Mac my life or PC in strife
It arrived! My first NY advance check has arrived. And after dreaming of everything I could do with it…go back to Disneyland, pay off part of my bills, buy a fabulous purse…well, the possibilities were endless. But pay off bills was my first instinct, until something else took the lead. I need a new computer. Badly.
My current laptop? Let’s see, not even three years old and…the ‘u’ key is missing, the CD drive is broke, the monitor springs are giving out and it flops backward and forward if its not at the perfect angle, the AC adapter keeled out (again!) and I had to buy a generic one that falls out all the time. Oh, and I’ve never been able to copy and paste pictures into an email. There’s more, but that’s all I’m typing. So yes, I need a new computer. Though I always wince at buying one.
So now that I’ve made the decision to buy a new laptop, I’m pondering what to buy. And so now into a debate that is in no way unique, I want your feedback. Your opinion. What is better. A PC or a Mac.
I’ve been a PC person for years, and have never felt the need to switch–let alone pay the extra dough Mac wants. But I’m hedging. Why? Two words that bring to mind the devil’s incarnate: 
Microsoft Vista. I’ve heard nothing but awful things, and I’m pretty sure I don’t want to deal. My fear of Mac is it’s also new and scary–but in reality it’s supposed to be easier and less virus prone. I have a few PC’s I’m curious about–but, God, I’ll never touch another Compaq.
So….convince me. What do you prefer? A Mac or PC? And is Vista really as bad as I’ve heard?
August 24th, 2008 at 11:38 pm
Mac. MAC. I say this as a lifelong PC person. My next computer is going to be a Mac. The Vista experiment can bite me.
August 24th, 2008 at 11:54 pm
Mac. Go Mac. I’ve been waffling on my purchase for a few weeks, not because I was unsure about the computer, but because there’s rumours of a new version coming out sometime between now and the end of September.
But honestly, I have an iMac and I find it sooooo much more user friendly than my Windows laptop… Except for the incredibly crappy Yahoo! Messenger for Mac. That sucks. ;)
August 25th, 2008 at 12:13 am
Dana, Vista just bites period I hear. I mean if you have to downgrade your computer after you buy it, that says something…
Laurie, I’ve heard those rumors too. And from an inside source ;) So hold off! Though that free Ipod is tempting…
August 25th, 2008 at 1:13 am
I’m typing this on a Mac Air. What can I say? I fucking love it.
August 25th, 2008 at 1:15 am
I’ve been using Macs for years and I’ve never had a virus. Also, they are just sexier. All the cool kids have one.
August 25th, 2008 at 1:24 am
The cool kids got Mac, eh? Get my Mac on. Mac, mac, macitty mac.
August 25th, 2008 at 2:30 am
I’m a PC person. From what I understand about Macs (and I could be wrong, mind you), a lot of the programs I use aren’t yet compatible. Of course, this is just a rumor I’ve heard.
Vista is…pretty and it can be annoying sometimes–but what computer isn’t? My only suggestion, if you get a PC and do more than write (gaming, art programs, etc), I’d try to get at least 2 gigs of RAM. :)
August 25th, 2008 at 3:09 am
Lanie, I worried about the compatible programs thing. I was relieved to hear you could buy a Mac version of Office if I get one.
August 25th, 2008 at 6:00 am
It sucks that my laptop isn’t even a year old and I’m thinking of chucking it.
Damn Windows Vista.
August 25th, 2008 at 6:04 am
I’ve used Macs for twenty years now. I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of major problems I’ve had. All of them were hardware failure of one type or another. What car doesn’t get a flat tire on occasion?
You won’t have to buy a lot of extra software. It comes with a word processor, a spreadsheet program, a website builder, a web browser and all kinds of other stuff. I use the word processor for my writing and it works just fine. It can export files in Word format, and read Word documents as well. So you won’t be cut off from the rest of the world.
I’ve gotten five years worth of work out of each Mac I’ve had. The only reason I stopped using them was they were a little too slow and memory deficient to use the more modern software. But they were still running fine.
One thing a lot of people complain about is the upfront cost of a Mac. But that’s just upfront. When you factor in all the software bundled with it along the time it saves by being consistent and reliable Macs become a better deal.
So I say, get a Mac!
August 25th, 2008 at 8:40 am
I think I see a Mac in your future. I too am a Mac person. I was seduced by the pretty iMacs, but I’ve stayed for the great performance. I’ve only ever had trouble with my Macs twice. Once because that poor baby was 5 years old and I had taken it to dusty ol’ Seoul. Then it started getting cranky with me. The next one I had for 6 months before it was stolen without being backed up. I guess that problem was my fault, huh?
The only thing that bothers me about the Mac is that a lot of things don’t work on it. Not just programs, but things online. This helps me most of the time because it narrows the field of time wasters.
August 25th, 2008 at 11:08 am
Shellie……my next computer will be a MAC! Sasha White is a mac user too.
Also you might check Open Office. It’s a free program you can dl that’s just like Microsoft Office–I think Sun Java Systems puts it out.
I also have to echo the extra ram argument even if you *don’t* do a lot of extra stuff–you might need it in a few years. Save yourself the headache
August 25th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
Charlotte? I spend waaaaay to much time on line.
And I can’t remember the last time I couldn’t access a website or run something on the web.
About five years ago it was more common but these days, no problem.
August 25th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
Vista sucks. I think a Mac would be a smarter choice. Everyone I know who has one loves it.
Once you go Mac, you never go back.
August 25th, 2008 at 9:48 pm
I had a friend who worked for a company that used Macs. They got new management and changed to PCs.
The most common phrase I heard from him over the next couple of years was, “God, I hate Windows.”
August 28th, 2008 at 10:41 pm
Get a Mac and you’ll never go back! I’m a die hard Mac user since the days of Macintosh Plus. And every time I’m forced to use a PC it only reinforces why I love my Mac. And it is true that you have to spend more upfront but the longevity of a Mac makes up for it and don’t forget about the quality of that time spent working on it.
I feel in control of my computer with Apple, but whenever I’m using a PC I always feel that other forces are controlling my computer experience. With PCs I never know why the computer is freezing, is it the PC, the operating system or the program itself? I find myself saying “I hate PCs” all the time with those computers whereas my experience with a Mac needs no comment because it rarely fails me and lets me go on with my business.