Date: 5/3/08 9:43 PM

My husband wants to replace our current (old and dead) computers with an Apple network. He is into music and is excited about the possibilities.

We also use computers for email, internet surfing, DS games, and the usual family type uses.

Will the apple computers really do all these things just as well, "arty" things better and relieve us of the worry of viruses, trojans etc?

Your thoughts are welcome.

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Reply to Leslie in NZ
Date: 5/3/08 9:52 PM

I have used a mac at home since 1994.

I use microsoft office, and have no trouble at all going back and forth between my mac at home an my pc in my office or in the classroom (I am a professor and work on my powerpoint and other materials at both at home and at work, I have a flash drive that I use to store the files).

My current mac powerbook needs fewer updates, doesn't pick up viruses and spyware, and is overall much more reliable than the pcs that I have used (I currently have a dell desktop on my office, and both a compaq desktop and dell laptop at home).

Macs are fantastic with music, video, graphics, and other "arty" types of things. There are a couple of drawbacks though...

If you want to use software that does not have a mac version, for example, Wild Ginger does not work n the mac, you will have to buy a program called "Virtual PC" which allows you to install and run programs for pc on your mac. Problem is, its an additional expense.

Second drawback, macs are typically more expensive initially. I think this evens out over the life of the machine, since you have to service it less, update it less, less likliehood of picking up viruses, the machines tend to stay current longer and need replaced less than pcs.

I don't really find these drawbacks to be dealbreakers, and the ease of use with the mac and reliability more than makes up for them in my mind.

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Michelle

http://cheapandpicky.blogspot.com/

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Date: 5/3/08 10:46 PM

I'm a Mac Girl since 1985... so the only answer I'm going to give you, obviously, is GO FOR IT.

You will have an initial readjustment and then you'll wonder why you ever stuck with a clunky PC for so long!

(Okay I'm really really biased, but do you ever hear a PC person totally in love with there computer? And how often do you hear Mac people swearing BY not AT theirs? There's a reason for that!!!)

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Date: 5/3/08 11:16 PM

I have had my MAC for a year. I LOVE it! I hope by the end of the year to have all apple computers in my house. I LOVE IT. I hardly EVER use my pc. I don't know how I went so long without switching over!!!!!
-- Edited on 5/3/08 11:16 PM --

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Adrienne
www.adrienneslittleworld.typepad.com

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Date: 5/3/08 11:28 PM

PC world? What's that? I"ve never had a PC!! Macs forever. Yeah, what they said.

Nina

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Reply to Leslie in NZ
Date: 5/3/08 11:28 PM

I switched to a Mac last December and it is the greatest. DH switched about a year before me. I did put Parallels on mine so I could use my embroidery software. That is the only thing I do on it. Where I live, Apple has a program called "One to One" that is great. I paid $100 and can go for a private one hour lesson each week. I've been quite a few times and learned a lot.

And, yes they will do all the stuff you listed - better!

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Date: 5/4/08 1:29 AM

I've always had pcs because I started using PC based software in 1993 (Windows 3.1---you grew OLD waiting for your email to download) and I had a laptop for work purposes back in (gulp) 1995. Back then it made a huge difference. I had to be able to transfer files between my work PC, my laptop at home and to be able to email Word and Excel files to people all over the country, all using various systems...back then it was common to send an email or an attachment that turned up on the other end as strings of jibberish or raw code. That doesn't really happen anymore.

One of the companies my company worked for WAS Microsoft--I never really drank the MS Kool-aid but they did supply me with free software and upgrades.... Microsoft/PC was THE standard in the world of business. MS office STILL is. For graphics/video/sound applications Mac has always been a much better choice. Designers of all stripes have always preferred Mac

In the pre-web days, Microsoft/PC RULED the world of business computing. Even in the early days of the Web, Microsoft and other computer software makers/developers had not yet resigned themselves to the notion that their products either had to be cross-platform" --usable by Mac, Linux and PC users--or those products were doomed to oblivion. The web --more specifically Web commerce--changed all that...

Now, I would turn my back on 15 years of PC/MS history and move to Mac in a heartbeat. Windows is just too unstable, too liable to bugs, hacking, malware and viruses....All of the security software I need to protect my PC combined with all of the Microsoft Explorer components I can't get rid of without making the whole system unstable has made the act of booting up and logging in extremely slow and tedious. I actually go over to my neighbor's apartment and use her Mac if I want to look something up double-quick....it's faster than waiting for my pc to boot up.

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I am going for a level of perfection that is only mine... Most of the pleasure is in getting that last little piece perfect...Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us just keep showing up and doing the work.

Chuck Close, painter, printmaker, photographer

Hope has two lovely daughters: Anger and Courage

St. Augustine

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Reply to Leslie in NZ
Date: 5/4/08 1:42 AM

Hi Leslie in NZ,

I will have to add my endorsement to an Apple computer. I have had a Mac since 1996, updated twice, and have also used a PC at work. Microsoft complicates everything SO MUCH, that it is very frustrating to use, at least for me; but if you aren't going to use 85% of the total package anyway, why bother?

Not being able to buy Mac versions of some programs has saved me money, and I haven't really missed them. As mentioned by the others, creativity is indeed easier with a Mac. (Or perhaps more creative people just know the Mac is superior!)

Good luck!

Regards,

Sophiecat

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Well-behaved women rarely make history.
Laurel Ulrich

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Date: 5/4/08 3:24 AM

At home we use a mix of Windows, Mac and Linux all on the same network. It is very well protected, with firewalls etc.
We have very few problems throughout.
The mac belongs to my SO after he fell for its looks (he is a man) and after I told him the ease of use (used to have a mac) Apart from initial getting used to, he loves it. Certainly now we have de Adobe Design suite.Now he makes all these nice things for photos and presentations with more ease
For anything arty Mac is far superior to windows, but also for calculus type programs. When I was working on my biochemistry thesis we used macs in the department as only they were capable of the type of calculus at the speed we wanted.

Problems only with setting up the window partitioning at this stage, but that is hopefully also resolved soon. Then we can work with any program we want as it will have been designed for one of the three operating systems we use.

Gilraen

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Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in getting up every time we do.
Confucius (551 BC - 479 BC)

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Date: 5/4/08 11:04 AM

I've always had Macs at home, and PCs at work. I've used MS Word, Excel, and Dreamweaver on both. Everything else is done via the web browser so it doesn't matter. Never had a problem. The only thing I couldn't transfer from one computer to the other was an MS Access database.

Regardless of what I'm doing, everything is easier on a Mac. I never had a problem switching over, but I have known some people who took a little while to adapt. But they always ended up liking the Mac better, because once you figure out how it works, it's just simpler to operate and maintain.

Quote:

If you want to use software that does not have a mac version, for example, Wild Ginger does not work n the mac, you will have to buy a program called "Virtual PC" which allows you to install and run programs for pc on your mac. Problem is, its an additional expense.

Actually, I just checked into this for my new MacBook. The current program is called Boot Camp. It comes free with OS X Leopard. You do have to buy MS Windows, however, and that is an extra expense. There are also alternatives to Boot Camp which you can buy and they allow you to view your Windows screen without leaving your Mac screen.

Quote:

Second drawback, macs are typically more expensive initially. I think this evens out over the life of the machine, since you have to service it less, update it less, less likliehood of picking up viruses, the machines tend to stay current longer and need replaced less than pcs.

My last Mac lasted 7 years, and it still works and has mostly current software on it. I finally replaced it because it couldn't handle all the music files I was downloading. I had to service it once to fix a video problem but never had to replace any parts.

Not having to worry about viruses and spyware is a big plus.

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http://futurewardrobe.blogspot.com

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