Tell me why I should make the switch...

Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
Hello everyone. I am a college student and an amateur-amateur photographer (ha). I have used PC's my whole life without even considering Apple...until recently. Over the last few weeks, I have been obsessively researching MacBooks and now I feel like I need one. My laptop is incredibly outdated (2 1/2 years to be exact) and the performance is nowhere near what I would like it to be. I've used my boyfriend's MB a few times and I love everything about it. I am hooked and I know that I have to have one of my own.



Now, the only reason why I haven't just gone out and bought one is because, well, I'm a college student...and I don't exactly have $1500 to spend in my pocket. I mentioned it to my parents since Christmas is right around the corner (not to mention that I'm a great student, lovely daughter, yadda yadda). My mom seems interested but my dad is convinced that Apple computers are not all they are made up to be. "It doesn't make any sense to switch, Apple is behind in technology..." Huh??



Obviously my dad has been misinformed so I need some help. I'm sure I can make enough money next summer to buy a MB leopard on my own but I'm about ready to put my fist through my current laptop as it constantly frustrates me to no end...this cannot be good for my mental health.



So tell me...

What is so great about MacBooks?? And why would a college student like me need one?



Thanks for your help! It is very much appreciated!
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 30
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Sparkling_Surfer


    Hello everyone. I am a college student and an amateur-amateur photographer (ha).



    ...



    So tell me...

    What is so great about MacBooks?? And why would a college student like me need one?



    Thanks for your help! It is very much appreciated!



    If you're interested in digital photography, I suggest you take your camera & a USB cord down to the closest Apple store, plug it in to one, & see what happens. I think you'll be pleasently surprised by the eae-of-use of both iPhoto, which will come pre-installed on a new Mac Book & Aperture, wich costs a little, but is a higher-end app, which is phenomenal for editing/organizing digital photos.



    The Mac Book itself is a very sleek, clean machine -- quite lovely to look at, & a very solid piece of hardware. I really like the new keyboard, & the screens seem great on the ones I've looked at.



    Just remember to approach the operating system with an open mind. Things don't work the same as Windows, but it's all so intuitive, that after a while, you'll realize that you've been searching for the hard way to do something, while the easy way has been in front of you all along. Remember, the Help menu is your friend.



    Cheers, and I hope it works out for you -- you won't regret it.
  • Reply 2 of 30
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Sparkling_Surfer


    So tell me...

    What is so great about MacBooks?? And why would a college student like me need one?



    Thanks for your help! It is very much appreciated!



    I'm a new Mac customer. I just bought mine a couple of days ago. But I'm a computer engineer and I've been using/studying/developing computers for about 10+ years. Before I use to be solely a PC user and the reason was because I could build a PC by my own, choosing what parts I wanted to buy and that was a good thing. Now, specially for laptops, that's not true anymore. Specially if you consider the fact that PCs cannot run Mac OS but Windows (I'm not considering you'd run a Linux flavor... if you're not too familiarized with computers running Linux is not the best idea - specially if you can buy a Mac).



    There are 2 aspects you have to face here: software and hardware.



    Hardware:

    Recently Apple changed all their computers (laptops and desktops) to Intel architecture. That was a very important change since PowerPC processors weren't being able to keep up with all new technologies being developed by Intel and AMD (Intel having the lead here). So if you compare Macintosh's hardware with PC's they are pretty much the same. The difference relies mostly on assembly (which Macintosh was always ahead ) and some specific parts (like iSight or the logic board). Even though overall I'd say they're the same, if you take a closer look, Macintosh are slightly better. One thing to consider is that usually apple does not put cheap parts. I mean.. if you compare to a Dell for example, apple's LCD, speakers, etc, are better. But that's because apple's suppliers are never cheap ones. You can still buy a good PC laptop with good parts though (like Alienware for example).



    Software:

    Apple Mac OS is way ahead anything Microsoft can come up with in the next 5-10 years (including Windows Vista). I can say that cause I know how and Operational System works from the very core and Mac OS is built based on FreeBSD which is a great UNIX flavor (one of the best I'd say). Even though Windows has something like a UNIX core... it's not the same thing as being built on top of a REAL UNIX core like Mac OS. Windows OS design is bad in several ways. Security, speed, portability, liability... the list goes on and on...

    The bad thing about having Mac OS is actually some compatibility issues with PC applications. Some applications exist solely on PC and there's nothing you can do about it. Others (like Photoshop, Office) exist on both. Since you're a student you shouldn't have any problem with this cause you probably are not hooked to any application yet (and that's good). And I'm not even considering that now you can also run Windows in a Mac reducing this kind of problem to almost zero!



    There's no reason to say that Macs are behind PCs. The only reason before you could say that is because of the processor. But that's not true anymore. And since apple started to release the MacOS X series, they were way ahead Windows (people will even argue they were ahead before already... but that's not the point here).



    Don't think twice. Buy a Mac.



    Hope I could help.
  • Reply 3 of 30
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Easy-to-use, consistency (things are in the same place in every app), great hardware, built-in high quality web camera, no viruses, no spyware, no anti-virus software needed, the new worlds best laptop keyboard, 64bit (for Leopard), latchless-lid (nothing to accidentally break off), basically doesn't crash, very little software maintenance needed, very productive, very very reliable operating system (leaps and bounds ahead of Vista), new OS coming next year that will quite simple embarrass Vista, cool factor. Frankly I could go on forever, you're dad needs to get with the times.
  • Reply 4 of 30
    Take your camera and USB cord AND YOUR DAD down to the nearest reseller or Apple Store and chances are you will get your Christmas present. Your dad might go home with one, too.



    Check out iChat AV (have your dad on another machine on the other side of the store). Grab iWork while you're at it, and you will have a nice life.



    Plus, there is a nice, warm, fuzzy feeling you get when you are a Mac owner. 8)









    Search around on Ai and you will find other threads with college folk like yourself planning the switch, with lots of advice.
  • Reply 5 of 30
    To condense why I bought a MBP into a few points:



    1. Sleek design - this thing looks damn cool.



    2. Size - for a 15" laptop, it's tiny in all directions, particularly thin. The same applies to the Macbook, for a consumer laptop. It also has the excellent magnetic hinge and magsafe adapter so you don't trip over the cord and wreck it.



    3. Computing power and speed - it's equal to or better than anything anyone has around here; just like a new laptop from Dell would be.



    4. Operating system - seriously, give it a couple of days and you'll be into it and it's great. It blows Windows out of the water in every department. After a week or two it's like you've been using it all your life. Spotlight is excellent. Learning the shortcuts makes everything even quicker.



    5. Bundled software - iPhoto is fantastic, provides simple editing and is very easy to use. Garageband is fantastic for recording some guitar or whatever, even with the inbuilt microphone (there's nothing so easy or intuitive on the windows side). The rest of iLife is to the same high standard.



    6. Now you've got the safety net of being able to run Windows on it, too (although you'd never want to), which may convince your dad. If the hardware is the same, and you can put windows on it, what's the problem?



    If you don't want to play the newest games and won't be using anything else graphically intensive, the Macbook is perfect. Otherwise the Pro is the way to go. You won't regret either.



    Oh, and people say "wow" every time I get my 'book out in lectures
  • Reply 6 of 30
    there is now a saying in my household for when something STUPID happens that could have been AVOIDED..



    "Look, just Buy a Mac"



    my mac mini has been on for about a week without being switched off, i know other posters who have said their macs have been on for a month or more, so the system doesnt crash {OFTEN}, only occasionally an app/program will crash but everything round it will keep on running... if thats "Apple is behind in technology..." then fine!



    NO virius issues, no time wasted, no hassle, no pain, no worry, no forking out extra money for software to keep viri at bay. if thats "Apple is behind in technology..." then fine!



    the DOCK, apps/programs with icons where ou can see them see if they are active. EXPOSÉ several apps/programs running, windows everywhere and you arnt sure where iPHOTO is? hit F9 locate the window you need and BOOM its there on top of the desktop. but there are so many things about the OS that just WORK (better), and im sure youve noticed them too. if thats "Apple is behind in technology..." then fine!



    you can run an extra screen



    its sexy looking



    it can run windows IF you feel you have to or need to



    you can get WORD for it



    get iWORK and you dont need WORD instead you can have PAGES, that can load and save in word format if you need to and KEYNOTE which will allow you to make presentations that blow PowerPoint out of the water, plus it will load and save in that format too!



    if thats "Apple is behind in technology..." then fine!



    i have a mini, my drummer bought an ibook she jinxes computers, but this one she just leaves running in sleep mode and it never crashes, my aunt bought my old mini she cannont believe how easy it is to use, my cousin HATES computers, and he now loves to use the mac. my sister bought a mini.

    my brother bought a MacBookPro and uses it for his film editing,animation and running his business.



    i have a 1 gig ram intel mac mini the other day i had handbreak ripping dvd images to mp4, mac the ripper ripping other DVD images onto an external drive, and i was using Mpegstream to edit out commercials from recordings i had made from the TV, i was having a conversation with someone on MSN playing iTunes and had about a dozen web pages open, i was also using Quicktime to check the MP4 movie files now and again. and all this on the bottom of the range mini, it didnt complain, it didnt fall over, it didnt crash... it just kept going



    if thats Apple....well you get the idea





    bottom line





    "Look, just Buy a Mac"
  • Reply 7 of 30
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,309moderator
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Sparkling_Surfer


    "It doesn't make any sense to switch, Apple is behind in technology..." Huh??



    It's a common perception that Apple are behind and as mentioned already, it used to be true. The old hardware was dead in the water. The G5 went some way to help but the laptops were way behind. Now that Apple use Intel, they are even with PC hardware with the exception of upgradability and ahead in software. Plus you can run Windows so you get both a PC and a Mac with a Mac now.
  • Reply 8 of 30
    Trendannoyer:



    My G5 tower has been on since I updated to 10.4.8 on September 30, which only called for a restart so I wonder if that counts... almost 8 weeks!



    Go with the flow: Bill Gates is a Mac user. He certainly was the first Mac customer: he bought two Macs before their public release.
  • Reply 9 of 30
    i switched about 2 months ago and i now want to covert 100% and never buy a pc again.



    the only negative of macs is that you need to be familiar to OSX to use it. Thats the only reason pc enthusiasts/users make digs at macs, because they've never used OSX before so its an alien technology to them. I was fortunate to use OS9 for a year at school, so i know my way around.



    I'd suggest taking your dad to an apple store (if you live in america ad are lucky enough to have one nearby. i hate the UK having 3 stores!) and just doing normal everyday things.



    about 3 days into OSX and you get hooked. i've recently learned all the keyboard shortcuts i need i OSX and apps, and its scary how fast i am. and as trendannoyer said above, you can literately rip a dvd, convert a dvd, burn a dvd, listen to music and talk to people all at once! without a stutter! i've only had to reboot a handful of times recently, and thats only because of trying to make some of my pc hardware work with my mac (making internal drives external etc)
  • Reply 10 of 30
    mrsinmrsin Posts: 163member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Sparkling_Surfer


    So tell me...

    What is so great about MacBooks?? And why would a college student like me need one?



    1. Beautiful

    2. Simply work - reliable - dependable

    3. Fun is back in computing - even when doing (school) work

    4. Addictive - in a good way

    5. If needed - it will run Windows



    I switched to Apple on September 4, 2005, my only regret? Not switching sooner \! Good Luck and do let us know how this works out for you.
  • Reply 11 of 30
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by MrSin


    my only regret? Not switching sooner





    yep thats about the height of it!



    there are few things i say "best money i ever spent" the Mac is 1 of only 2
  • Reply 12 of 30
    O

    S



    X



























    And, if you must.. you can run windows.



    that is not to mention the Macintosh superior desing, build quality, service and honesty. with a Mac, you know what you are getting - the best computer for the money and not something pushed out the door only for the purpose of increasing profit (although apple profits handsomely, it is still a better bargain than anything else out there).
  • Reply 13 of 30
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Trendannoyer


    yep thats about the height of it!



    there are few things i say "best money i ever spent" the Mac is 1 of only 2



    And that lapdance from Candi is the other.



    Get a Mac.
  • Reply 14 of 30
    feynmanfeynman Posts: 1,087member
    This alone is why you should switch (points to all the posts above). You will never find a more passionate, loyal, opinionated user base with any other brand of PCs (HP, Dell, IBM, etc) then you will with Apple
  • Reply 15 of 30
    galleygalley Posts: 971member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by chirho


    i switched about 2 months ago and i now want to covert 100% and never buy a pc again.



    Same here. When my daughter's PC crapped out for the umpteenth time, I told her there was no way I was gonna spend anymore money on PCs. I bought her a MacBook and she loves it!
  • Reply 16 of 30
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Guybrush Threepwood


    And that lapdance from Candi is the other.



    Get a Mac.





    i dont understand lapdances, if you cant touch it, whats the point? never had one, dont intend to. plenty of places to get eye candy if i need it



    the other thing is a topfield PVR www.topfield.co.uk i set it to record, then when i want, watch what i want. tivo without subscription



    i have spent money on some pretty expensive bits of kit, but i could easily do without them and my life wouldnt change/suffer too much, but the mac and the topfield...well cold dead hands
  • Reply 17 of 30
    Make a change while you are young, it will be so, so much easier to go with the flow of things. I think you can have the best of both worlds on an Intel-Mac. I do video and, for me, there is no other reasonable answer than a Mac!
  • Reply 18 of 30
    imickimick Posts: 351member
    I bought my first Mac, a 20" Core 2 Duo iMac just after Labor Day, only because my company would finance it for free for me. I was going to buy a new powerful pc, but since my iMac could run Windows, that would be good enough for me. I seldom, if ever use Windows any more, however I will have to due to NetObjects Fusion only being available in Windows.



    Last weekend, I completely wiped out my old pc, and will soon be selling it.



    Wednesday, I bought a Core Duo MacBook. This will replace my Averatec pc laptop (assuming that I can sell the laptop fast enough to pay for the MacBook).



    Why should you switch?



    1. Any question that you have can, and will be answered right here, in the Genius Bar - no appt needed.

    2. Simple app installs and removals. Crap isn't left all over the place like it is on a pc.

    3. Simple, yet very thorough operation.



    Just Do It!
  • Reply 19 of 30
    I just switched 3 days ago, and I'm hooked. I always thought Mac users were like a weird cult, but now I see why. The OS is elegant, my favorite thing so far is Spotlight - you never have to even think about where you might have put this or that file, it's all right there in front of you, and faster than Google desktop, too. Everything said above is true, as well.



    Two caveats:



    If you're an early adopter of new technology, Apple is the most frustrating company in the world because of their obessive secrecy.



    If you are using Photoshop at all, which you should be (sorry Steve), you will have to wait until at least March, when Adobe releases the universal binary to get the full benefits of the new Core2Duo's on a Mac. Right now, CS2 is running slowly.



    Other than that, good luck! And if dad doesn't listen, it's pretty easy to roll a computer purchase into a student loan.
  • Reply 20 of 30
    nofeernofeer Posts: 2,427member
    APPLE HAS ALLOWED ME TO BE FINALLY WINBLOZ FREE, FREE FREE

    FREEDOM IS REFRESHING.



    macs inspire
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