Reasons to Buy a Mac.
A friend asked me to put together a list of reasons to buy a Mac that he can use to convince his parents to get him a MacBook instead of a PC. I put together these seven already, but I'm sure there're some missing and would appreciate the help.
- There are zero viruses on the Mac
- Comes pre-installed with industry-leading applications like iPhoto, iMovie and Time Machine for automated backups.
- If necessary, it's possible to run Windows on a Mac
- Apple Stores offer free technical support
- Macs have the highest customer satisfaction ratings and are more reliable
- Macs are widely considered easier to use?not just from a user interface point of view, but also when it comes to common tasks like networking
- It's easier to instal and uninstall applications
Comments
A PC machine must be updated every 2-3 years, macs 4-6 years.
MUUUUCH less upkeep, and a smoother OS
Most macs, (from an everyday user perspective),have a much longer life over PC's.
A PC machine must be updated every 2-3 years, macs 4-6 years.
MUUUUCH less upkeep, and a smoother OS
Macs aren't without their problems, but I do concur with the above statements, while in general, they are much less prone to debilitating issues than Windows-based PCs.
This is from my experience in giant corporations with both biases, medium-sized agencies, dotcom startups, and my own business. Of course, you'll find pro-Apple sentiment here, but if you wander off to other forums and online communities, you'll find a lot of detractors-- most without real merit. So there you go.
Better looking.
A more attractive upgrade path (to 64-bit Snow Leopard + Nvidia etc.).
Access to Unix under the hood.
Lower power consumption (on the Mini).
Quieter (often).
Trending "greener" (New MacBricks got a top environmental rating).
Company is the most financially secure (it's hiring, not firing or hire-freezing).
Sturdier (the MacBrick laptops, that is).
i never understood why certain functions were so crippled on os x? the OS is so stable and well-polished but there are definiteyl gains to be made as far as usability is concerned. the "Finder" needs to learn a thing or two from the windows "Explorer." for example:
let's create the following scenario:
You have Folder X with files A and B. it resides in directory Z.
when you move X from Z to another directory Y that also has 'X' but with only files A, B, but also C, mac's finder will REPLACE the other X with the one you are moving, thereby PERMANENTLY DELETING file C.
why does it do this? this is ridiculous. In windows, a dialog will prompt you asking to "replace" which is actually a misnomer since it's asking you to 'compare' directories and actually MERGES them.
where is the MERGE function in finder? it's not programmed in. this completely baffles me.
additionally, when you are in "list" view in the finder, why can't you DRAG and SELECT files? this also completely amazes me.
there are a couple of other things i can't recall right now that gives Windows the leg-up as far as file management and navigation. it's sad because OS X is actually the better OS with the modern code-base that is leaps and bounds ahead of windows. but it still has short-comings with basic functions like merging and selecting.
also, since OS X is what makes macs different from PCs, this criticism of OS X applies to all macs and the mac vs. pc debate. (What's the point of buying a mac and running windows only on it? you get it for OS X.)
let's create the following scenario:
You have Folder X with files A and B. it resides in directory Z.
when you move X from Z to another directory Y that also has 'X' but with only files A, B, but also C, mac's finder will REPLACE the other X with the one you are moving, thereby PERMANENTLY DELETING file C.
why does it do this? this is ridiculous. In windows, a dialog will prompt you asking to "replace" which is actually a misnomer since it's asking you to 'compare' directories and actually MERGES them.
where is the MERGE function in finder? it's not programmed in. this completely baffles me.
If you already have files A & B in Y why would you want to drag files A & B to Y?
If you already have files A & B in Y why would you want to drag files A & B to Y?
...because sometimes you have the same folders across different computers and drives and you need to merge them, etc... the situation definitely arises. don't act like it's some heinous thing users never need to do.
1. A pleasure to use. With a Mac you feel like it's working FOR you not AGAINST you.
2. Productive. The OS Is reliable and stays out of the way, enabling you to do what you want quicker and easier. No annoying pop-ups or confusing dialogs that make no sense.
3. Better support. With Apple's support forums, and forums like AppleInsider, chances are you'll be able to find a solution to a question within minutes. The Mac community is very supportive.
4. Customer satisfaction matters to Apple. If you are concerned or something isn't right, Apple are more likely to take your concerns seriously and offer you replacements if necessary.
5. Compatibility. Macs are the most compatible computers, with ports from Unix relatively easy, Macs offer an increasingly large amount of professional and industry leading software across all genres. If necessary, you can install Windows but you probably won't want to!
6. Stylish and well built. Apple's products not only look good but feel good to use and are built to last.
7. Great bundled software. Apple's built-in suite of software means you can start doing many things without needing to download anything. From managing mail, photos, editing PDFs, saving PDFs from any app, creating a podcast and playing a game of chess, do it all out of the box.
She just has a much easier time using the MacBook, I just gave in and bought her a new MacBook for her birthday.
She fell in love with my personal iMac that a Mac is all she considers.
For domestic peace she got her own new Mac.
how often do you hear of someone complaining about their mac?
That depends... Are you talking about AppleInsider or real life?
If you're a gamer, the first thing you have to do to a Mac is install Windows to be in with any sort of chance of playing your entire collection. And then switching between OSs to do different tasks is a real chore, so you end up sticking with running Windows most of the time anyway, which means you might as well have just bought a Windows PC to begin with. And the really tired old argument that you have an Xbox360/PlayStation/whatever to play games on might apply to some people, but certainly doesn't apply to everyone. Show me The Sims 2, Sim City 4, The Movies, Rollercoaster Tycoon, Railroads, etc, on a console, and I might agree with you that a console is a viable option for gaming.
Apple certainly has the edge in that the entire package is designed and made by themselves, but if you buy your PC from a manufacturer rather than building it yourself, you do get a warranty on the entire package, not just the hardware itself. Apple shops are so few and far between in the UK that actually being able to pop in a see an Apple Genius is probably out of the question for the majority of the population anyway. It's a good example of how Apple give priorty to their native country. I suspect they would have shops in just about every major city in the UK if they thought the business was there.
The easier to use point is very very subjective indeed. I've been a Windows user for a long time now, and when I tried my friends iMac it was anything but easier to use. In fact, lots of things seemed totally backward and very difficult to do in comparison to a Windows PC! File and folder sharing on OSX seemed to be a very long winded task in comparison to the one or 2 clicks required in Windows, and don't even get me started on printer sharing. Needless to say, 4 months after she got the Mac, my friend *still* hasn't managed to get it to share the printer. Apparently we need some sort of special printer driver which isn't provided on the Canon CD, or on the Canon website, and is anything but easy to find, install and configure. On a Windows PC, you right click the printer, choose 'sharing' and off you go, printer is shared and accessible by all PCs on the network. I wish the same could be said of the Mac, but it simply is not true. We also managed to get a CD stuck in the drive, and the Mac wouldn't boot, and with no physical eject button, we were stumped for about 10 minutes until we Google a solution. What the Mac does do nicely is play well with just about any bit of hardware you plug in. However, with Vista, I think Windows has caught up a lot in that respect, as it has a vast library of drivers included with it, so most things install and work straight away on Vista too. But certainly, the Mac seemed easier in that respect.
The Mac is a bit quicker in that it boots up faster, but I feel that 'sleep' mode on Vista has also closed that gap since you can get Vista back up and running within a second or two too. The actual operational speed of opening programs etc etc, was no different between the two. OSX looks a bit flashier with its bling effects (always good!).
The Mac is far easier to setup physically than a PC. But unless you plan on moving it around a lot, this is less of a striking advantage, and more of an occassional convenience. The appearance may appeal to some and not to others. You can of course get visually appealing Windows PCs too, so there's no way one could be a 'winner' as the whole are is so subjective. PCs, more often than not, have the ability to be upgraded with new components more comprehensively than a Mac. Comparitavely, Mac hardware has a longer life due to the requirements of the software not changing as quickly. Building and tinkering with hardware is a hobby of mine, so I *have* to be able to build my own machine from scratch, and swap out of part I desire (this is exactly why Macs weren't designed for me!). If you're happy to live with the set hardware, and forgo gaming when the graphics card reaches EOL (which is usually very quick!) then the Mac is fine.
Please do us a favor and stop posting nonsense, because apparently you have absolutely NO IDEA what you are talking about! Sharing on Mac OS is a "very long winded task"? Oh really?? If you call going to System Preferences-> Sharing and choosing whatever you need to share (including a printer) a "very long winded task" then... No comment.
You like to build your own machine from scratch, swap out a part or two? That's cool. But you see, there's no need to do that with the Mac! One can easily run Leopard on a 4 year old machine without any problem. Is it the case with Vista?? That sorry excuse for an OS (Vista) will consume 2 Gigs of RAM just to run itself.
Running a free anti-virus software will keep your PC free of viruses, adware and spyware? Yeah right!
mrochester
Please do us a favor and stop posting nonsense, because apparently you have absolutely NO IDEA what you are talking about! Sharing on Mac OS is a "very long winded task"? Oh really?? If you call going to System Preferences-> Sharing and choosing whatever you need to share (including a printer) a "very long winded task" then... No comment.
You like to build your own machine from scratch, swap out a part or two? That's cool. But you see, there's no need to do that with the Mac! One can easily run Leopard on a 4 year old machine without any problem. Is it the case with Vista?? That sorry excuse for an OS (Vista) will consume 2 Gigs of RAM just to run itself.
Running a free anti-virus software will keep your PC free of viruses, adware and spyware? Yeah right!
It might have been adding a network location to OSX was the tricky bit. I seem to recall having to actually type in the network address of the shared folder instead of just being able to automatically browse all available shares. Also, simply ticking to share the printer does not actually make it work. It appears on all of the other computers, but when you actually try to print you get the message 'access is denied', or something to that effect. Why OSX is denying access to it is anyones guess, but the point was that it is not easy or straightforward, and certainly more difficult to make work than it is on a Windows PC.
I don't want a PC that doesn't require building or tweaking as I enjoy doing that. To me, computers are a hobby, not just tools. In my opinion, it would be very boring to have the same old hardware for 4 years, and the graphics on a 4 year old computer would certainly not be capable of running modern games at all.
Actually Vista uses about 1GB of RAM when up and running and idle. It caches the rest. RAM is, at least currently, so cheap, that that point is at this moment in time, irrelevant. 2GB of RAM is about £20.
And errr, yes, running a free anti-virus really does keep your PC free of viruses, spyware, adware, etc. My 4 Vista PCs all manage fine, as do the 10+ XP PCs I built for friends and family. Frankly, if you're stupid enough to run the risks of getting a virus, I have no sympathy if you do.
It might have been adding a network location to OSX was the tricky bit. I seem to recall having to actually type in the network address of the shared folder instead of just being able to automatically browse all available shares. Also, simply ticking to share the printer does not actually make it work. It appears on all of the other computers, but when you actually try to print you get the message 'access is denied', or something to that effect. Why OSX is denying access to it is anyones guess, but the point was that it is not easy or straightforward, and certainly more difficult to make work than it is on a Windows PC.
I don't want a PC that doesn't require building or tweaking as I enjoy doing that. To me, computers are a hobby, not just tools. In my opinion, it would be very boring to have the same old hardware for 4 years, and the graphics on a 4 year old computer would certainly not be capable of running modern games at all.
Actually Vista uses about 1GB of RAM when up and running and idle. It caches the rest. RAM is, at least currently, so cheap, that that point is at this moment in time, irrelevant. 2GB of RAM is about £20.
And errr, yes, running a free anti-virus really does keep your PC free of viruses, spyware, adware, etc. My 4 Vista PCs all manage fine, as do the 10+ XP PCs I built for friends and family. Frankly, if you're stupid enough to run the risks of getting a virus, I have no sympathy if you do.
Wow you need to read the book if you can't do simple things like share a printer without getting denied and Vista really does need 2GB of RAM according to here.
Wow you need to read the book if you can't do simple things like share a printer without getting denied and Vista really does need 2GB of RAM according to here.
LOL, I really wish people would do themselves a favour and READ the posts. It looks like I'll have to explain this to you as if you are a child. Vista *uses* 1GB of RAM when up and running, which I said in reply to Lenny's post who said that Vista will consume 2GB of RAM just to run itself. That is incorrect, untrue, false. You will ideally need 2GB for your system *as a whole*, but Vista itself does not consume that much RAM.
And if I have to go and buy a book, research on the internet, ask around, etc, it just goes to show how not easy it has been to get OSX to share a printer in a friendly manner.
A friend asked me to put together a list of reasons to buy a Mac that he can use to convince his parents to get him a MacBook instead of a PC.
Do you remember the movie Matrix? There is a scene where Neo was offered two pills. It's something like that.
mrochester
1 GB of RAM is MINIMUM requirement to run Vista. Ideally you would need 4GB to feel more or less comfortably. Actually, if I'm not mistaking, 4GB of RAM is maximum that a 32bit version of Windoze can use.
Do you remember the movie Matrix? There is a scene where Neo was offered two pills. It's something like that.
mrochester
1 GB of RAM is MINIMUM requirement to run Vista. Ideally you would need 4GB to feel more or less comfortably. Actually, if I'm not mistaking, 4GB of RAM is maximum that a 32bit version of Windoze can use.
1gb is the minimum but Vista is very comfortable on 2gb of RAM. You'll need 4gb for the latest games.
Also, simply ticking to share the printer does not actually make it work. It appears on all of the other computers, but when you actually try to print you get the message 'access is denied', or something to that effect. Why OSX is denying access to it is anyones guess, but the point was that it is not easy or straightforward, and certainly more difficult to make work than it is on a Windows PC.
That's funny, because I just got a new MBP and I have had absolutely no issues sharing printers connected to other computers. All the computers are on the same wireless network. I have an HP Deskjet connected to an iMac via USB, and all I did was click the little checkbox on the iMac. Go to the MBP, open the Printer Setup Utility. Printer shows up in a couple seconds, over the air via the iMac. Select the printer, click add. Open document, click print. Document prints, over the air.
The printer will even print if the iMac is totally asleep, and the printer is off. Its simply amazing to me how easy it is, I don't know what you did wrong.
--mAc