Thread: New Computer - Apple or PC ?

Ahhh but you'll never get the Apple industrial design on a PC.

One of the sites I administer has 60+ desktop, server and laptop Macs plus a handful of PC's for tasks that need to run on Windows.

A few staff who have been life long PC users have bought Mac's for home use in the past couple of months because they find it easier to do what they want to do on the Mac.

The other thing that seems to have been a selling point is the small foot print. New staff who haven't had previous Mac experience are usually blown away by the fact that that is sitting on the desk is the whole computer.

You'll need mac versions of your softwares, although as mentioned you can use either Bootcamp to dual boot - which is probably the best option if you want to run PC games, or a virtualisation application, VirtualBox is a very good free app for this purpose.

I run Nanocom, Microcat and Rave on XP under VirtualBox with no dramas.

cheers
Paul

Originally Posted by VladTepes

Her BIG (over-riding) issue is whether she can run all her PC stuff on the Apple.. She would, for example, be working on certain documents from work (PC platform) and home (potentially Apple). Would this be likely to cause any problems?

Are there any Windows apps that DON’T work on Apple?

For example, I have Dream weaver – will that work equally well on Apple or is a different version required?

Also is it possible to play PC games on an Apple Mac ? Does it work as well ?

I really want to get the new Call of Duty game/s but am not sure whether they will work on a Mac or not.

No PC games or applications work on an Apple Mac running the Apple Mac operating system (Mac OS X).
However, an Apple Mac is no different to any PC since 2006 when they moved to Intel for their CPU's. As such you can now instal Microsoft Windows onto any 2006 onward Intel Mac. If it's running Windows then, every Windows game and application will work as per any other PC. Same same.
In addition, most manufacturers do also make a Mac version, or there is an equivalent Mac program available (sometimes superior than the PC version). An example is Microsoft Office is available for Mac too. I run Office for Mac 2011, and have had nil compatibility issues with the PCs that I use at work.

You can use a program like VMware Fusion or Parallels to run a virtual Windows operating system within the Mac operating system. Has many benefits, but also has a few draw backs.

Personally I changed to Mac over the last 24 months. I find them far more stable and they have far greater reliability. All 4 of my machines have a dual Windows install as well though.
I also find the Apple hardware to be of very high quality. Drivers for the Windows environment are easy to come by. They're a standard product as so finding solutions to problems are easy as they are rarely unique, there is usually a large knowledge base to access.

Even if Mac OS X was not my primary operating system, I would still be running the Apple hardware with Windows operating system (I find my Boot Camp Windows installs work flawlessly on my Macs).

Originally Posted by Yorkshire_Jon

Oh yeah, if you get an iMac just buy the magic trackpad, dont bother with a mouse. I have both and have never really used the mouse. the trackpad thingy is fantastic.

The only thing I can really criticise with the mac's is the price, less bang for buck compared to a PC, unless you starts comparing apples and apples, i.e. business grade HP / IBMs etc, then theres not a fat lot in it.

Personally I still mainly use a mouse. I use a Microsoft mouse on my Mac (the Apple mice are crud). I do like my Magic Trackpad but can't do it full time...

As for price comparison, I find theres not much in it. Apple does not compete in the budget cheap ass end of the market. They're the mid to high level gear. Previously I used to use Lenovo business machines, and have found the Apple hardware to be similarly priced, especially now that Apple have reduced their prices recently.

Originally Posted by KFACTA

or you can build a PC and run mac on it http://tonymacx86.blogspot.com/2011/07/xmove-multibeast-install-os-x-107-lion.html

That'd be a PITA and a lot of stuffing around. Also would detract from the macs reliability through standardisation.

Especially for those of us who run linux so don't have to pay for our software...

It's a bit like DIY car mechanics. It's free but if you billed yourself for the time you spend keeping it running it would cost you an arm and a leg

Originally Posted by OffTrack

It's a bit like DIY car mechanics. It's free but if you billed yourself for the time you spend keeping it running it would cost you an arm and a leg

Depends how good you are at DIY...

Originally Posted by isuzurover

By "bang for your buck", I meant computing power/speed vs cost. Especially for those of us who run linux so don't have to pay for our software...

you need to factor more than that to get anywhere near a true comparison to a std pc user.

ease of use, apple is much more intuitive for the majority of people

% of hardware that fails

years you get out of it and the cost to run it

it might be true that apple uses pc hardware but it is how they put it together that makes the difference, rarely do you see a consumer pc with the same raw low level speed spec as apple get out of their designs. there are exceptions, but very few

mac might be seen as controlling but their product works out of the box, and it works well and rarely hiccups and thats what most people want. enthusiasts are drawn to that sort of philosophy, thats why they drive land rovers and the like.

not to mention bsd flogs linux any day.

I think it is largely a matter of choice, but while Apple hardware is probably better quality than most (but probably not all) PC hardware, and while Linux will run on either, it is probably more hassle-free running on PC hardware, since there is a lot more experience with it.

John

I bought an I mac just recently, mainly for my girls school work as most schools I come across use apple.
Great screen, great design and the novelty to find the on/off switch alone is worth every cent.
Looks and feels very solid and well made.

The fact that Safari is the icon to get on the net is something that made me laugh too and took a while but my 7 year old sorted me out.

Too early to tell which is best but for now, I like it.

Originally Posted by incisor

years you get out of it and the cost to run it

it might be true that apple uses pc hardware but it is how they put it together that makes the difference, rarely do you see a consumer pc with the same raw low level speed spec as apple get out of their designs. there are exceptions, but very few

I used to upgrade my Windows laptop at least annually. I now run a 2008 MacBook Air as my portable laptop and 2008 MacBook Pro 17" as my desk laptop at work. Both are fully specced with SSD HDD's and the max RAM, but neither ever seems overly stressed or struggling (even with the latest Mac OS X) and I haven't felt the need to upgrade.
Actually that's a lie. I tried Microsoft Windows 7 on them, and that slowed them both down... I moved back to Windows XP Professional SP3 for my Boot Camp.

Originally Posted by JDNSW

it is probably more hassle-free running on PC hardware,

As a prior PC user since I got my first own computer in 1998 and an avid Mac hatter through most of the 2000's, the reason I moved to Mac two years ago was because they are more hassle-free. I haven't regretted it since. The amount of time I have saved instead of fixing stupid PC problems!!!


The thing I notice most, is that a lot of people backing PC's have never actually owned a Mac and given them a true testing as an owner user over a significant period of time. On the other hand, most supporters of Mac are exPC owners and have significant experience on a Windows PC to make an accurate comparison.