To Apple or not to Apple~Opinions?

Well, I've just had a rather unsavoury experience with Microsoft which has left me leaning more and more towards having a Mac as my full-time machine (I have an iBook for development).  The basic gist of the MS problem was that because I bought a machine pre-installed with an OEM version of XP, and that same machine died which required a replacement of motherboard, video card and NIC card, and now the machine requires a BRAND NEW bloody copy of Windows as it's no longer the same machine on which we put the original OEM version of Windows -- according to MS technical support.

We bugger me ... I thought I bought a copy of Windows when I bought the machine, but obviously we didn't. 

And the real kicker?  I only wanted to reactivate Windows long enough to get some files off the machine before turning it into a Fedora Core 3 server.  I'll be damned if I'm shelling out yet more money to MS just to get some files off that machine.  Bugger that.

Can you tell I'm pissed?   

My suggestion is to go to Best Buy or an Apple Store and just spend a half-hour toying around with one of the demos.  I bet you'll be a convert before long.

FYI - - Best Buy doesn't carry Apple products or software.  CompUSA has a special Apple section staffed by a Mac Genius (Apple's job description - really!).  We've become quite chummy with our Mac Dude (as we refer to him) over the course of the last year or so.

Okay...time for a word from a PC user...hehe.
Switching means that any software you have will need to be replaced.
Many files won't be compatible either. This means you won't be able to open many of your old personal files and sharing files with others will often be a problem unless they also have a MAC.
You will have to learn to use a computer from scratch. MACs are very different in terms of the file system and where things end up on the drive.
Replacement parts have to be bought from Apple. You can't get generic ones, so upgrading and/or replacing parts costs more.

In the final analysis you really have to look at your primary uses though. If you are going to be dealing with the graphics community it makes sense to switch. If, however, you are going to be dealing with the business world keep to a PC. If you're a student you might want to ask the school to see if you'll have any compatibility issues with either for the school you're in.

In the final analysis you really have to look at your primary uses though. If you are going to be dealing with the graphics community it makes sense to switch. If, however, you are going to be dealing with the business world keep to a PC. If you're a student you might want to ask the school to see if you'll have any compatibility issues with either for the school you're in.

This isn't entirely true.  I work in the graphics world and can quite easily share files between platforms.  I've certainly been able to share Office files between the two platforms.

In the final analysis you really have to look at your primary uses though. If you are going to be dealing with the graphics community it makes sense to switch. If, however, you are going to be dealing with the business world keep to a PC. If you're a student you might want to ask the school to see if you'll have any compatibility issues with either for the school you're in.

That's a bit of the problem in making a firm decision. I am not in graphics, business or school. I don't have any software I can't live without. I don't game or keep a load of movies on my HD. (I am boring LOL) What I do need is reliability since this computer needs to last me a while and all the Mac users I know are rabid about how well they hold up. I am leaning pretty heavily toward a Mac at this point, but I do need to get myself into an Apple store and play with a few. I do love all the input!

This isn't entirely true.  I work in the graphics world and can quite easily share files between platforms.  I've certainly been able to share Office files between the two platforms.

I agree, Cait. As a graphic designer, I started out using Mac ... mostly because everyone told me too. But I later worked for a company which used stricly PCs, so I switched over and bought a PC of my own so I could work from home. I found no problems sharing files between platforms at all. Also, depending on where you're working, you might find PCs more common, even in the graphics field. Trends are different in different geographic parts of the US, and perhaps the same is true in the UK.

I still use a PC now because I got comfortable with them and after a few years, some Mac features stopped making sense to me. In terms of reliability, I think if you buy a known brand of computer with good reviews, you'll be OK -- regardless of whether it's a Mac or a PC.

worked both in graphics and went to school (and will be going in the UK shortly!) and work on a PC at work. I still love my mac and have had NO problems switching files back and forth. I don't miss any programs, but I'm not a gamer or a huge program person anyway. I went onto the apple site to buy mine and found great service and quick turnaround time.

Well, it was reliability which led us to purchase an iMac G4 which we use in the UK, and a PowerBook G4 to carry back and forth to the States.  They were not cheap, but we couldn't be happier.

I make my living on these computers, and I have never encountered a Safari browser compatibility problem which could not be solved by simply using Firefox instead.

Jim

FYI - - Best Buy doesn't carry Apple products or software.  CompUSA has a special Apple section staffed by a Mac Genius (Apple's job description - really!).  We've become quite chummy with our Mac Dude (as we refer to him) over the course of the last year or so.

Doh!  You're absolutely correct.  When I said Best Buy I was actually meaning to say Fry's.   

Doh!  You're absolutely correct.  When I said Best Buy I was actually meaning to say Fry's.   

Fry's!  How I miss that amazing store.  My husband says his favorite birthday present was the year we went to Fry's and I let him wander around as long as he wanted to.  I think we were there for over two hours. 

Sorry.  Back to topic....

Fry's!  How I miss that amazing store.  My husband says his favorite birthday present was the year we went to Fry's and I let him wander around as long as he wanted to.  I think we were there for over two hours. 

I knew people that worked for Frys in Wilsonville, OR. They said it was common practise to re-shrink wrap returns and put them back on the shelves...including defective returns. Last place I'd shop if I were taking my purchase out of the country.
My one experience with them was in buying a case with power supply. Lived far far away from their store, but had a friend drive me there. Found the right item on display and bought one that was in the box. When I got home it was a different item then was on display. When I had my friend drive me back to return it a mere two days later they ran me through the mill before agreeing to give my money back. Wanted to test it for defects first regardless of the fact that I wasn't returning it as defective. That was the LAST time I was in Frys.

I have also heard Fry's horror stories about the repackaging and how frustrating it is to return items. I bought a monitor there years ago and didn't have any problems luckily. Caveat emptor!

Out of curiosity, what web browser are you using?  I ask because I usually use Safari, but sometimes I can do what I need to if I use the evil Internet Explorer.  I can't pay my mortgage online with Safari, but I can with IE.  Same with the chatroom on UKY.

Safari.

Between Macs and PCs (btw, they are not MACs as MAC is an acronym for Media Access Control which is generally addresses for Ethernet devices) is based solely upon your expierences.  If you have been a PC user all your life and don't want to switch, stay with PCs.  If you are a PC user but are interested in trying something new, try Mac.. or Linux on the PC if your checkbook isn't too big.  If you are a Mac user and don't wish to switch, stay with the Mac.  etc etc etc

Basically, neither is better.. it's all your opinion on what to use.

I use both (have 4 PCs and 1 Mac)

ok, i am here to clear a few things up. for my background, i am a veteran mac user of many many years, and i have used pc's many more years than a mac. my personal prefrence is mac.

as far as switching, having to lose all of your personal files and such. 90% of your personal files will transfer over, even if you dont buy microsoft office you can open office and excel files in appleworks. as far as accessing certain websites, usually (on the mac) it has to do with your browser, i checked alot of those sites listed try downloading firefox from mozilla it will open most of those sites (all that I tried) if you are considering a mac, it is easier than it has ever been to switch, very user friendly file structure is the same you just have to get used to the viewing (you can change it to make it look like a pc, just no start menu, but you get the dock which i personally love). you may pay a bit more, but the up time is worth it, my powerbook i currently use i have had for 3 years, it has crashed once, and i use it hard with alot of media processing.