MAC- vs- Windows

I was out this past weekend looking at new PC’s.

Can someone out there in computerland steer me in the right direction.

Just a plumber lost in technology

What do you plan on using the computer for? It is like trying to suggest the right rod without knowing your intended technique for the rod.

FDR

BTW – I am a MAC guy. But I don’t think that everyone “NEEDS” a MAC.

FDR

it really depends….don’t take this the wrong way but i tend to steer the non tech saavy towards macs. they for the most part are idiot proof. i’m a pc guy but i also know how to avoid the pitfalls of a pc.

I have both and agree with hnd.

…and I prefer Mac because of the reasons above!

I’ve never used my “Phone a friend” option on a Mac. Well, once I had trouble making my first video…but besides that..nutten.

With the pc’s I’ve used it a couple times.

I have to keep a pc handy because LakeMaster Contour Pro isn’t made for a Mac…yet.

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I have to keep a pc handy because LakeMaster Contour Pro isn’t made for a Mac…yet.

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BK, won’t this fix you problem?

http://www.parallels.com/products/desktop/

They are not completely idiot proof, but are a close as can be. I will also add, that in SOME applications, they are better than a PC. Not talking Word or Excel.

FDR

I’m running XP on my Mac, works slick for those programs that are only in PC (my ancient garmin gps, a radio scanner, etc).
Mac is a good whole family box with a forte in audio/video, which is what we use most.

I have used both and taught both. I use a MAC now in the publishing world but have always thought they are better machines. Again, it depends on usage, but just things like viruses etc and the ease of use make the MACS great. My son in law is tech guy for school system and finds he spends 90% of time working on the PC’s. Not sure how they compare for cost now days??

My family loves the MAC! So user friendly and has all the items my kids use and has helped me be a better fan of computers! Worth the extra money as no annual renewal for virus and spyware programs. Apple is truely an innovative company and it shows! No more Windows for me. My 68yr old mother just got an IMAC and is creating slide shows, movies etc.

there is a reason that MAC’s are only used in 6-12% of the businesses in this country.

bottom line, if they were so superior, and cost effective, more places would be using them.

You may like a MAC better at your house, but if your business depended on your computer system, I would guarantee you would have a Windows environment in place.

Yes i’m in the industry, and i’ve worked with both.

PCs with Windows 7 and the Mac are both good systems. Much of the software for PCs can be gotten for free and the hardware for PCs is much less expensive (usually about half price). If you are unskilled in setting up and maintaining computers, then I would go with whatever your knowledgeable friends recommend. That way they can give you advice when needed.

I personally have 3 PC systems with Windows 7 and have not had a problem since I bought them a year ago. I personally don’t know anyone who could help me if I had a Mac, but do know several people who could help me with a PC should I ever need help.

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bottom line, if they were so superior, and cost effective, more places would be using them.

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…and I hope they never get more than 12% of the market.

My 85 year old mother’s been using one for over 10 years. Loves it!

Dave, I would help you with your Mac…but you won’t need it.

Once you go Mac you will never go back:)

I prefer VM Fusion to run windows on my Mac. I had Parallels a few years back and I had issues with it but VM Fusion has been great. Love the Mac!

We’re crawling out of the woodwork!

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Dave, I would help you with your Mac…but you won’t need it.

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Heavy Mac user here… I don’t know where guys get the ideas that Macs are problem free and indestructible. I’ve owned two NEW mac book pro laptops this year. This summer in fact. For a total of 2.5 weeks between the two. Fried logic boards in both caused by overheating. Total data loss on one. The other I was able to take apart, rescue the drive, and save the data.

I’ve replaced power supplies and fans in my Mac Pro and still can’t keep my firewire 400 and 800 ports from shorting out on the front of the case. $300 a time to fix those.

Father in law owns a mac book laptop. He gets OS lockups so often he only uses it for email.

And across the room my 5 year old PC laptop keeps whirring along. Bought it for $400 from Tiger Direct. Never an issue.

Macs aren’t bad computers. Far from it. Most of the time they work very well. But they’re certainly not perfect either.

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But they’re certainly not perfect either.

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Popped my bubble!

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it really depends….don’t take this the wrong way but i tend to steer the non tech saavy towards macs. they for the most part are idiot proof. i’m a pc guy but i also know how to avoid the pitfalls of a pc.

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I like that Idiot Proof I idea.

In my own opin ion I believe i am above that level

I have had both and have not had any major problenms with either one, this will be our 4th computer purchase.
I really liked the previous MAC we had. The reason we went with a windows based PC was for the kids and their school work.
So now I have to work on the wife about going back to a MAC.

I gues I was hoping for some suggestions about software use and the limits that we may run into buy buying a MAC.

i sell network security to school districts and 1/2 the districts are macs i find. everything a teacher or student touches will generally be a mac in the “mac” districts. everything administration uses will be pc. that is because the software is better, it caters to a work environment better.

don’t be fooled. we sell virus/spyware/malware protection to “mac” schools quite constantly. there aren’t many viruses for macs but there is certainly a huge amount of vulerabilities and malware that can get on your mac. just last week we had a school call and order us because of malware on a lab of macs that were sending out a million spam messages a minute.

in my home? pc. i had a macbook but it kept freezing (like my dad and brothers told me it would) and apple’s support is the worst.

idiotproof comes with a price. there is very little in the way of troubleshooting a mac problem. you basically just reboot and hope it doesn’t happen again.

i’ve owned my own pcs for 10 years now and that mac was the most unreliable computer of the 5 computers i’ve owned.

The people behind some companies like Apple, E-Tec, Harley-Davidson Motorcycles, etc. are very sharp. They have somehow convinced people to be super loyal to their products and it does not matter if the products are better or worst than the competitions. Building a super loyal customer base is a key to success.

So true Dave.

It’s hard to get a person that started on a Mac to switch. Much easier to get a pc person to move to Mac.

Even easier before windows, when Apples only alternative was DOS!

Well done guys these Mac vs PC threads normally go astray.

PC All Day here for the many reasons mentioned above!…

I’ve always said that Macs come with a smug tax.

Where’s Jared? I can’t believe he hasn’t chimed in.

As a developer, I’ll stick to a PC. As much as I rib Macs, I have no real problems with the machines I have used for work in the past. Of course, none of that work involved development sans the Macbook where I ran Windows virtually.

so many comments I want to make about some of the previous post. I’ll save james the additional 10 fish bucks, and just tell you what I think.

They are both Great, and they both suck. nicest way I can put it. if this is going to be used mainly for word processing, and balancing the monthly budget,some internet browsing, and e-mail I would say PC. Not because they are any better at it then mac, but because if and when anything should go wrong, you will have a much easier time getting back up and running for a fraction of the cost.

If you are going to be using it more for internet, email, music, photos and movies. MAC all the way.It’s what they do. They make hands down the best screen around for a computer, and for the people using them for any type of photo or movie work I bet they wouldn’t disagree. hands down they are built for entertaining, and multi media.

However Deep down I think each company is just as bad as the other, just the one that gives you a shiny package,