Macs recommended to holiday PC buyers
updated 04:10 pm EST, Thu December 6, 2007
Macs for the holidays
Apple is gaining a lot of new customers through iPods, the "Get a Mac" ad campaign, and the iPhone, some former Mac users and others who have never used a Mac at all. With Christmas drawing closer, and users looking to treat themselves with a new computer, USA TODAY's Edward C. Baig offers his point of view on why people should make the switch from Windows to Mac OS. He says that while Windows users tend to tolerate their PC's bad behavior while they work, Apple users generally have a pleasant experience, regardless of what task they do.
Baig explains that while Macs aren't completely trouble-free he has experienced occasional software freezes his experience on Mac computers is many times over more reliable than on Windows. He couples this with Apple's notoriously cutting edge industrial design, and lack of malware and viruses that are a constant thorn for Windows users.
He notes that there is a learning curve, but that it mainly revolves around having to learn a new vocabulary Trash versus Recycle Bin, and Application instead of Program, for example. Baig says that users who prefer to learn from a professional can purchase a year's worth of training from the Apple retail stores for $100.
Baig admits that he does prefer some applications for the PC, like Quicken, and that gamers will see less titles than they would for Windows, but he says that the gap between the two platforms is narrowing with platform-agnostic versions of major software, such as Microsoft Office.
Some price-driven consumers that are looking for sub-$400 bargains will be dissuaded, since Apple's least expensive computer is $600 the Mac Mini but he notes that the quality and longevity of the hardware and software, combined with the ability to use Windows as well as Mac OS X, make the price worthwhile.
Baig ends the article on a pleasant note, saying that "Apple owners heap lavish praise on Macs for good reason. These are solid and elegant computers that are well worth your consideration."
wow he gets it!!!!!!
12/06, 04:28pm reply
now will someone please tell the PC fanboys:
"while Windows users tend to tolerate their PC's bad behavior while they work, Apple users generally have a pleasant experience, regardless of what task they do."
that this is why we love our Macs so much? If we seem smug, that's because our our OS is so much better than yours.
climacs
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Joined: Sep 2001
Sadly
12/06, 05:53pm reply
He's just one voice against the many here. True, we've seen a steeper incline in increasing Mac sales, but despite the cheery news we see here, the vast majority of news outlets out there are still singing the dubious notes of the flaky Mac tune.
For example, consider how many mac-flaming headlines the oh-so-wonderful editors at MacNN put on this feed compared to the agreeable ones? And this is somewhat of a Fanboy site.
Change is slow, in this instance. However, don't forget about the quickly burgeoning computer sales despite a disparity in media attention. It's something akin to media attention to our actually robust overall economy and success in our current war.
danviento
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Joined: Dec 2005
Kind of funny
12/06, 06:11pm reply
If you read his article, he talks about learning lingo differences between the two major OSs here. The way it's stated, I know it's addressing MS users, but it comes off as if Apple coined there own term for what the mentioned items are in windows land. In all reality, it was MS who stole the concepts from Mac OS and coined there own, VERY similar terms.
Life is absurd.
danviento
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Joined: Dec 2005
Re: wow, he gets it
12/06, 07:07pm reply
"while Windows users tend to tolerate their PC's bad behavior while they work, Apple users generally have a pleasant experience, regardless of what task they do."
Actually, its more like "Apple users tolerate their Mac's behavior, but are more pleasant about it because they can always say 'At least its not as bad as windows'."
testudo
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Joined: Aug 2001
Windows ain't so bad...
12/06, 10:12pm reply
It's Windows' users that exhibit bad behavior that Mac users can't tolerate. Windows XP Pro is pretty decent. It's that piggish Vista that bytes the big funky chunky.
Sub $400 bargains that last six months are not worth the time. Buyers deserve to get the lowly crud they pay for.
Constable Odo
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Joined: Aug 2007
Testudo
12/07, 08:15am reply
Testudo is probably some sort of IT professional who likes to bash MACS, so I generally take his comments less seriously. However, I can honestly say, since I switched 4 years ago, MACS cause much less headaches than windows.
The downside is buying software (although Adobe and Macromedia BOTH offered free platform switching at the time--they were different companies), but I did have to buy new software. Also, there are some limitations on the hardware you can use.
PC Elitists like to show off their skillz. They seem to enjoy having their friends' computers crash so they can come to the rescue. There are still issues with OS X (it is not flawless), but there are significantly less issues.
dynsight
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Joined: May 2005