Question for Mac users. What do you prefer the Mac OS or the Design of the Mac?

[RobertPters77]

Is it the Macintosh Operating System? Or is it the Case/Design of the computer itself? I.E. Macbook, iMac, Mac Pro, etc. That you find more important? Which one makes a Mac, a Mac to you?

 

[Ns1]

do not worry about malware
no driver issues
real support system instead of offshore to india
excellent build quality (3 year old macbook feels way better than brand new XPS 15)
trackpad that is close to second coming of christ
no-shit external display (wrt laptops)

 

[TheStu]

It is the combination of both. I would not buy any other laptop but a Mac, the emphasis they put on the keyboard, the design, the trackpad and the battery life keeps me buying them.

However, having run Win 7 on my MacBook Air, and my MacBook before that, I can tell you that I would only want OS X on that hardware. It isn't just that the battery life is worse, or that the trackpad isn't as good, but it is also window management and how it utilizes the minimal screen real estate. I can just fit more in OS X, and can get at it more easily.

On a desktop... I would want both. I like PC games a little too much.

 

[JSt0rm]

uh I stare at the mac os 12 hours a day so the os.

 

[Spineshank]

do not worry about malware
no driver issues
real support system instead of offshore to india
excellent build quality (3 year old macbook feels way better than brand new XPS 15)
trackpad that is close to second coming of christ
no-shit external display (wrt laptops)

You nailed it.

 

[Eug]

Both, but I do like the flexibility to run every crap piece of Windows software under the sun if necessary, so my household is usually a dual Windows and Mac OS household.

Unfortunately that means I have way too many computers though, considering that there are only 2 of us in this house.

 

[mmntech]

Both, but I do like the flexibility to run every crap piece of Windows software under the sun if necessary, so my household is usually a dual Windows and Mac OS household.

Unfortunately that means I have way too many computers though, considering that there are only 2 of us in this house.

You can never have TOO many computers.

I use it because I prefer working in Final Cut for video editing. Plus when I got on the Mac train, the iBooks had the best battery life at the time bar none. The trackpad is great and I love Expose.

 

[MotionMan]

Definitely, the OS. Barely see or touch my Macs.

My Mini is hidden on the side of the desk. I use a MS keyboard, MS Mouse and no-name monitor.

My MacBook is usually used with a Dell monitor, Saitek keyboard and MS mouse.

MotionMan

 

[MotionMan]

Both, but I do like the flexibility to run every crap piece of Windows software under the sun if necessary, so my household is usually a dual Windows and Mac OS household.

Unfortunately that means I have way too many computers though, considering that there are only 2 of us in this house.

You can run Windows and OSX on Intel Macs, so no need for two computers.

But I am not one to talk. We have two adults and two grammar-school-aged kids in our house. After being an all PC household for well over 10 years, we now have four Macs, four iDevices and an AppleTV.

The KoolAid flows freely at the MotionMan household.

MotionMan

 

[Obsy]

Trackpad.

Both Windows and Mac OS get the job done, but better implementation of the trackpad, battery life, and space management (multiple desktops + Expos&#233 make me boot into OS X.

I prefer Windows on my desktop, though, since it doesn't use a trackpad, and I don't have to worry about space management with two or more 1080p displays.

 

[Kadarin]

Hardware form factors, the trackpad, Apple's attention to design detail, and of course using the OS.

 

[alfa147x]

Hardware form factors, the trackpad, Apple's attention to design detail, and of course using the OS.

This. I love how "solid" my macbook pro feels in my hand

 

[Fingolfin269]

The build quality of the MBP is awesome. If I could find a Windows (PC, whatever you want to call it) laptop as nice as this then I would probably own it instead.

 

[Eug]

Actually, one of the PCs I bought (not even listed in my sig) was specifically just to flash PC video cards with Mac GPU firmwares to run in my Mac Cubes.

I ran VMware for a while, but that was with XP, and I wanted to learn Win 7 and wanted a separate machine for it. Luckily, cheap Win 7 machines are&#8230; well&#8230; cheap. Paid <$400 for a triple-core 4 GB desktop and <$400 for a 11.6" laptop with full-sized keyboard.

Also, unfortunately, VMware is fairly useless for 3rd party hardware firmware updates, and stuff like that. Either you boot the Mac into Windows or you buy a new machine. Booting my iMac into Windows is not easily possible since BootCamp doesn't easily install onto machines needing 3 hard drive partitions. (I keep two just for Mac OS X.)

---

The no-button glass trackpad is the best ever created.

 

[nerp]

The hardware, except for the keyboards. I use a Unicomp SpaceSaver with my iMac. The iMac is an awesome machine. I love the 27 inch screen.

OSX is very nice, but I still love Windows. Now that I use OSX all the time, I miss lots of small things about Windows.

 

[endlessmike133]

I think it's the beautiful integration between the both of them that make Macs (and Apple products in general really) what they are.

 

[Rottie]

Hardware form factors, the trackpad, Apple's attention to design detail, and of course using the OS.

THIS and I just bought a used 15" Powerbook G4 with OSX 10.5.8 last week It is like I am using a MacBook Pro!!

 

[runawayprisoner]

Before I made the purchase, it was all about the design, and I could care less about the rest of it. Post-purchase and after a month of use, it was all about the software. There are little things on Mac OSX that make my workflow easier and much better, that I can't get anywhere else.

 

[Tegeril]

Poll needs a "both" and the trackpad.

 

[dmw16]

I agree there needs to be a both and throwing a trackpad option in there isn't a bad idea either

For me it's really both parts of it. What initially drew me was the OS, but I've come to love not only the OS but the amazing build quality of the Macbooks. My wife has a 2 year old unibody that has been dropped once and it's still in better shape than my dell work laptop that's half its age.

Another upside is resale value!

 

[imnothardcore]

do not worry about malware
no driver issues
real support system instead of offshore to india
excellent build quality (3 year old macbook feels way better than brand new XPS 15)
trackpad that is close to second coming of christ
no-shit external display (wrt laptops)

Additionally, I buy and sell for a living. Nothing beats the "solid" quality build of a macbook pro. If you disagree youre actually wrong.. Also, I know that in a few years my mac wont be a $50 piece of junk it will be worth about 75% of what I paid for it, thus making upgrading even more effective then a windows machine. Once you own your first apple, its not all that expensive to stick with it if you resell..

I do love the OS as well and the integration with the trackpad is pretty huge. All of the tools and tweaks you can do with the trackpad across the OS are awesome.

 

[Eug]

Additionally, I buy and sell for a living. Nothing beats the "solid" quality build of a macbook pro. If you disagree youre actually wrong.. Also, I know that in a few years my mac wont be a $50 piece of junk it will be worth about 75&#37; of what I paid for it, thus making upgrading even more effective then a windows machine. Once you own your first apple, its not all that expensive to stick with it if you resell..

I do love the OS as well and the integration with the trackpad is pretty huge. All of the tools and tweaks you can do with the trackpad across the OS are awesome.

Well, when I buy an iMac for say $2000, in two years it might be worth $1200 or whatever.

If I were to buy a windows PC desktop on a regular basis I'd probably only spend $800 on it anyway cuz I already have the monitor and internal peripherals, etc.

With Macs it's impossible to cheap upgradable machines. Their low cost machines are heavily crippled in many ways. It's great if you want small form factor, but not so much if you don't.

If I configured that PC exactly like an iMac the price comparison is much closer, but with Win PCs my purchases in the past weren't made that way. Lately though I've just been getting cheap PC desktops cuz they work fine. I got a 4 GB triple-core desktop including monitor, flash reader, and optical drives and a legal copy of the OS for all of $400. A functional iMac would be $1000 for the entry level.

 

[dmw16]

Well, when I buy an iMac for say $2000, in two years it might be worth $1200 or whatever.

If I were tombuy a windows PC on a regular basis I'd probably only spend $800 on it anyway cuz I already have the monitor and internal peripherals, etc.

Yeah if I configured that PC exactly like an iMac the price comparison is much closer, but with Win PCs my purchases aren't made that way.

I don't think there really are Win PC's that compare to the iMac, especially the 27" model. There are no windows AIO desktops with 27" IPS displays and certainly not for $2000.

 

[alent1234]

only thing that pisses me off about apple is that the $2000 MBP and iMac's are nice but the entry level ones are crippled with no BTO option to upgrade the graphics. not a big deal with the MBP but the entry level iMac is $1199 and $1999 for the good one worth buying

otherwise at the $2000 level their prices are cheaper than a comparable dell or HP. at the cheaper level you pay a premium but with the complaints about Dell XPS laptops in the SFF forum i can see why

 

[kubani1]

I must it is first and foremost the OS. That said the beauty of their design is a much appreciated bonus.