Apple Mac or PC ???

Question

I am thinking of buying my first laptop, I am computer literate but was thinking about buying a apple mac I realise they are not cheap but am i better off just buying an average pc??

Are they difficult to use?
Can you run XP on a mac?
Would they be good for use such as pictures dvd bluetooth and internet?
What are the main diffrences between the two ?

Answer 1

I have worked on both Windows boxes and Macs. I strongly recommend the Mac. There are a number of reasons why I do so. First of all, there are no viruses on the loose for Mac OS X. I keep hearing the reports of the next Windows virus and just chuckle a bit and go on using my Mac without a worry.

Another reason why I prefer Macs to PC's is because the Mac OS is just more logical and elegant to me. Apple puts a lot of effort in to nice little touches that Windows lacks. For example. let's say that I want to open multiple folders at the same time. In Windows, you have to open each folder individually. Depending on how you have things set in Windows this means having to start at the root level level of the directories for each folder you want open or having a bunch of extraneous windows open. With the Mac OS you simply choose the folders you want to open and double click on one of them to open all of them. You can also close windows as you open new one.

Another example, if you have a bunch of window/applications open and you want to access your desktop, in Windows you have to individually minimize all of the windows that are in the way. With the Mac OS, one key stroke will move all of the windows out of the way. Hitting that key again will bring the windows back. (Another key will show all open windows and a third will show all open windows in the active application.)

As for applications for the Mac OS, it is true that there are not as many as there are for Windows. However, most things that you might want to do you will be able to find good applications to do them on the Mac. Many of the major applications come in both Mac and Windows versions. For example, MS Office (excluding FrontPage), most of Adobe's applications, and many others all come in versions for both OS's. The files in both versions are compatible across OS's. Additionally Apple has built into the OS the means to convert anything that you can print into a .pdf file. The only place where I have found that you can't find equivalent applications for the Mac is in the area of specialty programs and games. (If you are going to be needing to use AutoCAD, then you won't be able to find a good Mac equivalent, but that is the only professional program that I am aware of for which this is the case.)

If you do need to run a program that is only available for Windows, then it is possible to run Windows on the latest Macs. There are a couple of ways to do this. One is through the use of Apple's Boot Camp (http://www.apple.com/macosx/bootcamp/) or Parallels (http://www.parallels.com/). Boot Camp has the advantage of being free and the final version will be available with the next version of Mac OS which is due out early next year. On the other hand it only allows you to run Windows XP and you must boot into either Mac OS X or Windows. You can't have both running at the same time. On the other hand, Parallels is going to cost you something, but it can run just about any OS that will run on a PC and it will allow you to run these OS's side-by-side rather than only one at a time. You will, of course, need to obtain a copy of Windows to install on your Mac as it does not come with one.

Finally, I would like to address the cost issue. Just remember that you get what you pay for. When you compare comparably equipped computers, Apple's offerings are actually quite competitive to those of the PC manufacturers. In at least some cases the Apples are less. It's all a matter of the quality of the components. Apple uses quality components. Therefore, they don't ware out or go obsolete as quickly as PC's. An average Mac user will go longer between computer purchases than your average PC user. This is because the hardware keeps working longer. My last computer I had for six years before it became too slow to run current applications.

So, there is my recommendation. I could have kept going, but I think that this should be enough to start with. Good luck with what ever computer you ultimately choose to purchase.

Answer 2

Apple products are so much sleeker to look at cosmetically.
The Apple Macs are geared more towards Graphics and Multimedia - but obviously you can write documents and surf the internet too!

You don't have all the security issues you have with Windoze, constantly having to apply patches and service packs. Also, viruses are not really a risk on the Mac as they are in Windoze.

If you are into the Gaming scene, you really need to stick with a PC. All the latest cutting-edge games are PC and M$ Windoze focused. So you will be at a bit of a loss with a Mac.

A PC on the other hand is cheaper to buy, upgrade and maintain.
With M$ Windoze platform, it will also be a great all-rounder, and you will be able to do pretty much everything.

In Summary:

If your looking for style and something different, and do alot of graphics and work with multimedia (DVD / Movies / Music) then get the Mac.

If you are into Gaming, then you really need the PC with an M$ Windoze platform.

All the best with whichever system you choose. :)

Answer 3

The answer is different for every person. if your company/friends have either.. just get what they have, easier to connect.

osx doesnt get viruses.
osx has a great built in firewall
windows has alot more freeware available


i would buy a pc, stick windows something on it 2k up....
it doesnt really matter anymore these days

why not visit majorgeeks.com to see what free software is available that you might want

note, osx, is basicly unix.. if you install x11 off the cd, you can run all the opensource.org stuff as well

i think the best thing would b if u had a mac, all these smart *** lil pc geeks, couldnt come round and install avg on it, and mess with it..

go for the cheapest option

to run 2000 you need p3 500 256 ram - xp... a 700 would do

im running 2k on a p2 400 with no probs..

Answer 4

I have always used PC and starting my new job i had to use a mac. I personally found it hard at first and do still prefer PC if given the choice. You can load microsoft on and use it however it is slightly different and it takes a while to find out how to do things on the mac that were quite easy on a PC. Stick with the PC is my verdict.

Answer 5

It depends on what you are going to use it for. MACs are better for creating graphics/music etc... due to the processor instruction set. However there are more programs that you can use on a PC then a MAC.

Answer 6

xp is do-able on mac- if its got the intel chipset. it's the newest type of mac (not sure if they are avail on lappers). for the mac: not nearly so many malware/virsu and security issues so more time actually productive, very nice interface, less crash prone, secure comm's built in (VPN, etc.) good support and tite community users, getting more diverse programming but not nearly what pc has.
for pc: huge program selection, cheap aftermarket stuff, more flexible configurations (is that a plus or minus?), more gaming. and 80-90% of the world uses ms, so communication of program data is more fluid... so, for at home use on pictures/video/music/ generic stuff go mac; for professional/game use get a pc.

Answer 7

Macs are good for design work, PC's for everything else

you can run XP on a mac, but it takes some tinkering to do so.

Answer 8

You can get Microsoft office for the mac. The mac is a much sexier stable machine. Can't be hacked, can't get viruses and is generally a less frustrating computer to use.

Answer 9

apple mac is a very good computer they are very expensive because thay have quality and they are very good they don't crash or yhave any viruses but with a pc they can crash and have virus but the majority of the programs in the world is made for pc but i think that apple brought in this thing on the latest mac so that they can run windows components are programs. but i use pc i would prefer a mac.

Answer 10

pc all the time, apples r only good for eating