Anyone switch from PC to Mac and wish they hadn't?

[Sandy321]

mac - They use apples at school, and finally convinced dh to get one! (he's a software engineer) He is now a believer - but it does take getting used to the new commands...
°o°
shift option 8 for MM!! *g

 

[unfreshdiva1]

Thank you all for the replies. I really appriciated it!

 

[DawnCt1]

no way...............Once you go Mac ..you will never go back

 

[MineMail]

That's not true - the point releases obtained from Software Update are free. E.g. we're on OSX 10.5.8 right now, 8 free point releases since the initial purchase. The next full release of OSX will cost $29, but that's like the XP -> Vista upgrade, a full release and it costs money as does the XP to Vista did.

The third-place point releases are free and there are a lot of them. I was surprised by how many there were; they are comparable to Windows Update. I specifically said upgrading from 10.3 to 10.5, whichi s not a "point release." Those are upgrades.

However, the Mac upgrade from OSX 10.3 to 10.5 is more like Windows XP's Service Pack 2 or 3 upgrade. Microsoft didn't charge for that upgrade, Apple does. I'm waiting for an answer on what it's going to cost because I'm not sure if the updates are incremental - I might have to buy/install 10.4 AND 10.5. That's $60, right?

Comparing the next full release of OSX 11.0 to XP-to-Vista is a good example of what I'm saying about the OS costs.

Let's say you bought a computer with XP back in the day. Until you upgrade to Vista, it costs you nothing to download and install the updates. Microsoft did that on purpose so that no one would be discouraged by cost and they would keep their computer's operating system up to date.

The Service Packs were free, even if you requested (as I did) a CD/ROM. A Vista Basic Home edition will cost about $130, the full-blown professional version is $220. (MSRP) For most people, the Basic Home edition is fine and comparable to the Mac's OS X system.

Our Mac was bought with Mac OS X 10.0 installed. Since it was released, there have been five releases, each costing $29. To keep OS X 10 up to date, the cost is almost $150 plus another $29 to upgrade to 11.0, bringing the total cost of Mac OS 10.0 => 11.0 upgrade to almost $180. That's $50 more than the XP => Vista basic upgrade.

OS X is slightly more expensive to keep up to date in between major releases, but it doesn't "feel" like it because you are paying for it in small pieces instead of paying a single, larger charge at the time of upgrade. Of course, you can (like our Mac's "owner") choose to not update it regularly. That makes it cheaper. As long as your computer continues working and you don't need any incremental upgrades to get to the next release, that's fine. But when you need an update before the next release, you need an update and you have to pay the money. In our case, upgrading to 11.0 might actually make this workaround fail, so unless there's some great impetus, she'll probably leave the Mac at 11.5.

 

[NatashaDisneyCM]

The third-place point releases are free and there are a lot of them. I was surprised by how many there were; they are comparable to Windows Update. I specifically said upgrading from 10.3 to 10.5, whichi s not a "point release." Those are upgrades.

However, the Mac upgrade from OSX 10.3 to 10.5 is more like Windows XP's Service Pack 2 or 3 upgrade. Microsoft didn't charge for that upgrade, Apple does. I'm waiting for an answer on what it's going to cost because I'm not sure if the updates are incremental - I might have to buy/install 10.4 AND 10.5. That's $60, right?

Comparing the next full release of OSX 11.0 to XP-to-Vista is a good example of what I'm saying about the OS costs.

Let's say you bought a computer with XP back in the day. Until you upgrade to Vista, it costs you nothing to download and install the updates. Microsoft did that on purpose so that no one would be discouraged by cost and they would keep their computer's operating system up to date.

The Service Packs were free, even if you requested (as I did) a CD/ROM. A Vista Basic Home edition will cost about $130, the full-blown professional version is $220. (MSRP) For most people, the Basic Home edition is fine and comparable to the Mac's OS X system.

Our Mac was bought with Mac OS X 10.0 installed. Since it was released, there have been five releases, each costing $29. To keep OS X 10 up to date, the cost is almost $150 plus another $29 to upgrade to 11.0, bringing the total cost of Mac OS 10.0 => 11.0 upgrade to almost $180. That's $60 more than the XP => Vista basic upgrade.

OS X is slightly more expensive to keep up to date in between major releases, but it doesn't "feel" like it because you are paying for it in small pieces instead of paying a single, larger charge at the time of upgrade. Of course, you can (like our Mac's "owner") choose to not update it regularly. That makes it cheaper. As long as your computer continues working and you don't need any incremental upgrades to get to the next release, that's fine. But when you need an update before the next release, you need an update and you have to pay the money. In our case, upgrading to 11.0 might actually make this workaround fail, so unless there's some great impetus, she'll probably leave the Mac at 11.5.

hum, that is weird. I have never paid for an upgrade!

 

[MineMail]

Good luck finding a Windows XP machine out there to buy. Really which is it? Old reliable PC or PC with security and stability issues?

As I already said, I don't have any security or stability issues on my XP computers. I am not in the market for a new computer either. However, some retailers and Microsoft-certified repair shops will install legal copies of XP.

Eventually, Microsoft will stop supporting XP, but that won't be until Windows 7.0 has proven itself. That's how they handled the Win 98 > Win 2000 > Win XP updates. When they knew XP was stable, they dropped support for Win 98.

As for new computers, Microsoft is handling Windows 7 the same way they did Vista: new computers can be purchased with the older operating system and the upgrade to the newer release will be free. Microsoft will send you a CD/ROM.

Given Vista's issues (which I'm not disputing) upgrading to 7.0 should be free as well, but the MSRP is the same as Vista. As I've already pointed out, the upgrade pricing is less than OS X 11.0's MSRP. Around this time of the year, there are often sales and rebates at office supply stores for Windows, so you can get the upgrade for less if you keep your eyes open. It's my understanding that Apple never offers discounts or rebates to the general public, but educational vendors offer discounted software to students/faculty/staff of universities.

 

[MineMail]

hum, that is weird. I have never paid for an upgrade!

Did you only run the Mac Update feature? That just applies the free interim security and updates to your current release. I just applied six updates to our Mac's 10.3 release, but that didn't upgrade it to 10.4. (The Impulsive Owner never ran the update feature at all!)

To upgrade from one minor/major release to another, you have to purchase/run the upgrade package for $29 from Apple, either through the online or the physical store. Or you can have the store do it for you. Either way, back up your files first. (Same advice for upgrading Microsoft systems)

 

[NatashaDisneyCM]

Did you only run the Mac Update feature? That just applies the free interim security and updates to your current release. I just applied six updates to our Mac's 10.3 release, but that didn't upgrade it to 10.4. (The Impulsive Owner never ran the update feature at all!)

To upgrade from one minor/major release to another, you have to purchase/run the upgrade package for $29 from Apple, either through the online or the physical store. Or you can have the store do it for you. Either way, back up your files first. (Same advice for upgrading Microsoft systems)

I did get a macbook pro a year and half ago, right when the change over to Leopard happened. they charged me 9 bucks for the upgrade.
Now that I think of it, I think it is because I always seem to buy new computers, and always seem to have the latest stuff! lol

guess, I just have an Apple addiction!

 

[fraggle551]

I have a Macbook and I will never go back to PC's. I have had nothing but problems with them my entire life. I hate them and refuse to buy one ever again. I had a tiny little problem with my Mac, but that was my fault. I fixed it though, and it's just fine. Good as new!

My brother is the head manager for Geek Squad at the Best Buy near us. He hates Mac's and only uses PC's. We have daily arguments over which one is better!

However all the people I know who have purchased Mac's have not regretted their decision at all.

 

[MineMail]

I did get a macbook pro a year and half ago, right when the change over to Leopard happened. they charged me 9 bucks for the upgrade.
Now that I think of it, I think it is because I always seem to buy new computers, and always seem to have the latest stuff! lol

guess, I just have an Apple addiction!

If all you're using it for is websurfing, a netbook would be a better investment.
What do you do with your old computers? I donate mine to the Christina Foundation, which fixes them up and gives them to charity organizations within North America to help train/retrain people who need jobs.

In our house, we USE computers for both home and business. The kids papers, etc. aren't as complicated as my slideshows and Excel analyses. Since we both work for Microsoft-standard organizations, it's simpler to use the same platform for compatability and support. It is costly and time-consuming to replace and/or upgrade, so I buy a well-stacked computer and the software up front, keep it up to date, and plan my next purchase in advance so I can take advantage of sales. While I pay more in the beginning, most of my friends (who just websurf) screw up/replace two or three computers. I'd rather not be bothered with moving and installing software that often. My time is more valuable than that and not having a working computer would mean not having an income.

I'm a "technology follower" meaning that I let others be the Beta Testers whose computers crash and burn with every brand-new release. I'd rather wait until the company has shaken out the bugs, issued the updates, and really field-tested the hardware/software. I'm not interested in having the "latest and greatest" because you're doing the testing for these companies. I'm also sure enough of myself and my choices to not need the status symbol "new and shiny" represents.

I'm the same way with cars: never buy a first-model year car. Too many hassles and they're always full-priced.

 

[gina2000]

We've had horrible luck with PCs. And Vista is a disaster on wheels. We tried to buy a PC with XP on it, but it was impossible. My husband hates this PC and refuses to use it. We've just had nothing but problems with our laptops....hardware (HP) and software (Vista).

Our Mac is great. The hard drive did die within 30 days of purchase and we received a new Mac. Had it died after 30 days, we would have had to send it out for repair.

So there are problems with both but quite frankly, if we didn't need a PC for school, we'd never buy another one.

 

[KristinBelle]

I've owned 2 Macs-

An eMac- I'm still using and an ibook G4 that died after 3 years. My eMac is still going strong but we're looking to finally get a new computer and a new Mac is out of my price range. Not sure what we're going to do, but as of now I'm waiting till I can afford a new Mac.

 

[moon]

I'm I the only one who is happy with a PC? I keep seeing how tired everyone is of viruses and stuff, and 14 years of PCs, I've only had *one* virus attack

The machine I'm using now is over six years old. it runs on XP, and I've only had minor problems, all easy and cheap to fix.

I'm not blindly loyal to any brand, but so far my experiences with PCs have been mostly positive, and I my next computer will be probably br a PC

 

[NatashaDisneyCM]

If all you're using it for is websurfing, a netbook would be a better investment.
What do you do with your old computers? I donate mine to the Christina Foundation, which fixes them up and gives them to charity organizations within North America to help train/retrain people who need jobs.

In our house, we USE computers for both home and business. The kids papers, etc. aren't as complicated as my slideshows and Excel analyses. Since we both work for Microsoft-standard organizations, it's simpler to use the same platform for compatability and support. It is costly and time-consuming to replace and/or upgrade, so I buy a well-stacked computer and the software up front, keep it up to date, and plan my next purchase in advance so I can take advantage of sales. While I pay more in the beginning, most of my friends (who just websurf) screw up/replace two or three computers. I'd rather not be bothered with moving and installing software that often. My time is more valuable than that and not having a working computer would mean not having an income.

I'm a "technology follower" meaning that I let others be the Beta Testers whose computers crash and burn with every brand-new release. I'd rather wait until the company has shaken out the bugs, issued the updates, and really field-tested the hardware/software. I'm not interested in having the "latest and greatest" because you're doing the testing for these companies. I'm also sure enough of myself and my choices to not need the status symbol "new and shiny" represents.

I'm the same way with cars: never buy a first-model year car. Too many hassles and they're always full-priced.

yah, I wish I just web-surfed.I have websites for product that I make and I am a student. I only buy brand new Apples(just because I love them and can) and I pass down the year old ones to my daughter.

 

[bumbershoot]

The freezing, the pop~ups, viruses. I just could not do!

Agreed.

Not exactly true. Plenty of people go back, believe me.

So tell the OP about the experiences of all the people you know who tried a Mac and would go back to a PC. That was the question, asking about the experiences of people like that. So give the OP the full scoop!

Macs are status symbols.

Your friend should also be aware of the ongoing cost of the operating system. Unlike Microsoft Windows free "Service Packs" and updates for their product, Apple releases upgrades very regularly and they cost about $20-30 for each update.

I don't get the complaints about Microsoft computers constantly freezing, getting infected, etc. I work in computers and other than one virus attack (thanks to the same impulsive Mac purchaser) I haven't had any problems on my three MS XP comptuers at home. I do keep my computer's virus protection up to date, scan regularly (including Adware), and run operating system/software updates just a little behind schedule.

They might be status symbols to some, but not to all. They've never been that to me.

You've had good luck with PCs b/c you've stuck with a better operating system than others PCs have! If you were with others and had the newer one, you'd be sad too, most likely. And keeping your PC swept clear of gunk is something many many people don't do, so again, you're one up on many PC users.

I've never even been aware of the existence of paid updates, so obviously they aren't needed for everyone.

As I already said, I don't have any security or stability issues on my XP computers. I am not in the market for a new computer either..

Right...the PP was saying what I just said, that you don't have problems b/c you've kept a stable operating system. Until hubby found Linux (Ubuntu specifically) he made sure to keep XP. He still has his disc, just in case he needs to put XP back on. He just did 2 months of contract work with the maker of windows and XP, and they had Vista on their work laptops and it drove them MAD. He yearned for his XP...



Anyway, OP, a lot of what I personally like about apples is just the way you navigate around. I never had a computer growing up, other than a Commodore Vic 20, and by chance I chose the Mac Lab to do any word processor stuff in college. So my fingers and eyes are just used to the look of the Mac's screen etc. For a few years I used hubby's Toshiba, and it took AGES for me to really get used to it, even though a few years had passed between college's Mac lab and having the laptop in the house. The Toshiba started falling apart early...at one point I used a hooked-up keyboard to type with my left hand, and my right hand was on the laptop keyboard (b/c half the keyboard had died but I didn't want to have to turn my body or head to use the whole hooked-up keyboard)...that was a good party trick! Thankfully we got the macbook I'm typing on free with a year's lease at our old apartment (we weren't even charged extra in rent...we weren't supposed to get in on the offer, had a place negotiated, then the last renters under the program never showed up or paid, so they gave us the computer), and it took a few days to get used to it. Ahhh, my fingers and eyes said, this is HOME.

But if you're used to the way the PC looks, and if your PC hasn't started copying Macs like it seems so many are, it might take a bit to get used to.


the ONE issue I've had with my macbook, the ONE thing I wanted "back", was the photo part. I missed My Photos on my PC! I still don't really like iPhoto. Unfortunately, I finally figured out what my issue was, and how to "fix" it (meaning, I had to fix my brain's way of thinkig of it), after messing up probably a year's worth of pictures. Note to all: iPhoto is just a front end place to look at your pictures. They are kept behind the scenes, in a very "My Pictures" looking place. Don't do anything wiht those behind the scenes pictures!!!! It'll mess it up. I was so glad to figure it all out before messing it up more, but I sure do wish I hadn't fussed wiht stuff to begin with!

 

[jsmith]

it tends to be a matter of experience. My personal preference is for a PC platform running a linux OS-that is the most secure and to me easiest to use. Having said that-the newer-service pack 2 versions of vista are fine. Most of the issue people have stem from running it on inadequate memory as it is extermely resource intensive and will not perform correctly-on the 32 bit version you need a minimum of 2 GB of ram and for the 64 bit 4 GB. Ive never had an issue with freezing or dumping or any of the other things and i personally rathet like it. I do have security other than what is on the OS so i dont worry too much about that.
We have 6 computers-desktop-2 pc laptops and two macbook pros. Both of the Mac have been absolute nightmares hardware wise-one has had to have memory replaced twice-three hard drives go bad and the motherboard is now being replaced. the other has had battery issues continuously-both are less than 2 years old. If it were not for Apple care repairs would have outstripped the value of the computer. Does that mean im a PC over Mac adovacate-no-Macs are wonderful-the OS is less resource intensive and great for complex numerical caluclaitons and other resource intensive stuff whill retaining some of the "let me think for you" features that made bill gates rich.
It all depends on what you are used to, comfortable with and what your expectations are-no one system is perfect and none is better than another-they are like anything else-they just have different postive qualities.