Help me please

Joined
Feb 15, 2008
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Hi guys, I'm not sure if this is in the right section :(

I'm hailing from my friend's computer because I currently don't have one myself. I had a PC a year ago or so and it broke a lot so I gave it away to my brother. I'm going back to uni next year to finish my anthropology degree and I really need a new laptop.

I'm hoping that someone could help me out because I really don't know anything about computer-stuff and my friend keeps telling me to get a Macbook but, I'm not sure if they can do everything I need it to.

I try reading stuff up on them but, I find it very confusing so I was hoping that I could get some actual feedback from people who could answer my questions. This would be greatly appreciated.. the people at Futureshop talk way over my head and I think they are just trying to sell me crap to make money. :(

So my questions are:
-I hear that Macs are better than PCs? How so?
-What are the price differences between Macs and PCs that are similar?
-I like to draw and I've heard that Macs are good for that. Some insight?
-I heard that I can't play a lot of games on a mac, is that true?
-Can I burn CDs on a Mac?
-What word-processing program can I use to write my reports?


Thank you so much for your time!! Any question answered is greatly appreciated!!
 
Joined
Apr 23, 2007
Messages
377
Reaction score
4
Points
18
Location
Coatesville, PA
Your Mac's Specs
MBP 15", 2.33 GHz, 2Gb
Well I'm fairly new myself, as I've had mine for a few months at this point, but I had the same questions as you did when I switched over.

You can use Microsoft Office for the Mac if you really want to stick with a MS Office product to do word processing (or Excel, etc), but you also have things like NeoOffice (http://www.neooffice.org/neojava/en/index.php) or OpenOffice which are both free.

Burning CDs? Of course, there are various programs, but the one I've liked the most so far is Disco (http://www.discoapp.com/).

Games certainly are limited, however more and more games have been ported to OS X in various ways. However you can also dual boot with Boot Camp, and run Windows XP on a separation part of your PC and play games just like you would on any Windows PC. I do this on my Macbook Pro and it works just fine.

Pricewise, you will pay more for a Mac, however I think the end user experience is more satisfying. It's daunting to jump into it the first time (I know exactly how that feels), but I'm extremely happy that I did it. You'll have to judge for yourself if the price is too high or not, compared to all the deals that a company like Dell is always offering.
 
Joined
Jan 24, 2008
Messages
82
Reaction score
1
Points
8
Location
Wales UK
Your Mac's Specs
iMac G4 1.25Ghz Powerbook G4 1.67
Can't answer all you're questions but,

-I hear that Macs are better than PCs? How so?
For me they are better because they seem to be more reliable and because a mac suits the things I do with a computer.

-I heard that I can't play a lot of games on a mac, is that true?
Yes it's true. But there are some. I like C&C so I'm ok but if you're big into games then Mac isn't the way. Search the forum for games, it's a common question.

-Can I burn CDs on a Mac?
Yes, and dvds as well but you must get the superdrive.
Of the current range of laptops the only one which doesn't have this is the bottom of the range macbook. It's probably optional but I don't know.

-What word-processing program can I use to write my reports?
I use microsoft office (mac versions are easily available) There is also open office which is shareware and Mac has it's own version of office. Only one I've used so far is office so I can't comment on the others. My reason is that uni has office so I know I won't get any compatibility problems at all.
 
Joined
Dec 31, 2007
Messages
103
Reaction score
5
Points
18
Location
Durham
Your Mac's Specs
MacBook (early 2006): 1.83 GHz Core 2 Duo, 2GB RAM, 250 GB HDD, OSX Leopard and iPod 5th Gen 30GB
nahaaaaaa XD welcome IN ADVANCE to the world of mac :)

my answers to your questions:

-I hear that Macs are better than PCs? How so?
Well that in itself requires and essay. I personally believe macs are better than PCs for the simple reason: They feel like they've been designed by people who actually use computers on a day to day basis. Not by some accountants who designed XP/Vista. It's also an industry leader everywhere it goes. The aqua interface, widgets and the vectorised graphics have all been put into the new vista interface. Then the iPod, after it took off (ironically enough, when apple modded it for windows back in 2004) every other device in the sector strived to achieve iPod levels of sales, incorporating everything iPod has, but still has never done so. Indeed, it has even managed to identify itself as the universal mp3 player. In exams, students in the UK are asked to leave any iPods at the door. Even the new iPhone has led the industry into a whole world of flat entirely touchscreen phones which do everything.

-What are the price differences between Macs and PCs that are similar?
I will admit that mac may be more overpriced xD but you are buying the whole "mac" image as well :) equivalent PCs are usually about £200 less.

-I like to draw and I've heard that Macs are good for that. Some insight?
YES macs were MADE for creativity :) You can get many programs to help with creativity, including adobe CS3 and other elements versions.

-I heard that I can't play a lot of games on a mac, is that true?
Well, yes but you can get around this with bootcamp software :) just bootcamp the drive and you can install windows :)

-Can I burn CDs on a Mac?
yes :) absolutely

-What word-processing program can I use to write my reports?
Pages, word for mac and text edit (free stuff ^^) OOOH and quark office :)
 
Joined
Sep 25, 2007
Messages
213
Reaction score
3
Points
18
From someone who used PCs for 27 years and switched to Mac in September.

One key issue jumped out at me right at the beginning of your statement, that you are confused by all the jargon, specs etc. That is one important reason why a Mac is a better choice than a PC. As they say, it just works.

As for better than PCs, yes, I would agree, I have far less issues with my Mac than I had with PCs. Even a simple thing like setting up your internet connection seems easier with Mac.

Price difference. You can get PCs today very cheaply that "do the job" The fact that you are asking the questions here says to me that your gut is leading you towards the Mac not only for what it can do but what it is and how it looks. Aside from that, Mac comes with built in applications that add value and often more than a comparable PC with the same type software. All I had to buy for my Mac was iWork which was $79 and I have Word processing, spreadheets and presentation software.

If I can give myself as an example, I NEVER did anything remotely creative on a PC, on the Mac, I have an urge to try as I am not intimidated by the software. (Ok, they are only brochures and flyers in Pages, the WP software, and some Keypoint Stuff)

Can't help you on the games, as I don't do that. You won't have time anyway being in graduate school :D
Macs are great for burning CDs or DVDs. Again, something I rarely did in the PC world, do more now.
As for WP, several people have answered. If you are used to MS Office, you should probably go with Office for Mac as you probably don't have the time or inclination to learn a new program.
Finally, when you walk into a room with some generic laptop, no one notices. Walk in with a Macbook or Macbook Pro or Air, they do.

I hope that we can welcome you to the Mac world





Hi guys, I'm not sure if this is in the right section :(

So my questions are:
-I hear that Macs are better than PCs? How so?
-What are the price differences between Macs and PCs that are similar?
-I like to draw and I've heard that Macs are good for that. Some insight?
-I heard that I can't play a lot of games on a mac, is that true?
-Can I burn CDs on a Mac?
-What word-processing program can I use to write my reports?


Thank you so much for your time!! Any question answered is greatly appreciated!!
 
Joined
Sep 24, 2006
Messages
2,766
Reaction score
232
Points
63
Location
Brooklyn, New York
Your Mac's Specs
15" 2014 MacBook Pro, i7 2.5Ghz, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD; iPad 3, iPhone 6
Hey, welcome to MacForums

So my questions are:
-I hear that Macs are better than PCs? How so? There is no such thing as 'better' per se, it's all down to what you need. Macs are simple, reliable, powerful and look amazing, so does the Operating system.

-What are the price differences between Macs and PCs that are similar? With identical specs, the prices are more or less the same, if you compare a strong brand (like Sony) to Apple. Apple doesn't really have any low-end laptops (i.e. under $1000) which is a criticism, but any laptop you buy from Apple will probably more than meet your needs

-I like to draw and I've heard that Macs are good for that. Some insight? Macs have traditionally been strong with designers and publishers. However in reality, there is no real difference in the graphical capability between a Mac and a Windows based PC.

-I heard that I can't play a lot of games on a mac, is that true? Under OS X this is true, but all Intel Macs are capable of running Windows and can then play games, assuming you meet the minimum specs. If you're going to want to play games, get a MacBook Pro, and iMac or a Mac Pro. Avoid a MacBook, MacBook Air and Mac Mini

-Can I burn CDs on a Mac? Yes

-What word-processing program can I use to write my reports? iWork (Pages), Office 2008 (MS Word), Neo Office or OpenOffice.org
 

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top