Yet another "Should I get a Mac or Windows PC?' thread

[Shining Raichu]

I'm sorry to put all you C&T regulars through this yet again since I checked the forum and found about 15 similar threads, but after reading through some of them I think I need to ask the question anew, since my circumstances are slightly different, and also with technology you never know that answers given even six months ago are the same as they would be today.

So. My laptop is now reaching the end of a laptop's usual life expectancy (it passed its third birthday in August) and it's making me wonder whether it's time to get a new one. It's working fine for now, but so was my previous laptop before it suddenly and unexpectedly bit the dust.

This leaves me in the predicament of deciding whether or not to go for another Windows computer (which is all I've ever used) or switch to a Mac. So I thought I'd list the things you should know before you answer:

• I am on my laptop constantly, but I never do anything too heavy-duty. The main things I use it for are browsing the internet (mainly PokeCommunity lol), MSN, IRC, Microsoft Word, Photoshop and The Sims 3, so it's not like it will be a work computer.
• I have an iPhone 4 and love it. Not sure if this is relevant or not.
• I have always been attracted to the sexyness of Macs, though somewhat put off by the compatibility issues (which may or may not even be a problem these days)
• Money isn't that much of an issue for me right now, so the affordability factor doesn't really matter.
• I'm a bit of a technological retard sometimes, so I wonder whether changing from Windows to Mac would be an easy transition for me.

So, uh, yeah. What do you guys think?​

 

[(=Nemesis=)]

If you run games on consoles instead of computers and short-term cost isn't more of an issue than long term reliability and service... Mac.

Beware though. After a few months of using Macs at college, where I first discovered them, I couldn't stand using Windows. Lots of little annoyances built up into a crippling frustration with Redmond's peculiar version of reality.

 

[SpeedyGeek]

I wouldn't.

I've seen so many people jump on the mac bandwagon over the years. OMG Macs don't get viruses or OMG Macs are so sexy looking or OMG Macs are so amazing and easy to use... I call that BS.

I've had to help way too many people adjust to switching and... far too often it's been ugly. The tech savvy are often fine with either OS, but the others... I've found that about half of them end up hating the switch because they run into problems that apparently only Windows computers were supposed to have. Believe me, Apple computers are going to have problems too. It doesn't help that now is not the time to switch to Apple. (I suggest looking into Apple's current OS -- Lion -- it is just awful compared to Snow Leopard and is nicknamed the new Vista)

I advise you to ask yourself the following questions:

1) Are you serious about your willingness to learn a completely different OS?
2) Are you willing to put that much money and time into a new laptop that you don't even use that extensively? By that I mean that you don't exactly lift heavyweights with your laptop. Remember, not only would you have to buy a new computer, you'd have to repurchase a ton of the software, install everything, all that jazz.
3) Even if you're not technologically savvy, at least you were used to Windows. Unix is a completely different ballpark. Are you willing to fight through all the new problems that you will get? (Believe me, chances are you will run into plenty on Lion)

Had I been in your shoes I'd just stick with your old laptop till it really is the time to switch. But then again, I have experiences squeezing out 10 years out of computers, so...

 

[Hybrid Trainer]

I've already said this multiple times so feel free to look over this Andrew x3

First of all, what's the problem with your current laptop? I don't see why you should try and solve something that doesn't have a problem.

Second, let's just see pick apart your list of why you want one.

• I am on my laptop constantly, but I never do anything too heavy-duty. The main things I use it for are browsing the internet (mainly PokeCommunity lol), MSN, IRC, Microsoft Word, Photoshop and The Sims 3, so it's not like it will be a work computer.

Ok so let's just pick apart what differences you'd see if you switched to a mac.
Browsing the internet:
You'd probably switch to Safari which if you really wanted to use you can get on Windows.
MSN:
Your going to be switching to a VERY watered down version of MSN if you switch to a mac.
IRC:
You'll probably get that Colloquy thing that you've pretty much been wanting since you got the iPhone version.
Microsoft Word:
Depending on what version you get you could get a version that has a different icon and colour scheme than the Windows one or one that is a thousand times more confusing o.o
Photoshop:
No real difference really apart from the fact you'd need to buy it all over again.
The Sims 3:
Same as photoshop really x3

All of that on top of having to learn the basics of a Mac without the complications of an application.

• I have an iPhone 4 and love it. Not sure if this is relevant or not.

yea this isn't really a valid reason unless your planning to run IOS 5 on it...

• I have always been attracted to the sexyness of Macs, though somewhat put off by the compatibility issues (which may or may not even be a problem these days)

If you want one so badly for the aesthetics you could just get someone to make you a sleeve for a regular laptop.
The compatibility issues always have and always will be there. There are so many applications that are made only for windows and the majority of the ones that are transferred over to Mac are missing a lot of features.

• Money isn't that much of an issue for me right now, so the affordability factor doesn't really matter.

If money isn't an issue why not just get decent laptop? Or even a desktop?

• I'm a bit of a technological retard sometimes, so I wonder whether changing from Windows to Mac would be an easy transition for me.

Andrew you said Windows 7 looked too confusing for you to switch to o.o I would seriously worry about you if you bought a Macbook.


I think I've made my point x3

 

[donavannj]

From a financial standpoint, I'd stick with a Windows OS, because you may be able to get away with not spending any more money on new software.

Personally, though, I'd get an external hard drive and back up your data from your current laptop onto it before you get another laptop.

 

[eternityMMO]

You can install windows 7 on a Mac too. I don't see any reason for not you to buy one if you have the money. They're pretty good computer and gives cool performances. Anyways, if it was me, I would just bought a Lenovo Thinkpad. They're awersome.

 

[donavannj]

You can install windows 7 on a Mac too. I don't see any reason for not you to buy one if you have the money. They're pretty good computer and gives cool performances. Anyways, if it was me, I would just bought a Lenovo Thinkpad. They're awersome.

To install Windows 7 in a legal fashion on a Mac, though, you'd have to buy a license for Windows 7, which would cost at least another $150 US for the Home Premium version.

 

[eternityMMO]

To install Windows 7 in a legal fashion on a Mac, though, you'd have to buy a license for Windows 7, which would cost at least another $150 US for the Home Premium version.

If you want a legal Windows 7 or not, it has nothing to do with the material. It's another problem :P

 

[Minuteman III]

• From a hardware standpoint, both PC and Macintoshes are identical- they both use an x86-64 processor, and they both use USB ports. Therefore, the issue comes down to software.
• With Photoshop, Microsoft Office, and The Sims, you will need to rebuy your software for the Mac, if you decide to go that route. If you don't want to rebuy MS Office, I'd recommend LibreOffice.
• According to Hybrid Trainer, you shouldn't use the default MSN client, so I would recommend Adium.
• If you use either Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome, they both have a Mac version; IE doesn't, but you shouldn't use it anywhere anyways.
• Compatibility is less of an issue these days, but you might get some old hardware that hates Macs- there's probably better stuff out there anyway.
• Your main problem would probably be relearning your operating system- but, with Boot Camp and a legal copy of Windows (at least XP SP3), you can alleviate this problem. If you want to use MacOS, Speedy Geek is telling you to try to get a copy of Snow Leopard, and not Lion. Also, if someone is willing to help you in person (i.e. another Mac user that you know), ask for their help.
• Both Windows and Macintosh get viruses (recent example of the latter here)

TL;DR version- They're pretty much the same thing now, so there's no real reason to be all fanatical about it.

 

[(=Nemesis=)]

Wait, did you just call a trojan horse a "virus"? Dude, you're confusing us all.

 

[Minuteman III]

Wait, did you just call a trojan horse a "virus"? Dude, you're confusing us all.

Oops, sorry about that. Viruses and trojans are both malware, so I guess that was what was going through my mind when I wrote that up. That example wasn't self-replicating, so it was a bad example.

 

[Archer]

So. My laptop is now reaching the end of a laptop's usual life expectancy (it passed its third birthday in August) and it's making me wonder whether it's time to get a new one. It's working fine for now, but so was my previous laptop before it suddenly and unexpectedly bit the dust.

With the exception of models with known faults (what are you using now, BTW?), computer hardware doesn't really have a lifespan. It could well last for another 7 years.

• I am on my laptop constantly, but I never do anything too heavy-duty. The main things I use it for are browsing the internet (mainly PokeCommunity lol), MSN, IRC, Microsoft Word, Photoshop and The Sims 3, so it's not like it will be a work computer.

For browsing the net, they're largely the same. The scrolling on the Macbook trackpads is arguably better than anything else around, but that's a little thing. On the other hand, MS Word for Mac is different (not necessarily worse, at least not much), but more importantly, game performance is lower on the Macs. Without getting into it, they don't have DirectX, so they are usually ported to OpenCL/OpenCL, which usually incurs performance penalties. Check out some benchmarks if there are one or two games that you want to play, but don't get one expecting it to handle many future games or with the intention of using it as a gaming system.

• I have an iPhone 4 and love it. Not sure if this is relevant or not.

• • Nope. All the interfacing is done via iTunes, so there's no benefit to keeping it in the family. Plus, they run completely differently. Most of the iOS features they tried to bring over in Lion didn't work well.
    

    • I have always been attracted to the sexyness of Macs, though somewhat put off by the compatibility issues (which may or may not even be a problem these days)

    Compatibility is much less of an issue, true. So much is cloud based, but even then, most major programs are now cross-platform. Try not to be too vain in terms of appearance, but the build quality is great, so I'll give you that.
    

    • Money isn't that much of an issue for me right now, so the affordability factor doesn't really matter.

    That's good that you're not cheaping out, but don't be under the impression that you need to buy a Mac if you want something high-end and non-budget. Look into the business lines of Lenovo, Acer, Asus and Dell if you want something solid. Apple doesn't have a budget line, which is part of the reason they have such a good public opinion. Lenovo is mostly in the same boat here and look: they are thought of as a quality brand. (they've released netbooks and mid-range notebooks recently, but they're still not prevalent in the retail market)
    

    • I'm a bit of a technological retard sometimes, so I wonder whether changing from Windows to Mac would be an easy transition for me.

    See SpeedyGeek's reply, but it's not a simple transition. As with a Linux transition (maybe moreso), go in with an open mind. Be prepared to do things differently, rather than trying to turn it into Windows. If you want to do that, use Windows, lol.
    
    

    I've had to help way too many people adjust to switching and... far too often it's been ugly. The tech savvy are often fine with either OS, but the others... I've found that about half of them end up hating the switch because they run into problems that apparently only Windows computers were supposed to have.

    THIS. Transitions can be ugly. OSX isn't perfect. Some things are smoother because they're tightly controlled, btu this often means if you want to do something outside of the box, you can be left high and dry.
    

    It doesn't help that now is not the time to switch to Apple. (I suggest looking into Apple's current OS -- Lion -- it is just awful compared to Snow Leopard and is nicknamed the new Vista)

    Okay, I can't agree with you there. I've been using it since release and it's fine. There were a few teething issues as with any OS that were mostly fixed in the 10.7.2 update a few days ago. It's not perfect and there's a few things Snow Leopard did better coughbatterylifecough, but you can also turn off most of the things you don't like (such as the application resume feature, which is my only hate).
    

    Had I been in your shoes I'd just stick with your old laptop till it really is the time to switch. But then again, I have experiences squeezing out 10 years out of computers, so...

    Yeah. If it ain't broke...
    

    Andrew you said Windows 7 looked too confusing for you to switch to o.o I would seriously worry about you if you bought a Macbook.

    You're entirely right, but to be fair, be it Windows 7 or Lion, people need to train themselves to adapt to change. No software is supported forever, so you might want to change soon, rather than hanging around for another few years until nothing supports XP. Change is inevitable. Learn to be detached. :P
    

    You can install windows 7 on a Mac too.

    Do NOT buy a Mac with the intention of running Windows on it. With the exception of when you need to run multiple programs where they don't all run on any one OS (do so through virtualisation if possible), go with the OS that runs the software you need. It's just not worth the hassle and it defeats the purpose. Plus, there is the cost of Windows 7 that people have mentioned. Even if you get your hands on an OEM copy, it's an extra $100 for Home Premium.
    

    Wait, did you just call a trojan horse a "virus"? Dude, you're confusing us all.

    Don't argue the semantics too much, you know what he meant. The fact is that they get infections in one way or another. The trick is to work in a Standard User account with an Admin account reserved for... administration. The same goes for Windows from Vista forwards. It's probably even more important in XP, but Standard accounts in XP are just horrible. Also, stay away from pirated software, because that's a major source on infection on OSX.
    
    

    With Photoshop, Microsoft Office, and The Sims, you will need to rebuy your software for the Mac, if you decide to go that route. If you don't want to rebuy MS Office, I'd recommend LibreOffice.

    That's not necessarily true. Some Adobe license systems (and pretty much all of the Elements line) are licensed for both Mac and Windows. Look into that. Then again, so many people pirate Photoshop that this isn't a concern. It's not the case with The Sims 3 AFAIK, but if you're gaming cross-platform, Steam licenses carry across fine if the game is compatible with both.
    
    LibreOffice is pretty sad in comparison to MS Office. I understand it's free and open-source and whatnot. It still doesn't compare, especially considering the OP is happy to spend money for the best experience.
    
    I regularly use both OSs, so feel free to ask me anything specific. :cer_nod: Sorry I couldn't give you a straight answer, but I'd strongly recommend going into an Apple Store and playing around with the Macs and Office for Mac for a good length of time to see what you think. Optimally, try out a friend or family member's.

 

[AquaticWartortle]

Mac, it's way faster than a PC & it's less glitchy. It's also hard to hack into & if somehow it gets hacked you can just use the recovery discs.

 

[SpeedyGeek]

Okay, I can't agree with you there. I've been using it since release and it's fine. There were a few teething issues as with any OS that were mostly fixed in the 10.7.2 update a few days ago. It's not perfect and there's a few things Snow Leopard did better coughbatterylifecough, but you can also turn off most of the things you don't like (such as the application resume feature, which is my only hate).

Maybe you were lucky. I hated Lion and so did sooo many others because Lion just crapped out on so many of our clients. There is a reason why it was nicknamed Apple's Vista when it came out.

Mac, it's way faster than a PC & it's less glitchy. It's also hard to hack into & if somehow it gets hacked you can just use the recovery discs.

Incorrect, incorrect, incorrect, incorrect.

 

[Oryx]

Okay, if it's really similar to Vista then it sucks for people that use their computer for hardcore-type things, and doesn't affect the people that use their computers casually whatsoever. Calling it Vista means that it won't have any effect on what he buys because Vista didn't hurt the people that use their computers for what he does.

That being said, despite the fact that I'm not an Apple fan, I would get a Mac. Here's how I see it - the computer you have now isn't dead, so if you don't like it you can switch back. Later in life you won't have the money to experiment and see if you like Macs better than PCs, so if you want to try to switch now is the time. As you can see by the raging debate, it's mostly up to personal opinion, which you won't be able to judge until the Mac is sitting in your hands.

Note that I'm not taking this from a 'which is better' standpoint but from a logical standpoint. :P

 

[SpeedyGeek]

Calling it Vista means that it won't have any effect on what he buys because Vista didn't hurt the people that use their computers for what he does.

... Have you serviced Vista or Lion at all? Vista didn't hurt people that use computers for what he does? I can't tell if you're joking, because that is just flat out untrue. Vista had all sorts of problems that affected everyone, and so did Lion.

 

[AquaticWartortle]

Maybe you were lucky. I hated Lion and so did sooo many others because Lion just crapped out on so many of our clients. There is a reason why it was nicknamed Apple's Vista when it came out.


Incorrect, incorrect, incorrect, incorrect.

How am I incorrect? I have both Mac & PC and I've went on them both and Mac is better overall even though PC has a lot of awesome software that Mac doesn't have (or at least doesn't have a good version of it) PCs can easily get a virus while it's hard to give a virus to a Mac.

 

[Oryx]

This isn't a discussion on Vista, so I'm leaving that. You can think what you'd like.

All of my points still stand. This is one of the few times in your life where you won't have many pulls on your money, so as you get older you'll be less and less likely to want to spend that much money on a Mac and knowing you, you'll always wonder what they're like and regret never getting one to try it. I've also heard you plenty of times drooling over them when most people talk about them, so it's not like this is some whim, lol. A lot of people will rage against Macs because "OMG PCS ARE SO MUCH BETTER U GUISE", without seeing the merits of opinions especially from people that aren't going to be using their computers for heavy-duty things. If you want a computer to do those simple things and look great while doing it, it's not unreasonable to get a Mac. If you were, for example, going into Computer Science then you would certainly be pushing it. But you're not, so no reason to discount the idea that you could prefer a Mac.

 

[Minuteman III]

That's not necessarily true. Some Adobe license systems (and pretty much all of the Elements line) are licensed for both Mac and Windows. Look into that. Then again, so many people pirate Photoshop that this isn't a concern. It's not the case with The Sims 3 AFAIK, but if you're gaming cross-platform, Steam licenses carry across fine if the game is compatible with both.

LibreOffice is pretty sad in comparison to MS Office. I understand it's free and open-source and whatnot. It still doesn't compare, especially considering the OP is happy to spend money for the best experience.

Okay, thanks. I wasn't aware about Adobe's licensing system (I found this Adobe KB article here). Maybe some other companies should look into it [looks at MS]. When I checked on Steam, The Sims 3 wasn't available on Mac through that service, only Windows.

That being said, despite the fact that I'm not an Apple fan, I would get a Mac. Here's how I see it - the computer you have now isn't dead, so if you don't like it you can switch back. Later in life you won't have the money to experiment and see if you like Macs better than PCs, so if you want to try to switch now is the time. As you can see by the raging debate, it's mostly up to personal opinion, which you won't be able to judge until the Mac is sitting in your hands.

I agree on that point. See how they work in your hands, OP, and then form an opinion.

 

[Zet]

How am I incorrect? I have both Mac & PC and I've went on them both and Mac is better overall even though PC has a lot of awesome software that Mac doesn't have (or at least doesn't have a good version of it) PCs can easily get a virus while it's hard to give a virus to a Mac.

I think you need to install Common Sense 2012 PRO edition. It lets you know that even if something is more "secure" it doesn't mean it's true. If I told you the Operating System I'm making will be virus free you would believe it because it's powered by magic and my charisma. The chances of getting a virus on an mac is the same as getting a virus on linux, windows, bsd etc etc.

Oh, and P.S. PC stands for Personal Computer, so your mac would be a PC.

But anyway; Andy, you should just get the macbook or macbook air if you don't mind not having a CD drive.