Triggered by the virus thread, I don't use MACs. Never have, probably never will.
Nothing really religious about it, although to be fair I never warmed to Steve Jobs on the occasions we met, its just easier to use the most common software/hardware which at the moment is PC/Windows.
Aside from the personal likes and comfort levels we all have, are there any particular advantages to MACs? e.g. The fact that they are a less attractive target and so get less virus assaults, for example, is one. But are there more?
Is there any functionality or value that one doesn't get on a PC. Goodness knows the damned things are expensive enough.
I guess, is there any reason I should consider using them? Or, God forbid, owning one.
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I treated myself to a nice little MacBookPro just over three years ago. It works. No slower than it was on day one. It's a nice little bit of kit. It is expensive but I wanted one. It's far less needy than an equivalent Windows machine - attracting far fewer updates. Would I buy another ? Probably. I don't care whether Steve Jobbs was a nice bloke or not. I never wanted to move in with him just buy his product. Funny how people who don't want an Apple seem to link their desire to Jobbs' personality. Hitler commissioned the birth of VW - still bought one.
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>>Hitler commissioned the birth of VW - still bought one
A fair point. But honestly, some of the speeches he made are the reason I use an Android and not an iPhone - to the disgust of the rest of my family.
Do you often find an instance where there's a facility or application you want to use, but its not availabe on a Mac? Can you always read a PC document, for that matter can you always send a document that can be read by a PC.
I'm trying to get a handle on whether or not there's any particular advantage or disadvantage in having a Mac.
Also, given that the others in this house have iPads, iPods and iPhones, will there be any advantage for me there?
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As I say he doesn't bother me. I find Richard Branson irritating but I'll still use Virgin trains (for now). It's the product I like.
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>> I find Richard Branson irritating but I'll still use Virgin trains
I guess I'm either sad or obsessive, because I used to fly a long trip with one stop rather than use Virgin on a direct flight - because he annoys me.
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Do you often find an instance where there's a facility or application you want to use, but its not availabe on a Mac? Can you always read a PC document, for that matter can you always send a document that can be read by a PC
I won't pretend that there haven't been clunky moments - I run Office on this one and it opens documents sent from a PC. Sometimes have to do the odd workaround but there is plenty of knowledge out there. Maybe in a perverse way that's part of the fun.
A friend posted this on FB yesterday. Sums it up for me I suppose.
joelrunyon.com/two3/an-unexpected-ass-kicking
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>> A friend posted this on FB yesterday. Sums it up for me I suppose.
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>> joelrunyon.com/two3/an-unexpected-ass-kicking
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An interesting read.
However, I must take exception to the claim that "if he hadn't invented the first internally programmable computer, it wouldn't have been invented", or words to that effect.
Just about anything and everything, if it hadn't been invented, or discovered, by Joe Bloggs would have been invented or discovered some time later, by Jane Smith.
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The Manchester Mark I based on von Neumann's ideas was surely the first computer as we know out today. It was 1948 when they finished it. A key difference was its memory allowing code to run.
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I think if you are happy with your PC, there is no major reason to jump ship. Have used a Mac for about 6 years. Went away from MS due mainly to little problems that kept recurring, mainly on the graphics card IIRC, especially as the Dan machine aged and Dan went down. Many shut-downs for no apparent reason, even though I was quite diligent with the routine maintenance, replaced power supply, "improved" the chip cooling and dipped toes in the the Registry when needed - with caution! The Mac in contrast has been reliable and easy to use, especially the OS. The daughter (in graphics/advertising agency) wanted the ease of access to publishing-type bits and pieces. It was useful to be on the same platform as her laptops. Its now getting well on (PowerPC G4), pretty slow, and unsupported (thanks Apple and Mozilla!) so I'm waiting for the next iMac or Mini to be available. It will be handy to emulate Windows which the Intel chip will enable (I think - not an expert!) Downside is you can't easily change graphics or even the chip, but I'm not really wishing to be a tweeker anyway.
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I've found the same as RP and NIL - the user experience is far superior as is the speed and reliability over a Windows machine.
I don't do a lot more than mess about on the web so don't come across any compatibilty problems.
And there's always Word for Mac, although if you really need that, you might be better staying with a Windows PC.
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When the option from MS is Windows 8 which really needs a touch surface, I wonder if more would switch to Mac OSX?
I switched partly because of the bundled software (iMovie, iPhoto) making life easier sorting my media. But I liked the Mac interface. I'd have gone Linux if the software was all there - I know there are free alternatives.
In the three years of using a Mac I have not regretted it. If switching now I'd have gone for something like the 13" Macbook Air and used it with an external display at home.
My quad core, 8 thread Hackintosh runs rather well too.
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MACs - R.P.
