Is it time to give up on PC's and buy a Mac

[Josh220]

Also, I'd argue that Apple's stock is booming because of the iPhone. Period. In fact, if it weren't for the iPhone, I'm pretty sure Apple would be dead.

QFT.

The bad news for treehugging hippie Apple owners is that the iPhone is also slowly dying. Like everything Apple, the buzz has worn off and people are starting to wake up to the simple truth:

Apple sucks.

Android is rapidly gaining steam, and in the first quarter of 2010, actually outsold the iPhone. The new Froyo Android system has been applauded as leaving the iPhone in the dust as far as speed and usability, and it runs Flash and HTML 5. App developers CHEERED at a recent Google conference when the them of the day was "open development"...something that Apple has never embraced. And therein lies the reason why Mac never took off. It's a closed and exclusive system.

Guess I'll poke my head back in for a bit...

The current iPhone is 2 years old. The 3G was released back in Summer of 08. The 3Gs was just a few small improvements.

We will see what happens to those figures next month when the new iPhone is announced. As of now, you are comparing brand new designs to a 2 year old design.

I have used many phones, from RAZR's, to Blackberries, and have used a Droid on a few occasions. I have no idea which model it was though, since it seems like they release a new "version" every other month to try to keep up.

I have now had 2 iPhones (Original and 3G) and I'll be in line for the new one this Summer. None of the others mentioned have ever performed as well for me (Personal experience warning for those of you who can't differentiate between fact and opinion.) The Droid felt like Windows 7 to me... Basically just copied features from Apple, but not as good as the original.

The new Windows 7 commercials always crack me up. "Look what else we tried to copy to our platform!" But then again, maybe Windows is on to something. Release a OS so terrible (Vista) that no matter what you do, it looks like an epiphany in comparison; especially when most of your features are just mimicking.

 

[MartinCrabtree]

Boy this subject sure does bring out the angry in some people.

 

[c.cloudwalker]

Yes

YES

YES



To be honest, get whatever makes you feel good.

I use Macs for my own reasons but this kind of question on a forum is never, NEVER, going to get you a worthwhile answer...

 

[Browncoat]

We will see what happens to those figures next month when the new iPhone is announced. As of now, you are comparing brand new designs to a 2 year old design.

Yep, you're right. The 4th Generation iPhone is due out soon. I'm certain that sales will surge for awhile, they usually do.

The iPhone currently has 45% of the smartphone market, which is astounding considering that it's only available on AT&Ts spotty network. Android phones are currently weighing in around 28% of the market. If the rumors are true and the iPhone will soon be available on Verizon, there will be a huge surge in iPhone sales.

But Apple has not positioned itself to win the smartphone wars. With Gestapo-like developer restrictions, a boycott on Flash, and unlikely HTML 5 integration...Google will eventually mop up the floor with them on sheer numbers alone. Apple likes complete control over their product. Their hardware, their software, their rules...or you can't play.

Apple has not learned their lesson from the lambasting they took at the hands of Microsoft, and that's why it will always be a second rate product. Open development is the key. While the design of the iPhone is sleek and nothing short of incredible...it's the apps that keep people interested in it. It's all the things you can do with the iPhone, not the phone itself. Steve Jobs suffers from delusions of grandeur. That someday the world will wake up from its IBM-run stupor and switch to Apple. It's just not going to happen...ever.

 

[mcopan]

I didn't mean to start and epic war of hate. When I originally posted this I was expecting more civilized responses. I guess no matter what you debate between two similar products or companies there will always be passionate people.

Thanks for the help. Its got me thinking that for sure.

 

[MartinCrabtree]

Honestly go to an Apple Store. Go inside and pick a computer and use it. That will answer many questions and is how they set up their stores. They want you to feel free to use the product and are very helpful if you ask. There are two stores in Vancouver. Enjoy.

 

[Mbnmac]

I didn't mean to start and epic war of hate. When I originally posted this I was expecting more civilized responses. I guess no matter what you debate between two similar products or companies there will always be passionate people.

Thanks for the help. Its got me thinking that for sure.

People love to hate on Apple for some reason.

All companies are out for your money, they don't care about you, same goes for Nikon and Canon, if they can squeeze profit out of you they will.

With that over with, go try one, find a friend with one, go to the store and see it in action, if you like it, cool, if not, get your comp fixed up and use it

 

[IlSan]

Without trying to enrage the Apple hatters here, my own humble opinion is, that Mac works better than a PC - but that is just my experience.

For photo editing, I guess both PC (Windows) and Mac have their strenghts and of course, their weaknesses.

Why I prefer Mac? Well, because of the simple reason, that it does not come loaded with a bunch of crap I will never use. Because it pretty much does what I tell it to, and, I like the design (I know, not a good reason to choose a product...).

Have been using a Mac for over a year (after switching from 8 years of PC's) and must say, I could not be happier.

Then again, I use it mainly for photo editing and media editing, so guess, if you need to use it for other things, might be more strenous with all the software restrictions and stuff.

 

[robertwsimpson]

By the way, to the original post:

Here is how you decide:
1. Separate yourself from your supposed "problems" with windows. Having a computer is like anything else. You have to take care of it, or it's not going to take care of you. Be logical in your search for the best computer for your needs.
2. You know about windows... go to the apple store and play with the new Apple OS. See how pretty it is, and marvel at the quick launch menu at the bottom. Now imagine yourself using that system every day instead of windows.
3. Figure out how much you want to spend.
4. Figure out how much Mac you can get with that amount, and how much PC you can get with that amount.
5. Remember that computers run calculations and Operating Systems and other assorted software. For intents and purposes, a Mac with the same hardware as a PC is going to run about the same. Better hardware means better performance.
6. Figure out what you want.
7. Buy that.

That's all there really is to it.

Also, yes, I know a Mac is a Personal Computer.

 

[Dao]

I didn't mean to start and epic war of hate. When I originally posted this I was expecting more civilized responses. I guess no matter what you debate between two similar products or companies there will always be passionate people.

Thanks for the help. Its got me thinking that for sure.

That's okay, if you hang out here long enough (or any other forum), you will know as soon as you mention PC vs Mac, you will see pages of response. And most of them are not really related to what you asked. Even if you just ask for an opinion of a computer, as soon as PC or Mac is mentioned, it will end up like this.

Keep in mind that the computer is a tool, use one you feel comfortable with, use one you feel good about it and most important, use one that can do the job you need to do.

 

[mcopan]

Here's the update.

A friend of mine is a computer wiz. He took my PC to his place and spent a couple hours on it. He said that there was multiple small problems and things that needed to be cleaned out. So he did. He also loaded the latest CS5 for me so I can get editing photos.

I get it home and plug it in and it didnt work. So after trying a couple things I moved the crappy Seimen modem that I got from the local internet carrier away from the computer. Suddenly the computer is working half decent.

So I have a working PC that still has Microsoft programs that aren't well thought out and is effected with the modem close to it.

This is still a time wasting argrivation that is reacquiring. I get that things need to be maintained but this has taken dozens of hours out of my time which could have been used taking photos of things that make me happy.

I'm heading down to the Apple store soon to see what they have. Productive and structured opinions welcome.

 

[robertwsimpson]

If you think that microsoft programs are not well thought out, you're simply incorrect. Just because you don't understand how they work doesn't mean that they aren't well thought out.

 

[ShutterShaman]

I own both and there are significant advantages to this arrangement. That being said, if I had to pick just one, I'd definitely keep my mac.

 

[ApSciPhoto]

I haven't read all the way through everything posted, but here's my two cents, anyway:

It really doesn't matter what type of computer you have, you can generally do all the same work on a PC as you can on a Mac, and generally the same work on a Mac as you can on a PC.

This is the issue - when your PC breaks, you can fix it. When your Mac breaks the world ends. If I have something go wrong on my computer, I just research the issue and it's taken care of, generally without leaving the comfort of my home. My best friend only uses Mac and half of the time she could be working, she's at the Apple store in tears. And it seems to be like that for all comparable products.

I have a regular old touch screen phone. If it freezes up, I take the battery out. My boyfriend has an iPhone. If it freezes he attempts to restart it but can't. It's now in pieces because "hitting it against" his leg was the only way to make it work. So, I suppose my argument is that so many people make it out to be that Apple products are so much more sophisticated but when something goes wrong you need to be reduced to tears and bashing it in? I know that's not a fair argument, but the argument itself is generally useless. Buy what you want.

As for everyone that complains about PCs coming with a whole bunch of useless junk, try buying one not out of a box! If you can't build a computer yourself, find a bored nerd, give them $700 (still cheaper than a Mac) and they will have some fun, and you will have a bad ass machine. I had mine built for about $500 (sans keyboard, mouse, monitor, and speakers), and my computer trumps most Macs I've worked on.

And no you don't have to buy a bunch of crap to keep it running smooth. I have one program keeping it clean, which is free off the MS website. I haven't had a single issue since I had the computer built at Christmas.

Having a Mac won't make your work better, and having a PC isn't selling yourself short.

 

[Cinka]

I say yes!

I was a die-hard PC user for years. I endured countless problems and viruses and I did all the required (if not more) maintenance. I was also dating a computer tech at the time and my brother is in IT. I still had problems and was constantly updating one piece of hardware after another. In the long run, the PC ended up being more expensive than a Mac. New fans, new video cards, new speakers, constant pain.

Finally, I bought a Mac and have never been happier. Is it problem free? Pretty much. Sure, you get the occasional minor issue, but TVs and toasters get occasional minor issues too. The only problems I've had on my Mac (5 years now running strong) has been things I did to it myself on accident- that's where Time Machine is a life saver.

It's powerful, easy to use, you can use all your favorite PC programs, and you'll never look back on those dark PC days ever again. No appliance is fool-proof, but Mac is pretty damned close.