Opinions about "typical" switchers.

Hoping for experiences that went further than my G4 and G5 disasters of years past. (Few-day failures and returns. Little experience gained.) From those of you who have actually transitioned from pure Windows to pure Mac.....

How long? How hard? Did you know it before you began? Would you have done it anyway?

Trepidation? Me?

I bought a PowerBook G4 against some slight warnings from the Engineering department at Purdue University. I think they were trying to tell me something along the lines of you might have to do some things on your own in order to get full compatibility but as it turns out Purdue is hard core UNIX; so I think what they really meant was getting help with computer problems. I wanted to get the computer because it has a BSD subsystem in the OS and a unix terminal (not to mention the awesome stability! I had the computer running for about two weeks straight once and no it didn't go crazy I actually had to shut it for some reason I really can't remember; maybe a system update to 10.4.5 or 10.4.6?).

Anyways, while at school for first year engineering I did not have a Windows PC with me at all. And you know what, everything worked out fine. For some reason I was very slow when it came to using OS X at first but now the speed at which I can get things done is quite impressive (I've had a copy of Windows since my first computer; which I think was a Intel 386 with Windows 3.1). Although there is a lot of hype surround Apple's computers I would have to say the operating system is genuinely better in almost every concievable way. Pretty GUI aside, it is very user friendly and I have yet to have the machine have a window freeze up or have any problems (except this one time I attempted to change some very important kernel extensions when the computer was running ). I really like how easy UNIX tools, such as Apache, are to use. I have a Linux computer and some of the tools I am talking about are much easier to deploy on Mac OS.

Now that I am back at home for the summer my frankenstein PC is just used for the occasional game. The switch to Mac OS was not hard at all and I think this was the case because of two things: Microsoft Office being available for Max OS X and Samba file sharing system. Love the fact that I now own a computer that doesn't need constant rediculous attention i.e. spyware and viruses. Doesn't hurt that the PowerBook came with amazing software either. It really didn't take long for me to realize that I will definately be using a Mac for quite some time to come. Sorry for the essay lol.

EDIT: Forgot to add that my PowerBook is about a year old now and performs exactly the same as when I first got the machine, if not better. Can't say the same for the Windows computer, which was just reformatted.

i was still in school when i switched so at first it wasnt 100% switch, i still had my dell that i needed to do somethings on....and then i said forget this and ditched the dell and then whenever i needed to use some program that was only available for windows i went to the library....and then it went further to the point that i didnt even bother doing those assignments

the only time i use a pc is to update the firmware of my router using my dads pc or to run some routine maintenance on my dads pc, or to print something because im too cheap to buy a printer and i cant get his pc to let me print on it

i didnt know a thing about the switch i just wanted to edit video for a group i was in so i went for a powerbook, total time to switch was about a year in the above mentioned situation.
-chris

I switched about 3 months ago. I debated on getting another PC or switching to mac for about 3 months...I finally got an intel iMac around march this year. After about 2 days of playing on it I pretty much figured out the system, and now after having it for awhile I love it. Havent used windows except on my schools machines since. Mac from here on out.

From the time the first person in my group of friends at work got an iMac and another guy and I bought ours was about a week. I had been looking more into Macs after deriding them for years, especially my highschool latin teacher who was a Mac fan. I became interested in the nice looking aqua windowing system and the power of the UNIX like base. Once I played around on one, I had to get one the next day.

I fell in love with it. I'm a computer science major, and have some experience in Linux, but I still love the ease of use while still having the UNIX power. Also great is the UNIX stability. I am on a consecutive 30 days of not only going without a restart, but I have been logged in the entire time with the processor fully loaded at all times by stuff I have rendering and F@H. I am hesitant to install the QT update because it requires a restart and reset my up-time clock.

No problems except for a faulty SuperDrive, which Apple replaced. The only way I will get rid of my iMac would be to get a new Intel Mac so I can dual boot with windows for the few times I need it and never have to buy another PC.

Sooo...1 day to switch completely, not hard in any way, I didn't know it would be as easy as it was, and had I known I would have done it anyway and sooner.

I made the switch last week, now I bounce between the two.
I switched from an Athlon 64 3500+, 2GB RAM, 7900GT, two 60GB Maxtor 7200.

I love my Macbook Pro, the only setback that I've had with it is the camera issue, currently a topic in the MacBook Pro/Powerbook forums.

I have to say, I love OSX far more than I like Windows XP, everything just seems so much more functional, and I get much more done because of all the conveniences this system has.

I used Macs back in the 80's and early 90's in elementary and high school. I really learned how to use computers using Windows machines.

I finally put our old Gateway to rest and purchased an iMac G5 in December 2005. I bought it because I liked the iLife suite of programs, the stability, and the design.

The switch was basically easy. I kept thinking "there has to be more to the OS than this", but there really wasn't. I pretty much knew how to do everything after playing around with it for a day or two.

I didn't really find it frustrating though, even when I didn't quite know how to do something. It was more fun, kind of like a new adventure in computing.

I wanted a Mac since over 2 years (see my registration date in this forum).

I did so much research on software and was all prepared because I knew what I need when I use a computer, and what I want to do in the future. And the Mac just fit my plan.
I set up a strategy as to how to move to my new mac if I ever got one. I found out that I could use my iPod to shovel the data from my PC to my Mac. I made sure I got the right video player and codecs, a proper browser etc.

And finally I spent months on deciding whether to go with an iMac or a Laptop. And I got the iMac on Nov 21 2005. Just 2 months before Intel, yes, but I don't regret a bit of it.

We are seeing very young Intel machines and I don't want to rant about that one little app that won't run nicely because of the new chip. In 2 years time, my G5 will still be good for my needs, and I might get a laptop then.

But my switch was smooth in 1 day and I had few troubles getting around the new OS. the harder part was to clean out the old computer and move the data (music, videos, files).

The even harder part was seeing that my mac didn't need any maintenance. I almost got bored

I switched after another staff minister at the church where I'm at let me use his PowerBook G4 for a few hours. I then went back to my Windows PC with it's lock-ups, virus issues and such and the decision was easy, it was the funds to switch over that slowed me down a bit. The result was a PowerBook G4 15 inch for me, eventually a iMac 20 Intel for my wifes real estate work, and then I found a used G4 desktop 15 inch for my son. As you can see, I was so impressed as was my family that we went Apple 100%. Yes there are a few Windows software programs I miss (especially MS OneNote for me), but we have no regrets for the switch.

yogi said:

The even harder part was seeing that my mac didn't need any maintenance. I almost got bored

Click to expand...

I felt exactly the same way, and it was very weird at first . It's nice getting that time back.

At school my PowerBook was on 24/7 so it did maintenece over night usually (cron jobs) by itself, gotta love that. Since its been home I fire up Onyx once in a blue moon to do some maintenece (doesn't seem to make a difference really though).

I've had my MBP for about 2 1/2 months and I've loved every minute of it. Some things I've struggled with (i.e transfering songs from my ipod to my MBP and understanding that I don't need photo folders for everything, that I can just drop it into iphoto) but those I attribute to learning new software not the OS.
As far as OSX, it's a dream. I think I've restarted my computer 3-4 times, once was a firmware update. I can little apps for almost anything I'd like to do through macupdate and that's great b/c it's a centralized website so I don't have to worry about bad software and with a mac I don't have to worry about viruses...although I have clamav (I think that's it, lol). My MBP isn't too large to carry around and the only thing I wish for is a larger HD, with close to 6,000 songs and 2500 pictures things can get a little tight in a hurry. All in All I've had a ton of compliments, nothing but smiles and had a ton of fun with everything from widgets, to mac-forums to the iLife suite. I've even got my dad and little brother eyeing macs now. Sorry for being so long-winded, I just get a little excited talking about it. Hope it helped!

Switched three weeks ago. I love my mac mini. Contrary to a PC, I know spend most of the time in front of it actually being productive - contrary to my Windows PC, where I had to spend most of the time reinstalling, fixing, looking for updated drivers, manipulating the registry, scanning for virusses and adware ... just to be able to do my work.

Now I work and ... go out for a beer, have a walk with the dogs and more. On my Mac I can finish things up to three times faster (And this is not because of the processor speed) just because it's so simple (Sometimes I still think "around the corner" only to find, that it could be done easier.

As for the applications I need, for everything there is a mac counterpart, which is often better than the Windows version. Database, image maipulation, digital music, office, programming. It's all there (and much of it is included!)

I switch to mac at home three weeks ago. Luckily, I'm in the position to be able to decide about the hardware that's being used in my department. Half of my employees have a mac at home. Guess what ...

I switched almost two months ago. Haven't actually started up my Dell laptop for over a month. The last time was to test what was wrong with my external drive. Turned out, it was just the drive controller/enclosure that I'm fairly sure killed my previous drive.

Personally, I was used to the feel of OS X within the first day or so. I installed a driver so I could right-click on my trackpad by tapping with two fingers about a week ago, but I'm so used to ctrl clicking that it's pretty much useless to me.

asolo said:

Hoping for experiences that went further than my G4 and G5 disasters of years past. (Few-day failures and returns. Little experience gained.) From those of you who have actually transitioned from pure Windows to pure Mac.....

How long? How hard? Did you know it before you began? Would you have done it anyway?

Trepidation? Me?

Click to expand...

The transition in reality took a few months, since that's how long I had been looking at Macs in the Apple Store and considering them before I actually took the plunge. I fooled around with the Macs in the store and was incessant with questions about "How do I do X on a Mac?" for the employees. I also read up on OS X on my college's tech wiki and Apple's website. By the time I got the PowerBook G4 in August, I was somewhat familiar with some stuff in OS X in theory, but there was far more I realized I didn't know. Since I got in in August just a couple of weeks before heading out to California, you cold say the switch to using it as my sole computer was a little abrupt. I was able to learn the basic ins and outs pretty quickly, though, and spent several months really fine tuning my knowledge and OS X to meet all my needs. Some time ago, I was triumphant in really being able to do just about any Windows task on OS X. The UI is absolutely fantastic, the UNIX core is powerful, and I really think multitasking is much easier with OS X than with Windows. I like this PowerBook a lot and would not trade it for any Windows laptop. All in all, I would say that the transition was easy for simple tasks and more involved for some more advanced ones, but overall it was definitely very easy since I was fully comfortable in every way after less than a year's time. Had I known what I know now before, the only thing I might have done differently was wait a year for the 17-inch MacBook Pro.

The only reason I had not gotten a Mac for almost a decade was because I just didn't have the money to get one. I mean, sure I did worry about how compatible it would be, and I worried about who would help me with any problems since all my friends were using PCs. This year after more than 10 years of PCs, I finally got the chance to get one. I debated it for 5 seconds and then got the intel imac. I use Photoshop, Dreamweaver, imovie, idvd, Office, they all work perfectly.

There are a lot of people worrying about Rossetta, but the programs run faster and better than on my PC, so that was never a problem for me. Now one of my friends is getting one too!

well i have been using windows for all of my life. i always had problems with it, always hated it. my switch from it was not to mac, however. one day i decided to just wipe the drive and install VectorLinux(which is an EXCELLENT distro btw). i used that for about 6 months when i decided i needed a new computer. i bought an ibook and i love it. people make fun of me at lan parties though... i play halo and warcraft 3 with it, and if we do any other games i switch off with a friends pc. I personally do not own a windows pc, its either OS x on my laptop or Linux on my desktop. im in the process of setting up a linux/os x dual boot on my ibook if anybody wants to help me .

I switched because I knew OSX was superior, and now one can use Windows on a Mac and still play games. I also like the way they look.

I personally really appreciate Apple's hardware, though the main reason I prefer using a Mac is definitely because of the OS. OS X is truly a rewarding experience to use. I still need to use WinXP, though when I do, it always feels like a crippled OS in comparison to to 10.4.6.