I'm 100% Team Apple. What a way to start off a blog, am I right? Truthfully... I've been in many arguments regarding this topic in my days and I thought it would be fun to write about it.
Through the years I've come to love Macintosh computers over PC computers. It's been a long time feud though, I've gone back and forth several times.
My very first computer was the [I think] 1990 Macintosh Classic. I guess you could say I was a graphic designer in training back in 7th grade because I was always using this "high tech" program similar to Paint. Haha - Go ahead and have a laugh at that comment [I did]! I would make cool banners and print them off left and right. *HEATHER'S ROOM* Either way, I loved my computer and thought it was the best thing since sliced bread! I played games, wrote letters, and made some AMAZING graphic design banners. Custom birthday cards here we come!
It was all fun and games until I went to a friends house and saw they had these crazy things called CD's that had better games and software that sure wouldn't work on my computer. Lets just say I was really dig'n these PC computers with their crazy power, CD drives, and color screens.
Well... down the road we got new PC computer... Then I got one of my own in high school that hooked up to the INTERNET. Wowza! PC's, Internet, and CD burners ----- OH MY! So, other than school everything was now PC wherever you looked.
Off to college! I got a brand new PC [Compaq Presario] with Windows ME! I really loved my computer but gosh golly did it break down a lot! Late nights calling a computer whiz friend to help you get back up and running. Headache Pain! Then there was always the friend who said they would hook you up with Windows XP. Oh wow! Didn't it look cool with it's glossy buttons? Of course they never got around to it... Stuck with a horrible operating system - Tears! Even with those hick-ups I was still pretty content with my computer, making mixed music CDs and doing homework.
Now to Design College, where all of the magic happens. Naturally, the school was all Mac based running OS 9 at the time. Sometimes it was a headache to work at school and come home to my PC and it wouldn't be compatible. ERROR 7... ERROR ERROR... This was about the time where my fellow classmates were updating to macbooks and powerbooks running OS 10.
As a college graduation gift I received a brand new powerbook [2004]. I've been running the same computer with ZERO problems up to this date - That's 6 YEARS. I've NEVER had a virus, I've never had crazy screens of death, basically up and running fast since 2004! The hard drive did go out, but it was covered by applecare and the keys are wearing out but that is it - All wear and tear! No annoying slow stupid virus stuff. No late night calls to IT friends. I think the biggest problem I had was trying to hook up a wireless router to my mac. Nobody at Cox Cable had a clue how to help a mac person [skkk skkkk we are breaking up Ma'm... hello... apple what?? I'm in a tunnel...Thank you for calling...]. That is the only time I really needed a IT friend, but that worked out because that is how I met Adrian [We have been dating ever since -- Whoo Hoo to non-responsive wireless routers!] <3.
I have more to add about the awesome-ness of the new Apple computers vs. PC computers. Ok, like I mentioned before my little powerbook was from 2004. It hasn't been the "newest computer" for several years but it still ran like a champion, better than any PC! At my previous employer they had the "state of the art" PC computers with chips and rams filled to the top. Might as well of been chips and DIPS. I don't know if it was the security software, servers, or just lack of IT knowledge but these computers were SLOW and almost always broken. For about 2 years I would get this error message that popped up every-time I started up my computer. Virus infections... Slowness... Photoshop Freeze Drama... There was in no way possible you could run Photoshop, Illustrator, and Quark all at the same time... without a lot of freeze action. I couldn't even pull open 10+ photos into Photoshop without a horrific freeze if not a whole computer shut down freeze of doom. BLAH! Don't even get me started on my attempt to run iTunes...
MEANWHILE, I would come home and use my 6 year old mac and I would zoom all over the place with ease. I could have all of the programs open... no worries. A folder of photos open in photoshop, YOU GOT IT! I'm sorry... but I don't think I would ever like to own another SLOW virus prone PC ever again. I mean it's as clear as night and day in performance.
I'm not really a "gamer" and most games are for the PC... So, I mean that doesn't count in this argument. 100% I think for designers - If you're not on a mac... your computer is gunna make you slack. I know Macs are more money, but it is well worth it! No headaches! Plus, you'll make up for it in the time not spent on dinking around with virus weird stuff.
I also think mac is so easy that it is humorous. Sometimes it's so simple I cannot figure it out. Haha! I think macs would be great for people who aren't as computer savvy. It is sure easy on the eyes and mind, that is for sure!
Summing it up: Macs running OS 10 and higher really rock my socks off. Not only is it beautiful, it's a strong stable OS, and it's so simple I think everyone can use them. You can say whatever you want about Macs... but I'm a believer in the product as far as computers go.
PC Lovers, try to argue yourself out of performance! What? You enjoy viruses and drama? Be my guest!
Ha! This is why many of my friends say I would be a PERFECT candidate to work at the Apple Store. I could convert people left and right! The product could sell on it's own, but I'd be sure to aim people in the right direction. Yeah, working for apple would really be a dream come true for me. Not to mention, iPhone discounts... yum yum!
LONG LIVE MY FELLOW MAC HEADS!
PS I haven't really used Linux, so it wasn't included in my article. From what I can see... It isn't too bad! The only problem I've heard from people is it's hard to get drivers and the wireless internet to work. I've also heard that Mac OS 10 is based off of Linux... So, I'm pretty sure I'd like Linux too! Wow, someone is nerdy tonight... I think I should go watch Star Trek now.
13 comments:
Mac OS-X is based on UNIX NOT Linux it is actually based on FreeBSD UNIX but only the core functionality is from this. Linux is another version of UNIX and all secure operating systems are based on UNIX. Windows the home to 99.99999999% of all malware is a kludge designed decades ago for an environment where you would not be hooked to the internet. It is impossible to secure Windows and the only way to try and make Windows secure is to start with a UNIX foundation and add Windows kludge to it. If Microsoft did this they would be out of business in minutes. That's why Microsoft drones are constantly trying to tell the world Macs are just as vulnerable as Windows, to keep the constant barrage of ignorance and lies creating doubt for those who have the brains to switch to a Mac.
Heather,
Your article on Macs is way cool. I like you, will never go back to using a PC again. Oh the torture at the office. My Powerbook G4 just works and now I have a MacBook Pro. Guess what - it just works. And I also have an iPhone, which is like having a little bit of Mac candy in my pocket at all times. Any problems, never. And then I listen to my PC friends talking about this problem and that. I just keep plodding along getting things done and they keep trying to figure out how to do things, when their PCs work. Bravo Apple.
Terry
Dear Anonymous #1, Thanks for your comments specifying everything with the operating system I know the least about. Yeah, I only know a little bit of Linux/UNIX from what I've heard through my boyfriend.
The only thought I have, don't you think it would be amazing if everyone stopped fighting... combined their computer making powers and came out with the MAC + PC + Linus/UNIX? Wow, wonder what the name would be for that!? uMaxC lol! Thanks for your comment! I'm happy to learn more about other operating systems!
I guess I have brains... I've made the switch!
Terry, I love your comment about the iphone being mac candy in your pocket. That made me laugh! I'm dying to have the iphone! I'm patiently waiting for the day when it might be available on Verizon. Lets hope my patience doesn't break! Ha ha!
I hear ya! Mac really does JUST WORK! It's amazing how more people don't know about it! My "tecky" boyfriend has even said at times he enjoys my little mac. You cannot argue the awesomeness... can you?
So sorry to hear about your work PC torture. We need to make a group called WAPCC! Workers Against PC Computers!
- Fellow MacHead!
Whenever my friends call me with Windows PC problems I tell them to get a Mac. Every now and then after they're annoyed enough they're willing to entertain the possibility. I've sold a bunch of old used Macs to my friends that way over the years, usually for about half as much as the cheapest new PC would cost them. They call me for about a week or so to get me to explain stuff to them. Usually they're trying to figure out stuff the Mac doesn't even have, like how to defrag the disc or run a virus scan or whatever. They've had so many problems that they conditioned themselves to do this stuff with Windows all the time. After a couple of weeks they never call me again with a problem. After a few months they're sending me home movies they produced with iMovie or music they produced with Garage Band and showing off their new website they created and all kinds of stuff they didn't know how to do when they had a Windows PC... In short, once they go Mac they never go back... I do own a Windows PC by the way and I still use it sometimes. It's alright, and it doesn't give me much trouble anymore now that I know exactly what not to do with it. It can be really frustrating sometimes though.
I've had some hands-on experience with Macs before, learning their quirks. I even own a Pismo PowerBook G3, as a means of familiarizing myself with the Classic era.
But I just can't really get into them. Why?
-Mac OS X 10.0 was released about the same time as Windows XP. The former cannot run the latest software without paid upgrades; the latter can. Even OS X 10.4 Tiger is being dropped for simple things like Web browsers, and then there's the PowerPC platform in general now being abandoned... (That said, XP is a bug-ridden pile of crap that didn't help PC users much.)
-The only desktop tower Mac is the Mac Pro, which starts at US$2,500 for a gimped entry-level model. Custom PC builds give me far more bang for the buck, and Windows 7 has done wonders to make Windows more than a tolerated necessity to run my software. (Most notably games; the Mac has some, but far fewer than Windows, and until Valve finishes bringing Steam to OS X, good luck even finding Mac games for sale!)
-Axiotron ModBook aside, there are no Tablet Macs to compete with Tablet PCs, and definitely no convertible models with swivel screens! For all the artist types love Macs, why do they have to go to a third party to get something resembling a Mac with Wacom pen capability integrated into the screen?
Also, OneNote. Does OS X have anything remotely like it, especially the way it handles handwriting?
All of that said, I do understand why people like Macs.
-FireWire Target Disk Mode is an awesome feature not even new PCs have. Sure makes working on them easier if the OS breaks, and not even OS X is immune to problems.
-Two-finger scroll is far more elegant than a side scroll strip typical of PC trackpads until recently. Even then, the OS X implementation is much better.
-Hardware driver-wise, it just works. (Unless it doesn't, because it only has Windows and/or Linux drivers.)
I use what works for me: a Wintel PC packing powerful hardware to plow through my games and common computer sense to avoid malware. You use what works for you: a Macintosh that just works and runs all your design apps.
All I can say is to use what works best for you...which may or may not be a Mac. (But the Intel switch sure makes Windows virtualization easy for the converts, if the hardware fits one's wants/needs and budget.)
Nameless - I agree with your comment "All I can say is to use what works best for you...which may or may not be a Mac."
I guess if you're a gamer a PC would be a better fit. Personally, I don't play games when I'm on a computer. When I'm on a computer I do what I love best - Design. It is what I do for fun as well as work, I guess you can say it's a passion and I'm lucky enough to have it as a career. =)
From my hands on experience, the Newer Macs work best with our design programs like Photoshop, Illustrator, and Quark. I've worked with a Mac that ran OS 9 and it was a NIGHTMARE but the print shop I was working at had to keep it for the drivers with our printers. I suppose you could say it wasn't any better than a PC at the time.
I appreciate your input, and I hope you have found what works the best for you. I'm still waiting for the "uMaxC" brand of computer when everyone stops the war against the brands.
Note: [MAC + PC + Linux = uMaxC]
Scott, that is funny what you said about your friends going mac.
I remember the first time burning a cd on a Mac... It was SO easy that I didn't get it. I was wondering where the software was or what to do. That is kind of funny, sometimes it's just too easy.
I'm glad to hear your friends are having fun with the Apple products. They are so easy to use [maybe even too simple, haha] and very professional product.
I also have 2 PC computers that I work on as well. One is my backup PC, that is actually down at the moment [surprise surprise] and I have one that I use as a DVR with my TV so I can catch the latest shows on Hulu.com! My 6 year old Mac is still running better...
I think the computer situation is just like that Santa Clause Movie with Tim Allen. There was a quote used in the movie: "Seeing is believing". I think you can use that same quote with the comparison of PC vs. Mac. I've seen the difference with my own two eyes. I'm a strong believer in Macs and I'll tell the world about it! =)
ps. Except people who game. It's a shame Apple doesn't have more games. I bet if they did they could sell more computers to gamers who are so in love with PC's. But that isn't my worry because I don't play games. The only games I play are Dance Dance Revolution, Tetris, Rock Band, and the American Idol Karaoke game [I don't know the real name] on my Playstation 2. I wouldn't mind having the Wii to play games on the Wii fit but considering I play my Playstation 3 times a year... I don't think I need another game system. lol.
Hi Heather,
I love the story!
Unfortunately (for some) I'm 100% Microsoft... (for the time being at least)
I understand the issues with Windows and also have had problems with viruses and all the other usual horror stories (blue screen of death etc), however as I regularly back up all my essential data to an external hard drive. If I ever hit a problem, all I ever do is format the internal hard drive and start again, it's like getting another brand new PC.
Personally I haven't got an issue with this as it is the norm...
Following this method, my old laptop was 6 years old before I gave up the ghost and bought myself a new one... And that was mainly due to the improvements in technology when it comes to gaming. My onboard graphics couldn't handle the games that I was trying to throw at it...
After saying all this however, I have just got myself an iPhone, and I think it's fantastic... (However, the lack of a Flash player in the Safari Browser I think is a real issue which Apple needs to resolve...)
I am also getting less and less time for games too...
On the back of this I am now considering Mac as an option when I come to replace my latest laptop, however, sometimes I think it is far easier to stick with what you know.
Kind regards,
Richard
I also have an iPhone, which is like having a little bit of Mac candy in my pocket at all times. Any problems, never. And then I listen to my PC friends talking about this problem and that.
how many time i do not do what i want to do but do what i dont want to do
Superb posting! We are just getting started in social networking & attempting to catch on to how to best take advantage of social media marketing for business.
Keep up the good work!
very good!
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