iMac vs. PC??

[freefallfreak 0]

I know this has probably been brought up a million times but can someone with a little sense tell me the benefits of owning an iMac over a PC? I'm tired of putting up with the mess on this computer of mine and although I know it's a bit higher priced, is an iMac worth the money to keep spam/viruses, etc under control? Is it any different to operate and if so, will I have to learn everything all over again?

TripleF

"Upon seeing the shadow of a pigeon, one must resist the urge to look up."

[quade 3]

Start here:
http://www.apple.com/support/switch101/

They make the switch about as painless as imaginable and way more painless than anything you've ever dealt with at Microsoft.

Unless you are paid to deal with it, I don't think putting up with Microsoft's bullshit is worth it.

If you want simplicity and stuff that you can just plug in and it works, go Mac.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[freefallfreak 0]

Thanks quade. This notebook I've got is driving me nuts and I am pretty PC illiterate. That site looks pretty easy to navigate around. Next stop is Birmingham and the Apple store.

TripleF

"Upon seeing the shadow of a pigeon, one must resist the urge to look up."

[SkyBastard 0]

if you're computer illiterate go mac. otherwise pc is best.

i have never had a virus. but then, i was in IT for ten years, i prefere pc because of the much wider choice in terms of hardware, performance, scalability, price, compatability etc etc

Dude #320
"Superstitious" is just a polite way of saying "incredibly fucking stupid".
DONK!

[DSE 3]

And I use both.
If you are task-oriented, I'd go PC simply because a lot of apps don't run on Macs, none of the new cameras are native to Mac.
If you're not using specialized software and/or you're not using the newer camcorders.... then I wouldn't worry about it and get a Mac. OS is better looking, most things are simply better designed and easier to use.
Or, get a Mac Pro system and run both Windows and OSX (what I do).

[quade 3]

Quote

Or, get a Mac Pro system and run both Windows and OSX (what I do).

DSE, of course, already knows this, but for freefallfreak . . .

Which is almost everything but the lowest end Macs. If there are a few programs that you absolutely can not live without, ARC GIS for example, then it's fairly trivial to boot up Windows on a Mac. However, the reverse is not possible at all.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[squirrel 0]

I have a nearly 6 year old Powerbook G4...it very very rarely crashes, that alone is why I have a Mac. But we also have a PC to navigate and work on the Multiple Listing Service, and bank REO (REPOs) websites....mac seems to hang on these old school web sites.

So with a newer Mac running windows, I wonder if we could do what the PC can, at a reasonable speed. But then again, I get refurbed IBM laptops for $350 or so, and just toss (recycle) them after a couple of years, so the cost may prove better to stay with a expendable PC for the daily grind work.

________________________________
Where is Darwin when you need him?

[TiaDanger 0]

I was a PC user until I went to graduate school. My advisor is a Mac lover and gave all his grad students Macs. Now, I will never go back to a PC.

One reason that Apple tends to run better:
Apple makes the Mac computer as well as the running system (OSX), so they communicate better you have fewer problems with the system. On any given PC, the PC could be made by Sony, Dell, HP etc., but the running system is Microsoft...two different companies trying the best they can to work together. Most times its fine, but there seem to be many problems with computer/running system communication, and you have to either be forced out of programs, or restart your computer all together.

Like others have said, Apple is based on simplicity, which IMO, is much better than flashy programs and commands.

Hope this helps. In no way am I a computer guru, but I love my mac!

And for the record: the appropriate ranking of cool modes of transportation is jet pack, hover board, transporter, Batmobile, and THEN giant ant.
D.S. #8.8

[Jewels 0]

I've always had PCs but my husband is a Mac guy. He bought me a Mac this fall and I've had very little trouble making the switch. That's partly because he has taken over and helped me along the way, but it hasn't required a tremendous amount of effort, either. You can buy a series of classes from the Mac store, so if you're close enough to get there easily, it might make sense to invest in those.

The two most difficult adjustments for me have been switching things up to display lists instead of everything being icon-driven and learning to close out programs. (You actually have to quit the programs instead of just closing the window with the little red dot at the top of the page.) I'd say that's not a bad transition!

Good luck! Let us know what you get!

TPM Sister #102

[Phosphorus8 0]

I've always liked PC but just started a job in July where everything is done on Mac's they are great, definitely user friendly. The only problem I had switching is everything is SO overly simple after using a PC

"Well behaved women rarely make history" - Marilyn Monroe

[freefallfreak 0]

Thanks, ya'll. It looks like Monday I'm headed to the Mac store. It's only 2 hours away and I'm now looking forward to the drive. I'm so tired of f***ing with this PC it's just unbelievable, so Mac here I come. The one I'm looking at is called iMac, has a 20 inch screen and reminds me of a notebook except it's a desktop. Everything is built into the screen/monitor and it has no tower. I really don't like the keyboard but they told me that I could use any USB plugin keyboard, getting rid of the tower system and that gives me more room on my desk to clutter up, lol. Thanks again, Ya'll.

TripleF

"Upon seeing the shadow of a pigeon, one must resist the urge to look up."

[Phosphorus8 0]

Yeah that's the type we use at work. Still weirds me out that there is no tower!

"Well behaved women rarely make history" - Marilyn Monroe

[freefallfreak 0]

Now, that got me to wondering. My thoughts? Is this unit a laptop converted to a desktop with just a stand of some sort, or is it an honest to goodness desktop?

TripleF

"Upon seeing the shadow of a pigeon, one must resist the urge to look up."

[quade 3]

While just about all Mac products share certain core technologies, no, it's definitely not just a converted laptop!

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[freefallfreak 0]

Hey quade,
Thanks again. That was something about the particular design that I needed answered. I really don't want another laptop.

TripleF

"Upon seeing the shadow of a pigeon, one must resist the urge to look up."

[Shell666 0]

Quote

Now, that got me to wondering. My thoughts? Is this unit a laptop converted to a desktop with just a stand of some sort, or is it an honest to goodness desktop?

TripleF

It's an honest to goodness desktop! I had one and LOVED it. Needed a laptop so bought a MacBook.

Try the keyboard out before you switch to another one. I thought I wouldn't like it either (I'm used an ergonomic one at work) but I found I really liked the iMac keyboard.

Have fun!

'Shell

[jcd11235 0]

Quote

Now, that got me to wondering. My thoughts? Is this unit a laptop converted to a desktop with just a stand of some sort, or is it an honest to goodness desktop?

TripleF

It is mostly made with desktop parts, but the Core 2 Duo models use mobile processors for energy savings. I'm not sure about the new i5 or i7 models. I don't believe Apple has ever shipped desktop Core 2 processors in any machine.

Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

[Will_Evo 0]

Unless you are a gamer, and or deal with very large files, Mac is the way to go. I have a Mac book pro, and its lasted me through an Iraq deployment and beyond. I can honestly say it has crashed MAYBE twice in the past 3 years, and I have not had a single virus. Gotta love a product that actually does what it is advertised to do.


-Evo

Zoo Crew

[Andy0689 0]

I switched over a couple of years ago and there is a bit of a learning curve. It's not painful though and I don't even miss the software that I used on PC that I haven't invested in for Mac.

It was well worth the switch for me. I don't know of anyone who has switched and regretted it. You'll like it... Trust me!

Andy
I'll believe it when I see it on YouTube!

[FlyingJ 0]

Consider refurbished units too. I bought mine refurbed from the apple online store (w an educational discount) for a decent chunk less than retail. Came w warranty and bought the apple care on top of it. Something to think about!

Killing threads since 2004.

[minmal 0]

ok your main choice of mac vs pc

pc heeps more software heeps more choice

mac no choice you do what they say

pc hardware same as mac hardware

pc can get virus and spyware

mac can get virus and spyware

microsoft owns Direct X

mac owns nothing but the EUL on a UNIX like kernel with a pretty UI

end of the day pc is a better choice. but hell buy a mac need more of them out their so they are worth hacking

Just for the critics

It is of the opinion of Charlie Miller, a well known Mac security guru, that even Snow Leopard, the latest version of Mac OS X, isn't as safe as Windows.

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/hack-windows-security-snow-leopard,8704.html

[murrays 0]

Quote

Consider refurbished units too. I bought mine refurbed from the apple online store (w an educational discount) for a decent chunk less than retail. Came w warranty and bought the apple care on top of it. Something to think about!

You won't be able to get a refurbed new model with the 21.5" screen for quite a while as they were just released last week.

For the amount you'd save on a 20" refurb over the new 21.5" LED backlit screen....I'd go with the new model.

--
Murray

"No tyranny is so irksome as petty tyranny: the officious demands of policemen, government clerks, and electromechanical gadgets." - Edward Abbey

[kingbunky 3]

...and the best part about owning a mac (for a tech person), whenever someone comes to you with a windows problem, you can tell them you don't know about windows any more.

a couple of other points

-you CAN run osx on a windows machine. pystar (i think that's it) has been selling hackintoshes for awhile and now sells a $50 piece of software that lets you install osx.

-there are several options for running windows programs on a mac. i've used parallels and bootcamp. parallels lets you run windows in a window within osx. this worked fine until i needed to grab a usb port (for alti-2's nmu). another option is bootcamp. this is just a boot manager that lets you select an os on boot, windows or osx (maybe linux?) and go from there. that gives you a full windows machine with full control over the hardware. the nmu (and the irda usb adapter) work fine.

-another note on multiple os's, it works on pretty much any intel based mac. i'm running bootcamp on a 3 year old macbook (windows xp) with no issues. one of the pc mags did a comparison a year or so ago and found that the fastest windows laptop was actually a macbook pro with bootcamp.

-you will pay more for similar specs, but you will get more for it (software) and have less hassles with it.

-sometimes, a mac isn't your best choice.

-prepare for the umbrella effect. before you know it, you'll have more apple products in your house. they just work so well together it's hard not to.

"Hang on a sec, the young'uns are throwin' beer cans at a golf cart."
MB4252 TDS699
killing threads since 2001

[HSPScott 0]

The new iMac http://www.apple.com/imac/specs.html

[ABerry83 1]

Once you go Mac, you'll never go back! And yes, NOW is a good time to buy...they just refreshed their iMac lineup a few days ago. Say goodbye to viruses, reformatting your computer, and reinstalling the OS (operating system) every year (or less)...you'll likely never have to do that if you get a Mac. They're super-stable and IMO, the only downside is the cost. If you really need Windows that bad, you can always use virtual machines like someone else was saying...I use VMWare Fusion and it costs like $50 + the cost of the Windows OS. You can do everything a PC can do and MORE with a Mac! That's my take!