Should I get a Mac?

Simon · October 15, 2008

It's time to buy a new computer, and I need your help to decide which one to get.

What I need and will use it for:

- A powerful computer, better than average, but not extremely expensive.

- I will mainly work in Photoshop, Indesign and Dreamweaver.

- MS Word and all those programs is a must.

- Being able to play a few good and new games (Steam).

So... I've always been interested in getting myself a Mac. But I've never really have had the guts to make the jump, especually when the Macs are so damn expensive.

What could work with my requirements is the iMac. It has some nice specs, although it's pretty expensive compared what kind of specs you can get if you buy a Windows computer for the same money. Another downside is that the iMac is like a desktop laptop. If I need to change monitor or if it brokes for some reason I will need to buy a brand new computer..

I am currently on a Dell Dimension 9200. So if I'll get a Windows computer instead I will probably get their new XPS 630.

But what do you think? Should I get a Mac or a Dell? Are you using a Mac?

mountainhiker · October 15, 2008

It's time to buy a new computer, and I need your help to decide which one to get.

What I need and will use it for:
- A powerful computer, better than average, but not extremely expensive.
- I will mainly work in Photoshop, Indesign and Dreamweaver.
- MS Word and all those programs is a must.
- Being able to play a few good and new games (Steam).

So... I've always been interested in getting myself a Mac. But I've never really have had the guts to make the jump, especually when the Macs are so damn expensive.

What could work with my requirements is the iMac. It has some nice specs, although it's pretty expensive compared what kind of specs you can get if you buy a Windows computer for the same money. Another downside is that the iMac is like a desktop laptop. If I need to change monitor or if it brokes for some reason I will need to buy a brand new computer..

I am currently on a Dell Dimension 9200. So if I'll get a Windows computer instead I will probably get their new XPS 630.

But what do you think? Should I get a Mac or a Dell? Are you using a Mac?

Well, I work with people who have both. I would consider several things cost of course being one of them. Key is software, what software do you require as part of your work. I have a friend that is in the radio business and publishes a magazine, the best software he has found works on a Mac.

However, he has to communicate with people that have Windows systems. He is always having problems with MS Word docs and images produced by Windows software.

All of the work that I do is web development and MS Word document production along with project plans built using MS software that has to be shared with Windows users around the world. I do web meetings that depend on sharing the desktop and the MS Powerpoint with people in other countries so being compatible is VERY important. I have a Dell laptop, Dell docking station that hooks to the DSL modem. I could never go the MAC route due to the compatibility/shareability issues.

brettbh · October 15, 2008

So... I've always been interested in getting myself a Mac.

Why? What would be your reasons for switching to a (more expensive and less familiar) Mac? What would you hope to gain?

Simon · October 15, 2008

Well, I work with people who have both. I would consider several things cost of course being one of them. Key is software, what software do you require as part of your work. I have a friend that is in the radio business and publishes a magazine, the best software he has found works on a Mac.

However, he has to communicate with people that have Windows systems. He is always having problems with MS Word docs and images produced by Windows software.

All of the work that I do is web development and MS Word document production along with project plans built using MS software that has to be shared with Windows users around the world. I do web meetings that depend on sharing the desktop and the MS Powerpoint with people in other countries so being compatible is VERY important. I have a Dell laptop, Dell docking station that hooks to the DSL modem. I could never go the MAC route due to the compatibility/shareability issues.

Good points. I do need all documents and networks to work. I am connected in a home network and I share the printer etc with other Windows computers.

Why? What would be your reasons for switching to a (more expensive and less familiar) Mac? What would you hope to gain?

A better operating system? Something new and fresh? I have no problems with learning a new system. :)

only_green_no_gray · October 15, 2008

A friend of mine has a mac laptop and he say that it worths every cent he spent on it. So far he never had any problem with it. He says it's very reliable and waaaaaaay better than any windows pc he ever used

brettbh · October 15, 2008

A better operating system? Something new and fresh? I have no problems with learning a new system.

A better OS? No, not really. While the PC vs Mac debate has been rumbling on forever, the truth is that there really isn't that much difference between them (I use both, BTW). Neither is particularly more stable than the other - people often claim that Macs are more stable but, in my experience, that simply is not true and I have certainly never seen any empirical evidence to support such a contention. Nor is there any real difference in usability- both are equally user-friendly (or, depending on your point of view, unfriendly). Application availability is longer a problem for the Mac except, possibly, in the area of games (but I'm certainly not a gamer and really cannot comment on that aspect!). That said, BootCamp would enable you to run your old PC-only games anyway (so long as you have a copy of Windows that you can load). Some people claim that Macs are better for people who work with images, etc., etc., but that simply isn't the case. It certainly was once, but not anymore. These days, there is nothing that can be done on a Mac that cannot be done equally as well on a PC. And vice versa too. Compatability is pretty much a non-issue too - hardware that works with a PC will usually work with a Mac too and documents, images, etc. created on a PC can usually be opened on a Mac (but you may encounter some issues when a new format, such as docx, initially emerges).

Something new and fresh? Yup, that's always a good reason to experiment :-)

So, to sum up, if somebody were to be considering switching because they think a Mac is better than a PC or that a PC is better than a Mac, my advice would be not to do it and to stick with the familiar; OTOH, if somebody is considering switching because they want the opportunity to play with something new, then I'd say go for it :-)

But a Dell?!?! Oh my, they have the worst customer service that I have ever (EVER!) encountered.

EDIT: And be sure to read Charlie Booker's take. It may not be particularly relevant, but it's certainly amusing :-)

Simon · October 16, 2008

A better OS? No, not really. While the PC vs Mac debate has been rumbling on forever, the truth is that there really isn't that much difference between them (I use both, BTW). Neither is particularly more stable than the other - people often claim that Macs are more stable but, in my experience, that simply is not true and I have certainly never seen any empirical evidence to support such a contention. Nor is there any real difference in usability- both are equally user-friendly (or, depending on your point of view, unfriendly). Application availability is longer a problem for the Mac except, possibly, in the area of games (but I'm certainly not a gamer and really cannot comment on that aspect!). That said, BootCamp would enable you to run your old PC-only games anyway (so long as you have a copy of Windows that you can load). Some people claim that Macs are better for people who work with images, etc., etc., but that simply isn't the case. It certainly was once, but not anymore. These days, there is nothing that can be done on a Mac that cannot be done equally as well on a PC. And vice versa too. Compatability is pretty much a non-issue too - hardware that works with a PC will usually work with a Mac too and documents, images, etc. created on a PC can usually be opened on a Mac (but you may encounter some issues when a new format, such as docx, initially emerges).

Something new and fresh? Yup, that's always a good reason to experiment :-)

So, to sum up, if somebody were to be considering switching because they think a Mac is better than a PC or that a PC is better than a Mac, my advice would be not to do it and to stick with the familiar; OTOH, if somebody is considering switching because they want the opportunity to play with something new, then I'd say go for it :-)

But a Dell?!?! Oh my, they have the worst customer service that I have ever (EVER!) encountered.

EDIT: And be sure to read Charlie Booker's take. It may not be particularly relevant, but it's certainly amusing :-)

Well, I do like to play a game now and then on my computer. And I don't know if a Mac is the way to go then with their extremely expensive specs.

And no, I dont believe any of the two operating systems are superior over the other. But it would be fun and interesting to try out something new.

But of course, eventually it will come down to the price, if I can afford a Mac. Hmmm...

By the way, thanks for the link! :)

brettbh · October 20, 2008

But of course, eventually it will come down to the price, if I can afford a Mac. Hmmm...

Actually, the price points are not that far apart and buying a Mac will cost you only a little bit more than buying a similarly spec'd PC. That said, Apple do not go after the bargain basement end of the market, so if you were thinking of buying a cheap, bottom of the range PC, you'll not find a Mac that matches its price.

mountainhiker · October 21, 2008

Actually, the price points are not that far apart and buying a Mac will cost you only a little bit more than buying a similarly spec'd PC. That said, Apple do not go after the bargain basement end of the market, so if you were thinking of buying a cheap, bottom of the range PC, you'll not find a Mac that matches its price.

However, the bottom line should be the software that you need to run. If you need to be running the Microsoft software, then the Mac is not really the platform of choice.

Simon · October 21, 2008

Actually, the price points are not that far apart and buying a Mac will cost you only a little bit more than buying a similarly spec'd PC. That said, Apple do not go after the bargain basement end of the market, so if you were thinking of buying a cheap, bottom of the range PC, you'll not find a Mac that matches its price.

Macs do cost more. For example. Lets say I want to upgrade a Mac with 1GB more RAM. That would cost me around 500 SEK. If I were to upgrade a Dell/PC with 1GB RAM that would cost me 190-200 SEK.

brettbh · October 21, 2008

Macs do cost more. For example. Lets say I want to upgrade a Mac with 1GB more RAM. That would cost me around 500 SEK. If I were to upgrade a Dell/PC with 1GB RAM that would cost me 190-200 SEK.

Take a gander at Scot Finnie's (now somewhat dated) comments:

http://www.computerworld.com/action/articl...;taxonomyId=123

As I said, if you're looking at high spec'd machines, you'll probably find that Mac and PCs are not too dissimilarly priced.

Simon · October 22, 2008

Take a gander at Scot Finnie's (now somewhat dated) comments:

http://www.computerworld.com/action/articl...;taxonomyId=123

As I said, if you're looking at high spec'd machines, you'll probably find that Mac and PCs are not too dissimilarly priced.

I am not so sure about that... :thoughtful:

Lets compare a laptop from Apple and one from Dell.

Apple MacBook

Cost: 11.995 SEK

2.0GHz

2 GB RAM Memory

160 GB Hard drive

128MB Graphic card

13" screen

Dell XPS M1710

Cost: 11.990 SEK

2.0GHz

4 GB RAM Memory

250 GB Hard drive

256MB Graphic card

17" screen

Conclusion: The Dell laptop has better specs and is cheaper than the Apple laptop.

brettbh · October 22, 2008

Lets compare a laptop from Apple and one from Dell.

Ok, but compare the 17-inch Macbook Pro at $2799 CAD to Dell's XPS M1730 also at $2799 CAD. The specifications are not that far apart. I'm not claiming that Macs represent better value than PCs (they do not); I'm simply attempting to demonstrate that a Mac isn't necessarily going to cost an arm and leg more than a PC. It really all depends on how much somebody would be spending on their PC.

Patrick · October 23, 2008

Ok, but compare the 17-inch Macbook Pro at $2799 CAD to Dell's XPS M1730 also at $2799 CAD. The specifications are not that far apart. I'm not claiming that Macs represent better value than PCs (they do not); I'm simply attempting to demonstrate that a Mac isn't necessarily going to cost an arm and leg more than a PC. It really all depends on how much somebody would be spending on their PC.

Just so you know: Macs are like +20% around here because of Sale Taxes (19% for Germany). PCs are, however, not much more expensive than over there. The MacBooks are around 1000 Euro and suck compared to some 600-700 Euro Laptop advertised by some local store. PCs ARE cheaper and there IS a reason why most people still use them. I've been using OS X before and it's a quite nice operating system. It's indeed innovative and easy to use (especially for beginners), but after all I didn't really come around the concept of the dock and the top menubar. Sure you get used to it and it's not bothering you much after a while, but surely slowed me down. Steam will run fine on Cross Over (wine) however.

Simon · October 25, 2008

Why cant Apple just build ordinary computers that people can take apart and build upon? Really, they don't have a single "ordinary" computer... <_<

mountainhiker · October 25, 2008

Why cant Apple just build ordinary computers that people can take apart and build upon? Really, they don't have a single "ordinary" computer...

because it is totally proprietary, ie non open source, and they are proud of it! The fact that they refuse to play in the market place and run standard software gives them a spot in the publishing market place. Many magazine publishing types use them because of the software that ONLY runs on that platform. I have friends that publish magazines and the software is the reason, not the OS. However, those same people have to convert a PDF in order to use it on their system. SO, depends on what you need in your everyday job! B)

brettbh · October 30, 2008

Many magazine publishing types use them because of the software that ONLY runs on that platform. I have friends that publish magazines and the software is the reason, not the OS. However, those same people have to convert a PDF in order to use it on their system. SO, depends on what you need in your everyday job!

Sorry, but products such as QuarkXPress and Indesign - and just about every other popular and commonly used product - are available for both the Mac and PC. And you certainly do not need to convert PDFs to open them on a Mac - they can be opened with Adobe Reader (for Mac) in exactly the same manner that they would be opened on a Windows PC.

mountainhiker · October 31, 2008

Sorry, but products such as QuarkXPress and Indesign - and just about every other popular and commonly used product - are available for both the Mac and PC. And you certainly do not need to convert PDFs to open them on a Mac - they can be opened with Adobe Reader (for Mac) in exactly the same manner that they would be opened on a Windows PC.

So why buy a more expensive system then if there is no difference, buy the Windows PC.

brettbh · October 31, 2008

So why buy a more expensive system then if there is no difference, buy the Windows PC.

Why buy a Mercedes rather than a Hyundai? Why buy Kellogs Cornflakes rather than a grocery store's own brand? Why buy Windows when you can get a *.nix distro for free? It's simply a matter of personal preference.

BTW, the reason that Macs are so entrenched in the publishing industry is that many publishings applications started out as Mac-only. For example, the Windows versions of QuarkXPress and Photoshop were not released until several years after the Mac versions had been released. Old habits die hard!

mountainhiker · November 1, 2008

Why buy a Mercedes rather than a Hyundai? Why buy Kellogs Cornflakes rather than a grocery store's own brand? Why buy Windows when you can get a *.nix distro for free? It's simply a matter of personal preference.

BTW, the reason that Macs are so entrenched in the publishing industry is that many publishings applications started out as Mac-only. For example, the Windows versions of QuarkXPress and Photoshop were not released until several years after the Mac versions had been released. Old habits die hard!

Mercedes rather than a Hyundai?

Hardly the correct comparison! :lol:

:lol:

Windows is still the better choice due to the fact that more software runs under Windows than does under a Mac.

brettbh · November 1, 2008

Hardly the correct comparison!

Cornflakes was better, eh?

Windows is still the better choice due to the fact that more software runs under Windows than does under a Mac.

That depends on your needs. There is nothing that I need to do that I cannot do with a Mac (and nor is there anything that I need to do that I cannot do with a PC). I really do not care whether there are more applications available for particular platform - so long as the applications I need are available, that's good enough.

mountainhiker · November 1, 2008

so long as the applications I need are available, that's good enough.

Have to agree, since most of the applications that I need are Windows based, then Windows is a much better choice. If you need the Microsoft Office Suite then Mac is not the best choice......

Simon · November 1, 2008

Have to agree, since most of the applications that I need are Windows based, then Windows is a much better choice. If you need the Microsoft Office Suite then Mac is not the best choice......

If you want to play games, well, then Mac is not the best choice... ;)

only_green_no_gray · November 1, 2008

Have to agree, since most of the applications that I need are Windows based, then Windows is a much better choice. If you need the Microsoft Office Suite then Mac is not the best choice......

Microsoft office is available for mac ;)

Simon · November 1, 2008

Microsoft office is available for mac

Ahh yes that is true! :P

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