks to all that answered, however I do have further questions.



As a power Windows user I do not run into problems of catching a virus or having spyware on my machine because I properly secure my system from every aspect.



So away from the security aspect, because I don?t have Windows security issues, what other aspects attracted you to get a Mac? I know for one that Apple machines have an advantage when dealing with video editing and manipulation.



Lastly, I would need the PowerBook to last at least 4 years through university where I will be taking the Computer Science and Programming programs. How far does Apple and more importantly Mac OS X extend to those areas? And is this all worth the money when I could save ~ $1,000 by going the PC route.



Thanks in advance.

kickaha

Quote:

Originally posted by iMe

Thanks to all that answered, however I do have further questions.



As a power Windows user I do not run into problems of catching a virus or having spyware on my machine because I properly secure my system from every aspect.



So away from the security aspect, because I don?t have Windows security issues, what other aspects attracted you to get a Mac? I know for one that Apple machines have an advantage when dealing with video editing and manipulation.



Lastly, I would need the PowerBook to last at least 4 years through university where I will be taking the Computer Science and Programming programs. How far does Apple and more importantly Mac OS X extend to those areas? And is this all worth the money when I could save ~ $1,000 by going the PC route.



Thanks in advance.

If you're going CS, I can't stress this enough: get the Mac. I can shuttle between the Linux/Unix worlds and the Office needs at the drop of a hat. My trusty PowerBook (2 yrs and kicking) effortlessly integrates with the WiFi, AFS, NFS, and SMB networks at the dept.



Unless your professors are doing something amazingly short sighted like forcing you to run .NET to program, you'll have a much better range of tools you can use.



Frankly, the CS toys on the Mac are just better. Here's a little side project I worked on a while back: Facetop. Until Longhorn comes out, it simply isn't really possible to do in a generalized manner. On the Mac? The prototype took 45 minutes of coding, and that included learning the QuickTime APIs from scratch. Two years ago. (Oh my, you should see where the current students are taking this...)



My research is in software engineering and software analysis, and to be brutally honest, I can't imagine suffering through using a Windows box to do it. Here, I just drop into Terminal as needed, and have the full bash playpen to work with. XSLT, Python, and gcc are my bread and butter. I don't have to muck with anything, it just works, every time, as I expect it to. Or, I pop up into TeXShop, and have LaTeX -> PDF generation at my fingertips. Handy for the journal submissions, you know? No Acrobat Distiller needed.



Basically, that's the point: it just works. You want to do something you've never tried before, and guess... and 99% of the time it's exactly how you guess it would be. I can't remember the last time I cracked open a manual, real or virtual.



You get the best of all worlds, particularly if you're going into CS: rock solid CS fundamentals, the entire open source world at your fingertips, kick-ass ubergeek developer toys to play with that Windows won't have until *at least* Longhorn, if then... I'd recommend a Mac to a CS student before I'd recommend one to a graphics or video student. Seriously. It's where the research gets done quickest. You want distributed computing? Xgrid. You want multi-CPU? Integrated. You want parallel processing? AltiVec. You want the graphics standard? OpenGL. Audio? OpenAL. Programmable GPUs? CoreImage. Development support? XML. XSLT. gcc4. Obj-C++. Eclipse. Not even mentioning CoreData, Xcode, serious MVC, Cocoa Bindings, etc, etc, etc... You want it, you got it. (Well, unless it's a proprietary MS technology... but those are starting to fall by the wayside in academia, thankfully.)



FWIW, the PowerBooks took over my department like wildfire, at least with the faculty. They all wanted Unix laptops they could run Word on from time to time. Voila.

kingofsomewherehot

Kickaha ...

so where is that project at now ? ... that seems like an awesome idea !...

mynamehere

On the software side of the deal, you should be all set. Most good applications (excluding games) are made for the mac (Office, Photoshop, Flash etc.) and for the ones that aren't, you can always use VirtualPC.

cj3209

Quote:

Originally posted by iMe

Thanks to all that answered, however I do have further questions.



As a power Windows user I do not run into problems of catching a virus or having spyware on my machine because I properly secure my system from every aspect.



So away from the security aspect, because I don?t have Windows security issues, what other aspects attracted you to get a Mac?

Instability of wintel systems running software:



If you ever use video editing programs like Premiere, you will know the meaning of 'crashing.' Just the other day, we were running Final Cut Pro 4.5 HD and Premiere Pro side-by-side (it was an IBM R50 Thinkpad). We had to reboot Premiere Pro a bunch of times (we were just using it to input some pics onto some footage) while the iMac we were using didn't crash a single time during the ENTIRE editing process (and we used the mac for ALL the major editing).



Prior to Premiere, we were using Pinnacle products which, although easy to use, kept crashing time-and-time again which caused us needless grief and stress.



We got so sick and tired, we decided to try a 20" iMac with Final Cut Pro 4.5 HD. So far, we haven't crashed the machine once. I am not an apple fanatic but I cannot say the same thing on my wintel machines that I use at home and at work.



I finally switched to a powerbook and although I have managed to get a couple of kernal panics, it is still overall much more stable than any wintel machine I have ever used: IBM ThinkPads (gov. issue) and Dell Latitude/Inspirons.



THAT is, for me, the major reason to get a mac:

STABILITY.



Case closed.

cosmonut

iMe, with good care of your Powerbook, you should easily make it through 4 years of college. Another little-known advantage of Macs is that they tend to have a longer practical life than their PC counterparts. Where a PC could be "outdated" in as few as 3 years, a Mac can remain functional for well over that number, depending on what you intend to do with it. I'd guesstimate you'd be looking at replacing it after 5 years or so.

bart smastard

One word: STABILITY



Stability is built into the OS because of it's Unix uderpinnings.



And stability in the hardware because the company who makes the hardware make the the operating system so there is very little chance of a conflict between the two.



As a bonus answer I'll add: The included software - AppleWorks, iLife and all the little apps that are built into the OS (iCal etc)

sunilraman

i wanted to be seen as and promote myself in my fledging career as a web designer by having first, iBook, then PowerBook titanium



then something happened...



to cut the story short,

apple had me at the first "bong!".

sunilraman

Quote:

Originally posted by iMe

Thanks to all that answered, however I do have further questions.



As a power Windows user I do not run into problems of catching a virus or having spyware on my machine because I properly secure my system from every aspect.



So away from the security aspect, because I don?t have Windows security issues, what other aspects attracted you to get a Mac? I know for one that Apple machines have an advantage when dealing with video editing and manipulation.



Lastly, I would need the PowerBook to last at least 4 years through university where I will be taking the Computer Science and Programming programs. How far does Apple and more importantly Mac OS X extend to those areas? And is this all worth the money when I could save ~ $1,000 by going the PC route.



Thanks in advance.

it might sound contradictory but a few extra hundred dollars on full-3-year applecare, and those 3 years will save you a lot of money in the long run, i believe, compared if you went PC...