What's so great about apple macs?

Question

I use photoshop a lot and am always made to feel inferior that I use a PC. Surely by now there wont be that much advantage over Windows?

the whole 'microsoft is evil' debate is amusing, but it's not going to affect which computer I buy.

Answer 1

Whilst I am not a Graphic Designer, I do prefer Macs as:

They are more stable; Compared to the DOS based windows system which is prone to crash and stall, the Kernal based Mac can handle lots of programs, and if one program crshes, it does not ussually affect others.

Longer Lasting: I have had the same I-book for about 6 years, and it is both still going strong, and stays up to date with recent developments

Cheaper: Six years ago I bought this I-book which cost me £700 for laptop, printer and antivirus software. In the same 6 years, I have seen some friends who have used tower PCs shell out for the latest needs. Others have had to pay hundreds of pounds when the software failed, or hardware gave up, or just become updated. I have often thought about upgrading, but my laptop is still doing really well, so I won't

More Secure: Every other day, there is some new virus threat on the loose which threatens companies, businesses and individuals. At last count, there are only 3 viruses/ threats which can affect a mac, but none that poses a great threat. Because of the Unix Style, Kernel based system, it is harder to breach the security.

Complete: When you build a Pc, you have to buy Windows Operating system at average RRP £160, then your office program at £60, Antivirus, printer, lots more that I cant even speel off right now; Very expensive. Macs come complete with almost everything you need built it.

Handsome: What is more ugly than a big grey box sitting beside the desk. Or is yours Black. Part of the proccess of building a Mac is design of the model to make it a work of Art.

Powerful: I can run 7 different programs at once with negligeble effect on performance. Windows tends to slow down if it has a lot to do.

These are just some of the reasons to consider a Mac.

Answer 2

I won't give a long answer that takes too long to read and then you just can't be bothered with it. The Macs are good because they don't crash and have no viruses that will harm it. There are 114,000 known viruses that affect your pc. Though there has been none ever on a Mac. The Mac is easier to use, although you may find it hard, it is just different and will need some getting used to. The machines are quick with the new Intel Duo Core processor. All in all, if you are planning to get something for studio animation, photos and videos, get a Mac. If you are a gamer and want to play games that only allow on windows, get a Mac! It now is able to run windows. Although installation is needed. But all in all buy it next spring when Mac OS X Leopard is out (the new operating system)

Answer 3

There are advantages to both sides. I use windows because I am going to school and I cant afford to dish out 3 grand for a laptop.

Mac Pros
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+++Cant get most viruses
This is because most viruses are targeted at windows pc's because 99 percent of pc's are windows. Think if you were a hacker would you do hours and hours of work to go after a tiny percent of computer users?

+++Can run Niche Programs
Applications like maya and music editing are almost mac exclusive. Small niches that use exclusively mac.

Mac Cons
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+++Not windows
Windows is used widely therefore support for windows computers can be easily located. Support for mac's is much harder to find. Mac's also will not run todays windows games. Untill recently when mac switched to intel processors mac's lagged significantly in performance.


Windows Pros
--------------------
+++Common free software
You can find loads of free software on sites like tucows and download.com. Good luck with that for a mac.

+++Easy to find support
Any best buy sams or compusa will service a windows pc. You could find dozens of differnet companies in your neighborhood that would do the same.

+++Cheap
Windows pc's can be found very inexpensively. I just got a new dell at a trade show today for 140 dollars. Try to get a mac for 140 dollars, you wont even get a keyboard and mouse for that cost.

Windows cons
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+++Microsoft
Yes it is produced by one of the greediest companys in the world.

+++Viruses & Spyware
Viruses and spyware are allover the internet and multiplying everyday


These are some of the common views that I have heard. I am functional in both mac and PC. I find that mac is much harder to learn but much easer to use. Its really somthing that you need to decide on your own.

Answer 4

It doesn't even matter anymore. Yes, OS X is far more advanced than Windows. And it's growing at a tremendous rate. There are tons of developers. But really, now that Macs run Windows, where's the debate? If you ask someone new to Mac which operating system they spend more time in, they will tell you... Macintosh. Really, I wish you PC fanboys would open your eyes. Microsoft is selling software to fix it's own security holes! That is SICK.

Answer 5

A good joke i heard about macs one time is that if macs and pc's were both cars macs would be 5x more reliable, go 10x the speed, have 20x the handling but only be allowed to drive on 5% of the roads. In general macs are much better if you have a specific use for them but if you are just doing general computer use a pc is better. Although it sounds like macs are getting better and i wouldn't be suprised if we see them more often in a few years.

Answer 6

Macs are so much better! They are sleeker and NEVER get viruses. They are easy to use- in fact they are ready right out of the box. Just about all software updates are free, and programs like garage band and move make them MUCH better than PCs.
They are also better designed to handle running many complex applications at once (i.e. multiple windows of photoshop). This is especially true with the new Intel "Core Duo" macs.
U can now put windows on them with "boot camp", to you get everything a PC has- + much, much more!
Microsoft is not evil, but just doesn't care as much about the consumers.

Answer 7

Macs are just beter for photoshop and video editting. they're quicker, and basicaly they're a far superior machine... basically theyre less likely to crash on you. Although I did prefer the Mac on its old OS... now its kinda more like a PC. But whatever...

Answer 8

It used to be the processors (Motorala) that really set them apart from the Windows world. But now that has all changed, Intel's new Core series is really something.

Now, it's OSX. Superb operating system. It really is fantastic. But besides from that, and the sleek industrial design that you find in their cases, there's not much.

For me, personally, the PC (non-mac) is the way to go. And this is coming from a Mac-lover. I'm in the graphic arts industry: Photoshop, Illustrator, inDesign, etc. are daily use tools for me.

I'm talking about MODERN equipment. If I'm comparing a G5 to a Pentium D, for example, then I'll choose the G5 every time. But if I have to choose between an Intel Core2Duo-powered PC running Windows, vs. an Intel-powered Mac running OSX, I'll choose the PC.

Why?

There's a lot more compatible hardware on the PC side. PCs are far easier to upgrade. There's a lot more software readily available. Windows XP SP2 is fairly stable, and as long as you are protective of it with anti-spyware and anti-viral tools, then it's very reasonably stable.

Not to mention that PCs are substantially cheaper--even with high-end components.

Another important aspect to consider: Adobe's Creative Suite applications will not run natively on OSX86 (Intel-compatible) until they release CS3 sometime next year. Which means that all current versions of their software (CS and CS2) will be forced to run under Rosetta, which will SLOW THEM DOWN DRAMATICALLY.

For me--and I just spent a LOT of money on a new system (but not as much had I bought an equivalent Mac)--the buck stops at the PC. Period. I LOVE OSX, and if I could run it compatibly on my PC, I would, but just the OS isn't enough for me to justify spending on Apple's premium price for their hardware and OS.

My advice: stay with the PC and who gives a flying f___ what your friends say.

EDIT:

In response to below poster, PCs aren't just ugly beige boxes anymore. Go check out Dell... I don't like Dell but I don't think they even sell a plain beige box anymore. If you're into building your own computer, the options as far as aesthetic appearance are unlimited... check out CoolerMaster and ThermalTake, they both make some awesome cases. Lian-Li also makes some awesome (but pricey) ones...

If you want the stability of OSX, the unix-based kernel, the practically virus-free operating environment, then Linux is a very good alternative. The Ubuntu distro is a very user-friendly version of Linux, and can be obtained completely for free--whether you want to download it or have a CD shipped (for free!) to you.

It's easy to use and install, comes with a VERY impressive suite of FREE software, is fast and efficient, infinitely customizable, did I mention that it is totally free?

You can find everything you need to know regarding Ubuntu at http://www.ubuntu.com/

With all of the very good alternatives, I just don't think Macs are worth the hefty premium you pay for them anymore. Not from a performance, reliability, gaming, artistic, or financial perspective. Maybe as a status symbol... but why are you buying a computer? To look good? (lol)

EDIT2: Sometimes I wish the Yahoo! Answers was a forum... I'm done doing this though. Just try to look at both sides equally skeptically. I like and dislike aspects of both.

"They are also better designed to handle running many complex applications at once (i.e. multiple windows of photoshop). This is especially true with the new Intel "Core Duo" macs."

How is this not true with the Intel Core Duo PCs as well? My PC multi-tasks just fine, just as well as any Mac I've been able to put through the paces. Multi-tasking is more a function of how much RAM you have, though the dual-core CPU helps. The more RAM, the better you'll multi-task.

Multi-tasking: not really a competitive selling point to poise one system over the other.

Software updates: most of them are also free on the PC. Again, not really a selling point for either.

Boot camp: Yes, it's awesome. That is a valid selling point of the Mac. It's what made me look long and hard at it before my decision. Now you can have OSX and Windows on one computer without emulation. Does this make it worth the extra cost? That's subjective...

Somehow I doubt that Apple really cares for its consumers any more than Microsoft does. Anybody that thinks that either company exists for any other reason than to make money is just deluding themselves... I've heard horror stories from both sides of the fence.

Answer 9

mainlya different platform, not nessasarily more reliable (they recently built in extra flaxability to open acesss to use PC stuff) and they even advertise (and this cracks me up) that theres very few viruses that hit mac's well thats because very few people still use them (the ones that do are very loyal, hmmm, can we say assimulation, the borge, or cube) so why write exploits if ya cant enjoy your carnage on grand scale! personally its been almost 9 years since i used one so hell who knows, better yet who cares, Ive learned all the regular probs with windows base since 95 (xp 64 pro now) and well I geuss likea wife (been married too long)you barely can stand, but cant stand to see leave, Im going to stick to screwing up bill gates !

Answer 10

I use Photoshop on my PC but my brother is a proffesional graphic artist and he uses only Mac's in his studio,, he always tells me how superior they are for graphics work but I still cannot see it,, PC's are up to the task I think it is artists snobbery !