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Apple people

billydkid

Illuminator
billydkid
Joined
Aug 27, 2002
Messages
4,917
Are there any Apple people in here? I am going to buy a lap top and I was thinking about going Apple and would like some advice or just input.
 
I'm not an Apple person myself but for people to give advice it would help to know what kind of applications you are planning on using it for.
 
I bought an Apple MacBook Pro about 6 months ago. It works beautifully but now that I look back on it...man, I spent a lot of money on that thing. Though I like using it more than my PC (this is my first experience with a different OS than Windows) I don't think I like using it that much more to justify the cost.

High-end desktop Macs are much more competitively priced with a comparable desktop PCs. But the laptops...whew!

That's thte only negatives for me though. I really enjoy using it especially since it handles the things I use it most for very well (photos, wireless web browsing, music and recording my mediocre guitar playing.)

And needless to say if you're a gamer, macs are not for you.
 
Whatever laptop you choose to buy--be it Mac or PC--just get a warranty. As much as I am a Apple person, I wouldn't think of getting a laptop without an AppleCare warranty. It's not that I don't trust Apple, but a laptop is too expensive a piece of equipment not to get a warranty.

Let us know what you get.

Michael
 
coalesce said:
Whatever laptop you choose to buy--be it Mac or PC--just get a warranty. As much as I am a Apple person, I wouldn't think of getting a laptop without an AppleCare warranty. It's not that I don't trust Apple, but a laptop is too expensive a piece of equipment not to get a warranty.

Let us know what you get.

Michael
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I concur. A desktop I can fix, a laptop...not so much. My comapany buys Dell's by the buttload and on the rare occasion that one needs repair, someone comes in to do it. I watched once. It's like taking a mechnical watch apart. Not for the faint of heart. I'd rather rebuild a carborator.
 
There is a large, shoe-shaped, hole in the side of my PC.

I have a Mac Mini, a MacBook Pro and my wife has a PowerBook.

Since the switch, we haven't had any problems and would never go back to PC. We do a lot of video editing, Office applications, picture stuff, etc. The only thing I would possibly buy a PC for is the gaming - but I have a PS3 and Wii. Those are good enough for me.

Scottch
 
I'm someone who's grown up with computers. My first computer was an Altair 8080 in 1975. When you bought it you had to build it and I've built just about every computer I've owned since. Commodore, Osbourne, Kaypro, Atari, Apple, etc., and all have had their ups and downs.

But this past year, I've seriously looked into buying a Mac. Not becuase I've tired of tweaking my system, but because I find the Mac to be quite a bit more user friendly. I work at a school where we have both platforms, running OSX and WinXP, and the Adobe/Macromedia Suite programs on all of them. The only exceptions are the Final Cut Pro lab and 3D Studio Max lab which run only on Macs and PCs respectively.

All that being said, and I believe the question has been asked, what applications do you plan on running? If you are looking to do some video editing, sound editing, and graphics, Mac is the way to go. If you just want to browse the web and answer e-mails in between listening to MP3s, PCs are more affordable.

As far as reliability and ruggedness, I've had my problems with both system types so at least for me it's a non-issue. Just remember, Tonka doesn't make laptops. If you fill up any computer with a ton of applications and files(especially questionable ones), it's going to run slow no matter what system or OS you're running. If you drop your laptop 20 stories and it get's run over by an 18 wheeler, it will break. Treat your laptop right and it will last you a good long while.

--
David O. Little
-=The DoLittle 8-)=-
 
Thanks for you various responses. I used powerful Apple desktops for a long time mainly in the operation of mass spectrometers, but they also had all the other features any computer typically has. Anybody who has ever used PC's know they often pain in the ass. They are alway choking or getting confused. I have never used a pc that did not at some time or other need to be rebooted almost routinely simply because it got confused for no particular reason. The thing about apples is the way everything is integrated into them. There's no "Windows" (a bit of software which gags on a regular basis, stores tons of pointless data and all sorts of other stuff). The graphic interface is integral to the computor. You all know all of this.

Anyway, I used the Apples for years and they were very fast and never choked and you could stick any kind of media in it and it recognized it and played it or opened it. I don't happen to like computers the way, say, a computer geek does. I just want them to do what I bought them to do. I have no interest in understanding and dealing with all sorts different media formats or converting files and such. I first started using computers before there was windows. I remember (or forgot) all the hieroglyphics you had to type in to get it to do anything. That stuff is mostly invisible on a PC nowadays, but it's still there. Now, I know some of you actually like that stuff.
I was pretty sold on apples after using them, but there are really two issues involved - first, they're damn expensive and second, it's a PC world and that is my major concern and I guess I want to know if it should be. Are there any drawbacks to using a Mac with the internet? Is there really a significant unavailability of Mac software? Is it only arcane sorts of software that one needs to be concerned about and are all typical sorts of software available? This is one thing I do remember - we also used a Mac to archive our data using a CD burner (this was years ago, remember). The burner came with software for both Mac's and PC's. The PC manual was about 180 pages and the Mac manual was about 30 and it was clear that the bugs were not ironed out with the Mac version and the thing didn't have nearly the same capability as a Mac application as it did as a PC application.

So, anyway, assume I want to use a Mac in just the same typical way a person uses a PC. What concerns should I have? thanks, BDK
 
I concur. A desktop I can fix, a laptop...not so much. My comapany buys Dell's by the buttload and on the rare occasion that one needs repair, someone comes in to do it. I watched once. It's like taking a mechnical watch apart. Not for the faint of heart. I'd rather rebuild a carborator.
Click to expand...

Its not that bad as long as your systematic about it and keep track of the screws. I have had to restrip down a laptop before now after a repair on discovering a rogue screw hiding under the torx driver, very annoying. :)
 
billydkid said:
Thanks for you various responses. I used powerful Apple desktops for a long time mainly in the operation of mass spectrometers, but they also had all the other features any computer typically has. Anybody who has ever used PC's know they often pain in the ass. They are alway choking or getting confused. I have never used a pc that did not at some time or other need to be rebooted almost routinely simply because it got confused for no particular reason. The thing about apples is the way everything is integrated into them. There's no "Windows" (a bit of software which gags on a regular basis, stores tons of pointless data and all sorts of other stuff). The graphic interface is integral to the computor. You all know all of this.
Click to expand...
The Apple GUI is still a GUI. Just because it isn't MS Windows doesn't make it any less a GUI.

OSX isn't as integrated a unit as you might think. The slick OSX surface hides a pile of complexity - and makes it difficult if you have to go beyond the slick parts. There are well paved, glass smooth highways for the things Apple thinks you need to do - and there's a slog through the jungle without a compass or machete if you have to leave that nice highway.

Anyway, I used the Apples for years and they were very fast and never choked and you could stick any kind of media in it and it recognized it and played it or opened it. I don't happen to like computers the way, say, a computer geek does. I just want them to do what I bought them to do. I have no interest in understanding and dealing with all sorts different media formats or converting files and such.
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That's part of the nicely paved highway.
I first started using computers before there was windows. I remember (or forgot) all the hieroglyphics you had to type in to get it to do anything. That stuff is mostly invisible on a PC nowadays, but it's still there. Now, I know some of you actually like that stuff.
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So did I. Like someone else said, the first computer I had had F all for software. Write it yourself or do without.

The "heiroglyphics" are still there, in spades, on your Mac. OSX has a Unix core, and all of the usual Unix tools are available for use. Those heiroglyphics rescued my butt here recently. I could not find any place in the GUI to change some things that we needed fixed here at work. Using the command line and vi, I got things squared away - slogging through the jungle with bash, vi, and man.
I was pretty sold on apples after using them, but there are really two issues involved - first, they're damn expensive and second, it's a PC world and that is my major concern and I guess I want to know if it should be. Are there any drawbacks to using a Mac with the internet? Is there really a significant unavailability of Mac software? Is it only arcane sorts of software that one needs to be concerned about and are all typical sorts of software available?
Click to expand...
Apples are nice to use - if all you want or need to do is use them. There's software available for just about anything you'd want to do. There's somewhat less commercial software for Macs than there is for PCs - simple market pressure. Lots less games, but I gather you want to use yours for actually getting things done.
There's less free software specifically for Macs than there is for Windows and Linux. Many Linux programs are available for the Mac, though the Mac version may lag behind the latest of the Linux version and they'll be more difficult to install than Mac stuff. I'm not familiar enough with Mac software in general to say how much free stuff jumps across from Windows to Mac - I wouldn't expect much, though.

This is one thing I do remember - we also used a Mac to archive our data using a CD burner (this was years ago, remember). The burner came with software for both Mac's and PC's. The PC manual was about 180 pages and the Mac manual was about 30 and it was clear that the bugs were not ironed out with the Mac version and the thing didn't have nearly the same capability as a Mac application as it did as a PC application.
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The tools on the Mac should be adequate to burn CDs. The freebie that came with your burner back then may well have been poorly thought out. Better just to get equipment that provides drivers so that you can use standard Mac software.
So, anyway, assume I want to use a Mac in just the same typical way a person uses a PC. What concerns should I have? thanks, BDK
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  • Commercial software may be more expensive.
  • You may have a smaller list of alternatives for a particular application.
  • Add-on hardware will be more expensive if you purchase from Apple, harder to install if you go third-party.
  • Some common programs may become available later for the Mac than for the PC - Adobe Reader, Flash, etc. Also goes for MS Office and other predominantly Windows oriented programs.
  • You get stuck on the Mac OS upgrade cycle, which is worse than the MS one. New versions of the OS fairly often, for which you have to pay to upgrade (though the upgrade prices are lower than MS.)
  • Minor incompatibilities between the Mac and Windows version of the same program may cause trouble when exchanging files with Windows users.

On the up side, you get a slick computer that comes with a lot of things that Windows doesn't - or for which the Windows equivalent sucks.
 
Personally, I LOVE my Apple. I've been an Apple user ever since I graduated high school. I have never once WANTED to use Windows again. In fact, I'm on my second Mac, and I've helped my dad with trying to upgrade 2 PCs and buying 2 new PCs, and all instances have been an enormous pain in the ass.

Mind you, I'm not computer illiterate. I can upgrade them, build them, and spent a while doing tech support (level 2) for an ISP.

For one, the Apple computers don't come with as much crap on them as Windows machines do. Your computer comes with a LOT of useful applications in the consumer to "prosumer" range for all the things that most people these days would want to use their PC for (movies, music, video). All of these programs integrate seamlessly with one another and make it a very intuitive experience for the user.

We all know that if you're a gamer, you're not buying Apple. But the good part about gaming on a Mac is that by the time it gets released, you already know if it's a classic or not.

The Mac OS has style and elegance. It's not bogged down with clutter, crazy junk popping up in the taskbar all the time, constant reboots, etc... I enjoy not having to spend time every week de-crapifying my computer. Constantly dealing with spyware, malware, underware, Windows Update, security patches, missing DLL files, and the list goes on and on.

It's simpler and easier to use. People who say it NEVER crashes and that there are NEVER problems are full of it. Like ANY product, there are problems. Usually once per OS install you'll get a core dump, where your screen gets tinted grey and you get a message in about 13 languages telling you to screw yourself. So you reboot and all is fine. It's that simple. Really.

OS upgrades on the Mac also include useful things. With every major release, there are usually a handful of really cool features that are usable for all users, as opposed to Windows which has yet to really put out anything new since '95 in my user experience.

So, with your two major concerns...

1. Cost; not as much as you might think. Take a PC with similar specs, then throw in comparable software to what is included with the Mac OS and then add in all the time it'll take you to make it work together. It may not seem all that convincing at first, but when you're hours into trying to make stuff work and it just doesn't, you're pulling your hair out and want to send the whole thing back. To me, it's worth it.

2. It's a PC's world. Indeed it is. You've got all kinds of viruses and spyware on the web that will have absolutely no effect on you. You want to know the drawback? You have to go to MS's site to download Windows Media Player because embedded WMP content won't open within Safari or Firefox. You'll get a little window saying the browser can't do it, but WMP can, and asking if you want to have WMP open the file.

That's the difference. That's it. There are some file formats it doesn't support... I suppose if you like .asf files you might want to keep a spare PC around for that. Mind you... nobody uses .asf files. Every time I've had a friend consult me about a new computer, I tell them to go Apple, they don't do it, then they regret it and drool over mine instead and swear that next time they're getting an Apple.

"People who are really serious about software should make their own hardware." --Alan Kay

ETA: In agreement with MortFurd on his closing remarks. Depending on which computer you get, it is likely in your interest to buy any upgraded hardware 3rd party. I have a G5 tower and saved a TON on RAM and hard drive space by installing myself. Also, the OS upgrades are not forced, not too unreasonably priced, and are usually full of worth-while upgrades. Go onto the online apple store and lie. Go through the "education" store. Pick the local community college and get the upgrade for half price. There is no verification process. Sometimes it's good to be bad.
 
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