PC or Mac?

[zoebartlett]

I have a PC now but I'm going to get a Macbook within the next few months, most likely. I haven't had many issues with my PC but I thought I'd try something newer and lighter than my current laptop this time.

ETA: I'm also getting tired of seeing messages that say "program not responding" when I try opening Word or the Internet. I usually have to restart my laptop at least once a day. It's so frustrating.

I have a feeling it will take a few weeks for me to get used to the Mac's layout (interface?). I'm not crazy about it now but I'll give it a shot.

 

[ericad]

MAC MAC MAC MAC MAC MAC MAC

 

[ame]

I use all Macs. My husband uses all PCs. So his half of the house is all PC equipment, in his office room, and my half of the house is all Mac equipment. Our AC bills are nuts. However--he does use an iPad and iPhone. he LOVES his iPad. So he doesn't mind that Apple interface, but since he's a gamer, he's all PC.

 

[CJ2008]

PC all the way.

I have an iPad...and even though I haven't tried many other tablets (I got it as a gift) I bet it's...meh...compared with a WIndows-based one.

 

[WinkHPD]

I just got rid of my old Windows 98 Laptop that was taking up to 5 minutes to boot any more. I only use it when I travel, but I do need a good access when I am traveling. I run Nod32 on it for virus protection and have had it for many many years, but it is just too old and tired to put up with any more.

I was looking at computers and have a PC at the office that I built last year with help from a good friend that is SCREAMING hot and has terabytes of storage for all of my videos and photos. LOVE it. My video processing time is a fraction of what it was with my old PC and I will probably never just buy an off the rack computer again. My friend thought I was nuts when I put in 22 USB ports, said I would never use them all. He was here for four days while we built the machine and played with it. By the time he left he was thinking I would need another few USB ports, so I ordered another card with four more and put it in after he left. I felt so liberated! (When I got over being scared I was going to mess something up by opening the box again!)

However I went to the Apple store here and tried a MacBook Pro. I realized that the Windows programs I MUST have for business I do not need on my travel computer and I loved the speed and ease of use of the MacBook.

So, in the office, super fast, big storage PC. Travel, very fast, not so much storage, MacBook Pro. Both are great tools and both make me very happy.

Wink, who is bi-computeral.

 

[Laila619]

I'm switching to MAC. Like msop4, I am so sick of getting viruses and burning through my laptops every two years. No more PCs.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I have and LOVE an iPad and iPhone, but I haven't gotten a Macbook yet. Almost did it a year ago, but decided to do one more $500 PC. PC laptops last me about 3 years, so a Macbook would need to last NINE years to come out financially equal. The problem with that is that I probably wouldn't care to keep a computer for nine years! So at this time, I am uncertain whether I will change to the Macbook or not. I really use it for internet and to store pictures. So I do not really do justice to an expensive computer. The main plus for me would be that all my pictures would be on all devices, and that is a big plus since I pretty much use my iPhone as my camera.

 

[msop04]

I have and LOVE an iPad and iPhone, but I haven't gotten a Macbook yet. Almost did it a year ago, but decided to do one more $500 PC. PC laptops last me about 3 years, so a Macbook would need to last NINE years to come out financially equal. The problem with that is that I probably wouldn't care to keep a computer for nine years! So at this time, I am uncertain whether I will change to the Macbook or not. I really use it for internet and to store pictures. So I do not really do justice to an expensive computer. The main plus for me would be that all my pictures would be on all devices, and that is a big plus since I pretty much use my iPhone as my camera.

You didn't factor in repairs and virus protection software that needs to be updated every couple of years -- it ain't cheap either! Buy a Mac... you won't regret it. It's just so convenient, esp since you use your iPhone as a camera! No more endless uploading and opening and downloading; it's just there on your laptop and/or all devices.

 

[NOYFB]

We LOVE LOVE LOVE our MacBook Pros and iPhone 5s, and my iPad. All Mac over here, baby!

 

[Sky56]

Other than iPods and iPhones, no Apple products, all PCs.

There's not a whole lot left, Sky! LOL (just teasing )

An iPad may be in my future.

 

[mr_kroshka]

BOTH

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I have and LOVE an iPad and iPhone, but I haven't gotten a Macbook yet. Almost did it a year ago, but decided to do one more $500 PC. PC laptops last me about 3 years, so a Macbook would need to last NINE years to come out financially equal. The problem with that is that I probably wouldn't care to keep a computer for nine years! So at this time, I am uncertain whether I will change to the Macbook or not. I really use it for internet and to store pictures. So I do not really do justice to an expensive computer. The main plus for me would be that all my pictures would be on all devices, and that is a big plus since I pretty much use my iPhone as my camera.

You didn't factor in repairs and virus protection software that needs to be updated every couple of years -- it ain't cheap either! Buy a Mac... you won't regret it. It's just so convenient, esp since you use your iPhone as a camera! No more endless uploading and opening and downloading; it's just there on your laptop and/or all devices.

Yes, I think the photo issue is a BIG plus for sure! I have to use Drop Box now and it is sort of a pain. I will say that when I get a new PC every three years, I am generally handing down that laptop to a kid!!! And I never have repairs within three years, thankfully! Use free virus protection, too. So it really is sort of a splurge to get the Macbook, but I think it is probably inevitable that I will. Our youngest daughter is majoring in graphic design, and she has to have a 15" Macbook Pro by next fall. So we'll definitely be increasing our Apple products! (We have Apple TV, too.)

How different is a Macbook Pro from an iPad? Does it use any of the same icons or is it totally different? Older daughter has one but I never seem to find the time to really look at it.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

BOTH

That is a good compromise!

 

[chemgirl]

We're a Mac household. DH commandeered my 4 year old iMac early on in our marriage. We also have a macbook pro and an air.

The air is mine (no touching my things!) and I love it. Its almost 4 years old and has been abused, but it still works like the day I brought it home...well minus the dent from knocking it off the counter...and the stain from the time I dropped a jar of salsa on the keyboard...

I actually prefer windows, but I love the build quality of a Mac. I seriously get a year out of a PC laptop. The durability is a money saver for me. Also helps to buy refurbished.

 

[cflutist]

Retired Software Engineer and IT Project Manager so PC (actually a business class Lenovo laptop with Display Port hooked up to 27" monitor) for me. Hubby was a Sun Solaris and UNIX administrator so custom specked Lenovo business class tower for him and a Linux Server that he built which hosts our website. For travel an old HP netbook and a new Samsung TabPro. No Apple products in our house.

 

[msop04]

Other than iPods and iPhones, no Apple products, all PCs.

There's not a whole lot left, Sky! LOL (just teasing )

An iPad may be in my future.

DO. IT. DO. IT. DO IT!!

 

[msop04]

How different is a Macbook Pro from an iPad? Does it use any of the same icons or is it totally different? Older daughter has one but I never seem to find the time to really look at it.

They all have the same interface, for the most part, but if it's a computer you're after, an iPad won't get it... To me, it's more of a convenience/travel thing for surfing the net. But like I said, I'm not tech-savvy, so... take that with a grain of salt!

 

[asscher_girl]

Apple all the way in our house. MacBooks,iPads,iPhones,Apple TV's, AirPort/ AirPort Time Capsule, you name it, we have it. Love my Mac. Will be buying a MacBook Air later this year, can't wait for that!

 

[missy]

Apple all the way in our house. MacBooks,iPads,iPhones,Apple TV's, AirPort/ AirPort Time Capsule, you name it, we have it. Love my Mac. Will be buying a MacBook Air later this year, can't wait for that!

I have to say I really love my Macbook Air even more than the Pro. It's thin and light and sleek and fingers crossed working well. I added to the basic Macbook Air and increased the RAM so it was a special order but worth it. Maybe I can finally break my computer jinx with it after the rocky start with the fan malfunctioning. The only rocky starts I love are the blingy kind.

Hope you love your Macbook Air (when you get it) as much as I do.

 

[msop04]

Apple all the way in our house. MacBooks,iPads,iPhones,Apple TV's, AirPort/ AirPort Time Capsule, you name it, we have it. Love my Mac. Will be buying a MacBook Air later this year, can't wait for that!

I have to say I really love my Macbook Air even more than the Pro. It's thin and light and sleek and fingers crossed working well. I added to the basic Macbook Air and increased the RAM so it was a special order but worth it. Maybe I can finally break my computer jinx with it after the rocky start with the fan malfunctioning. The only rocky starts I love are the blingy kind.

Hope you love your Macbook Air (when you get it) as much as I do.

I've been debating on "giving" my husband my MacBook Pro and getting a new MacBook Air (win-win, right?? ) LOL

Does the Air get as hot underneath as the Pro? It's not a big deal and most laptops get a little warm, but I just wanted to ask.

 

[missy]

Apple all the way in our house. MacBooks,iPads,iPhones,Apple TV's, AirPort/ AirPort Time Capsule, you name it, we have it. Love my Mac. Will be buying a MacBook Air later this year, can't wait for that!

I have to say I really love my Macbook Air even more than the Pro. It's thin and light and sleek and fingers crossed working well. I added to the basic Macbook Air and increased the RAM so it was a special order but worth it. Maybe I can finally break my computer jinx with it after the rocky start with the fan malfunctioning. The only rocky starts I love are the blingy kind.

Hope you love your Macbook Air (when you get it) as much as I do.

I've been debating on "giving" my husband my MacBook Pro and getting a new MacBook Air (win-win, right?? ) LOL

Does the Air get as hot underneath as the Pro? It's not a big deal and most laptops get a little warm, but I just wanted to ask.

I *think* this depends on the hard drive. Solid state drive doesn't need to be cooled as much so it won't get as hot as a computer with a standard hard drive. Mac Air only comes with solid state drives. I think Pro can come with either solid state or standard. Solid state generally will remain cooler but it still gets hot. Especially when you are like me and keep it open all day. The Mac Air gets awesome battery life. I thought the Pro was great that way but my Air lasts even longer.

And yes, I think that would be a win win. There was a point in time my dh gave me his Pro so I was using 3 Pros depending on which was working better at the time. When they get older they definitely (for me at least) run much more slowly no matter what we do. Genius bar included. Good luck and enjoy!

 

[Sky56]

I use my father's Apple when I visit him and the lack of a mouse with a left and right click drives me nuts as well as not being used to using one having had all PCs. I love my iPhone. It's old, the 4, it was my husband's and I got his when he got the 4S. It sounds dumb, but I am putting off loading IOS7 because the phone works so well. I have an old iPod that has 32,000 songs. I'm impressed with the sturdiness and reliability of my Apple products, all of which are dinosaurs.

 

[mr_kroshka]

I just got rid of my old Windows 98 Laptop that was taking up to 5 minutes to boot any more. I only use it when I travel, but I do need a good access when I am traveling. I run Nod32 on it for virus protection and have had it for many many years, but it is just too old and tired to put up with any more.

I was looking at computers and have a PC at the office that I built last year with help from a good friend that is SCREAMING hot and has terabytes of storage for all of my videos and photos. LOVE it. My video processing time is a fraction of what it was with my old PC and I will probably never just buy an off the rack computer again. My friend thought I was nuts when I put in 22 USB ports, said I would never use them all. He was here for four days while we built the machine and played with it. By the time he left he was thinking I would need another few USB ports, so I ordered another card with four more and put it in after he left. I felt so liberated! (When I got over being scared I was going to mess something up by opening the box again!)

However I went to the Apple store here and tried a MacBook Pro. I realized that the Windows programs I MUST have for business I do not need on my travel computer and I loved the speed and ease of use of the MacBook.

So, in the office, super fast, big storage PC. Travel, very fast, not so much storage, MacBook Pro. Both are great tools and both make me very happy.

Wink, who is bi-computeral.

That sounds like a cool setup. Would love to see some pics of your PC

 

[zoebartlett]

I use my father's Apple when I visit him and the lack of a mouse with a left and right click drives me nuts as well as not being used to using one having had all PCs. I love my iPhone. It's old, the 4, it was my husband's and I got his when he got the 4S. It sounds dumb, but I am putting off loading IOS7 because the phone works so well. I have an old iPod that has 32,000 songs. I'm impressed with the sturdiness and reliability of my Apple products, all of which are dinosaurs.

Sky, I was given a Macbook for my job and I'm planning on replacing my PC laptop with a Macbook Air. One of the things that drives me crazy about Macs is the lack of a left and right button on the mouse. Today was my first day testing out my Macbook and I don't get it at all. It doesn't make sense and I can't find anything. I know it will take some getting used to, but I'm not impressed yet.

 

[msop04]

I *think* this depends on the hard drive. Solid state drive doesn't need to be cooled as much so it won't get as hot as a computer with a standard hard drive. Mac Air only comes with solid state drives. I think Pro can come with either solid state or standard. Solid state generally will remain cooler but it still gets hot. Especially when you are like me and keep it open all day. The Mac Air gets awesome battery life. I thought the Pro was great that way but my Air lasts even longer.

And yes, I think that would be a win win. There was a point in time my dh gave me his Pro so I was using 3 Pros depending on which was working better at the time. When they get older they definitely (for me at least) run much more slowly no matter what we do. Genius bar included. Good luck and enjoy!

VERY HELPFUL, missy!! Thanks, girl!!

 

[WinkHPD]

I just got rid of my old Windows 98 Laptop that was taking up to 5 minutes to boot any more. I only use it when I travel, but I do need a good access when I am traveling. I run Nod32 on it for virus protection and have had it for many many years, but it is just too old and tired to put up with any more.

I was looking at computers and have a PC at the office that I built last year with help from a good friend that is SCREAMING hot and has terabytes of storage for all of my videos and photos. LOVE it. My video processing time is a fraction of what it was with my old PC and I will probably never just buy an off the rack computer again. My friend thought I was nuts when I put in 22 USB ports, said I would never use them all. He was here for four days while we built the machine and played with it. By the time he left he was thinking I would need another few USB ports, so I ordered another card with four more and put it in after he left. I felt so liberated! (When I got over being scared I was going to mess something up by opening the box again!)

However I went to the Apple store here and tried a MacBook Pro. I realized that the Windows programs I MUST have for business I do not need on my travel computer and I loved the speed and ease of use of the MacBook.

So, in the office, super fast, big storage PC. Travel, very fast, not so much storage, MacBook Pro. Both are great tools and both make me very happy.

Wink, who is bi-computeral.

That sounds like a cool setup. Would love to see some pics of your PC

It's not much to look at, big black box not quite 18 inches tall, not quite 8 inches wide. Three hard drives, including a solid state C drive for programs, and two big hard drives internal and several terabyte external drives for different things. We put in a Intel Core i5-3570K CPU @3.40GHz with 16 gigs of ram and a 64bit Operating System. I literally have no real idea what all that means.

We put in this little tiny chip that is the Intel Core that came with a small pyramid shaped heat sink thingy an inch or two tall, but we set that one aside and put in one that goes from one side of the box to the other. When heat testing the computer the heat sink barely warmed to the touch. My friend told me that had we used the small sink it would have been impossible to touch it after the ten minute test and he would never dared to have over clocked it. I am just going to assume he is correct as he once burned up his entire mother board trying to get more speed out of his machine.

My friend had some program that would stress test the system. He overclocked it a couple of notches and set it to run full speed for ten minutes while we watched the heat. Said we did not want it to go over 100 degrees Celsius. It got up to 60 and never went above it. He offered to overclock it some more and I said, "No thank you, I don't need to go any faster." Seems that big heat sink really works though.

I have no doubt that these are not serious numbers for serious computer people, but they work so much faster for me than my old system that a year later I am still surprised at how fast it is. The whole box and parts cost me less than $800, but that does not count the two new monitors and the external drives. (I run three monitors on my machine, two in front of me and one behind me for when I am making videos or photos so I don't have to crane my neck to see them, that gets OLD in a hurry, worse than trying to back a car without mirrors without that third monitor.

I have so many things plugged into the USB ports that taking the system out into the light would be a real pain, so sorry, no photographs.

Plugged into my USB ports I have my video camera, my Blue Snowball microphone, the Blue tooth mouse receiver, the dongle for DiamCalc, my digital scale for shipping packages, my printer, external hard drives, those are especially sweet when I travel and want to take some information with me without over using the storage on my lap top, and of course, lets not forget my Logitech digital camera for face to face meetings on Skype or Join me. Oh, and let's not forget my bluetooth headset receiver and other things which every once in a while I go, "Hmmm what is this one to?" and then I follow it to what ever it is that is plugged in and go, "Oh yeah, I forgot I even had that." (Such as the ten foot tether I followed to my Camera that I plug into my camera when taking still shots. I completely could not remember what it was for until it got to the light box, since I always plug it in at the camera and forget that it has a ten foot cord to the computer. Nice though, as it allows me to see on my computer screen what the shot is going to look like and allows me to fine tune the focus to a level that would be impossible for me looking through the viewer.)

As I said, not much to look at, and my cords make a rat's nest look neat. But it works!

Wink

 

[WinkHPD]

I use my father's Apple when I visit him and the lack of a mouse with a left and right click drives me nuts as well as not being used to using one having had all PCs. I love my iPhone. It's old, the 4, it was my husband's and I got his when he got the 4S. It sounds dumb, but I am putting off loading IOS7 because the phone works so well. I have an old iPod that has 32,000 songs. I'm impressed with the sturdiness and reliability of my Apple products, all of which are dinosaurs.

Sky, I was given a Macbook for my job and I'm planning on replacing my PC laptop with a Macbook Air. One of the things that drives me crazy about Macs is the lack of a left and right button on the mouse. Today was my first day testing out my Macbook and I don't get it at all. It doesn't make sense and I can't find anything. I know it will take some getting used to, but I'm not impressed yet.

Zoe,

I went to the Apple store and told them what I wanted and they set me off to one side with a Macbook Pro and let me play for over an hour and every once in while someone would come by and I would ask them my question of the minute and they would stick around for a few minutes before leaving me to my own devices some more. It really made it so much easier for me to have someone there who knew what they were doing and who was willing to share it with me. Made my transition from my tired old laptop so much eaiser. I heartily recommend doing this if you have the time. I normally don't, but was able to go on a Sunday.

Wink

 

[perry]

I did not vote because I have both at home - and use both every day. I also have Android on some smaller devices.

So to answer everyone's questions:

1) MACs can and do get viruses. It is just that most virus writers target PCs as virtually all business computers are PCs. There have been a few MAC viruses that shut down a lot of MACs. The last one was several years ago. My Anti-Virus program on my MAC catches a Virus or Trojan every month or so. You need to be running a anti-virus program for your MACs. If you do some digging you will find some reasonable ones that are low cost (my current Sophos Anti-Virus program was installed Free as part of some kind of promotion some years back - and I have had free updates so far).

2) Apple has in fact paid Microsoft to write and provide Microsoft Office for MAC; but the Apple stores will not tell you that and do not sell it. They instead will sell you a program that allows you to load and run Windows. It does not work as well as just buying the MS Office for MAC. So if you need Excel and power point, and word, etc - I suggest you just buy MS Office for MAC from Microsoft. It may seem pricy. but it sure works better. There is also a MS Office version available now for for Ipad (although it may not be the full office suite).

3) Unless you are doing something specific (such as professional level desktop publishing)- there really is not any real performance difference between PC and MAC. Once upon a time there was for many routine things (when MACs first came out - which I remember clearly); but, not now for most routine things.

4) If you have medical equipment with medical tracing software - you are going to need a PC. That software is written for medical clinics and hospitals which are all PC based. I have not seen any Durable Medical Equipment Mfr write any of their programs to operate on MAC.

5) One of the huge benefits to running both systems is that when the MAC has problems - I use the PC to surf the net and find the answers. When the PC has problems I use the MAC to surf the net and find the answers. In my about 5 years of owning both systems - I would say the number of problems that froze up each system or required some kind of specialized reboot holding down a specific key sequence to reset some for of root commands has been about the same.

6) I cannot really say I am fond of either - they both have their quirks. So does Android (I know the least about Android as I only got that this year).

Have a great day,

Perry

 

[zoebartlett]

Thanks for the tip, Wink! I think I'm going to buy a Macbook Air through my school district to save some money, but I like the idea of checking out the Apple Store in case I have detailed questions. The guy I spoke with at Best Buy was not very helpful.

 

[WinkHPD]

You are welcome. Many times the employees at a place like Best Buy will have limited areas of expertise and they can only be helpful if you are asking a question in that area.

The competition for a Job at an apple store is FIERCE. My nephew applied nearly two years ago and was in competition with more than 1,300 other applicants for three positions. The interview process lasted more than two months and he was one of the chosen ones.

He still works there and loves it, but was not there when I went in to look and play. All of the people there were knowledgeable, but occasionally I would ask a question that someone did not know the answer to. They would promptly tell me that they were going to get someone to help me. Then they would stay and listen so that they would know the next time.

Very impressive service!

Wink