Debate This: Mac v. PC

bigbadbrandini

bigbadbrandini

Cathlete
Yes, you know it! One of the biggest debates out there today: should I buy a Mac or a PC? I searched the threads here and found the last time someone asked was in January 2008! I wonder how Miss Lee (michele) ended up with her MacBook Pro?

I've owned a Dell PC for the last 5 years and it has had blue screens since I got it! I tried working it out with Dell and I can barely ever understand their attempted English. I've taken it to computer shops and had it fixed several times ($500 worth!), but no avail on the blue screens: they still happen. I've spent $100s on software, anti-virus subscriptions, etc etc. I could go on and on, but everyone knows the complaints about PCs because everyone has one!

I'm planning on buying a laptop. I'm pretty set on a MacBook. I've gone to the Apple store and spent an hour with the sales guy going over why it is better than a pc (security, user-friendly, still compatible, etc). Now DM, DH and a plethora of other people in my life are URGING me to buy a pc laptop instead of a Mac (because they all have a PC and they all say macs aren't worth the money). It's like how do they know if they've never owned a Mac?

I plan to use the laptop like any average girl would. I use the internet a lot. I have tons of music and I like to use iTunes to manage my music and iPod (the iPod is what got me started on looking at a Mac instead of a PC!). I want to start using scrapbooking software (Creative Memories Storybook Creator Plus). It's not Mac ready, but can be used while running Parallels or other similar software on the Mac. I also want to be able to make some cute photo slideshows set to music and burn them on DVD for family and friends. Pretty simple, eh?

So, should I still keep my heart set on the MacBook or should I look at PC laptops again? Please don't just read this entire thread and click out, I need YOUR input!
 
You definitely want to go with a Mac! We were PC users for years. We got our first Mac (mine) about 18 months ago. I had no problem switching. You really can't tell any difference except that Mac doesn't crash, rarely, if ever, gets a virus, and is more suited to creative work than a PC. We also went with a Mac Mini for our tv so we could drop Direct TV, which we did. We watch everything through our Mac Mini for free! No more dealing with bad weather messing up our signal or the outrageous satellite/cable bill! I just got my DH a Mac for his birthday, too! So, we still have a couple of PCs upstairs for "Windows emergencies," but use our Macs for 99.9% of everything else!

So far, the only thing I have found that I can't use my Mac for is to download my Polar HR monitor results for tracking. Polar only uses programs for the PC, so I loaded VMWare and use Windows on my Mac whenever I need to download my workouts!

I would tell everyone who says to get a PC to take a hike and get a Mac! There's no problem e-mailing or sending attachments or anything else to someone with a PC. They'll never know the difference!

Besides, Apple has reduced their prices so significantly that it is comparable price-wise with a PC now, so it should really be a no-brainer! :p:D IMHO anyway!

Good luck with your decision!
 
Mac all the way. I am on my third laptop. The first two were Dell's that died after about 18 months. I called for support but couldn't understand them, sent them back to get fixed etc. We use Mac's at our school so I bit the bullet and bought a mac and love, love, love it.

I did have a problem with the charger two weeks ago and had to bring it to an apple store (which is an hour away). They fixed it and now it is fine. The only other thing I don't like is that my iPod is 3 or 4 years old and I cannot add songs to it from my Mac because it was originally formatted on a PC. I know that you can somehow rip the songs from the ipod to the mac but I am not that good with technology and have not figured out how to do it yet.

You also get the iLife programs so you don't have to buy software for it too. Let us know what you decide.
 
I'm happy with my new laptop PC, but if I wanted to do more creative stuff as you do, I might get the Mac.

I think Mac has an advantage for creative stuff. Otherwise, to me, an uncreative type, there are two kinds of laptops in the world: IBM Thinkpads and everything else. IBM Thinkpads have trackpoints and everything else has touchpads. Trackpoints are far superior to touchpads, but touchpads are cheaper so most manufacturers use them. This year, to save money and get the features I wanted, I finally bought a laptop with a touchpad and now I'm used to it. But I still say it's utterly inferior. :)
 
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I think the question isn't actually Mac v. PC but rather Windows v. Apple's Operating System. There are free, open-source operating systems available that are exactly like Apple's low-maintenance OS, but they are free and can be installed into your any computer. As long as you don't have any hardware probs on your current computer, it's worth a try to see if switching OS might do the trick. If it works, it's free! If not, at least it didn't cost you anything.

My dad just wiped out the Windows OS on our dell laptop and installed Ubuntu, which is a free OS like I was describing above. It's pretty cool and so far it works great. I still would love to have a Mac, but mostly because I love how they look!
 
Mac no question. We've had 3 Dells that died and a Vaio that crashes regularly. DD (now 14) has converted all of us to Macs. They are so much better, faster, easier to use, better apps, less prone to breakdowns, slowdowns, you name it. You might consider Windows for Mac if you go back and forth between PCs (like my kids do at school) and a home Mac.

My DH works for IBM and I have one of their laptops. While it's way better than the Dell Inspiron that preceded it (which died in 18 months :mad:), let's just say my current laptop still makes me want a Mac when (not if) it dies.

Plus, customer support is awesome especially if you live near an Apple store. Tip: Pay the $99 for a year's worth of in store customer service including training on all their apps!! (Their Genius Bar is free.)
 
Hmmm. I'm typing this on a Mac (had it for about 18 months now) and while I think it's fine, I don't think they are any better than a PC. When this one dies we will probably go back to a PC because they are cheaper.
 
jonahnah said:
Mac no question. We've had 3 Dells that died and a Vaio that crashes regularly. DD (now 14) has converted all of us to Macs. They are so much better, faster, easier to use, better apps, less prone to breakdowns, slowdowns, you name it. You might consider Windows for Mac if you go back and forth between PCs (like my kids do at school) and a home Mac.

My DH works for IBM and I have one of their laptops. While it's way better than the Dell Inspiron that preceded it (which died in 18 months :mad:), let's just say my current laptop still makes me want a Mac when (not if) it dies.

Plus, customer support is awesome especially if you live near an Apple store. Tip: Pay the $99 for a year's worth of in store customer service including training on all their apps!! (Their Genius Bar is free.)
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Thanks Jonahnah for your advice! Luckily I only live about 10 minutes from the store! Still deciding, but leaning towards the MacBook.
 
Lean Lori said:
Hmmm. I'm typing this on a Mac (had it for about 18 months now) and while I think it's fine, I don't think they are any better than a PC. When this one dies we will probably go back to a PC because they are cheaper.
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Lean Lori,

If the Mac and PC were the same cost, which one would you prefer to use? You say that you don't think Macs are any better than a PC, any particular reason why?

Thanks,
Brandie
 
My SO and I love our MACs. I had Dell (several of them) for the previous few years because they were so cheap. They SUCK!! I have always had problems with them, and their customer service is such a joke.

I have had a few problem and my SO none in 4 years, but I use my computer 20 hours a day (for everything) and he is more normal. I have always had a few weird issues with electronics, and I don't know if it's some weird magnetic energy I have or what, but everything goes weird on me. Watches, computers, CD players, MP3 players, you name it. And I take good care of them, too! That said, AppleCare is the absolute best and I never have to deal with hundreds of dollars spent for repair. I have never had a virus, spyware, or a crash. I noticed with PCs that my computer would slow down quickly after the first few weeks of ownership. That has never happened on my MAC (if you ignore my crappy internet service :) ).

The one problem I do have is compatibility between Microsoft Word and MAC's web browsers. Cutting and pasting creates huge formatting problems. For most people, this would never in a million years matter.

Every single person I have ever known that has a MAC says it is wonderful.
 
Hi Brandi!!

Miss Lee here :D. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my MacBook and my iMac desk top, and I will never go back to a PC.

My DH still uses a PC laptop and it's fine -- we haven't had any issues because of it. We don't share information across our computers so I'm not sure if that would create problems or not. DH mainly uses his laptop for work, and when he's home we fight over MY MacBook. :p :D

I guess at the end of the day it all depends on what you want to do with your computer. If you like to play games, Mac probably is not the computer for you. If you want a great computer for managing your music, photos, and just surfing the net, then I HIGHLY recommend a Mac.

I was getting the blue screen of death every day on my PC, and it constantly crashed. I've had my MAC for well over a year now and it's NEVER crashed. Any issues I've had were caused by my internet connection or an issue with another server, but never my computer.

I'm VERY happy with my Mac! ;) :)
 
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love my mac!

dh has a vaio that crashed this weekend. and i mean crashed! lost everything. i didnt even think that was actually possible!
 
bigbadbrandini said:
Lean Lori,

If the Mac and PC were the same cost, which one would you prefer to use? You say that you don't think Macs are any better than a PC, any particular reason why?

Thanks,
Brandie
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If they were the same price, I would probably stay with the Mac just because I am so used to it now, but honestly *I* don't see that much of a difference for my day to day use.

If my DH needs to do work stuff and he doesn't bring his laptop with him, he has a hard time with the Mac. They use Windows at his work and it does not work well with the Mac (very slow). We also have a subscription to Napster and it works very poorly on the Mac.

I know some people say there are less virus problems with the Mac, but we never had those kinds of problems with either the Mac or any PC we have owned.
 
mabdoo said:
The only other thing I don't like is that my iPod is 3 or 4 years old and I cannot add songs to it from my Mac because it was originally formatted on a PC. I know that you can somehow rip the songs from the ipod to the mac but I am not that good with technology and have not figured out how to do it yet.
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My iPod was formatted on Windows, too, and it works perfectly now that I've switched to Mac. I use my iPod just like I always have. And I just bought an iPhone and loaded my entire iTunes library on it! My DH took care of setting everything up when we got the Mac and I don't know if he did anything special with the iPod or not, I just know I've never had an issue with it.
 
I have only used Mac computers since 1986. I love them. I am forced to use PCs at work and I hate every minute of it. I now own two Mac Book Pros and three Mac desk tops and love them.
 
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