What’s so good about a Mac?
This is a serious question - I know there are a couple of Mac users who read this (thanks to the server logs) - I’ve been looking at Mac’s in the stores, but I’m trying to figure out why people say they’re better…
Apples latest adverts seem to suggest that the Mac is a better place for an Intel chip than a PC every was. Why? What makes the Mac so much better to use? I don’t want to go and spend a few hundred quid on a Mini (which seems to be the most economical way into the world of Mac - given that I could reuse my PC’s monitor etc) if I’m not going to get any benefit over my existing PC. I need to know that if I spend the money, I’ll get something “better” in some way - but I won’t lose out in other ways.
So I’m offering up this challenge - sell me on giving a Mac a go - pursuade me that I will benefit from making the switch. Please however don’t make your arguments based on security or viruses etc - tell me why it’s better to use for my day-to-day tasks.
Remember also that many of the so called “features” of MacOS (like Widgets or Expose) can be added to a Windows XP system with mimimal fuss - tools like Yahoo! Widgets (formerly Konfabulator) give similar functionality.
I will not let the comments turn into a Mac vs Wintel warzone - I want justified honest debate as to why a Mac is better.
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8 Responses to “What’s so good about a Mac?”
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When I said that Media Portal is “very bigger”, I meant “very buggy”….
Best thing about Macs, you can install Windows on them now.
I’ve recently bought a second hand Mac Mini (G4 1.42GHz CPU) just to have a tinker with as I was curious what they were like and how they ran like for like with PC software. I threw 1gb of ram in it, opening it was fun and games as there’s no screws in the pint sized box.
So far the only reason I have to fire the PC up is to burn DVD’s. Everything seems to run smoother and I can happily say I really don’t miss using the PC at all.
The new Intel Mac Mini, while being slightly more expensive than the original, now has a DVD burner and runs 4 times faster and contains all the software you’d reasonably want. If you had a Mac, there certainly wouldn’t be any need to run a Windows machine.
Except to play No Limits…
The comment about the screws…well, I don’t think the Mac Mini was ever designed to be opened and upgraded! It’s a fait accomplis. I think that’s the right phrase.
To answer Tom specifically, I’m not sure that anyone can give you reasons why you ought to switch. They’re only various forms of personal computer and you can do fundamental stuff on any platform equally well. What it boils down to is what you would want to do with a computer, whether your current system already does it all and you’re happy with the way it runs, whether any other platform provides what you want to do. And whether you’re concerned about good looks. And lots and lots of eye candy and animations that do actually enhance the experience rather than just annoying the hell out of you. And whether you’ve got a personal vendetta against Microsoft like what I have!
I’ve already decided (well, about 2 years ago really) that as soon as I can do it I will move away from Windows. Now, unfortunately, the choice has got more difficuly as previously there was only Linux in the equation.
One thing that’s catching my attention is the MIDI capability. Before being forced into the Windows world, I had an Atari ST and Falcon for years. Of course, MIDI ports were built-in and cheap high-quality dequencing software was available. Cubase started out life on Atari you know! PC’s don’t come with MIDI ports as standard, and at the time the attachments were expensive and there was no decent affordable sequencing software available. So I’ve not been able to use my keyboard for 4 years! There are now cheap plug-in MIDI interfaces, and various Linux distros have several different flavours of opensource sequencers thrown in. But Apple do have the most stylish MIDI dongle ever, and there is a music package pre-installed as part of iLife06….
Chris, I believe you can actually run NoLimits on a Mac…
I tihnk in my case, it’s just curiosity - like Steve - however I use and program PC’s at work and home - and have been using PC’s as my main PC for 13 years now… Maybe I’m just too ingrained in my ways to use a Mac - back then the Mac was clunky, black and white, and far too expensive… I know the modern macs are a world away from the old LCII’s I used at Uni.
I expect for my normal “day to day” use it wouldn’t matter - I’d only need the PC for my PDA really… (unless there’s an activesync client for the Mac too)
At the end of the day, I can’t be *too* anti MS - after all, I earn a living supporting stuff on Windows!
Yes you can run no limits on a MAC but I believe you need a different licence from the one on your PC.
Opening the Mini was fine in practice, it just looks scary. Once you’ve done it a couple of times you don’t even break out in to a sweat doing so! LOL.
I’m looking at buying an internal dvd writer for my mini, you can get them for around £70 which is a lot cheaper than my first DVD writer I’ll tell ya - I think I paid Pioneer’s R&D costs!
I would say if you could find a cheap second hand Mac Mini buy it. Grab a KVM switch and hide the whole lot under the desk and enjoy.
Having been a Mac user since the early nineties, I think every machine has its place. Mac OS for productivity; Linux for hacking; and Windows for Solitaire.
Okay, maybe that wasn’t entirely serious on my part, but I spend my working day dealing with Windows, and when I get home I want something that just works. The Mac fits the bill perfectly, and the 30″ display on my desk is great for watching DVDs