Primarily getting one just to experience and learn about Mac OS, smart idea?

I'm in the market for a new laptop, and am really considering a Mac. Ideally, I'd like a machine that I can run all OS's on (Mac OS, Windows, Linux). The latter two will work on pretty much any laptop, but it seems like my only option for running Mac OS is to get a Mac.

I don't really have much experience with any OS's other than Windows XP, but I am hoping to get comfortable enough with Ubuntu (Linux) to eventually use that as my primary OS. However, I'd like to try as many options as possible, which is why I wanted to also try out Mac's OS. I really don't like the idea of buying a Mac and potentially not using the OS it was built for (as it stands right now, I'm leaning much more towards Windows but could switch to Ubuntu if it is able to do everything I desire).

So I guess my question is, would it be smart to invest in a Macbook when there is (at the moment) a high possibility that I won't even use the Mac OS as my primary OS and may just use Windows 7 or Ubuntu? I realize many of you will think that I may change my mind once I get my hands on a Mac and want to keep the OS (which is also entirely possible, seeing as how I've seen many people do this), but let's just assume, for the moment, that I won't switch... is it still worth it to get the Macbook?

Thanks in advance.

Worst come to worst you install Windows or whatever OS on the MB. It's not the end of the world, at least you have an alternative OS waiting for you.

I would probably invest in an older model or refurbished if you aren't 100% sure it's what you want. That way it won't be a total lost either way.

CrimsonRequiem said:

Worst come to worst you install Windows or whatever OS on the MB. It's not the end of the world, at least you have an alternative OS waiting for you.

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Yea. I'm not saying I won't use the Mac OS, but, before I drop a grand for a Macbook, I want to know what would happen in the worst case scenario (in my case, this would be me not liking Mac OS and remaining with Windows or switching to Linux). In the worst case scenario, I'm wondering how performance of either of those OS's will be on a Mac as I'm sure a comparable PC would be able to run Windows much better than a Mac, correct?

Macs use the same hardware so Windows would run just as well on a Mac compared to a machine with comparable specs.

Honestly, if you're this unsure about OS X, try it out elsewhere first to see if it meets your needs. Sure, you can wipe your Mac clean and install Windows on it but you can get a Windows machine for much cheaper.

Is there a worst case scenario with a Mac? lol Not in my opinion, if you don't like OS X then take it off and put Windows 7, XP or Vista or any other OS you want on there! Mac's use the same hardware as any other notebook! + you still have one of the best looking notebooks on the market! (Probably) xD

vansmith said:

Macs use the same hardware so Windows would run just as well on a Mac compared to a machine with comparable specs.

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Oh ok.. that's comforting to know

vansmith said:

Honestly, if you're this unsure about OS X, try it out elsewhere first to see if it meets your needs.

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Yea, I've tried it out several times. A lot of friends own Macs, and I've had some hands on time at stores and such. I don't think I can TRULY get a feel for the OS and how it compares to my current OS until I use it for a few days though.

vansmith said:

Sure, you can wipe your Mac clean and install Windows on it but you can get a Windows machine for much cheaper.

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Yea, that's my only concern. It's possible that I will love Mac OS and stick with it, making my purchase worthy. However, I'm a little afraid that I may still want to use Windows or switch to Linux and that means I could have gotten another laptop instead.

Although I think the look and the build quality of Macbooks is superb, so even if I don't use the OS, I'll still have amazing hardware out of it. I guess if I can find a decent deal on a Macbook, I'll give it a try.

if you are interested in trying all the OS', then the MB makes perfect sense. Now the beauty of Mac's is that they retain their values very nicely. So should you fork over the money for a MBP and play with it for a while and decide that it isn't your cup of tea, then selling it will probably yield most of your money back and that will allow you to easily buy another laptop that can run Windows/Linux for less money..

Regards

In my opinion, Mac OS X is what Linux has always tried to be, but can not - a UNIX-based OS with a consistent and friendly GUI.

Unfortunately, Linux's greatest strength is also its greatest weakness - and that is lack of standards for any aspect of the OS. Between KDE, Gnome, and an incredible number of distros, it's hard to pick up one version of Linux and gain a good understanding of the OS, because what works in one may not translate over to another version.

Additionally, I've found that although on the surface, distros like Ubuntu are very friendly - but if you break it in some way (like adding new hardware, enabling Compiz/Beryl, changing drivers, etc) it can be tough to fix without have a thorough knowledge of the underlying OS and the various configuration files that you might have to edit in a CLI.

Every time I've ever broken it or tried to find an answer to a problem, I might find a procedure to repair it if I'm lucky, but that procedure often involves entering commands or editing files, but no explanation of what it is that I'm actually doing.

To me, Linux is a cool toy and a good alternative to Windows, but Mac OS X delivers the positives of UNIX without the cumbersome experience of most of the Linux distros I've tried.

Before you plop some money on a Macbook, ask yourself what you would do if someone stole your right mouse button. I am now the owner of my wifes macbook that she thought would be cool because once she got it and tried it for a while she found the lack of a right mouse button to be so infuriating that she refused to use it.

I even went so far as to install windows her macbook, but without a right mouse button she felt it was still worthless. It now has fallen to our daughter to use for pre-school games. Unless you have a known need for a mac I wouldn't spend 1000 for one just to play with. I think quite frankly I would spend half that money on a cheap windows machine and just load up Mac OS on it if I wanted to just play around with it.

thomas998 said:

Before you plop some money on a Macbook, ask yourself what you would do if someone stole your right mouse button. I am now the owner of my wifes macbook that she thought would be cool because once she got it and tried it for a while she found the lack of a right mouse button to be so infuriating that she refused to use it.

I even went so far as to install windows her macbook, but without a right mouse button she felt it was still worthless. It now has fallen to our daughter to use for pre-school games. Unless you have a known need for a mac I wouldn't spend 1000 for one just to play with. I think quite frankly I would spend half that money on a cheap windows machine and just load up Mac OS on it if I wanted to just play around with it.

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You do realize that the trackpad has a right click, right? It's just a matter of enabling two-finger tapping for right click. Works in Windows too.

cwa107 said:

You do realize that the trackpad has a right click, right? It's just a matter of enabling two-finger tapping for right click. Works in Windows too.

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Yes, I realize there are any number of ways to get a right mouse click... but when you've grown up with the simplicity of actually having two distinct buttons you really prefer having those two buttons.... frankly for the price Apple charges for a macbook especially the macbook pro, I would like to think that I deserve more than just 2 buttons.

I realize the claim that having 1 button makes it simple... I frankly come from the school of thought that leaving off a button because some people in the world are too stupid to understand the difference between right and left is asinine.

I'm also not a big fan of the "buttonless" macbook pro which has just replaced a single button with a huge button that is really a track pad... I can only imagine the only possible reason for this is to force sales of mice to apple owners so they can get all the functionality without playing yoga fingers was the reason.

DPatel304 said:

Oh ok.. that's comforting to know

Yea, I've tried it out several times. A lot of friends own Macs, and I've had some hands on time at stores and such. I don't think I can TRULY get a feel for the OS and how it compares to my current OS until I use it for a few days though.

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Yea, I am inclined to agree wtih you there. You will need to use it for a few days. Another great way to expedite the process is read about some of the features and how to use each. Definitely check out in "Anything Goes" our "What's your favorite thing about Macs?" thread. I detailed a lot of the things I really love about the OS, and so have other people. Find yourself a nice tutorial, or just read around on here... Your friends with Macs may not have spaces/expose enabled, or some of the other nice features in OS X, but that's alright. Read about them and check them out. You know Windows Search in 7 and Vista was lifted directly from Tiger after Apple showed it off and released it, Windows decided they had to include search tech that was similar. Aeroshake is just some nice goofy GUI trick to do what command+option+h will do on a Mac, which is much more efficient. Aero peek is just a windows implementation (and with less style) as Exposé. The task bar now looks like a dock anyway like in any *nix system (like OS X).

Try playing on your friends Macs again, or go into the Apple store and play around with the machines. If you're having difficulty ask one of the employees to show you some of the features.

Yea, that's my only concern. It's possible that I will love Mac OS and stick with it, making my purchase worthy. However, I'm a little afraid that I may still want to use Windows or switch to Linux and that means I could have gotten another laptop instead.

Although I think the look and the build quality of Macbooks is superb, so even if I don't use the OS, I'll still have amazing hardware out of it. I guess if I can find a decent deal on a Macbook, I'll give it a try.

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The hardware design is unbeatable. There is no windows laptop on the market that even compares with the MacBook's new trackpad. If you're going to get a white MacBook, I'd say go with the brand new model. If you are going to get an older pro, make sure it's one of the ones with the trackpad, or an aluminum unibody MacBook like I'm on, late 2008 version. They are pretty cheap from Apple, now.

Refurbished MacBook 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo - Aluminum - Apple Store (U.S.)

There, I just saved you 100 bucks and got you superior hardware.

thomas998 said:

Yes, I realize there are any number of ways to get a right mouse click... but when you've grown up with the simplicity of actually having two distinct buttons you really prefer having those two buttons.... frankly for the price Apple charges for a macbook especially the macbook pro, I would like to think that I deserve more than just 2 buttons.

I realize the claim that having 1 button makes it simple... I frankly come from the school of thought that leaving off a button because some people in the world are too stupid to understand the difference between right and left is asinine.

I'm also not a big fan of the "buttonless" macbook pro which has just replaced a single button with a huge button that is really a track pad... I can only imagine the only possible reason for this is to force sales of mice to apple owners so they can get all the functionality with playing yoga fingers was the reason.

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So more buttons = simpler? Interesting idea. The multi-touch trackpad is the easiest thing I've ever used. Even better than a mouse. And I've been using computers since the late 80s.

thomas998 said:

I think quite frankly I would spend half that money on a cheap windows machine and just load up Mac OS on it if I wanted to just play around with it.

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This violates the EULA so, no, you can't do this.

DarkestRitual said:

So more buttons = simpler? Interesting idea. The multi-touch trackpad is the easiest thing I've ever used. Even better than a mouse. And I've been using computers since the late 80s.

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Yes more is simpler. Would you think it simpler if your car only had 1 pedal that was supposed to work the gas, clutch and brake based solely on your ability to tap it or caress it the right way for each function? And I've been using computers since the 70s when Apple was just a fruit in the trees.

DarkestRitual said:

The hardware design is unbeatable. There is no windows laptop on the market that even compares with the MacBook's new trackpad. If you're going to get a white MacBook, I'd say go with the brand new model. If you are going to get an older pro, make sure it's one of the ones with the trackpad, or an aluminum unibody MacBook like I'm on, late 2008 version. They are pretty cheap from Apple, now.

Refurbished MacBook 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo - Aluminum - Apple Store (U.S.)

There, I just saved you 100 bucks and got you superior hardware.

Click to expand...

That's the exact model I was eying. Appreciate the link. One last question I had was how does upgrading RAM work? Am I only able to buy RAM through Apple? I noticed it comes with 2GB, which is the amount I was looking for, but, since I want this to last long, I may want to upgrade RAM in the future and wanted to know how I'd go about doing that.

Thanks for all the responses so far, guys. You've been really helpful.

thomas998 said:

Yes, I realize there are any number of ways to get a right mouse click... but when you've grown up with the simplicity of actually having two distinct buttons you really prefer having those two buttons.... frankly for the price Apple charges for a macbook especially the macbook pro, I would like to think that I deserve more than just 2 buttons.

I realize the claim that having 1 button makes it simple... I frankly come from the school of thought that leaving off a button because some people in the world are too stupid to understand the difference between right and left is asinine.

I'm also not a big fan of the "buttonless" macbook pro which has just replaced a single button with a huge button that is really a track pad... I can only imagine the only possible reason for this is to force sales of mice to apple owners so they can get all the functionality without playing yoga fingers was the reason.

Click to expand...

I get where you're coming from, but I have to disagree. Just my personal preference, but having used trackpads on various laptops (mostly non-Apple), I quickly realized that one could enable gestures and taps for clicking and stopped using the clunky buttons a long time ago. When I switched to a MacBook Pro, I quickly learned to tap with two fingers. Now, it comes so naturally, that I find myself doing it on other computers and personally find it to be more intuitive in this day and age of 'touch friendly' devices. With three and four finger gestures, it comes as a natural extension of the concept and makes things even easier.

I think a lot of people buy a Mac and relentlessly pursue ways to make it work like Windows. When most people switch, it's because they want it to be different. I find it odd that so many people are surprised when they find that it is indeed different.

And I'm in no way trying to downplay your issue, because I understand where you're coming from. In your mind, this is how a computer "should be". But if you take a look at historical precedence, a single button on a mouse or a trackpad is how the original designs started. Microsoft and other companies may have deviated from that design, but that doesn't mean theirs is the right way (or the wrong way, for that matter - just different).

Well, Apple has been around for a good while, since 76 actually. But besides that, I prefer driving standard, but I realize it isn't simpler to most people. It offers a little more control, but it's a very different equation. The mouse would be more like the steering wheel, not the gas. Of course, the steering wheel has already been simplified to a pretty basic design and function, and you don't click with a steering wheel.

So despite your terrible analogy, I'd still say you're an interesting guy for proposing that something is simpler just because that's the way you've always done it in the past. I understand humans are creatures of habit, but it never hurts to try something new.

With tap to click enabled, the multitouch trackpad on apple notebooks makes the most sense ever. Why anybody would use a laptop without tap to click enabled is beyond me, although a few users here do, the vast majority use tap to click. 2 finger scrolling, 1 finger tap to click, 2 finger tap to right click. It's very use-able. If you have issues, you are in the minority. If you're looking for something to complain about, it's not surprising with the number of windows users who just want to complain about Apple's philosophy.

I grew up on a PC too, and while I don't agree with having just one button, I have had no problems adapting. A lot of the differences aren't that big of a deal. The buttons are too small for me on windows to close, minimize and expand, ... Those issues are a personal thing. For you and your wife Thomas, they where a big deal, and to others they won't be.

I would aggree with cwa107, I used to play around with Linux trying. I would spend a lot of time setting it up, and it was neat, but there was always something that didn't work quite right. In fact, I always disliked Macs, it wasn't until I found out that OS X is really just a working front end for unix.

I still hate going in to the Mac store (I was in there yesterday and they wouldn't sell me a replacement hard drive), but I do prefer Mac to the alternatives out there.

I have also found that by limiting the hardware options they do tend to have fewer problems. They are well built machines (over all) and you get what you pay for in my opinion. So you can get a cheaper machine, but they usually don't last. We bought my wife two cheap laptops and they both broke in about six months. Then we bought her the cheapest Mac book and she has had no problems with it.

I think that a Macbook might be a good option for you even if you end up going down another path.

DPatel304 said:

That's the exact model I was eying. Appreciate the link. One last question I had was how does upgrading RAM work? Am I only able to buy RAM through Apple? I noticed it comes with 2GB, which is the amount I was looking for, but, since I want this to last long, I may want to upgrade RAM in the future and wanted to know how I'd go about doing that.

Thanks for all the responses so far, guys. You've been really helpful.

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The ram and the hard drive are both easily upgradable... as to where you buy it, is completely up to you.... I'm not inclined to suggest apple vs non apple components, as once again, this is a personal preference.
I must say that I have just 2 gig of ram in my MB, and I feel no need to install more, but when I do, it will more than likely be in many years when I feel that its time for a new mac, which will come with more ram, bigger HD, new OS and many more components that prob don't exist yet, to meet the changing needs with the next BIG THING that technology comes up with, and my current MB will just be a secondary machine, much like my G3 is now, which had a really good run in it's heyday