Get The Facts Jack, And Don't Be Fooled By Hype!
Nov 19 '00
Oh this is a category than can get ugly, and I'm sure the Mac bashers probably about here, thank goodness for content filters, so I don't have to read mindless garble from platform bashing morons. So why would I decide to write in such an arena that can cause enemies and retaliation rating faster than you can count to 3? Well mainly because I feel like the Mac has a bad rap and that folks who are in the coin toss situation might want to know a few things....
A little background on me here, I am a graphic designer/art director (i.e. in the publishing business), therefor I Mac (hee,hee... couldn't have had an Epinion on this subject without sneaking that in somewhere). Anyhoo... just because (yep I'm going to do it again) I Mac doesn't mean that I have anything against PC's.... I'm fairly open minded, big of me isn't it? Yes I'm known by my circle of friends as that Mac person and I'm totally outnumbered.... I have converted 3 family members to the Mac platform and they have no desire to return to the other side. So while I could sit and tout the finer attributes of the Mac for endless hours, I will instead do what I'm supposed to here and explain why I think which platform would best suit your needs.....
Wanna fool around?
Now wait don't get excited, I'm not talking about any dirty cyber activities, I'm referring to GAMES.... You know like Marathon, Myst, Sim City, and the like.... If you want a serious game machine, get a PC... not only will you have more games available to you, you will get newer versions before Mac folks and they will probably run a little better.
Hey Baby Can I Take Your Picture?
If you're into the whole picture taking business... or graphics.... well this is pretty much a hands down area for the Mac. I am not saying you can't do some of the same things on a PC, I'm saying I feel the Mac does them better! PhotoShop, Quark, PageMaker, etc.... are all available on both PC & Mac, so you won't find a shortage of applications, you'll probably just find that they run better on a Mac. Apple has also made us the captains of our own Titantic's this year by giving us firewire and the ability to record movies and edit them on our machines.... While you may not make the next box office blockbuster, you can entertain your family members with your home movies none the less.
Surfin' Safari
So you're ready to surf the world wide web.... you want to do it in style.... you want to do it easily.... you want to see all the bells & whistles web page designers have created for your eyes.... This category is a toss up.... I find that when I'm surfing on a PC I have better compatibility because Macs & JavaScript don't always play well together.... I'm a scavenger, I use the Net to find things that I'm interested in obtaining.... movies, music, software, etc... When I want to get certain toys, I find that I can find more available for the PC than I can for the mac.... but since those activities are somewhat controversial.... I won't give either platform a point, I'll just leave it at there is more downloadable stuff out there for the PC than there is for the Mac. Now being a designer, I'm usually more impressed with the way things look than maybe even how they run... so I willingly sacrifice the few pages I have problems with JavaScript on to have an adorable computer... And of course only Apple can give you a bathroom safari with it's wireless Airport connection, you can surf or print from many different locations, some we may not even want to discuss... but the possibilities are endless.
Does Your Computer Make You Feel Warm & Fuzzy Inside?
If it does maybe a 12 step program of some sort is in order, but that's okay! I can honestly say I love my Macs.... I find a bond with other Mac users... we're a tightnit bunch, it almost ensures a mutual respect, how many PC people have you ever met that talk about their platform or hardware like that? I've not run across many. If you want to join a little fraternity or family of other users.... you'll find this only with Mac. If you're strictly into aesthetics... the Mac in my opinion has the PC nailed in this version as well. The cases are far more attractive than the ugly beige boxes that adorn millions of desks world wide, how can anyone find a cube, iMac or Blue & White G3/4 less attractive than a square beige box? Okay I'll concede to HP on this thing, their beige boxes aren't as ugly as everyone else's.
You're Not a Computer Geek & Don't Want To Be One
One of the things I like most about the Mac is it's absolute ease of use. It's so simple to learn. My husband had zero computer experience and he was up and running on a Mac in literally minutes. I used him as shall we say, a test dummy, to see if what Apple says is true about it's ease of use out the box. It was right on.... he was able to take the iMac out of it's box, set it up, and was surfing the WWW before the 15 minute time frame was up. He's able to understand the error dialog boxes when they do appear on the screen. For example if you have an application crash due to an extension conflict, the Mac will usually tell you, unfortunately on a PC you'll get some weird error message about a .DLL file or something like that.... I have 15 years experience on computers and 9 times out of 10 I don't understand the PC error dialog boxes, but have learned to navigate around well enough to fix the problem. The file hierarchy on the Mac makes sense, you can find files (with some basic understanding of computer files) quite easily, and understand pretty much by file name what it is, where it should live, etc.... on a Mac, this task on a PC is far more complex. I compare this to an office that uses file folders in a filing cabinet to one that just throws all their documents in a big box. The Mac being the office that uses a filing system.
I Want To Do Accounting, Word Processing & Other Mundane Tasks
Didn't mean to insult annoys occupations or hobbies there, but I personally don't find excel spreadsheets the highlight of my day. But if that's strictly what I was doing on a computer, the above mentioned activities, you will find that either platform will meet your needs nicely. I can use all the standard apps on my Mac and they run well. If I'm going to need to send them to a PC platform I can convert them when I save. So I'm not limited in my work abilities or the ability to share with others, just because I choose a Mac.
Don't Be Fooled by Numbers
Many folks will tell you that Macs are overpriced. I'm sorry, I don't agree, I think you get what you pay for. Just like when buying a car you have choices between Yugo's & Ferrari's.... Both platforms have basic units and as their innards get better, their prices get higher. I find that PC's may come with more bundled software than a Mac but the Mac comes with cooler software, like iMovie for example. Do your homework, do some comparisons, and you will find that all in all the Mac is competitively priced. In order to complete that last step well you will need to understand a little computer lingo about processors and the like. Due to the differences in Mac's and PC's you may be fooled by the 466 MHz Mac at $999 and a 500 Mhz PC for the same price. You aren't getting more for your money on the PC just because the number 500 is larger than 466... the way processors work on each platform is different and my G3's, G4's and iMacs run just as fast as many 600+Mhz PC boxes.
I've Had My Flu Shot!
I have to sit back and laugh and be fairly secure that I don't have to worry about the latest Virus attack that's being announced on CNN. Well I've never had a virus on my mac, and yes I do use protection, but still even on my living dangerously machine where there is no Virex, I've never (knock on wood) had a virus. I did get a worm once, oh no that was in a bottle of tequila.... Anyway, having a Mac, I feel secure that I won't have problems with the lastest attack that some moron has passed around because they have nothing better to do with their time than ruin other's days.
Don't Get Caught Up in Politics....
Uneducated or misinformed Mac fanatics will tell you that Window's was stolen from Mac, actually it wasn't stolen, but appropriated, legally, by Billy Boy, because Apple didn't do some homework, and parts of the initial Mac OS was appropriated by Apple from Xerox... so go figure, it's down and dirty in the computer warfare trenches.
Real Estate is Expensive
If you're low on desktop real estate, nothing beats the iMac, I know some wiseguy out there is remembering the eMachine, but let's be real here, there is no comparison. The compact design of the iMac is perfect the for dorm room or even a semi truck's sleeper berth. I know because I've used mine in just that location. Can you imagine trying to set up a PC in a sleeper? Wouldn't be fun, easy or friendly. The mac did so easily. The All-in-One design of the iMac gives me my speakers built in and a tidy little case.
Upgrades & Expansions
This is one area I will give to the PC... yes, Mac's and even iMac's are upgradeable, but not easily or inexpensively. I can crack the iMac case to install ram in less than 5 minutes on the new iMacs and the Cube and Blue and Whites aren't that difficult either, but for other types of expansions, you might just plan and save ahead of time, anticipate your needs and get what you need right off the bat, if you're going in the Mac direction.
Silence Is Golden
The new Mac's don't have a fan inside, so they are very, very quite, and yes they are warm, but not hot, and they make a perfect place for my cat to sleep when I'm away! And while it doesn't necessarily belong under this sub heading, I don't want to address one little thing... the lack of a floppy drive on the new Apple line. I don't miss the little bugger, and don't let it influence your decision... I'm sure a lot of people didn't want to give up the 8-Track platform for cassettes.... enough said... times change, go with the flow, you won't miss it!
So consider many things when deciding on your new platform and please don't get caught up in myths, stereotypes and outright lies. Do your homework, decide what you need, make a well informed decision and keep an open mind and I'm sure you'll find a computer that will suit your needs. As for mine, they are met in many ways by the company known as Apple.
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Epinions.com ID:
shanna
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Member: Shanna
Location: Pensacola Beach
Reviews written: 231
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