What is better about a Mac versus a PC?

[stratzrus]

Originally Posted by bluesdoc

I need to upgrade from my 5+ yr old pc laptop and have been paying attention to these threads. Question - will the/a mac email program import my pile of old emails from my Outlook Express? Or, to put it another way, will/can it open those email dbx folders? I have to be able to access old emails. Thanks.

jon

Get Parallels, install Win 7 and continue to use Outlook Express.

Problem solved.

[HammyD]

Originally Posted by Bradd

Uh ... yea. Blu ray didn't beat out HD-DVD on hopes and dreams. Where have you been? You've never even seen a blu ray disc?

No never have I seen one. No real interest. When I worked in television I saw every type of media. Didn't really matter who made it, when it was made, or what the market share. If it worked, that was fine for me.

From Apples perspective, I would think streaming media, such as Netflix, etc. would be of more interest. I don't think many computers can handle SCAD cd's can they?

To me Apples are just another tool. One, I prefer, and one I made my living maintaining for four years. I can say, not would I say that they are better for everyone, but I can say that all the pc techs I worked with had Mac's at home, and seemed to have more problems maintaining pc's, than I did with the Macs.

What seems odd is that if a group of people decided to change to another manufacturer, that certain people go out of there way to not only bash the company and to bash the users.

[ADMIN EDIT]

It all reminds me of the rednecks I used to know that always argue about Ford versus Chevy, or the well healed arguing over Porsche versus Ferrari. its seems like it is more evidence of a psychological need to feel superior, or to respond to advertisements that make them feel inferior.

Its just advertising! It what ad agencies do, they convince people to buy one product over another. Customer satisfaction is up to the company, itself. But its just a tv spot!

I can't imagine a tv spot bothering me, no less make me feel insecure enough that I would troll around looking to disrupt discussion about a product I did not use, or I could not afford.

I'll admit I have enjoyed rattling Tater's little cage, though. Mea culpa, mea culpa.

[abakerdabra]

Macs are Teles. PC's are Strats.

[GA20T]

Originally Posted by michael.e

It is quite plain to see that we have different needs.

So, is it your opinion that a PC is less flexible? Since when did a PC do only one thing?
Both Apple and PC do more than one thing on their own, that is beyond obvious. They also do those "more than one things" quite well.

The logic of a Mac being THAT far superior, is, in fact quite lost on me.

Like I said, I have used both platforms extensively. I have used both Vista 64 and OS 10. For my purposes and needs, the Vista is far superior.

If it brings you that much writhing and agony to even read that, perhaps you would serve your psyche better by opening up a guitar or amp related thread instead.

There is quite a bit of room for both. They both have their uses and weaknesses. That is just a reality we all are going to have to deal with.

I still haven't seen you provide a concrete example with any meaning....

[Bradd]

Originally Posted by HammyD

blah blah blah.

Why can't posters seem to stick to the topic at hand?

[HammyD]

Originally Posted by Bradd

Why can't posters seem to stick to the topic at hand?

Well, I was addressing the topic at hand. It was brought up that Mac's do not support Blue Ray. I made the point that many people do not care if it does. Same as many do not care what the market share, nor the relative price point.

Look at what the the end user wants in a computer. If they want a great deal of flexibility in varying manufacturers, than obviously pc. If they like to add or subtract parts, add peripherals, etc., than obviously pc.

If they don't mind the original investment, which can be more, and do enjoy a manufacturer with an excellent customer service record, and a willingness to address problems when they occur, as well as an integrated OS, then Apple is the choice.

For those in computer science, often Mac is the choice because triple boot systems are easily configured, and the hardware is remarkably reliable.

For those in audio and video, Apple seems to dominate the market and the design of their Pro series, seem to be ideally designed for those working in those areas.

There is alot to be said about the OS of Apple when Michael Dell repeatedly ask Jobs to let him license it for use on his computers.

The point of the previous post, as well, was to point out that there are those who, maybe like you take real offense at the Mac ads. And it all seems rather silly.

[Bradd]

Good post^

[Jazzydave]

Originally Posted by HammyD

Well, I was addressing the topic at hand. It was brought up that Mac's do not support Blue Ray. I made the point that many people do not care if it does. Same as many do not care what the market share, nor the relative price point.

Look at what the the end user wants in a computer. If they want a great deal of flexibility in varying manufacturers, than obviously pc. If they like to add or subtract parts, add peripherals, etc., than obviously pc.

If they don't mind the original investment, which can be more, and do enjoy a manufacturer with an excellent customer service record, and a willingness to address problems when they occur, as well as an integrated OS, then Apple is the choice.

For those in computer science, often Mac is the choice because triple boot systems are easily configured, and the hardware is remarkably reliable.

For those in audio and video, Apple seems to dominate the market and the design of their Pro series, seem to be ideally designed for those working in those areas.

There is alot to be said about the OS of Apple when Michael Dell repeatedly ask Jobs to let him license it for use on his computers.

The point of the previous post, as well, was to point out that there are those who, maybe like you take real offense at the Mac ads. And it all seems rather silly.

Originally Posted by Bradd

Good post^

Agreed completely. We're talking about the differences between Macs and PCs and the BluRay option has been being talked about for a long time now. Truth of the matter is, many of us who use Macs don't really care either way.

It definitely wasn't a deal breaker for me. I'm still waiting for the prices of BluRay discs to drop - I just can't justify buying them. Maybe my TV isn't big enough or something?

I have a Macbook Pro Unibody 2.66GHz and its a beast.

Maybe we should ask, "What are the differences between PCs and Macs" instead of putting the "vs." between the two. That "vs." always seems to bring in some hostility!

And as for "flexibility," I'm very interested in the poster's idea of "flexibility?" (Seriously, I'm not calling you out, I'm genuinely curious) While I agree that there are many more programs out there for the Microsoft platforms, if we're talking OS vs. OS (I shouldn't have used "vs." there!), I can't agree with that at all. OS X, by itself, cutting out the addition of other programs, has to be one of the most diverse, flexible, and capable systems I've ever worked with. Most people just don't take the time to learn about it as they should. Keep in mind I was a satellite tech for the Air Force - we had all kinds of crazy systems we worked with!

For everyday browsing, word docs, etc, its all about preference. I just love that my Mac doesn't think I'm an idiot and ask me over and over if I'm "sure" I want to do that. Yes! I do! I pushed the command! Haha!

[Flyin' Brian]

Originally Posted by HammyD

Darth sent me a private message once bragging how he got one Mac thread locked. Admin's seemed to be unable to prevent this sort of thing, not prevent him from joining in every discussion.

This confirms pretty much what I thought. A person who takes the time to intentionally do that and then brags about it has very little going on in the way of a life. It's a shame that the Admins can't do something about a person whose clearly defined goal is to stir the pot every chance he gets and to take a civil and interesting and informative thread and turn it South.

I guess DT must feel some incredible power in being able to do that....wonder what it's replacing.

[HammyD]

One note about mac's running Vista/Linux for scientific applications and a potential problem. At the college where I worked many of the science labs changed over to Mac running Vista, as the same specialized app (programs) were more expensive for OSX.

Also, there was a problem with many of the older to current scientific peripherals, as they used serial ports or scuzzy ports to connect, none of which are available on Apple (without adapters), except maybe the Mac Pro.

As to the issue of opening a Mac Mini. They are a bitch! But they are not designed for anyone but Apple techs to open (and they hate to do it, too!) I don't think Apple wanted anyone mucking about.

We used Mac Mini's in all the classrooms with complete a/v systems (95% of campus) running dual boot OSX/Vista and in one case both sides were running dual monitors and dual projectors. Very handy, very durable.

One issue for free standing, public use Mac's running Vista is that the Mac's use a different manufacturer of video cards, and there does not seem to be software with Vista to address cooling issues. For the average user, not a problem, but with a public use computer running 24/7 we did see overheating hardware failure.

[zadiqof]

I used a pc for 19 years. Antivirus programs used to interrupt my recording sessions all the time. Those were the instances where the pc was actually able to identify my audio interface as an audio card, other wise it would error out and stop providing audio. I had multiple trojan virus's, and after getting a new laptop and it being infected beyond use with virus's and so-called 'security upgrade' needs that cost as much as groceries monthly, a year I switched to mac.

My mac is plug and play, interruption free. I've had my mac for a year now and havent been more impressed, the customer service is EXCELLENT and usability is just incomparable to a pc.

[Scott Peterson]

Let's take a 24 hour break on this topic. After that cooling period, PM me to reopen.

[Brian Scherzer]

........And I'll add that several people have reported posts in this thread that do NOT break our rules. Just because you don't like someone or their point of view does NOT mean that you should abuse the reported post function. This isn't a kindergarten! Reserve reporting posts for significant violations of our rules. These Mac vs PC threads seem to lead to oversensitivity. This IS a discussion site.