Apple or PC???

OK, i love the apples, but in another thread they said they were dumb! Mum says i can get a new computer for my birthday, but i dont kno whick 1?

Apple iMac (new model)
Dell PC (havnt had a chance 2 look at it yet, but they sound OK)

Or

Apple iBook
Dell Laptop

I dont kno, i really like the apples, and if i got 1 of them i'd get a free ipod, but people always say go the PC??? Or is there anyother betta brand???

[Kraken]

Surreal will be ale to answer this in more detail.

In short, when comparing Apple/Mac to PC - you are comparing operating systems. You can get Windoes for Mac, but from there you often do not have as much selection for software as you would a PC.

On the other hand, Mac devotees swear by them for intense graphics work. Also a more stable platform, and quicker access to all programs.

I am slightly PC biased, but would still like to muck about with a Mac at some stage.

[Surreal]

Macintosh is owned by Apple Computers. It comes shipped with it's own operating system, monitor etc. Usually should only be purchased by people who do intense graphic design, or have little technical accumen. The drawback of the Macintosh, in my opinion, outweigh the advantages. Whilst you're getting an easier computer to muck around with, you're also stuck in terms of upgrades and software compatibility. Most games, and a lot of applications will not work on a Macintosh; simply because they weren't programmed for them.

The best thing that Mac's have going for them right now is the compilation of OSX. (The Operating System) The core coding of it is Linux based. Also, if you want a hardware upgrade - tough. They're near impossible to do that.

PC's have a much steeper difficulty curve, but the choices that come to upgrades... well, the sky is the limit. Stability used to be an issue, but I think Microsoft has pretty much sorted themselves out with Windows XP - I never get problems with it...

And about 95% of the computer market is PC based... so a relatively high number of software vendors design applications & games for them.

PC's are also not "owned" by anyone; unless you purchase a brand-name PC. And even then, they have *some* degree of upgrade potential...

Some drawbacks to PC's are, like I had mentioned before, the learning curve, and also the fact that support is very limited. (Unless you buy a brand-name PC; and if you MUST do this, get a Compaq.) Keep away from that DELL sh*t.


I'm a born and bred PC guy. I'll never buy a Macintosh on the condition that it remains restrictive with upgrades and general software compatibility. I like to do *anything* to a PC; it's kinda like customising your car... think of a Macintosh as a permanent company car you can't touch, whereas the PC is your very own (potentially) fast sports vehicle.

All in the eye of the beholder, really...


And I stress again; keep away from DELL! Unless you want an unstable and underpowered piece of factory second made-in-the-back-of-a-Taiwanese-laundry-with-a-solder-iron PC.

[ELSpeedo]

The Apple vs PC war peaked around 1994/95 when Apple was then producing superior equipment to the IBM clones. Then Windows 95 came out the Apple GUI advantage was erased and since Windows 2000 Apple have been relegated to only enthusiasts and graphic /video artists who cannot afford Sun or SGI boxes.
They are way overpriced to compete with IBM ATX clones anyway. As a result its horses for courses and is a personal choice. With a AMD Athlon I have cheap DEC Alpha technology - 1995 Technology that is still superior to the x86 Pentium IV clones.

Funny how technology has not really changed that much. There still has not been much of a quantum leap really since the Pentium's and Power PC appeared around mid 95. The real 64 bit revolution is still honestly a long way away. DEC was running 64 bit in '95 running SCO so honestly its all old tech to me just rehased as new. Though thats another story. :wink

[EXLR8]

Quote: Originally Posted by ELSpeedo

The Apple vs PC war peaked around 1994/95 when Apple was then producing superior equipment to the IBM clones. Then Windows 95 came out the Apple GUI advantage was erased and since Windows 2000 Apple have been relegated to only enthusiasts and graphic /video artists who cannot afford Sun or SGI boxes. They are way overpriced to compete with IBM ATX clones anyway. As a result its horses for courses and is a personal choice. With a AMD Athlon I have cheap DEC Alpha technology - 1995 Technology that is still superior to the x86 Pentium IV clones. Funny how technology has not really changed that much. There still has not been much of a quantum leap really since the Pentium's and Power PC appeared around mid 95. The real 64 bit revolution is still honestly a long way away. DEC was running 64 bit in '95 running SCO so honestly its all old tech to me just rehased as new. Though thats another story. :wink

totally agree.....i would never get a dell though..ur best off going to a shop and telling them what you want...dell is ok if u want a complete package....but they are way too pricey...i picked my computer up for $1,800
just over a year ago, and it was top of the range..i was quoted 2500 at other places..u just g2 know where to go...usually shops near uni's are cheaper.. cos of student budgets

[ajbau]

if you want a pc i would probably go to a local computer shop and for around the same price as the base model imac you could get a really good system with everything you would need but if you can get a new imac i would get it even if its not as good because it looks really cool and you get an ipod but it depends what you need it for if its for i would need it for MS Office which you can get on mac but if you want it for games you have to go for a pc.

OK, thanks. My birthday is on the 28th of Feb, BUT mum had to get a new 1 today!!!! I dont kno why, but i was expecting it next year..... But it is sooooo kool! Its not a Mac cos they guy at the computer shops said EXACTLY wat u guys said!!!!! We dont have it yet, but it will be ready soon. We are having it specially made, all top stuff is gona be on it. Thanks sooo much for the help though, i didnt think mum would get it 2day, but i have to say im happy. I'll tell u when i get it!!!!

[Surreal]

Here's hoping it's not a DELL! It's like a family member getting you all excited, saying they've bought you a SPORTS CAR; and you find a new Hyundai Coupé in your driveway...

[anglia diesel]

Quote:

It's like a family member getting you all excited, saying they've bought you a SPORTS CAR; and you find a new Hyundai Coupé in your driveway...

lmao. given it's specially made by a guy at a shop I'm tipping it's not a Dell.

[Surreal]

Quote: Originally Posted by anglia diesel

lmao. given it's specially made by a guy at a shop I'm tipping it's not a Dell.

Oopsies; I missed that bit. Oh well, I would have started it off with; "At least it's not a DELL... yadda yadda yadda."

I HAVE GOT IT!!!!! Thats the good news, but it is really slow, and about every 35 minutes a sign comes up and says wondows expoler has encounted a problem and must close, sorry for any inconvienence??? Sorry i couldnt reply 4 so long, my last computer contracted a fatal virus. Just in time i spose!!!! lol

[Falchoon]

Doesn't sound like you got any antivirus software - it's pretty important, like buying a car without any door locks. You can do a free online virus scan at www.antivirus.com.

Also a good idea to get Spybot (free download from www.safer-networking.org) , Adaware (www.lavasoftusa.com) and Spywareblaster (www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html) . These programs keep out all the spyware and adware that embed themselves in your machine making it run slow or in extreme cases not run at all. Just as important to keep all these programs updated regularly as well.

Thanks, i got spybot and spyware blaster. Mum just bought Nortan Anti-virus 2005 and it runs a lot faster. Still when i turn the computer on though, it takes about 5 minutes to log on???

[ZC-Cruiser]

Quote: Originally Posted by Surreal

Macintosh is owned by Apple Computers. It comes shipped with it's own operating system, monitor etc. Usually should only be purchased by people who do intense graphic design, or have little technical accumen. The drawback of the Macintosh, in my opinion, outweigh the advantages. Whilst you're getting an easier computer to muck around with, you're also stuck in terms of upgrades and software compatibility. Most games, and a lot of applications will not work on a Macintosh; simply because they weren't programmed for them.

Sort of right but mostly uninformed - pretty much any popular new game is now ported for the Mac and what sort of upgrades do you perceive the Mac users being "stuck on"?

Quote: Originally Posted by Surreal

The best thing that Mac's have going for them right now is the compilation of OSX. (The Operating System) The core coding of it is Linux based.

This is not correct - Mac OS X is based on BSD Unix, not Linux - two similar but different systems.

Quote: Originally Posted by Surreal

Also, if you want a hardware upgrade - tough. They're near impossible to do that.

Depends what you want to upgrade - there are loads of aftermarket processor upgrades for most Macs and they have used the same RAM and Hard Drives as the Wintel machines for quite some time now.

Quote: Originally Posted by Surreal

PC's have a much steeper difficulty curve, but the choices that come to upgrades... well, the sky is the limit. Stability used to be an issue, but I think Microsoft has pretty much sorted themselves out with Windows XP - I never get problems with it...

Well that is great!
This from a Windows Technician in Melbourne:

"I LOVE the fact that customers get hit weekly by viruses and spyware (every single machine that comes in will have spyware on it - guaranteed - that's $50 labour right there). And that Microsoft keep bloating their already bloated crappily written software.

Actually we've had some funny cases with the release of Service Pack 2 for WinXP (the "patch to end all patches") which causes a reset loop on the new Intel Pentium 4 Prescott processors (which make up 70% of our CPU sales - naturally they came out with a patch for that. Now we take calls from random customers who've taken the plunge and installed SP2 only to find that their PC's go crazy and can't boot into windows.

All this makes for a great service based PC business that will last for years to come. Even when we're selling little wristwatch digital assistants there'll still be PC's in every office begging to be serviced "

Need I say more about Windows???

How long since an email virus caused any of you grief on a Windows platform?

I (and most of my Mac-Lovin-Fruitcake customers) don't use ANY virus protection and guess what - no problems...

I kind of like it that Most of the problems I have to help with are operator error and not flakey software and operating systems

Actually, tonite I have to fix a Mac workstation with an app that quits rather than booting up properly - guess which one?

Yep, Microsoft Word - need I say more?

OK, I will - the computer in question is in an office with 8 Mac workstations, an OS X server and an OS 9 mail server.
I get less than an hour a week work from that site - hardly anything actually goes wrong - mostly just users trying to do stuff the wrong way...
I am sure this is one of the reasons why IT managers are rabidly for Winblows and eschew Macs - protecting their jobs regardless of the beta nature of their preferred OS.

Quote: Originally Posted by Surreal

And about 95% of the computer market is PC based... so a relatively high number of software vendors design applications & games for them.

Yeah it's really useful to be able to choose from, say, 200 Windows-compatible image editors when after you finish wading through the crap ones and the "General Exception" errors, you'll probably end up using Photoshop or The GIMP anyhow - both of which are available for the Mac.

Also, there are about 10 times more cockroaches than humans - sheer weight of numbers does not necessarily denote a higher life form.

In the automobile industry, Honda and BMW both have about 5% of the market - do we put them down because the plethora of accessories available at Auto Barn for Commodores don't fit??

Quote: Originally Posted by Surreal

PC's are also not "owned" by anyone; unless you purchase a brand-name PC. And even then, they have *some* degree of upgrade potential...

The issue here is not the hardware, but the Beta-quality Operating System they come installed with.
Any PC that will run Windows can have all of it's software-related problems fixed by formatting the hard drive and installing Linux of whatever flavour blows your hair back.
Ideally, you should be able to return your copy of Winblows to Micro$oft for a refund due to the product being unsuitable for it's intended purpose.

Quote: Originally Posted by Surreal

Some drawbacks to PC's are, like I had mentioned before, the learning curve, and also the fact that support is very limited. (Unless you buy a brand-name PC; and if you MUST do this, get a Compaq.) Keep away from that DELL sh*t.

Dell and it's CEO have long envied Apple and their position in the market and tried to emulate them (unsuccessfully).
The key to the Apple/Macintosh synergy is that the company who built the OS also built the hardware that it runs on, so, to quote an old adage:

"Macintosh, it simply works."

Quote: Originally Posted by Surreal

I'm a born and bred PC guy. I'll never buy a Macintosh on the condition that it remains restrictive with upgrades and general software compatibility. I like to do *anything* to a PC; it's kinda like customising your car... think of a Macintosh as a permanent company car you can't touch, whereas the PC is your very own (potentially) fast sports vehicle.

Until you get one and use it day to day, you should reserve your judgement on this - as stated above, the lack of upgrade path is largely a Furphy...

Quote: Originally Posted by Surreal

All in the eye of the beholder, really...

OK, here are some comments from well respected beholders:

"It really is coming down to just Apple and IBM. If, for some reason, we make some giant mistake and IBM wins, my personal feeling is that we are going to enter sort of a computer Dark Ages for about 20 years."
Steve Jobs, Playboy February 1985

"Saying Windows 95 is equal to Macintosh is like finding a potato that looks like Jesus and believing you've witnessed the second coming."
- Guy Kawasaki

"I have to agree that with enough time and effort, you can get a windows computer to do almost anything that can be done on a Mac."
- Steve Kayner

"I don't do .INI, .BAT, or .SYS files. I don't assign apps to files. I don't configure peripherals or networks before using them. I have a computer to do all that. I have a Macintosh, not a hobby."
- Fritz Anderson

"Who needs horror movies when we have Microsoft?"
- Christine Comaford, PC Week

"The day Microsoft makes something that doesn't suck is probably the day they start making vacuum cleaners."
- Ernst Jan Plugge

"If I'm going to sit in front of a piece of equipment for hours a day, I want to feel the intelligence that went into my operating system. I want to sense that an English major lost sleep over the wording of the dialogue boxes. I shouldn't have to teach my computer what kinds of files it has by adding .txt and .psd to their names. I don't want a default system font that looks like someone drew it on the bus on his way to work."
- David Pogue, MacWorld UK, June 1998

"PC users brag about what the media has said about their computers, Mac users brag about what they've done with their computers."
- Neal Porter

"Don't ask people what sort of computer they use, if they use a Mac, they'll tell you anyway and if they don't, why embarass them?"
- Tom Clancy

Also, if you run across an application that REALLY HAS to run on Windows, you can use Virtual PC to run it in a window on your Mac.
This is a great way to use Windows, because when it starts to eat itself and crash, it doesn't take down the whole computer - just the Windows emulation bit.
Just reboot Virtual PC and you are away again - all other apps running on the Mac will continue to work normally...
http://www.microsoft.com/mac/product...?pid=virtualpc

:-)

[EXLR8]

Quote: Originally Posted by Surreal

Here's hoping it's not a DELL! It's like a family member getting you all excited, saying they've bought you a SPORTS CAR; and you find a new Hyundai Coupé in your driveway...

rofl...or a renault megane......

[ZC-Cruiser]

Quote: Originally Posted by EXLR8

rofl...or a renault megane......

or a Daihatsu (barely) Copen

[ZC-Cruiser]

Quote: Originally Posted by ELSpeedo

The real 64 bit revolution is still honestly a long way away. DEC was running 64 bit in '95 running SCO so honestly its all old tech to me just rehased as new. Though thats another story. :wink

You'll find that 64 bit technology is available right now - I wonder who from???
64 bit computers for sale