What to do?

I have been a Windows user for over 10 years now. Now with Vista coming out, I am going to have to upgrade my computer a little. I have never used a Mac before and am wondering when a new OS for Mac comes out, do Macs have to be upgraded? Are Macs hard to upgrade (finding the parts, getting the parts to work)? Can a Mac run an AMD chip? How good are Macs at running Windows apps? I am thinking, maybe now is a good time to switch to a Mac. Can someone give me just a little help?
Thank you in advance.

No, Macs don't have to be updated. Older Macs run the most recent versions of OS X fine, just a little slower than the current models. Most Macs, the only things you can upgrade are the RAM and HD. No, Macs only use Intel chips. Most Macs can run windows apps fine, but you have to have a full version of Windows to use with Boot Camp or Parallels.

G'day Xiren & welcome to Mac-Forums.

You seem to have a big decision ahead of you .... but an exciting one nonetheless!

It's a really exciting time historically to become interested in Apple products on a whole with the current Mac range being premium personal computers and the release of Leopard OS just around the corner.

I would personally start at HomeBase .... the Apple website, and just browse there for a while. Click on the Store tab and have a look at what Macs are out there and the specifications available.

Nowadays, Macs are built around the Intel Chip so the AMD chip is out of the picture but that's not a death knell - quite the opposite!

Here's the Apple link and have fun!

Welcome Xiren!!

Now *could* be a good time to switch, but it could also be a good time to just stand pat for a while.

The release of Vista doesn't mean that you have to go out and get it right away. In fact, you would be well advised to stay away from it for 6 months or so, while the inevitable batch of major initial bug fixes goes by. Let someone else bear the pain of that. If you really want Vista, pick it up in six months or so.

Meanwhile, if your Windows box is serving you well and you are happy, no need to switch.

Now if, on the other hand, consideration of Vista inspired upgrades has ignited a desire to upgrade anyway, this is a great time to switch. Again though, I would recommend standing pat for a bit. Apple is about to release Leopard, the next version of Mac OS X. Macs are good, but they aren't perfect either. I would wait for Leopard to go through its initial round of bug fixes before jumping in.

So, in general, my advice would be to stay on the sidelines for a while longer. From your post, it doesn't seem like you are really eager to get a Mac, rather you seem to be weighing the cost of upgrading your PC to support Vista vs. the cost of a Mac. If Vista is the driver, wait it out a bit and then compare everything you are hearing about Vista vs. Leopard.

In the end, I am confident that you will find Leopard to be the more compelling of the two.

Now with all that said and done, if you are in throes of techno lust (been there myself, done that, got the T-Shirt, more than once!) and are going to buy something, soon, no matter what, right now is GREAT time to upgrade to a Mac. If your choices are PC or Mac, there is no doubt. Go Mac.

How long does a Mac take for a new OS to get the bugs fixed and what not?

an OS will always have bugs when new software is incompatible and a patch will be released within 1 week - 1 month

In general, I would suggest waiting 2 - 3 months, so that there is a chance for the OS to get loaded onto lots of machines. Once it has been in service on a bunch of machines for a while, all the initial issues will be quickly flushed out. There will be residual problems over the whole life of the OS, just like any piece of software; the objective here is just to let it get past any initial teething problems on someone's else's machine!!

Take the plunge I did and am not regretting it. With the intel chips and parallels or bootcamp or crossover it is now possible to to run a dual boot system. I have had my i-mac a week and have become addicted to the ease of use and the "old" mac os is much better than vista. I have the impression that microsoft is always playing catch up with apple.

I also recently made the switch and I'm really glad that I did. I couldn't be more impressed with my MacBook Pro. Just make the plunge and don't look back. You'll be better off, I promise

I have been a Windows user for over 10 years now. Now with Vista coming out, I am going to have to upgrade my computer a little. I have never used a Mac before and am wondering when a new OS for Mac comes out, do Macs have to be upgraded?

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Basically no. Old Macs from 1998 will happily run the current OS X version, Tiger. However, 512Mb of RAM is preferable, and the 1Gig most Macs now come with is perfect.

Are Macs hard to upgrade (finding the parts, getting the parts to work)?

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You may need to upgrade the memory at some point, but unlikely if you bought a new Mac with 1gig of RAM. Macs are not very upgradeable, but then they don't need to be. Mac Minis and iMacs are similar in design to laptops, so there are no user upgradeable parts, with the exception of adding more memory.

Can a Mac run an AMD chip?

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Macs come with Intel chips and you couldn't replace it with AMD even if you wanted to. But then there's no need to.

How good are Macs at running Windows apps?

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Macs run Mac programs. The only way to run Windows programs are if you bought a copy of Windows, and installed it on one half of the harddrive. But then, if you wanted to do that, why buy a Mac in the first place?

I am thinking, maybe now is a good time to switch to a Mac. Can someone give me just a little help?
Thank you in advance.

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Yes, now is a good time. You could wait for Leopard to come out, which might be one month or 6 months away.
Unlike the leap between Windows XP and Vista, Leopard will not be radically different from Tiger. If you bought a Mac and Leopard came out the next day, it's likely Apple will let you upgrade for free. But then again, you could happily run OS X Tiger for 3 or 4 years no problems.