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All I did was bump up the RAM and the HD space everything else is stock. With 4GB ram and 1GB HD space that machine will cost 2K without a student/gov't discount
Technology why did you buy a mac? no really. i want to understand
- Thread starter Dr McSteamy
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All I did was bump up the RAM and the HD space everything else is stock. With 4GB ram and 1GB HD space that machine will cost 2K without a student/gov't discount
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Where?
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My mistake I forgot I bumped the processor up to an i7. The 27" iMac comes with a quad core i5 processor. The i7 is an extra 200 (plus it makes it a 2.8GHz) an Extra 4 GB of ram costs 200 (probably get it cheaper if you go someplace other than apple for the ram though and if you want you can upgrade the ram to the max of 16GB) and upgrading the stock 1TB to a 2TB HD costs 250. I set that up to get to your 2.5K price tag. Although take of student discount of 100 if you are a student
Here is the specs for the stock 27" iMac
2.66GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5
4GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB
1TB Serial ATA Drive
ATI Radeon HD 4850 512MB
8x double-layer SuperDrive
Apple Magic Mouse
Apple Wireless Keyboard
Everything is right there on the apple store if you want to check it out.
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I see. I wasn't looking at iMacs, only Mac Pros. I still like the 2 PCs I posted earlier better.
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I've personally had 3 Apple laptops and 2 HP laptops. My thoughts: any laptop is worth the price of the extended warranty (3+ years). Apple included. You'll very likely need it, especially if you're toting your laptop around on a regular basis.
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1UP
This is solid advice. The only item I ever suggest buying the extended warranty on is laptop computers. It's def. worth its weight in gold 90%+ of the time, especially if its one of the types that also covers limited accidental damage.
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Firefox + Avira (100% free, brilliant antivirus software) + Windows 7 = renders any pro-Mac argument completely fruitless. Anyone who still chooses to buy one has either unlimited funds, or doesn't understand the basic principles of cost/benefit ratios.
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deleted87716
Oh, yeah?
So, you're saying I should buy Windows 7 (and pray that they get it right THIS time), use a third-party browser (because, of course, Internet Explorer sucks and is basically a virus infection just waiting to happen), plus some freebie anti-virus software...and that somehow is equal to the virus-free-out-of-the-box experience that is the Mac?
Um, yeah...and you guys say Mac folks are drinking the Kool-Aid? Puh-LEEZE.
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Oh, yeah?
So, you're saying I should buy Windows 7 (and pray that they get it right THIS time), use a third-party browser (because, of course, Internet Explorer sucks and is basically a virus infection just waiting to happen), plus some freebie anti-virus software...and that somehow is equal to the virus-free-out-of-the-box experience that is the Mac?
Um, yeah...and you guys say Mac folks are drinking the Kool-Aid? Puh-LEEZE.
Even better: Ubuntu, it comes with Firefox and the system's structure makes it so you need to supply a password each and every time you want to use administrator privileges.
Moreover, a built-in firewall manages pretty much everything silently and viruses are not a concern.
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Oh, yeah?
So, you're saying I should buy Windows 7 (and pray that they get it right THIS time), use a third-party browser (because, of course, Internet Explorer sucks and is basically a virus infection just waiting to happen), plus some freebie anti-virus software...and that somehow is equal to the virus-free-out-of-the-box experience that is the Mac?
Um, yeah...and you guys say Mac folks are drinking the Kool-Aid? Puh-LEEZE.
Windows 7 comes with any PC laptop you buy, and if you aren't using Firefox even on a Mac, then you may be too far gone to help now. Internet Explorer is usually cast aside due to the fact that it is cumbersome and doesn't have the usability of Firefox, not because it is "a virus waiting to happen". Don't be scared of 3rd party software, it won't bite. The beauty of open source, community derived software is that it's a worldwide collaboration of constant tweaking and updating...not a room full of nerds in Cupertino deciding what is and isn't good for your user experience.
But your post illustrates what I've always believed about Apple consumers: they don't know/understand computers except at the level of "Power Button-->Internet-->Music Player-->Watch DVD". Mac's cater to someone with this very rudimentary requirement from the machine, so works out nicely for you. But if someone has even the smallest amount of capabilities with a piece of hardware, the entire "Windows is unstable/BSOD/OMFG it ate my homework" argument becomes ridiculously invalid.
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...and that somehow is equal to the virus-free-out-of-the-box experience that is the Mac?
Um, yeah...and you guys say Mac folks are drinking the Kool-Aid? Puh-LEEZE.
Also, just to let you know, Macs aren't virus free because of some brilliant software engineering. It's because the hackers sitting in Beijing don't think it's worth their time to make viruses for Macs due to the relatively low % of people running OSX. I'm sure a few "I'm a Mac; I'm a PC" commercials from now, the numbers will have changed and the viruses will start popping up.
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Try working for a hospital that has all of its HR, payroll info accessible through IE and IE only.
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The Mac structure is the same regarding the requirement to supply your password for big changes, but Apple's major failure is that they followed Microsoft's model of making the first account an administrative account and then not prompting you to make a second, non-administrative account. Furthermore, given how people just click through Microsoft's UAC dialogs I'm fairly certain that people would enter their password on demand without wondering why they were being prompted for it in the first place. Security is a mindset, not any particular set of hoops to jump through, and most people don't realize just how badly criminals want their information.Even better: Ubuntu, it comes with Firefox and the system's structure makes it so you need to supply a password each and every time you want to use administrator privileges.
Linux still has a long way to go, though. I try it once every two or so years and there have been major improvements, but the last time I tried it (~2 years ago) I still had to reference the command line quite a bit. Installing software that wasn't in a repository and trying to set up dual monitors took me a very, very long time, even with a fair bit of Googling for advice. I'm not against learning the various Unix commands, but things like that really make it difficult for me to learn the OS effectively and adopt it as a primary use OS.
Safari may be Apple's own browser, but you do realize that it's based on an open-source framework, right? (That'd be Webkit.) Firefox is a bit overrated... but then, I use Opera
Regardless, Blue Dog's point was about security, not web browsers and installation of third-party software.
Unless the use of an Apple computer has made me stupid when it comes to computers, I disagree with this on a personal level.
Looking at the uses that people have for Macs and the user types, I still disagree with you. The Mac can be used in the way that you describe, but it can also be used for much more. Honestly, the usage pattern you've described also matches what I've seen for some Windows users. The difference is only that I receive less technical complaints and requests for guidance ("how do I do this/what does that do" questions) from Mac users than from Windows users.
But if it makes you feel any better, my mother was recently moved to a Mac and she still has trouble with a number of things
Sorry, but that's not true. There are quite a few reasons why Mac users would be targeted - the generalization that people who use Macs are wealthier; the fact that it'd be enormous "street cred" to someone who managed to make use of an exploit to take over Macs on a large scale; and so on. OS X is based on the UNIX architecture, which is a bit more secure by default than Windows. Microsoft deserves credit for taking security more seriously in the recent past, but Windows is apparently still much easier to tip over than OS X.
You might be tempted to say the same thing about Windows vs. Linux, but if you've ever seen some of the black market pricing you'd see that control over Linux machines are worth a lot more than Windows machines. It could be economics (Linux machines are harder to take than Windows machines, and thus are in less supply) but it's suspected that it's due to the fact that Linux machines are generally up all the time and are very stable for running other operations. That's at least one argument against the idea that hackers are only targeting what's widely in use.
Believe it or not, there have been viruses (technically trojans) for the Mac. They're not very successful, partly for two reasons: 1) these things are so rare, that any one that's even remotely successful generates a huge buzz that works against its success; 2) the fact that people are content to stick with Apple's own software and don't pick up a ton of garbage in their search for third-party software. (It's amazing to me how many companies market themselves as anti-virus/spyware and are actually spyware themselves.)
Otherwise, you're correct: Apple isn't that much faster than Microsoft when it comes to patching security holes. In spite of building a UNIX-based OS, Apple also decreases security by making the first account an administrative account, as I've mentioned at the beginning of my post. The fact that there are no true viruses for Mac OS X does indicate that the OS is rather solidly built, but whether a user is on OS X or Windows, the fact is that most people aren't thinking about security when they use their computers. The user is very often the weakest link.
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I completely agree on the security being a mindset.
I had Windows XP for years and what kept my computer clean and fast wasn't maintenance/security apps, it was knowing when sometimes is risky and how not to mess things up.
I also agree on the Linux having a way to go part.
I myself had a few encounters with the CLI, but for the most part everything worked smoothly. With Ubuntu 9.10 (and even 9.04), a lot has been done compared to previous versions, you should try it (I believe you can use a LiveCD version to run it from a USB stick without changing anything on your hard drive or Wubi to install a virtual Ubuntu partition onto your Win/Mac system so you can try it out without installing anything permanently - the Wubi thing is, of course, more than easily removable.).
Bottom line, the important questions when it comes to computers are:
1) Does your OS fit what you intend to do on your computer?
2) Do you have a minimum of tech-savvyness / awareness about technology so you can keep it running nicely?
If those two questions are answered positively, what OS you are using is pretty irrelevant.
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i have to sympathize with the jaded apple converts.
I think I know now.
store-bought Windows PC's come with too much 3rd party crapware preinstalled.
I remember reading that the crapware is what subsidizes and keeps pc prices lower.
The problem is that no one tells customers how to turn off all the crapware.
the big name pc builders can't tell you because they have an agreement with the crapware companies.
And microsoft doesn't have much control over it either.
So, when the pc performs like crap out of the box, M$ gets the bad rap.
No one tells you that all you need to do is to reformat the hard drive, and fresh install Windows without the crapware.
I'd say 98.25% of the time, this method gives you a slick, crap free, unfrozen experience.
(the other 1.75% is just sheer incompetence)
to make problems worse, the Restore disc which comes with prebuilt pc's still has crapware on it. So when you restore a crapified pc, you put the crapware right back !
If these big name computer builders would just supply an actual clean copy of Windows, giving the customers the option to cleanly reformat their pc, I'd say there would be fewer Apple converts.
A cleanly reformatted Windows pc runs slick and fast. It's the 3rd party Norton and McAfee crapware, and even Dell/compaq/hp's own crapware, that run in the background and make a pc run like crap, with slow boot and shutdown times.
^^^ sounds like Apple got around that problem since they aren't subsidized by crapware.
It's too bad. If everyone knew how to reformat their pc with a clean copy of Windows, most people wouldn't be bitchin.
I think I know now.
store-bought Windows PC's come with too much 3rd party crapware preinstalled.
I remember reading that the crapware is what subsidizes and keeps pc prices lower.
The problem is that no one tells customers how to turn off all the crapware.
the big name pc builders can't tell you because they have an agreement with the crapware companies.
And microsoft doesn't have much control over it either.
So, when the pc performs like crap out of the box, M$ gets the bad rap.
No one tells you that all you need to do is to reformat the hard drive, and fresh install Windows without the crapware.
I'd say 98.25% of the time, this method gives you a slick, crap free, unfrozen experience.
(the other 1.75% is just sheer incompetence)
to make problems worse, the Restore disc which comes with prebuilt pc's still has crapware on it. So when you restore a crapified pc, you put the crapware right back !
If these big name computer builders would just supply an actual clean copy of Windows, giving the customers the option to cleanly reformat their pc, I'd say there would be fewer Apple converts.
A cleanly reformatted Windows pc runs slick and fast. It's the 3rd party Norton and McAfee crapware, and even Dell/compaq/hp's own crapware, that run in the background and make a pc run like crap, with slow boot and shutdown times.
^^^ sounds like Apple got around that problem since they aren't subsidized by crapware.
It's too bad. If everyone knew how to reformat their pc with a clean copy of Windows, most people wouldn't be bitchin.
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Really? I would think that not "any laptop" is worth the extended warranty.
For example, according to the laptop failure rate after 3 years of use, apple laptops malfunction at a rate of 17.4% (not including user error--I don't think that should be considered since you should be careful with your laptop!)
Let's say that you bought an apple macbook pro for 1,500 (or another apple laptop) and the 3 year warranty costs 300 dollars. Well, the 17.4% chance of failure times the 1,500 purchase price is 261 dollars. In this case, it probably wouldn't be a good idea to buy the extended warranty. This scenario assumes that the warranty doesn't cover accidental damage (spilling liquid, dropping unit).
I would think that it depends on a "case by case" basis. An extreme case would be insuring a laptop that costs 1,000 for 500 dollars--probably not a good deal.
http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/N...tebook-PC-Makers-439809/?kc=EWKNLEDP11272009A
1. Do your value calculation at $239, which is the price of the student discounted MacBook Pro 15"/17" Apple Care plan. Also, the baseline 15" is $1599, and they go up to $2299 without any upgrades. So the average of those is $1950 x 17.4% = $339.30 > $239. Even the low end is $278.23 > $239.
2. If you keep your laptop in a soft protective sleeve, especially if that is also within a backpack, you can drop your computer without causing any external damage while still screwing up some internals, like the monitor, hard drive, etc. This increases your value of the warranty, at least a little bit.
3. $239 is only 10-15% of your new MacBook Pro. But if you run into monitor, hard drive, keyboard issues after the first year is over, you could be looking at a $400+ repair. And that's only if *1* of those things occur. Rack up 2 repairs like that, and I'll bet you start regretting your decision to not buy the warranty as well as question the value of spending half of your purchase price all over again just to make the old machine work right.
4. You still kind of ignored my qualifier that the extended warranty is going to be much more beneficial for the person toting their laptop around on a regular basis. The shifting, banging, jarring, opening, closing, restarting, etc. are all going to help prematurely wear down the numerous intricate parts that keep that laptop going.
D
deleted87716
Macs cater to all types.
I was a computer science major in college, worked for IBM, and have used PCs since DOS 1.0.
I switched to the Mac for personal use in 2004. I still have to use PCs at work.
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They can still make money on the warranty if their repairs are marked up enough.
Of course this means that they would have made a lot more off of you if you hadn't bought the warranty, but a) everyone offers an extended warranty, so they'd piss people off if they didn't do the same and 2) if you bought your first Mac and had to pay for $500 in repairs on it in the first year or two, you may have just switched back to PC for life (bad for Steve Jobs).
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Say what you will about Apple/Mac, but this is presumptuous.
Like Blue Dog, I've been working with computers since the days of punch cards, used to do my own DOS/Fortran/Cobol/Basic programming - the advent of Windows represented a dumbing down of America to me, since all you had to do was "point and click".
I prefer Mac simply because it works better and makes me more efficient at work not because I don't understand how computers work and throw up my hands at every little instability or virus. I just don't have the time to be dealing with it nor do my patients who expect me to be efficient.
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damn old school.
didn't you say you were only 35 years old?
i have to say, i prefer pc for the same reason you prefer mac.
I build my own pc's, so I have control over every component, and it just "works out of the box" after everything is put together. I never get freezes or viruses. Windows NT-based OS has been rock solid for me since windows 2000.
as for security and viruses- both of these things are taken care of through automatic updates. I rarely have to provide input. so it's not like I spend a lot of time under the hood.
my parents have the same trouble-free windows experience as I do, and they don't know a thing about computers. Then again, I built their pc's for them.
I wonder what dell, compaq, hp are doing wrong to make people so frustrated....
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damn old school.
didn't you say you were only 35 years old?
Where did I say that? Nope, although I have *been* 35.
My father and grandfather were early "adopters" of home PCs; my father tried to teach me Fortran in the 3rd grade (I resisted until a few years later). I still have my grandfather's Tandy 1000 in storage.
Fair enough. I have built my own in the past as well. As for what HP (what I have at home for the desktop) and Sony (what we use at work) are doing wrong is the lack of customer service, computers that freeze (I cannot open more than 2 windows without the HP slowing down), etc. My disk drive on the HP malfunctioned 3 months after purchase and I was frustrated at how long it took to get ahold of someone who could assist me with warranty replacement. I never have that problem with Apple.
This weekend my chore is to remove the Vista Antivirus 2010 virus from the Sony.
I'm no hardcore Mac user and could be convinced to use a PC again but given that the Mac is faster and works better than any of my home or the 8 PCs in the office, it would be a hard sell.
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This weekend my chore is to remove the Vista Antivirus 2010 virus from the Sony.
maybe now's a good time to reformat the whole thing and try those windows 7 links I provided a few posts up.
It would probably take less time installing, than trying to remove a virus.i just googled that Vista Antivirus 2010 virus , and now I remember that my dad almost got it recently.
he asked me what to do with the popup window that wouldn't go away. I told him to close the browser and turn javascript off.
luckily he was using a non-administrator account, as I always tell him to do. so even if he tried to install something, fat chance it would infect the system.
I'm sure a lot of people in the world were fooled into clicking.
It does take more precaution to be a Windows user.
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maybe now's a good time to reformat the whole thing and try those windows 7 links I provided a few posts up.
I'd been thinking about doing just that since some of the PACs software doesn't run on Vista anyway. I'll have to get the install discs from my partner's husband who did all the installs originally (and bought the craptastic Sony Vaios with Vista). I don't see any links above, however.
Yeah, it looks like something from Windows. Pretty sneaky.i just googled that Vista Antivirus 2010 virus , and now I remember that my dad almost got it recently.
he asked me what to do with the popup window that wouldn't go away. I told him to close the browser and turn javascript off.
luckily he was using a non-administrator account, as I always tell him to do. so even if he tried to install something, fat chance it would infect the system.
I'm sure a lot of people in the world were fooled into clicking.
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it was up at post #49
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=9257965&postcount=49
just note that it's a 30 day trial period before the computer goes bonkers and shuts down by itself or something.
you can also borrow a windows 7 disc from anyone, and you should still get a 30 day trial period.
windows 7 is like a decrapified vista.
if your pacs doesn't run on vista, why do you expect it to run on windows 7?
you should look into a free software called Sandboxie
http://www.sandboxie.com/
tons of windows people use it. You basically run any program or browser 'in a box' or quarantine, and if you accidentally click a virus, all you have to do is close the browser, and delete the sandbox, and in 10 seconds, your pc is back to its uninfected state.
it's a cool program, and is 99.9% unobtrusive.
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I believe W/S has been 35y for several years now...
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Its not that I *expect* it to run on Windows 7, it does run on Windows 7 according to the radiology reps.
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i'm also trying to decide whether to buy a mac for the first time. mostly im concerned about whether it will be compatible with: EMR, PDA or smart phone (would i be limited to only iphones?), and watching internet TV (i.e hulu, abc/nbc/cbs's full episodes online) without having internet explorer. anyone else have experiences with EMR on their mac (other than the one case mentioned already)?
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It depends on what smartphone you use.
Apple has an ActiveSync-like program called iSync. See if your phone is compatible with it here. Scroll all the way to the bottom to see if all features are supported beyond address book syncing.
If your phone isn't listed there (such as if it's a Windows Mobile phone, a Blackberry, or other) you can check out The Missing Sync. It seems they now support Android OS in addition to Blackberries, Windows Mobile, Symbian, and a few others (including the iPhone, actually). It'll set you back about $40 but the feature set is more impressive than what iSync (or even ActiveSync, assuming you've been using it on Windows) are capable of. Check the site to see if your specific phone and/or mobile OS are supported.
Software-wise, you'd have to check to see whether software versions exist on the Mac. Otherwise, it's very easy to overcome software compatibility issues. Buy VMWare Fusion (or Parallels - I prefer Fusion). Those programs allow you to virtualize Windows - basically, it's like running Windows as though it were a program, and you can open Windows programs from within them. Assuming that the programs you need aren't graphically demanding (on the level of 3D games and such) then this is a very good solution, and very helpful for while you're migrating and don't want to take a hit to your productivity as you try to find alternate programs to use.
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As far as the tv shows go, Hulu and all of those sites are generally perfectly compatible. But the CW's site didn't work with Chrome I think, so I had to open up Firefox. Most issues that you may have run into 5 years ago are generally not there, especially since you have access to Safari + Firefox + Google Chrome + Others.
If you have other important sites/situations you're unsure about, post them here, and I or one of us with a Mac can try to verify.
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You can run Windows on a Mac, so worst case scenario you can use bootcamp to boot up Windows for specific programs that aren't OSX compatible.
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thanks, guys, good to know!
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because macbook air is super thin
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The only time I get frustrated with my Mac is when I use Fusion to boot Windows.
It reaffirms my love of Macs every time.
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Big ex-PC user here. I've been using them for 20 years(yes, I started when I was 4 on a 386 running msdos). Here is my tale of conversion.
Recently, I found myself coding up a psychophysics/memory experiment to run in matlab. Rather than purchasing matlab we opted for the open source free alternative, GNU Octave.
I slaved endlessly to try to get Octave running on Windows 7/Vista/XP/Ubuntu...no luck, the graphics card driver support wasn't there in ANY operating system for the library I was using(all for different reasons). Windows 7 was pushing its subpar OpenGL wrapper on my video card. ATI stopped supporting Ubuntu drivers long ago. Macs didn't suffer this problem because there is only one(or two) options: the NVidia GeForce 9400M or 9600. When I saw that my professor had ordered a macbook pro I was ecstatic. It worked on the first try.
1) Having limited hardware options means applications designed to run on OSX always work. You never have to worry about driver issues. Everyone runs nearly identical hardware.
I went home over winter break to finish the project and borrowed my sister's macbook pro to do the coding. Wow.
2) After two days of 'two finger' scrolling on the trackpad I found myself trying to execute gestures on my windows7 laptop. I'm not into gimmicks but it was simply a more natural way to interact.
3) OSX is far superior to W7 and especially Vista in maintaining a database driven search tool(Finder). Vista's index is slow and unreliable...the most recent documents(read: the ones you were just using and looking for) are not yet in the index. W7 is not quite so bad but not as good as OSX.
4) Native awk/python/perl support made scripting my own solutions to problems like "how do I make sure that numbers repeated in this document don't repeat without two different numbers repeating first" very easy. In windows I was struggling to get cygwin working.
5) The battery life is ridiculous for such a small form factor(7 hours?!)
6) Its just sexy.
I'm still a bit hesitant to drop the $1400 on a 2.53ghz core2duo w/ 4gb ram...holy apple tax!...but I figure since I use my computer every day I should be happy with it.
Have your younger brother consider a Lenovo S10 running OSX. $160 gets you a 1.6ghz that can run OSX...with an OCZ vertex SSD and 2gb ram it would be pretty fast. The grand total of spec'ing one out the way I wanted was around $400. I was very tempted to go this route but when I was honest with myself I knew I needed a laptop and not a 10" netbook.
Recently, I found myself coding up a psychophysics/memory experiment to run in matlab. Rather than purchasing matlab we opted for the open source free alternative, GNU Octave.
I slaved endlessly to try to get Octave running on Windows 7/Vista/XP/Ubuntu...no luck, the graphics card driver support wasn't there in ANY operating system for the library I was using(all for different reasons). Windows 7 was pushing its subpar OpenGL wrapper on my video card. ATI stopped supporting Ubuntu drivers long ago. Macs didn't suffer this problem because there is only one(or two) options: the NVidia GeForce 9400M or 9600. When I saw that my professor had ordered a macbook pro I was ecstatic. It worked on the first try.
1) Having limited hardware options means applications designed to run on OSX always work. You never have to worry about driver issues. Everyone runs nearly identical hardware.
I went home over winter break to finish the project and borrowed my sister's macbook pro to do the coding. Wow.
2) After two days of 'two finger' scrolling on the trackpad I found myself trying to execute gestures on my windows7 laptop. I'm not into gimmicks but it was simply a more natural way to interact.
3) OSX is far superior to W7 and especially Vista in maintaining a database driven search tool(Finder). Vista's index is slow and unreliable...the most recent documents(read: the ones you were just using and looking for) are not yet in the index. W7 is not quite so bad but not as good as OSX.
4) Native awk/python/perl support made scripting my own solutions to problems like "how do I make sure that numbers repeated in this document don't repeat without two different numbers repeating first" very easy. In windows I was struggling to get cygwin working.
5) The battery life is ridiculous for such a small form factor(7 hours?!)
6) Its just sexy.
I'm still a bit hesitant to drop the $1400 on a 2.53ghz core2duo w/ 4gb ram...holy apple tax!...but I figure since I use my computer every day I should be happy with it.
Have your younger brother consider a Lenovo S10 running OSX. $160 gets you a 1.6ghz that can run OSX...with an OCZ vertex SSD and 2gb ram it would be pretty fast. The grand total of spec'ing one out the way I wanted was around $400. I was very tempted to go this route but when I was honest with myself I knew I needed a laptop and not a 10" netbook.
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Do not buy an Apple notebook right now. They are due for an upgrade very soon.
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- Nov 20, 2006
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Thanks for the heads up. I was reading all the rumor sites today and they said the same thing...
OP, if your little brother doesnt care about the aluminum case there are great deals on 13.3" macbooks on microcenter.com. Great deals for a mac, that is.
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I never understood the "Windows is so unstable" argument. I'm with MarcusBrody - I haven't had an antivirus software on my computer for weeks... but I know (computer incompetant) people who get viruses almost weekly with any antivirus software imaginable.
I'm not even an advanced user but I feel like I can poke my way around my computer. This is my computer (just taken) after weeks of downloading massive amounts of videos, installing random software (I never actually reboot afterwards) and using the computer every single day. Not a bit of lag or anything. My system isn't even that impressive, 3gigs of RAM and 2.5 GHz core 2 duo. No crashes/freezes/lag/anything that has required me to reboot.
I think a lot of people just go to Mac for the lazy factor of not wanting to learn their computer or just because it's trendy. Apple taking away a lot of freedom = people not having to learn random things about their machines.... and it works.
I'm not even an advanced user but I feel like I can poke my way around my computer. This is my computer (just taken) after weeks of downloading massive amounts of videos, installing random software (I never actually reboot afterwards) and using the computer every single day. Not a bit of lag or anything. My system isn't even that impressive, 3gigs of RAM and 2.5 GHz core 2 duo. No crashes/freezes/lag/anything that has required me to reboot.
I think a lot of people just go to Mac for the lazy factor of not wanting to learn their computer or just because it's trendy. Apple taking away a lot of freedom = people not having to learn random things about their machines.... and it works.
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- Jun 6, 2002
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I'm a computer geek, and I prefer Macs. Not enough time anymore or interest to build my own computers. I prefer the Mac interface because it's a personal preference (much like I prefer Diet Pepsi over Diet Coke). I have found that Mac OS X is much more stable than Windows, but that's just my experience.
To each his/her own, but just one thing: Diet Pepsi isn't 4 times the price of Diet Coke.
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Get some antivirus software, please. There's more to getting a virus than knowing what websites to avoid visiting and what files to leave unopened, especially on Windows.
I mean no offense in saying this, but that's a very ignorant statement. It's repeated often enough that many people repeat it without really thinking more about it. There are a lot of people out there that don't want to learn every little thing about their computers. The vast majority of computer users seem to be that way, in my experience. Macs and the "it just works" marketing are not new, yet Windows is still used by the vast majority. One could argue that there's a cost barrier to entry that's too high for most people, but I don't think it's particularly true. (I won't enter into that argument in this thread, because discussions like that tend to derail any meaningful Mac/Windows comparison.)
That aside, if you're a tinkerer, you're a tinkerer. It isn't like you can't access the system internals on Mac OS X. The Terminal, root access, etc. are all available to you, and if you're not the type that wants to go to the Genius Bar and have someone else do it for you, then you can fix system problems yourself.
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Nobody said Macs were cheap. If you can't afford one, then people should stick with PC's.
D
deleted87716
You get what you pay for.
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1
1UP
I broke down and bought a Mac recently:
It just works, my ass! I had to run the damn logic board through the dishwasher to get the damn thing to even boot up!
It just works, my ass! I had to run the damn logic board through the dishwasher to get the damn thing to even boot up!
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I just had a flashback to 3rd grade journal entries... *shudder*
