Hi all,
I have been using PC since early 2000 due to the corporate environment. Now, i am thinking to switch from Microsoft to Apple.

What would be the advantages or disadvantages of using a Mac instead of a traditional PC(so called Wintel)?

Please let me know your thoughts and ideas.
Thanks,

Why would you want to switch?

Short answer: Mac sucks - avoid it unless the software you need to run is available only on Mac.

Why would you want to switch?

Short answer: PC sucks - avoid it unless the software you need to run is available only on PC.

Apple charge you twice as much for a computer the same spec as a windows box

Yes it'll seem to run quicker, crash less and treat you like a total idiot, making all the decisions for you, and depending on what one you get will be a PITA to upgrade.

I'll also turn you into a smug ass

If you have money to burn buy a Mac. bare in mind you'll have to change everything else you have to Apple otherwise you'll be tearing your hair out in no time.

Why would you want to switch?
Why not make the best of the PC you already have. Delete Windows and install Linux.

anyone tried chrome?

So far we got all the stereotypes in the thread, don't we?

I have worked the last years in the Microsoft enterprise software space. I am working on a Mac Book Pro and run virtual windows machines as Apple in my opinion simply has the superior hardware.
Yes, i can get a cheaper laptop with the same spec-sheet, but not a cheaper computer made with similarly high manufacturing standards. Samsung and Sony make some which can compete with my Mac - but at a higher price.
I ran Windows 7 till I absolutely had to switch for professional reasons and yes, I strongly believe that OS X is better than Windows 8. A slap in the face is better than Windows 8... the only place where it actually works is btw the Surface Pro 3, which is a surprisingly good device. And for many the first tablet that is a true alternative to a laptop in the workplace.

Are you a geek/nerd?

I switched from PC to Mac and haven't looked back since.

You mean chromebooks? I have 4 of them. I would recommend them where they meet requirements - they are excellent devices.

Next year, when broadwell versions with HD screens come out, they will be perfect.

Not necessary, just install windows on it. Job done

On a more serious point, if you'd have asked 5 years ago whether it was worth switching then I've said yes, but these days I'd have to say stick with what you know.

Apple at the moment seems to want to release a new OS every year which is a seriously tight development schedule, and every year we get a new system which is bug riddled, breaks things, and generally does not behave. Meanwhile the old system is still buggy but never gets fixed as Apple want to push their new latest and greatest.

Add to that that Apple is no longer a computer company, but a consumer electronics firm that makes expensive pretty appliances which are cheap on the inside.

Being an Apple customer today is probably the worst time ever to be an Apple customer. Trust me, I am one, and have been since the Mac Plus.

__________________
...allegedly.

Back in the day people used to ask "Why a Mac?" and you could reply "Because it just works" - which it did.

For some reason you could connect anything and it would work. Now, things just seem to break.

For example: not able to get app updates until iOS is updated (and slows the hardware) - but no message to say why!

hehehehe thats a good point, my sister wasn't able to update her iphone as her mac didn't have the latest patch??? what's that all about???

I have a Macbook Air which I use when travelling, alongside a Windows desktop, Windows work PC etc.. and without a doubt I prefer Windows.

Things which I instinctively do in windows e.g. snapping two windows together, maximizing them, right click to see size of folders/drives, batch renaming of files etc.. Even installing and uninstalling software on a Mac is confusing and sometimes messy. You download a dmg, mount it, drag an icon into the applications folder, but then there are other files which seem to have an exe style installer.
And when it comes to uninstalling some rogue program or extension, you look in the Apps folder but find the program isn't there so you have to hunt around using Finder and then even when you drop it in the trash you're unsure whether there are any other remnants. Windows uninstaller is far more reassuring.

And then there is the Mac keyboard shortcuts which you either know from the cradle or not. Finally gimmicky nonsense like Launchpad and Dashboard remain completely unused by me.

Having said all that, the reason I persevere with my Macbook is that there is no other sub notebook like it in terms of build quality, battery life or customer support (I have added Apple Care). The ability to just shut the lid and resume working several hours later without a single % drop in battery impresses me no end. And finally the inbuilt mail, calender and messaging app (Yosemite) is first class and something Windows just doesn't have an answer for.

Why you using my user name ? I'm sure you don't want to be associated with me, i've a lousy reputation !

That's a good point - I thought it was you.

OP, please contact me or one of the other mods for a name change.

I've been a Mac user since 2004, though I continue to use PC's at the office, I only travel with my MacBook Air that I have had since 2010.

To some extent there is an adaptation into the various idioms of Mac OS versus Windows. That's up to you to do deal with, and depends on your attitude. I saw upthread complaints about managing programs, I see it differently - managing programs is far simpler since they are better segregated and don't integrate into the Registry like Windows. You just copy it on your drive, and done. Want rid? Delete it and done. But that is my perspective since I am used to their ecosystem. if you are expecting a process where there is none, then that is a problem - but you are not wrong for expecting it. Prior to Windows 7, I would have also taken some time to say that OS X is vastly better, but that gap has gotten a lot smaller. Macs are still the kings of the "zero to productive" sprint (i.e. time from taking my computer out of my briefcase to doing what I want to do with it), and I feel more efficient doing tasks on my Mac because I am used to it, but I don't think one can clearly say Mac OS X is better the way they could with XP or Vista. Though I do think OS X is better, the difference is within the bounds of one's style.

Where Mac's DO have an advantage is hardware. They still build the best, most polished computers on the market, and, especially in laptops, where you really care about it, the gulf is big. As I mentioned, I have a 2010 Air, and I still have yet to see another person's computer I envied, even though I still get looks my way. (Edit Note: before you turn this into some silly superficial thing - this is just a way of gauging when a technology product is getting long in the tooth) Their packaging is solid, efficient, and cohesive. The two biggest advantages today: having the enormous multi-touch touchpad (and i find the various multi-finger swipes, including to Launchpad and Mission Control the biggest timesavers) and the huge battery life. I easily make transatlantic flights on one charge (I normally get about 8 hours. The same model today gets 12 thanks to some hardware upgrades a year ago.) And the package is smaller than my spiral-bound notebook and about the same weight. It's just a nicer machine to work on.

Personally - I declined my work notebook (A lenovo T series) and just travel with my personal MacBook Air under BYOD. It is just that much nicer.

For a desktop...ennh. Tougher call. I like the iMac (especially with the new screen) but I find it harder to justify. The price-per-spec comparison isn't as bad as most people make it out to be, but the problem is that Apple doesn't sell a cheap computer, or a particularly customizable one. Their desktops are beautiful, well-appointed machines, but usually for a desktop I expect a lot of flexibility that is just expensive to get via Thunderbolt. At home, having all my computers on the Mac ecosystem has certain advantages, but a single Mac Desktop...it's a tougher call. If what they make doesn't suit your needs perfectly, then you are doubtless paying for something you don't want (or not getting something you do).

Ah Windows* vs Mac. I think peace in the Middle East is easier to negotiate than this chestnut.

(For the uber geeks, we could also bring in vi vs. emacs)

For whatever it is worth, I use Windows, mainly for compatibility with almost every place I have to work (engineering is a lot like that, unfortunately), but also I was brought up on it.

In the end, we always find a way to adapt to whatever we are used to / given. At least for me, that's what's happened.

* I realise that "PC" could stand here but I fear that usually prejudices the *nix users.

It all depends on what you are used to and what you will use it for, Macs have obviously an easier more intuitive OS and that's great, if you are happy to spend more money on one go for it. I use Macs at home but a PC for work. I feel a bit more secure regarding spyware and malware while surfing the internet with my Mac then I do on a PC. Although I am starting to feel that the OS since Mavericks and now Yosemite has more of an Android Windows 8 feel about it.


If you are into coding and programming and software/app development then a PC is a no brainer as there are far more software applications and hardware upgrades developed for PCs then Macs. Apple just make it easier for people like me who don't want to think about all of that stuff.

Not a chance, i still think apples are for eating and PC is what politicians try to aspire to be !