Advantages to owning a Mac?

Scorch

Scorch

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I played around with a friend's macbook the other day and it was cool. Everything seemed streamlined, I loved the widgets, I loved the all-in-one messengers.. it was pretty cool. I'm considering getting one.

Does anyone here own a macbook? What are the advantages over a normal notebook running windows?

I'm a little hesitant to make the jump, mainly because I'm familiar with Windows and all of the games I already own are for PC. To switch over would mean buying all new copies of games (Have you seen the prices of Mac games? They never freakin go down) and learning the OS all over again. In terms of everything being streamlined/"looking cool", I could just run an Aston shell and customize Windows to how I want it to look.

Any advice?
 
I made the switch 4 years ago and haven't looked back. However, keep in mind I don't play computer games.

The OS isn't that hard to get used to, and overall seems a lot more stable than Windows.

If it means anything to you, I'll say what I tell everyone, "My brother and all his engineering friends use macs."
 
The best thing I've noticed is stability - there are virtually no viruses/spyware/malware issues with my Mac. The Mac OS is surprisingly user friendly (once you get around the fact that you can't right-click), and the former Mac/Windows compatibility issues aren't a problem anymore with the Intel chips.

I can't speak from experience, but if you've got a fairly fast Mac and you're looking to play PC games, you could always try running BootCamp or Parallels to boot your Mac in Windows mode.
 
I like Macs, but haven't made the switch as it's just too much hassle transferring files back and forth from PC to Mac, needing to acquire 2 versions of all the statistical software I use for work etc. Not feasible for me since the main use of my home computers is working at home.

But the OS is nice, there's less viruses and spyware, etc. etc. so they are a nice option for a home computer for people who don't need to work on a PC at work and at home.

Gaming I have no idea as I don't play computer games.
 
Mostly less viruses and spyware since Mac takes up like 5% of the market. My sister just got one because it came with an ipod touch, rebates, printer, etc. Personally though, I'll stick with PC since I consider myself a safe PC user. Most of the advantages, or rather, differences are usually within the OS. If you like Mac OSX and it's various media oriented programs, then go for it. Personally, having been brought up as a Windows user, I demand too much functionality to switch over to Mac just yet.

On a side note, I also ran Ubuntu which is based off debian. I believe Mac OSX is also based off debian. I found many similarities between the two, but with Mac OSX centered around mainstream use. I'd say try Ubuntu if you have the time, it's very similar to Mac.

I won't go into the disadvantages since you oddly haven't asked for them.

There are all in one messengers in Windows as well. Widgets, I'm not too familiar with, but I'm sure there is an equivalent in Windows.

You can also dual boot with their Boot Camp software. I have no idea how that works, but it'll be much better than usuing an emulator.
 
You can right click if you have a desktop or get a desktop mouse for your MacBook. But yea I'm a Mac guy too. I'm still lugging around a 3 year old iBook G4 so I have no Intel chip for the glory of Windows. I'm doing fine still and able to run heavy programs like Adobe CS3 and Final Cut Pro.

I sure could use an upgrade though. My battery is practically useless now, always have to be plugged to a wall and even my casing has a small crack. I've been eyeing a MacBook Pro for a long time now, though it can be hard to pull the trigger on these things with the constant updates. Don't get a notebook if you don't need it. My brother has an iMac and I believe it was relatively cheap versus the notebooks. He plays tons of games on his too but I don't know too much about it.
 
On my friend's, you could right click by holding down fn and clicking the mouse. I think it was fn, anyway. It took a bit of getting used to.

Regarding bootcamp, could that run all of my PC games? It seems like it'd be unstable as hell.

I did like the OS a lot.. it seemed very stable. I dunno, it's hard to justify the purchase since they're so expensive, a lot more so than a normal laptop. Ideally, I'd like to get a macbook pro, but those are like $2G.

The one I was looking at was the one on sale this past week at Best Buy..

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...03478&lp=1&type=product&cp=1&id=1199495905548
 
[quote name='DarkSageRK']Macs are good if you don't understand computers.

If you like being trendy though, go for it.[/QUOTE]

:roll: I can't stand comments like this, and it's why I mentioned my brother. Yes, computer engineers have no knowledge of computers. I'm not trying to say it's the computer choice for engineers, just that it's what all the engineers I know use.
 
[quote name='seanr1221']:roll: I can't stand comments like this, and it's why I mentioned my brother. Yes, computer engineers have no knowledge of computers. I'm not trying to say it's the computer choice for engineers, just that it's what all the engineers I know use.[/QUOTE]

While it may be the computer of choice for engineers, it is also the computer of choice for rich hipsters. So both comments should stand.
 
If you're going to get a Mac, look for a student discount or something like that first. If that doesn't apply, buy it from MacMall or somewhere else so you don't get raped with tax.
 
[quote name='Scorch']On my friend's, you could right click by holding down fn and clicking the mouse. I think it was fn, anyway. It took a bit of getting used to.

Regarding bootcamp, could that run all of my PC games? It seems like it'd be unstable as hell.

I did like the OS a lot.. it seemed very stable. I dunno, it's hard to justify the purchase since they're so expensive, a lot more so than a normal laptop. Ideally, I'd like to get a macbook pro, but those are like $2G.

The one I was looking at was the one on sale this past week at Best Buy..

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...03478&lp=1&type=product&cp=1&id=1199495905548[/quote]
From my understanding, Bootcamp guides you through the process of dual booting, or installing another OS on your machine along side Mac OS X. So you can have one partition for Mac and another for say Windows.

As for your justification. It's really up to you, are you willing to learn a new OS (a fairly user friendly one), give up certain compatibility issues you had in windows, and will fully utilize the various Mac programs? I personally didn't fulfill the Mac program usage since I hardly make videos, art, etc. and I sure as hell missed many Windows programs whenever I would start up Ubuntu. I honestly think people are paying for the label when it comes to Mac, most of the time.

Oh yeah, came up with another advantage, usually the screen quality is better than most laptops.

And I stand corrected, it seems Mac and Ubuntu are just "unix-like". I don't believe Mac is based off debian.
 
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Personally, I've spent a lot of time with both. Since I've grown up with PCs I cannot get used to the shortcuts on Photoshop, etc. Copy and Paste functions are switched from ctrl and that drives me insane.

Also, I know people claim Macs are more streamlined, however every one I've used has functioned like crap compared to an XP machine that is running the classic GUI.
 
[quote name='Scorch']On my friend's, you could right click by holding down fn and clicking the mouse. I think it was fn, anyway. It took a bit of getting used to.[/quote]
Its actually ctrl ;)

But yea check out the pricing directly from Apple store, you could get a student discount thats usually fairly decent. They also put up refurbs on their website.
 
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[quote name='Sofa King Kool']Pros: You get to high five your Mac friends when you see one of those smug Mac commercials.[/quote]

Thanks, you convinced me to get a mac! That's exactly what I wanted to do!
 
[quote name='Mr Unoriginal']While it may be the computer of choice for engineers, it is also the computer of choice for rich hipsters. So both comments should stand.[/quote]

[quote name='seanr1221']:roll: I can't stand comments like this, and it's why I mentioned my brother. Yes, computer engineers have no knowledge of computers. I'm not trying to say it's the computer choice for engineers, just that it's what all the engineers I know use.[/quote]
I'm assuming those engineers you know are rich hipster engineers. Mac OS X has an "advanced mode" or terminal just like many Linux distros, where knowing terminal commands is critical and both can be equally functional. However the main difference is usually a $2000 price tag. Most Linux distros are free as well and the support for their leading distro, Ubuntu is more than sufficient. And in terms of terminal, I would say Ubuntu's support is greater since their system isn't focus along the simple interface as Mac is.

I dunno, it would make sense to me to utilize a terminal based system that is most likely free, than use a system that can utilize terminal but is more focused on simplicity and costs much more. Well... assuming I want to focus on the terminal aspects.
 
I run a mac lab at LSUS, and as a professor I can say this, if you are into design (photoshop, dreamweaver( get a mac. If youare a hard-core gamer get a PC. You can run bootcamp and play almost any newer PC game. You simply reboot the machine as a windows based machine and install your game. We have run COD4 in our mac lab for about a year now with only one computer not working correctly.
 
first someone mentioned mac is "unix like" its darwin. It has a bsd backend.

Advantage at the moment for owning a mac is a rock solid operating system. Since macs were the minority for years they weren't targeted
for malware attacks. So you dont have to run a virus/malware scans every couple weeks. Its not because a mac is more secure...its just because no one cared to attack them. This will change in the next year just because of the mac's rapid growth.

bundled software like iLife is not found on windows. Dead simple but powerful tools to create your own movies, dvds, etc. finally time machine...everyone says they wanna backup data but never do, automative process which will back up. Then recovering the file you wanted is very simple even my mom can figure it out....but extremely powerful.

Most things on a mac are like that, things are very easy to figure out they really thought things through on user interface and functunatlity. if you are an advanced user, you will find xcode, w/ x11, gcc, to be very very useful.
 
[quote name='Oktoberfest']hey are mac laptops expected to die within a few years like windows-based laptops are? If not, I just might consider getting one...[/quote]

eh wha? i've got a presario notebook from like '97 that's still kicking. 133mhz and 16mb ftw :lol:

as for the topic at hand, all i've got to say is that if you have the money to spare, macs are probably the best option overall for notebooks. mac desktops however are just pointless
 
Here is the problem. Your trying to convince someone that apples actually taste better than banana's. Its really just pointless. This debate is so annoying because its as Chase stated worse than Religion versus Since with both sides lying their asses off and then getting offend as the other proceeds to do the same.

For the common person there is no no god damn difference between the two at all. You can do everything on a CPU that you can do on a mac you can do everything on a mac that you can do on the PC. But you will pay about 1.5x as much with a Mac because you are buying into being a cool douche bag hipster. And to be honest if you are already using a PC you might as well stay with it.

As much as people always debate this there really isnt a huge difference between the two. You will never find one to be a huge advantage over the other.


PC as way more popular and supports way more things. Yes it has more spy ware, viruses, maleware etc but if you dont know how to protect yourself from those by now you shouldnt even bother getting either because your obviously to god damn stupid to operate it in the first place.
 
I have the macbook pro 2.5ghz and I really enjoy it. It was alot but it is also super stable and a great performer. I do play PC games and when I want to play one I just boot into Win XP Pro which I installed using bootcamp, all the apple drivers which installed automatically work great. Battery life is also great any my only complaint is that I too wish it would be cheaper, but it is so much better than the last couple PC Laptops I had (Which were IBM Thinkpads and Sony Viaos).
 
If you are going to get a notebook and have the cash go for a macbook, Ill have to agree with the others. Most Mac desktops are overpriced and over rated.
 
[quote name='cdrober']I have the macbook pro 2.5ghz and I really enjoy it. It was alot but it is also super stable and a great performer. I do play PC games and when I want to play one I just boot into Win XP Pro which I installed using bootcamp, all the apple drivers which installed automatically work great. Battery life is also great any my only complaint is that I too wish it would be cheaper, but it is so much better than the last couple PC Laptops I had (Which were IBM Thinkpads and Sony Viaos).[/quote]

Have you ever had any issues running Windows XP Pro under bootcamp or compatibility issues? How much space does it take up? I'm looking to install quite a few games onto it (Deus Ex, Max Payne, Hitman, HL2/TF2, etc).. It's definitely more tempting to get a Mac now if I can run both OS's.
 
Advantages? The craftsmanship on Mac lappies, especially the pros, is simply exquisite. Even Torvalds and waves of die hard Linux heads will admit this and buy the book even though those guys are running Linux on it. The OS and Mac specific software is relatively streamlined and simple to use. There are lots of little flairs and touches that show attention to detail. One of particular interest of me is that fonts are rendered closer to how they look in print rather than with attention to how they display on the screen. If you're into design at all this is hugely important. The inductive charger, backlit keyboard, etc. are all nice but I truly dislike the Mac keyboard and mouse. Macs also hold their value over the long term which is a nice bonus.

Cons? Well first there's the obvious backlash from people who think the Mac is a pure hipster machine. There's also a very limited amount of atermarket hardware available for the Mac in comparison to the PC market. In addition, the aforementioned 'streamlining' of Mac software prevents you from tweaking and fine-tuning various components of your OS. If you're just using the book for surfing, office and design work this is not a problem. The point of entry is also much higher than the PCs as well and if you're buying a Mac you want to go with something towards the higher end of the spectrum.
 
I'm making the switch...my current PC notebook is not aging well at all and its only about two and a half years old. While my friends' 4 year old+ mac notebooks are still running like champs with virtually no freezing, overheating, stalling, input lag, 15 minutes waits for OSX to load, etc. i.e. it still does perfectly all the things that the people who bought them intended to use them for. My desktop will always be PC though, for gaming.

As for advantages, the streamlined interface, portability, battery life, and longevity of the hardware configuration vs. the purposes one gets a macbook are all things that made me make the switch.

Scorch, depending on how close you are to buying a macbook, you may want to consider a few things:

1. The free ipod deal ends on 9/15...if you're in school, you can get a free 8gb touch or up to $200 off on a larger model if you buy a notebook.

2. There are heavy rumors that the macbook line is going to get refreshed in October. One big rumor is that regular macbooks are supposed to get the aluminum cases that the pros currently have. Seems that apple is phasing out white glossy plastic (thankfully.)

Bide your time 'till the October conference (rumored to be on October 14th.)
 
First off, I am really disappointed it took less than page for the trolls to come out.

I just bought a Macbook Pro (I had been a windows user for about 12 years prior to this and built my own PC three times) about a month ago and so far I have to once had the urge to sit at Starbucks and be a douchebag. Bootcamp works great I only had one driver issue with the sound card but found a solution in the apple support forums no problem. It does a fantastic job of streamlining the process of setting up a dual-boot system for those that are not inclined towards that kind of stuff. The included software is nice, I've really been enjoying iPhoto and iMovie. The dock is very nice as is the dashboard - I use both frequently. Leopard did not take me much time at all to get acquainted with I found it reasonably intuitive. As someone said above the design quality of the Macbooks is really nice. The casing on the Macbook Pro feels very solid. I have been doing some gaming on my Macbook Pro and havent had any issues yet, I play CoD4 and The Sims 2 frequently in bootcamp and Spore natively in Leopard and they all run great. So far I have been very happy with my Mac purchase and would definately consider one in the future.

Also on the topic of right clicking. On the macbook pro you just tap the track pad with two fingers instead of one to right click. You can also just use a normal mouse, I use a logitech wireless MX Revolution with mine.
 
The only reason to get an Apple computer is MacOS X. There is no other reason.

I have a Macbook Pro, for over 2 years now.

If you don't care whether you have Linux, MacOS X, or Windows I would get a business class Dell or Thinkpad notebook.
 
[quote name='ninja dog']
2. There are heavy rumors that the macbook line is going to get refreshed in October. One big rumor is that regular macbooks are supposed to get the aluminum cases that the pros currently have. Seems that apple is phasing out white glossy plastic (thankfully.)

Bide your time 'till the October conference (rumored to be on October 14th.)[/quote]

Thisssssssssss. A free ipod is a nice touch but a newer book is much nicer. Everyone I've known who has bought right before a refresh has always felt burned and been pissy thereafter. Wait for that refresh to make your decision.
 
I've heard rumors about a refreshed line coming out soon, too. I'm not worried about the free ipod touch deal as I already have a 16gb. Thanks for commenting, magiic. Sims 2 was actually one I was wanting to run in bootcamp.

As for "why game on a laptop".. It's not so much that I'm looking to game on a laptop, but I figured if I'm going to get a laptop for other purposes, it may as well be able to play the games I already own.

I guess I'll wait for the refresh line.. it gives me a lot of time to save up, too. Maybe the refreshed line will have Macbook Pro's a bit cheaper than $1900.
 
[quote name='Scorch']As for "why game on a laptop".. It's not so much that I'm looking to game on a laptop, but I figured if I'm going to get a laptop for other purposes, it may as well be able to play the games I already own. [/QUOTE]

You ought to save whatever extra money you were going to spend on a gaming laptop and put that towards desktop upgrade.

Save the laptop for whatever you were originally buying it for and emulation (if you really have to game on the go)
 
I can see the advantage of a Mac for a laptop, since the vast majority of Windows-based laptops I've used are complete and utter shit. OSX feels a lot more solid by comparison. For a desktop computer, that's not the case, but if you want something portable, getting a Mac wouldn't be a bad move, and you can dual-boot Windows should you feel the need.
 
On the topic of "why game on a notebook" I am going to New Zealand to travel around for 9 months and obviously a desktop isnt really an option.
 
I hate Macs with a passion but I do have enough balls to admit that there are no real differences between Macs and PCs functionally...

Really its a choice on personal tastes...

(One more personal note, since I use Softimage...that program will not run on Macs so its even more of a no brainer that I am a PC user)
 
[quote name='magiic']On the topic of "why game on a notebook" I am going to New Zealand to travel around for 9 months and obviously a desktop isnt really an option.[/QUOTE]

just bring a DS or a PSP :D

I've learned that laptop gaming isn't really worth the extra cost
 
[quote name='Scorch']Have you ever had any issues running Windows XP Pro under bootcamp or compatibility issues? How much space does it take up? I'm looking to install quite a few games onto it (Deus Ex, Max Payne, Hitman, HL2/TF2, etc).. It's definitely more tempting to get a Mac now if I can run both OS's.[/quote]

I've never had any issues but so far I've just played Civ IV and some games on steam like HL2 and such. You can make the partition as big as you want (I made mine 32GB). My macbook pro came with the 512 MB Video Card so it plays all those games like a champ. As for how much space XP takes up...it is around 6 or 7 GB I believe, but I'm not really sure. Right now on my 32 GB partition I got all the HL2 games (including CS: Source), the entire ID Pack that was on sale last week, Civ IV Gold, and a couple others. I am getting nearly full but I also am using external hdds for any overflow. maybe you can do an even split on the HDD then (I got a 250 GB drive so that would be 125 mac, 125 windows).
 
[quote name='Xevious']I hate Macs with a passion but I do have enough balls to admit that there are no real differences between Macs and PCs functionally...[/quote]

Negative. That is far, far too broad a statement to be able to back up. For commonplace tasks (browsing, e-mail, desktop apps) this may hold true but once you delve into the world of specialized applications this won't hold up.
 
There is no advantage to using a Mac. Use what OS you want. I personally use Arch Linux and Vista 64 bit. I run OSX in a virtual environment, and find nothing special, other than it's default GUI looks funny :|
 
If you want to game, you're likely going to need to get a MBP, as the standard MB only has those crummy Intel integrated GPUs, while the MBPs have at least a Nvidia chip I think. It's been a while since I looked that them.

I wanted to get one at the end of school, but good heavens are they expensive. The ability to run any Windows or Mac application is nice, but there just wasn't reason for me to do so. Parallels is some amazing stuff though, running Windows apps within the Mac OS, and even having a Windows screen and a Mac screen if you've got two monitors, with the ability to drag and drop things from the Mac side to the Windows side and vice-versa.

In the end, I'd second the suggestion above. Go to Dell or IBM. For the same price you'll get a way better and more customized machine (why can't I get MacBook specs with a 15.4" screen?).
 
[quote name='Soodmeg']Here is the problem. Your trying to convince someone that apples actually taste better than banana's. Its really just pointless. This debate is so annoying because its as Chase stated worse than Religion versus Since with both sides lying their asses off and then getting offend as the other proceeds to do the same.

For the common person there is no no god damn difference between the two at all. You can do everything on a CPU that you can do on a mac you can do everything on a mac that you can do on the PC. But you will pay about 1.5x as much with a Mac because you are buying into being a cool douche bag hipster. And to be honest if you are already using a PC you might as well stay with it.

As much as people always debate this there really isnt a huge difference between the two. You will never find one to be a huge advantage over the other.


PC as way more popular and supports way more things. Yes it has more spy ware, viruses, maleware etc but if you dont know how to protect yourself from those by now you shouldnt even bother getting either because your obviously to god damn stupid to operate it in the first place.[/quote]

This. You've already made it clear what you're leaning towards however.
 
With a Mac, you never have to deal with that stupid fucking hourglass, as it never has to load. You never have to deal with viruses. You never have to deal with a delay between clicking the mouse and seeing it on the screen. You never have to deal with the BSOD. And, as an added bonus, it looks ridiculously awesome. And, if for some odd reason, you need Windows, install XP and dual-boot.
 
Get a Mac if you like overpriced hardware... lack of misc software... and have a Napoleon complex! (Sorry in advance to any Napoleons!)

Seriously I hate the closed natured aspect of Macs. I think it is a piss poor business practice. Without windows we would all still be paying 3 to 4k plus for personal computing devices. Say what you want about the Balmer and Gates freakshow but they have enabled the dream of a computer in every household. Jobs would have never accomplished this with his business plan.

Long live choice! Vivia the dream!
 
[quote name='Access_Denied']With a Mac, you never have to deal with that stupid fucking hourglass, as it never has to load. You never have to deal with viruses. You never have to deal with a delay between clicking the mouse and seeing it on the screen. You never have to deal with the BSOD. And, as an added bonus, it looks ridiculously awesome. And, if for some odd reason, you need Windows, install XP and dual-boot.[/quote]Never has to load? I've worked on plenty of Macs that had to load. Sounds like you've used some poorly maintained PCs if they're running that poorly.
 
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