Reasons To Switch??

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craigmdean

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Okay, so here is my story. I am a long time PC user. However, I like to make sure that I am using the best of the best. I have been hearing a lot about about good macs are. Here is my question. Why should I change? I don't have problems with the stability of my OS. My anti-virus is automatically updated. I watch what I do on the internet so I do not get adware or spyware.

I am looking to get into digital photography and currently I use Microsoft's Digital Imaging Suite 10. It is just like Photoshop Elements. I have seen iPhoto in action and think that it is very limited.

Is the hardware that much better for me to change from PC to Mac?

I am turning to you because I am looking for the advice and knowledge of die-hard mac lovers.

Thanks
 
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craigmdean said:
Okay, so here is my story. I am a long time PC user. However, I like to make sure that I am using the best of the best. I have been hearing a lot about about good macs are. Here is my question. Why should I change? I don't have problems with the stability of my OS. My anti-virus is automatically updated. I watch what I do on the internet so I do not get adware or spyware.

I am looking to get into digital photography and currently I use Microsoft's Digital Imaging Suite 10. It is just like Photoshop Elements. I have seen iPhoto in action and think that it is very limited.

Is the hardware that much better for me to change from PC to Mac?

I am turning to you because I am looking for the advice and knowledge of die-hard mac lovers.

Thanks
If you're happy with your PC experience, then I don't see any reason for you to switch.

The hardware is pretty, and to some degree more reliable, but I wouldn't call that reason in itself.

Mac users find things like "Automatic setup wizards" and "auto-updating virus definitions"amusing. But again, I wouldn't call that a reason to switch.

(As an aside, iPhoto is a photo manager, not a photo editor. It's designed to be used in concert with PSE.)
 
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technologist said:
If you're happy with your PC experience, then I don't see any reason for you to switch.

The hardware is pretty, and to some degree more reliable, but I wouldn't call that reason in itself.

Mac users find things like "Automatic setup wizards" and "auto-updating virus definitions"amusing. But again, I wouldn't call that a reason to switch.

(As an aside, iPhoto is a photo manager, not a photo editor. It's designed to be used in concert with PSE.)

I agree. You yourself have already stated that you are having no problems with your current setup. If you already have a setup that is working for you, there is no need to change it.
 
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if it aint broke, dont' fix it... Then again I love macs.
 
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Ex_PC_Puke

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As many know here - I've got 16yrs of being an Intel systems developer under my belt - PCs are ok --- but with regards to digital photos etc. and stability in general ----- OS X makes XP look like a software engineers senior project. Especially regarding USB --- I've been very impressed with how flawless USB device connections are (cameras / memory readers) run on OS X.

Under XP - my wife - my brother-in-law (uber PC user) - and myself all had problems with XP either not "seeing" or loosing track of a memory card reader..

my 2 cents

It ain't the HW --- its the OS
 
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I am a dual platform user. There are some less tangable reason to at least dable in mac. I find the look of the machine and the feel of the OS makes me feel more creative. When I sit in a coffee shop with my ibook I actually work and I take it to every meeting. I am now exploring podcasting and I swear I am getting more work done.

If you have a little money laying around (and who doesn't :D ) try a mini with a kvm switch and explore the OS. I also recomend read the book, The Cult of Mac, for a fun look at some of the subculture. JMO

Bone
 
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I prefer Mac OS X. It's not the PC hardware as stated before, FreeBSD is good on PC, so is Linux IMO
 
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I just think the mac has a better feel, at least my PB does.. I also use a PC, I just got sick of all the spyware programs you have to surround yourself with, updating and checking for spyware / viruses.. I find my PB responds faster than my PC, doing a speed test my PC is faster, but opening up programs my PB wins hands down.. The best thing you can do is go to an Apple store or CompUSA and fool around with a Mac.. They are just a better feeling and responding machine, PC might have invented multitasking, but it really works on a Mac..
 
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I am going to have to say that I do like the programming of the operating system of the mac. It is one of the best that I have ever used, and just runns circles around windows xp when it comes to stability, and probuably will do the same thing with longhorn.
 
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It's a personal preference thing IMO... I grew up on PC and now use both Mac and PC together on a daily basis... I have just found that I love my Macs much more than my PCs.... As someone earlier stated... It just makes you feel more creative. And for me it has allowed me to spend much more time actually being productive as opposed to patching security holes and reinstalling or cleaning XP every couple of months to keep my machines running quickly. I run alot of software so things tend to get pretty cluttered for me pretty quickly, which it sounds like that may not be the case for you.

As someone else said on here... If you are serious about the idea of switching you might try picking up a Mini or something like that just to test the waters with... If nothing else try dropping by an Apple retail store and check it out.

And if you do switch... It will be that first week or two where you will see the most frustrations getting use to the new OS... But after that you'll be hooked and wonder why you ever used anything else. Of course if you can't tell already I am a little bias... :black:

Either way, good luck, and welcome to the forums!
 
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embries

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After spending 2 weeks getting a mixed Win2K/WinXP office cleaned up, I can honestly say I never want to touch any windows boxen again. The only thing that made the tedious chore bearable was that I had a powerbook with superdrive there for the entire process. When I started I didn't really know how bad the situation was, but I went for the box with the most complaints. I decided it was beyond hope in its current iteration, and formatted it. Before I could even get the box running it had been infected by viruses across the network. I had my powerbook connected wirelessly to that network for 2 weeks and you guessed it, no viruses on the PB. I was able to get drivers for machnes whose driver discs were missing, use the drive as a remote storage for important files while doing other things, burn backups etc, all because I was quite sure that at least my powerbook was virus free. If you're not concerned by viruses or constant OS maintenance, then I doubt you'll see a ton of benefit in changing, however, it's a no-brainer for me.
 
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Don't try to find a reason to switch, more important are the reasons why NOT to switch?
 
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I use a variety of platforms and have a PowerMac G5. One of the main reasons that I bought it was to learn and develop on the PowerPC platform but Apple's move to Intel has curtailed that. In the meantime, it's the family desktop that's always on, very quiet, nice to look at and it runs very cool.

My wife uses it as her main system and I have far fewer "service" calls from her during the day.

My main machine is an Athlon 3200+ running Windows 64 which is nice but there are some features on the PowerMac that I'd like in an A64 box. I have a Dell laptop and a 24 inch Dell monitor that I sometimes use on the Dell and sometimes on the A64 depending on what machine I'm using for work as I can't login to the office using Windows 64.

Reasons for switching vary widely from person to person. If you're happy with what you have, why spend the money?
 

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I switched many months ago. I think it is best to know both platforms. It's one more think you can say you know how to do. Many design jobs say "Must be able to work in a mac environment". So it wouldn't hurt to become familiar with it.
 
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skoone

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Hi Craig,

I felt compelled to respond to you (my first post too!) as I think you and I are alike (I'm sure others too)with regard to this Mac business. Like you, I am a long time PC user, I started out on the 1st generation PC's back in the very early 80's. I have since then been for the most part a very happy and satisfied PC user. I was a young'un back in the day when Apple 2e's were sitting beside the 4mhz IBM PC's.. Naturally, no one touched the 2e's because we were all intimidated by them.. The DOS software back then was the "in thing", I never recalled ever seeing any usable software for the 2e's. Hence, for me it left a lasting impression of "why would I want an expensive, crappy apple with an ugly green screen that doesn't run anything!".. I have often wondered if that has been the feeling for a lot of us PC folks in my 80's generation. So here we are, happy and content PC users, just doing what we've always done.. Then, Steve Jobs lays the Mini before us. Computer enthusiasts like you and I and many others are curious and quite intrigued by such a thing, especially with the price tag being a bit more in line with what we would be willing to fork over for one. Once we do a bit more research, we find that hey, those days of green screens and 5.25 floppy drives are outa here, and what we have is a computer that is capable of doing a lot more things than we imagined! About a month ago Craig, I was in your shoes. I sat back and repeatedly asked myself "OK, what am I going to do with this Mini once I get it?".. I kindly resisted the change too, I really didn't want to have to deal with repeating the learning curve on a new operating system. However, I was absolutely determined to get a Mini and as others have said, to test the waters just to see what all this OS X business is about. What I found was a very pleasant surprise. I have to tell you Craig that my experience was as predicted, the first week was quite frustrating. After I began to find out how the Mac guys did various functions that were similar to the PC, this Mini began to grow on me. Three weeks later, I find myself at work during the day with this Mini on my mind and planning the new things that I want to try when I get home. Everyone at work looks at me funny talking about Macs and hauling "Switching to the Mac" books around at lunch! If you get nothing else out of it, the fun factor is there that will keep you busy for hours just playing with it. Now, am I going to make the massive leap and abandon my PC for this?? Heavens no. There are specific things that I do on my PC that the Mac doesn't have support for, and you're going to find the same thing. Therefore, I have to run a dual system. What I have found Craig, is that the Mac makes for a splendid companion to my PC, the desktop graphics alone make it worth the purchase, and I do sit back and wonder what have I done without it. The Mini makes my computing experience an absolute pleasure and I'm grateful to be a part of the family now. The bottom line Craig, is that if you have a deep interest in computers, even as a hobby, add the Mini to your desktop. I purchased a 2 port DVI kvm switch for my setup, so I could easily go between systems. It works great and lasts a long time. Good luck on your pursuits!

Regards,
Steve

1.42Ghz Mac Mini
3Ghz Intel P4
 
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/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
wowsers!
 
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well, as far as i know, most professional places use macs. i was glad to switch. photoshop seems more responsive.

i could go on for hours on WHY i hate windows. some neat things macs can do:

Excellent network printing
Modern USB Cameras/printers require NO setup, and work better on mac (canon S300)
you can boot from another mac;s hard drive to recover data/tweak an unbootable system (GREAT FEATURE!)


With the whole switching to intel and not really having a reason to switch, id stay on your PC until you really need to switch/intel macs come out.
 
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yeah just stick with your pc
 
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jmmdg6

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I am in the same boat. As I am a recent grad and trying to find a job in the cartography profession, I have been told that Mac's have better drawing capabilities. I too have been wondering if I should make the switch from my PC.
 
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Here's my $0.02:

Go to the Apple Store, and click around for a while on whatever model mac YOU CAN AFFORD (i.e. if you can't afford a Powermac, don't test drive one!)

If you like it, switch. If you aren't sure and can live without it, don't. I absolutely love my powermac and I realized this by going to the apple store and trying it. As far as your specific program needs go, the staff at the store is paid to have answers to your questions, and from what I've seen, they're informative and honest.

Good luck!
 

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