Chat with Dell for Super Deals
Community weekly poll: Are you considering switching from a Windows PC to a Mac?
- 3/30/07 9:25 AM
Price of Macs
by jimzim27140 - 11/28/07 10:30 AM In reply to: PC for me by jj96artI just don't get where people are coming up with fallacy about Macs being so expensive. Unless they are looking at the throwaway PC's that aren't good for anything but solitaire. These people really need to read a magazine or two and do some research. Macs are very comparable to PC's and one hell of a lot better computer.
Macs do cost more
by proten - 11/28/07 10:43 AM In reply to: Price of Macs by jimzim27140I priced them!
I can get a 17inch screen notebook computer from Dell for less than $1500 containing the same basic specs as a mac which STARTS at $2700. The other thing to consider is, although I do know that the macbook pro is high-end, that is the ONLY product available to me for that size. I might not need something as great as that but if I want the screen, I must pay for the rest. The pc may be low-end, but that is good enough for me.
With all that said, I am dying for a macbook pro!! But it is above my price range, even with a student discount. I would love to be able to spend a little less (though I do agree it might be worth a bit more than a pc) and get a little lower-end but still have my basic requirements of a 17 screen etc.
Mac vs Windows
by randysvh - 11/28/07 5:19 PM In reply to: Price of Macs by jimzim27140Macs are very expensive compared to a Windows based PC in initial cost. Both systems last a long time, but each has their expenses. Macs are expensive when it comes to adding software and hardware upgrades. PCs have a much greater extensive list of free software as well as lower priced software. The big disadvantage with Windows is the security issues which can infiltrate the system from the internet. The Mac is less so inclined, but not perfect. Linux offers the security and protection along with free software that is in most cases as good as the expensive offerings from Microsoft. Openoffice is available for the Mac, Windows, and Linux. The Mac though is a high quality system with a slower design, and with lesser peripherals than those of the PC. To add the extras though is very expensive. The Macs do have a long life and usually do not fail to the extent of Windows. PCs are not throw away machines and have many upgradeable features and replaceable features when that becomes necessary.
To say that the Mac is less or equal in price to that of a PC is not true, when you go price the two item for item. The PC may have problems with Windows, but that is the OS not the PC.
Randy
PC's roots are stronger now
by naveedabdullah - 11/26/07 8:04 AM In reply to: Are you considering switching from a Windows PC to a Mac? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
as now most people are very use to with pc rather mac, no re-sell value mac having as compare to pc, repairing need good hands as compare to pc, although softwares' problems can be solved but it take long time.
hey i don't have mobile phone if you are giving others a mobile phone send me one, i am a poor person, and if you want ask me for the address.
naveed
read_naveed@yahoo.com
MAC vs PC
by badadams - 11/26/07 8:39 AM In reply to: Are you considering switching from a Windows PC to a Mac? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I work in a large office that produces a lot of documents. Many are team written so the file is shared and passed around. We have about 95% PC 5% MAC. As a PC user I regularly rescue MAC users who
1 cant open the file
2 cant print the document
3 cant see the picture
Seems to me MAC are very good at some things and not so good at others, like coexisting with PCs. A similar statement could be made about a PC I suppose.
I need to consider what I am really going to do with the computer and what environment I am using it in when I buy a computer; in addition to my Democrat/Republican, Catholic/Protestant, Good/Bad, Black/White brand preference orientation.
Are you considering switching from a Windows PC to a Mac?
by DickM - 11/27/07 6:11 AM In reply to: Are you considering switching from a Windows PC to a Mac? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I would never want to go to a MAC I've been to long on running PC's since 1984 I just don't like them. They or way over priced for one thing.
I would love to, but the price....
by proten - 11/27/07 1:25 PM In reply to: Are you considering switching from a Windows PC to a Mac? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I would love to switch to a MAC. Especially nowadays with the dual boot and dual os softwares. It would be so great to be able to get the best of both worlds. The one thing that is stopping me is the price. It is prohibitive!!! I need a large screen notebook (macbook pro), which runs me in the high 2k's; not even fully loaded. Thats nuts! I can get it down to 2k but it seems I would get so much more for my money with a pc (i.e. processer speed, memory, hd, etc.) I am willing to settle for less of that in a mac, but the price is so high, I cant justify it.
Is there anybody with a suggestion or tip for me?
alternate choice
by randysvh - 11/27/07 6:44 PM In reply to: I would love to, but the price.... by protenThe alternative choice is using Linux on your PC laptop and that allows you to run Windows and Linux and the protected environment of Linux for the security issues found in Windows.
randy
Initial cost isn't total cost
by XMattingly - 11/28/07 3:14 AM In reply to: I would love to, but the price.... by protenMacs will probably always be a larger up front investment (not so much when you get down into the iMac/Mac Mini range), but they make up that difference quickly with the quality of the product and lack of system maintenance. There's no question that Macbook Pro's come at a premium, and I don't know what a comparably featured PC laptop would cost you, but I do know that OS X doesn't get in your face and is virtually maintenance free. There are no activation windows, viruses to deal with, no DLL hell, etc. I have been running OS 10.4 on my computer for over three years, and I've never had to do any maintenance or tweaking; it's still running great.
You should also consider that Macs have a much higher resell value, so as long as you take care of it you're sure to get a decent return on your investment down the road. I had three previous desktop Macs sell for $500 - $700 after 3+ years of use.
If you're looking for a minimal cost Mac laptop, you might check the store on Apple's website to see if they have any refurbished models available. Those are computers that have been returned and had existing hardware issues fixed, and they include the full warranty with them.
On a side note, there has been recent news that Windows run on Macs better than on PC's. See this:
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/irony/macbook-pro-is-the-fastest-windows-vista-notebook-317060.php
It actually is less expensive
by Mac OS XP - 11/28/07 1:21 PM In reply to: I would love to, but the price.... by protenThe MacBook Pro is a very high-end laptop, and similarly equipped PC laptops are also high-priced. If you can get a MacBook with a smaller screen (it's wide enough; just maybe a little short), or an iMac with a large screen, that will be about $1200. But there are other things aside from start-up cost to think about:
Microsoft Office is hundreds of dollars, while the more user-friendly and feature-packed iWork, is just $70. That's a big difference right there!
Internet Security software costs about $60 a year; you don't need to spend this for a Mac.
Tech support cost: After the first month of getting used to Mac OS X, you probably won't be calling tech support asking for questions or needing repairs.
OS upgrades: It costs just over a hundred dollars to upgrade a version of Mac OS X; it costs several hundred dollars to upgrade a version of Windows.
And remember, you're not just getting a computer, you're getting an OS. With things like Time Machine (which can retrieve any file or email or anything that you lost), you're saving yourself future worries. Plus if you have an existing printer, more likely it will work with Mac OS X Leopard than Windows Vista.
So while the initial purchase is expensive on a Mac, it all comes down to being far less expensive in the long-run.
And of course, the really cheap alternative is to buy the cheapest laptop with a big-enough screen and install Linux over it. Then you can use Wine if there is a program you need made for Windows and not Linux.
I washed my hands of microsoft
by mike_mad_2010 - 11/27/07 10:15 PM In reply to: Are you considering switching from a Windows PC to a Mac? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
One day I was prompted by Microsoft to update my system with its latest patches. I was running Windows XP at the time. The update so disrupted my system, I could not even access the internet. I was done! I hopped into my car and had an Imac sitting on my desk 90 minutes later. It does everything my pc did, only simpler, better, better, easier, did i mention better? Worth ever penny IMO.
Mikey Mad
Just added a Mac to the PC network
by Mac OS XP - 11/28/07 1:04 PM In reply to: Are you considering switching from a Windows PC to a Mac? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I used Windows for years and years, and I just recently added a Mac to the home network. It is now the primary computer I use. I am happy with the Mac! (Not so happy with the Windows computers, but the function fine on XP; I wouldn't consider Vista at all.) It took me maybe a year to get fully used to using XP (and there are still more technical things about it I continue to discover every time I need to fix a problem with it), but I was comfortable with Mac OS X Tiger within a few weeks.
Now don't consider me a big Mac fanboy or anything, I just like them better, and from everything I see, Mac OS X actually is the superior OS, and I don't like it when people say incorrect statements which indicate the opposite. So...
I have seen all the arguments for not switching to a Mac, and I can counter all of them, mainly because they are based on incorrect or outdated, or just non-existent information.
"Macs are":
More expensive: You can get a PC for cheap, but it will be slow and virtually unusable with software installed. iMacs and MacBooks go for about $1200 and up, but even these lower-end ones perform very well. Plus, with all the other things you need to buy for a PC, even the lower-end ones come out more expensive than Macs. You need to buy a screen for desktops. You need to buy internet security subscriptions. You may need to buy Microsoft Office for hundreds of dollars (iWork for Macs is like $70). You will probably also need to spend some good money on computer repairs and tech support. Altogether, you will be spending much more on any PC than on the Macs.
Macs are less productive: Sorry, do you care to explain to me why iWork has 4.5 stars and MS Office has 3 stars on Amazon.com? And with the constant security pop-ups from your internet security program or Vista, as well as constant Windows Updates, coupled with the slower speed of Vista, and likely Vista compatibility issues, I think it is obvious that Macs, which don't have these problems, allow you to be far more productive than in Windows.
Macs are not more secure: Hmm... according to PC World, 20 percent of Windows-based machines have a virus or worm, and 80 percent have spyware or adware. 0 percent of Mac OS X based computers have this, and Macs don't need to slow the computer down with anti-virus software while they're at it. Plus, they come with a built-in firewall that doesn't keep on popping up un-needed warnings and questions.
Macs aren't good for gaming: Not true anymore! Big gaming companies like EA and id are now making their games for Macs as well as Windows. Plus, with BootCamp (or now even Parallels or VMware Fusion), you can get an installation of Windows running on your Mac to run the highest-end games.
Macs don't have a lot of programs that work with them: Wrong again. Maybe this was true over five years ago, but more and more programs are being made mac-compatible. If there is anything you need to do on a Mac, there is a program to do it with. Now, it is uncommon for a program to be Windows-only, and most of these programs are now being ported to Mac. And like I said in the previous paragraph, you can install programs to get Windows software to work side-by-side Mac applications if you need.
Macs aren't faster: That's just a joke. If you get a fresh installation of Windows XP SP3 (when it comes out) with no extra software installed, I'm sure it will work just as fast as a Mac. But after time, after you install programs that open with the computer start-up, after spyware fills up the computer, after the registry gets errors, after the drive gets fragmented, after you get internet security software to make sure nothing you don't want is happening, it will be far, FAR slower than any Mac.
Must use Windows-XP due to work site
by GoodTimeCharlie - 11/30/07 11:08 AM In reply to: Are you considering switching from a Windows PC to a Mac? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Even if I wanted to (which I am not sure of), it would be unlikely I could as I need my home PC to run same software, etc., as my work PC and they aren't about to leave Windows-XP for Mac (or Vista for that matter) anytime soon.
Are you considering switching from a Windows PC to a Mac?
by paparaxoo.com - 12/1/07 10:18 AM In reply to: Are you considering switching from a Windows PC to a Mac? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Yes, seriously. The new IMac and the Ibook pro are wonderful and technically advanced... There are however the price differential problem as well as the 20+ year of PC usage and applications!
The computer isn't important
by pestoseed - 1/3/08 2:35 AM In reply to: Are you considering switching from a Windows PC to a Mac? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Seriously. Does it matter? Any techie worth his salt should be able to make either system his own. Half the fun of technology is getting to know the ins and outs of things, learning new tricks, etc. etc.
Why limit yourself to only one half of the spectrum?
| Forum legend: | |
 |
Locked thread |
 |
Moderator |
 |
CNET staff |
 |
Samsung staff |
 |
Norton Authorized Support team |
 |
AVG staff |
 |
Windows Outreach team |
 |
Dell staff |
 |
Intel staff |
