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If you get a mac for really cheap, would you buy it?, or if someone gave you theirs (yes it has OS x), would you use it instead of your current machine, or would you at least set it up as a secondary machine?
| yes, I would get a Mac | 36 | |
| yes, but only if it was free | 28 | |
| maybe, ill leave a comment | 6 | |
| No, I hate Apple! | 30 | |
| Whats a Mac? | 3 | |
| I want a monkey! | 18 |
Sure.
I probably wouldn't use it but a situation where I have a Mac can't be worse than one where I don't have a Mac.
If someone offered me one for free, I'd suggest they give it to someone else.
I've used windows for the most of my life, (well since win95 -win7). Tried user friendly GUI linuxes too.
And I gotta say that I fucking hate windows. Anything that runs on windows. And I seriously see no reason to learn Linux any better. I'm not a power user, I don't wanna waste my time on that.
Buying a mac was worth every damn penny. I got an old macbook, it's a trooper, been through a lot and still kicks ass of many way newer pc's.
yeah, gaming sucks on macs, but then -buy a console. having to deal with windows crap just to play skyrim is just not worth it.
"user friendly GUI linuxes"?
I think you just made those up; I haven't found a version of Linux of that I would consider to be user-friendly, even when compared to Windows.
really? I'm sorry to hear that. And maybe I'm not the best person to have a Linux conversation with, but alright.
Almost all of the mainstream distros these days are GUI (it's not 90's Red Hat anymore).
The distros change all the time, there are spin offs, but the cores are the same. I never got into GNOME, but KDE desktops were easier for me. Most of them are free, some of them will cost you cash.
I found distros like Knoppix working pretty much- right out of the box. It's also Live CD bootable, hence you don't have to install anything on your harddrive.
Ubuntu is pretty user friendly, you can even install it along with your windows and choose which one to boot at the start up.
And... there are distros that basically make everything FOR you. I consider it pretty "user friendly". Although, as I mentioned, except for the little knowledge about LInux I needed for work, I never got into it.
Check the "Distrowatch.com" and "OSDisc. com" for updated information.
Did you just say, a console was a sufficient replacement for PC gaming? The PC and console gaming communities and markets are completely and utterly different.
Dude, I'm not a hardcore gamer. For me it's more than sufficient. The only difference I see is about mods and the rest of the DIY stuff, which is awesome, but not a necessity. Not to mention that a console is a dedicated unit that uses all its resources to run a game. It rarely crashes, it doesn't lag. And, with a good screen, you're getting great graphics with 1/3 or even 1/4 of the pc price. So I honestly don't care about the communities and markets. it's purely about what's practical and fun.
It's not that I hate apple, it's that I really dislike Macs after using a normal computer with windows.
What are some advantages and disadvantages of a Mac?
Of course I would take one if somebody gave it to me for free though!
well here are the pros and cons i am aware of (from what i have researched)
pros
good design
some have all components built in Except keyboard and mouse)
better customer service
faster than most pcs (low and mid range)
many programs built in
more secure
Operating system constantly updated
Cons
Expensive to buy
only one type of style
expensive to fix
Operating system constantly updated
Less third-party programs
Compatibiliy issues with windows (although this is less of a problem than in past years)
Similar priced PC is more powerful
Doesn't support Adobe reader or shockwave flash (you may be able to find a media player that does, though)
- expensive to fix
As long as it's under warranty, it's quite cheap (usually free to fix). AppleCare is only $200-$300 and well worth the money if something goes wrong, and they will repair things most PC manufacturers would scoff at the thought of covering.
- Operating system constantly updated
Windows has something called "Patch Tuesday" every month where they release a bunch of patches. From a software engineering standpoint, smaller incremental changes are generally more stable than large sweeping ones. From a security standpoint, I like that Apple is constantly pushing out updates to fix security issues.
- Less third-party programs
There is tons of 3rd-party support for the Mac platform, including some developers who write software exclusively for Macs.
- Compatibiliy issues with windows (although this is less of a problem than in past years)
Boot Camp allows you to install Windows directly onto an Apple computer. Parallels allows you to seamlessly run Windows applications from within OS X.
- Doesn't support Adobe reader or shockwave flash (you may be able to find a media player that does, though)
I have native versions of both of these installed on my Mac RIGHT THE FUCK NOW.
When i say constantly updated, i mean the main os like 10.6 to 10.7, which means you have to buy software to update your system. Yeah, theyre are updates that fix bugs in the current os (yes, windows also has that), but a new version of the os comes out more often than windows based operationg systems. just like os 10.1 and 10.6 are both based on OSX, Xp and 7 are based on the windows NT/2000 platform.
If it was super cheap or free I probably would, just to fool around on it and actually learn the operating system in case I ever had to know more about one.
I've had to use them in graphic design classes, and I found myself at a disatvantage because I didn't know how to do some shit that was OS specific.
No I will not be infected with that software. You might not realize but once you buy apple you are not allowed to have any kind of outside software on your computer. So that means mac computer, iPod, iPhone. You are giving away your independence and I want to remain independent!
Ironic, some people want a mac to get away from "Big Brother" windows, but they end up being more tightly shackled by going to a mac. I looked at an ipod once, but didnt buy it when i realized it only worked with music bought on itunes, and i wasnt about to buy again the same songs I had ALREADY bought when i bought the cds in the first place!
(btw, that was in 08, so i dunno if its still have to buy the songs on itunes to put them on the damn ipod.(or iphone)
My $34 RCA (was $50 when I bought it) is almost 3 years old, and still works damn good )the battery will sometims die if i leave it off for 2 weeks, but other than that, no problems!)
I look at windows vs apple this way:
Windows: old Chevy Truck (or similar old truck)
Mac: New Mercedes Benz (or similar specialized high priced car)
The windows: (or old chevy) was cheap to buy. its not that pretty, and It may break down more often, but its cheap to fix, and you have a ton of options for parts, whether from the factory or from a third party (aftermarket for your truck) with a little knowledge, you can keep it going forever
The Mac(Mercedes): nice, shiny, and Agonizingly pretty. It cost you an Arm and a Leg to buy, but it doesnt break down too often. When it does take a turn for the worse, Its gonna be VERY expensive to fix (hopefully you can afford to buy their special extended warranties, so its slightly cheaper or free for a few years), and about the only parts that will work for it have to come directly from them (and they may take awhile to get to the service station, costing you more time and money. third party(aftermarket) things have a higher chance of failiure, and they may penalise you for using them. You can keep it going forever as well, but it takes more time and money.
Always comparison shop and look at what you need/want (and if you can afford it) before making your decision
do you want the cheap item that is slightly less reliable, or the really expensive one that goes a little farther before biting it?
Also, look inbetween these too.
yes you do. You can not put on anything from a CD even if you have a cd and downloading Itunes does not let you delete the program or download anything outside Itune products. It also buys catchy songs like "Emokids" that are popular to make sure no one else can buy it. Once you have it on your computer you are forced to buy only itune music and products since at this point you just gave up your free will and ability to think on your own. Not to mention Itune sucks as a lot of the songs do not work properly and it often steal music from the surrounding areas. Which means also is stealing your personal info to link to your computer.
Outside software? Like shareware?
Id rather download freeware, if your really a windows user, you understand what i mean. Plus, virtualzing windows on a mac is not as difficult as you want to believe. quality over QUANTITY. the cheaper the hardware the more expensive the software, and lets be honest, you WILL buy more software than hardware and seriously, who wants to spend all that time reinstalling programs in case of failure, i sure as hell am SICK of it!
If you are concerned about the price of a mac, just but the mac mini, its the equivalent of any PC you can buy minus the power. If you need hardware power over software power, Windows PC are obvious. But if you just want a better computing experience, buy whatever mac you can afford and if anything just keep your data backed up. Most mac users dont back up there data because they feel like they dont need to, because "it just works", as the cliche puts it. Just dont be naive and make sure your data is as secure as the money in your bank account (you can keep all of your money at one banking institution but if history has taught us anything, your lining up for the next great depression with the rest of em)
Oh and i am STILL a windows user BTW, i just now call myself an enthusiast. Im not spending over 2500 on a Mac Pro to run battlefield 3. Windows serves as my gaming console and thats all.
thats how i am with my laptop, All my computer info is backed up on 3 zip drives, 2 sd cards, and my home office pc.(and cds) I have two extra hard drives with that pcs info. my laptop crashed once on me (and only partially backed up), not repeating that mistake.
id be the same way with a mac.
I started to read the comments and then stopped. Im a Mac user, since 07. Before then WinXP since 01, 3.1/98 since AOL 3.0. I switched to a mac because i was sick and tired of browsing porn/p2p netowrks with mal/ad/w/e ware. My mac was expensive, and so the same goes for hardware and software repair services.
To me, at the cost of hardware, you get really shitty, restrictive software known by many as Windows (at least unless your some programming, coding genius) yet my windows chops can still garner some recognition over the average user.
Porn, p2p, torrents, software (cracked) are my secret areas of expertise that most dont acknowledge. Since i went to OSX, i havent and shall never look back. Linux i can live with (UNIX) but obviously much more is available on the Mac (freeware, rather USEFUL freeware for that matter). Yes its expensive but if you take the time to learn what OSX can offer, you would be a fool to buy cheap hardware that requires a degree or a lifetime of experience to (relatively) conquer.
Put it this way, if my (mac) hardware fails, i can get it fixed under warranty assuming that the failure is natural and not physical/cosmetic. If its out of warranty, tough nuggets. Quality over quantity, i take good enough care of my hardware (and know enough about the hardware AND the software) that i am willing to pay for a Mac if necessary. You can build a hackintosh if your willing to buy SELECT hardware that supports the software. Or you can buy hardware COMPLETELY designed for the software as it was built and thers a good chance you wont regret it. I still do porn and p2p etc. I just spend more time doing that and less time scanning for potential threats or dealing with annoying system popups that ask me whether or not im really really very fucking sure i want to do what it is im about to do.
Im a computer user, not a fucking child, Bill gates. I dont idolize apple or steve jobs, just Mac OS and some select hardware that has my pride of ownership (like my subaru)
Yes I would accept a free Mac. Since it could mean a free $2500+. A strange option to add.
I do like the new retina display on the mac book pro but that being said I don't think I'l ever buy a mac. I have too much fun arsing around building my pc.
In my case, I bought the mac... I knew it was hundreds of dollars more expensive than my HP, but It didn't matter. I needed reliability. Turns out it wasn't that "reliable" and a few months ago, the hard drive actually crashed. They had to order a new hard drive and the bill was about $800+, that was with tax. Thankfully, I had the Apple Care otherwise I would've been in trouble since I didn't know I had to bring such a ridiculous amount of money with me. Another issue, I had was that it wouldn't pick up wifi in and around the area that I live in and it still makes "strange noises" like it's on the verge of crashing again.
When you buy a mac, you can't just think of the pros. You also need to think of the cons...
I wouldn't take it just because years ago I used to work as a tech for a school fixing their macs and I can not stand them now