Are Macs really that great?

[Goldstone Rapper]

Bought a 15" MacBook Pro for £380 from Gumtree early last year. That's a route you could go down if you can't afford to, say, spend a grand on a new computer.

 

[blue'n'white]

In answer to the original question

YES YES YES a hundred times yes

As everyone who owns one will tell you - they just work
And they look good too - lovely sharp screen for photos

 

[Fef]

I'd never go back to PC now. Bought a MacBook Pro in 2008 and it runs as well today as the day i got it out the box. So £1800 might have seemed pricey at the time but looking back now it's been amazing vfm given Windows laptops kind of slow down to a halt after a couple of years in my experience

And it works like the nuts too.

This is exactly my experience. I am a freelancer, and need both a Windows laptop and an Apple MacBook in my work; IMHO my MacBook Pro belts the living daylights out of my Windows 7 laptop.

 

[Monkey Man]

I've used Macs in my workplace for the past 20 years, and various PCs at home. Personally I find Macs quite awkward and clunky - Windows seems so much more streamlined and easy to use, though Windows 7 is a bit overhyped.

Each to their own. I have an iPhone and will probably get an iPad one day but for general desktop computing, it's Windows all the way for me. The fact that Macs have this aura of "cool" about them only makes them less appealing in my book.

 

[Super Steve Earle]

Go to the Apple shop and get one of their assistants to take you through things on it; you'll be drooling

Did that in the summer & bought a brilliant Dell laptop instead, much easier & familiar to use and very high spec.

Thought very carefully about the iPad at Christmas, but got the Samsung 10.1 tablet instead with Android and again love it to bits.

Just to provide a bit of balance to the debate.

 

[superwomen]

love my macbook pro

 

[Cappers]

Yes yes yes, no contest.
10 years Windows user W98/XP/Vista/7
6 months Mac. Would not go back.
I still have my Windows 7 laptop. If I ever use it it is frustratingly slow (although when using it I thought it was quick), clunky and generally clumsy feeling.
Cant see myself wanting to go back at all

 

[mwrpoole]

If you look on eBay, and look closely, you can find 2 yr old macs that still have 1 yr apple care left on them for a decent price, just make sure you read all the details and it hasn't been upgraded to invalidate the warranty - I found some that had 18 months warranty but it was invalid as the hard drive had been upgraded which I found pretty pointless.

As for cost when I was looking I came across an article where someone specced a Dell laptop to the same spec as a MacBook pro and it worked out £50 more expensive, so that said to me that they're no more expensive than windows, Apple just don't do low spec models, hence you get what you pay for.

 

[Deleted member 22389]

I'm really struggling with this at the moment.

I've always been a PC man and regarded Apple products as very good but horrendously over-priced for what you get. I built a PC about 18 months ago with some fairly high specs and know absolutely that a Mac with similar spec would have cost probably double.

Notwithstanding this, Macs are amazing bits of kit and come with a lot of pre-installed software that closes the price gap quite a bit. The graphics are outstanding on a Mac and the screen quality is amazing.

I've been under a lot of pressure from the 'Once you Mac you never go back' brigade and it's finally starting to get to me. I am now seriously considering spunking some hard-earned on an iMac. My phone is also up for an upgrade and I'm looking at an iphone, despite being very loyal to Android/HTC for some while.

Decisions, decision, decisions.

You need to decide the reasons why you want a mac. Why do you want to escape from Windows? Is it Viruses, Spyware issues, is it because it comes all in one unit. Will it make you more productive?

 

[Smile]

It is like having a brand new PC, you turn it on, it works just as it should.
The difference is six months later a mac is still quick. Where a PC will slow down (I know it is not the PC fault - it is because 99% of users do not know how to keep their PC in tip top condition) So unless you are one of the 1% you will not look back.

 

[Tux the albion Penguin]

You need to decide the reasons why you want a mac. Why do you want to escape from Windows? Is it Viruses, Spyware issues, is it because it comes all in one unit. Will it make you more productive?

Curiosity mainly.

 

[del strangefish]

PC is like a dusty old piece of office machinery that you only turn on when you have some boring office work to to.
Used to own a PC and be continually trying to solve problems with it.
My Mac is a joy. Always look forward to spending time on mine.
Just my opinion from experience.

 

[Deleted member 22389]

Curiosity mainly.

Go to to the Apple store in Brighton and get a demo of OSX if you can. Like other users have pointed out OSX is a lot like Linux for me. 6 months later the machine is still running like new. You don't need to worry about Spyware or Viruses or all the other rubbish they try and automatically install. And better still when those idiots call up saying you have a Windows error you can keep them on the phone and let them know you don't run Windows lol.

I will let mac experts take over from here.

 

[Tux the albion Penguin]

Go to to the Apple store in Brighton and get a demo of OSX if you can. Like other users have pointed out OSX is a lot like Linux for me. 6 months later the machine is still running like new. You don't need to worry about Spyware or Viruses or all the other rubbish they try and automatically install. And better still when those idiots call up saying you have a Windows error you can keep them on the phone and let them know you don't run Windows lol.

I will let mac experts take over from here.

I've done that to the "windows" scammer people. But I can pop In the Apple store when I get a break next week at somepoint. Suppose It can't do any harm

 

[Chicken Runner61]

In 20 years I've owned (in work and at home) about 100 computers, about 10 of those were macs......

All the macs still work except one (and that still would if I could be arsed to get it fixed) but the pcs..................

and even the latest pc we have already has problems and the other 2 year old ones already seem slow.

 

[clapham_gull]

They are fantastic for people who don't understand how computers work.

 

[clapham_gull]

but Windows have pulled their finger out and 'borrowed' a lot of ideas.

One of the funniest things I've ever read on here, Apple have been borrowing ideas for years.

Superb. Made my night.

 

[Chicken Runner61]

They are fantastic for people who don't understand how computers work.

And Pc's are great if you want to spend all day trying to get a computer to work

 

[clapham_gull]

And Pc's are great if you want to spend all day trying to get a computer to work

Exactly, well I don't have a problem - do you ?

I have no problem with Apple products, just the Willy Wonka type devotion to a Global Empire.

It's odd...

 

[Chicken Runner61]

Exactly, well I don't have a problem - do you ?

I have no problem with Apple products, just the Willy Wonka type devotion to a Global Empire.

It's odd...

Well for me its a bit like this.

At work I want to be productive and the stuff I have to do on a PC is constantly interrupted by crashes, updates and problems. That doesn't seem to happen on a Mac.


I sort of know how a car works but if I have to tinker with it every time I've been out in it or if it doesn't work when I'm trying to get somewhere urgently I don't seem to get the feel good factor of knowing I can repair it especially if its going to take a few hours!

You also have understand that apple don't make their money out of the manufacture of the computer or iphone, they make it out of selling the storage or media that is used or kept on it.

Pcs are made out of cheap components thrown together at a price. Very soon you will have £15 computers you assemble yourself on the market. How will PC manufacturers cope with that?

Apple spend loads on r&d to make available products made in China that work reliably so people will want to buy the media and apps to use on the gadget.