The Mac Attack

[Tussell]

Sorry, I thought it was clever.

We all know that Mac's are better. But what's everyones opinion?

(I screwed up and accidentally closed the browser when I was making the poll.)

(Anyways, check out some of those Mac commercials. They're pretty funny. I honostly don't have anything against PC's, I just like Mac's better.)

[Gun-Nut]

I've always used a PC but when I was browsing found PCWorld I stopped to play about with a Mac a found it pretty fun a different, mite have to grab one at some point, only thing that puts me off normally it not begin held to play games unless they are Mac supported, but since I've gotten my 360 I don't tend to use my PC for gaming anymore.

[Tussell]

I was never really a PC gamer. The only game I really played was D2 LOD. So I don't really care for that. And now that Mac is getting 'more popular' I guess you could say, I see many more games coming out for it. Up until just recently Best Buy has been selling Mac item. They still don't sell Mac games there (at least at mine) because they pretty much just got the space there.

[Gun-Nut]

I'll probably go out and grab a Mac once the new OS hits instead of getting one now and then having to buy the new OS.

[Tussell]

Yeah man, Leopard is going to be seductive. :)
(I don't really know if that makes sense.)

But like, the thing has everything.

That whole 'spaces' thing has me drooling.

[highpass]

I'll probably go out and grab a Mac once the new OS hits instead of getting one now and then having to buy the new OS.

Just as a note; you don't have to have a "proper" Mac to run OSX. I know plenty of Win-gamers that use OSX for net/art/music/etc and revert to Windows for gaming. It merely depends on whether your hardware's compatible, which these days a nice high percentage is. For further info check out OSX86project.org (http://www.osx86project.org).

I think the "I'm a..." commercials are shit to be honest. They portray PCs for merely pie charts and Macs for slideshows, when in actual fact they'd do much better to have PCs for games and Macs for making music for example, or showing the differences between usability & workflow.

If this turns into an annoying fanboy flaming thread it'll be locked, keep it constructive :).

[Shaaady Souljah]

The future is the Mac. I only say this because of the dual processors, and the capabilities of all new Mac's to simultaneously run Windows and Mac OSX. And it is so smooth and interchangeable too.

Also, highpass pretty much nailed it. If you work with music, film, design, art, etc, you want a Mac. If you want a powerful gaming system or office environment, you want a PC. That's general consensus right now.

P.S. - Tussel: Diablo/Lord of Destruction works perfect and fast on Macs. I was playing it on a Mac for the weeks that my box was broke being fixed ;)

[xJoex]

(Anyways, check out some of those Mac commercials. They're pretty funny. I honostly don't have anything against PC's, I just like Mac's better.)

On the subject of Mac commercials and South Park characters, I thought this was cool!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Id_kGL3M5Cg

[highpass]

the dual processors

That's not really an upper-hand as such, as both Mac & Win boxes have had dual/quad configs for a long, long time now. Spot on about the dual/tri/quad boot setup though, especially if you're using Parallels for example.

One thing that does my head in about the Finder: say you leave a wireless network of which you had network shares attached, without first disconnecting the shares, Finder dies a horrible death until it works itself out. Hopefully they fix this in 10.5, because it's not the only aspect that makes Finder the bane of OSX.

Two things i always notice when comparing Vista and 10.4:-

Exposè versus Flip 3D
What is the point of viewing your applications as a deck of cards such as Flip does? Once you have 30+ windows open it becomes bloody useless, not to mention starts annoying your resources.

Leading on from that, i still find it funny Expose happily works with 50+ windows on an old G4/1ghz system without any slowdown whatsoever, yet you probably couldn't even get Vista Ultimate running on a comparatively spec'd machine in the first place. Diabolical.

[ilski]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Id_kGL3M5Cg

Truth. Found.

[Tussell]

On the subject of Mac commercials and South Park characters, I thought this was cool!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Id_kGL3M5Cg
Yeah I watched that right before I made the thread.

[Apocobring]

With bootcamp now for compatability, I would take a mac laptop over a windows laptop. If only the little apple on the cover didn't cost 600 dollars =D Their laptops are SO expensive, but they are done very well. i haven't seen a windows laptop do as much for as long as a mac laptop. Should I ever decide i want a laptop, mac is the way i will go (with bootcamp so i can play some halflife 2 =D )

[veritas347]

im not going to lie...i hate mac's i use my computer for gaming and mac's aren't that great for them so i dislike mac for that reason

[jackbenimble4]

I'm writing from my beautiful 15.4" core 2 duo Macbook Pro. It cost me a fortune ($2000 refurbished), but it was worth it. It's my prized possession. I think Macs are, broadly speaking, better. They do cost a hell of a lot more though.

Macs are becoming better for gaming than they ever used to be. BootCamp works well for many games from what I hear. Parallels also supports 3D graphics now, but I'm pretty sure I still heard negative things about gaming through parallels. There's always the Mac native games too. At WWDC, EA announced a few games were coming to Mac like C&C 3, Madden 08, Battlefield 2142 and Harry Potter OOTP. I think they might've said most of their games in the future will be ported to Mac as well. Just weeks ago both Gears of War and UT 3 were announced to be coming to Mac.

On the subject of the 'I'm a mac' commercials, I don't really like them. They can make me chuckle, but I think they give the wrong impression to people. Apple sort of already has this reputation of being snotty and superior. Just look at their tech support guys called 'Geniuses.' These commercials add to that bad image.

[veritas347]

only game i liked for the mac was oregon trail :p

[Redcyclone105]

Apple never has been into games and I don't think that's their goal. I know that some big games have been announced to grace their appearance on macs but, that's I bought my 360.

Apple really isn't going to attract gamers to their computers, if I so desired to I could use bootcamp or parallels to play a PC game, but I don't like using keyboards as much as I used to.

In the end Apple will bring in the media folk, Apple has great integration through all of the programs that come with iLife that it's almost impossible to compete with. It's very simple and easy to use any of the programs without much practice at all.

Media at the moment is Apple's main focus, and I believe they will continue to integrate the look and feel of everything as Leopard is released this fall.

[kvant]

I have been intrested on the osx & mac, but the prize ends up being a major turndown (prize was and still is harsh).

An apple computer ends up being 1.5x times more expensive than if you build one yourself.

[xJoex]

Ok, so i'm getting a MacBook pretty soon and I just want to know whats the best one to get (In basic computer speak because when it comes to computer spec and such I get confused!).

So I want to run Photoshop, some of the Microsoft programs such as Word and Powerpoint and store music and Photo's (I am guessing iLife will serve that purpose). So I want to know what one will run reasonably fast with these programs and good value for what you get (Processer, Memory and Storage).

Thanks in advance.

[kvant]

Ok, so i'm getting a MacBook pretty soon and I just want to know whats the best one to get (In basic computer speak because when it comes to computer spec and such I get confused!).

So I want to run Photoshop, some of the Microsoft programs such as Word and Powerpoint and store music and Photo's (I am guessing iLife will serve that purpose). So I want to know what one will run reasonably fast with these programs and good value for what you get (Processer, Memory and Storage).

Thanks in advance.

As you are planning only on editing&storing. I'd look out for the amount of RAM and Hard-drive size(Well you can always get external Firewire/USB HDDs).

[highpass]

I have been intrested on the osx & mac, but the prize ends up being a major turndown (prize was and still is harsh).

An apple computer ends up being 1.5x times more expensive than if you build one yourself.

Yup, you do pay over the odds for Apple stuff, but like i said before you don't have to buy a Mac to run OSX.

Besides, if you're talking Prosumer, last time i check the Mac Pros were actually a better deal than most Dell workstations for example... Which still isn't to say they're cheaper than self build, merely comparatively priced for pre-built stuff.

Ok, so i'm getting a MacBook pretty soon and I just want to know whats the best one to get (In basic computer speak because when it comes to computer spec and such I get confused!).

So I want to run Photoshop, some of the Microsoft programs such as Word and Powerpoint and store music and Photo's (I am guessing iLife will serve that purpose). So I want to know what one will run reasonably fast with these programs and good value for what you get (Processer, Memory and Storage).

Thanks in advance.

Get yourself a refurb (http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?nnmm=browse&mco=3929D548&node=home/specialdeals/mac)'d Macbook/Pro from apple.com or similar. You'll save a good £3-500 easy, then if you can blag student discount you'll save even more.

Give some more info on what you'd prefer out of the following:-

13.3, 15, or 17" screen.
CD or both CD & DVD-burning capability.

There isn't much available there at the moment bar some 13.3" models, but they change daily/weekly so keep an eye on them. Make sure you get a "Core 2 Duo" model as opposed to a "Core Duo".

I'd suggest going for a 100GB 7200rpm hard drive over a larger capacity 5400rpm drive. Speed over storage, especially if you're doing media stuff.

When it comes to RAM, get at least 1GB, and make sure it's a single stick as opposed to two.

You'll probably end up using Pages over Word as it's far nicer, and iPhoto comes bundled on the system - but you might prefer Aperture or Adobe's Lightroom if you need something a bit beefier.

[graf1k]

I'm really liking the idea of owning a Macbook but I always come back to two things that are holding me back from actually taking the plunge. First of all is obviously price. As a guy that has built his last 4 PCs himself, the idea of paying a premium for an Apple laptop makes me want to drown kittens. Secondly is the limited hardware configurations available, especially the fact that Apple seemingly refuses to make a 15" laptop with a screen resolution higher than 1280x1024. I want 1680x1050 and I don't want to have to buy a 17" Macbook to get it, goddamn you Jobs!

Past that, the impressive power increase Macs have gotten in both CPU & GPU since moving to an x86 platform, the intuitive software, and the ability to dual boot Windows for the occasions I MUST have Windows have all got me considering it, and the fact that you can get a free iPod Mini with a new Macbook now might be enough to push me to finally do it.

[highpass]

Just install OSX on your current box, words. I know many a bloke that is running it on Athlon 64 systems for example (completely unsupported by Apple).

Besides Graf, if you're buying a laptop you'll have to pay a pre-built premium wherever you go... it just so happens these prebuilt ones don't have 2000 ugly unneeded shortcut keys and don't look like arse :).

Don't the new 17" models have 1920 res? I'd hold out and see if they release a higher res 15" model.

Might also be worth noting 10.5 is rumoured to include Resolution Independence, pretty much making native resolutions obsolete.

Yo.

[xJoex]

Get yourself a refurb (http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?nnmm=browse&mco=3929D548&node=home/specialdeals/mac)'d Macbook/Pro from apple.com or similar. You'll save a good £3-500 easy, then if you can blag student discount you'll save even more.

Give some more info on what you'd prefer out of the following:-

13.3, 15, or 17" screen.
CD or both CD & DVD-burning capability.

There isn't much available there at the moment bar some 13.3" models, but they change daily/weekly so keep an eye on them. Make sure you get a "Core 2 Duo" model as opposed to a "Core Duo".

I'd suggest going for a 100GB 7200rpm hard drive over a larger capacity 5400rpm drive. Speed over storage, especially if you're doing media stuff.

When it comes to RAM, get at least 1GB, and make sure it's a single stick as opposed to two.

You'll probably end up using Pages over Word as it's far nicer, and iPhoto comes bundled on the system - but you might prefer Aperture or Adobe's Lightroom if you need something a bit beefier.

Thanks for the info Highpass. I don't really mind the size of the screen, 15'' is just about right though. And as for CD/DVD burning, I would only burn CD's, not DVD's...

When I go to buy it I will look out for the stuff you metioned!

[highpass]

I'd suggest having a good think over the DVD issue... It's more than likely you'll want to burn movies or large files/folders at some point in the future :).

[xJoex]

True, I will think it over:).

I will proberly go into the Apple store in London and give them the low-down of what I want, and see what they say...

[highpass]

That's all good mate, just don't buy it from them. You'll save serious poundage by getting a refurbished model.

[graf1k]

Just install OSX on your current box, words. I know many a bloke that is running it on Athlon 64 systems for example (completely unsupported by Apple).

Besides Graf, if you're buying a laptop you'll have to pay a pre-built premium wherever you go... it just so happens these prebuilt ones don't have 2000 ugly unneeded shortcut keys and don't look like arse :).

Don't the new 17" models have 1920 res? I'd hold out and see if they release a higher res 15" model.

Might also be worth noting 10.5 is rumoured to include Resolution Independence, pretty much making native resolutions obsolete.

Yo.

I would but my current box IS a box, and I want something more along the lines of a nice, thin rectangle. And, true, while all pre-built laptops have a premium, it's not quite as 'spensive as the 'Apple Premium'©. And yeah, the new 17" have 1080p res, which made it even more maddening that they don't increase the screen res of the 15 incher. Oh well, I may still go for it. With the student discount I could get a very nicely equipped 17" for around $2500 and with the free iPod I'd be free to sell my old one which should fetch ~$200 I would think, effectively making the laptop $2300.

[xJoex]

That's all good mate, just don't buy it from them. You'll save serious poundage by getting a refurbished model.

Yup, those refurb'd models have some sweet prices! Thanks for all the help man, apprieciate it!

[highpass]

Anytime chap.

[JoHnOfDaDeAd]

im looking to buy a macbook soon...........soon:(

[DarkGeneral88]

Correct me if I am wrong but isn't the only reason that the mac can be considered better is because it's like a console all the same Apple built hardware and a OS built specifically for that hardware. Unlike the PC which could have millions of different specifications and a OS like Windows trying to make it all compatible.

[highpass]

All the components in Macs these days are off-the-shelf variety, aside from the odd part such as the heatsink cases and whatnot. 90% of components not officially supported by Apple work with OSX anyway after a little tinkering. The only reason they're considered superior by some is nothing to do with the hardware; merely the productivity/finesse/stability/etc etc of the OS itself.

[Tussell]

And that's all I'm looking for in a computer. So it's great.

[Clipse 2]

In my experience with the Mac OSX I've found it to be more streamlined than a Windows based computer. Faster boot-up time, faster program load times, and far fewer "program not responding" issues. There are fewer virus' out for the Mac however that can always change, there has been an increase of program exploits found for Macs lately. One of the issues with Windows is because it attempts to be compatible with everything. That requires more code which makes the operating system more bloated and slower. Its a software thing in the end.

[Stinkyf1re]

Damn i wish i had seen this thread sooner! :) Here's my two cents

I have been a MAC user for 2 years now. I own an 14inch iBook G4. This is the model that was released right before they started putting the dual core processors in all of the new macbooks and desktops. While i WISH WISH WISH i could have a dual core for running windows, i am completely content without having it. I use my computer mainly for internet, music, pictures, movies, and personal documents...which is why i chose a MAC over a pc 2 years ago when i was getting one. My iBook has not failed me yet, not one single problem(cept for the screen is bent from me dropping it lol). Gaming i do primarily on my 360 of course! so i really have no need for a gaming computer. I will say this about apple tho...they are great with their customers. I have been through about 4 iPods now and every time something happened they have helped get me a new one ASAP.

As far as OSX is concerned....

IMO the best operating system on the market. Yes even Vista. OSX pioneered what Vista is today, if you take a good look at the two OS's you will find that the similarities are SHOCKING.

I have a feature that i use on my iBook called, "hot corners". This feature by itself made me love my computer about twice as much. In case you don't know what "hot corners" are let me explain...
You have 4 corners on your computer screen, with this app...you can set each corner of your screen to perform a different function. In other words, you move your mouse cursor to any corner of the screen and an action will take place. Currently i have mine set this way
Top left - all windows and programs open tile themselves on the screen. i can choose whatever app i want to bring to the front :)
Top right - activate screen saver
bottom right - remove all windows from screen
bottom left - bring up widgets.

I love this feature and now every computer i'm on i'm constantly moving the mouse to top left hand corner lol :)

Basically, that in a nutshell is why i like my mac.

P.S: i hate those commercials

[KewlBrettC]

Alright, I've had a Mac laptop for just over a year now, and I have to be honest.... IT IS THE WORST COMPUTER I HAVE EVER HAD. There I said it. I hope to soon get rid of it.

BTW: Vista sucks too... GO XP!

[ClutchPapi34]

only game i liked for the mac was oregon trail :p

ur absolutely right!!! lol I'm going to be a sophmore in high school this year and i used to play that in elementary school.:)

[Tussell]

ur absolutely right!!! lol I'm going to be a sophmore in high school this year and i used to play that in elementary school.:)
Sweet information on your life!

Anyways, people think of the Mac as not having that great of games, but the mac isn't that big on gaming to being with, and the games it does have are great. Plus, half the world plays shitty WoW anyways so who cares.

[drno]

The a few other posters have said, there is a lot of software that only is compatible with PC. Mac's I find are overall better and most high quality software is compatible with macs, so my vote goes to macs. PC's of course do take up like 90% of the computer market though, how many companies use macs for their workers? If it wasn't for the iPod macintosh would have been out of buisness a while ago.

[Tussell]

Out of business a while ago?

iPods aren't that old dude. Macintosh is an extremely successful company.

[singingbush]

http://gizmodo.com/assets/resources/2007/02/pcmaclinux-thumb.jpg

Rather use Suse Linux over a mac.

[graf1k]

If it wasn't for the iPod macintosh would have been out of buisness a while ago.

That must be why Apple has 17% of the laptop marketshare. Because of iPods....

[Tussell]

http://gizmodo.com/assets/resources/2007/02/pcmaclinux-thumb.jpg

Rather use Suse Linux over a mac.
That was pretty funny. :woop:

[illmatic630]

im planning on getting an iMac....to me its superior than PC

[Tussell]

im planning on getting an iMac....to me its superior than PC
You should get the new ones. Damn are they hot!

[illmatic630]

You should get the new ones. Damn are they hot!

yea ima get one when i get into college...