Those Of You Who Have Switched To Mac From A PC, Any Reservations?

[Chili Palmer]

My laptop that's in the den is on its last legs and I keep procrastinating spending the money for another computer. I was going to just get another HP laptop at Costco, but a couple of weeks ago I walked into an Apple store and was very impressed with the 27" iMac.

The only thing that besides price that keeps me from getting a Mac is compatibility. I still have one of the early iMacs from 2002 and it has become painfully slow and has just become a big expensive iPod. It was never really fast and it took forever for the printer to get the signal to print - and that was with a cable connection. The PC laptop was so much quicker and all software and peripherals were all made for PC's. So you can see why I'm gunshy about going back to a Mac.

As the title states, has anyone that has gone Mac regretted it and gone back to a PC?

 

[PLACECRAFT20]

I just did it. Mac book. Works flawlessly with all my apple products. Best move I have made.

 

[DeltaSigBoater]

I got a mac book pro in 2006, it's gotten slow, it overheats and freezes, but its still kicking. As for price lets just say I've paid less for boats :rolleyes On the flip side, I got my first very own PC in 1999 when I started college. I guess I was just lucky because about every 9 months something fatal would happen, motherboard, hard-drive, video card, etc, etc. Definitely spent more on the PC running than I have spent on the mac.

 

[Sandlord]

I got a macbook pro 2.5 years ago and havent had a single issue with it. Works great with the wireless HP printer that they included free, (via rebate coupon).
I dont even have a virus software installed, and I watch as much of the educational videos (porn) as the next guy. and still no issues.
All my contacts, notes, pictures and emails are automatically synced with my iPhone and iPad.
Once you go Mac, you'll never go back.

 

[rivermobster]

My laptop that's in the den is on its last legs and I keep procrastinating spending the money for another computer. I was going to just get another HP laptop at Costco, but a couple of weeks ago I walked into an Apple store and was very impressed with the 27" iMac.

The only thing that besides price that keeps me from getting a Mac is compatibility. I still have one of the early iMacs from 2002 and it has become painfully slow and has just become a big expensive iPod. It was never really fast and it took forever for the printer to get the signal to print - and that was with a cable connection. The PC laptop was so much quicker and all software and peripherals were all made for PC's. So you can see why I'm gunshy about going back to a Mac.

As the title states, has anyone that has gone Mac regretted it and gone back to a PC?

My in-laws did. They were stoked with the Mac's at first. Then when they started breaking all the damm time, they got pretty sick of em (two laptops). They went back to PC's and have been happy ever since. They tried the iPhone thing too, back the the droid phones now.

I used to buy all my laptops at Costo, then one day i picked up an Acer. It's WAY faster than the HP's I have, and the price is attractive as well.

Go to WalMart online, and you can order em new with Win7. I just did this for a friend since Win8 is a POS. :thumbsdown

Good luck!

 

[AuggieBenDoggie]

I switched from PC to Mac. Wife has a four year old MacBook and we have a Mac mini hooked up to our 50" LCD TV. Love em!! I'm looking at picking up a MacBook Air this fall.

If you get one always upgrade the ram.

 

[22Howard]

I got tired of "Control-Alt, Delete" and made the switch to Mac. Once you go Mac, you won't go back! I have never had any problem with my Mac in the three years I have owned it. I guess the best way to explain it is "it just works". You don't have to mess with it. You can close the screen and take off to the River and when you come back, it wakes up right where you left it ready to continue. With my laptop PC's, I could close the screen and go to lunch and by the time I got back, the PC was all hosed up and needed to be shut down and start over. The Mac just works. I'm not going back!

 

[TPC]

The Mac can be really frustrating.
I suggest taking the classes that the Apple stores offer.

We run Mac and Windows and have nearly the latest stuff.

We have some pretty brite kids in the house and they still prefer Windows over Mac and they have mastered Apple products 100%.

Grandma Axe Handle switched to Apple and she is frustrated with it and slowly learning it with tutoring. It's been a expensive, slow, irritating process.
But,, to some,, Apple is a slam dunk and an easy switch.

My next step is a skinny tablet with one of those really, really bitchen soft keyboards.

 

[spotondl]

Really depends on your personal type of usage...

If you are just a computer user, internet, email, word processing & spreadsheet, video or sound editor then a Mac is going to be a no brainer...

If you are a constant fiddler, installing this hardware, tweaking that software, etc then the PC might be your better bet... I say 'might' because despite the Mac statement written above, the Mac is infinitely more "tweak-able" than a PC... The catch is that you have to know your Unix kernel & Unix command line commands.

I used to own a computer service company for over 10 years. We were PC centric, DOS, Novell, Cisco, Windows. I used to dismiss Macs as artists toys and even today the Mac has nowhere near the enterprise penetration that the PC enjoys but 7 years ago I purchased my first Macbook Pro out of sheer necessity, had some Mac only files that I needed to convert immediately, and I have never looked back.

I still have several PC desktops and laptops that NEVER get powered on... I mean years never... Any time I HAVE to get on a PC I get frustrated with how clunky & slow they are... A clean install of Windows may be fast but it only takes a day or two before Windows starts grinding to a halt. Someone like Brown or C-2 (sorry C-2 for using your name in the same sentence, LOL) can keep their PC running fast & efficient but they go to great pains to keep their PC running that way. All kinds of procedural do's & don'ts, monitoring software for viruses & malware, routine performance scans & cleaners, etc...

Mac? Run it, and forget it...

Ask aRDy, to specify exactly which Dave for the gallery, how much he would like to have a Mac for his little video projects he does around here... He isn't even really doing any editing, no blended transitions, effects, time mapping, graphics, nothing & his "high performance PC" works best in a refrigerator...

 

[rvrmom]

The Mac can be really frustrating.
I suggest taking the classes that the Apple stores offer.

We run Mac and Windows and have nearly the latest stuff.

We have some pretty brite kids in the house and they still prefer Windows over Mac and they have mastered Apple products 100%.

Grandma Axe Handle switched to Apple and she is frustrated with it and slowly learning it with tutoring. It's been a expensive, slow, irritating process.
But,, to some,, Apple is a slam dunk and an easy switch.

My next step is a skinny tablet with one of those really, really bitchen soft keyboards.

I swear this is almost exactly what I was going to type. I have a new MacBook Air my work issued me I hate it. I am constantly googling 'how to' on MacBook Air. Hate it. Have no clue how anything works on this. Luckily 98% of what I do on the Mac is just internet and email. The home PC took a shit and and I'm getting a new PC for the home. Probably do what Joe said and order one with Win 7.

 

[angiebaby]

Interesting. I got so sick of antivirus programs and getting viruses even with them, having the tech guys say, "yep, that happens!" Jeff bought a macbook pro about 2+ years ago and I got mine early last year. I will never go back to a PC. I bought my son a Samsung PC for Christmas because I couldn't afford to get him a mac also. Regretting it terribly now. Win8 sucks so bad and he is so frustrated. Can't even get the Office discs to install, so he uses googledocs for everything.

Switching the Quickbooks business accounts over was so easy I couldn't believe it. I didn't take the classes offered, but it would be a good idea for most people. I would love to know all of the shortcuts, but never seem to make it a priority to get down to the AppleStore.

I think they are fabulous products and nothing else comes close to the quality. iMovie is so easy to use!!!! Uploading it to youtube, not so easy though

 

[drtywhat]

I just switched to Mac in may of this year. It has been one hell of a learning curve. However I really love the Mac and how simple it is. There is just to many god damn shortcuts on the keyboard I need to learn. Learning the file structure has been the most challenging. I got it down now. I also run parallels 8 and run windows 7 pro on the Mac too. I really like parrallells because you run windows in an open window and can run your Mac programs and windows program at the same time. It's pretty slick

 

[spotondl]

Here's the problem with perception re PC users converting to Mac; Mac's are thought of as easy or simple to use.

For a seasoned PC user the Mac is going to be difficult to transition to because it is different. You can do all that Windows can only different. PC users try to use the Mac like a PC and it doesn't work like that.

A new computer user sees the Mac as more intuitive, therefore easier. It is. However, the Mac can be and is every bit as sophisticated as any Windows system and then some.

I haven't had a virus on any of my macs in 7 years. I did get 1 malware when I was trying to find a Mac "driver" for a Windows peripheral that I was working on for some go pro footage for this joint of all places. Went online on my iPhone, found the fix on one of the many support sites (apple or MacRumors), edited one line of text on the laptop, rebuilt my desktop and was done. Maybe 20 minutes, research included. Not bad for 7 years.


Spot

 

[angiebaby]

Jeff got his mac when he had 3 viruses in 4 months. After the first one, he bought the Geek Squad antivirus because they blamed it on our current antivirus. 1 year guarantee. 2 months later, virus. They had the computer for a week. These people don't understand that your entire livelihood is on that computer and being down for a week when your business is on it is NOT an option. So one month later, when it got another virus, we bought a mac.

 

[Froggystyle]

I read the title wrong, and thought you were asking about switching from Mac to PC... Something I haven't heard uttered by anybody as a question.

Apple hardware is far superior, the OS is fine, and it is very stable. There is a learning curve, but nowhere near as frustrating as going "back" to a PC to fix it from Mac. My wife is still running PC for her work, and problem after problem right now... But to switch her we need to buy a lot of new software and three new Macs. We are going to to get her away from PC, and specifically Windows 8 which I hate.

I started with an iPod, and jumped in with a MacBook Pro in 2011. Bombproof laptop. A little too heavy for travel, so I'm going to give it to Aud (one of the three) and get the new Pro tower for my big work computer and a MacBook Air for the briefcase. Probably a couple of iMacs for the girls who work for her... Maybe even used ones.

Which tells the rest of the story. A used PC is essentially valueless. A used Mac gets gobbled up immediately.

Lastly, my single favorite thing about the Apple deal is the backwards compatibility with new updates. Really, really strong.

 

[Froggystyle]

Btw I'm up to three iPhones, MacBook Pro, about seven iPods, two iPad 2's, four Airport Express', two AppleTV's and one Time Capsule. I think it's safe to say they converted us.

 

[Paul65k]

Btw I'm up to three iPhones, MacBook Pro, about seven iPods, two iPad 2's, four Airport Express', two AppleTV's and one Time Capsule. I think it's safe to say they converted us.

Sellout

 

[Chili Palmer]

16 responses and only 2 negative ones - it looks like there's a Mac in my future.

Thanks for all all your honest comments.

 

[AuggieBenDoggie]

If you go to Mac connection they an authorized dealer. So you can save.... I mean you can report the sales tax later on you CA return rather than pay it up front. They also offer free shipping from time to time.

 

[Paul65k]

16 responses and only 2 negative ones - it looks like there's a Mac in my future.

Thanks for all all your honest comments.

We're going Mac in the next year or so when our Win7 PC's finally take the big dump........Windows 8 sucks and you wouldn't get me within 10 feet of one of those machines.....just sayin'


On a related note Microsoft CEO Steve Balmer announced that he'd be retiring in the next 12 months and the stock was up 9% on the news....that should tell you something :skull

 

[tkrrox]

i just have a mac mini and an external hard drive and it does everything i need for my small business...i'm completely computer stupid so i don't know what the advantages are...

 

[angiebaby]

Btw I'm up to three iPhones, MacBook Pro, about seven iPods, two iPad 2's, four Airport Express', two AppleTV's and one Time Capsule. I think it's safe to say they converted us.

You got me beat. 3 iPhones, MacPro, MacAir, 2iPads and 2 iPods (laying around here somewhere).

Oops! 4 iPhones. Forgot Jeff has one for work.

If you have a family member that is a teacher or a student, you can get about a 10% discount. They have to go with you to buy it. If I recall, I got $150 of the MacBook and $100 of the MacAir. Also got a HUGE discount of CreativeSuite for the same reason.

 

[pronstar]

If you have a family member that is a teacher or a student, you can get about a 10% discount. They have to go with you to buy it. If I recall, I got $150 of the MacBook and $100 of the MacAir. Also got a HUGE discount of CreativeSuite for the same reason.

If you buy from the Apple store online, shop at the Educational Store link. Pricing is the same as the actual store, minus the same educational discount, but you don't have to show proof that you're a student. You simply select the "school you attend" and you get the discount.

For our personal Apple products, we buy genuine Apple refurbs from the Apple store. Great discounts, many brand-new recently released products, and when they arrive you'd swear they were brand new. Same warranty and optional extended warranties, and you can really save a bundle.

 

[C-2]

This probably doesn't apply to the OP, but it's still a PC world and being PC illiterate can hold you back. I've been taking several courses at CSUF/RCC, and none of them are taught on MACs.

 

[U4ia]

My laptop that's in the den is on its last legs and I keep procrastinating spending the money for another computer. I was going to just get another HP laptop at Costco, but a couple of weeks ago I walked into an Apple store and was very impressed with the 27" iMac.

The only thing that besides price that keeps me from getting a Mac is compatibility. I still have one of the early iMacs from 2002 and it has become painfully slow and has just become a big expensive iPod. It was never really fast and it took forever for the printer to get the signal to print - and that was with a cable connection. The PC laptop was so much quicker and all software and peripherals were all made for PC's. So you can see why I'm gunshy about going back to a Mac.

As the title states, has anyone that has gone Mac regretted it and gone back to a PC?

5 years ago we dumped the PC and never looked back. There is NO downside at all. Should have done it a decade ago......

Also don't forget the Genius Bar, the free classes and help at the Apple Store and best of all: if you have a problem, there is none of that PC blame the other component bullshit. Every time I had a PC problem everyone involved pointed fingers are someone else and said there was nothing THEY could do since I had installed something by XYZcorp and I should call them..... Always the excuses!!! None of that BS in the Apple World.

 

[Froggystyle]

This probably doesn't apply to the OP, but it's still a PC world and being PC illiterate can hold you back. I've been taking several courses at CSUF/RCC, and none of them are taught on MACs.

I disagree. All of the enterprise software, such as the Office suite, Quickbooks and the like are available in Mac.

And, programs like Presenter absolutely crush PowerPoint... A fact I only recently have been made aware of... Like... Whole different level of bad ass for presentations.

The only program I have to use my Parallels Win 7 for (and I loathe doing it as on the same computer it runs so slow...) is SolidWorks, a pure engineering program. They are supposed to come out with a Mac version though, which will make my computer life complete...

 

[Froggystyle]

5 years ago we dumped the PC and never looked back. There is NO downside at all. Should have done it a decade ago......

I agree, for the most part. There is a downside though...

There is ZERO pirated software available... You basically have to buy everything. Good news is, it's much cheaper than the PC versions.

I made the switch at the right time, just as Lion came out. OSX was the first real dominant OS, combined with the first Intel processors. That was the time to switch.

 

[rivermobster]

The hardware on both machines is virtually identical. The software is the only difference. Don't buy into the hype that spending thousands is a good idea. Save you money for gas for your boat.

Tapatalk 4.0

 

[pronstar]

IMHO, if you're "computer literate" and comfortable doing general computing, you can figure out a PC or a Mac in short order.

They work very similarly, you just need to navigate different file structures, menus and shortcut keys (if you use them at all).

Specific programs may operate differently, but generally the functionality is similar.

It's not like learning a new language.

 

[spotondl]

I agree, for the most part. There is a downside though...

There is ZERO pirated software available... You basically have to buy everything. Good news is, it's much cheaper than the PC versions.

I made the switch at the right time, just as Lion came out. OSX was the first real dominant OS, combined with the first Intel processors. That was the time to switch.

No need for pirated software on a Mac. There is usually a superior open source option available for free.

Example: Microsoft Office Suite for Mac - $500

OpenOffice.org OpenOffice - $0


Spot

 

[Froggystyle]

The hardware on both machines is virtually identical. The software is the only difference. Don't buy into the hype that spending thousands is a good idea. Save you money for gas for your boat.

Tapatalk 4.0

You're on the crack.

Show me an aluminum bodied PC laptop with a screen as high quality as the Retina, with a lighted keyboard, an equivalent interface to the Thunderbolt port with the battery life, fit and finish and durability of the Mac, with a split 802.11N (5g and 2.4g) and with its processing power.

I won't even get into finding that in a store, on a shelf... With tech support... And a warranty.

I switched in spite of the software. I was gonna run Windows only on my Mac, but after getting used to OSX I realized how absurd that was.

 

[U4ia]

I agree, for the most part. There is a downside though...

There is ZERO pirated software available... You basically have to buy everything. Good news is, it's much cheaper than the PC versions.

I made the switch at the right time, just as Lion came out. OSX was the first real dominant OS, combined with the first Intel processors. That was the time to switch.

The software issue you speak about is of no concern to me. For ethical reasons we do not buy "pirated" or stolen software, or music and movies either, for that matter. A few extra bucks in my wallet at the end of the day is not worth the hit to my personal integrity.

 

[Paul65k]

The software issue you speak about is of no concern to me. For ethical reasons we do not buy "pirated" or stolen software, or music and movies either, for that matter. A few extra bucks in my wallet at the end of the day is not worth the hit to my personal integrity.

Wow.....how completely self righteous of you......thanks for being the only honest person around here :rolleyes

 

[Guest]

Wow.....how completely self righteous of you......thanks for being the only honest person around here :rolleyes

 

[Sleek-Jet]

I put anyone who has switched from imperialist Windows PC to the collective dictatorship of Mac... On ignore...

 

[rivermobster]

You're on the crack.

Show me an aluminum bodied PC laptop with a screen as high quality as the Retina, with a lighted keyboard, an equivalent interface to the Thunderbolt port with the battery life, fit and finish and durability of the Mac, with a split 802.11N (5g and 2.4g) and with its processing power.

I won't even get into finding that in a store, on a shelf... With tech support... And a warranty.

I switched in spite of the software. I was gonna run Windows only on my Mac, but after getting used to OSX I realized how absurd that was.

Seriously? You need all that pricey shit why???

I would wager that 99.9 percent of the people on here would be fine with a $500 Win7 laptop.

If your needs are different, have at it! But not everyone has those needs.

But just in case you do...

http://blog.laptopmag.com/9-best-laptops-of-ces-2013

 

[Chopperman]

I use a MacBook Pro right now at home and it can be frustrating to figure out sometimes but I've never had any issues with it. It's really fricking fast!! It's just hard to figure out all the little differences between PC and Mac.






Chopperman

 

[Froggystyle]

Seriously? You need all that pricey shit why???

You didn't ask if he needed it... You said that there no hardware difference... And that's the biggest difference IMO.

And "why" is because I'm a power user. And the best computer in the market is just slightly behind my needs.

I would wager that 99.9 percent of the people on here would be fine with a $500 Win7 laptop.

Sure... And a 16' Bayliner. Same exact analogy.

But just in case you do...

http://blog.laptopmag.com/9-best-laptops-of-ces-2013

The best one, the Samsung Series 7 Chronos, and I quote... "Looks poised to challenge the MacBook Pro"

Everything else is in their wake, and this before the new Mac models are released next month... Which appear to be a massive improvement on the "already best" laptop.

 

[rivermobster]

I see what you did there...

You completely missed my point!

Hardware wise, both apple and win use the exact same components. Same hard drives, same ram, same screens, same Everything! It just depends on how much you want to spend. As I showed you, you can get all the same features in a pc that you can in a mac. The only Real difference is price.

If you take the two different laptops, build em with the exact same hardware, you will pay double when you buy the mac.

This is the point I was trying to make.

 

[pronstar]

Mac = Chevy Truck
PC = Ford Truck

The superior choice is clear.










Dodge

 

[Paul65k]

I see what you did there...

You completely missed my point!

Hardware wise, both apple and win use the exact same components. Same hard drives, same ram, same screens, same Everything! It just depends on how much you want to spend. As I showed you, you can get all the same features in a pc that you can in a mac. The only Real difference is price.

If you take the two different laptops, build em with the exact same hardware, you will pay double when you buy the mac.

This is the point I was trying to make.

Joe....actually the difference is the Operating System.......you can run windows on a Mac but you can't run the Apple OS on a PC. So even though the components are in some cases exactly the same the way they work together is the difference between the local symphony orchestra and the Boston Philharmonic.......probably a little much in terms of an analogy but not really that far off

 

[napanutt]

I just switched from PC to iMac this year and love it. Oh, and my truck is a Chevy.

 

[C-2]

I disagree. All of the enterprise software, such as the Office suite, Quickbooks and the like are available in Mac.

And, programs like Presenter absolutely crush PowerPoint... A fact I only recently have been made aware of... Like... Whole different level of bad ass for presentations.

The only program I have to use my Parallels Win 7 for (and I loathe doing it as on the same computer it runs so slow...) is SolidWorks, a pure engineering program. They are supposed to come out with a Mac version though, which will make my computer life complete...

Knowing how to operate MS Office in Parallels is fine, but it doesn't help a person's basic understanding of the Windows OS.

You can't argue with enterprise numbers. MAC's aren't even on the training agenda for any of the networking, computer security or computer forensics courses that I'm taking. Windows then Linux, that's it.

I'm signed up for another course where 13 people are waitlisted (there are only 27 seats available). The first people to go home will be those who don't know how to operate a PC. Another example is my 18 year nice who tried to get a job as an intern at a lawfirm this past summer. Sorry, we don't use MAC; take a basic PC course then see you next summer.

PC and MAC, then yes, you're good to go (as Pronstar pointed out).

Sorry guys, but the days of being computer dumb are over. You can easily secure a PC these days - but you can't change human behavior. MAC or PC, if you don't become a smart user then you will become a victim of cyber crime.

 

[rivermobster]

Mac = Chevy Truck
PC = Ford Truck

The superior choice is clear.










Dodge

 

[rivermobster]

Joe....actually the difference is the Operating System.......you can run windows on a Mac but you can't run the Apple OS on a PC. So even though the components are in some cases exactly the same the way they work together is the difference between the local symphony orchestra and the Boston Philharmonic.......probably a little much in terms of an analogy but not really that far off

Exactly.

And, Why is there even a need to run Win software on a Mac??

Nobody wants Mac software on a PC. (and yet, the hardware running both systems is the same)

Think about that for a bit.

 

[Sleek-Jet]

 

[Paul65k]

Exactly.

And, Why is there even a need to run Win software on a Mac??

Nobody wants Mac software on a PC. (and yet, the hardware running both systems is the same)

Think about that for a bit.

Huh??.....Joe, were you out drinking late last night :headscratch:


Mac software flat works....no crashing.....that's why

 

[rivermobster]

Exactly.

And, Why is there even a need to run Win software on a Mac??

Nobody wants Mac software on a PC. (and yet, the hardware running both systems is the same)

Think about that for a bit.

Huh??.....Joe, were you out drinking late last night :headscratch:


Mac software flat works....no crashing.....that's why

There is a NEED to run Windows programs, because they are superior programs.

So why spend double the money on a Mac, only to use Windows programs??????

Which one of his has been drinking????




My Win7 Acer doesn't crash. And the only thing that has broken was my fault.

Enjoy your Mac's. :thumbsup

 

[Paul65k]

There is a NEED to run Windows programs, because they are superior programs.

So why spend double the money on a Mac, only to use Windows programs??????

Which one of his has been drinking????




My Win7 Acer doesn't crash. And the only thing that has broken was my fault.

Enjoy your Mac's. :thumbsup

Dude....Have you been hanging out with Squeezer.......cuz you're talking in circles just like him

The only reason you run PC Software is because you can and it gives you backward compatibility, most Mac software runs better, faster and more solidly in the "Mac" mode.....something you can't do on a PC.....with a Mac it;s like getting a "2-Fer"

PS.....you sound like the guy around the turn of the 20th century who said......people been riding horses for thousands of years.....why would anyone want to give up their horse for one of those "new fangled" car things:rolleyes

 

[pronstar]

...I guess the whole virus/security thing is lost on the cartoon people LOL