Mac vx. PC: The Stereotypes May Be True

[Greg Anos]

And so Apple sells sizzle and reaps billions...I figure it's a free market, and people have the right to pay more for the sizzle.

Just don't expect me to salute them...While I do other things with the difference.

[Chi Cygni]

And here I sit in the corner, afraid to admit I want to buy an imac because it works well and is a pleasure to use. Nothing to do with the brand or sizzle but yes, it also is an eye candy. I'm tired with my 5 yr old PC which now takes a few minutes to open even internet tab. I did work on macs before for several years so I know how they perform. And sure as hell I won't go around boasting I have one if I buy it. So what that makes me? (rhetorical question)

[paulsalter]

Originally Posted by Chi Cygni

And here I sit in the corner, afraid to admit I want to buy an imac because it works well and is a pleasure to use. Nothing to do with the brand or sizzle but yes, it also is an eye candy. I'm tired with my 5 yr old PC which now takes a few minutes to open even internet tab. I did work on macs before for several years so I know how they perform. And sure as hell I won't go around boasting I have one if I buy it. So what that makes me? (rhetorical question)

I used to feel the same about a year ago (currently using a nearly 5 year old MacBook), which has been a dream to use, and had been thinking of getting a new iMac

Since using Lion (and seeing what Mountain Lion has to offer), I am not sure whether I now want to make a move to another OS, I am now finding OS X more of an annoyance than a pleasure to use

[Rob Lister]

Originally Posted by Chi Cygni

And here I sit in the corner, afraid to admit I want to buy an imac because it works well and is a pleasure to use. Nothing to do with the brand or sizzle but yes, it also is an eye candy. I'm tired with my 5 yr old PC which now takes a few minutes to open even internet tab. I did work on macs before for several years so I know how they perform. And sure as hell I won't go around boasting I have one if I buy it. So what that makes me? (rhetorical question)

I think you should buy it. OSx is, IMHO, fundamentally better than WinX in just about every respect. So many of the problems (diseases really) that plague PC's are simply not issues with a mac. That's not to say OSx doesn't have some 'issues' of its own, but for the casual user that just wants something to 'work', mac is a great choice...if not a great 'price'.

go fir it.

[Chi Cygni]

Originally Posted by Rob Lister

I think you should buy it. OSx is, IMHO, fundamentally better than WinX in just about every respect. So many of the problems (diseases really) that plague PC's are simply not issues with a mac. That's not to say OSx doesn't have some 'issues' of its own, but for the casual user that just wants something to 'work', mac is a great choice...if not a great 'price'.

go fir it.

I fully agree with every word. I'm thinking I just want something that works that I don't have to spend hours on configuring and fiddle diddle with options, that I will turn on and won't have to ask "what is it this time". I won't sing a song of praise for mac, as you said it has its own ways. I was thinking of the one up 21'5, 2,7Ghz i5 with 1TB (although there are rumours in May they may come up with new ones). I am not "dying for it", far from. Recently I became quite detached from having to buy and own. I was even considering getting rid of the old crappy PC alogether but there are times when you need a desktop computer, so... why not buy something I always liked for a change and be done with it (hopefully for years to come) as I don't play any games I won't need big upgrades in memory over time, I guess. And I tend to use things until I get the most of them, example ipad 1 from 2010 which I will not upgrade until it dies.

There is another side of the story to it. I used to be a graphic designer and a web designer before. That job made me fulfilled and happy and mac accompanied me along the way. Now I have a dead end job with no perspectives. But I can feel already if I own a mac I will be tempted to create again. This is why I am willing to pay more. That's my sizzle.


You have to give it to Gates though, the side effect of Windows created many jobs, lol.

I'm in the boat where I love Mac OS X, but I hate Apple hardware. Cost and choice are factors there, but quality and serviceability are far more significant. I'm sorry, but I'm not going to spend a grand (plus) on a piece of equipment that is ready for the trash can when something significant goes wrong with it.

Even so, I don't think that Mac OS has as much of a lead as Windows users like to believe. The stability of Windows has improved to an amazing degree over the last 15 years and the security has made similar strides. Features are all over the map In terms of usability, well, that is mostly subjective. Mac OS X probably has better end-user features, but Windows is definitely superior in medium to large office settings. Usability, well, that is mostly subjective. I prefer OS X on that front, but the next person may prefer Windows.

At the end of the day, what you choose should depend upon what you need (and can afford to pay). And these OS wars are absurd because of that: why should Mac or Windows (or Linux or whatever) users be stereotyped because their needs and expectations are different from someone else.

[Andrew H.]

Originally Posted by Ralph Sir Edward

And so Apple sells sizzle and reaps billions...I figure it's a free market, and people have the right to pay more for the sizzle.

Just don't expect me to salute them...While I do other things with the difference.

Buy whatever works for you. But try not to be so arrogant as to assume that people who choose something different aren't making an equally valid choice for themselves.

[=X=]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

You were the one making the claim. I dispute your claim. You should do the leg work.

But I'll do half of it for you.

iMac:
21.5" 1920x1080 resolution screen
2.5GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5
4GB RAM
500GB Hard drive
AMD Radeon HD 6750M with 512MB
Bluetooth multi-touch mouse or trackpad
Bluetooth keyboard
Firewire and thunderbolt interfaces
web camera
Small desk footprint

Bundled Software:
Mac OX S Lion
iPhoto, iMovie, Garageband
Mail, iCal, Addressbook
Time Machine backup software

tech specs are here: http://www.apple.com/imac/specs.html

Note that this machine hasn't changed in price since it was released nearly a year ago. You should find this an easy challenge.

$1199.

Please find something similar in a Windows PC for $599 (half price). Full Windows 7 please, and roughly equivalent bundled software.

Not quite 50% cheaper but 42% cheaper. It also comes with an additional 500GB. I believe the HP is missing the HD web cam.

A closer comparison would be to upgrade this model to 2.7GHZ for $70
The apple version is $1499 the HP would be $669 that brings us to 47% price difference.

HP Omni 220xt series

The ASUS is much more expensive starting at $899, but it's screen is multitouch. It has 1TB (500GB more) but it only has dual core. I could not find the price for the quad core model.

http://usa.asus.com/Allinone_PCs/22_...specifications


=X=

[anamardoll]

I always find the Apple/Everything Else threads interesting because I'm one of those Rare Unicorn Mutants who does not find Apple easy or intuitive at all. Husband has a high end Mac that he bought to program on (he wanted to create a Mac-compatible version of ARAT at the time), and I used it a couple of times before rage-quitting.

I remember specifically using it because I wanted to test drive the Mac Scrivener which has more features than the Windows Scrivener. I spent 10 minutes trying to figure out how to perform a basic "Save As..." function in a different location than the Mac default. Husband came over to help, and another 15 minutes were lost. Eventually he got on his PC, and Google informed him how to get the Mac to work. I'd long since lost interest and gone back to Windows.

I just do not find Macs easy to use at all. Menus and options seem to be hidden from my Windows/Android-oriented mind. And given that there's one in my house that I watch being used from time to time and my parents have two iPads that they carry with them, I'm pretty sure the problem isn't that I'm unfamiliar with the interface. So I find these conversations interesting.

[MrsJoseph]

Originally Posted by Ninjalawyer

I stopped reading at "An unscientific survey..."

The distinction between PC and Mac is one without a difference; they're both PCs.

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Exactly.

Originally Posted by anamardoll

I always find the Apple/Everything Else threads interesting because I'm one of those Rare Unicorn Mutants who does not find Apple easy or intuitive at all. Husband has a high end Mac that he bought to program on (he wanted to create a Mac-compatible version of ARAT at the time), and I used it a couple of times before rage-quitting.

I remember specifically using it because I wanted to test drive the Mac Scrivener which has more features than the Windows Scrivener. I spent 10 minutes trying to figure out how to perform a basic "Save As..." function in a different location than the Mac default. Husband came over to help, and another 15 minutes were lost. Eventually he got on his PC, and Google informed him how to get the Mac to work. I'd long since lost interest and gone back to Windows.

I just do not find Macs easy to use at all. Menus and options seem to be hidden from my Windows/Android-oriented mind. And given that there's one in my house that I watch being used from time to time and my parents have two iPads that they carry with them, I'm pretty sure the problem isn't that I'm unfamiliar with the interface. So I find these conversations interesting.

What I find interesting is the requirements that people who prefer Macs must be hipsters or some other name used in a derogatory fashion.

It's gotten really really old now. You guys are turning into parodies of yourselves. At this point we might as well drag amazon & copyright into it so Giggles and Jon can come and play. One big happy fighting family.

[bill_mchale]

Originally Posted by teh603

No mention of where Linux users fit in?

Well, its simple, Mac users claim to be more computer savvy, Linux users are more computer savvy .

--
Bill

[bill_mchale]

Here are my general thoughts.

My work computer is a Mac, I have a Macbook at home that I have had for 4 years now.
I also have a Lenovo that I run Linux and Windows on as well as a number of older PCs I rarely use anymore.

Macbooks, generally have not proven as durable as other Laptops I have used in the past. While a lot of their designs are really neat, they are IMHO often over-designed and under-engineered. Their keyboards are good, but other parts of them seem to fail more quickly than PCs (Though perhaps the emphasis on thin will change that for PCs.

I have also noticed that after 4 years, the Macbook is positively poky. Not as bad as a 4 year old version of Windows, but still not as good as I would expect from a 4 year old Unix installation (Which is what OSX is underneath).

By and large these days, I use Linux for 90% of my home computing.

--
Bill

[Chi Cygni]

well, right now as I type my old PC is doing long overdue defragmentation. I also uninstalled many programs (it crashed on restart afterwards) deleted temp internet files and will see if it improves performance (already works quieter). I will use it for a while - as long as it lasts and save for mac in the meantime. That way I won't make a big hole in my savings nor spend extra 300€ on loan's costs. Anyway my old PC still has XP which soon I hear will not be supported. I was glad I didn't install Vista though after seeing how it performed on husband's PC. Anyway if I follow this decision I should have my cake and eat it.

By the way I don't think I said anything that could remotely sound like fighting...

[MovieBird]

Originally Posted by anamardoll

I always find the Apple/Everything Else threads interesting because I'm one of those Rare Unicorn Mutants who does not find Apple easy or intuitive at all. Husband has a high end Mac that he bought to program on (he wanted to create a Mac-compatible version of ARAT at the time), and I used it a couple of times before rage-quitting.

I remember specifically using it because I wanted to test drive the Mac Scrivener which has more features than the Windows Scrivener. I spent 10 minutes trying to figure out how to perform a basic "Save As..." function in a different location than the Mac default. Husband came over to help, and another 15 minutes were lost. Eventually he got on his PC, and Google informed him how to get the Mac to work. I'd long since lost interest and gone back to Windows.

I just do not find Macs easy to use at all. Menus and options seem to be hidden from my Windows/Android-oriented mind. And given that there's one in my house that I watch being used from time to time and my parents have two iPads that they carry with them, I'm pretty sure the problem isn't that I'm unfamiliar with the interface. So I find these conversations interesting.

You're not the only one. I find Apple products mind-boggling difficult to use, because in many cases, there are NO visual clues on how to accomplish something which is done differently than Windows/Linux GUIs do it.

I spent 30 minutes on a friend's Mac complaining about no context menu being available before he clued me into the "invisible" right click on his mouse.

Then, there are the just plain STUPID design choices that Apple has made in some cases. I mean, putting your most destructive function, the window close button, in the top left close to the menu bar? That's just a ridiculously bad design choice.

If you like OSX, go for it. There are many good things about it, although most of them are inherited from BSD. What Apple brought was a much needed degree of stability, and polish, to a great operating system.

But for those of us that are OCD enough to want control of everything, Apple products don't fit the bill.

[anamardoll]

Originally Posted by MovieBird

You're not the only one. I find Apple products mind-boggling difficult to use, because in many cases, there are NO visual clues on how to accomplish something which is done differently than Windows/Linux GUIs do it.

...

But for those of us that are OCD enough to want control of everything, Apple products don't fit the bill.

I'm so glad it's not just me!!

And I think you're spot-on about the control factor. I want to control EVERYTHING. I love it when an android app has 500 preference options. *snuggle* And it's so frustrating to me when, on an iDevice, I can't even FIND a "preferences" dialog. IT MUST BE HERE SOMEWHERE. RIGHT?