What made you switch from PC's to Macs?

[johne53]

I think that's broadly true. Windows (as an OS) has been pretty reliable ever since XP came along (even Vista wasn't that bad) and Windows 7 is really a very good OS indeed. However, Windows' Achilles heel has always been its susceptibility to viruses and other malware. The other reported problems (DLL Hell etc) were largely confined to history as far back as Windows 98 although many would have you believe that dodgy drivers and DLL Hell are still ongoing problems for Windows users (which they aren't).

The Mac's great strength is the consistency of its applications which, in turn, leads to a not-too-steep learning curve. And its also great that most of what you need is there right out of the box. Unless you want really top notch software, you can survive with what you get from the OS install disks. That's very different from the situation with Windows where you can't get very far at all without adding 3rd party products.

But one thing I've learned about computing is that the majority of computer users view their favoured OS through rose-tinted glasses. Even Linux users think it's the bees knees - whereas I find using Linux a bit like travelling back in time to the 1980's. It's like computing used to be around 25 years ago!

Which all goes to prove that there's no accounting for taste..!

[Proemed]

So I've been hearing for a long time how great Macs are. I will admit somethings were simple and nice in a way I never thought possible. But now that I worked with a Mac I learned to love PCs! The things I accepted as just easy to do without any explanation on a PC are sometimes not even doable on a MAC. Thank God for dual boot! Otherwise, Macs don't even make good door stops! Its packaged pretty, and its a powerful laptop but without putting Windows on this its not worth even the price of a PC.

[mrcqm]

Originally Posted by Proemed

So I've been hearing for a long time how great Macs are. I will admit somethings were simple and nice in a way I never thought possible. But now that I worked with a Mac I learned to love PCs! The things I accepted as just easy to do without any explanation on a PC are sometimes not even doable on a MAC. Thank God for dual boot! Otherwise, Macs don't even make good door stops! Its packaged pretty, and its a powerful laptop but without putting Windows on this its not worth even the price of a PC.

I'm not trying to be argumentative so please don't take it that way. Please name a few things you found "easy on a PC" and "impossible on a Mac". I have not run into anything like that and I'm what most would call a power user on both platforms.

[Proemed]

Hi:
Nothing argumentative at all in your comment. Where do I begin. Well to start chasing browser windows around for no apparent reason was new to me. All of sudden magnification comes on with me doing anything. I never use to have to fight with drop down screens to create a search path to save a document. All these things are not problems I had when I was on a PC.

If you used a PC you start to realize it may not be simplified in the way a Mac is, but much like learning a language, once you understand what your doing, and more importantly why your doing it, it makes complete sense. I have not felt that with Macs yet. On a PC if I don't see a file size on a document, right click look at properties and it will tell you. On a Mac you look in a finder a few have their size shown but the majority show nothing and there is no right click. Why have something that occasionally works?

Honestly the learning curve on a PC was much shorter and far more based on principle. Macs don't seem to be for people who understand principles. The idea behind Macs seems to be you don't need to know that, which really limits your ability to grow with an operating system. Somethings on a Mac seem like there an annoyance. This hiding the browsers without any clear reason is just aggravating. Ya its a stable machine by why all these problems?

[johne53]

I'm not sure if I'd agree with everything you've said and I can't say that I even recognise some of the problems you described. For example, Finder lets me right-click on my files and then select "Get Info" which shows me their size and various other things. However I do agree with your conclusion. Macs seem to be designed primarily for people who don't want too many options. In most cases, you're only offered one way of doing things and you either do it that way or you do without it.

For example, it still infuriates me that you can only resize a window by dragging its bottom-right corner. You can't drag any other corner, or the top or bottom edges or the sides. It's that kind of limitation that's so frustrating if you've come from a PC.

Selecting text with my mouse is another mega frustration. It works fine if you select forwards (i.e. position your cursor at the start of the first word, then drag to the end of the wanted section). But if I try to select in a backwards direction, 9 times out of 10 it will select the wrong text or miss a few letters off the end. And don't get me started about the limited choice of hardware and peripherals!

There seems to be a general assumption by Apple that as long as there's one option that works, it doesn't really matter if the other options are half-baked, or if they don't work properly, or even if there are no alternative options available at all. And there's no recognition at all of the fact that different people are different and that most people like to experiment with a few alternatives and pick the one that suits them. Quite the opposite in fact. The assumption seems to be that every user should be forced to work the Steve Jobs way, whether it suits them or not. Admittedly, this does lead to an easy learning curve (which is probably the principle behind it) but in the longer term it also leaves a lot of users feeling restricted and frsutrated.

[nato]

please guys can someone tell me a great support for mac,like a phone service or e-mial support?

[mrcqm]

Originally Posted by nato

please guys can someone tell me a great support for mac,like a phone service or e-mial support?

I'd suggest forums such as this one and/or the Apple Store if you have one near you. What problem are you having? Try describing it in either our hardware or software support forums.

[Witch1]

For me, it started with the humble iPod Touch. I got it, loved it, and thought "If this works this great, lets see what else is out there". Got an iPhone (cue the angelic choir) and wow! That lead to a MacBook, MacBook Pro, and am now an avid collector of vintage Apple products. I have a G3 eMac, clamshell iBook, G4 iBook, G4 iMac (flowerpot), Apple optical mouse (wired), and an old Apple branded camera. I also have various original Apple mousepads and t-shirts. I love all Apple products-esp. the vintage stuff! Oops-forgot my iPad!