Mac OS X forum: Mac OS X Tiger vs. Windows XP

I switched several years ago and there is no going back to Windows. I used to build my own PC's so I knew Windows systems pretty well. I wasted so much time just running utilities and wasting money on buying anti-virus software and the like.

Take it from a switcher, you are better off with a MAC.

Take a look at the new iMacs. Sweet!

I`ve both a PC and a Mac. I`ve spent some years on the PC starting with the famous Windows Me. That system sucked. XP was better but Mac is top of the line. No problems with viruses, Can have many windows open at the same time. I have not been able to crash my Mac but sure did my PC. Mac is a Cadillac PC`s are good for dead weights. The only reason that I keep the PC around s that it gives my wife something to play games on. I will never purchase another PC in my lifetime. ~Yellowhand~

Take a look at the new iMacs at the Apple store and then come back and tell us how much it would cost to configure, say a Dell, to the same specs. Assuming that you actually could.
Don't forget to include the 20" LCD in the price.


P

It is:
MS Office 2004 for Mac is actually a release ahead of the PC version. Here's a surprise, Office for PC does not come with all PC's either.

The low end iMac goes for $1299 and the 20" for $1699,

What specs were you looking for and how did your system compare with the iMac?
What did you replace iPhoto, iTunes, iMovie and iDVD with on the Dell?
Did you add the cost of Anti-Virus into your machine? Don't forget Adware and Spyware too.

Just curious


P

I just purchased an iMac (awaiting arrival). I did a lot of research. The only Office app I use constantly is Word. Apples iWork $79 (Supplements iLife) has Pages (Word Precessor) and Keynote (Presentation). After you create a document you can save that document in Pages format, Microsoft Word format, and even PDF format. So I decided I didn't need to purchase Office right now. With Appleworks $0 (Spreadheet,Database,etc) you can save documents in PDF format and "you can also work with Microsoft Word and Excel documents with the included file translators even the 2001 editions"
Fork over an extra $200 - $500 for MS Office if you want to. I believe Apple Offers a Student/Teacher version of Office for $149.95.

Hope this helps.

below is a link to iWork Pages on Apple's website:
http://www.apple.com/iwork/pages/

Below is a link to Appleworks on Apple's website:
http://www.apple.com/appleworks/

Hope all is well - Jorgehsegura@aol.com

But, you have to understand that you don't have to purchase anti-virus fotware. Also have to figure in that you can install iWork 06 for 79 dollars (which will work as a word processor) and if you really need MS Office, you can download OpenOffice 2.0 (openoffice.org) and that is basically the same, lacking some features (which, actually, Mac OS X combined with iWork 06 will make up the features). Hehe, I learned all about open source software while I used Linux for about a two or three months (I am using Linux right now, actually). Plus, while you are at it, purchase the AppleCare plan and .mac stuff. This might raise the price -- but it will be worth it. On-sight service in some areas, and tech support/phone support for three years -- all for like 129 I think. And .mac will make everything so easy, and help u learn Mac OS X and all of Apple software (that will be 70 dollars with a purchase of a mac). So, as you can see, they may seem mor expensive -- but it's worth it.

I have to disagree with that; WinMe is the WORST OS ever released to the world. It provoked massive crashes in my company, which didn't happen on the Mac platforms.

Also, and I have seen this, whenever you upgrade a Mac OS to a newer version, your same system becomes faster (I actually saw this with the upgrade from Panther to Tiger on a Power Book)

Brodie

Windows is not priority, and Mac OS X is. The thing is, thats a strong point and a weak point for both OS's. For Widnows, it makes it flexable. It also makes it less stable. For Apple, it makes ir less flexable. But it makes it more stable, because the OS is made for its hardware.

And there is a lot of software for Mac -- at least anything and everything I need I can find. Games, sure there are some that aren't there *cough* Guild Wars *cough* but games mean very little to me. I need something thats stable, so I don't run the chance of losing my data. I need something where I can easliy back everything up -- online, on DVD, in my flash drive -- and Apple makes it so esy its not even funny. As long as you are willing to use everything Apple (.mac, iWork, iLife, and so on..) everything will be increditablly easy.

So its not always ignorance that makes people dislike the other. In fact, its knowledge that made me switch. i have done research, asked people who own a mac, played with a mac for a bit -- and you know wha ti found? Something that looks awesome, somethign that works, and something that I like. Windows on the other hand, has given me so much trouble -- with viruses, with sound, and with having such a beautiful GUI makes it slow with computers that have a low amounts of RAM (like my computer, fo example). Sure, I could upgrade my RAM -- but I would still have all the other problems.

But both have their strong points, and both have weaknesses. Don't buy Vista when it first comes out. There will be tons of flaws and bugs. Wait for the FIRST Service Pack. But, buy Leopard when it comes out. Unlike MS, Apple does test things. Unlike MS, they don't cut every freakin' feature to make a release date -- and then slip the release date anyway, not re-adding those features. *wink* I will stay with my new Mac. I ordered mine today, and I am sure I will enjoy it. We will soon find out, though.

Since I purchased my Mac in February I have really enjoyed the stability of the OS10... The lack of constant maintenance (spy-ware and virus scanning)... Fantastic memory management... and the fact that I am now instantly popular with the ladies and feared by men. LOL

Drawbacks ? I just started on a 2nd college degree and guess what... 2 of my current 4 classes teach on mac... 2 teach on XP... and one of these classes uses an online testing system that is only supported on XP !

Windows IS dominant for a reason... it had the full support of IBM when that company first brought its considerable financial resources to bear on breaking into the personal computer market back in the 1980's. Apple had carved a niche and Big Blue smelled the money and had the means to push into peoples' lives. As Microsoft became bigger it borrowed from Apple to build its own graphical user interface and even came to threaten (and eventually beat IBM) in the OS market, even defeating IBM's os/2. Historically, Apple has innovated and Microsoft has borrowed.

I do question some of the things that Apple has done. I personally believe that Apple does sacrifice some small functionality in favor of style. Program developers change their program interface to meet Apples aesthetic values so if you use the same program on XP and Mac you may find yourself looking for a menu command that is not located in the same place. Ironically, my "Advanced MS Word 2003" class demonstrates this to me every week as I take class on a XP machine and go home to do my homework on a Mac iBook.

As to questions regarding equipment... Apple builds its equipment to work in harmony with its OS. This gives an edge to Apple as far as performance and stability. Apple does make money on its equipment by doing this. I just saw a breakdown on G4 TV on the cost of a iPod versus sale price and the mark up was about 120 percent BUT retail electronics often have as much as a 200 percent markup ( sorry folks but your $3000.00 plasma TV was cheaper to build than you may know). PC equipment IS cheaper but how many XP machines crash due to bad architecture ? You get what you pay for.

Intel vs. AMD vs. soon to be Apple/Intel ? Who can say. I personally wish that Apple had gone with AMD to develop its new platform. AMD certainly had the jump on 64 bit chip architecture and it was rumored that Intel even copied some of AMDs tech to smooth out the wrinkles in their own 64 bit chips. Hey, everyone borrows from everyone else to stay competitive.

My own opinion ? I like Apple and will continue to use it everyday as my main computer (12 inch iBook - I could not find a more powerful notebook for the price) BUT I may be forced to finish building that winbox if I want to stay competitive in ALL my classes at school. I just don't look forward to the constant security scans and added virus software costs.

grim

Look here to see the mouse computer mouse, and note the date 1960s. http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/1968Demo.html
Look here for the first GUI http://www.digibarn.com/collections/systems/xerox-alto/

As one that reads the business pages more than the techno pages, there is more to the PC vs Mac discussion.
re: "Historically, Apple has innovated and Microsoft has borrowed." well they didn't really borrow, they threatened, they stole and then they threatened. Gates was smarter than IBM, keeping the software, not the hardware side of the equation. But from there he threatened mfgs from allowing competeing software on their machines. Gave prfferentisl pricing to those that would bend down for him, instead of staninding up for the consumer. He withheld OS software updates from competeing software mfgs (i.e. Wordperfect) and drove them out of business. And he got to a position where even the feds where afraid to touch him. He's paid millions to right these wrongs, but lets face it, hes a smart meglomaniac that pretty much controls a part of all of our lives. But Jobs is no saint, as a loyal Apple user for more than 25 years, I've been upset about some of his business tactics on this side too.

re: "design their own hardware. This makes it much more stable," who cares I want stable hardware!!! If Microsoft where split up, as it should have been, for anti trust violations, they could probably define the business more narrowly and compete.

re: "How many upgrades to iTunes can we really handle?" so what's the problem?? can't afford them or what. what's the complaint, you're so use to waiting 3 to 6 months for an upgrade, that it's killing you that a mfg. would keep upgrading it's product, just to make it better... yes it's rediculous.

re: "video editing because final cut pro is awsome"...thank you for your honestly.

re: "My personal opinion is if you have any tech savy at all then you go with a PC." I don't want to know how my car works...I just want it to work!! Same thing with the computer.

re: "Its like comparing a formula one racing car vs a honda civic which needs more maintence? On the other hand, which is more fun?" thank you, enjoy your F1 as you go to the grocery store and take the kids to school. But don't confuse tech "fun" with the FRUSTRATION of dealing with a Micro PC.

But in reality we need both companies and maybe more. Apple pushes the window, Microsoft catches up, Apple pushes the window, Microsoft catches up.......

Well, younse go on with your battle, I got some video to edit. God bless us all as the big corperate machine grinds us down.

Correct spelling allows you to get your point across much more effectively.

P

Yes, it's true, it really comes down to what you do with it. These days, the hardware on both platforms is pretty darn good.

I used to be a Mac person, my first was a 512Ke! That was a long, long time ago. I switched from Mac to PC when the clock speed was just below 200MHZ. Then, the Mac would take about 4 time longer to boot than the PC, constant lockups on the Mac, reboot! I also got tired of the hardware and software cost for the Mac, typically double for that of the PC.

Any users that go back a few years can lament the slow boot time of a Mac. Today, they actually boot and run very quickly, this was not always the case. Being an old timer, the Mac has left many a sour taste in my mouth, the PC has not done this since WinXP.

The system is only as good as the hardware. Some folks have complained bitterly of the PC and it's problems. Is your PC only with an eMachine??????? Those are top of the line junk!!! An OS is only as good as the hardware it runs on. I build my own computers now since having bad experiance with Compaq's and their proprietary hardware.

If you want to build your won PC, use good stuff like Asus or Abit motherboards. Too many people's PC experiance is with crap like eMachines, I can't blame them. But build a nice machine and you won't have problems.

Mac used to be really cheesy hardware. You can curse me all you like but i used to maintain older Mac's and curse them for their plastic boxes. Used in a video editing environment, they worked great until they were pushed up against a wall and... out come the boards!!! Over an over, I used to hate the top-dollar, plastic boxed Mac. Now, the G5 is finally.... metal! And they have improved the cooling of Mac's, a point of failure for many years.

The bottom line is, if you buy a computer, buy it for what you'll use it for. I used to trade the markets and the PC was the only machine that would run that software.

If your gonna buy a Mac, be prepared to take out a second mortgage!