Monday, March 3: I need to do a bit more research on this, but I’m leaning toward the Mac. I’ll wait until after the next software upgrade. I’ll keep you posted.
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This year I’m turning 40, celebrating 10 years of sobriety and two years of self-employment, and I may have an exciting personal announcement to make by year’s end. I’m ready to do something wild: switch from a PC to a Mac! 
I want to treat myself to a new laptop, one that’s lighter and more powerful than my Compaq Presario, which I intend to sell. I’m willing to spend no more than $1,000 (well, a little more). I’ve used PCs for years, but I think MacBooks ($1,099) are adorable (I’m such a girl). That’s not the best reason to buy one, of course. I’m thinking of getting the 13-inch screen, 5.2-pound, 1.83GHz MacBook, but I don’t know a thing about Macintosh. I appeal to Mac users and other geeks:
1) Should I stick with the PC or go with the Mac? Benefits? Drawbacks?
2) Is there a such thing as a powerful and lightweight PC that costs $1,000? If so, who sells it?
Update: To answer a few questions…What I mean by “powerful” is fast and able to run programs without running low on memory. I have an iPod, so I’ll run iTunes and store lots of music, video podcasts, and audio files. I don’t do much photo editing, and I do no movie editing. I watch DVDs on my Compaq because I don’t have a DVD player (and really don’t need one). I’ll watch them on the new laptop as well.
I want a powerful laptop that I’ll use mostly for writing, and I’m tired of lugging around a nine-pound machine when I travel. I use MS Word, but I’m not wedded to it, and I hardly ever use my Outlook account. Bottom line: I find the Mac aesthetically pleasing, but I want more reasons to buy one than appearance.
Thanks for the advice!
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We switched from a PC (laptop) to an iMac last summer…don’t regret it, not one bit. It’s so much faster and more reliable! Plus, you can do more fun stuff with it; programs like Photoshop and InDesign are *made* for Macs, I think. We partitioned our hard drive so we could still run the few Windows things we need to, and the Windows side locks up! Ugh. Reminds us every time it happens why we’re now a solid Mac family and won’t go back. Oh, and everyone I’ve spoken to w/a Mac says they usually want another Mac (hardware upgrades, etc.) well before their current one dies. You’re definitely getting your money’s worth with a Mac.
I’d say a MacBook (or another Mac laptop) is probably next on our buy list so we can have a network.
LaShawn,
Don’t have anything to contribute as far as the Mac vs. PC debate. Just bummed out that I’m older than you. (Not by much, though)
Why bummed out? Did it make you feel better to think of me as old hag?
If you stick with the PC I strongly recommend you don’t go with Vista for a while at least. Vista seems to be sufficiently different from windows 2000/XP that it is similar to moving to a new OS. If you do that why not move to the MAC one which has been out for a few years and been debugged properly.
Furthermore if you buy a new Intel based MAC you can always change your mind and install Windoze on it if you really really want to… you probably can’t do the reverse.
Most standard software is available for Max and Pc, so unless you have some specialty need it doesn’t matter.
But “Buyer Beware” – Law Wife is sending you a subliminal message – Don’t believe it when Apple says “you can also run PC software”. I have heard a number of complaints about this.
And unless you have computer savvy friends who are Mac literate, you may be “out in the cold” if you have trouble (unless, of course, you just LOVE to play with gadgets).
Here at LSUHSC Shreveport, almost everyone has PC’s, and the Help Desk supports PC’s; therefore, I use a PC.
A lot of people LOVE their Macs, so I can’t say much against them – just keep your readers informed how it works for you.
My 21 year old daughter has a 20″ iMac and my 16 year old has a iBook.
Both computers were bought for Christmas 1995 and have the non-Intel processors. There has not been a single problem with the hardware or software/applications in fourteen months.
The applications most used are Firefox, Photoshop, MS Word, MS Excel and iTunes.
Every computer that has been purchased in the past year by any of my coworkers or friends have been Macs and none of them have had any problems.
One friend immediately downloaded “Boot Camp” which “lets you install Windows XP” and run Windows applications natively, but you have to either boot to the Mac OS or Windows at startup. The following link is to the Mac Boot Camp page: http://www.apple.com/macosx/bootcamp/
There are other applications other than Boot Camp that will let you run both Mac OS and Windows at the same time. The following link is to Parallels:
http://www.parallels.com/ see the Desktop for Mac which “enabling Apple users to run Windows in conjunction with Mac OS X without rebooting.”
I am sure that you will get an earful, but I hope that every bit of it will be useful.
I heartily recommend you read the following column of Dwight Silverman’s of the “Houston Chronicle,” as he’s made the switch recently to a MacBook. He’s a first-rate writer on techy stuff, so you may want to search for other of his columns as well. And do know, La Shawn, that he’s also a blogger and an MSM guy who enthusiastically supports blogging and other elements of the new media.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/silverman/4548538.html
My qualifications are that I am a user of both PCs and Macs, and I am a cynic. Therefore, I’ll say that going from a PC to a Mac simply trades one set of problems for another.
In point of fact, both operating systems are becoming more alike all the time. Those functions for which we bought Macs (publishing, graphics, etc) are now far more stable and “Mac-like” on the PC platform. And Macs can run a great deal of stuff that was previously PC only.
Hardware costs are an issue, with PCs being cheaper. Tinkering, upgrading, etc. are all easier with PCs.
Ease of use, well, that’s the most subjective thing of all. A dedicated Mac user will use nothing else. A dedicated PC user will find Macs somewhat obtuse, with odd quirks and conventions to learn.
In my case, and even as much as I detest Microsoft’s buggy software, I’m more comfortable in the PC world. Whenever I have to go to the Mac to work on our company catalog, newsletters, ads, etc. I get frustrated.
One thing of interest has recently happened. The printer who does our catalogs has always insisted upon Mac Pagemaker files, because the PC version presented some problems for him. But last time we spoke, he said we could now use the latest Pagemaker PC version and it would work fine.
So, La Shawn, bottom line: I have NO idea what to advise you.
Glad I could help. 
I gotta say that I’ve been putting serious consideration into that migration myself. And not just because of the TV ads, though they are compelling. I say do it and let us know how you like it. Nothing like being a guinea pig, right? Except I don’t think there’s much risk for you in this experiment.
Ah, yes. The “what should I buy” question.
That’s simple, but I need additional information. What are you going to use the laptop for?
I’m going to guess that you’re mostly going to do writing, maybe some image work? well, pretty much any laptop you can find in BestBuy/CompUSA/CircusCity will do.
However, be aware that some of those models feel…really cheap. Even recent Dell consumer grade laptops feel plasticy and cheap.
Oh, and as a side note, I’d recommend you go to the next level up MacBook, if you can swing the additional costs. Also, you may be eligible for an educational or other discount.
The most important things are whether it will do what you want it to do, and your comfort level with the OS. Before you make the plunge I would suggest trying one out at the store to see how you like the OS (and you might want to wait a bit longer because a new version of OSX is coming out soon) or if you have an Apple store near you, that would be even better as the employees can help you with your questions, and also a lot of the stores even offer classes on the different apps. If you buy from an Apple store they will also set the whole thing up for you so it’s ready to go when you get it home. I’m sorry if I sound like a commercial for Apple but I’m also thinking about switching to a Mac (after I bought an iPod Nano and played with a friend’s video iPod) because I really like the way the stuff is designed. I just have to wait until I’m done with college so I can afford the iMac I want!!!
Good luck and let us know what you decide.
Go Mac. Once you go Mac, you never go back.
Advantages:
- Things just work. I’ve never had to install the first hardware driver on mine.
- Simple operating system design – no registry or other things that Windows has that obscure what is going on. No DLL hell.
- Segregation of operating system and application domains. Applications cannot trash the OS.
- Ease of program installation and removal.
- Easy to back up and restore application preferences and data (preferences are not buried in a registry). You’ll appreciate this if you need to move to another machine or recover from a hard drive failure (Macs are unfortunately not immune from such things).
- Much more secure – pretty much immune to malware (zero Mac OS X viruses in the wild).
- Longer hardware life. I’ve upgraded my operating system twice on my first system, and it’s gotten FASTER each time. Try that with your four year old PC and Vista.
- Stable. I never reboot unless there’s a software update that requires it.
Disadvantages:
- Some website designers insist you use IE on a PC and won’t let you in if you have a Mac or a PC with Firefox. If they’re businesses, stay away.
- A handful of sites don’t like Safari (the default Mac browser) – get a copy of Camino as a backup, most everything works with that.
- If you live and die on a certain software package that is Windows only, you’re stuck. I would not recommend any of the dual boot or virtualization solutions – if you go Mac, go all the way.
- Quicken for Mac is not file compatible with Quicken for Windows. You’ll have to export and import to get your data over.
- Not a good platform for hardcore gamers.
I purchased an iMac four years ago on a whim. Now we have 6 Macs in our household, as we’ve slowly pushed all the Windows stuff out the door.
My son has a MacBook and loves it. It’s a sweet little computer.
Commenter Frank up there warns about not having access to friends who can help out when things go wrong on a Mac. I can say, as a long time Windows user who knows how to truly geek out on that platform, that you rarely need that sort of thing on the Mac. On that platform, I’m just a user. Besides, chances are there is an Apple Store nearby who will provide face to face assistance if something goes wrong. Our local store has been great for those few times we needed help.
I’m still a Windows user, of course – 8 hours a day at work. I’ve got plenty of experience with both platforms and would not hesitate to dump Windows all around if I had the choice.
And if you get stuck, send me an e-mail.
The major advantage you get with Macs is that there is one company designing the hardware configuration as well as the software. There is major thought given to design and the little things.
Many things are done differently and will require some modification of habits. I would highly recommend perusing sites like Macworld.com for explanations of how things work. There is reasoning behind the way Macs do things. With a little understanding, you’ll find many of them to be more efficient and practical.
What you do give up is number of options. There are a limited number of configurations (at least on the low end), but if you actually compare hardware specs, you will find that Macs are actually not more expensive than PCs. On the high end, for example, a Mac Pro will generally be about $1000 less than a similarly configured Dell.
There is a craftsmanship that goes into every level of design. And if you have problems, you can either post questions here, or on the Apple Discussion forums, or anywhere else you want. We Mac users tend to be a fairly close-knit community. Assistance will come to those who ask.
In the end, don’t be afraid to even spend a bit more for the higher-level MacBook. My old bottom-of-the-line iBook lasted 4.5 years before it even started to show its age. I gave it to my best friend, and it runs circles around the 2-year old Dell laptop he got from his brother.
Best of luck in your decision.
Resistance is futile.
I switched to Mac just short of three years ago (my 14inch iBook G4 was a wedding present from my in-laws) and haven’t looked back. I had been using my husband’s laptop and used (really old) Macs in the lab I had been doing research in. I love it. The computer itself is much mores stable and they just look cool. And even though it’s three years old it doesn’t feel that way at all.
My vote is that you get a MacBook (which replaced my iBook) and get Bootcamp or Parallels desktop if you need to run windows stuff. Also make sure you invest in AppleCare before the 1 year warranty works out.
Make the Switch.
La Shawn,
If you thought talking about race got people all hot and bothered wait ’til you see some of the responses to your Mac/PC question
Me, I’m a PC (personal computer, not politically correct) guy. I develop database reports and applications. I need a PC to develop and test applications, since most businesses use PC’s and Windows servers.
From a business needs standpoint, I don’t see much of an advantage to switching to a Mac. But ask any Mac user about editing personal photos and movies, and they’ll talk your ear off.
Currently, there is fewer malware (viruses, trojan horses, etc.) to worry about with Mac’s. That may change as more people switch, which I believe will happen within the next few years.
I echo Francis’ comment about avoiding Vista, and RaLph’s comment about BootCamp. My Mac loving boss swears that BootCamp is a must have for a Mac owner.
Actually, Macs are probably a better choice right now…with parallels you can run WinXP on the second processor while continuing to run OSX on the other…
You can also use Boot camp (which is beta…but it WORKS) to run WinXP on a second partition. I don’t see any Lock ups whatsoever, and I suspect Lawwife is seeing them because they don’t have the drivers installed correctly (or the correct drivers) for the Mac…
At any rate, a current mac with a Core 2 Duo would be my choice right now if I were you..I already have one!:)
Oh, I also have a windows PC…a eVGA 680i Motherboard with an E6700 Core 2 Duo processor (2.66GHz Dual core) running with an nvidia 8800GTX…Screams for games, but for work? I use my mac…I’m thinking about moving games to the Mac if I can get a decent Nvidia card soon..I’m not a fan of the ATi Card my Mac Pro has….So I see both machines on a daily basis, and by far, I prefer the Mac.
Dan
Dear La Shawn,
I’ve gone from MAC to PC twice — and both times have returned to MAC. (I’m a slow learner.)
MACs are virtually virus-free.
One suggestion: go to apple.com, and click on STORE. Then, on the left side, scroll down to Refurbished Macs. (http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?mco=D8593B5A&nclm=CertifiedMac)
What I plan to do (after I sell my Dell — ugh!) is get a refurbished MAC, and spend the savings on Apple Care. In this way, you get the same coverage as you’d get with a new Mac, with a free 3-year warranty.
Mac-heads, does this make sense?
Thanks.
Julie
Go for the MacBook. Apple has sweet deals on refurbished MacBooks (includes all the regular warranties and stuff).
If you do decide to go for a PC, look on TigerDirect.com for a deal. Acer seems to be the cheapest, yet best for your money, brand out there. My roommate has one that he got for $399 (after rebate) and it works fine. Although the headphone jack did just go out… but that should be covered in his warranty.
Don’t do it La Shawn! A Mac is what you get when you cross a color TV set with a pocket calculator. Talk about slow, clunky machines! Even viruses don’t run on them.
Now lemme head for my local fallout shelter ahead of the anticipated Attack of the Mac Maniacs.
La Shawn,
I too, am about to be 40. I figure that it beats the alternative.
After Katrina, I needed to set up an office ASAP, and I ordered a 17″ Dell Inspiron as well as a wireless keyboard and a mouse and a printer and a carrying case. I also ordered a floppy disc drive and a back up hard drive. I have Word Perfect and Word installed. I have had no problems with this machine since I got it. When I was in exile I watched movies on it and used it as a stereo as well. When I take it to where my firm is based, I find that it is the most dependable laptop in the office. I am pretty sure that all of that stuff cost about $1,500.00. I know it all cost less then $2,000.00. Since you won’t be buying all of the additional things, you should be able to get it for less than $1000.00. Also, Dell always has sales.
If you get the Mac, let us know how it works, our neighbors swear by them…
I’ve been a Mac user since 1986 and a Mac developer since 1987, so of course I am completely unbiased. (NOT!)
I suspect that you have an “inner geek” side, and the Mac can satisfy that itch. All Macs come with a complete development system, however very few folks actually use it. It is included on a separate DVD, and is not installed by default. However it is there if you want to try.
Mac OS X includes the Apache webserver, PHP, and MySQL or PostgreSQL are easy to install. This means that if you wanted to, you could download the Wordpress blog software onto your Mac to “play with”. Of course you would not want to actually host your blog on a laptop… but it is very handy to be able to do actual development and testing on a laptop. You can do this kind of development without installing the DVD full of developer tools.
Apple’s development system is called XCode. You can use it to create applications written in C, C++, Objective C, Java, Ruby, Python, etc. etc. But if you always wanted to dabble in programming for fun, you don’t need to install the development system, you can simply write code in PHP with any text editor, and try it out. (PHP is typically used to create dynamic websites, like Wordpress) There are zillions of books about PHP, and it is pretty easy to learn.
Feel free to email me if you have any specific questions.
Our family switched from the PC 3 years ago. I have kids who are in High School and we were always having computer probelms. We could not connect to the internet, viruses, spyware, rebooting, Control-Alt_Delete!!! We just hated it and we spent more time rebooting and trying to fix the PCs than we did using the computer. Then we switched to the Mac. It truly is amazing. No viruses, no spyware, no rebooting. It just works. I would never go back.
Suggestions:
Don’t get fixated on only spending $1,000. You blog for a living. This is the most important tool you own. I would get at least 1MB of Ram, the biggest hard drive you can get, a SuperDriver (that burns DVDS), and do not buy an Apple Computer without Applecare. Applecare is a 3 year waranty that includes tech support. If anything happens they will talk you through the problem or fix your computer. Applecare is essential.
LaShawn, I’m totally sold on the Mac, but I was a graphic designer by trade, and had to jump through too many hoops to make PCs do what I wanted. Now I’ve got a PC to facilitate homeschooling, but I still miss my old Mac. It defined “user-friendly” for those of us whose eyes glazed over when our PC friends explained exactly why we were seeing the blue screen of death, and what needed to be done when it inevitably happened again…
(And by the way, gotta ask, even though I know you can’t tell…who is he?!)
Hey La Shawn,
I’ve been thinking about making the switch myself. I have a frat brother who swears by Macs. He has a network set up at his home. It’s impressive. He tells me about not getting viruses and system lock ups. Sounds good to me.
Anyway, 40 is not bad. I’m one behind you. Besides, you’re still easy on the eyes!
My wife and I bought a mac about 8 months ago and love it. Bye Bye PC and hello MAC from now on.
Funny for all the issues MAC people have with PC’s I’ve had little trouble with mine. The only time I got a virus (twice) was due to my stupidity. There are sites like CNET.com that can help you see which is better at what. PC’s generally are cheaper because of all the compeition between the companies that build them. But it’s getting pretty close to 6 of 1 1/2 dozen of the other. Just make sure you get a 2 or 3 button mouse.
My first computer was a Mac, back in the 90’s. I went to PCs and never went back. The reason for that is because Macs had poor market share back then, and it was hard to find software. I remain firmly in the PC camp because of three reasons: affordability, modding, and Corel WordPerfect. I write, and I find MS Word to be an inferior program, so I will not switch to any platform that isn’t Corel compatible. You can take my Corel if you can pry it from my cold dead fingers. Since you write, you might first consider your favorite word processing software and whether you can use it on the Mac. If that’s not an issue, then there’s no compelling reason why you shouldn’t get a Mac if you really want one.
You can find plenty of lightweight laptops/notebooks for $1000. When you say powerful, what precisely are you looking for? I usually think of graphics, but are you talking about battery life or speed or what? Try to make sure the machine comes with 1 Gig of memory if you can.
For PC’s I always check Tom’s Hardware Guide.com, PCMag among others to do my research. They discuss the practical factors like battery life. If you go with Windows over Mac, then consider shopping at Newegg.com or ZipZoomFly. Their prices are substantially better than Best Buy/Circuit City/CompUSA, and they charge little to nothing on their 2-day shipping. I ordered from them when I was building my desktop and again when I wanted a laptop. They were very reliable in my experience.
For an example, at Newegg they’re currently selling the Thinkpad T60 for $1099. Some are for less than a $1,000 like Acer, HP, and other Thinkpads. I admit I’m wary of what quality you can get for $600. You might have more luck also if you go the company sites and see what you can have configured for that price.
A former editor of mine wrote once in Salon.com about Apple computers not being backwards compatible, meaning that sometimes you have to buy the very latest model in order to use one of their gadgets even when your current model is still new, too. The article is called “Blind Arrogance.” It’s 7 years old, but before you buy, ask other Apple users if that habit still holds true. I gather respecting the customer is not one of Apple’s strong suits, but they may have improved since then.
I can understand your love of the Mac chassis. I bought an iPod mini because I liked their standout looks. Having only to choose between black, white, beige, or silver when it comes to electronics was getting so tiresome.
And I second the warning to be careful when you ask about Macs vs. PC’s. Some people react as if you’re asking about heathens vs. the chosen few. If you don’t game, and you’re not video editing/designing, then either platform should suit your needs.
PS: before making the purchase, visit the model’s forum and see what kind of tech issues the current users are having and how they say the company is responding to pleas for help.
Switched 6 years ago. My then-boyfriend-now-husband has always been a Mac fan. I was an avid Windows user. He never tried to explicitly convince me to switch, but what he did was far more insidious: he got me an iBook for Christmas. Like you, I’m such a girl, and who can’t fall in love with the cute little computer? Anyway, I went from there, then I found out how easy it was to set up a home network with Macs, got used to wi-fi (back in 2001), no viruses, didn’t have to worry about malware…. I’ve been a convert ever since.
I’ve helped several other people make the switch, and they’ve been very happy with their Macs. I used to clean up their PCs as a favor, until I finally told them I’ll continue helping them but only if they switch to Macs. I haven’t had as much of a headache fixing their computers since. Funny enough, the men tend to have more trouble with the switch (they insist on doing things “the Windows way” for quite a while longer than the women).
I echo the suggestions regarding buying AppleCare. Apple’s quality control is excellent, but it’s not perfect. With AppleCare, you don’t have to worry about anything. As for the remark about having to have a friend who can “fix” Macs, if you live in a city with an Apple Store, that shouldn’t be a problem either.
Just like anything else, there’s a learning curve to this whole process. If you go in with an open mind, what you might see is that the Mac steps out of the way and lets you work without being in your face all the time.
I purchased a Mac Mini about 8 months ago & I LOVE it. I have not crashed 1 time. It is AWESOME. I sent my husband into the Apple store to purchase me the low end Mac Mini and he came out with the beefy version – it’s great. Those Mac/PC commercials are so true. Go with a MAC!!! I’ll never go back to the darkside. In fact my husband is hinting that he wants one…!!!
There is a slight learning curve when using a Mac – not a big deal though.
MACS RULE!!!
Ms. Barber,
I’m not a computer geek, but required to use both platforms for work for over 15 years.
Here’s a Mac:
1. Open Box
2. Plug into wall
3. Depress power button
4. Work (or play)
5. Produce
Here’s a PC:
1. Open Box
2. Read FastStart guide
3. Plug into wall
4. Depress power button
5. Wait five minutes
6. Open browser, configure settings
7. Test settings
8. After initial failure, re-configure settings
9. Reboot
10. Wait five minutes
11. Open browser, go to step 12
12. Call ISP to confirm account data
13. Confirm to ISP CSR that they have permission to remotely control your PC – watch in amazement!
14. After ISP fix – reboot
15. After reboot, open browser, Accept, Decline, or “Remind me Later” all Antivirus-Spyware-AOL-Microsoft offers.
16. Accept, Decline, or “Remind me Later” manufacturer automatic update requests.
17. Refer to Graphic Card Manufacturer Manual and cross-reference with monitor manufacturer Manual.
18. Call IT guy (or friend) – wait
19. Reboot
20. Wait five minutes
21. Work (or play)
22. Produce
23. Within 20 hours…
24. Return to step 18 and repeat
25. After one year, replace system, restart step 1
Sorry, wanted to keep it short. But, as I’m not a computer guy, only a user, I prefer they work without me wondering how to make them work. And I prefer they output what I need rather than somebody telling me what I need to do to get there.
My family and I have always used Macs. The first PC I owned was when I went to college and we were all issued the same computer. I use windows at work but love my Mac at home. If you ask my husband, he will never go back to a PC cause of all the issues that he had while we were at school. I definitely recommend doing some research into it. It comes down to whether or not you are comfortable with the os. The one thing that I like about Macs are that the help windows are usually helpful and there is a lot of support available online. Good luck with the decision!
Reply to Tyrian Purple:
That just means that the Salon.com writer doesn’t know what the heck he/she was talking about. I have Macs from 1998 (yeah, those colorful iMacs and beige G3s) running Tiger. All I had to do was add RAM. Try doing that with your two-year-old computers and Vista.
What programs do you need? Will they run on Mac? If they do buy Mac, I do suggest pay the extra and get a MacBook Pro 17″. It’s easier on those 40 year old eyes. Everyone in my family has a Mac!
For all the folks who have laptops for their children.
As an “old guy”, all my children are grown.
At home, my wife worked as a programmer and had a PC with Cobol (for the old folks who remember).
We had Internet access before most – with a wire. I would NEVER buy a laptop with wireless access for children – we knew what they were browsing for – in the family room.
I hear lots of good things about MacBooks these days. A friend of mine runs one, and finds it well-suited for even demanding purposes like running the Second Life client (highly CPU- and graphics-intensive) while streaming music. You should have no problem with it. I’d point you to his blog for more details, but his site appears to be down right now…
(Incidentally, this friend happens to be a minister who runs a weekly Bible study in Second Life, at a location called “The Sanctuary.” If his site were up, there’d be details about that there, too…)
Anna,
He may or may not have known what he was talking about. He was he editor for our magazine, where we used Macs. We targeted graphic designers, web designers and digital film makers. He had bought a Mac and then bought one of their flat panels, only to discover that the flat panel he bought did not, in fact, go with the Mac model he had bought that same year. According to him, Apple’s tech support told him he had to upgrade to the very latest Mac model to use the monitor. At that time, don’t know about now, but Macs didn’t automatically come with monitors like the PCs do/did, so you can imagine his annoyance, especially when the monitors were going for the same price as complete PC systems (CPU and monitor both) If you’re one of those people who are slower to upgrade, you would not get caught in that situation. It’s one of the reasons I don’t “early adopt.”
From reading other comments: I am always amused by the “it just works” argument. Whenever I bought a PC, I just plug and play straight from the box. They’re honestly very simple to deal with.
What somebody has said: What are you going to do with it? Buy what you need, what will do best what you need done. You don’t buy a Miata to haul your 5 teens around, or a Suburban to commute 20 mi to work (at least if you have sense you don’t). What nobody has said: 90% of computers out there are Windows; 10% are Mac OS. This presents 3 issues: Collaboration, Available Applications, Malware. If collaboration is a big part of your work, you have to have what others have, or at least you have to have what’s fully compatible with what your collaborators have. That’s why I use Windows (that and when I used Mac it was System 7 and crashed ALL THE TIME–OS X is very stable, so Mac is no longer a toy) and MS Word. If I had my druthers, I’d run a PC with Linux, but I use too many apps which are Windows-only, which is the second issue: 2. Are you committed to certain apps? Are they available for both platforms? Are the versions compatible from one platform to the other? 3. The market for Mac apps is tiny, but so is the potential for malware. Why try to cripple 10% of the nation when you can go for 90%? That, I’m convinced, is the only reason why there’s “no” malware for Mac, not because the Mac is immune. (And unfortunately, spam is platform-independent.) Finally, THE BIGGEST ADVANTAGE of the PC is that you’re not tied to one vendor (but sadly, you still are with Windows), so you can get a good deal on the hardware. Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) may be a different thing; that’s what the Mac ads are aiming at. Don’t know about that; Mac has all the funny bits that Windows has (drivers, settings, “registry”) but they hide if from the user. Do you like your car with automatic, power everything, or do you like to control what gear you’re in? The power everything is “easy”, but the way the machine does it is the way it gets done; not my style. And when something goes wrong, it’s murder to fix it. BTW, I remember turning 40–barely; Reagan was President. Enjoy your youth!
Looks like it’s almost all Mac. Not sure what I can add, but that’s never stopped me before.
I am a 15+ year UNIX geek. I started on the Commodore 64, graduated to a Mac IIsi when System 7.0.1 was new, and then loaded NetBSD on it when I learned just how cool NeXTs and Suns were. I was never a true NeXT geek, but Mac OS X is just the modern version of NeXTStep.
I like Mac OS X because you have a nice, user-friendly graphical OS, and yet the UNIX command line is right at your fingertips. Graphically, Windows is OK, but I miss my shell. Also, the Mac guys have the little stuff right (alt-tab switches between applications, F10 switches between windows in apps, etc.). It’s quick to become very efficient.
One warning: Get AppleCare. This is NOT optional. Most Macs do quite well, but if you get a lemon, you’ll have no end of pain out of it. Of course, I’d advocate this equally for any laptop, since the things are so hard to fix.
Also, an easy fix for the small screen: buy a third-party DVI 20″ to 23″ monitor for your desk, and run the MacBook dual-headed. It’s what I will do at work whenever this box goes out of support.
MacMacMacMac
MacMacMacMac
MacMacMacMac
MacMacMacMacMac!
I had to delete some of those Macs, Chris. They were flying off the page! So, you think I should get a Mac, eh?
– Admin
ugh. La Shawn, you are about to get a bazillion different opinions on this.
me, I have a mac and will never, ever, ever, for no amount of money or chocolate on God’s good earth, switch back to a PC.
My mac never crashes. I don’t worry about viruses, ever. It’s easier, faster, more reliable and definitely ‘easy on the eyes’.
I tell you this as someone who has worked with just about every computer available for the past 10 years. I’ve used Windows, Mac’s OS, and even Linux.
In the end, it’s up to you, but I’d go with the new PowerPoint.
I got a Mac in January. I feel like I’ve come back from the dark side. I was happy to drop-kick my PC to the curb.
It’s so easy and fun. My four year old daughter can run iphoto and itunes. Next, she’ll be burning CDs and DVDs.
We got it online, but there is an Apple store here at Fashion Show Mall (Las Vegas). The employees are all very knowledgeable and really can help, unlike Best Buy or Circuit City.
La Shawn, if you find a Mac for $1000 bucks, please let me know and I’ll buy one too! Macs are notoriously high priced. Plan on spending at least close to $2000 for a new one. Good machines to have though. The last Apple computer I had was an Apple 2E back in the mid 80’s. A few of my friends have newer MAC laptops and they say they’d never go back to a PC.
Can’t help you with the Mac/PC debate. I have always only had a PC so some would say I just don’t know any better. I do think the apple motif on the top of the Mac computers is really purty . . .
I’d say happy birthday but I don’t know when your b’day is so I’ll just say “welcome to the forties!” And congratulations on 10 years. That’s an accomplishment, for sure.
I’m going to suggest a Mac.
Why?
Well, our son has been trying to get us oldies (I’m forty in three weeks) to change for years, and he’s a web-wizard (he actually built and hosted one of the World’s top Harry Potter fan-sites when he was 13!!) in full time employ, and it’s not crashed in 4 years, indeed, at all.
So I’m saving for a Macbook.
Gotta be better (methinks) than a mid-life crisis, a Harley, or tucking my T-Shirt into me belt.
There’s my evidence, for what it’s worth!
All the best,
John
La Shawn,
Whichever you decide, there are a few options that you will want to take note of.
1. As some have said, get the 1GB memory.
2. Never go below 5400 rpm on the Hard Drive. If at all possible get a 7200 rpm (yes, it’ll cost more and I’m not sure they have it for the Mac yet.)
3. Warranty. Check out what is covered and for how long. Compare that to other companies. Remember that in 2 years, your laptop will be obsolete. Yeah, yuck.
4. As others said, stay away from Vista if you choose the PC option.
5. Give yourself some time for the Mac learning curve if you choose a MacBook. Things just aren’t the same between the two.
If you have someone that has a MacBook, see if you can play on it for a little while.
6. You do *not* need a powerful machine for writing. Powerful machines are best used for graphics and video. A $1000 system will do just fine for what you said you’d use it for.
7. Add up all the misc. costs. They are important. If you need to buy a new version of Word, then it won’t matter if you get a Mac or PC. But if you get a Mac, then you have to add the expense of purchasing a version of Word for it. And any other software you want to use. These things can add up.
8. Don’t listen to the sales man or woman. You wouldn’t believe the things I’ve heard them say to other people when they are trying to sell items. Ugh. It’s rare to get a sales, er person who is looking out for your interests and is knowledgeable. Find a friend that has the knowledge and bribe him/her to help you out.
And don’t make it a chore to buy. Have fun in the process. It’s new, it’s exciting, and let it be that.
Mark
I use PC at work and Mac at home. Macs don’t require the tweaking that PCs do. You just turn them on and they work. There is a version of Microsoft Office for Mac, and soon there will be Open Office for Mac (if not already).
LaShawn
Congratulations on your upcoming 40th birthday, which raises an interesting question. I know how the liberal side of the fence would answer this question but I am interested in getting your conservative perspective. Why are there so many attractive, successful black women (and increasing numbers of white women) walking around at 40+ years of age who have never been married. What are the underlying reasons for this phenomena and what will be the consequences when these women reach their senior years (60+).
In anticipation of your birthday you should dedicate a blog entry to this subject. It would be interesting to hear a variety of perspectives.
While I appreciate your response, James, I don’t want this post sidetracked with that topic. I have a lot to say about it, and I’ll say it at a later date.
PLEASE, everyone, don’t start “talking” about this. Let’s stick with “Mac or PC?” in this thread. I’ve got the spam word filter on, so stay on-topic.
LaShawn, if you want a laptop that you can plug and play, then you will love the mac.
I use both. A PC laptop for work because it’s theirs and a mac Power Mac G4 at home because I am a graphic designer. This was the first dual processor mac and was made before the intel chips were used.
If all you’re going to use it for is what you listed, you will be just fine. I would try to get a new one because of the intel chip but that’s up to you.
My computer should be obsolete by now but the nice thing is that every upgrade of the os speeds up the computer.
The PC Sony Vaio laptop I use takes forever just to turn on.
I don’t think as a consumer that I should have to know about computers in order to use one. I want it to work just like my tv.
Plug it in, turn it on. Done
If you go the Mac route but intend to run MS software on it, be sure to price the software.
I’m considering a Mac too, and was in a computer store the other day and asked about running MS on a Mac. The sales guy showed me a software package with Word, Excel etc. I could load onto a Mac, and it cost several hundred dollars.
That’s off the top of my head. Sorry, I didn’t write down any details.
Aww, don’t pick on my installation. Windows normally works (I use Boot Camp). It’s just that in over six months with this computer, the Windows side has locked up (while shutting down, while loading, whatever…it’s Windows) multiple times. The Mac side has done it a grand total of once, and that was caused by a website. On the Windows side, I had to manually restart the dang machine. On the Mac side, well, I don’t remember. It happened only once.
Re: Quicken: I found that when I saved our data in text format, it imported just fine into the Mac version.
Oh, if you buy the Office for Mac when purchasing your laptop, it’s much less expensive than buying it separately.
If you enjoy camaraderie and feeling a little like a rebel, you will enjoy the Mac community. There are a lot of Mac users, myself included, who will help you for free. I stopped helping my Windows friends because it’s just not worth it. I know they will have problems again in short order.
One of the major benefits of having a Mac is no viruses. Ever. None. I’m not sure what Julie the Jarhead above means by saying Macs are “mostly” virus free. I don’t know of any Mac user, and I work for companies with thousands of them, who has had a virus since Apple switched to OS X years ago. If Julie knows something I don’t, I’d be happy to hear from her. The press routinely gets this wrong.
You might want to wait until the new Leopard operating system comes out this summer, but only because you will want to upgrade and it will likely cost $100ish. If you can go with it now, don’t wait, the current operating system is great.
Let me know if you switch. I’ll link to your comments.
My first computer was an Apple II and I have had a succession of Apple products over the years. Currently, I have two G4’s and a laptop. (I lied: I have a G4 and the Mrs. won’t let me touch her G4 and “our” laptop.)
I love Macs.
Several suggestions: Buy “Pro Care” which you can only get at a Mac store. You get an hour of one on one Genius Bar instruction whenever you schedule it. (Seven days between appointments.) It costs $99 for the year and is one of the great Apple “secrets.” You can also use the special Genius website or special telephone contact.
See if you can’t get the Mac store to extend an education discount to you. (Any university student can be a stand in for you.)
If you buy in Delaware, you can skip the sales tax.
Take a good look at Mac.com. I love it and it has been my IP for several years.
Do not worry about virus protection, it wastes your time and money.
The graphics people in the Mac world love to share.
Go hang out at the Mac store at Tysons and watch the enthusiasm.
Go for it!
Disclaimer: I’ve had a Mac since the very first 128K unit. I am not unbiased.
However, I now administrate eight different Macs at church and home, and one Dell running Windows XP. I also use Windows XP occasionally on one of the Macs.
They all do the job they are supposed to do. But guess which operating system takes the most time to keep working efficiently and up-to-date? It isn’t the Apple side of this coin.
Because Apple controls both the operating system and the hardware, things just work better. Windows strength (ubiquity) is its weakness. Too many folks try to make too many things work in too many ways.
Bought a Mac 14 months ago, had a problem (after a year of steady use) with the logicboard which AppleCare covered. No problems since – faster than a PC, and no bugs, spyware, viruses, etc. Love love LOVE my Mac – can’t stand using the Dell laptops on the unit I work on, since they lock up all.the.time.
there’s a pic of me grilling outdoors while holding my Mac Powerbook here: http://ninthstreetrecords.blogspot.com
get the macbook. pay extra for:
– extra ram (go to 2gb)
– apple care (great support)
what’s there to say that the posters on this thread haven’t said? there will come a point where it’s not you learning your computer, it’s your computer learning you
La Shawn,
You’ll love the Mac because it has the best RSS reader, NetNewsWire. And it integrates with NewsGator, in case you were using that already.
Okay, I’m a techie, I daily use Linux and Mac and hardly, hardly ever use Windows. But I found this column about switching that reflects the experiences of others I’ve helped with Macs, and to some extent, my own:
http://utilware.com/switching.html
I think it’s fairly well balanced, and not at all hyperbolic. It points out some things I’d forgotten about that a new user should be aware of.
I wish you all the best in your next forty years (and maybe the next forty after that, too).
WAIT!
I support your move to the Mac 100% – I’m an avid Mac user myself – but if you wait a month or so, Apple will release its new Operating System (10.5) with all the updated iLife goodies for 2007 – this would cost you around $200 to buy after the fact.
So, if you can, wait!
And take a good, long look at the refurbished computers. I’m typing this on a two-year old refurb iBook, and boy am I glad I saved the $200 going refurbished!
Once you go Mac, you don’t willingly go back. Sadly, I will be forced back into the PC world for law school this fall (my own personal Babylonian captivity), but I’ll pick up an iMac for use at home, just to keep the Mac tradition alive.
Good luck!
Update to my previous post…not only is my friend’s site back up, he has an extensive post up about how he puts together his weekly Bible study, complete with all the audio-streaming and conferencing, using, mainly, Mac software. A good look at what’s possible with Macs these days!
Arghh, LaShawn, I’m disappointed in you… switching to a macintrash? Just kidding!!, actually, I’ve heard some good things about macintosh particularly the macbook or I think it used to be called the ibook. Most everyone I’ve talked to that has one has been pretty happy with it.
Now, I just bought a new PC with Windows Vista home premium, intel duo core 2ghz processor, 80gb hard drive, and 2gb ram. I’ve had no problems with it. In fact, I like it a whole lot. The new graphics or windows aero is outstanding, and with the processor and 2gb of ram the performance is just smokin’.
I haven’t had any “bug” problems in the month I’ve had it. However, there are some frustrating software combatability issues though. I’m convinced that those will be worked out soon enough. Windows has decided to go this direction with their OS and Microsoft will have to work out the compatability issues or risk another lawsuit. Furthermore, these other software companies will have to do their part to work out the compatability issues or risk alienating a large portion of their customer base.
On a more personal note, congratulations on all of your anniversaries. They’re definitely something to praise God about!!
Jim C
Go Mac. I’ve been a Mac user for about 20 years. I’ve lived through years of up and down quality and support and I can tell you the last few years the product has just gotten better and better. I’m hooked on the magic of Apple products. I’ve also worked lots on PCs and find them clunky. Often what takes three or four steps on a PC a Mac will do in one step.
They’ve done side by side studies of efficiency, giving office staff a series of tasks to do on both platforms. The Mac team did the work in far less time consistently.
It comes down to what your time is worth. Every time you save an hour on a Mac, an hour you don’t spend fixing a bug or dealing with a virus or whatever, is an hour you can credit to the cost of the machine. Sure it costs a little more, but you get what you pay for.
And the learning curve isn’t that steep.
But wait for 10.5 to come out soon.
Get Apple Care
You’ll be happy.
I am 53, so right at the breaking age for computer literacy/illeteracy. In college days we were doing all computer work by punch cards and getting results on a teletype machine by way of communicating with a mainframe buried in an air conditioned basement. In other words, I am semi-literate at best with the PC’s.
We started out with a Mac at home in mid-90’s. I am in a rural area, so computer service of any kind was tough to find. I have always been able to fix Mac problems myself, at home, with minimal repairs. The hardware seems to last forever, even in a dusty, rural environment with a heavy smoker (myself), which is a horrible environment for personal computers.
My oldest son lost his PC hard drive this past year, on a Windows machine (high end) that was three years younger than my current Mac G4. I lost a motherboard last month on my PC machine that was two years younger than the G4.
My biggest problem with Mac has been with small market, technical program availability. I am self-employed as a forester, and I have the PC machine to use forestry, surveying and mapping programs that are available only on PC. My PC has no modem, and is never used for internet connection, due to the virus/worm/trojan horse problems of PC’s.
I think you will like the Mac, since you do a fair bit of graphics with your blog. All of my graphics work (aerial photos, satellite coverage) is processed on the Mac and transferred to the PC mapping program.
The Operating Systems for MAC and PC are becoming much more compatible than even a few years back, and Mac has any number of programs that allow translation of PC files. Mac software tends to be more expensive, and I order most of my hardware/software online because I am in a low service, rural area with no Mac brick-and-mortar outlets.
The virus problems will get worse on Macs, as they gain market share, but the Mac OS is a great deal less vulnerable to security problems than PC’s, particularly Windows XP.
Dave Mc
La Shawn, your head is probably spinning after all this great “advice” we’re giving you, so here’s an idea. I have a dandy Commodore 64 for sale, complete with an audio tape data drive AND a real, honest-to-goodness external floppy drive. Make you a great deal on it. You do need to supply your own TV to use as a monitor, though.
Lease one for a month.
Then, if you like it, buy it.
No need to shell out money at the top.
Macs are much better protected against spyware, viruses, malware, etc.
They are also much better for handling photos, videos (think video blogging), and so on.
Good luck!
La Shawn, How about a “Donate for a New Mac” button?
I will contribute.
Mac, baby. MAC! :0)
Someone said to get a 7200 rpm drive. I would not get one because it is a laptop. You don’t have to be a tech nerd to figure out that it takes more energy to spin a drive at 7200 rpm instead of 5400 rpm. Since it is a portable computer, you don’t want to burn up your battery too quickly. Apple doesn’t offer it as an option, anyway. (I have a 7200 rpm drive in my PowerBook that I installed myself, because I do video work with it.)
LaShawn, if I go with a new Mac notebook when my Toshiba dies…honestly, it will be solely because they’re so darn pretty. Talk about being such a girl…
Honey get whatever makes YOU happy. Go to the store, play with them, try to crash/break one. Then get the one that suits you. Unless you’re using it for video editing or autocad renderings, they pretty much all work the same. Mac or PC.
And congrats on the 10 years and turning 40! You never cease to amaze me. In a good way.
Oooohh… it looks like you have gotten plenty of advice already. I say go with a Mac. I personally have never owned one but … If I ever buy my own again it would be a Mac for all the reasons you mention.
Also, Google has a new service where you can write documents and spreadsheets online. I love it for my personal writing.
Hi La Shawn-Rather than join the Mac/PC buzz, please, for your own protection, before you sell your old computer, buy a very good program to shed your hard drive of all of your personal information.
Wipe out all of your own data, after backing up, of course-as nearly all data is retrievable. The surest way to protect your data is to replace the hard drive with one loaded with a clean install of XP and keep the old drive yourself.
Okay, I’ll add to the Mac/PC query-Vista will make more people turn to Macs. I’m PC now, but Mac is in my future.
I’m a former system administrator turned computer security guy and I switched from a PC to a Mac a few years back and I haven’t regretted it at all. Now, I hardly ever turn my old PC on since I can do everything I need to do with my Mac.
Congrats on the 10-I’m going on 27 come 3/17!!
odat
My guess is that after six months with a Mac, your uncanny ability to write objectively will shed valuable light on the PC vs Mac debate. I would place a bet that you will report back that the only drawbacks to using a Mac is that you’re scoffed at by the rest of the world and you encounter a lot of sites that don’t want Mac’s to succeed. Kind of like what happens when you tell people you take the Bible seriously.
I switched to a Mac about two years ago, and I could not be happier. In theory the PC has more software available, but I have found few applications that are not duplicated somewhere. Since new Macs will run Windows, that eliminates the software problem. What I like best is freedom from resource robbing adware, spyware,and anti-virus programs. They say there are a few Mac viruses out there, but I have not encoutered one. Remember, though, that a Mac running Windows is subject to the same vandal sofware as a PC.
I really appreciate the links that posters here put up.
But, I gotta tell you when I get to a site which uses a black background and white type, I am out of there.
Way too hard to read.
If the site is for communication then it needs to be easy to read. Just pretty doesn’t do it.
Definitely go for the Mac!
Go ahead and get a PC laptop. But you know after you get it you’ll always be wondering, “I wonder what the Mac is like? Wow it looks so much nicer..”
Yes the Macs are beautiful and yes they are a little bit more pricey. I’ve owned both and still own both and find the Apple hardware to be more quality built and the software more reliable. Forget all the ads for a second and just think of feel and use. For what you’re looking for you can get either one since you requirements are so minimal – PCs would definitely give you much more bang for your buck.
However – you’ll find that the Mac may come at a higher premium but the software and hardware work really well together. The frustration will be, you wished you never used a PC because all your muscle memory have adapted to PC shortcuts. Also when you sell your mac, you’ll get more money for it because there is an army of Mac zealots always looking to buy used hardware.
Its like reselling a Lexus vs. reselling a Civic. You’ll notice that when you sell your existing laptop.
Lastly, the Mac offers a “feature” that no PC can offer and that is it provides legal software to run both the Apple OS and Microsoft OS. So if you really miss your MS Windows, you can always boot your mac to Windows (blasphemous in some circles)..
We (ex-pc users now mac converts) faced that same dilemma and you’ll be hard-pressed to find one who has regretted the decision.
I have used both, but only owned Macs. What you need to know is that
1. Unless you have the need for some very specialized software, both will meet your needs.
2. Cost comparisons are usually suspect because it is impossible to really compare the total cost of ownership between “comparable machines.” That said, the difference in cost will be minimal compared to whether using your machine makes you smile or scream.
I can use windows, but I choose not to. I can write with my right hand, but I’m left handed, so it is more comfortable, and I am more productive using my left hand.
I agree with everything said above. But it will come down to how happy you are when you boot up your machine. I will point out one small thing that I love about my macbook. It has this really cool power cable called “mag safe” which will pop off if you accidentally trip over the cable. This means that your laptop will not fly off your desk. (yes, I have done this once or twice.)
Best of luck.
I am a printer and describe ourselves as non-denominational, cross-platform compatible. By count our shop is seven Macs to three PCs. All Macs except one runs OS X.
In the past Macs have been the choice of graphics people and one advantage is the handling of fonts. As for fonts, we have shunned true type fonts for Postscript Type 1, but now Open Type fonts have emerged, working on both platforms. The “Pro” versions offer advantages over the Postscript.
Of the PCs, one is IBM, serves as print-server for an imagesetter; hardware design is bad, hard to get to memory. HP is graphic workstation, better hardware design, easy access; had to change our bad CD/DVD drive. Other is Dell notebook, too much crapware; Had problems setting it up, Dell Help was not too swift; Mona in Manila lead me down the wrong path and had to get an English speaking support in Nashville to correct things.
Software side of things, we have MS Office on both, Adobe Creative Suite CS2 has Mac and PC versions (PhotoShop, InDesign, Illustrator and Acrobat Pro). All runs well on both. Quickbooks 2005 is on the Mac. Act is the only program that needs the PC. Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird run on both.
Performance wise, we don’t get “Your computer is not protected” messages on the Mac, thus my overall choice is for the ease of operation, less intrusive messages, spyware, virus problems, go for the MAC!
I paid for a top of the line Sony laptop about 2 years ago and it’s been absolutely horrendous. Neither the computer nor the operating system have been reliable. If the motherboard isn’t hiccuping and losing my data, then it’s XP dumping registry files and losing my data. Itsa total lemon. On the plus side, I’ve become veryveryvery vigilant about backing up my data!
I’d give a pound of hot penguin patootie to have my money back so I could buy a Mac.
Thanks for yer great work on this blog.
Take care,
n
This is NOT the time to be thinking of switching from PC to Mac. Mac developers have just begun devising programs that will wipe all of your data away if the program suspects that you obtained it illegally. Already hackers are using this as a way to get to Macs: a secret “command” sent via email. You open the email on your Mac and suddenly, all of your data is gone! the program you purchased legally has been turned into a zombie that deleted all of your files! And don’t believe it when Apple says “you can also run PC softwareâ€.
Stay with the PC, but DO NOT USE VISTA! A buddy of mine just bought a new laptop. we immediately scrubbed the harddrive clean, partitioned it, and loaded Windows 98 Special Edition (probably the best edition of Windows ever released) AND Ubuntu. That laptop rocks!
I’ll add my two cents… I’ve been a long time PC user (though I had an Atari ST in the late 80’s…great machine). I bought a mac mini several months ago and my reaction is mixed. I would not say the mac is much of a leap at all over the PC–just different ways of doing similar things. Some things are nicer on the mac but in the end I’m still more comfortable on a PC. A couple of things to consider: you’ll have to buy additional software for the mac or go (as I did) with freeware such as NeoOffice (a good, stable mac package based on OpenOffice.org). Also I found the mac mini with 512mg ram to be quite sluggish. I would agree that mac does a much nicer job with aesthetics. I love how quiet, compact and stylish my mac mini is. Good luck with your choice.
I have a refurbished Macbook bought from the Apple store that cost about $800: one yr warrantee from Apple; can burn CDs and watch DVDs; Intel dual core processor so it is plenty fast. It is a 60 GB hard drive and 1 GB RAM. Wi-Fi and bluetooth included, firewire and two USB ports. Best of all, no viruses (and it is cute!)
Good luck.
Get a Mac. Have been a Mac user 8+ years. Never have the problems you’re always hearing about with PCs. Don’t have to worry about viruses, bugs, etc. My son has the one that uses Windows & Mac OS, but there is only the rare occasion when he uses Windows. Certainly doesn’t prefer it.
Listening to a PC user is like trying to take the advise of a liberal. Windows is trying to become Mac OS like and they are better than it used to be, but far from being as intuitive or user friendly as the Mac. Forget the price, just do it. Just pay what it takes. I have and would in the future. Don’t care for Steve Jobs, but the product is wonderful.
MAC all the way. we started out with Windows 3.1 on a 433/40 back in 1991.
Last fall, when my wife’s 4 year old Dell desk top started to die AND my daughter’s 3 year old DELL Inspiron (already had a hard drive replaced) also started to act up I wanted something that would easy to use, trouble free and safe.
iMAC for my wife. iBOOK for my daughter.
iBOOK fast easy – my wife spends so much more time on the INTERNET saving us money. No viruses, no virus scan no ad ware.
iBOOK wonderful machine fast easy. Light.
Go MAC, let everyone catch up
LaShawn, I was at a potential new client’s office just last week with my new Mac Book Pro. The ladies at the office loved it, and one made the comment (with which the other agreed) that everytime they see someone who “knows about computers” they always have a Mac. I showed them a few things with iPhoto, iMovie, and a few of the other simple to use apps that come with it, and they were impressed.
I’m a hard-core computer guy. Programmer, administrator, etc. I use Linux, also, but my notebook is a Mac.
It costs a little more- if your time is worth nothing. Note, too, that when people compare price they always “forget” to throw in the anti-virus software and other junk that you have to buy for Windows to get it working.
Seriously, it just works. Go Mac, and you’ll never go back.
I am a Mac person. I’ve owned a Mac since my SE in 1987. I would unhesitatingly suggest a Mac to someone who was buying their first computer. The virtues of the Mac have been pretty clearly cover above and I agree.
All that being said, switching will be harder than starting with a Mac. If you regularly use keyboard shortcuts, prepare to learn new ones. Window controls are different and in different places. The better you are at using a PC, the more jarring the transition will be.
I really hope you decide to get a Mac, we can use the market share. But be prepared, there will be bumps. The added cost will be offset by the longer life. My SE finally gave up the ghost, but I only replaced my G4/400 after almost 7 years because I wanted some newer software, mostly games, that the G4 couldn’t handle.
By the way, I turn 60 this month, so I bought myself a 24 inch iMac to celebrate. Good luck, whatever you decide.
aieee! the mac / pc debate. That is the only topic I’ve ever found more volatile than politics, religion or sports.
I am also a Mac developer, for 20+ years. You know what I will recommend. Every time I help someone on a windows machine, though, I am amazed how much Windows “gets in the way”.
Two things to add. My last virus protection software was in last modified 1997.
What do you do for backup? It can be so much easier on the Mac, with many easy-to-use options. I would be happy to help you on that.
Congrats, La Shawn, I’ll be 40 this year also.
Self-employed for 5 years……
And I’m mostly sober…… 8^)
I just bought the MacBook Pro. I use Mac at work and have a PC desk top at home.
I have had two PC laptops in the past. The first went kaput a few days after the one year warranty lapsed. The keyboard went out on the second unit (an HP) about four months after I bought it.
I kept buying the PC laptops because they were inexpensive and could run my timeslips program. I stepped up to the MacBook Pro because of the reviews and my experience with Mac products.
There is simply no comparison. The Mac boots and shuts down about five times faster than the PC. The battery life is longer. Once you get the Mac scheme down, you can fly around the applications.
Two features that I especially like are the magnetic power plug and the lighted keyboard. The magnetic plug works well. I keep my MacBook plugged in on my den desk. My yellow lab will often come in to the den for a visit with the predictable tail wag (the one that will clear a coffee table of all breakable items). The tail hit the power cord and, because of the breakaway magnetic connection, the cord simply popped lose. The laptop did not move.
Congratulations on your double-digits…dc
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