Why buy a MAC... or why not?

I am probably buying a new laptop in the next 2-3 months and am curious about a MAC. I know that lots of people swear by MAC but I really know very little about them other than a different operating system and supposedly more stable environment.

Knowledge wise, I consider myself an above average cpu user but have no experience with MACs. Please educate the uneducated.

1. Why is or isn't a MAC a better choice?

2. Does it matter that it will be a laptop, not a desktop?

3. Is there much of a cost difference given similar systems?

4. Is a MAC better, worse or no different in a game environment such as SL or WoW?

5. Is most software compatible? (i.e. can you usually load external programs on a MAC?)

6. I have a Toshiba Satellite Laptop right now, my 2nd, and have had good luck with them. If I don't go MAC what do you recommend as a good gaming laptop?

Please pass along your opinions on these issues as well as any others you may have. Thanks in advance!!!

The biggest complaint I have with a Mac isn't a complaint, but mostly wistfulness. Since Windows is the dominant OS, most software (read games) are PC-Only. WoW, unless I'm badly mistaken, doesn't have a Mac version. It simply isn't cost-effective for most software companies to develop a 2nd version of their software. Linden Labs is probably the exception to the rule, as much of what they use in their programming is not OS-dependant, I'll wager.

I like Macs quite a bit, and my family swears by 'em. However, being the computer game junkie that I am...as well as being in tech support for a software company...a PC just makes more sense for me to use.

I would say the Mac and Windows are about equal. Both doing things the other can’t do as well. All depends on what you want to do. I personally (See post on Ipod or iRiver) don’t like the Apple company, but will not get into that here.



I have a friend with a Windows Laptop from work and he loves it. He has a personal one that is Mac and he loves it. He feels the Mac will brake so he takes in no place. The Window one is a IBM and he has dropped in more then once and it holds up. But if you are not like him, a cluts, then you should be ok with a Mac or Windows with or with out the safety stuff IBM is doing.



I could tell you back in the day. Now days I have no clue any more. Mac is really trying to push so they may be cheaper.



Some people feel graphics are better on a Mac. I disagree, 3D Studio is a Windows only program and it’s was the best, I have gotten away from that end of the industry over the last 3 years. I would feel if they support Mac then it is equal. They don’t want to piss off a Mac user because then they may tell a Window user not to bother.



Well depending on who you ask. Pro/E Does not run on Mac. You can run a Unix shell and run it, but slow and it crashes. You can run it in a Windows Simulator but again it crashes allot. Now Pro/E is high end. I have a shit Graphics card in my PC for Pro/E here at work and it cost $750 just a month ago. The one I wanted was $2,000. So Pro/E is high end and the shell eats up recourses so that is not to say Mac is not as good just the program is not meant for it. If you go in to a game show what do you see? Xbox, PS, Natendo, and Windows. None of them by me have Mac. Best Buy has little none Windows, some mac some Linux. All can be simulated over but if you need X to run it you then need X+y to run the simulator because needs something to run it. How I don’t know off hand.



Gaming? Alienware!!!!!!!!!!! http://www.alienware.com/
I wish I could get one. :`( well one day. Only been working for a year. I was out of work for over a year. So need to get some padding before I spend money on a new PC.

One of the best things about Macintosh is the influential effect that Apple has had on the whole computer industry, despite the minority marketshare. Macs have long pioneered innovations that were later copied on PCs at a much cheaper price and benefit to the end customer. Not to mention this whole kabob of curiosity that's been happening lately when a PC person wants an iPod and steps into an Apple Store, it can be quite the experience. So, I think it's important that Apple is around as an example for others to follow and build on, and sell for megacheap $$$.

Games really do suck on Mac relative to PCs. I don't say this lightly, because I was a bigtime Applevangelist for a number of years before expanding my horizons. There is no way to get some of the more popular titles, like Doom III, running at a speed on the fastest G5 towers even comparable to some mid-range PCs. I used to make excuses, but eh, technical talk aside, it just won't get you there. It also doesn't help that official Apple ads have misleading benchmarks that try to appeal to the number-crunching side of some techy PC users, but end up misfiring when flaws in the tests are found, time after time. And if in doubt, try it for yourself, see what your perceptions are.

Macs are generally a lot more expensive. Still. You have a lot less choices for customizability and components. It'll be cited in some user studies that the TCoO, or Total Cost of Ownership, is less because of less need for tech support, and there is some truth to that, but I won't insult anyone's intelligence because as it stands, if you are a reasonably savvy computer user, the basis of that is negligible. And as for system stability, Mac's edges are less frayed, but that again limits customizability for those who like to do things like overclock and tweak the innards.

Macs are bloated by eyecandy that you can't turn off. It's very pretty and svelte, but after seeing windows zoom and get sucked into the Dock and all manner of fancy-schmancy, you may wish you could simply do it instantly without the transitional animation. I sure do. On a Windows machine, you have the option to turn off a lot of that stuff -- on a Mac, your choice to do that is limited. There isn't even a choice... it's just the way it is.

The new OS 10.4, Tiger, looks exciting, and I have no doubt that things like Spotlight will be copied on the Windows side in a few months, if not already done to some degree by "desktop search" programs already in existence. One thing I really have to root for about a Mac is THE BEAUTIFUL LAYOUT OF FONT ANTIALIASING. It's just so creamy and smooth on your eyes, and readability counts for a lot. Windows cleartype ain't as... clear.

My recommendation for getting a Mac is if you really like the interface and intuitive style it presents you with. Fundamentally, try before you buy (at an Apple Store or wherever), and if in your mind + heart it presents you with a genuine glow, that intangible joy that can't be expressed in an equation, then go for it. It's your choice to make.

Powerbooks are of robust build quality, generally, despite some glaring whoops-ups over the years (anyone else remember the 5300/190?). Then again, Toshiba is sturdy too.

For most people currently on a PC, no, there is not any overwhelming reason to choose a Mac over a PC, although it is nice to know both.

If a large alien mothership followed by a massive armada of attack ships comes to earth and starts blowing up buildings, you might be glad you have a Macintosh.

You see, in this situation you may want to upload a virus to the mothership to "fry" their computer systems. I know this isn't making a lot of sense now, but believe me, it will.

Anyway, when the time comes top upload the computer virus to the alien mothership you will realize that Macintosh, while not compatible with any other computer system on the planet, will interface seemlessly with the alien mothership computer.

Other than that, I see no good reason to spend your money on a Macintosh.

Thanks so much Y'all for the info. Sounds like I should just get another PC and pass on the MAC so far. Anyone else have experience and wanna compare the two?

And Neehai... lol... nice visual example. TY.

I use both - I have a Dell at work and a Mac at home. Up until about 8 years ago, I'd never used a Mac but my husband was a big fan and had one. We both decided to add a hard drive to our perspective units - mine a gateway running windows, his a Mac running the Mac OS at the time.

It took me two support phone calls to gate way, one to Microsoft, pulling the mother board and changing a switch setting on it and about three days of frustration to ultimately install my hard drive. (Same deal on installing more memory BTW).

It took him less than 3 minutes.

I looked at him and said "I want one of those", and I have been an avid Mac fan ever since. My Mac runs windows office (Word, Excel, power point, etc.) as well as Quicken, Photoshop and various games. Are there some things that run on windows that don't run on Mac? Yes. Are there some things that run on Mac and don't on windows? Yes.

I have found that the ability to manipulate graphics and movies are better on my Mac.

Updates to my OS [now Tiger] on my Mac don't scare me as much as updates to my laptop at work running XP. So far, problems with OS updates on my Mac have been fewer than XP updates and much easier to either correct or back out of.

While there have been some security issues with the Mac OS/X, I've personally never had a virus on my Mac and Apple comes out with updates to plug any holes they learn about. Unfortunately, our office has had way too many on Windows. This is probably more a factor of hackers prefering to mess with Microsoft and the prevalence of the windows operating system than it is OS/X per say, but nevertheless, I've still not had a virus in OS/X.

Last but not least - it looks cool. It has a round base and an adjustable flat screen - something no one but Apple would think of.

Easy to move, easy to turn off and on, easy to connect up to camera's, speakers and other things.

Alienware business model:
1)Buy a standard PC out of standard parts
2)Paint it green
3)Claim it's better and charge twice the price

Seriously dude, dont buy into the marketing hype, I can build you a system just like alienware's for half the price. Not only that, wasting money on high-end hardware is just silly.
My PC is four years old and runs everything just fine, thank you very much.

Oh, there's definitely a Mac version of WoW.

What kind of computer to get will always depend on your needs, But yes, if you're big into gaming, you're probably better off with a PC. It's just a bigger market.

Bwhahahahaha - man that slays me

Just make sure that after you do so - light up a cigar - as alien motherships are the only place left on the planet other than Las Vegas that you can still smoke in.

Personally - if I had the dough to blow, I'd buy a Mac... Why? Video editing, my bread and butter.. Best tool to get the job done, and all that..

Siggy.

I use a Mac because of the experience of using it. While far from perfect (I basically think all computers and OSes suck) it's the closest I can get to a usable and enjoyable tool without having to worry much about the computer itself.

Apple does exert more control over the whole process, from hardware to software. Some see that as draconian and limiting your upgrade/tweaking options. Others see it as designing the whole experience and better compatibility. Depends on your point of view.

1. Why is or isn't a MAC a better choice?

Personal preference. Barring an application that you just must use, it comes down to personal preference. I personally find that OSX is a wonderful environment for just getting things done, as well as for just hacking around on for development, etc.

2. Does it matter that it will be a laptop, not a desktop?

Currently the Apple laptops, due to lack of a G5 model, lag a bit more than usual behind the desktop Macs. However I still feel that they are very competitive with PC laptops, and generally a Mac laptop has been found to be a good introduction to Apples (usually an inexpensive iBook).

3. Is there much of a cost difference given similar systems?

It depends. There is a substantial cost difference between home-built PCs and a Mac. There is no arguing that. However when you compare a similarly equipped vendor PC, such as a Dell or HP or what have you, the differential shrinks massively. Many would say that the Apple comes out even cheaper in these cases.

4. Is a MAC better, worse or no different in a game environment such as SL or WoW?

The Mac client for SL is not as optimized, but seems to be a less trouble-prone experience based on what I have read. WoW should run nicely on one as well. In both cases I would say "no different" for these examples. In general the problem with Mac gaming is one of availablity, as most posters have mentioned.

5. Is most software compatible? (i.e. can you usually load external programs on a MAC?)

You can generally find software that does what you need. The major applications are there: Office, Adobe products, Macromedia apps, etc. One difference between Mac and PC is that on the Apple side there are usually fewer options for a given software need, but they tend to all be of fairly good quality. In contrast on the PC side you may have a lot more options for a task, but many of them are pretty much crap. Consider also the plethora of open source software that has been ported (easily) to OSX. Most *nix apps have a port, or are already included. There is even a free X11 server for OSX if you need that.

Great info, thanks again to everyone posting. TY for the detailed info Cienna.

Macs are alright....but I like to upgrade components far too much...so I'm still one of Gate's beee-otches....

Only you PC guys know whether you have had trouble from viruses or not. But its a simple fact that i have never had on one any of my macs over many years.

The big advantage Apple have is that they make all the hardware, and all the software. This means they match and harmonise exactly.

The point someone made about lack of customisability of the GUI is absolute nonsense. Zooming in and out of the dock compulsory, indeed. I switched it off on the first day and have never seen it since. Your options are in fact huge, and easily accessed.

I have avoided windows for many years now, but I remember that when it crashed (which was often) it would actually demand that I reinstall the operating system. From the CD's ! How we dreaded that message ! How much stuff we lost ! Is this a thing of the past? I surely hope so.

On a Mac, if you do get a total freeze/crash (very rare), you just restart. On start up the previous crash is automatically detected, and you just wait an extra couple of minutes whilst a sophisticated disk repair process puts everything right. You probably won't even notice.

When you get an operating system upgrade, via the automatic online service, you can be sure it has been tested on exactly your hardware. This can never be the case with Microsoft, as there are too many hardware suppliers for it to be possible. So every upgrade is surely a leap into the unknown for the customer? Will something in your hardware not be compatible? Will you need to hunt for patches? I've never had an upgrade give problems of any sort.

Since the MacOs is based on Unix you have access to the huge pool of Unix software, including the largest Open-source software bank on the planet.

I have never regretted switching. Though I derided and disbelieved the person who tried to persuade me for a long time before I tried it. I thought he was a crank with a bee in his bonnet. I had to apologise. I could never go back. There are 6 macs in the house at present, and at least 11 in the whole family. We all feel the same about them. More expensive, but worth every penny.

The new Mac-Mini looks ridiculously cheap though, doesn't it? Haven't got one of those yet.

On an aesthetic level, too. Every Windows screen I see just looks so COARSE and tasteless. Colors, fonts, I don't know. Looks like a cheap fairground version of my refined Mac. Maybe I was unlucky, and the users had just chosen bad settings. Or DO they all look like that ?

Biatch!

Macs are nice. For many many years they were lagging behind PCs in terms of performance but they finally seem to have caught up again. There are a few things that will keep me from buying one though... they are very overpriced, the software and hardware selection is scant compared to PCs, and the cultish fanaticism of die-hard Macophiles makes me want to hit people

I agree... I just built my own system and it far outweighs an Alienware system for half the price.

I spent $1800 and have all name brand quality parts...Alienware will give you a few but then skimp on the motherboard and processor. I can now run SL full throttle ...everything is set to max and my new rig just eats it up

The person that has asked said a laptop, not a home PC. I would never buy a out of the box PC. But for a gamer Laptop the Alienware is about the best your going to get.

I believe that the Mac is vastly better in almost every respect. HOWEVER...if your primary criterion is how well it runs SL, you should be aware that you would have to spend an awful lot of money for a unit that would run SL with good performance with all the graphics goodness turned on.

I have a Mac mini, which I love, but I had to turn off all the special graphics options in order to get decent performance.

By any other measure than this, I would recommend the Mac strongly and enthusiastically. But for the purpose of running SL, if you are on a budget then maybe you should stick with a PC. (Let me go wash my mouth out with soap now...)

I hope Apple gets the message that their computers should be great at gaming, and starts to put excellent, large memory graphics cards in *all* Macs soon!

Dude, you can't buy the bargain basement Mac and then demand that it run SL all smooth and fast. You're not going to be checking all those graphics boxes on a $500 PC either.

I've been using Macs since 1990, and I have found my user experience to be trouble-free. This is what keeps me using Macs.

I think it can be best illustrated by my PC-using friend who was with me when I picked up a new Airport (that's 802.11 wireless) hub and brought it home. I took it out of the box, plugged it into the wall, plugged the cable modem into it, and opened my laptop and checked a website.

He said, "That's IT?!!"

It's a pretty good metaphor for how my user experience has been for the last 15 years. Now, I'm sure all kinds of PC users will start flooding in here to tell me about how so-and-so had a Mac that was pure shite, but my user experience has been very very good, and that's why I keep buying Macs.

you can't get a better desktop machine than a G5 period. Video/graphics/no lame ass drivers for everything, everything connects, dotmac is easy and expensive and works, I-life is almost all you need. You can crash a program on a mac and not have to reboot.
Actually, you really need one of each, a G5 and a decent windows pc.

all the new Star Wars movies used Macs, they are far better en masse for video and most legit graphic designers use Macs, time is money for those people so by logic the Macs perform better.

I haven't read the whole thread, so I might end up repeating what others have already said, but I figured I'd throw my 2 cents in. I've got some experience with Macs and PC's. As a 2D digital artist I was trained on the Mac, and as a 3D digital artist I was brought back to the PC.


Personally, I'm not a fan of the Mac. It works okay, but not nearly as well as what it's cracked up to be for things like graphic art & music. My PC runs Photoshop & Illustrator better than any Mac I've ever used.

It used to be true that the Mac was superior for sound, but those days are long gone. I use my PC for sound recording & editing all the time. There's nothing I was ever able to do on a Mac that I can't do on the modern PC.

In my opinion, the Mac benefits tremedously from a reputation it used to deserve but no longer does. Macs & Pc's both crash equally; neither is what I would call "stable". PC's used to be slower than Macs & suffered from clunky DOS & its descendants. Now PC's are faster than Macs and the OS is at least as good, arguably better at some things.


Nope.


Macs cost a lot more than PC's. I'll never understand their marketing strategy. Their target market is people with no money (artists), and then they charge three times as much as the next guy. How does that make sense?


Most games are written for the PC and then re-written for the Mac as an after thought. All such games will always run smoother on the PC.


There are Mac versions of just about all commercial software. Also, the Mac is capable of running Windows programs, although not nearly as efficiently as a Windows machine will.


Alienware or Dell XPS. I love everything I read about Alienware (although I can't claim any personal experience with them since I don't own one. Wish I did.). G4/TechTV recently said an Alienware laptop was their favorite for gaming. Alienware only makes rediculously powerful systems, no cheapos, and they are always on the cutting edge. They were the first to introduce modular upgrafdeable laptop GPU's and the first to introduce dual GPU's. Their systems are designed for gaming from the ground up. Plus, their stuff just looks really cool.

The Dell XPS systems are also great. Pricewise, they are about the same aas Alienware, although the Dell's initially appear lower because Dell is willing to sell less powerful configurations than Alienware is. When you actually compare apples to apples though, the prices come out about the same. Alienware has some features Dell does not offer though, so the max Alienware price is going to be higher than the max Dell price.

So, if you want to get the most powerful system you possibly can, go with Alienware. If you want to go almost that powerful, but possibly save some money, go with Dell XPS. Either way you won't go wrong. They're both great.