If Apple computers cost the same as PCs, would you buy one instead?

[krackato]

God yes.

 

[addragyn]

Lack of software?

http://www.insidemacgames.com/

http://www.macgamesandmore.com/japanese_mac_games.html

http://osx.hyperjeff.net/Apps/

http://osx.freshmeat.net/

http://www.microsoft.com/mac/

http://versiontracker.com/macosx/

http://www.apple.com/software/

http://www.apple.com/macosx/applications/

http://sourceforge.net/softwaremap/trove_list.php?form_cat=309

http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.php?s=f9444887a831847dc939a1e8382ac2ad&threadid=209787

http://episteme.arstechnica.com/6/ubb.x?a=tpc&s=50009562&f=8300945231&m=8490980035&r=8490980035

We know about games on a Mac but beyond that what exactly are you people missing? You can run easy Windows stuff in VPC, native OS X apps, plus all the OSS stuff that's been ported or you can just compile it yourself. Not to mention Mac dev shops that are doing SW that cannot be matched on other platforms, Ambrosia & The Omni Group for example.

With package management from Fink, Gentoo's Portage & DarwinPorts you have a huge choice of no hassle easy to get free software.

 

[Lyfer]

Apples look hot.

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: VanillaH
are you sure on that? i will try to dig up anand's review on that. it beat out the integrated 3com stuff on the tests... not like it matters, i have my adaptec64 nic which is supposed to be better than most 3com out there

3com is like expensive realtek. Try Intel cards.

Look at throughput and cpu usage.

 

[Chaotic42]

No, Apple doesn't offer anything worth switching for. Windows and Linux are easy enough to use, and I play games sometimes. An Apple would have to be priced at some crazy $200 level for me to even consider it right now.

 

[sharq]

1. High priced hardware. For $1200 I could build a machine that can perform better with a 17"LCD.
2. Software. I used to be a student untill recently. All of my software came from my school, all legal. The student software available to us (Office, Windows, Development tools, Math tools, Antivirus, etc) meant that I didn't have to pay anything. I would have to pay thousands to get the equivalent software if I wanted to run a Mac.

I run linux now mainly, and you can run Linux on mac machines, which helps curb the software cost, but building a well performing Linux box for ~$500 is still alot cheaper than a new Mac.

 

[LethalWolfe]

Originally posted by: sharq
1. High priced hardware. For $1200 I could build a machine that can perform better with a 17"LCD.
2. Software. I used to be a student untill recently. All of my software came from my school, all legal. The student software available to us (Office, Windows, Development tools, Math tools, Antivirus, etc) meant that I didn't have to pay anything. I would have to pay thousands to get the equivalent software if I wanted to run a Mac.

I run linux now mainly, and you can run Linux on mac machines, which helps curb the software cost, but building a well performing Linux box for ~$500 is still alot cheaper than a new Mac.

Check the agreement on that software. $20 says that it's for student/faculty use only (all of mine does). Once you graduate (or stop being a faculty member) you are supposed to discontinue using that software. While not nearly as good as $5 for Office or Windows OS software Apple does offer across the board edu discounts that don't "expire" when you stop being a student (i.e. if you buy a computer w/the edu discount don't have to stop using the computer after you graduate).


More on topic.

I own, and use, both (at work and at home). For me both platforms compliment each other very well. Currently I use my PC as my "everyday" computer (my G4 for editing only), but I'm looking to get an iBook in the near future to fill that daily driver roll. Then my PC will be my "experimental" machine that I can mess around without worrying about screwing it up and being computerless.


Lethal

 

[konakona]

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey

Originally posted by: VanillaH
are you sure on that? i will try to dig up anand's review on that. it beat out the integrated 3com stuff on the tests... not like it matters, i have my adaptec64 nic which is supposed to be better than most 3com out there

3com is like expensive realtek. Try Intel cards.

Look at throughput and cpu usage.

no i know what crappy <$10 realtek and SMC cards are like, used tons of them. used many different 3coms as well. what i am saying is that particular integrated model beats out 3com contenders. maybe you should read the review before you jump to the conclusion by usual past experience?

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: addragyn
Lack of software?

http://www.insidemacgames.com/

http://www.macgamesandmore.com/japanese_mac_games.html

http://osx.hyperjeff.net/Apps/

http://osx.freshmeat.net/

http://www.microsoft.com/mac/

http://versiontracker.com/macosx/

http://www.apple.com/software/

http://www.apple.com/macosx/applications/

http://sourceforge.net/softwaremap/trove_list.php?form_cat=309

http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.php?s=f9444887a831847dc939a1e8382ac2ad&amp;threadid=209787

http://episteme.arstechnica.com/6/ubb.x?a=tpc&amp;s=50009562&amp;f=8300945231&amp;m=8490980035&amp;r=8490980035

We know about games on a Mac but beyond that what exactly are you people missing? You can run easy Windows stuff in VPC, native OS X apps, plus all the OSS stuff that's been ported or you can just compile it yourself. Not to mention Mac dev shops that are doing SW that cannot be matched on other platforms, Ambrosia &amp; The Omni Group for example.

With package management from Fink, Gentoo's Portage &amp; DarwinPorts you have a huge choice of no hassle easy to get free software.

Where are the popular Games? It doesn't matter how many Software Titles there are, just how many within an important Market Segment = "Lack of Software"

 

[GonzoDaGr8]

Hell even older G3's used SCSI harddrives by default, till IDE got fast enough.

No they didn't..All G3 and up were IDE.

Saying you would refush a free Apple is like saying you want to throw away a new free BMW for a used Corvette because the corvette is faster... When you can have both.

Why people compare mac's to BMW's or Ferrari's is beyond me..If you really look at what is inside the Mac's, You'll see nothing more than Genuine GM parts..

 

[foofoo]

i used to manage macs for our research group. then i moved us all to pcs.
the fact is that i cant run the high end engineering software on a mac.
like solidworks, mentor graphics, cadence, etc.
macs wont do what i need.

 

[drag]

Originally posted by: GonzoDaGr8

Hell even older G3's used SCSI harddrives by default, till IDE got fast enough.

No they didn't..All G3 and up were IDE.

BS. I've taken many of them apart and put them back together. Maybe not all of them had SCSI, but the ones I worked with (gray tower PowerMacs) DEFINATELY HAD THEM.

Saying you would refush a free Apple is like saying you want to throw away a new free BMW for a used Corvette because the corvette is faster... When you can have both.

Why people compare mac's to BMW's or Ferrari's is beyond me..If you really look at what is inside the Mac's, You'll see nothing more than Genuine GM parts..

And BMW's is realy that superior to GM?

The comparision is apt.

 

[dudeman007]

Dude macs are powerful as hell. There are emulators that allow you to run os x on your pc. The os is so powerful that your pc will basically crash after every click. LOL. this is partly because the program that does this that i was reading about is sorta new. but really, there is no good way to compare them.

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: VanillaH

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey

Originally posted by: VanillaH
are you sure on that? i will try to dig up anand's review on that. it beat out the integrated 3com stuff on the tests... not like it matters, i have my adaptec64 nic which is supposed to be better than most 3com out there

3com is like expensive realtek. Try Intel cards.

Look at throughput and cpu usage.

no i know what crappy <$10 realtek and SMC cards are like, used tons of them. used many different 3coms as well. what i am saying is that particular integrated model beats out 3com contenders. maybe you should read the review before you jump to the conclusion by usual past experience?

I am saying that realtek chipsets are crap. Period. It doesn't matter if nVidia integrates it on their board or not, it's crap.

EDIT: And I looked at the artificial benchmarks, Intel seems to be the best. Like I said.

The 3com tested was on the nVidia board, and was buggy, atleast according to the reviewer.

 

[Nebor]

And BMW's is realy that superior to GM?

Yes, absolutely. In every single way.

 

[Snoop]

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey

Originally posted by: VanillaH

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey

Originally posted by: VanillaH
are you sure on that? i will try to dig up anand's review on that. it beat out the integrated 3com stuff on the tests... not like it matters, i have my adaptec64 nic which is supposed to be better than most 3com out there

3com is like expensive realtek. Try Intel cards.

Look at throughput and cpu usage.

no i know what crappy <$10 realtek and SMC cards are like, used tons of them. used many different 3coms as well. what i am saying is that particular integrated model beats out 3com contenders. maybe you should read the review before you jump to the conclusion by usual past experience?

I am saying that realtek chipsets are crap. Period. It doesn't matter if nVidia integrates it on their board or not, it's crap.

EDIT: And I looked at the artificial benchmarks, Intel seems to be the best. Like I said.

The 3com tested was on the nVidia board, and was buggy, atleast according to the reviewer.

According to Anands Benchmarks, the Nvidia MAC (Realtek on the Asus) wins almost all benchmarks.


...

 

[sharq]

Originally posted by: LethalWolfe
Check the agreement on that software. $20 says that it's for student/faculty use only (all of mine does). Once you graduate (or stop being a faculty member) you are supposed to discontinue using that software. While not nearly as good as $5 for Office or Windows OS software Apple does offer across the board edu discounts that don't "expire" when you stop being a student (i.e. if you buy a computer w/the edu discount don't have to stop using the computer after you graduate).

Lethal

I didn't know that, just gotta love M$ license agreements. I would have to check the agreement (if I still have it) to see if not being a student means that I "have" to stop using it. Good thing I have Linux.

 

[GonzoDaGr8]

Originally posted by: drag

Originally posted by: GonzoDaGr8

Hell even older G3's used SCSI harddrives by default, till IDE got fast enough.

No they didn't..All G3 and up were IDE.

BS. I've taken many of them apart and put them back together. Maybe not all of them had SCSI, but the ones I worked with (gray tower PowerMacs) DEFINATELY HAD THEM.

Saying you would refush a free Apple is like saying you want to throw away a new free BMW for a used Corvette because the corvette is faster... When you can have both.

Why people compare mac's to BMW's or Ferrari's is beyond me..If you really look at what is inside the Mac's, You'll see nothing more than Genuine GM parts..

And BMW's is realy that superior to GM?

The comparision is apt.

Last Powermac I had that had SCSI for the HDD was an 8500. All of the G3's that I have owned have had IDE HDD's. The old G3 desktop that I had had SCSI for the CD, But not the HDD..Look here:
G3 MT And you will see that even the oldest G3's had IDE for the HDD. SCSI WAS AN OPTION...

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: Snoop

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey

Originally posted by: VanillaH

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey

Originally posted by: VanillaH
are you sure on that? i will try to dig up anand's review on that. it beat out the integrated 3com stuff on the tests... not like it matters, i have my adaptec64 nic which is supposed to be better than most 3com out there

3com is like expensive realtek. Try Intel cards.

Look at throughput and cpu usage.

no i know what crappy <$10 realtek and SMC cards are like, used tons of them. used many different 3coms as well. what i am saying is that particular integrated model beats out 3com contenders. maybe you should read the review before you jump to the conclusion by usual past experience?

I am saying that realtek chipsets are crap. Period. It doesn't matter if nVidia integrates it on their board or not, it's crap.

EDIT: And I looked at the artificial benchmarks, Intel seems to be the best. Like I said.

The 3com tested was on the nVidia board, and was buggy, atleast according to the reviewer.

According to Anands Benchmarks, the Nvidia MAC (Realtek on the Asus) wins almost all benchmarks.


...

That's what I was referring to. And no, it didn't.

 

[Doormat]

Yes, for video editing and OSX I would. I'd also have a KVM switch to go back and forth with a PC. I can afford multiple PCs, why not a PC and an Apple if they're the same price?

 

[weekapaug21]

Ok, I need an honest opinion here from both mac and pc users. My sister is going to college next year and she knows next to nothing about computers. She can spend up to $1800 on a laptop (cheaper is better). My current choice is a 12.1" Powerbook with a 1.33ghz g4 and a superdrive. i can get this for 1599, and I will install 512mb of ram from crucial bringing the total cost to around 1700 dollars. Yet again, she doesn't know anything about computers. She needs a reliable computer that she can easily get help on if she has trouble and that will last a long time. I can't help her because she'll be a ways away from me. It doen't matter whether its a pc or a mac as long as it is very easy to use. Thanks a lot for your help.

 

[LethalWolfe]

Originally posted by: weekapaug21
Ok, I need an honest opinion here from both mac and pc users. My sister is going to college next year and she knows next to nothing about computers. She can spend up to $1800 on a laptop (cheaper is better). My current choice is a 12.1" Powerbook with a 1.33ghz g4 and a superdrive. i can get this for 1599, and I will install 512mb of ram from crucial bringing the total cost to around 1700 dollars. Yet again, she doesn't know anything about computers. She needs a reliable computer that she can easily get help on if she has trouble and that will last a long time. I can't help her because she'll be a ways away from me. It doen't matter whether its a pc or a mac as long as it is very easy to use. Thanks a lot for your help.

Why not get her a 12" iBook? Use the price difference for internal blue tooth, airport extreme, and a nice sleeve/bag. The iBooks also take a beating a bit better than the Powerbooks from what I hear (good for grab 'n go college life).


Lethal

 

[addragyn]

Use that education discount.

 

[Eug]

I own a PowerBook Titanium. It's the best damn computer I've owned EVER. Seriously. And when a G5 PowerBook appears, I'm buying one. And ironically, it cost less than the comparable T30 series IBM Thinkpads I looked at at the time.

Originally posted by: weekapaug21
Ok, I need an honest opinion here from both mac and pc users. My sister is going to college next year and she knows next to nothing about computers. She can spend up to $1800 on a laptop (cheaper is better). My current choice is a 12.1" Powerbook with a 1.33ghz g4 and a superdrive. i can get this for 1599, and I will install 512mb of ram from crucial bringing the total cost to around 1700 dollars. Yet again, she doesn't know anything about computers. She needs a reliable computer that she can easily get help on if she has trouble and that will last a long time. I can't help her because she'll be a ways away from me. It doen't matter whether its a pc or a mac as long as it is very easy to use. Thanks a lot for your help.

Does she need a SuperDrive? If not I'd just get her an iBook 12" 1.07 GHz with DVD/CDRW combo drive, with 40 GB HD, wireless 802.11b Airport, and another 512 MB RAM. And you can throw in an extra 2 years of AppleCare warranty.

And remember, if she's a student, she can get educational prices (for the computer and AppleCare), but you probably already know this.

 

[weekapaug21]

thanks guys, but she really wants a dvd burner.