Why Did You Switch?

[my58vw]

My New 450 G4

I have been a pc person sinch the 386 33 MHz. I have A+ certs and work part time as a PC tech. I used mac one day and slowly was drawn away from windows. Now I use Mac exclusivly with one or tow programs on virtual pc

My first real mac that is mine arrives tomarrow, a 450 g4 that I got on ebay. I have gotten rid of the last pc in my house and just ordered the apple care tech training package. Well, I can't wait.. welcome mac... just need a 23 cinema to finish everything off.

Thank You apple for an incredable product.

 

[lanne_roth]

Wow!!!!!!!

I just plugged in my digital camera(a Fujifilm FinePix) and it was recognized right away and I began transferring pictures. Can't tell you how long that would have taken on a Windows machine. I also love the security of a Mac, the ease of use, the graphics, the WHOLE THING.....

I don't know why I didn't switch sooner. I hardly have to call 'Apple Care' for help anymore because it is so easy to use a mac....

 

[HopperJonusFang]

I switched because I have been using a PC since 1999 and I have had nothing but problems.
Although I have only been using my first Mac (see my details) for just under a week, there is no sign of any problems.
everything just worked, i plugged in my fujifilm camera and was transferring pictures into iPhoto in a matter of minutes.
I plugged in my ethernet cable and was surfing the net on my 150k connection in minutes.

mac's are now compatible with the pc world pretty much thanks to the likes of office and appleworks software, and they are easier to use, better looking machines, and a much better OS.
I really cannot see one drawback of switching to a Mac.

 

[kakosc]

I really dont know what made me switch. It was literally an overnight decision.
My first computer was a 486 DX 66mhz, and it ran fine on windows 3.11, i mean i was happy with it (i must of been like 10 or something (16 now)) until i wanted to run actual programs on it.
I got a Pentium II 400 Mhz in 1999, still have it, but it wont get past the 'wait....' after loading the BIOS.. really cannot be bothered working out the problem.
Yeah, well late 2002 i decided i needed a new computer something chronic, as the pentium II was crashing 5 mins after i started it up (i installed winXP on it, god just thinking about that $350 i wasted). i began looking at Dells and drooling and nearly had one ordered and ready to go, but for some reason my brain just floompoloped. From being one of those mac-hating retards i have regular arguments with now, one day, the next i really wanted a mac. It didnt have anything to do with any new releases or OSX or anything, i just started to see windows for what it was and wanted a mac.
I'm now sitting in front of a beautiful 17" iMac 1Ghz and i actually enjoy using my computer now

 

[kakosc]

I will just say one thing though..
APPLE WAKE UP TO YOURSELVES.... 256 MEGS OF RAM IS NOT ENOUGH FOR ANYBODY!!!!!!!!
hmm yes..

 

[Wapa18]

i guess my reason for switching was initially final cut pro. we used it in my high school's tv studio, and i loved it! when thinking of getting a computer, i first thought of getting a sony vaio with adobe premiere to do my own video editing, but then i realized WHAT THE HECK AM I THINKING!! we never had any problems with programs crashing, not working, or just general crap like you get from windows, so why would i get something that i know crashes fairly often? so for graduation i got a power mac g4 w/ studio display and final cut pro 4 and i love it. now when i look at the tv studio here at college, i have to laugh to myself cuz they use pc's with premiere and are always have problems with crashing, but they have one power mac and it has never crashed or given anyone problems. i wonder when they'll realize that it's never crashed?

 

[rman]

i guess my reason for switching was initially final cut pro. we used it in my high school's tv studio, and i loved it! when thinking of getting a computer, i first thought of getting a sony vaio with adobe premiere to do my own video editing, but then i realized WHAT THE HECK AM I THINKING!! we never had any problems with programs crashing, not working, or just general crap like you get from windows, so why would i get something that i know crashes fairly often? so for graduation i got a power mac g4 w/ studio display and final cut pro 4 and i love it. now when i look at the tv studio here at college, i have to laugh to myself cuz they use pc's with premiere and are always have problems with crashing, but they have one power mac and it has never crashed or given anyone problems. i wonder when they'll realize that it's never crashed?

Go to the lab an install a crash clock. One for the Mac and one for the PC. That should help them see the difference.

 

[johndierks]

I was always THE mac guy when I was younger. I knew system 7.0 inside and out. My brother was in the secret about box. Then I out grew my LC 475 and bought a pc, since a brand new mac was way outside my middle school budget. I stuck with PCs because they had so much more software and all my friends used them. Then I was the PC guy. I know XP inside and out. I bought an iPod, (back before they had PC ones) and struggled through getting it set up with my PC.

Ever since the first iMac came out, I loved the form factor of Apples. Industrial design is so awesome, and I love the thought that goes into making things look simple and beautiful.

Anyways, I knew PCs really well. My school got some OS X machines, and I realized I didn't know squat about them. I could hardly open a browser window. I realized it was time to get to know macs again, so I got a 12" PB since I love the form factor. Plus it's so much cooler than some black windows laptop.

I still have a windows desktop, which I'm not planning to replace. I have a happy medium of OSX/XP in my life.

 

[trpnmonkey41]

i was a pc person my entire life which is turning out to be a bad thing bc even though i havent used my own pc since july when i switched i still get about 6 phone calls a week from people asking me to come over and fix their pc. Not only do i get to go back to pcs almost 5 times a week but i get to go back to the ones that are messed up beyond novice users abilities and fix them

 

[Mr.Guvernment]

have not switched and never completly will - il ove Pc's and since i know how to use them they work perfectly for me hardware and software. most Windows problems are user based because people do not know how to maintain their systems. - PC's can work flawlessly - and so ca MAC's - but they can both have problems as well. (G3 and previous for me and my experience)

I would like to get a MAC - simply to have one and be familiar with one - i have used them in the past but i want my own!

i am a very big hardware person and to be frank - MAC's do not offer the hardware selection and personalization i have with PC's. - that is something they need to expand into more.

but yeah, maybe one day i will own a MAC

 

[HopperJonusFang]

I dont like running scandisk and disk defrag every so often to "maintain" my computer so thats another reason I switched

 

[Mr.Guvernment]

acceptable.

i dont run them ever on my boxes here - have never needed to - my system ius fast enough and such that the performaec gain from doing a defrag is min. to nothing for me. - it is just an option that is there to use, Mac has it as well i beleive built in or no - or is that only with norton?

Would be nice when M$ makes it an option in the O/S - but that will prob never happen.

i am sure if u run it on Mac it does the same as a PC in terms of performace gains on older systems.

 

[OSIRIS]

I never used a Mac (except for a IIe when I was really little) until I started working for a Mac-dominant school system. Never started messing with computers until I was in college. Used PCs all through college, then came my tech support job I'm at now with the schools and been a Mac fan ever since. I've got a 12" PB 1GHz G4 and 15GB iPod and I'm all set!

 

[malt]

I was always into PCs, my first computer was a comodore64, and the first pc I built was a 8086. I loved computers in general, and tinkered around with the *nix OS's.

There was something "missing" though, I liked windows, and linux, but for some reason they felt "hollow". Then one day I strolled into a CompUSA and went to the Mac section. Keep in mind, I was always the guy making fun of Macs, the guy everyone just shut up when I came around if they were having a mac discussion. I guess it was one of those things you do when you can't afford something, but you secretly want it. I liked the way that the Macs looked, but the OS was kind of klunky looking, I wished they would fix the OS, then I'd consider buying a mac.

So, I get to the Mac section of the store and have a look around, the macs have changed, they look better now, no SCSI drives, YAY! But the clincher of all this is the OS, they seemed to hear my thoughts, no more OS9,. In front of me was a beautiful machine, and now a beautiful GUI. I started playing around with the OS, checked out the applications for awhile. After I got over the eye candy, I checked out the Utilities folder, hey, there's a Terminal.app COOL!

I popped into the terminal and it looked curiously like a UNIX command prompt, being the geek that I am, I started browsing the directory structure from the / all the way down. Excuse me, when did they put UNIX into the Mac? There was even the standard UNIX apps, EVEN VI!

I have an iBook and a G4/450 now, I still have one pc, but I use that as an expensive home theatre pc, to play movies/music/games on. I don't think I'm going to be buying any PCs again. I joined these forums recently because it seems to be full of people that like these boxes as mch as I do. I'll be here alot, take care all.

Also, Macs beat the pants off of pcs for video editing and DVD creation.

::EDIT::
Fixed before the capitalization nazis lynch me.

 

[Mr.Guvernment]

^^^ they are not MACS as i haev been told

See. See. SEE?!
Newbies!!!!! PC WEENIE!
its not a MAC, its a Mac. MAC stands for Media Acess Control. Mac is short for Macintosh. GET IT RIGHT.
and its not MAC O/S X, its Mac OS X. NO SLASH. NO CAPS ON Mac!!!!!
sorryy... its a pet peeve of mine... heh.

 

[Mr.Guvernment]

Also, macs beat the pants off of pcs for video editing and DVD creation.

it is not likely an old G4 would beat te pants off my p4 2.4 @ 3.2 with 1g pc3200 and a radeon 9700 PRO

So in a sense that statement is false In todays large selections of computer ones must be more specific such as a Dual G5 2ghz will bet the pants off a dual Xeon system - etcetera.

I just dont like large generalizations that are not specific and often false

Just as much as i dont like people saying PC rules Mac's type deal.

but i am just weird like that.

 

[malt]

it is not likely an old G4 would beat te pants off my p4 2.4 @ 3.2 with 1g pc3200 and a radeon 9700 PRO

So in a sense that statement is false In todays large selections of computer ones must be more specific such as a Dual G5 2ghz will bet the pants off a dual Xeon system - etcetera.

I just dont like large generalizations that are not specific and often false

Just as much as i dont like people saying PC rules Mac's type deal.

but i am just weird like that.

To be more specific, I mean that in terms of "ease-of-use" the Mac platform is better for completing more work, with greater ease, than the PC platform. I have edited the same footage on a pc with both Abobe Premier and Vegas Video, it was an exercise in pure annoyance. Next, I tried the same footage on my G4, not only was my "Non-supported" video camera recognised, but it allowed me to import and control the camera from within iMovie and Final Cut Express. I created a DVD from my Mac from start of import, to start of final render, in less than 1 hour. THe same operation on the PC took approximately 3 hours, including a reboot from a crash(that only added 3 minutes).

Mind you, the rendering on the PC totally burried the render time my Mac was able to pull off, but my Mac was easier to use, therefore I was able to do more work in less time. Does that clear things up for you?

 

[Mr.Guvernment]

^^^ ahh so software wise - i always tend to go to hardware

i think i can likely agree with that, not that i have done any editing with the mentioned above software but i guess what works for you is what is important in the end. Myself - i am more a hardware guy - the software is of course important but i dont mind if ineed to know how to do that little bit more as it will help me down the road - i am not saying Apple software is easy to use - they do have their rather difficult suite's of programs, just most of it is a simple layout - which is good - but i like a challenge now and then , but other times i just wish it could be simpler for some programs

For me when i have had the chance to use an Apple computer i try to, how ever because i am so used to windows - i do find it difficult often, the same goes for someone who tries to go from Apple to PC - they are so used to one thing that they often get frustrated with something new.

The programs that you use - can you export yourwork to a PC to render on that or use a network render?

 

[malt]

^^^ ahh so software wise - i always tend to go to hardware

i think i can likely agree with that, not that i have done any editing with the mentioned above software but i guess what works for you is what is important in the end. Myself - i am more a hardware guy - the software is of course important but i dont mind if ineed to know how to do that little bit more as it will help me down the road - i am not saying Apple software is easy to use - they do have their rather difficult suite's of programs, just most of it is a simple layout - which is good - but i like a challenge now and then , but other times i just wish it could be simpler for some programs

For me when i have had the chance to use an Apple computer i try to, how ever because i am so used to windows - i do find it difficult often, the same goes for someone who tries to go from Apple to PC - they are so used to one thing that they often get frustrated with something new.

The programs that you use - can you export yourwork to a PC to render on that or use a network render?

^^^Potentially, but I like to get out from in front of the computer screen and have a beer, or play some games while the rendering happens.

 

[Mr.Guvernment]

- good point.

i often wonder how i ever survived with just one computer - especially wback whn i could burn a cd and do nothign else on my computer cause of buffer underruns and a cd would take 20 mins on 4x..lol


now i have 3 computers sitting in front of me and 2 off to the side and a laptop..lol

now idont have enough to do on all 3

1 is strickly work
1 is strictly gaming
and the 3rd i deciuded to use for my regualr web surfning IM's and for the gf when she comes over

AND i will be building a forth early next year a dual Opteron system for my gfx design - and no, i wont go Apple - sinple because all the software i know and use is on PC - from there hope to use my 3 other high end systems as part of a mini rendering farm - except for my gaming rig - as u said - need something to play the games on while things a rendering.