Thinking of going to the dark side....

I am a user of both PC's and Mac. I have an emotional bias towards Macs but I also think they have a slight edge with a better OS.

If you have a wireless network the Mac will likely recognize all the computers on that network out of the box. Once the network password is entered all the computers appear on in the desktop window, whether they are Mac or PC. I find that amazing. Also, the web browser Safari has built in spell check so when you type your stuff on FChat it will have the correct spelling. I'm not sure if you can scroll with PC trackpads but you can with a Mac.

The lack of a right mouse button is a negative but that is the only one I can think of compared to Windows.

I have a MacBook Pro because I run graphics software so I wanted the larger screen and more power. But if you are just running Widows Office software a MacBook should be fine. I recommend maxing out the RAM and CPU as much as you can though. Like they say, buy the best you can afford.

Aside from the higher price, I don't think you will be disappointed. Let me put it this way. It's like the difference between a Corvette and well, a Ferrari.

-F

 

The thing is, you can Right Click on a Mac. In fact, it's more intuitive than actually having a second button...

Take a look,
http://youtube.com/watch?v=S9WHJT4WsbM

I've gone to the dark(in my opinion, light) side, and plan on never coming back. The whole mac experience has just been awesome... and not in a Fanboy way!

 

Macs rule. Once you use one and understand how great it is, you'll never wanna go back

 

Darkside? Psshh, all I see is the light.... I recommend the Mac. Two thumbs up.

 

MAC all the way. Put two fingers on the pad and click, thats right clicking. When you get use to it you will never wanna use another computer.



Antony

 

Last month when My MacBook MB403LL/A 13.3" Laptop arrived and I couldn't be happier. And this thing is fast! It makes my dual Intel Windows tower at work seem pokey. The glossy screen probably has more glare than a matte screen, it is well worth it.

and recently there is a coupon for Apple MacBook Air Notebook, i think it's decent for you, you can give it a look.

http://www.dealstudio.com/viewtopic.php?t=37734&ru=290

 

Cool, thanks for the tip. I know you can control click which is the same as right clicking but I like this better. So never mind on that one negative, the Mac is PERFECT.

-F

 

http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=macs_cant

 

+1

 

+1

Haha. I've been there. I was anti-apple for a while. Heck, I even got my Creative MP3 player working with my Macbook Pro somehow.

Can't wait to get the iPhone though... Alright, I'll be a good boy and stfu.

 

OSX FTW

 

+lots on going with the Mac Book (Pro?) rather than a peesee - As has been said, you'll never go back. Even though they are more expensive than the "equivalent" peesee, you'll also get 2-3 more years of usefulness (?) from it compared to a pc.

As to S/W, I wouldn't even darken its hard drive with Micro$oft S/W - Especially anything "Vista" related. Assuming you want to be ale to create / open / share /etc M$ office documents your best bet (IMCO) is to go with "Neoffice" (www.neoffice.org) - Its a Mac native port of the "openoffice" suite that is killing M$ Office sales - Its probably more M$ Office compatible than the original......

Having said that, if you really, really, must have a Microsoft "installation" check out Parallels for the Mac - It will allow you to run a virtual M$ machine under OSX - I'm using XP as I have a couple of Windoze only apps (the datalogger S/W and "trackvision" video/data integration) - Works great and is much more convenient than Apples own "Bootcamp" wherein you reboot into one or the other OS - That gets old in a big hurry.

HTH, cheers,
Ian

 

Oops - Sorry. The real address is "www.neooffice.org"

 

The ironic thing is, Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac is the only application I've had that crashes on OSX. And it's a hard lock crash too - I have to hold down the power button to turn off the mac.

As for the pricing vs the "peesee," they're hardly apples to "apples." I had a Dell XPS laptop prior to my MBP, and I've made some comparisons. Keep in mind, the XPS laptop isn't the same as the run-of-the-mill Inspirons. XPS are higher grade.

The Mac
-Aesthetically pleasing to look at.
-The Hard drive is quieter.
-The fans are virtually silent at 2000rpm.
-The brightness of the keyboard and screen dims when the ambient light changes in the room.
-The motion sensor helps keep my hard drive safe from accidental falls (You only find accelerometers in high-end business laptops such as Lenovos, Dell latitudes don't have them)
-Doesn't have annoying stickers telling me I have Windoze, a webcam, and total Ram installed (which I can only use half, because Vista occupies the other half)
-Never have to restart, turn off, or clear out memory because of OSX's Unix architecture.
-Magsafe cord, at my desk, there isn't a real benefit to it, but when I'm in the airport or class, it can be a life saver.

All in all, if you were to compare just specs, macs are overpriced. If you compare the complete package, it's well worth the cost.

I got my MBP for $1550, that's pretty aggressive already.

 

I like being able to play games on my computer.

I also like to be able and do my work on my computer.

 

If you have to choose: get more RAM over CPU speed. Unless you're running simulations you'll notice a much bigger difference in normal usage on a Mac.

I use Macs for any serious work because of the UNIX base.

My old PowerBook G4 lasted four years before the logic board fried and the case warped slightly. I never quite turned it off and used it to run calculations in Mathematica so it was always processing something. Now I do the programming on a Macbook Air (underclocked to 800Mhz) and the processing on a pair of Xserves.

 

It's all an "evil empire" conspiracy! - Its got to be - I simply don't know of any other "regular" app that can do that...... As I said, Neooffice is the way to go - Solid as a rock IMHO.

+1

S-W-E-E-T setup dude! [Why are you "underclocking" it though?]

Cheers,
Ian

 

I hate to hijack the thread but I have a question about macbook set up. I'm going to be getting one for business school this june. I was going to get parallels so that I could run windows and office. Now i'm thinking I may just go with Office 2008 for mac instead. Will this option work for well enough for doing basic spreadsheets and presentations taking into consideration any compatibility issues?

 

My Office 2007 stuff transfered over to Office 2008 for mac no problem - including all the smart shapes and flow diagrams. There's an issue with Office right now where it will hard lock your mac; I heard that an Apple graphics update caused that problem. It will be addressed in the future.

Otherwise it works great. I personally would use iWork, I just need to get used to it. It is compatible with .Doc/.Docx files.