Should I buy a MAC?

Originally Posted by derek lapp are you using osx? calling osx bloated is the joke of the decade. specs are specs, you will never get the same bang for your buck that you can get with pc, because apple is a boutique/brand computer. it's like buying no-name cola vs cocacola. there are subtle differences, but only if you really care, or if you're a brand nazi, will paying the premium for the brand be worth it. windows treats me like i'm stupid, it's dissected into 1400 different versions so i can never get the full feature set i want, it's bloated, and it gets worse with every release. windows has to accommodate the lowest common denominator of user, which makes using it as a semi-advanced user a pain in the ass because you have to do so much work to make it behave like a reasonable piece of software. osx is pretty bare bones. as a boutique computer brand, they don't need to accommodate to the lowest level user. the majority of people who use it are intelligent people who have chosen it for specific reason. the rest are either rich people, or trend hoppers who just want it for brand association and don't do anything complicated so osx doesn't have to do anything for them.

While i agree with some of the points you've made, i'll have to disagree on some things.

I fear even justifying my point with facts is largely a moot cause, given that almost everyone here seems to be a strong proponent of Mac's, despite the fact the large majority of them lack any real knowledge on the subject of computer hardware and/or software (this wasn't aimed at you Derek).

I would not by any means call Mac's logical (and i was brought up using them at school), nor would i say they offer any benefit in functionality over a PC whatsoever.

Quite honestly, it would be hard to argue that a PC is less functional than a Mac in any respect. I'm not interested in seeing my windows glide about and bounce all over the place; it's just a waste of time and an even more egregious waste of resources and computational power.

I would agree that Mac's are fine for simpletons, but if you would like any real usability out of a computer, they're not for you. There is almost nothing a PC cannot do faster or better, for less money. To argue otherwise would just be patently incorrect.

For argumentations sake, Vista is not included in this debate due to the fact that it is a steaming pile of ****.

I expect this post will garner quite a few abusive replies from the more vociferous Mac supporters, but i'm going to politely disregard anyone who doesn't respond in a decorous manner (just so you know )

Originally Posted by Oliver Quite honestly, it would be hard to argue that a PC is less functional than a Mac in any respect. I'm not interested in seeing my windows glide about and bounce all over the place; it's just a waste of time and an even more egregious waste of resources and computational power.

I disagree with most of what you said in your last post Oliver, but I cannot be bothered to address it all - because what for?

But the paragraph I have picked out I find absurd, and quite laughable. Firstly, when you get used to the window "gliding" about, and I assume you are referring to OSX's "Expose" feature, it is quite the opposite of a waste of time. It saves a great deal of time when you add it all up. When using multiple windows (as I do a lot), it is much quicker to move your mouse into the top screen, and see all the windows open laid out in order, ready for you to click on, rather than minimizing each window till you find the one you're looking for.

The bit I find hilarious is how it is "wasting resources". What resources, lol? And do you really think that is wasting any noticeable "computational power"?

Originally Posted by Oliver While i agree with some of the points you've made, i'll have to disagree on some things. I fear even justifying my point with facts is largely a moot cause, given that almost everyone here seems to be a strong proponent of Mac's, despite the fact the large majority of them lack any real knowledge on the subject of computer hardware and/or software (this wasn't aimed at you Derek). I would not by any means call Mac's logical (and i was brought up using them at school), nor would i say they offer any benefit in functionality over a PC whatsoever. Quite honestly, it would be hard to argue that a PC is less functional than a Mac in any respect. I'm not interested in seeing my windows glide about and bounce all over the place; it's just a waste of time and an even more egregious waste of resources and computational power. I would agree that Mac's are fine for simpletons, but if you would like any real usability out of a computer, they're not for you. There is almost nothing a PC cannot do faster or better, for less money. To argue otherwise would just be patently incorrect. For argumentations sake, Vista is not included in this debate due to the fact that it is a steaming pile of ****. I expect this post will garner quite a few abusive replies from the more vociferous Mac supporters, but i'm going to politely disregard anyone who doesn't respond in a decorous manner (just so you know )

it's all a matter of personality. i'm not even a hardware buff. i care about mostly is how i can use it.

pcs offer a greater amount of control and customization in the long run, there's no argument there. but, most people that really take advantage of that control know what they're doing and run linux most of the time. the average windows user customizes the system about as much as the average ac user. my problem with windows is that fact i have to bother.

Originally Posted by Oliver Quite honestly, it would be hard to argue that a PC is less functional than a Mac in any respect. I'm not interested in seeing my windows glide about and bounce all over the place; it's just a waste of time and an even more egregious waste of resources and computational power. I would agree that Mac's are fine for simpletons, but if you would like any real usability out of a computer, they're not for you. There is almost nothing a PC cannot do faster or better, for less money. To argue otherwise would just be patently incorrect.

I've never been so pleased about reading a post, finally reading something written by someone with a brain who understands what's going on! Not to cause offense to anyone else but "Mac's are fine for simpletons" sums it up better than I could ever put it.

The reason mac users find PC's slow is because in a lot (NOT ALL) cases they are half wits and don't know the 1st thing about how to manage using a computer (properly), resulting in them simply messing it up without even trying... something which is impossible to do on a mac. If you don't have a clue about using computers then macs are a good choice; if you want full usability and couldn't give two ****s about being in with the mac crowd, then a PC is the only choice.

Originally Posted by Josh.UK I've never been so pleased about reading a post, finally reading something written by someone with a brain who understands what's going on! Not to cause offense to anyone else but "Mac's are fine for simpletons" sums it up better than I could ever put it. The reason mac users find PC's slow is because in a lot (NOT ALL) cases they are half wits and don't know the 1st thing about how to manage using a computer (properly), resulting in them simply messing it up without even trying... something which is impossible to do on a mac. If you don't have a clue about using computers then macs are a good choice; if you want full usability and couldn't give two ****s about being in with the mac crowd, then a PC is the only choice.

Did you know a Mac is a PC, so, I think you need to say Windows?

http://www.apple.com/science/
So, usability wise, they give no use to anyone, right?

This thread is all about preferences, all I have seen is the Mac users saying why with their experiences (in which, they were mostly Windows users at first), and Windows users saying Macs suck without trying them (Besides Oliver).

I think the last paragraph sums it up.

You are buying the Operating System as I have said before, so you can run programs that you would rather use. Like Final Cut Pro over (Windows version), Logic vs Vegas, etc.

Originally Posted by Garrett Did you know a Mac is a PC, so, I think you need to say Windows? http://www.apple.com/science/ So, usability wise, they give no use to anyone, right? This thread is all about preferences, all I have seen is the Mac users saying why with their experiences (in which, they were mostly Windows users at first), and Windows users saying Macs suck without trying them (Besides Oliver).

I've owned a mac, sent it back and got the T-Shirt, so I'm not just making bias comments.

Originally Posted by Josh.UK I've owned a mac, sent it back and got the T-Shirt, so I'm not just making bias comments.

Are you allowed to send it back just like that?

Originally Posted by Gareth Are you allowed to send it back just like that?

Within the first 28 days of purchase yes, I had never been so disappointed at spending £1000.

Originally Posted by Josh.UK Within the first 28 days of purchase yes, I had never been so disappointed at spending £1000.

What were the reasons for you being so disappointed? Sorry, just trying to gain a better understanding before I buy.

Originally Posted by Garrett Did you know a Mac is a PC, so, I think you need to say Windows?

Because of the Mac commercials, people generalize the PC as being not a Mac. Which, obviously, is quite wrong. It's always been a term taken out of context.

Regardless, I love Macs for the fact that they are aesthetically pleasing both with their [external] hardware and for the OS. However, the OS is the only thing that matters to me [the most.] When you're paying $2,000 for a computer, you have to realize that you're only paying about $129 for that OS. That other $1871 is going to be overpriced hardware.

I can spent $2,000 on a computer that is going to be 10x the quality of hardware that you get with your 2grand Mac. Not even that, I could spent $1000-1200 and still have a beast of a machine that would outperform Mac. And as far as an OS goes, you don't necessarily have to go with Windows. You can easily save $200-400 on the OS (I'm guessing prices here, I can't remember Vista prices offhand) and go with a Linux distro (and if you need Windows ****, Wine can be used.)

All you're paying for is the look. If you want the Leopard OS that bad, learn how to put together your own computer for a reasonable price, and run Leopard OS on it. It's not impossible. I used an old Dell PC of mine to run OSX Tiger on it years ago (along with Ubuntu.)

Edit: For the lowest iMac available, I'd have to spend $1,349.00 to be close to the configuration I have with my PC right now. I've got a Lightscribe drive, 2GB Crucial DDR2, 2x250GB SATA, ergonomical keyboard+mouse [wireless], Nvidia 8800 GT 512MB DDR3 PCI-E, and an AMD Athlon X2 6000. I didn't even hit $850 with those configurations (taking into consideration that some of them I got with an awesome sale, or from Amazon.) I already had Windows XP (since I don't want Vista) so I was able to save $199 or so right there.