Why use macintosh?

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

Case in point, I bought a mac mini for my mother.. sat down with her and tried to teach her how to use it.. she lasted about 2 weeks before she wanted to go back to Windows XP on a PC.

So i took the mac and built her a new PC and loaded Windows XP on it and gave it to her and she's been much happier. Windows is what she's used to, so that is where she will stay.

I'm thinking of going through the same thing with my grandfather. I think it just depends on how much time and effort they put into it. In the end, I think using OSX out of the box is a nicer/cleaner/simpler experience.

 

[Eugene86]

Just wanted to quickly chime in after reading all the posts. I've got nothing against Macs but they really are over priced. I bought my 15 inch Dell Studio last August, which was just over 6 months ago, and it's got the exact same specs as the current 13 inch MBP, the only difference being that the MBP has the new cpu, and I paid $650 for it before taxes and all that jazz. Compare that to the MBP's $1250 price tag...

 

[alfa147x]

Just wanted to quickly chime in after reading all the posts. I've got nothing against Macs but they really are over priced. I bought my 15 inch Dell Studio last August, which was just over 6 months ago, and it's got the exact same specs as the current 13 inch MBP, the only difference being that the MBP has the new cpu, and I paid $650 for it before taxes and all that jazz. Compare that to the MBP's $1250 price tag...

Thank you Eugene for your much needed input that other laptops are similarly spec'ed but cheaper. I think the general consensus in this thread is that people have different needs in a laptop. Have you considered that maybe everyone doesn't care about the specs on their laptop? Their is more to a laptop than the GPU, CPU, RAM, and HDD.

It all boils down to personal preference...

 

[Eugene86]

Thank you Eugene for your much needed input that other laptops are similarly spec'ed but cheaper. I think the general consensus in this thread is that people have different needs in a laptop. Have you considered that maybe everyone doesn't care about the specs on their laptop? Their is more to a laptop than the GPU, CPU, RAM, and HDD.

It all boils down to personal preference...

I'm just trying to reinforce the point that macs are generally overpriced, which some people in this thread seem to be willfully blind to.

And really? You don't care about the specs of a laptop you're buying? Are you also one of the people who goes to a car dealership and buys a car based on just its brand?
Hey, its a Nissan! Who gives a crap about any other details, such as engine type, horsepower, transmission type, interior options, etc....

 

[Ns1]

Just wanted to quickly chime in after reading all the posts. I've got nothing against Macs but they really are over priced. I bought my 15 inch Dell Studio last August, which was just over 6 months ago, and it's got the exact same specs as the current 13 inch MBP, the only difference being that the MBP has the new cpu, and I paid $650 for it before taxes and all that jazz. Compare that to the MBP's $1250 price tag...

trackpad/support/resale value/ability to run both OSX and Win7/other intangibles which have already been mentioned


are those worth $600 to you? maybe maybe not. I'm trying to figure that one out myself.

Hey, its a Nissan! Who gives a crap about any other details, such as engine type, horsepower, transmission type, interior options, etc....

SRT-4 > * via specs/$$$ but the SRT-4 was a giant POS.


I'd say your dell is all about the engine where the apple is about the engine AND the interior.

 

[alfa147x]

I'm just trying to reinforce the point that macs are generally overpriced, which some people in this thread seem to be willfully blind to.

And really? You don't care about the specs of a laptop you're buying? Are you also one of the people who goes to a car dealership and buys a car based on just its brand?
Hey, its a Nissan! Who gives a crap about any other details, such as engine type, horsepower, transmission type, interior options, etc....

Look at it this way:
Engine/transmission = CPU / GPU
Interior / Exterior = Build quality / user experience

Don't try to bullshit me and tell me that a Dell Studio's build quality (plastic POS) is better than my MBP. Work just bought me a XPS 15 that I got TODAY to use Visual Studios on. It's built like shit. Besides the i7 and 6 gb of ram the thing sucks. Out of the box the trackpad didnt work.
But non the less the build quality just sucks. You can't deny that.

Guess what I'm doing right now? VM'ing win7 and working in Visual Studios on my MacBook Pro that worked out of box.

Jesus... Didn't realize we had an influx of ignorant visitors from the Software for Windows in the All Things Apple section.

How hard is it to understand PERSONAL PREFERENCE? Just because I enjoy having sexual intercourse with women doesn't mean Billy Bob can't enjoy having sexual intercourse with men.

 

[Ns1]

Out of the box the trackpad didnt work.
But non the less the build quality just sucks. You can't deny that.

2 finger scroll on anything but an apple laptop sucks. Add in gestures and it's GGPO

How hard is it to understand PERSONAL PREFERENCE? Just because I enjoy having sexual intercourse with women doesn't mean Billy Bob can't enjoy having sexual intercourse with men.

LEGENDARY.

 

[GrantMeThePower]

Case in point, I bought a mac mini for my mother.. sat down with her and tried to teach her how to use it.. she lasted about 2 weeks before she wanted to go back to Windows XP on a PC.

So i took the mac and built her a new PC and loaded Windows XP on it and gave it to her and she's been much happier. Windows is what she's used to, so that is where she will stay.

For the record- i do not own a mac. I've never owned a mac of any type since my family had an apple II before there even WAS a mac. I've always been a PC guy and most of my friends have had me build them computers for HTPC use.

That being said, when it came time to get my 66 year old mother a new computer i got her an iMac. When i bought it I also bought her a One to One subscription.

They moved everything over to her new computer and put the files where they were meant to be. That alone was worth the hundred bucks so i didnt have to spend the hour doing it.

That being said, the most value she got out of it was the one on one lessons she gets at the mac store once a week.

In just two months she can already do more with her mac than she ever could on her PC. She always loved email and AOL, but that was all she was capable of doing. Furthermore her computer was always filled with viruses and trojans and add on install packs...it was terrible.

Her iMac is still pristine (even two weeks killed her last PC, let alone two months).

I realize i'm using an extreme example of someone who knows NOTHING about computers. But it made me a believer in the apple philosophy after seeing how much it makes my mom happy. When you see your mom smile to use a computer, the "cost" of the hardware seems pretty damn cheap.


EDIT- i forgot to mention that before her first one to one she was pretty unsure and didn't like the idea of switching. The simple change of the close button not being a red "X" messed her up. She didn't understand the dock or where her start button was. The change happened very fast from her wanting to go back to windows to her saying she would never be able to go back.

 

[Eugene86]

Look at it this way:
Engine/transmission = CPU / GPU
Interior / Exterior = Build quality / user experience

Don't try to bullshit me and tell me that a Dell Studio's build quality (plastic POS) is better than my MBP. Work just bought me a XPS 15 that I got TODAY to use Visual Studios on. It's built like shit. Besides the i7 and 6 gb of ram the thing sucks. Out of the box the trackpad didnt work.
But non the less the build quality just sucks. You can't deny that.

Guess what I'm doing right now? VM'ing win7 and working in Visual Studios on my MacBook Pro that worked out of box.

Jesus... Didn't realize we had an influx of ignorant visitors from the Software for Windows in the All Things Apple section.

How hard is it to understand PERSONAL PREFERENCE? Just because I enjoy having sexual intercourse with women doesn't mean Billy Bob can't enjoy having sexual intercourse with men.

Wow, no need to get all butt hurt now. I'm not exactly sure when or where I told you not to use a mac or that dell build quality is better. I just simply gave you an example as to why the MBP is overpriced. I'm all about choice, and if you feel like you want to use a mac and pay more money, then be my guest, I don't really care.

I agree, the MBP does seem to be better built than a lot of cheaper priced laptops but I'm not exactly sure what you do on yours that makes other laptops shit. My laptop is either in my backpack or its sitting on a table while I use it for work, etc. My gf has a Lenovo and that thing is built like a tank and is really easy to service.

And I really can't comment on the trackpad issue you're having as I've never had that kind of issue before.
If paying 2x the price for a more solidly-built laptop with a nice touchpad is your thing, then go for it. And if you like OSX then that's awesome for you but the way some of you guys are talking about Windows, you'd think that its some kind of buggy piece of shit that doesn't work for anyone. We're not using Windows '95 anymore.

 

[Joseph F]

Ok, so from what I've gathered:

Mac users:
Buy MBPs for their build quality, trackpad, resale value and OSX.
Buy iMacs for their compactness, style and OSX.
Buy Macs in general for OSX which is preferred by them for various reasons including "superior" professional applications, ease of use, polished gui, reliability and a real terminal.

PC users:
Buy/Build PCs for maximum bang-for-your-buck when it comes to hardware.
Buy/Build PCs for maximum customization and freedom of hardware.
Use Windows for its gigantic games/applications library and use Linux for its awesome stability equal or greater than OSX.

Neither side is right because your purchase decision should be about your preference and your needs in a computer. Like, say you demand the arguably best trackpad ever made, high build quality and the other points I mentioned, you should get a MBP. But say if your budget is a bit tighter and you don't want/need OSX, and the other nice things about an apple then you should buy a Lenovo (not always cheaper, I know) for professional uses on the go, or get an ASUS for portable gaming. I would rather buy a Lenovo any day of the week but that's coming from a guy that has very little experience with OSX. (about ~30 minutes lifetime combined from going to bestbuy occasionally.)

 

[runawayprisoner]

Well, let's look at it this way: you, the Windows users, haven't used a MacBook Pro for an extended period of time, so you can't see what we, the Apple "fanboys", are talking about.

It's simple. Somehow find a way for yourself to obtain the necessary knowledge, and then go back and tell me what a disillusioned jerk I am.

Honestly, though, I'm certain most people who use Mac know just as much about Windows as the rest of them, but most people who know Windows don't know what makes OSX better.

 

[Ns1]

Ok, so from what I've gathered:

Mac users:
Buy MBPs for their build quality, trackpad, resale value and OSX.
Buy iMacs for their compactness, style and OSX.
Buy Macs in general for OSX which is preferred by them for various reasons including "superior" professional applications, ease of use, polished gui, reliability and a real terminal.

PC users:
Buy/Build PCs for maximum bang-for-your-buck when it comes to hardware.
Buy/Build PCs for maximum customization and freedom of hardware.
Use Windows for its gigantic games/applications library and use Linux for its awesome stability equal or greater than OSX.

fairly accurate from my experience. also massive battery life on apple laptops compared to windows laptops.

 

[Joseph F]

^^ I'm not exclusively a Windows user. I also use Linux from time to time. And I am willing to admit that I don't have much experience with Apples. That's why I started this thread because before I just thought people who bought Macs were dumbasses that like to piss money away for a half-eaten piece of fruit and brand name. I have been educated that this is not always the case and there are legitimate reasons for buying a Mac computer.

 

[Ns1]

^^ I'm not exclusively a Windows user. I also use Linux from time to time. And I am willing to admit that I don't have much experience with Apples. That's why I started this thread because before I just thought people who bought Macs were dumbasses that like to piss money away for a half-eaten piece of fruit and brand name. I have been educated that this is not always the case and there are legitimate reasons for buying a Mac computer.

I used to be an apple hater and then I decided to buy a MacBook on clearance just to see what the fuss is about. The first few weeks/months were HORRIBLE and I thought about returning the damn thing (if you search this board you can read about my troubles...) but now I'm hooked.

 

[Joseph F]

Also just about any other laptop besides a thinkpad is a deal-breaker to me because of the lack of a trackpoint. IMO Trackpoint >>>>>>>> Trackpad no matter how good it is. What the hell happened to them and why is Lenovo the only manufacturer afaik that still makes them? If a MBP had a trackpoint I'd jump all over that shit.

 

[Ns1]

Also just about any other laptop besides a thinkpad is a deal-breaker to me because of the lack of a trackpoint. IMO Trackpoint >>>>>>>> Trackpad no matter how good it is. What the hell happened to them and why is Lenovo the only manufacturer afaik that still makes them? If a MBP had a trackpoint I'd jump all over that shit.

*head assplodes*

no gestures on trackpoint.

GESTURES AND 2 FINGER SCROLL > *

 

[Joseph F]

I like trackpoints mainly because I don't have to move my finger over and over to do anything (so no repetitive motion stress/injury), I can still play FPSs with it and I generally just find it far more productive than any trackpad I've ever used. (Then again, I haven't had much experience with an apple trackpad other than the fucked up ones at best buy that punk-ass kids decide to destroy just for the hell of it.)

 

[Ns1]

Then again, I haven't had much experience with an apple trackpad

'nuff said.


Agreed that you can't game on it, but that's what gaming mice are for

 

[runawayprisoner]

Agreed that you can't game on it, but that's what gaming mice are for

Doesn't mean my shots aren't perfectly in the middle of them skulls. It just means I can't mobilize 9 squads and build 4 buildings in under a second.

 

[oogabooga]

I used to be an apple hater and then I decided to buy a MacBook on clearance just to see what the fuss is about. The first few weeks/months were HORRIBLE and I thought about returning the damn thing (if you search this board you can read about my troubles...) but now I'm hooked.

That's roughly my experience with my macmini. I imagine I'd have had something similar with a macbook - and would be even happier now with one over my netbook. I just didn't want to spend the money at the time.

 

[AstroManLuca]

Used to be an Apple lover. Soured on them around the time of the Intel switch. As a PowerBook G4 owner, I felt like Apple didn't do anything to make OS X run well on G4s. They decided that the G4 was old news and just stopped trying to improve their PPC software. I upgraded that thing to 10.5 and regretted it, it was so damn slow and horrible.

Anyway, it didn't take long for me to get the hang of Windows. Built a pretty nice desktop PC for cheap, did some gaming, had fun. Within a couple months I didn't miss OS X at all; in fact, I've strongly preferred Windows ever since.

I don't hate Macs though, I just recognize they're not for me. Reasons why:

- Suck for gaming
- Much more expensive if you care about powerful hardware
- Can't really upgrade them
- I don't like OS X anymore

But I do acknowledge that MacBooks are really well made laptops and represent a really good balance of mobility, battery life, power, price, and build quality that doesn't seem to exist anywhere else. I don't like laptops though.

Mac desktops, on the other hand, I don't get at all. Then again, prebuilt Windows desktops are almost as bad.

 

[Ns1]

That's roughly my experience with my macmini. I imagine I'd have had something similar with a macbook - and would be even happier now with one over my netbook. I just didn't want to spend the money at the time.

i got a mac mini that makes a sick HTPC

HTPC in a 2"x6.5"x6.5" form factor.

 

[Tyranicus]

Also just about any other laptop besides a thinkpad is a deal-breaker to me because of the lack of a trackpoint. IMO Trackpoint >>>>>>>> Trackpad no matter how good it is. What the hell happened to them and why is Lenovo the only manufacturer afaik that still makes them? If a MBP had a trackpoint I'd jump all over that shit.

Dell still uses trackpoints on their Latitude models.

 

[TheStu]

Also just about any other laptop besides a thinkpad is a deal-breaker to me because of the lack of a trackpoint. IMO Trackpoint >>>>>>>> Trackpad no matter how good it is. What the hell happened to them and why is Lenovo the only manufacturer afaik that still makes them? If a MBP had a trackpoint I'd jump all over that shit.

Glass Trackpad (which is gigantic) + BetterTouchTool, means any number of configurable gestures for up to 5 fingers at a time, plus 2 finger scrolling it really is amazing.

But hey, to each their own. If you want to use your crummy little eraser mouse then who am I to judge?

 

[JSt0rm]

You don't sound like any kind of real professional. I work for a major studio and both Macs and PCs are everywhere. Macs are great at some things, but not for everything- serious 3D animation, compositing and rendering for example.

I hate the bullshit put out by zealots from either side of the stupid platform wars. "This sucks! That sucks." No, you suck because you blame tools rather than your own lack of ability to use them. Shut up already.

While I do agree with you on the zealot point I think FCP is taking a lot of market share from avid. Now on the 3d render side yes lots of pc stuff but on the audio/film editorial side there is a majority of mac usage. I would dare say that in the audio world the mac usage is damn near 100%.

Now i think avid has made some great moves in the last year and they could regain some market share from fcp but they also have a mac install so I dont think they would be pc only.