Pc or Mac ?

[arcadefever]

Hello everybody   

My wife birthday is coming soon, and she really need a new computer 
i was thinking getting her a PC, but yesterday, we went to "Best buy" and was a stand with the new IMAC 

It look really cool, and she seems to like it...

what you guys think ? PC or Mac ?

she will use it for email, work, music, movie, pictures..no gaming  sound like the mac be good for her ...

thanks for the help...

[XyloSesame]

Is she connecting to a network and/or planning to use it to work from home on a Windows-based network? If yes, a Mac can do it, but be warned that the IT department of her work might not provide any help in setting it up...

And remember, either way you go, you'll most likely need to add productivity apps which could inflate the sticker price considerably.

[AtomSmasher]

[shmokes]

You'll be happy with the mac.  Work is obviously not a problem since you're looking at an iMac rather than an Macbook.  I mean, I suppose she might need to VPN into a company network, but that's obviously not the case or you'd have mentioned it.

For day to day stuff like that, the Mac is great.  MS Office is available for it, but Apple's own iWork productivity suite will satisfy most needs.  It's unquestionably less powerful than MS Office, but it also costs like $70 instead of $400, and if you need more power, as I said, you just pick up the Mac version of Office.

I'd say go with the Mac.  Worst case scenario is you regret your decision and you just throw Apple Boot Camp on the machine and convert it into an XP or Vista box.  Macs can run Windows just as well as PCs now that they're running x86 processors.

[XyloSesame]

Worst case scenario is you regret your decision and you just throw Apple Boot Camp on the machine and convert it into an XP or Vista box.  Macs can run Windows just as well as PCs now that they're running x86 processors.

Good point...

[arcadefever]

  thanks for the help...

She will use it for "personal work" not company related  so i guess mac will be a good choice...

[XyloSesame]

Honestly, if I could have afforded a MBP, I would have jumped on it. Custom built a beefy PC notebook for 1/2 the price...

[shmokes]

Actually, in a strange turn of events, Macbooks are actually really competitive these days (for the average consumer who can't build his own laptop, I mean).  It's been maybe a year or more since I checked last, but Macbooks were actually coming in cheaper than a similarly equipped Dell, Gateway, Sony or HP notebook (and they were thinner, lighter and sleeker to boot).

My wife has a Powerbook (non-Intel).  Some things are definitely more user friendly, but there have been times when I have seriously questioned the contention that Macs are easier to use than PCs (I personally know PCs inside and out, while only having very very limited experience with Macs).  My wife loves her Mac, though, even if it isn't Intel based.  Hell, everyone seems to love their Macs.

[XyloSesame]

Actually, in a strange turn of events, Macbooks are actually really competitive these days (for the average consumer who can't build his own laptop, I mean).  It's been maybe a year or more since I checked last, but Macbooks were actually coming in cheaper than a similarly equipped Dell, Gateway, Sony or HP notebook (and they were thinner, lighter and sleeker to boot).

Since the decision to use x86, you're correct - Macs are cheaper for the average user. It's when you get in to high-end needs that you'll find both the jump in price and the PC-like OS/software problems. Either way, I see a benefit to both platforms. Wish I could afford to run Mac, PC, and Linux boxes.

That reminds me, I need to buy a lottery ticket...

[DrumAnBass]

I have a 20" Intel Dual Core 2.1 ghz iMac and I love it. Great machine. One little known fact about the iMacs is that on the 20" and 24" you can drive a 2nd monitor from it with a $20 dongle. I have a Dell 20" next to it for more screen real estate. The iMac is incredibly quiet and hardly generates any heat

The one downside is the slot load DVD-R in it blows. It is really slow at burning DVDs. Someday I'll probably add an external DVD burner.

[weasel-like_animal]

I just bought a 2.8ghz 24" iMac... my first mac actually. I've been working with a G5 quad core at work for two years with a 23" cinedisplay... totally spoiled me!    My previous computer is a Pentium 4 that I built in early 2001... man how times have changed!

I can't emphasize enough how much more I like the mac environment. It is easy, things work the first time, wireless is painless and it can run Windows if you need it to. There are a ton of freeware applications too, you don't even need to pay for a single thing outside of what comes pre-installed.

If you decide to get a mac, you can get Gimp for photo editing (Like photoshop if you use GimpShop), Open Office for all your office needs (just like Microsoft Office, and compatible), and whatever else you need.

For my money, I'd get a iMac. Tough to beat right now spec-wise, and the new OSX is out! Not to mention the display is AWESOME.

However, if your wife really does not care, you can build a very powerful and solid PC tower and get a nice LCD monitor to go with it for less than an iMac. Hell, you can even build a mac now!

[AtomSmasher]

A friend of mine just got his first mac and he's really regretting it right now.  He knows very little about computers, which is why I tried to convince him to stay with what he knows (windows), but his brother convinced him otherwise.  Now he's just waiting for someone to install windows on it for him so he can start using his new computer, I know very little about macs so I can't help him and apparently his brothers been too busy to help him.  Apparently some of the software he needs to use is windows only and he didn't realize it until he tried to install it on the mac (like I said he knows very little about computers), so right now he's still using his old computer.

On a similar note, my sister recently took my advice and got a $1000 laptop from dell for $400 because it has a small scratch on the case, and she's been very happy with it.

[Ed_McCarron]

I thought there was a forum specifically for religious discussions?   

[ChadTower]

He should get her a BeOS box anyway.  Everyone loves BeOS.

[SithMaster]

Watch some macs vs pc videos first before making your decision so you can be informed.

[2600]

I've had multiple MAC laptops and like them so much better then PC laptops.  If a family member was getting a new computer I would definitely suggest either a MAC laptop or a MAC mini.

My latest is a Powerbook with a Core 2.  If you have to use Windows, which for work I have to for some PCB and development stuff, then I highly suggest Parallels Desktop for Mac.  I never tried using BootCamp, because Parallels is just so good.  Also, I highly recommend NeoOffice which is an OpenOffice branch for OSX.  It's free and the newer versions are really good.

[ChadTower]

it's a P-P-Powerbook.

[SithMaster]

it's a P-P-Powerbook.

i get it.

[arcadefever]

  thank you very MUCH for all the advise ...

i really apriciate the help

Many thanks 

[DrumAnBass]

Lemme know if you do decide to go mac - I'd be happy to help you out with any set up etc.

Your Mini Mame was my inspiration for my current project converting a bartop. Still need to post a project thread on it. Won't look as cool as yours however...!

[squirrellydw]

Mac all the way

[Level42]

In all honesty: I never liked PC's. I went from Atari 8 bits machines to the ST. When that was REALLY running on it's last legs (around 1996) I got my first PC. I was annoyed by it from day one. "What the f... is that harddisk doing, without me touching anything " It was the first time I felt out of control on a computer....

I've struggled ever since, until I got my first Mac (mini) when I visited the US last year.

My brother used to have a motorbike when he was young. He was more working on fixing the thing than riding it.
I felt the same with about every PC I had.

Some things I love about the Mac:
- it is super-super quite (so you can actually let it run in your living room, without having the feeling of being in a server room)
- it goes to sleep and starts in a second or two. I very-very rarely turn it off completely (holiday f.i.)

All the other things have been mentioned here already. I'm never going back.

O, and for the rare occasion that I do need to run a piece of Windows, I have VMware's Fusion, which is fabulous. Running windows in a window in real time.

The only thing I regret about the Mac Mini is that I didn't buy an iMac

[Level42]

Oh yeah  :


It's not confirmed by Apple when it will be released........ 

If you're any good in French (unlike me !) here's the thread:
http://www.gamoover.net/Forums/index.php?topic=13285