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is apple computer good?

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Shape D.:
Are Apple Computers good?

Yes

Do you need one, or would a mac work better for the apps you're intending on running?

No, for what you're looking to do you'd be better served with a PC


I've been using mac's for the last 8 years or so, and I love it. And now I'll be a blowhard and comment on other peoples comments from above.

Viruses: Mac users typically do have less spyware, and virus issues. Mainly due to all the viruses being made to attack windows.

Running Windows: While you can run windows on a Mac, thus windows based programs, it doesn't run as smoothly as it does on a regular pc.

OS: XP>OSX, I think not. But then again I'm a biased Mac user. In the 8 Years I've been using my mac I've never had any issues with my computer. (G4 733Mhz 2 gigs of ram) And I don't miss the blue screen of death.

Upgrading: Yes you can upgrade a mac, but depending on the applications you are running you can have issues. The main reason I use a Mac is for Audio recording programs, some of which are only made for the Mac. If you upgrade your processor, these programs will not run as smoothly. (thus the reason mine is still a 733Mhz) Anything else can be upgraded without issues though. 


Long story short, yes they're good. But I don't think you need one.

AtomSmasher:

--- Quote from: Level42 on June 13, 2008, 01:32:34 am ---2) A Mac stays up in value more than any PC. F.I. I bought my Mac Mini in sept 2006. I upgraded to Leopard and it's running FASTER than it was before. Try that with an upgrade from (f.i.) XP to Vista. Apple is now working on Snow Leopard, and instead of the wrong direction MS is always taking (adding more features) they are focussing on getting Leopard to perform better. I've NEVER heard anyone from MS say they would actualy concentrate on that. It's a non-issue because in their devilish pact with the hardware manufacturers they make sure every new version of their OS needs more horsepower, thus forcing people to buy a new machine every 2/3 years.

When Snow Leopard is ready, my Mini will again make a performance jump. Not that it's really necessary, it's powerful enough for my day-to-day jobs I do on it. So, I will be using it for 4/5 years and it will run faster than when I first bought it.

--- End quote ---
This actually touches on one thing that bugs me with OSX.  Microsoft releases a new OS with major updates every 5-6 years, but releases incremental updates (i.e. service packs) for free every year or two, while with OSX you have to buy the OS again every couple of years in order to get the incremental updates.  Oh, and service pack 3 for XP did increase performace.

Shape D.:
Except there's usually some pretty big differences between the pay for upgrades. Switching from 10.4 to 10.5 isn't just a small update.

Also, Apple does have free upgrades between the major releases though. For example, I'm currently running osx 10.39. And you don't always need to upgrade to the new version. And I normally don't recommend doing so until you are required to from software you need to use.

This compares to MS's "service packs" that have a bunch of upgrades (and are also filled with a bunch of bug fixes they don't tell you about)

AtomSmasher:

--- Quote from: Shape D. on June 13, 2008, 11:29:33 am ---This compares to MS's "service packs" that have a bunch of upgrades (and are also filled with a bunch of bug fixes they don't tell you about)

--- End quote ---
Heh, I don't know where you read your information about the service packs, but when I read about them they normally list the number of bugs and security holes fixed as prominately as any other feature of the service pack.  Both OS's provide small updates between releases, but service packs compare to the updates you typically get when you buy a new release of OSX.  The fact that they want people to buy the "new" OS every 1 or 2 years is just something that has always irked me.

slycrel:

--- Quote from: AtomSmasher on June 13, 2008, 11:43:54 am ---
--- Quote from: Shape D. on June 13, 2008, 11:29:33 am ---This compares to MS's "service packs" that have a bunch of upgrades (and are also filled with a bunch of bug fixes they don't tell you about)

--- End quote ---
Heh, I don't know where you read your information about the service packs, but when I read about them they normally list the number of bugs and security holes fixed as prominately as any other feature of the service pack.  Both OS's provide small updates between releases, but service packs compare to the updates you typically get when you buy a new release of OSX.  The fact that they want people to buy the "new" OS every 1 or 2 years is just something that has always irked me.

--- End quote ---

I have a PC at home and (recently) a mac laptop.  I've developed software for the mac for over 9 years now.

You've just made a very misleading statement.  I disagree strongly with the fact that service packs and  OS X point releases are the same thing.  They both serve different purposes.

Since windows has a much larger release cycle, they would simply get nailed by the competition if they didn't release a bunch of features in their service packs.  5+ years is a long time to have no new feature upgrades.  Pricing is also an issue, sure if you fudge a bit you can get the latest OS for under $300, but generally retail is around $500 for an uncrippled version of windows.  If they brought that price down and released in shorter bursts it wouldn't be that much different than apple's pricing.

Apple releases smaller bugfix and security features, as well as under the hood improvements in smaller increments.  These are the smaller point releases.  (i.e. they jsut released 10.5.3)  These keep things relatively up to date and add new features when appropriate.  (As an example, 10.5.4 is seeded to developers already and will have their new .mac stuff in there as a feature)  These are all free, and other than new "free" features they serve the same purpose as windows service packs or security updates.  Additionally for more urgent security issues apple releases a security patch roughly every month or so.

There are huge differences between the apple releases.  10.3 to 10.4, 10.4 to 10.5.  Even 10.6 is billed as a security and stability upgrade (which may or may not be full price) and it's got a bunch of new features that will be good for users and developers alike.  Check the initial press release here:  http://www.apple.com/macosx/snowleopard/

Trash on each company how you want, but it's more a matter of release schedule and how they choose to do it than anything else.  Both get the job done, some people prefer more incremental releases for a smaller price and some prefer longer releases with free updates that charge more.

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