Macintosh, any good reason to get one?

[TDM]

As the title says. I'm going to buy a new system. Always used windows. But now I'm considiring to take a Mac. That iMac does look mighty fine.

But is there any good reason for (not) buying a Macintosh? Does it have an edge over the rest?

I only use my computer for photo editing, watching videos and surfing.

[MrJones]

I was a WIN fan since I can remember. then I went and bought a mac after a friend recommended and after using the iPhone.
it's been a year since then and I'm just in love with my macbook pro.
the main difference is that it just works. no maintanance at all. everything works quietly and prefectly together and while my PC with 6GB RAM was fighting a few open programs (some heavy like photoshop) - the mac eats it with no problem.

love it!

[mattdm]

Originally Posted by TDM

As the title says. I'm going to buy a new system. Always used windows. But now I'm considiring to take a Mac. That iMac does look mighty fine.

But is there any good reason for (not) buying a Macintosh? Does it have an edge over the rest?

OS X is very nice. Solid Unix base with a simple GUI. And the hardware is solid and generally free of weird quirks.

You're pretty much guaranteed a nice screen with good color rendition, something you'll have to pay careful attention to with other brands.

Originally Posted by TDM

I only use my computer for photo editing, watching videos and surfing.

And you'd get a nice, clutter-free system for doing that.


If you're feeling adventurous, Fedora or Ubuntu Linux also provide a great desktop Linux experience, covering those uses very well. And software like GIMP and RawTherapee are just a few quick clicks away — no figuring out what and were to download and install such things (and not to mention no paying for them!)

And the latest Fedora has nicely integrated color profile support.

[dcclark]

Just to warn you: this is a holy war that you're peeking in on. :P

I am a mac fan too. The "it just works" thing really is true -- you don't have the weird hardware conflicts, driver problems, blue screens of death, etc. that you get on windows. You also get some awesome software for free along with it.

But, the big question is: do you NEED it? If you want more stability and convenience, then definitely yes. You also get longevity (my two MacBook Pros that I've owned each lasted 5+ years, which is way above the average lifespan of a laptop).

But, if you're not interested in learning how a new system works, or you have a lot of windows software and don't want to use BootCamp (free software that lets you install Windows on a Mac, so that you can use either system), you may not want to change over.

One last thing: all software that you'll want for photo editing is available on the mac. Occasionally misinformed people will try to tell you that Macs don't run certain software... basically false.

[NicoleScraps]

Originally Posted by dcclark

or you have a lot of windows software .

This is the main reason why we have never switched over the Macs. We have so much Windows software. DH has some custom mini programs that he uses with Auto-cad for drafting. I really doubt that they would work on a mac.

[jerome.oneil]

I have a MacBook Pro that is 4 yrs old and still runs as fast as day one. I also have a new iMac. I do maintenance on a regular basis, I use a Open-Source application (free) named Onyx, to verify disk, to verify disk permissions and to do other maintenance.

Though viruses on Mac are a rare happening I do run Norton (Symantec) Antivirus. As Apple Macs market share increases so will the viruses.

One word of advice, that is to buy the Apple Care. You never know. My MacBook Pro Logic board had overheated, without the Apple Care it would have cost $1,500 plus shipping and insurance. I had an iMac G4 whose logic board also went bad after 4 years, but it was time for a new iMac.

I work in IT with both Windows and Mac systems on our network, the only con is Mac's cost too much. #1 Pro is it doesn't have WINDOWS, but you can run Windows on it (w/ BootCamp) if you so choose.

Did I mention I have a Dell to. I forgot because it's in the basement with other electronics to be recycled.

Hope this helps,
Jerome

[MrJones]

Originally Posted by jerome.oneil

Did I mention I have a Dell to. I forgot because it's in the basement with other electronics to be recycled.

Jerome

lol, I think that says it all...

[mattdm]

Originally Posted by dcclark

One last thing: all software that you'll want for photo editing is available on the mac. Occasionally misinformed people will try to tell you that Macs don't run certain software... basically false.

The open-source software I mentioned is certainly available on the Mac and other platforms as well. But on Linux, you don't have to configure anything, or find the site to download it from, or figure out which download you want, or what do with the download to get it installed -- just check it off on a list and there you go.

[TDM]

Originally Posted by dcclark

Just to warn you: this is a holy war that you're peeking in on. :P

I know, I know,...

I'm not intersted in Linux. Just to make it clear. But if a Mac is in general more stable then a windows based pc, I might just go ahead and buy one?

Thank you all for the responses. Now I need to leave you I'm going to spend some money

[mattdm]

Originally Posted by TDM

I'm not intersted in Linux. Just to make it clear. But if a Mac is in general more stable then a windows based pc, I might just go ahead and buy one?

Basically, everything is good these days. I think OS X is easier to maintain in a sane state, without building up cruft and the need to reinstall over time as much as Windows.