MAC or PC ???

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whiplash

Registered User
Messages
57
Hi all,

I'm strongly thinking about buying a iMAC G5 computer. Has anybody else converted from Windows to MAC and been glad they did or worse disappointed they did??

Cheers
/KK
 
Converted to Mac in 2001 after 10 years as a Windows/PC head.

Never looked back. The G5 is a work of art, and OSX is the best OS around.

I'd probably wait a couple of months though for the new Intel-based G5 (or possibly even the G6!)

What do you use your computer for? If you use standard office applications Microsoft Office's mac version is everything the PC version is. If you like to use multimedia applications well the Mac is just streets ahead of the PC.
 
I'd use it more for Multimedia then anything else along with surfing the web. I've used my brothers G5 a little bit when I call around and its getting more and more appealing to me. The design is a work of art as you've said. Are apple bring out a G6 ??
 
No one know when the G6 will come out. Go to sites like Macrumors if you want to speculate or listen to the speculation.

My own opinion would be that Apple will use the new Intel processors to launch the G6 - but I could be wrong. However as they've already put the new processor in the iMac I suspect that the next announced desktops will be G6, which means we can look forward to more innovation in the design of the actual housing!

If you like your brother's G5, you'll never want to go back to a PC.
 
I switched from PC to Mac about 5 years ago and I won't buy a PC again. I think Macs are just so easy to use. As an example, I bought a USB pen drive to move files around. On my Mac, I plugged it straight in and it worked immediately. I tried it on my family's PC and my work PC and both required hours of searching for the solution as to why it wasn't working. The help system in Windows is just appaling. I have an iBook at the moment and will upgrade to the MacBookPro as soon as I get the cash together!
 
I too moved to Mac from PC last year. My ibook works the way a computer should, and has saved me hours of hassle my PC used give on a regular basis- plus, virus' are a thing of the past. The interface is user-friendly, and there is a great software bundle too boot. I've never met anyone who regreted making the switch from PC- heck, *I'll* refund your money if you're not satisfied!

-DeliaQuad
 
I went from Mac to PC and now use both. While I prefer Apple's business ethic and find Windows unstable and annoying, I'm used to the PC and miss being able to use my familiar shortcuts on the Mac.
I'm not sure what you want to use it for. I'm told that Macs are best for graphics.
You might want to consider compatibility issues. For example, I use Office on both my machines, but formatting can get messed up when I open a file created on one machine on the other. If you'll use it for work I'd consider going with what they're using.
Another thing worth considering is cost - I believe Macs are more expensive. Also, when I had my first Mac years ago, it developed a problem and I had to bring it to the Apple office and wait ages while they ordered in a replacement part. With PCs, replacement parts are cheap and easy to come by. If you can't fix it yourself, there are plenty of PC engineers out there.

Have you considered Linux? :D
 
I think there are a couple of Linux distributions for the mac too.

Macs are indeed more expensive, but you get a lot of spec for the price, and a great software package.
 
Flexible said:
Mac - No problem-No Virus
Click to expand...
I am a PC user, but have also used Macs in the past. I have always been impressed with the design and ease of use of Macs but they have always been more expensive compared to broadly equivalant PCs. Apple and thus Macs have always been technology leaders as well - first with wi-fi, first to eliminate floppy discs, first to standardise on Firewire / USB, etc.

However, there are some myths around. That Macs are safe from viruses is one such myth. While most virus writers target PCs (thus far), Macs are vulnerable to [broken link removed], Office viruses and also to Linux / Unix viruses due to the OS being based on Unix.

Though fewer viruses have been written specifically targeted the Macintosh OS, Mac viruses do exist. Cross-platfrom threats, such as many of the Office macro viruses, can also be a problem for Mac users. The following antivirus software is well-suited to defending Mac users against the threat of viruses.
Click to expand...
(Top 6 Macintosh Antivirus Software)

I used to find that the differing file formats and versions of Word etc. meant that sharing files between Macs and PCs was not as trivial as you might expect. I understand the situation is now better, but may not have entirely gone away.

Similarly, sharing Macs and PCs on the same network used to be a problem but is not any more, as far as I know.

The fact that more software is available for PCs - especially financial software and other corporate software, not multimedia software - might put some people off switching.

I personally use PCs at home as I need tools such as Visio and the .Net framework (which I also use in work).

However, if you are going to use your Mac at home for surfing the Net and a bit of MS Office work, then these concerns probably won't affect you.

I suppose that the whole Intel move might mean that more software can simply be ported to Macs - I would predict that Apple will eventually become just a software and peripheral company - OS X on a Dell, anyone?

I personally am keeping an eye on the whole Mac Mini as a DVR idea which has been floated on MacRumours and other sites - the form factor and ease of use is more attractive to me than a Media Centre PC.
 
Well I've decided that I will defo buy a Mac. I will be using it for Internet access, email, multimedia apps, DVD burning etc. I work on Windows machines every day in work along with CISCO and UNIX so I've got a good understanding and flavour of different OS systems. Besides the MAC's looks the OS is really nice and easy to use plus you get less virus, spyware and less crashes then Window based machines.

So once I've got the money saved I'll get the new Intel 20" iMAC. Already looking forward to it.
 
Good decision. You'll never look back! iLife and the built in applications of OS X should tale care of most of your needs. I'd buy from the Apple online store.
 
extopia said:
Good decision. You'll never look back! iLife and the built in applications of OS X should tale care of most of your needs. I'd buy from the Apple online store.
Click to expand...

There was reasonably well balanced article on this in the Sunday Business Post's Computing supplement yesterday.

From memory, the main negative points were:
  • Macs are easier to use but nonetheless different from PCs so may require retraining in a small business situation
  • Fewer software especially business software e.g. HR, CRM, accountancy
  • Macs are more expensive than PCs
  • Support is harder to get and more costly - however, with less of a problem with viruses etc. in theory support needs should be less.
Positive points included:
  • Good design
  • Perceived as cutting edge
 
Good stuff thanks for the link, my bro has an iMAC G5 so I can burn his ears as well until I get the hang of the OS but shouldn't take to long to get use to I'd imagine?
 
Mac Security - Is 2006 the year of the OS/X Exploit?

whiplash said:
Good stuff thanks for the link, my bro has an iMAC G5 so I can burn his ears as well until I get the hang of the OS but shouldn't take to long to get use to I'd imagine?
Click to expand...
Interesting article yesterday on The Register: Apple's in the eye of flaw finders

The year of the OS X exploit?

By SecurityFocus
Published Wednesday 8th February 2006 11:07 GMT


At the recent ShmooCon hacking conference, one security researcher found out the hard way that such venues can be hostile, when an unknown hacker took control of the researcher's computer, disabling the firewall and starting up a file server.


While such compromises have become common in the Windows world, this time the computer was am Apple PowerBook running the latest version of Mac OS X.

(C) The Register 2006. Full article here.
 
Mac Viruses on the increase

whiplash said:
Well I've decided that I will defo buy a Mac. I will be using it for Internet access, email, multimedia apps, DVD burning etc. I work on Windows machines every day in work along with CISCO and UNIX so I've got a good understanding and flavour of different OS systems. Besides the MAC's looks the OS is really nice and easy to use plus you get less virus, spyware and less crashes then Window based machines.
Click to expand...

Plenty of in the news of late about new Mac viruses, especially with Apple in OS/X - it even made the Sunday Business Post!

Bottom line is that the move to Intel makes the Mac platform more attractive to virus writers. That, and the increase in popularity of Apple Macs in the past few years (attributed by some people to a spillover effect from the popularity of iPods) has made Macs more on the radar of virus writers.

There is no cause to panic - there are still way more viruses being written for PCs - but people who switch to Macs should not expect to completely get away from viruses, and from having to keep their anti-virus software up to date.
 
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