PC to Mac

[betsytom]

It looks as though we will be needing a new computer and the dw wants to look into Macs, we have really about had it with Microsoft and the issues which always show up after a while-its amazing to me that MS still cannot produce a stable operating system.

Does anyone know what the learning curve is when switching to a Mac from a PC, no 'right' click??

[k0129rwv]

I am a die hard Mac fan.....I have been for about 15 years......I have worked with IBM based computers ....I have built them, installed them and hoped they worked......My last 2 jobs involved working with IBM programs and I hated the way they performed or should I say did not perform.... every day it was something ......
If you purchase a MAC the Apple store offers one on one training and a Genius bar to answer your questions and help you thru things.

When you buy a Mac you don't have to buy video cards, sound cards etc. It comes with it. It may appear that you are paying more but the reality is you don't have to keep buying add ons. An analogy would be like buying a Yugo (IBM)and trying to make it into a Cadillac (MAC). Mac users don't go back...

The new Mac's will run Windows programs. Plus you can port your old stuff over...:D

[millerfamily]

Good luck with the switch, Ithink it's a dumb move
Happy traveling

[utmtman]

Well I worked for staples for a couple of years and also had my own pc business. Has hundreds of people come to both for Mac repairs and had to send them out of state for repairs. Of course Utah now has one Apple store in Salt Lake. Funny that even stores that sell them told me they cannot repair them and have to send them out so think about your time down while you wait for repairs.

[lindah]

When you buy a Mac you don't have to buy video cards, sound cards etc.
I've been a PC user for years and years and have never had to purchase a video or sound card for any of my computers.

[k0129rwv]

In 15 years of daily use I have never had to have a Mac repaired....I have had to have my cable modum replaced but never had a crash or had to take my computer to a repair facility......:D

[jjtimmons]

The PC vs. Mac war is mainly about preference.

Ultimately, there's one OS that you simply can't argue with about stability, etc, but nobody likes using that "trump" card because it's mainly for those who can get along without specific Microsoft programs (which are actually many, if they compromise familiarity).

My personal opinion is to stick with a PC. The benefits repair wise far outweigh the Mac. The argument of "not having to buy parts" is actually in favor of the PC: Because Apple's hardware is (for the most part) built in, if something does break you have to find an apple specialist (which usually means you're down a few weeks). The "PC" architecture is modular: you can both buy a motherboard/PC with all onboard video, sound, etc, or buy separate cards/upgrades without having to get a whole new PC.

Also, you'll find the same issue with Mac that you'll find with Apple OS wise: Microsoft is not as bad as it sounds, it's simply that far, far more people use it, and so the issues are magnified. Slow load times? That can often be laid at the software the users install, which will plague the Mac just the same one you get into using it. Now, you could go buy a PC and install the Mac OS if you really felt like it, but if you're going to go that far, why not just install Ubuntu and ensure you don't get virus issues?

Also, (My own guess) there are probably 9 out of 10 PC repair shops that don't deal with Macs. Many will actually laugh about it after you leave: Some just because that's the tech industry, but mainly because they know the rigmarole you'll eventually have to go through. Don't get me wrong: I'm not trying to say Macs are going to break down on you a lot. You may not ever have an issue. But usually, when you do, it's a big one, because suddenly you need it right away.

I would say stick with Windows, and take a look at yourself and how your using it might be causing the problems. I know software and OS's are supposed to do their best to both give you freedom and hold against you "doing the wrong thing." Imagine if we held the auto industry to the same standards: Shouldn't the car be able to handle you putting Windex in the gas tank? Shifting into reverse while cruising at 60? Take a look at the you do, what applications you have running at startup, etc, and see what you can do to ensure your PC runs better. Schedule a defragment every week. Shut your PC down at night. If you're using a laptop, don't hibernate it all the time: That can actually lead to gigs of hard drive been eaten up by temporary files that don't get deleted. Do you really need that weather program running all the time? Or that camera program? Thinks like that can make a big difference. If you didn't perform routine maintenance on your car, check the oil, etc, it would quickly break down. Computer's the same thing.

[utmtman]

Another famous line about Macs was they dont get viruses and thus dont need anti virus. Knew someone who told me that and the very next day a virus took his mac down. LOL took him three months to get it sent out repaired and get it back.

[betsytom]

Appreciate the replys.

Our computer use is pretty limited, email-surfing-word processing-some photo editing, no gaming, music, tv or videos so what we are using are only the programs that came with the pc with the exception of virus, printer, scanner.

On every computer we have had Windows has always degraded over time, always. We do the updates, run the utilities-but it becomes slower, slower and then permanently slow.

The majority of what we are reading and hearing is that OS X is an inherently more stable system, and Apple is an inherently more stable product due to the fact that the software is all Apple.

We seem to be getting about three years out of a PC, I don't know which system is best, though its hard for us to believe that Apple could be any worse.

Thank you all for helping out, we are still investigating which way we want to go, the big problem of course is that we are accustomed to a PC and Apple's are different.

OOPS, just thought of something-are there laptop gps navigation programs for Apple-right now we have both CoPilot and Street Atlas.

[jjtimmons]

Our computer use is pretty limited, email-surfing-word processing-some photo editing, no gaming, music, tv or videos so what we are using are only the programs that came with the pc with the exception of virus, printer, scanner.

I know Windows has Windows Media Center that came standard with Vista (I think), and there was also a separate edition for XP. For all the garbage I've heard about Vista, I don't find it that bad. Then again, I'm a security guy (among other things), and clicking security box are second nature to me. I hear there's a lot of neat stuff it can do...I've just never had a reason to do it.

As far as Macs are concerned, I don't know what they have.


On every computer we have had Windows has always degraded over time, always. We do the updates, run the utilities-but it becomes slower, slower and then permanently slow.

Updates and utilities can't help against a massive amount of startup programs, which is usually the case I find in why computers start becoming so slow.


The majority of what we are reading and hearing is that OS X is an inherently more stable system, and Apple is an inherently more stable product due to the fact that the software is all Apple.

That's a grossly incorrect statement. The design, -perhaps- the LCD & sound card are Apple, but the video chip is made by Nvidia (The most popular video card producer, outside of the built-in Intel chips), and the processor is built by Intel (also the most popular). I'm willing to bet the RAM and Hard Drive aren't made by Apple, and possibly the Ethernet and Wireless.

A Mac should do enough for you to get by, especially with all you use, and you may not notice as much of a slow down, because I'm not sure how many programs you can set up to run. I don't work with the OS that much at all (mostly Windows and Linux, which the Apple OS is made from), so I can't give a full comparison.

[whodo]

"Snip-it"
On every computer we have had Windows has always degraded over time, always. We do the updates, run the utilities-but it becomes slower, slower and then permanently slow.

I know nothing about computers, I can hardly turn the thing on, now my Grand kids on the other hand have forgotten more about computers than I will ever know.

First thing they taught me, clean out "prefetch" regularly and turn off everything in "msconfig" that doesn't need to be used at start up.

OK I let them do it, because I have no idea what they were talking about.
All I know is that the computer seems to start faster.
But what do I know, I'm just a computer dummy.

Hey JJ any thoughts on this?

[jjtimmons]

First thing they taught me, clean out "prefetch" regularly and turn off everything in "msconfig" that doesn't need to be used at start up.

OK I let them do it, because I have no idea what they were talking about.
All I know is that the computer seems to start faster.
But what do I know, I'm just a computer dummy.
Hey JJ any thoughts on this?

Yep:

Cleaning out the "prefetch" files isn't something I'd recommend. It doesn't really help either way.

The startup process in "msconfig" -do- make a difference, though, and that's part of what I meant regarding startup programs. Having the least amount of services starting up when you computer boots up is best, but also you need to make sure you don't accidentally mess something up.

Having all your files stored somewhere outside of "My Documents" may help, also, but this is more of a penny-in-the-well situation. In a technical sense, My Documents is a shell object (I believe) that has to be checked over every time your computer starts. Usually this doesn't cause that much of an issue, but there are times Windows gets slowed down going over it.

Scandisk and defragment your harddrive regularly. That's perhaps one of the best methods. Empty your recycle bin, and such. Basic maintenance is best.

[wagon217]

Yep:

Cleaning out the "prefetch" files isn't something I'd recommend. It doesn't really help either way.
Scandisk and defragment your harddrive regularly. That's perhaps one of the best methods. Empty your recycle bin, and such. Basic maintenance is best.

Good advice! I also run a good spyware/adware detector as they tend to slow things down. I also run a registry checker that will detect and remove bad registry items. BTW I am a PC :)

[garmp]

I am a die hard Mac user for many years and also own a PeeCee laptop. It just depends what you are use to. Learning curve for basic operation, email, pics, surfing, etc is about the same on either type machine. More than anything it depends on your browser (Firefox, my preference, Internet Explorer, Safari, Opera, Sea Monkey, etc.) IMHO the upside to a Mac is: less viruses, spy ware, etc., easier to fix if the need arises, and basically ready to plug 'n play out of he box with no add ons. Upside to PC: more software available, due to larger market, easier to get repairs is needed due to larger customer base.

The thing I really like about my Mac is that I have two internal and one external drives. I back up at least once a month (depending on usage) to the extra drives. My main drive goes wacko or I don't like something stupid I just did, Restart off another drive and I'm up and running. Erase the bad drive, re-clone and I back. A simple process that pc's don't offer.

Just my opinion.

garmp