Five Reasons Why Apple Stores Are Rockin’
CompUSA is imploding. Independent PC stores have died. Yet 1,600 people waited online — correction, in line — for the opening of Apple’s new retail store in New York. Here are five reasons why Apple’s retail strategy is crushing the competition this holiday season, according to The VAR Guy.
1. Simplicity: Want a notebook? You’ve got the MacBook and MacBook Pro. Want an operating system? Try Mac OS X — one version for all. Unlike the PC world (where vendors introduce far too many products and Microsoft ships far too many variants of Windows Vista), Apple has a simple, clearly positioned product line. And the stuff works.
2. Quality: In the world of Windows, thousands of customers are demanding downgrades from Vista to XP because they want a six-year-old operating system. Seems they’re willing to accept XP’s security holes in exchange for driver support. Imagine if Apple customers were demanding downgrades from Max OS X to Mac OS 9. That would be laughable. Yet that’s the scenario in the Windows world. In stark contrast, Apple customers are eager to make the leap to the latest Mac OS X.
3. Integration: Ever purchase a Windows smart phone (like a Treo) then try to synchronize it with a Windows PC? After you wait in line to buy and activate the cell phone (a painful process if ever there was one), you may be left scratching your head as you try to make your desktop and your handheld talk to each other.
In stark contrast, buy the iPhone (five minute process), link it to your Mac (five minute process) and activate the iPhone online (five minute process) and you’ll be wondering why Apple’s approach isn’t the norm for the entire cell phone industry. The VAR Guy recaps his experience buying the iPhone here.
4. Expertise: Got a problem with your PC? Visit Best Buy and talk to a kid from The Geek Squad … just be sure you have your credit card ready. Got a problem with your Mac? Schedule an appointment online to visit the Genius Bar in a local Apple Store. You’ll be slotted in for a specific time and date. These folks are true Apple experts and evangelists.
5. Design: The VAR Guy is a dork with no fashion or design sense. He defers to Steve Jobs on all design, color and device decisions. So does the entire Mac world. And so far, the strategy seems to be working just fine for all of the Mac faithful.
Alas, The VAR Guy never did buy Apple’s stock during recent dips. Too bad. Apple Stores (both physical and online) seem to be ringing up strong sales this holiday season. Skeptical? Check out the buzz over on Fortune about Apple’s new NYC store.
Keep buying Apple stock on dips. This is the strongest product lineup in Apple’s history, contrasted with one of the weakest desktop lineups in Microsoft’s history.
“…Apple customers are eager to make the leap to the latest Mac OS X.”
Are you living in an iBubble? All I hear about Leopard from actual users is bad — as bad as Vista users. I’m waiting for it to hit 10.5.5 or later.
Apple quality has taken a hit over the last few years. Maybe that’s the price of success, but we’re paying the price. The new OSX cat needs to see a vet.
Sorry commenter #2 (PFFXV) you are either hearing from trolls or not hearing very well. I upgraded to Leopard the day after release without a fault and we are now running two businesses on Leopard with no noticeable problems. I’ve seen zero quality problems with our new MacBook Pros or half-dozen older G4 Macs; we skipped the G5 because we didn’t need the power or 64-bits at the time. One Mac mini, which I had ordered the day the model was first announced, just had its hard disk die–it was replaced at no charge under AppleCare. So what’s not to like?
We have a IMAC at home with Leopard installed with no issues. I’ve not heard about any problems.
The comparison the article makes is between OS X and OS 9 not OS X 10.5 and 10.4. So many people are such poor readers these days. By the way, my iMac is running Leopard with out incident.
I love my mac, i upgraded to OSX the day it was released, i really needed the time machine for an address backup, all i did was point click the program did all the work, on my imac, also i bought a G4 laptop off the street and loaded OSX with no problem, i am currently running 3 businesses off these 2 machines and its very easy!
I recently took my iPhone with a minor problem to an Apple store. WIth a simple explanation of the problem and a couple of questions later, the on-site expert replaced the phone at no charge and I was on my way in less than 1/2 hour. With the simplicity of using the Apple stores for one-on-one support when you’re in your warrantee period, it amazes me that anyone with a Mac under warrantee has anything to complain about. Apple is very quick to want to help make it work and have shown that they will support their products 100%. But you know… I have 4 Macs in my house and previous to my iMac, I had a Powerbook G3 Wall Street for 7 years (7 years of everyday useful use) and not a one of them have had to go back to Apple for anything. That is the best support experience… no support! 🙂
I just wanted to comment on the other guys comments on Leopard… We upgraded 4 macs the day it came out without any problems. Some things that I hope get changes and enhanced, but the update to 10.5 seems fairly solid given the depth of the update.. oh.. and it only took Apple 1.5 years not 5!
I don’t know where people are coming off saying Leopard is as bad as vista. That is in no way true. Yes, Leopard does have it’s bugs. It’s brand new, that tends to happen. It’s not nearly as bad as vista though, not even close.
I have Leopard installed on my MacBook at home. Absolutely no issues with the install, stability, etc, etc. The only things I dislike about Leopard are:
1 – Transparent menu bar – which I have fixed with a hack
2 – Folder actions in the Dock being replaced by Stacks. I would like the old way back, hacks are available but I haven’t found one completely to my liking
3 – Transparent 3D dock – I’m too old to look at that on a small display like my MacBook. Also hacked amp; Fixed.
That’s it. Fix those 3 things and I’m a completely happy camper.
It’s not fair to say apple are almighty and have no problems. The apple discussion forum is full of a huge list of complaints from the release of leopard. I’ve had several problems when i upgraded. But having said that, i rang apple and they had all my problems sorted it out in no time at all. Now Leopard runs like a dream and far better than my old windows xp computer ever ran. Apple are an astonishing brand, if nothing else they just work so simply and look so good
I concur that 10.5 is so much better than vista that it hurts. My ONLY problem has been an odd glitch that caused my computer to shut down once while I was sleeping, and once and a while start up is slow.
I have Leopard installed on my 24″ IMAC. I have been a power Windows user for years. Just like respondent #2, I never gave Apple a chance and laughed at Mac Users. Now, I’m laughing at myself. After purchasing a 80gb Ipod and having it work flawlessly, I tried the Iphone in the first week. just like the article said 15 minutes and I was good to go. I thought hey if that worked so well let’s try a Mac machine.
I have been using a Mac now since July and I will never go back. I have 5 PC’s in my Home and 2 Windows laptops. I can easily say that the Mac hands down smokes any of the Windows PC’s. I have brand new PC’s and with the exception of Hard Core Gaming, the Mac wins everytime. Windows users, give the Mac a chance, it will amaze you.
Just in case you think I’m crazy let me say this. I setup Leopard in about an hour, it has worked flawlessly to date. I am running Fusion for Windows Apps, and have not had one problem with the O/S upgrade. Try that on any Window machine. You can’t, 3.1 to 95 had problems. 98 to Me had problems. Me to anything had problems. XP to Vista has problems, not Mac….just amazing. Windows users have gotten used to the pain of O/S upgrades, the Mac users just laugh as all of it just works!
Great product Apple thank you for making life easier!
You just have to own one to know. It’s like trying to explain “how the pyramid of Chichen Itza looks from a postcard…
The Mac’s advertising is very good, the design is awesome, the OS is beautiful and works like a charm… but use it and you’ll see none of the above comments compare to the experience.
I agree on the Menu Bar, I also hacked it with the “2D or Not 2D” application and it looks a lot better.
But no virus (or antivirus) program slowing my machine and absolutely no support for 6 macs at the office is completely priceless…
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I havn’t heard anything bad about Vista…..
That’s probably because nobody uses it.
Have a mac book pro running leopard and vista bootcamp which is part of leopard did all the work no problems what so ever.
Oh the mac book pro is running vista faster than the hp desk top which is only 3 months old and is riddled with issues, thus the new mac book.
Comming soon a mac desktop bye bye HP and pc.
Thanks Mac
“In stark contrast, buy the iPhone (five minute process), link it to your Mac (five minute process) and activate the iPhone online (five minute process) and you’ll be wondering why Apple’s approach isn’t the norm for the entire cell phone industry.”
Probably because the industry doesn’t charge $400.00 – $600.00 for a phone! If I spent that much for a phone, it had better come linked and activated.
I’ve been a PC user since ’93; almost 15 years. I should have said I WAS a PC user, etc. Bought an iMac in November right after Leopard was released. So far, the best picture I can convey as to the difference between those 15 PC years and just over a month of Mac, is the difference between sex and having to go out in the back yard to clean up my dog’s poo.
I will NEVER go back to that tweaking, fixing, replacing, downloading, crashing, file losing, hair-pulling crap.
I think their should be a class-action lawsuit made for us to get back some of the money that Gates is now sitting on. When one has a new place to look back on it from, well, you just feel ripped off.
Just one new Mac users opinion… you don’t have to believe me.
OS X is not without faults. While still overly pleased with this system I’ve had now for over a year, Apple machines are not without problems. I’ve been experiencing a lot of weird issues lately, mostly resulting in system wide lock ups. Don’t get me wrong, I like Apple but will never like it enough to join this odd Macite cult. After all people, it’s just a utilitarian machine. Come on down off your high horses already.
Well, time to clear out my schedule because I’ll soon be reformatting this box.
At least Bill Gates tries to make a difference in the world, while Steve (can I call him Steve?) is all about ego. A prima-donna, just like the rest of you die hard fanatics. Get a grip.
Having stepped forward on every Mac OS upgrade since 1985, I can honestly say that the Leopard upgrade was the most perfect one yet with the most awesome suite of enhancements. Working in Leopard is like getting a new chair, a new office, a new secretary, only better. Whatever you were doing before works even better than it once did.
Sure, there are some 3rd party apps that are not yet ready, but I run into few. And yes, I have a long list of things I wish were possible in the Apple suite of software products so I would not miss Microsoft Office as much as I do. And yes, the iPhone has a way to go before it is equal in every single function to the best of the other smartphones. But have you noticed how someone taught ATamp;T how to become customer-friendly in the last 4 months?
Apple is committed to things looking great and working great, makng technology our servants instead of our masters.
I was actually on the beta release of Windows 1.0 (not many will even remember that one.) I really do not have an issue with Windows. I did purchase a 24″ iMac and have no regrets at all. Like another user here, I run VMware Fusion and host a small Windows server farm within the Lepoard environment. In my personal experience, I have found the Mac to be a superior platform for running virtual machines than the windows platform. Probably because of the Unix underpinnings. It seems every time I sit down at my Mac, I discover all over again what a computer can be when one is not always wondering if the drivers are up to date, or why certain errors appear in the event log, etc.
My Mac experience to date has bee very positive. That the machine runs so quietly is also a plus. Couple that with the fact that it is simply a georgous machine that can fit almost any decor and it is nearly the perfect machine.
A lot of my co-workers yammer at me about the cost. well let me tell you this….By the time you ad a Web cam of comparable quality, sound of comparable quality, upgrade to the version of Vista (or XP) that actually supports real networking, and a machine with the comparable performance (I am not talking about the $800 Best Buy Special here) and a serious video card without shared memory architecture to a Windows machine, You would be surprised as what a great deal an iMac really is.
Things change, people change, OS’s change, and I certainly have changed too.
Peace to everyone this Holiday season.
Having had Mac for the last 18 odd years tell me something i don’t know. Please you PC users stay where you are and keep your troubles with you, us Mac users know what side our bread is buttered, the more PC people moving over to Apple the more trouble we are going to have.
What you buy with Apple it works out of the Box OK so we don’t have games like PC’s I for one don’t want them, The Mac is just perfect.
After years of use with MS products, I am switching to Apple. A few years ago a teacher friend of mine stated that Apple was the only way to go and I thought he was a joke. I was MCSE certified at the time and wondered how anyone would use something besides Windows. Fast forward five years. I went to me neighbor’s Friday and test drove his new Apple laptop. Sold.
XP = 6 years old (ish) | OS 9 = 6 years old (ish)
But I’ll bite with the Tiger to Leopard being equal (!=) to XP to Vista.
OS X Leopard
I upgraded my MacBook, no problems.
I upgraded my iMac and after a few days my airport quit working and still doesn’t work.
I could reinstall Tiger so I don’t have to have my iMac plugged into the router. However, the new stuff in Leopard (iChat advancements, spaces, quicklook, to be exact) are things I can’t live without now and are worth plugging in to my router.
Windows:
My employer upgraded me to Vista and my screen freaks out frequently and the system locks up from time to time. By “freaks out” I seriously mean “freaks out” like computers in TV shows that get viruses and go crazy. (not to mention all the other problems around the office with vista, and xp).
It’s irritating, and Vista brought me (the user) absolutely nothing that I can’t live without (a few things are decent enhancements, but nothing really worth the problems).
I use Vista and XP the same. I don’t use Leopard the same as I used Tiger (or Panther, or OS9 for that sake).
Problems with Leopard? Obviously somebody needs to learn the difference between the OS and the real animal! Macs are easy to use and the stuff works – and the multimedia capabilities of Macs blows everything else away. Now that Macs run Windows, why would you ever want a PC with one OS when you could have one that can run more? Macs have the highest reliability, customer satisfaction, and repair/service turn-around time ratings, both in software and hardware, year after year from PC Magazine. If you loved the iPod or iPhone for it’s simplicity and range of features, just imagine what a computer like that is like.
And for the hardcore gamers who say Macs can’t game:
Now that Macs run Windows, you can use Mac and PC games and then of course there’s the ocean of EA games now available for the Mac. Ever seen how much RAM you can run on a Mac Pro with a RAID2 card? It’s WAY more than any PC can recognize. Macs are easily and relatively cheaply upgradeable with aftermarket Mac-specialty parts, provided you purchase from a trusted retailer, such as OWC or Data Memory Systems. For example, the Mac Pro takes 16GB of RAM from Apple. You can buy one with the minimum configuration of RAM and get 32GB of Apple certified RAM from OWC or DMS!
I’ve installed Leopard on 3 Macs, and the only problems I ran into were with X11 on my Powerbook. Leopard itself has been rock solid.
To #10
Judging that there are a large number of problems with Apple by the number of posts in their forums is like saying that 90% of the population is sick, you should see all the beds that are full in the hospital. People that aren’t having problems don’t tend to hang out and post that in the forums. Only those that are having issues post. Apple sold 2 million copies of Leopard in the first two days. Are there hundreds of thousands of people posting in the Apple forums with problems with Leopard? Not even close.
I upgraded to Leopard and the thing is sweet, the actual changes are great and I am loving it. mail, address and calendar , the thing rocks as for stacks well thats just genius. Time machine not for me at the moment and bootcamp on an intel machine well vista runs so good. Damn Apple are good!
I have been searching for an alternative to Windoze for years. For some time I was running Linux Fedora on my HP laptop but my IT department made me take it off the network (for some strange, deranged reason??!!), which meant they FORCED me to go back to MS stuff. Adamant not to listen I bought a MacBook Pro. Within 2 minutes I had it on our network (without the support of the IT dept). I upgraded to Leopard the past weekend and what a pleasure!! As with the other satisfied Apple clients, I cannot understand why not more people are catching on? I did the math and my MacBook Pro works out cheaper than any PC “equivalent”. Whenever I chat to friend about switching to Mac, I just give them the laptop to play around with, Apple does the rest (I have converted 15 people since June 2007 so far…does Apple pay commission?)
Even my wife loves it! So guess what she wants for Christmas?!
Commenter number 2 must be a WinDoze guy running the MS exclusive program, iFrustrated. I upgraded all five Macs (Everyone in the family has their own) and have not had a single problem with one. This applies to a three year old MacBook G4, mini, iMac and two MacBook Pros. Mac computers are by far the superior quality machine. Resale prices on older Macs further support this fact. You couldn’t give me the top-o-line WinDoze machine. I have been WinDoze free for 2 1/2 years! Mac’s just work every day, all day long.
Installed Leopard – no problems My 3 year old iMac runs faster now than it did with Tiger! I didn’t have to buy a new computer to run the new OS. Having said that i’ll probably reward Apple by buying a new macbook pro in the next six months. P.S. I’m very experienced with Microsoft OS used it for years, as I have to suffer with it at work. When it comes to my money and my time I choose Apple.
No problems with Leopard here, nor with anyone i know. I have heard of people having a whinge and going back to Tiger. But i don’t think that it’s because of Leopard (they just blame Leopard) – I believe it’s because they use out dated applications that the developers don’t update anymore, making any Leopard compatibility unfixed, causing the software to function badly. This is not Leopards fault, it is the developers fault… Find some new, up to date software, it’s not like there’s a shortage of it out there these day…
Leopard is a fantastic operating system, I could safely say it’s the best operating system EVER made.
I have recently given up on trying to convert my close friends to Macs. I have realized that I don’t want them to use macs because then they will get these “Born-again” mindsets that all PC users get when they switch to Macs because they have just discovered what us open minded people have known for years now. I have placed a bet with another friend of mine to see which of my PC friends will cave first and come to the Mac side. It is so funny to watch them struggle with simple things like connecting to the internet or scanning and printing. hahaha. PC users who deny Mac superiority are my daily entertainment.
iPhone, iPod , and Leopard aside, the greatest thing to ever happen to Mac was when MS released Vista.
I just bought my iMac about a month ago and it is working flawlessly. No Freezing, error messages, or unexpected program shutdowns. AWESOME product.
I upgaded to Leopard with a bit of fear. I ddi a clean install. To my surprise everything has been perfect. I really like the more subdued look of Leopard. In contrast, using Vista Ultamate, even on a brand new Dell with practically the same specs as my Mac, has been a terrible experience: boot up time, screen redraw problems, copying times, driver issues, etc., etc., etc. Maybe in two years Vista will be what Leopard is today.
I have been a Mac user since march and I wish to say that I am extremely happy with my MBP! No problems at all! Real pleasure to use both hardware and software.
Leopard upgrade also smooth and am running it at the moment with no issues. There are of course little things here and there that need to be improved but hey, there is just no comparison between Windows XP not to mention Vista with Leopard. Leopard is just a higher class of a product! If you want quality and a positive PC experience there is no options, get a Mac!!!
Installed Leopard on MacBook Pro 2.16Ghz – Piece of cake. Time Machine is pretty nice too. No install issues at all. Everything just works as advertised. No plug amp; pray here, just pure enjoyment! Merry Xmas!
I just jumped over to a IMAC from a PC and have had the Imac with the 24″ screen sence Nov.26th . I had to install Leopard , it came with the Imac. I was nervous but it went threw without a problem . I’ve had a learning curve but am now doing much better with out any problems at all.I mostly use it for creating sci-fi type graphics and also working with photos , lots of them . I print them out on the Canon pixma pro9000 which I bought with the IMAC and everything works just fine. I’m impressed with Leopard , it works very smooth , have not crashed and I just wish I did this a long time ago …
lol , , My wide has a Dell, Windows XP ,and every time it crashes I smile and say ” gee, maybe you should try this imac” . (( she keeps eyeing it more N more))
Post # 34…That is soo true. If MS released a decent new operating system, then not as many people would convert. It seems like they take apple, put them on the table, and tell their programmers, “Copy that!”
Ever since I got my first iPod, which was about four years ago, I have become a huge mac fan. I now am a freshman and college and own a macbook pro. It has been amazing. I even got my mom to switch, and she says she will NEVER go back.
Apple is AMAZING. I will always be a big fan.
I switched to Mac last April. I am now a die-hard Apple Fan. I got my iPod almost an exact year before getting my MacBook. (Come to think of it, it was a year and a week…) The iPod was just so easy to use and so simple. I started looking at the Macs. Everything looked amazing. I wondered if it would WORK amazingly, though. My dad told me he would buy me a computer and we debated for months about Mac VS. PC. In the end, he gave up and let me get whatever I wanted. I ordered a MacBook as soon I was sure they wouldn’t upgrade to Leopard so quickly that I would have to spend another $129 immediately after paying for such an expensive, nice computer. The only problem that I had was I couldn’t connect to a printer that was connected to my dad’s computer (network administrator). The other printer worked fine, however. And when I walk in his office and plug in my MacBook to the printer that won’t work over the network, it works perfectly as well. Therefore, I think the problem is Windows (xp). My Mac experience has been so amazing that I became determined to get the next best thing to a Mac: an iPhone. And so I have. Everything works so incredibly well. But that’s not all… It not only works amazing, it looks amazing while it works amazingly. Nothing slows down while other things are working (except the occasional iPhone sync that slows down the full screen iTunes Visualizer). You want to see simply beautiful? Get on a Mac and see how awesome it is to watch a window minimize. It’s simple, but it looks amazing. Turn dock magnification on, and move your cursor over the dock. Beautiful. Now I’m still running Tiger, but I’m getting Leopard for my birthday this Thursday, so I don’t know what it looks like on that, but try activating Front Row on a Mac. All you’re doing is using a simple application. Looks incredible. So many things on Windows just get boring. Maybe (MAYBE) whatever you’re doing is necessary and helpful for whatever you’re trying to accomplish, but chances are, you’ll have a lot more fun doing it in Mac OS X. I used to hate typing up reports, papers, etc. Projects were a nightmare….in Word…. Now I use Pages and Keynote. I LOVE making projects now because I can make something I’m proud of that looks amazing.
But with so much good, I must have experienced something that I just didn’t like at all, right? Well, yes. I have. The worst thing about Mac OS X (10.4, at least…) is this: the spell check isn’t as strong as Office. That’s it! Autocorrect in Word was very nice. On applications on here, it gives suggestions…sometimes, but they aren’t what I’m looking for. I have to guess several times before I get it right (indicated by a lack of dashed, red line underneath the word). That’s all I’ve really found to complain about. I guess I should just know how to spell!
Lack of applications? No way! It runs virtually every application out there! It runs all Mac applications, as well as Windows when you use BootCamp and a copy of whichever Windows version you want to use… I have only seen one application that was for Windows that was not compatible with BootCamp, and I’m pretty sure that put up when BootCamp was still a work in progress. It very well could have been fixed by now. I don’t even remember the name of the application, though. It wasn’t anything big….
Wow. I rambled…. a LOT… But that’s what I do… I hope my comment (more like essay) helped some of you soon-to-be computer buyers who are still “on the fence.” GO WITH MAC!! (Find the percentage of people who own Macs that love their Mac, and find the percentage of people who use Windows that hate Windows. There ‘ya go…!)
Look at it this way: Windows provides a sure fire employment opportunity for all kinds of programmers and support people. They depend on the the literal dis-integration of the MS environment to make a healthy living enabling business people and PC owners to use the gear they have already paid for. It’s a diabolically brilliant strategy.
Apple just makes it work and looks good doing it. Design is not just a pretty package, it is at the core of what the company does with both hardware and software. The company sweats the details so we don’t have to. You gotta admire the approach and execution of Jobs’ business plan.
I must say as a pc tech who ran windows from day one until a few months ago, they both have problems. Currently I work on a PC running XP daily without any problems. It is a government system that uses the office and web applications and have never had a problem. I upgraded my xp to vista without problems.
My new imac is great. I upgraded a week after Leopard came out. I had major problems. After the upgrade I could not log in. Lucky for me I am a Unix Administrator. I found information on the web that helped me get in my system and save the upgrade. I also had to change permissions on all the programs and files after the upgrade and it was a pain. Granted this is my first mac and a better way to fix things may be available but, I have hung up my imac and had to turn off the power more than the PC.
I’ve been using leopard since it was released and it’s nearly flawless. An incredible job on Apple’s part. Bravo Cupertino.
Post #41 … have you installed “bonjour for windows” on your dad’s computer?
Get it here if not http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/bonjourforwindows.html
I can’t guaranty that is your fix, but it is worth a shot.
I’m willing to use whichever platform (Mac or PC) helps me get stuff done quickly, efficiently, easily, and beautifully. Given that iPhoto and iMovie are exclusive to Macs, the decision was easy. I’d pay $500 for those two programs — but they’re free on every Mac. Gotta say, it’s been my experience so far that Apple just simply “gets it”.
Commenter 43: quit trying to hack and fix a Mac. Just let the thing run and fly flawlessly. When you did the upgrade to Leopard, you probably choose advanced settings and optioned yourself into oblivion. why don’t you reset it to the factory options and start over.
The Leopard upgrade is flawless, right out of the box. I got bored upgrading my five Mac’s. To the extent, I would start the Leopard upgrade and come back 1 hour later to find the upgrade complete. The move onto the next Mac.
Save us all and go back to Windoze, if you prefer, or maybe a Melcom 80-80 with 11 inch floppy disks. If that doesn’t work, try key-punch cards. They’re simple to use, just don’t get them out of order.
Mac’s don’t need IT departments nor hackers. Mac’s just work by design.
43 – I used to work in a Windows shop for 4 years. That’s all I need to know to know your statement is off.
Upgrade, and just to be safe reboot holding down the c button and run Disk Utility – Repair Permissions. You don’t have to be a Unix administrator. Just Google it up. The fact that you didn’t tells me your statement lacks credibility.
Truth hurts.
I am on my 4th Mac and I happily use stuff that just works. And that was never a description of PC’s for me.
Merry Christmas. Peace out.
41 is a complete idiot. You pretty much re-wrote what so many articles have already said. You are one of those supposed “Born-again” mac users. One of those kids that walks down the street with the apple stickers all over his backpack and his iPod on his hip, so proud of what his daddy bought him. #41 might as well be a PC user because all he cares about is eyeing at the magnification and telling himself, “I want everything in my life to magnify like that.” What a girl. “It looks so cute. oooh ahhh, I’m ditsy. I’m Stupid” Go back to where you belong; with PCs!! I can’t stand it when stupid people use Macs.
I’ve always used Windows. Now that I bought an iMac with Leopard, I understand why there are a lot of apple “fanboys”: THINGS JUST WORK!!! My wife doesn’t see me complaining anymore about crashes, slow responses, etc, etc… And it’s pretty too! Goodbye Windows!
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I LOVE my MAC and will NEVER go back to a PC. My children prefer my MAC over their own laptops. I have an iTouch and LOVE it…too bad I can’t get the iPhone…my hubby works for a competing phone company…but I’d buy it in a heart beat!
Upgraded to new operating system with zero flaws! We couldn’t even update our virus protection on a PC without some problem!
MAC’s RULE!!! PC’s DROOL!!!
It’s been fun to see all of these comments from former Windows users who’ve “seen the light.” Welcome!
I made the switch from PC to Mac in 1994, when it REALLY wasn’t a fair fight. (Seriously — how could anyone have looked at Windows 3.1 and thought it was the right choice?)
Anyway… I’ve watched Apple come a LONG way (from something that was already great as far as I was concerned) in those 13 years. And all I’ve really seen Microsoft do is release 8 incremental revisions of Windows 95.
I have yet to encounter anyone I know personally who’s even SEEN a PC actually running Windows Vista. But I lined up outside the Apple Store to get my copy of Leopard the day it was released, and installed it the next morning.
It’s taken some adjustment to get used to the big 3 visual complaints about Leopard (translucent menu bar, stack icons, and the 3-D dock), but I have had absolutely ZERO problems with Leopard itself. OK, one problem: my old Photoshop 7.0 stopped working. So I finally sucked it up and went out and bought CS3, which I am much happier with anyway!
I’m no Microsoft novice; I’ve worked extensively with Windows, enough that I got an MCSE back in 1999. But I’ve happily left that world behind. (Mostly; I have my MacBook configured to triple boot Leopard, Ubuntu, and XP!)
Here’s to many more years of wonderful products from Apple. Sure, we Mac zealots are a funny lot to the uninitiated, but if you really do think a computer’s just a utilitarian device (as one poster, a Mac user no less, stated), then you just don’t “get it.” Apple’s products make utilitarian tasks FUN, and that’s something worth getting passionate about.
If you want to securely surf the web, chat online, and write emails – Mac is for you!
But, this if you want the power to play games, video/music creation at a REASONABLE price than look nowhere else then at a Windows PC, period. And that’s a fact people!
Here is further of my analysis:
A powerful Mac with equal power of a “powerful” PC will easily cost you around $5000!! The same kind of power in a PC will cost you under $2000. That’s a $3000 difference!!! Don’t believe me? Check this out:
The following Mac cost: $4,182 (Canadian dollars, http://www.apple.ca)
Two 2.0GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon
2GB (4 x 512MB)
500GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s
2 x NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT 256MB
Apple Cinema HD Display (23″ flat panel)
16x SuperDrive
Apple Keyboard and Mighty Mouse – U.S. English
Mac OS X – U.S. English
Now, for a custom-built Windows PC with similar configuration, you pay – $1799!!! (Canadian dollars, http://www.shoprbc.com)
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz 8MB/1066FSB S775 CPU
Asus P5K iP35 S775 ATX Mainboard w/Audio/GB/FW/eSATA
Corsair Twin2X 1Gb DC PC2-5400 DDR2 Memory
Seagate 7200.11 500GB 7200RPM 32MB SATAII Hard Drive, 5Yr warranty
Vantec All In 1 USB 2.0 Internal Media Card Reader w/Black amp; White Face Plates
LG GSA-H62N 18X DVD+/-RW SATA Drive BLACK, OEM
Asus EN8800GT/G/HTDP 8800GT 512MB PCI-E Video Card, Retail
Antec NSK6580 Mid-Tower Case w/430Watt PSU, Black/Silver
Samsung SyncMaster HD 245B 24″ Wide LCD Monitor, Black
Windows Vista Home Premium Edition
So obviously, as you would imagine, there is a $2,383 dollars difference! And if you look closely you will see that I even threw a 24″ monitor in there (23″ for the Mac”). In fact, there is a much faster video card in the PC (better than the dual 7300GT for Mac), better RAM (2X 1Gig instead of the crappy 4X 512MB for Mac) and most importantly an Intel Core 2 Quad (which performs better that 2X 2GHz for Mac – see http://www.tomshardware.com)
So please, PRETTY PLEASE, Mac users – get a grip on yourselves! You are all getting rapped by Apple! It is the same Taiwanese manufacturers that supplies both Windows and Mac computer hardware!! Wake up!!
The industry doesn’t charge 400-700 for a phone? That’s funny because my Samsung i730 that was the size of a brick and slow as shit was 599 when it came out. My Blackberry Curve with no contract was 399. Forget the fact that it’s eye -candy- please name one cell phone with 8GB of memory, bluetooth, an ipod music and video player, camera, push email, youtube and wifi that syncs flawlessly with your computer (mac) and doesn’t need 4 resets per day and costs less than 399 and I will go buy it right now. Put your money where your mouth is asshole.
if its the same manufacttures why are windows machines plauged with issues and macs are not?
and id rather pay 3k more for a machine that works than 2k for one that doesnt – try starting a machine with all that shit on their and watch how many conflicts and retarded cryptic error messages you get. Macs are more for a reason- they work better.
A BMW costs more than a Kia because its better quality –
I’m sold. I’m going to go to shopRBC right now and pick up one of these gems and… wait, it’s not there. I guess the “sale” must be over…
I did find some systems there in the $2-3k range that looked a lot like your system (after monitor, etc.) and I also did the pricing for the same Mac, which came out to $3695US. Much less of a difference than you cite. Regardless, if you think that is all there is to the argument, then you obviously don’t get what this whole discussion is about, do you?
Just move along. Nothing to see here…
You get what you pay for. Windoze crap and a truckload of frustration or Apple quality and peace of mind. Apple users don’t need to wake up. We already now what works, we bought it and are thrilled with our Macs.
Put the buds back in the bag Mr. PC guy (#54). Mac’s don’t cost twice as much as PC’s. On the other hand, we will keep enjoying our computer experience without the blue screen of death.
Hi,
I dont CARE what I hear from other users.
Its like reading a review of a movie and not going to watch because some movie critic says its no good.
So for the Leopard, I bought it because I wanted it.
And it ROCKS, and I am brand new to the Mac world so I can only draw on my experiences from PC and Windows Vista and BOYYYYYYYY what a DIFFERENCE…….
Merry Christmas
Timmi
For the person who drew up price comparisons between a custom PC build and a Mac Pro, here are some of your mistakes.
Build your PC with Xeons. If you had, you would find that your price difference nearly dissipates. A Q6600 hundred is a quad core processor, but it’s 4 cores on 1 die. Mac Pro is a true dual processor machine, with fully independent front side busses, that literally 2 computers in the pretty Apple casing.
You’re comparing a gaming machine with a workstation. Frankly, that Mac Pro won’t game any better than your Q6600. However, as a professional video editor, certified Apple Technician and registered Apple Consultant I can assure you that the first time you watch a Mac Pro eat up what was a 3 hour render on your Q6600, in 30 minutes, you will need to change your pants. That’s money in the bank. The Mac Pro is purpose built gear for professionals and enthusiasts who need the power when a bottom line counts.
Gamers can continue to tinker with their rigs, upgrading every other day to grab a few more FPS beyond the viewable human limit… And while sifting through the lists of bugs and errors to realize that their 2000 dollar gaming PC does pretty much the same job as the Xbox 360 or PS3, you can divert the rest of your sound financial spending toward a computer that is a pleasure to own and operate, as opposed to a burden.
The Mac Pro is THE ONLY personal computer on the market that is an INVESTMENT. These are the facts junior. If you want to be further educated on the way things are, let me know.
to Bit Burn (# 54)
I don’t dispute your numbers at all. But there’s a problem:
I don’t really care about what’s under the hood or how to build a computer. It is a tool for me and, as such, should work smoothly, easily and with a minimum of problems. Macs and PC’s both fail at times and neither are perfect, but I don’t spend my time re-booting, reinstalling, or otherwise worrying about whether my Mac is working when I need it to work. I spent so much time just getting a Windows machine to work that I was losing money – my income – because I was trying to get the computer to work rather than doing MY work.
But specifically, in response to your impassioned plea for us to build your recommended computer…
Who’s going to build your fantastic system? I am sure you can, but I am a filmmaker, a writer, not a computer builder. I am not a techie. I don’t get hot and bothered about squeezing the tiniest bit of extra MHz from my machine. I want a computer that does the job I set out to do. I want it to quickly and intuitively allow me to design, print, and export my work without having to worry about it breaking down or requiring that I become a computer expert just to get the thing to function.
How long will it take me -an average computer user- to source the components, build, test and tweak your ideal system and finally get some work done?
My time is best spent making films, not spent under the hood of my computer. That’s someone else’s job. I expect computer and software designers to provide me with a machine -a set of tools- that allows me to do my job better. And, for the most part, Apple does that. And I’ll pay for that up front. It saves me so much -in time, frustration, and money -in the long run.
Now which company would refund you $100 because they chopped down the prices by $200.. happened with iPhone… and would MS folks give you a free upgrade to vista if you purchased XP a few mnths before they launched vista? Its not about the free stuff but Apple is loyal to it’s customers…
And apple provides the best support because u hardly need any…
Just a message to the Windozers and those who Whole-heartedly love Winblows: Windows is the most insecure OS out there. It requires antivirus software to even browse the web safely, where as you don’t really need the software on a Mac. iMacs can cover you in the games area (running both OS X and Windows) because you have the Core 2 Extreme and of course ATi’s newest graphics cards. So, virtually, you can do ANYTHING on a Mac that you can do on a PC.
About Leopard, installation was easy. I love using it, and even GarageBand 3 runs well, I must add. I’ve never encountered any of the problems that have been popping up in the news. I own a Macbook (my leopard/Winblows System) and a Mac Mini that still runs tiger (10.4.11). I’m considering another Mac for college, when I go into Game Dev.
Just give a Mac a chance. I did, and I’m a permanent convert.
I bought my first Mac just 11 months ago, a second one for my husband and business partner this fall, and will be replacing our final PC with a Mac Pro sometime in 2008.
Yes, there is a (modest) learning curve when you switch from Windows. No, Macs are not perfect, and making my “must have in order to make a living” PC applications run on a Mac is not always easy. Yes, I have had some problems with Leopard, which I installed 3 weeks ago and which broke a couple of my applications and took some fixing.
BUT I am still buying more Macs. I am 57 years old, and not particularly prone to cult-ism. The gradual shift of our small business to an all-Mac house is a business decision, because my time is valuable, easy back-up is essential, and having work be even slightly more enjoyable when you are self-employed is good news for the bottom line.
Since I first started using a Mac, I have been noticing a stream of posts from former Windows users about how wonderful their Macs are. (I’ve written some of them myself.) I haven’t found any websites for disgruntled Mac users who are switching to Windows, but there is a fairly high percentage of negative posts from long-term Mac users about the new converts from Windows (overenthusiastic, act funny, don’t speak the language right, naively impressed into the Cult of Mac). Gosh, I guess that makes us immigrants!
Quite astonishing to hear the complaints about Leopard’s quality. I upgraded a week or two after it came out and I never had a problem (iSync broken, but I blame Sony Ericsson for their poor quality for that).
Well, I wouldn’t wish my enemy the experience of upgrading a Windows OS!
“Leopard as bad as Vista”?! My upgrade was done on the day of release and since then my MacBookPro has been restarted about 5 times only. As of today it’s uptime is 7 days 13 hours 6 minutes an dit feels like it just booted up.
Glitches? None. Faster than Tiger? Definitely. Features? Phenomenal; Time Machine backup once a day which was never possible before. Spaces is now essential for me and QuickLook with CoverFlow just sublime computing.
Leopard versus Vista? It is doubtful Vista’s vista can see the tail of the Leopard in the distance…
I like the mac, as the hardware and OS is so tasteful and artistic. You could say a painting is just some wood, cloth and coloured goop, or you can appreciate it. It’s a similar thing with the Mac, it’s a pleasure to use, rather than a chore. I hoped Vista would be like this, but it’s just geeks gone crazy, really tacky and tasteless and not al all thought-through from a user perspective.
@49 – What a prat you are. Can’t stand to see someone enjoying something their life. You come across as a dissatisfied loser, I expect your only friends in life are Mrs Palmer and her 5 daughters. Does knocking someone else’s obvious enthusiasm and joy make you feel better about your own hollow, pitiful existence? Personal attacks are a bummer aren’t they…
@41 – Great to hear how much you love your Mac. I share your view. I have been a Mac user since the IIe and they rock.
obviously that if people reads support pages on the apple web site they will see only complains and people trying to solve their issues
however there is a small percentage of actual troubles the majority are just tiny little bugs and in many occasions caused by the user
[…] That#8217;s pretty rad. With all these new innovations in their retail market it#8217;s no wonder Apple Stores are Rockin#8217; in Apple and Links. Feed for this Entry Trackback […]
53…
you got it ….
I’ve been a Mac user since 1994. I went through the dark days of the late 90s when Macs were more and more being left behind, followed by the long and frustrating wait for OS X.
But I’m glad I stuck with Mac, despite its shortcomings. It’s come a long way and is really starting to deliver. No, Mac isn’t perfect and no one should pretend it is. I also had quite annoying problems with the upgrade to Tiger. But going on what people say, I can’t wait to get back to a country where they sell Macs (where I am there are no Macs, let alone Apple Stores) so I can get myself a Leopard.
I have owned PC’s for years and always thought Windows was better in every way. I never used Mac and thought it was for kids. I build computers and work on them.
I bought a Mac and it is night and day. It just works.
As for Leopard it is awesome. And Vista I have had to downgrade at work now 6 times. Vista is the worst.
I am not a Teche, Just a 71 year old blogger ! I suppose if I were Tech Savvy and not as Successful as Jobs and Gate’s, I might be sour also ! Success is never confusing effort with results ! Leopard works,it doesn’t crash it is not resource hungry and I like it ! I am a man of good taste so what I like is Important ! Apple products are Tasty ! Imagine this old man has a G-4 and a Macbook! The only time I get sorry is when some Ice-head gets angry at Progress !
This is not aimed at anyone posting here ! Just My Thoughts !
Man o’ man, so much for posting a comparison chart!! Sorry if some of your Mac-ego was a bit bruised here!
So, here’s a one-answer reply to all of you Mac loyalist:
http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=macs_cant
And please take the time to read carefully.
I have to add to all these posts. I bought my first MAC a few months ago.
I too was indifferent to Apple. Why? I’m not sure? One thing I was thinking was that I had soo much windows software that I didn’t want to switch to Apple for having to re-purchase everything again in an Apple platform. So much money, I thought?
Well; I finally got fed up with windows (ten years), my PC only a year old is just too slow, my Pocket PC crashes at least two times per week and I have to reset wait for 3 minutes for it to bot up, then the PC decides that it doesn’t want to recognize my Pocket PC and I spend an hour getting it to work again so that I can sync my calendar and schedule. Then my printer driver can’t be found, and I re-load the printer drivers….
I could go on and on and on…… I’m tired guys….. so much work just to run the computer, and my PC is only a year old.
Well to my amazement, when I first turned on my MAC, it found all my wireless devices and set them all up in less than 5 minutes. I was shocked!!!! No waiting, no trying to find the driver, waiting for windows to set it up? I have never seen anything like this?
And to my wonderment…… I am using less software to produce the same stuff, I was producing on my PC? Holy COW!!! Is that possible? It still shocks me! AND gt; The stuff that I am producing on my MAC is BETTER LOOKING, and more Professional! I am still in Shock!
Learning curve? YES! It was just a little bit challenging, but not hard and now I am running full steam on my MAC and wondering how much money I have lost in production over fixing and trying to fix my PC over the many years? What a complete waste!
For me the MAC has been HEAVEN and the PC has been HELL! Sorry not to offend anyone, but that has been my experience.
I am excited now! and am an APPLE convert, and tell everyone about it.
Thanks for letting me post here!
-k
Seriously though, I use my Mac as much as I use my PC at home (yes I do own a Mac!) and started to compare prices between the two, because I want a more powerful computer, and realize that a Mac Pro is just way too much for my budget, and in fact, a cruel waste of money. You guys think you’re all very wise to use Mac but I can tell you that, with the right hardware components, a Windows PC is equally stable to any Macs out there.
And a note to Post #61 Michael Carr: Read this junior: Core 2 Quad offers a total of four processing cores. Different from the Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad does not carry a single piece of silicon, but two Core 2 Duos under its hood. As a result, one dual core unit accessing data in the other unit will cause front side bus traffic. This certainly isn’t ideal, but yet results in the fastest processor the world has seen. (http://www.tomshardware.com/2007/03/26/the_gigahertz_battle/index.html)
I must just agree with the majority of posts here. I have tinkered and used Windows for years, I have just bought an iMac and it is a revelation, almost so that I miss the tinkering, I spend to much time using the computer and having fun. Its what home computing should be.
My favorite Apple retail store is the 5th Avenue store in Midtown Manhattan for a very simple reason – I know the folks there and I strongly prefer going there.
Yes, the Leopard is not perfect, but the recent release of 10.5.1 helped to address a number of very serious issues.
Now, if they can only fix the Safari bug (keeps crashing for no apparent reason), then they will be on the road to recovery.
One thing to note about EVERY Apple retail store – there is NEVER a sale!
That’s right, you will not find a single item on sale, not during the holidays or anytime.
So, what is the appeal that keeps us loyal to the Apple brand?
It’s the fact that being a member of the Apple family is something that we take pride in.
We are proud of our products and proud to carry the bag with the logo on front.
In other words, we are fools in love.
Ok People, let me say this one thing
Though it may be different for some people, i find vista attractive and stable. Vista runs all my scanners and printers and webcams PERFECTLY! I am using premium vista. I think all u mac users use a vista machine and, thinking your on a so called “virus free mac”, run around the net with absolutely no software and disable protected mode(“It makes it run to slow”yeah right), and then, when u get a virus you go off to the nearest forum and say “Windows SUX!”
Pathetic
Switched from XP two years ago to a G4 and loved it. Now I have a MacBook Pro and switched from 10.4 to 10.5 on Leopard launch day. I can report only very minor irritations (and nothing that would warrant a downgrade) which were fixed promptly when 10.5.1 was released. Most of my issues were with some Parallels 3.0 instabilities limiting but not halting my ability to run Windows 2003 Server under OS X – fortunately, Parallels was also quickly fixed. I, too, am a happy camper: my Mac is the only computer I will ever need, especially I can still run Windows as a guest OS at the same time as my OS X apps. Vista blows. If I was using XP, I’d wait for Service Pack 3 and stick Vista Inspirat on it to make it a little prettier. So there: I’m a seasoned Windows user/developer, and my weapon of choice is still a Mac.
I guess when commentary is open to all, everybody gets exposed to statements like comment #2 from someone who probably has never used a mac before. I have owned a G4 867mhz with 1GB of memory for 6 years now. I installed Leopard the day it broke cover. Just slotted the beautifully packaged DVD in, and in about an hour or so later I was enjoying the best experience I ever had on a personal computer. Leopard is a joy. I am getting a duo core machine with parallels next april .
Apple people are weird, I know because I am one of them, but they is really weird. Don’t get me wrong, I love my Macs greatly. I have only owned one PC and it was eventually murdered by viruses and then the USB port blew up or something. Which reminds me that is one issue I am having after upgrading to Leopard and that is my USB ports are acting kinda funny. After the holidays, I may take it to the apple store, but I do really enjoy the upgrade.
I will not add to the long list of Leopard success stories (I upgraded 5 Macs with no problems). Hopefully by now folks realize that post #2 was bogus.
However, there is something that has not come up yet: 64-bits. I dual boot my Pro with 64-bit XP. I guess I don’t have any major complaints with x64, except that it is very pedestrian, m u c h slower than Leopard and all the applications and drivers for x64 are different than the apps and drivers for XP. Now there is a 32-bit Vista and a 64-bit Vista. What gives? Why have all these variations and incompatibilities.
Did any of us Mac users even notice the transition to 64bit? Except of course our Intel boxes now run much faster!
Usually, the only folks that bad-talk Macs are the ones that have never owned or operated a Mac and are passing judgement based on reviews that support their own lack of information. Either that or they are just plain irritated over the fact that Steve Jobs and Company got the whole thing right and are kicking ass. I up-graded three Intel Macs and a G4 Mac with Leopard FLAWLESSLY. As usual, the Apple product is as advertised. As for those folks who complain about the cost of Macs, the access to an Apple Store and Apple Genius’s more than compensates for any cost delta. Good luck with your Zune and Dell when they crap out. Any money you saved on the purchase will be long gone with the ensuing repairs and hassles.
I started with Mac just about Day One in 1984 and have converted every place I’ve worked in the corporate world, save one. On a personal note, my wife’s 4+ year-old iMac hung the other day, and I could not fix it. So, at 10:30 AM I went online to make an appointment with the nearest Apple Store’s Genius Bar–for 2:40 PM that same day.
At 2:43 PM, I was explaining the problem to Genius Barry who quickly diagnosed some unusual corrupted system files. (I was expecting a failed hard drive.) He downloaded all her files to optical media, wiped the drive clean, reinstalled the OS, and reinstalled her files. It took about an hour for the drive wipe to run, so I wandered the mall–and the Apple Store, of course. Within 5 minutes of his projected completion time, the iMac was ready to go home.
Even though the warranty period was long up, all this was at no charge! He did say that if a system has to “go to the back room” for physical repair, there would be a charge, which the customer approves before they start.
After I reinstalled a couple of applications and spent about 3 minutes running the network access utilities, my wife was back in business, accessing the Internet and all my printers wirelessly, and doing what she does. Happy Camper!
I defy the owner of any other computer brand to find this kind of top quality, free service on a system that old/out of warranty. And done by appointment, at the owner’s convenience, and done on the spot. Apple has amazed even this old evangelist!
This has been some really great reading, very entertaining! However, #76, that site is done in very poor taste – the F—You and the A–holes terminologies are definitely from some grasping at anger management issues. I dismiss any comments like that because of the lack of intelligent conversation. Swearing at people and expecting them to see your side of the issue will never happen. By the way – quoting that over 2.8 million Mac users switched back to windows without siting your statistical information, is an empty shell. Where is the stat to prove your point.
To #78 – You guys think you’re all very wise to use Mac but I can tell you that, with the right hardware components, a Windows PC is equally stable to any Macs out there.
Who knows what the right hardware is? How much research do you have to do the find “the right hardware”? Why would one need to build a custom box with all “the right hardware” to compete with a factory Mac???
I am a Mac service tech, an Apple consultant and have converted several companies over to Macs! Why you ask, They are tired of paying their PC guy to come out one every couple months to get them back on line again or get someone’s computer fixed where they can do some work. I have been showed many invoices for PC repairs that would not have happened if they were using Macs. I put a Mac Mini in their office for them to try out for a month for free. At the end of the month, they want to buy it or buy a new one and copy their stuff over to their new one before they will even let me have mine back. I can site you many companies that switched and have a much lower cost of ownership in a year than they did with their PC’s.My PC service buddies are always busy, yet I struggle to find work because my customers don’t call with problems very often. I have over 500 clients and I’ve not heard from some of them for over a year. I call and check on them to see if they need anything and am told, “Nope, everything is working great”! How do I keep income coming in if no one needs service? I started selling Macs to supplement my income. As my clients save consulting dollars – they now use that budgeted money to buy new Macs from me and thus I get commission. And their productivity is through the roof. One of my PC convert to Mac clients is saving thousands a year and productivity is up over 65%. That is a stat that is hard to beat.
By the way, I own 5 Macs for my business – all running Leopard, and one is even 5 years old, without any upgrades or mods to make it work!
Bit Burn #76 this is quite low on this link, the language is so disgusting I just couldn’t stay on this page for more than 5 sec. it has a truly awful feeling.
Man, this page felt like hell even without reading it.
For comparison the Mac experience is like Paradise!
See, Macs have exactly the opposite consciousness, beautiful, efficient, fresh, inspiring, enjoyable, gives you peace of mind, bright feeling! All things you need to inspire you bring something positive in this world!
Aint nothing prefect, but long live Apple.
Was there, am there and will stay there.
Leopard runs just fine on my desktop and laptop.
Not looking back.
My dad bought me my first Mac, an eMac 5 years ago. I was amazed at how quickly I was able to learn my way around the OS and I quickly grew to love the little machine. A year later, when my sister needed a new computer for her school work, he bought her a new PC, because she didn’t think she was very partial. When I needed a laptop for college, the MacBook was the obvious choice, because I had become too spoiled by my first Mac to switch back to a PC. The OS is so streamlined, the 4 year old Mac still had a serious edge over the new PC! When she had to go off to college, the MacBook was the obvious choice for her, too.
In 5 years, the only problems we’ve had have been the result of either hard drive failure, or bad RAM, and that’s something you have to remember, Macs are not immune to hard drive failure, so backup your data, and do it often. I cannot stress that enough! Hard drive failures do happen and they can happen to you!
I am running Leopard now, and I’ve been one of the unlucky few (along with my uncle, who is a computer science professor and UNIX whiz) who have had some issues with it. We both see Leopard’s potential and we’re both confident that Apple will sort things out.
Here’s a question for all you Mac lovers: What do you think is going to happen when Steve Jobs leaves Apple? I mean, let’s face it, the man IS Macintosh! He brought Apple back to life in 1997. He, alone, is possibly the very reason why you love Mac so much. Imagine where would Apple be today If Jobs wouldn’t have returned?
And another thing, why is it that you Mac people always talk about Windows like it is God’s abomination! And that Mac is heaven and Windows is hell?? What is that? It’s strange because I own both a Mac mini and Windows PC and both runs equally great. I recently added more memory to my mini and upgraded to Leopard FLAWLESSLY, but I also upgraded my PC from XP to Vista and again…FLAWLESSLY!
Of course there are more horror stories about Windows. After all, 90% of all the people on the planet that have a computer use it!!! And of course you need an anti-virus on a PC because, well, if I was a mean person and was to create a virus who you think I would I target? Windows users obviously!
I do have a confection to make though: Vista is ok but Leopard is my OS of choice! Why? It’s much prettier!! 😉
76 – Wow. The time in your life spent on that tasteless webpage you’ll never get back. It reconfirms that those who bash Mac computers and Apple products in general don’t have a clue what they are talking about, and in some cases such as this, indicate some serious emotional issues. Dude, get yourself some help before you hurt yourself.
Ok. I read a bunch of these comments, and I have to disagree with, well, a lot of them.
I’ve always been a Windows user, and, probably will be for quite some time until who knows what else comes along down the road. I’ve never had a problem with my Windows computers. As you people say about Macs, my stuff “just works.”
I upgraded a desktop of mine to Vista about three weeks after it came out, and, everything still worked great. All my cards worked with built in drives, so did my printer. Of all you people that complain about Vista, i’m pretty sure most of you have never used it for more than a little “trying out”, if at all. I know some of you have had bad experiences, but that happens to anyone. The thing about PCs is people always try to upgrade them when they’re clearly old. My computer is almost four years old and it runs Vista fine, with all the special eye candy and everything. It really just depends on a lot of factors.
Also, I think the downfall facing Apple right now is the high initial cost of purchasing one. I can believe that down the road, it will save you time and money, but seriously, there are a lot of people that don’t have the initial funds to invest. They can get a $300 PC at Best Buy (btw I bought one of those and three years later i’ve had no problems!), but the cheapest Mac they can get is $600, without even a keyboard, mouse, or dvd burner! I think that’s a big problem. From my observations, Mac owners tend to me more affluent anyhow, so i’m not sure that they fully realize this situation.
And please, don’t think i’m a Mac hater. I think it’s an amazing operating system, but it truly isn’t right for everyone. Desktop PCs offer things that iMacs and Mac minis can’t, for a pretty good price. However, Macs offer great usability that PCs can’t dish out. I think there’s a place in this world for both. We just need to make it easier for them to both work together. Man can’t live on bread alone.
And, in reference to this iPhone stuff, an iPhone and Windows smartphone can not be compared. Sorry. An iPhone is on ATamp;T only. Even if I wanted one super bad, i’m not willing to make a switch to ATamp;T over what I have now. I noticed a lot of bias in this writing. Probably because this is an Apple site. But as I read in a few different blogs, Windows users don’t buy everything Apple ads and Apple writers say. Because for me, if I wanted a smartphone, I could buy one on eBay for $200, take it in to my carrier store (10 minutes away), there is never a line, and i’m done. And if I use a sim card, I don’t even have to leave my house! When I plug my nokia into my Vista PC, “it just works.” My nearest Mac store is 35 minutes away. Huge hassle.
Remember, just try to see both sides of the fence before you bash it. Seriously.
Btw, i’m typing this on my iMac G3, running OS X 10.4, listening to music on Vista. Just to let you know.
I’ve used Apple products since ’82, yes 1982. I also have tried Windows machines over the years just to be fair but have found that there are only hundreds of reasons to never EVER switch to them.
It’s rather funny that out of the 87 posts in this string only 3 or 4 have anything negative to say about Apple. My, my how things have changed over the past 5 years.
I remember the days when Gil Amillio almost killed off my love affair with the Mac. Now that Steve amp; Co. reclaimed Apple, things have certainly changed. Steve learned some industry changing revalations while he was gone.
It’s not the machine, it’s not the Os, it’s not even the customer service that works the best. It’s the WHOLE PACKAGE, and that’s something that Windows can never be!!
A dark day is dawning for Windows users, just don’t go down with the ship.
Microsoft is finally getting it to some degree though, they are manufacturing their own products. Xbox has probably done wonders for them. It’s hilarious that it uses G5 processors though.
A lot of things are going to happen in the next year with computers and technology. Just remember that those of us that stuck with the little computer company that would, weren’t crazy, but somehow we knew that something great was going to come from this little upstart.
Stay in your ridiculously painful PC world or come see that the Mac is good.
And for all the Mac folk, don’t get baited into arguements with the narrow-minded.
In 1997 I bought the original G4 Cube… cost 1799.00 that more then 10 years later is still working flawlessly – it only went to the mac fix it guy – 1X for a software glitch. That cube had a 20GB hard drive, no monitor, and OS9. Fast forward 10 years later…. I bought this new 2.4ghz – 24 imac with the bigger hard drive, and beautiful screen ( included this time:) for the same money. Apple products may cost a little more than a PC at first… but your money ahead in the long run. Thanks Apple for great computers that are simple – elegant – and a pleasure to drive.
I am an IT director at a small community college. I am also a former band director who still writes music and marching band shows. I bought my first computer, an Apple IIe, in 1985. I didn’t buy a Mac because I didn’t think I could afford. A couple of years later, I bought an Apple IIgs with a GUI OS. Again, it was because I thought I couldn’t afford a Mac. In 1990 my wife, who teaches Computer Science, got a new lab of PCs at her school so I converted to a PC with Windows.
I said all of that to get to this. We have a few Macs on campus and I had never used one extensively. I checked one out from our journalism department last summer to learn how they work and how to support the users. By the end of the summer, I bought a 17″ MacBook Pro to replace a 17″ Gateway notebook. I will NEVER go back. I purchased Parallels so I could run WinXP but in the past year, I am finding that I boot to my XP VM less and less.
I agree with some of the posts that a properly configured and maintained PC w/XP can be as stable as a Mac w/OS X. However, we rarely get support tickets from our users and we have a running backlog from our Windows users. I know it is a cliche and Apple marketing, but it really is true, “they just work!” And with my own personal Mac, I do not have to “work” at keeping it properly maintained.
I do have Leopard but have not installed it yet because the company that produces the music notation program I use had not yet issued an update that fixed some Leopard compatibility issues. However, that update has now been downloaded and my Leopard upgrade is one of my projects for the weekend.
One final note about the price. One of our secretaries needed a new computer recently. She had seen some of the Macs around campus and asked me to price both a 20″ iMac and a Dell PC. When I configured the machines with identical processors, memory, HD, etc., the iMac was about $150 LESS than the Dell PC. She chose the Mac and loves it. I’m not actively trying to convert our campus but simply allowing the Mac to work its “magic”. Just last month, one of our English professors who was a long-time PC user wanted to purchase a new notebook and guess what she chose? You got it, a 17″ MacBook Pro.
Bottom line, I guess you could say I have drunk the Kool-Aid. I’m getting a new 80Gb iPod classic for Christmas and have been downloading music from iTunes at an alarming rate. I feel like I have “come back home” with my Mac. In fact, the next time I have money in my departmental budget to purchase a new computer for my office, it will be a Mac.
I’m a Mac!
Reason six: people are iSheep and can’t wait to shell out 2X more than necessary when the latest iPenis gets released.
What I love is that Apple F-s users with every device “update” (recent iPhone pricing being the latest) and you vacuous morons just line up with wallet in hand to shell out more dough for the next “lesser” system of planned obsolescence.
And who doesn’t love media locked to a device??
Yep – I had an Apple iMAC in 2002 for about an hour. The DVD drive broke rather instantly, and the system froze (hard) every time I tried to connect SAMBA shares – wow, that’s WAY better than a PC running Linux. But hey – what a pretty desktop it had! Thankfully there was an iSheep on eBay just waiting for my cast off, and thanks to Apples student discount I actually made money on the transaction.
Say what you want about the PC, lesser phones, and “mundane MP3 players that only play MP3s”, but when new they’re more powerful than their iCounterparts for less money, when they age I can easily pitch them and buy new because of the low cost, and all told still have spent less cash than my black turtle-neck wearing iConsumer counterparts…..
VARGuy – you’re the ultimate troll. You need a to find a way to write a piece that concludes that Canada sucks…. (since I see that this week you’ve already covered “your distro sucks”. Nice.)
Ummm… with the downgrade to Mac OS 9 thing, that is more comprable with downgrading to Microsoft 3.1. A more realistic comparison would be from Leopard (10.5) to Tiger (10.4)
73
The itunes error is caused by windows.
You have no facts to back up any of the information.
Don’t be a ****bite.
All very informative and well written posts. Here is my story: Started with computers 18 years ago, built my own Apple IIe, used IIIc, IIGS, etc. then figured I needed a laptop for travel. Bought Toshibas, Compaqs, Dells, Thinkpads, built a half dozen machines myself, went through Windows 3.1, ME, 95, 98, 98SE, and XP. Finally I bought a G4 Powerbook to replace the last IBM Thinkpad. And that was it.
It is obvious that Macs are superior computers and OS X is a superior operating system. They just work, they look good, and they’re fun to use. No worries, Mate! I’ve told my family I am not buying any more Windows computers, so now there are two desktop Macs and a Powerbook in the house vs two Windows XP machines. When those two die, that’s it! Oh, wait, do the two iPhones count? Make that five Macs.
I’m known as a computer and tech guru and has been the guy my friends call when they have trouble with their computers. I’ve told them I’m not going to Vista, so if they do, they’re on their own. I tell everyone who asks that it just doesn’t make sense anymore to buy a Windows computer, although one might have reason to buy a Mac plus a copy of Windows to run on it. Otherwise, just say “no”. My two cents.
Had a minor wireless glitch the first week with Leopard but a fix was rolled out immediately. Other than that, upgrade has been flawless.
I’m in software development so I’m a hardcore power user. It’s been put through its paces.
91… Good advice. Gonna do it right now!
During the past couple of months, I’ve installed Leopard on my iMac, my wife’s iBook, and my daughter’s PowerBook. It works like a dream on all those machines and is a big step up from Tiger. We’ve had no problems whatsoever. To compare Leopard’s user experience with those of Vista users is ludicrous. Of course, some users will have problems with every OS upgrade. Even if it’s 0.1% of the user population, one can get the impression that there are a lot of problems every time Apple upgrades Mac OS because the only users who normally bother to post comments online are members of that tiny fraction of users.
To #54.
You obviously don’t know as much as you think you know, given you compared the Mac Pro with a lesser system. The Mac Pro with it’s lesser features would slaughter your cheaper system running Windoze as the way it is built is much more efficient.
However, the Mac Pro is an industry system – for video editing and 3D animation.
Let’s compare Apple’s iMac to a similar Dell Inspiron product. These are two comparable companies as they both have similar customization options.
I’m going to compare in US dollars as both these companies are based there.
iMac System ($1,649)
2GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM – 2x1GB
320GB Serial ATA Drive
SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Apple Mighty Mouse
Apple Keyboard (English) + Mac OS X
Accessory kit
2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO with 256MB memory
20-inch glossy widescreen LCD
AirPort Extreme
Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR
Dell Inspiron ($1,321.10)
Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo Processor E6550
(2.33GHz, 4MB L2 Cache, 1333MHz FSB)
Pre-Loaded Genuine Windows Vista(R) Home Premium OEM
Dell 20″ Entry (E207WFP) Wide Screen Flat Panel LCD Monitor (ANA, DVI)
Memory 3GB (2X1GB/2x512MB) NECC Dual Channel DDR2 667MHz SDRAM Memory (Limited upgrade offer)
320GB SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive with Native Command Queuing 16X DVD+/-RW with Dual Layer Write Capabilities
256MB PCIe(TM) x16 ATI Radeon(TM) HD 2400 Pro
Dell(TM) IEEE Firewire 1394 PCI Card (Half Height)
Dell(TM) A225 USB Stereo Speakers
Dell(TM) USB Quietkey(R) Keyboard with Silver Trim (English)
Dell(TM) Optical USB Mouse
Okay, so the specs here are about as similar as you can get. So let’s compare.
Advantages of a Dell
– Faster DVD burner
– Cheaper
– Free (limited time) upgrade to 3GB RAM.
Disadvantages of a Dell
– No Webcam
– Ugly, chunky, space eating system.
– Limited to Windoze OS (or Linux if you want to install it yourself)
– Slowwwwwwwww computers
– They come clogged with crappy programs that you just don’t want
– From my experience you’re lucky to get a year of it running at a decent speed…
– Firewire is an optional extra, no firewire 800 option.
Advantages of an Apple
– Built in iSight
– Beautiful all in one design
– Runs Mac OS X + Windoze + Linux
– Has Firewire 400 + 800 as standard
– Come with built in software that you’ll actually use, and won’t drive you crazy everytime you start up the computer
– Comes with Apple remote to control iTunes, Quicktime or Front Row
– A much faster computer in general
– You’ll become part of the exclusive Apple Club which makes Apple users just click (I have never had a fight with a fellow Apple user)
Disadvantages of an Apple
– More Expensive
– Slower DVD burner
So number 54, is it us getting raped by Apple? Or is it you, being ignorant and getting raped (yes raped, not rapped) by Microsoft? I know that the extra $300 will be money well spent given the superior software, and functionality of the Mac. Extra speed and much longer lifespan. My last Mac lasted 3 years before I upgraded, I brought it superseded, and it is still being used by a friend of mine for video editing.
Lets face it, show me equivalent software to all iLife Apps, Photobooth and my favourite messanger Adium on the Windows platform that are free and I’ll listen. I won’t convert cause I’ve been there, and still use it occasional for testing my website in IE. The windoze system is stressful, and Macs slogan “it just works” is so true. Set-up takes about 5 minutes and then you’re up and running.
Windoze machine are not really comparable to the Mac systems in the end. Show me a blog where windoze user praise their new system as much as any blog such as this. Because these computers are in a league far above and windoze system. Macs are a one of a kind. It is you 54 that is being raped.
Bought a macbook pro for work almost a year ago. Within 2 weeks of Mac ownership my PC became my trash computer. Now it just sits idle in the corner, and I’m considering shutting it down altogether. Can’t wait to upgrade to Leopard when I get my new iMac next week! I even convinced my mom to buy a mac, after 2 months of confusion with Vista (anyone want a Vista PC – selling cheap). I’d say Microsoft should continue to diversify their product lineup, as PC’s = poop!
Not a fan of the iPhone – ATamp;T BLOWS. I guess I will always be a loyal VZW – Blackberry guy.
Well, it’s obvious that there is still a lot of tension out there between the two platforms!
I wanted a Mac about three years before I got my 33/66Mhz Mac 580cd(remember those?) in the mid 90’s. The system I use now is a 400 Mhz G4 tower…too slow for even Tiger! But I’ve got my eye on a new Macbook Pro.
Number 94 made the following comment:
“And please, don’t think i’m a Mac hater. I think it’s an amazing operating system, but it truly isn’t right for everyone. Desktop PCs offer things that iMacs and Mac minis can’t, for a pretty good price. However, Macs offer great usability that PCs can’t dish out. I think there’s a place in this world for both. We just need to make it easier for them to both work together. Man can’t live on bread alone.”
I remember being the only Mac owner I knew of, back in the dark days of Apple(the 90’s), and being mocked by the arrogant PCers. I used to say the same thing to them about PC’s. But now the tables are about to turn, finally. Recently, I was telling people that Apple only needs five more years to lead the pack in numbers, but recent events make it seem like it will be a lot sooner.
Copy and paste the following site:
http://www.changewave.com/freecontent/viewalliance.html?source=/freecontent/2007/12/alliance-121007-AppleMacs.html
…and that’s just two years! And the momentum is still building!
When I read 105’s “comparison”, I just laughed. You can’t compare Apples to…(forgive the pun, but the idea’s still there).
There really is no way to compare the two. If you have never experienced a Mac, then there is nothing any of us can say to help you understand; it’s like trying to describe what color is to someone who has been completely blind all their life.
If you love your PC, then great! Personally, I don’t get why people would stubbornly stick with a platform that is so awkward and frustrating. It’s like choosing to repeatedly hit your head against a wall. But that is your choice…by the way, why would you come on a Mac site to post trash, anyway?
If it weren’t for the XBox, and PC games, Microsoft would be in a lot more trouble than it already is. From the graphs on the website listed above, Dell is in trouble, probably because of MS.
Anyway, as Mac lovers, we need to be kind and understanding, because many PCers consider US to be the arrogant ones, despite the fact that most of us came over from that world, and many, many more are coming soon!
Short and sweet here…a convert from PC to Mac in October 07. Love my MBP and to the whackjobs posting the novels above…get a life.
You hate us “born agains”, but just couldn’t cough up he dough till now. Yes, it is the best $2700 I dropped, as that could have easily gone to a hi-class escort for a few hours of fun (Mac Fanatics and PC Geeks that wrote the novels…try some p($%$ssy…not the stuff you download, but old-school style…flesh). Gotta girlfriend now, so no need to spend the dough on a ho no mo! That’s why I diverted funds to the MBP this time.
Sorry Apple Fanatics and PC Geeks…but flesh always takes the prize, not Macs and PCs.
Gotta run…girly just got out of the shower and we are gonna hit it one mo time!
Don;t forget your tube socks to catch your drippings as you stare at your screens…get some, will ya??
Pre-ordered Leopard and am loving it. Spaces is amazing, as is Time Machine. Uptime on my iMac was 21 days before the 10.5.1 release; now at 18 days without a restart since the update.
[…] 5 reasons why using a MAC will be a better live. […]
Have an e Mac OX4 Version 10.3.4….require upgrade to a least 10.4 for software Intuit…computer is only two years old amp; in very good working order…is it possible to have this computer …upgraded… to a 10.4 version (?)…please reply asap via E-Mail or phone 386-761-9960 or cell 386-212-5153.
List any Mac Dealer with my area of address as shown. Thank you
Richard C. Hill
I’m about to go back to the PC world because of some work I’m doing with a community group. Their grant stipulates Windows gear.
I am dreading this like the plague. Microsoft is so far behind the curve its pathetic. I’m really tempted to buy more Apple gear and load Windows on via Virtual PC.
In reality I’d like to see some truly “next-gen” stuff come out. Even Apple could advance faster, for my taste.
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I’m a PC user right now, I bought my laptop with XP and upgraded to vista… At the beginning I was “WoW”,”this is stable”,”this is good”, yes, In the beginning… Three days later, error because this, error because that, but today I started to laugh with a thing… Tried to move a folder from MY desktop to MY Documents folder and Windows said me that I don’t have permissions to do it… I don’t even have permissions to move my files to my folders? That’s very comic… And now i’m sure…my next computer wil be a mac… I live in Portugal and here Macs are very very rare… And I’m surprised that you people who had a 5 year old mac and upgraded to leopard and it ran flawless… my 3 year old desktop PC can’t hold the upgrade to vista… driver imcompatibilty… I’m ashamed of having two PC’s and zero macs…
I also admire the Apple programmers ability and creativty to make software… Things new , not copied from Windows like Microsoft does… Macs rule!
This was very helpful, for I was wondering if I had an error. You see, I lived in caves for many years, using an old Power PC workstation running OS 8! I only used it to write novels and do simple layout. I have both monochrome monitor card amp; color graphix board. The machine is 95 model, still runs, freezes sometimes, never mind the old Apple printer and how I get it to work … but I love it!
I love my new Macbook and hope to get IPhone (when I get past the ATamp;T idea … but they seem to have good stuff. it’s the contract amp; billing part I can’t get past.
New Imac or MacBook Pro someday too, maybe.
Thanks Mac folks
I bought a mac 3 weeks ago (Macbook) aside from the few big bugs it is a lot better then my PC.
Bugs
-Log out stopped working, had to reformat
-Keyboard kept freezing, idiot err… genius bar couldn’t fix it, update did.
Aside from the Idiot bar, and the few bugs it has been a joyful ride.
Can’t really blame the genius bar for the keyboard freezing. They wouldn’t have been able to fix it until the recent firmware update came out… The good thing is, if there is a problem with your mac generally a fix comes out within a month or as soon as they find out the cause of the issue. If something stops working on your pc, you generally need to live with it or buy a new part.
I have personally never had any hardware issues with any of my macs, but I acknowledge that there are some faults that do occur. Computers will always have their issues, that’s the world of computing, I just thank Apple for keeping the faults to a minimum and fixing them as quickly as possible!
Sorry those who didn’t like the like link I posted at #76…admit it is funny though!! aah come on it’s The best page in the universe by MADDOX!! Have a sense of humor Mac users!
Let me explain how elegant Mac Leopard OS is. I purchased a 13″ Macbook back in April. On the day of the 10.5 release I purchased it and upgraded the notebook from Tiger. It went off without a hitch. I NEVER had any trouble. It was such a great experience that I decided to give my 13″ Macbook to my sister and purchase the 17″ Macbook Pro. Using Time Machine I imported my data and apps without an issue. All my user accounts transferred with the correct configurations. I didn’t have to tweak anything. It was like I had cloned the Macbook.
Also, in response to the poster that had trouble with airport after the upgrade. I had trouble with airport prior to the upgrade. This trouble disappeared after I switched ISPs. ATamp;T service at my new home degraded to such a bad level that my job gave me a broadband mobile card so I didn’t have to connect my work computer (wintel laptop) directly to the router. Also, ATamp;T’s attitude about assisting with the problem was less than professional. Instead of acknowledging there was a problem, they’d send a person to test the lines and then leave me a voice mail saying everything was fine, it was my brand new notebook computer and all the wintel computer’s wireless cards that was the problem. The same notebook that wirelessly connected to public networks without effort but for some reason had trouble with my home ATamp;T line. That song changed after I called to cancel the service.
I’ve always been a Mac fanatic. I had an Apple II back in the day, so yes I’m obsessed. I just love the elegance of the hardware and software. Yes, we have to accept what Apple throws at us. Fortunately, they tend to toss out quality well supported products.
41: In regards to the spell checking, did you know that if you ctrl-click any word you can search a dictionary, google, the web or check grammar spelling. You don’t have to use the apps built in word checker. This works with the browser or any word in any app on a Mac.
Also, it’s funny when PC devotees call Mac users fanatics. It reminds me of politicians that use religion or social issues to distract voters from the real issues. PCs are lacking when it comes down to reliability. It appears to me that if you keep using a product even though it crashes and causes you to spend more time maintaining it than using it and also doesn’t even hold its value after even a few months of use then you are the fanatic.
Amen #61. I get so tired of people that say they have a PC because of the games. If you are a true gamer, why the he!! would you play games on a computer. Get a box that’s made for that purpose. An XBox 360, PS2, Wii. are far more superior than a computer at games. Since he’s saving so much money on the PC you’d think he’d have extra money for that Xbox.