Feel bad about having never given Apple a chance even though I've hated my Windons-based machines for so so long. Maybe this is the time for me to finally give the Apple computers a shot.
You will never look back once you switch. If you need help with the type of machine right for you, just post your needs. You'll finally love your computer rather than hate it.
For a budget of upto $1000, what should I get? For a budget of upto $2000, what should I get? Or should I budget more? What's Apple's OS? TIA.
If you have nothing to add, but stupidity, maybe keep it to yourself It's obvious you've never been anything but a follower since you own a pc like drones of others. Enjoy your uncreative life, viruses, and adware and spyware my friend. I'll continue to be productive long after you figure out how to get that pc back up and running
Dreamer, besides budget....i meant what will you use it for? Budget is one thing, but knowing what you use your pc for now will help to find a good fit. Is it mainly email, surfing, and so forth or what exactly. I'd suggest going to www.apple.com and clicking the OSX tab to see the OS macs use. Light years beyond XP or anything Microsoft has to offer. Ignore the troll...he's stuck in the 80's with his pc.
I'm not using it for anything serious for now until I'm completely confident that it's the right choice. That said, if it proves really a superior machine to those damned Bill Gates junk machines, then I may buy a few for my office. By the way I used to laugh at those Mac lovers too. I had a suitemate in college who liked to show off his Mac. I found it pathetic and laughable. And then Bill Gates gave us Windows 98. So now with this good experience with ipod, I guess I've finally outgrown that Mac hating phase of my life. For the better I hope.
I switched just for the hell of it. I wanted to do something different and I haven't missed Windows once. I don't like XP very much -- all the updates, annoying popups, and that damn Office paperclip guy makes me want to commit crimes against small animals -- but it was really because I just wanted something different. The one thing about Macs is, the price isn't all that different if you look closely, but it still seems like all the little addons can get pricey (especially for the I-pod). MacUsers are like vegetarians - smug and morally superior which comes naturally when you stop an evil practice (I'm a meat eater).
I've had an imac, powerbook, and a few powermacs. It really depends on the power needs. I got my powermac for the dual processor and the use of photoshop, Digital performer (music), and Final Cut Pro. I could have easily gotten one of the new imacs with a G5 and been perfectly happy. I made my choice based on need...which turns out it's more than i need. If i had the powerbook thing to do over again. I'd probably be just as happy with an ibook. i really regret not getting the 12" ibook now, since i mostly use it for travel and the ibook would have been plenty of power and just as portable. If you are just starting out with mac you really can't go wrong with the imac or ibooks. They will do everything the average user wants. If you don't mind a bit ugly and want a cheaper choice..emacs are good machines, and should receive a revision soon. The one thing i'd suggest is at least 512mb of ram. If you buy through macmall they usually toss in extra ram for no charge or with a mail-in rebate. I've bought 2 machines through them with no issues. I've yet to have anyone I know make the switch and regret it. That's just my personal experience. The quality of the ipod and ease of use is a good example of what Apple is about.
Apple's latest OS is Mac OS X 10.3.6. Panther (10.4) is coming out in the first half of 2005. For a budget up to $1,000, you could get: eMac for $799 with DVD/CDRW and a 17" CRT screen eMac for $999 with DVD-RW/CDRW and a 17" CRT screen iBook for $999 laptop with DVD/CDRW and 12" LCD For a budget up to $2,000, you could get: iMac for $1299 with DVD/CDRW and a 17" LCD iMac for $1499 with DVD-RW/CDRW and a 17" LCD iMac for $1899 with DVD-RW/CDRW and a 20" LCD iBook for $1299 laptop with DVD/CDRW and 14" LCD iBook for $1499 laptop with DVD-RW/CDRW and 14" LCD You also get a ton of software with the consumer line of Apple's products. You'll love the integration of the iLife software. And you can even run Windows software if you had to under emulation like Virtual PC. I have always preferred Macs. I know, and use, Windows, but I always buy and recommend Macs. There is not one virus for Mac OS X. have fun, Tiago
Go to an Apple Store to try out the various models. Also, if you're just dipping your toe into the water, look for official refurbs from the online Apple Store, and SmallDog. Whatever you choose, just make sure you get enough ram for your needs.
Get an Apple IIe!!!!! You'll be able to play Miner 2049er! and Time Zone! That one's six 5 1/4" floppy disks! FRONT AND BACK! WOOOOOOOO!
I used PC's for 10+ years. A little over a year ago I bought a 15" Powerbook; the PC i built 18 months ago gets very little use now. I use the Powerbook exclusively now (except at work, gotta use the Dell). OSX is way better than any Windows OS. Its stable and intuitive. I've gone many weeks without a reboot. Its not perfect...I've had Apps hang BUT they have not caused OSX to fail (ie no blue screen effect). Its nice not to worry about adware/spyware and the latest virus. Thats NOT to say OSX is immune to such things, just that so far, no one has created and deployed a successful virus. Its mostly a numbers game (there are way more windows computers out there) at this point. I think you still have to be careful what apps you install; that should always be the case no matter what platform you use. Compatibility is sometimes an issue although there are often workarounds. For example, viewing WMV files can be tricky. Some sites uses windows media only (MSNBC for one, obviously) for audio/video streaming. But there are often PC and Mac versions of popular software (realplayer for example). The latest and greatest games often are not available for the Mac. But if you are a big gamer, youll likely have a PC around for that anyways. As an overall computing platform, Apple/OSX is tough to beat. FYI: I got a laptop for the mobility. And wireless networking was easy to setup. Just a note, its best to get as much RAM as you can...512MB is sufficient for general use, and RAM is more expensive via Apple than 3rd party.
One thing I don't like about MACs is that replacement parts can be very expensive. At this one mac store i think a replacement keyboard or mouse was about $50. I looked at a replacement power supply and they wanted $175. PC parts are much cheaper. Also, it appears that apple didn't support wireless on their older models so you have to go to macwireless.com or some other third party vendor to get a wireless nic if your machine isn't at a certain rev. The one thing I could never get used to on my wife's Macintosh G4/466 is that damn one button mouse.
yimmy...you can use any keyboard..any old usb POS works. So you may need to educate yourself so you don't get scammed. Wireless was standard for macs long before it became standard on pc's and an option on every unit today. I had it in my G3 back in the day, with no issues. (3to4 years ago) You can get a 2 button mouse, and yes they work. Simplicity is part of apples being...hence a one button mouse. Just like drag and drop and a ton of other things that make life ummmmmm easy. Because pc use certain things or ways, doesn't mean Apple will ever conform for you. You conform to US We are superior...don't forget it, and have a great Thanksgiving
Hey you guys thanks for making me feel like I'm already part of the Apple family. Unfortunately for compatability issues I won't be able to use it for my office for sure. But I'll definately look into buying one for personal use, maybe one with a Windows add-on. $250 is worth the price to be sure.
I've never needed Virtual PC for my iMac. Five years- no virus problems, no crashes, no spyware, no problems at all.
Exactly what compatability issue do you think you'll have? Curious, because many times this is a misconception pc user have. What software do you think you will have issues with? What are your main concerns? I'm guessing it's more of a knowledge issue dreamer than a real life issue...just post your concerns and I'm sure some of us can help you findthe real answers of whether it's a real issue or not.
A couple of key applcations we use at work don't support Apple. I just talked to the vendors and they said they might do something for Apple soon, but nothing firm yet. That doesn't sound encouraging. Even when it becomes available, I'd wait a couple of years for them to get all the bugs out of the way first. For now, we're stuck with Gates and his crappy machines at work.
Has Mac set up a new mouse (i.e. the right click feature and such)? That functionality is something that I find extremely valuable, among a few apps and tricks, but the right-click is just huge.
No you get a single button mouse, but numorous 2 button, trackball, and whatever amount of buttons work on macs. Most mice work fine on macs..so if you desire that right click you can...the biggest issue people have is Apple doesn't provide a 2 button mouse.