Community poll forum: What's the main reason you haven't switch from a Windows PC to a Mac?

I listed I don't like proprietary hardware which in and of itself reults in higher Cost, which is why I don't like Apple.

"I listed I don't like proprietary hardware which in and of itself reults in higher Cost, which is why I don't like Apple"

Ditto.

I can't run out to my local store and buy a new part for my system. Simple as that. If you need something for your Win PC you can goto Staples,Walmart,Office Max, or local PC shop (which I do).

For MAC you need to goto a MAC store or order online.

I switched from Apple, to Windows years ago & am glad that I did. I can upgrade my computer as I like, I can run nearly everything (software is written for Windows first), & I don't have to spend thousands to do it. Which means I can get on with doing things today.

Macs are fine for some people. What was that saying? Run Linux for speed, Windows to do things & Macs to play music? Something like that.

I've been a PC gamer since the 3dfx glide days and although I'm not up-to-date on the Mac gaming scene today, I don't believe a Mac could cut it, even if you can run Windows on one.

I bought a Macbook Pro about 4 years ago because my son was using them at school and wanted to use one at home. I thought it was time to see what everyone was talking about. I was very impressed with the quality of the hardware and was able to hook it into my network and printers without a lot of work.
However, as time went on, issues with the network and printers kept occurring. Apple support could not resolve the sporadic issues I was having and the support on the web was almost non existent compared to the Windows community.
My son was not impressed by the issues we had with the network and printers and the cost of and lack of decent ganes for the Mac. I finally had an issue with the parental controls that Apple could not resolve and decided it was time to abandon the Mac OS experience, I sold the machine and bought a new Windows laptop for half the price that I don't have to spend hours supporting.
Since that time, I have picked up an Apple TV device and an iPhone, both of which I am happy with but the Mac OS is not for me.

Or I should say, lack of. Units built without this in mind will be like working on a car and none of the tools in your tool box work. Parts are always the key to longevity of a base system. Assembly methods require special dis-assembly tools and even tracion/vacuum tools. Not your everyday kit item. I after servicing the units in the field for ten years I had amassed a seperate box for all the different jigs and such. Some field kits had their own appropriate tools. I couldn't carry enough tools and parts too in one truck. I often relied upon stategic storage shed or space to preposition parts and tools. Lagre contract site offices became over run with some kits for hot swaps and needed some installation tools and cabling upgrades. This never happened when we were just doing "PC"s. Intel based X-86 dominated the population four to one but only required one third the parts inventory. I service anything you can toss on my bench, when I get back to my bench, well, that's another matter If it's an Apple, I might get to it next week, no hurry. They have never been forthcoming with their service and makes my part of trying to vouch for their problems. An Intel or AMD might get some attention this evening before I turn out the lights. They're usually a quick and easy fix or at least I know what part goes on the morning list.

I don't like Apple, don't like their unethical business practices, and don't like overpriced proprietary hardware. I also have no interest in switching from Windows to Mac OS, considering that I've been using Windows since the days when Windows 95 was out. Furthermore, I already own a good quality PC desktop and PC laptop, so I have no desire to buy another computer for a LONG time.

The question itself is ridiculously loaded, as it assumes that OSX is superior. What fanboi nonsene; CNET's bias is showing. Why not ask, "What's the main reason you haven't switched to Windows 7?"

So I know I shouldn't respond to flame bait, but...

Having worked with W7 side-by-side with OSX (up to SL), I simply prefer Windows 7. I like the desktop better (though there's not much that's different these days), some key programs only work in Windows, and it's cheaper to run a Windows PC over the long haul. And as somebody who builds his own rigs, I see OSX as something from Mars in my own home.

Moreover, now that Apple has screwed up iMovie after iMovie 06, there really isn't a program in the Mac world that I really need or prefer.

The reason I don't convert to MAC is because I build my own computers and want only one operating system to run it, it is way over rated, way over priced, massive SPAMING of promoting MAC, and MAC users are obnoxious. I refuse to buy anything from APPLE.

to the Unix derivative NeXT with the release of Mac OS X.

While I'm sure that Apple has it's strengths, the platform also has several weaknesses. They tend to do things half-arsed and fail to think things all the way through. Here's what I mean by that.

I have a client with a small shop. He's been a Windows user for a very long time. He's got maybe 16 YEARS worth of data stored on his network that's just related to his business and his clients. Over the past few years, he got Mac fever. He bought into the Macs don't get (PC) viruses bit and figured it would be the way to go with his entire network,

His research found a top rated, top of the line Mac based contact management app that would do pretty much everything and anything he would ever hope to want. Except for one tiny detail. He couldn't import ALL of his data from the dBase IV files the data was currently stored in. It seems the app in question can only import from CSV (Comma Separated Values) files - plain text. While this would be OK for 50% of the data (names, physical and email addresses, phone numbers) it would not work with notes. That means he could not import free-form text notes, stored emails from said clients nor anything else that contained a text blob.

In short, he would have to abandon the bulk of his data. DOH! Great, he's got a name, an email address and a phone number for client X.. But NONE of the background information on what sort of client that person is, what they're looking for, etc... Not very useful, is it?

Yes, he could have run his existing app in Parallels, but that wasn't his desire. He wanted to get rid of Windows entirely.

The point is - for a platform that wants to take over market share from Microsoft, Apple doesn't make it easy to migrate your existing information. There are no tools to do this. Even the makers of the app couldn't help, blaming the issue on the lack of tools provided by Apple.

Now, when it comes to moving data between platforms in the Windows universe, it's not a problem. There are multiple database platforms that run on it. And there's means to move data easily between, dBase IV, umpteen flavors of SQL (MS SQL, MY SQL, etc...). If I wanted to move my data from one format to another, it's not a problem - other than setting things up so the data goes from one database table to the correct spot in the other. Text blobs (large text fields) aren't a problem.

So my client had to abandon his Mac frenzied dreams.

Aren't you describing a problem with the software purchased not the Operating System? I've had similar issues with converting data from old Windows software to a new version of "whatever" software. To your point, I do think the software built for Apple OS is sometimes an after thought and that has been a problem for Apple users because software developers put their time into a product for the majority of users which is Windows.

~Sue