Why Buy A Mac ?

[MetalheadGautham]

I finally decided to start this thread, more out of curiosity and academic intrest than anything else. Of late, I had been seeing more and more pro mac comments. To an extent where people use statements like just use it and you will see... its just soo beautiful to work with etc. Most of them made no sense to a practical guy like me, so I decided to ask directly here the EXACT questions and see if I can get any answers and get my mind cleared.

The questions are simple and are as follows:

01. Why should someone buy a mac ?

02. What are the advantages of buying a mac over another system ?

03. What are the qualities of a mac that make it more worth buying than any other PC ?

04. Some people often say a mac DOES have VFM. How true is it ?

05. What are the advantages an average person can get by spending his money on a weak mac instead of a powerful PC ?

06. Is it really worth getting a mac despite the HUGE performance drop over other PCs ?

07. When it comes to the OS of a mac, what advantages does it have over other OSes ?

08. Other than the eye-candy and the ease of use, what else does the mac have ?

09. Apple goes on ranting about advantages of a mac over another PC. Several of its points appear quite invalid. Any comments on that ?

10. What are the features available exclusively to macs which are so good that they make the mac verymuch worth buying ?

11. other than the iLife suite, what else in an average retail mac is very useful and *unique* ?

12. how future proof is a mac ?

...more questions on their way...
​

I need replies from mostly mac users and people who have used macs and/or who know other mac users. Neither is this a troll thread nor are any fanboyish statements welcome here. I want clear logical and practical comments.

I might ask too many questions, so please bear with me.

And yes, I want to deal with every model currently available, the Mac Mini, the iMac, the Mac Pro, the MacBook and the MacBook Pro. Every one of them I want to ask these same question set.

 

[krazzy]

I'm not a Mac user, but I'll try and answer some of your questions to the best of my knowledge.

1. Macs are for people who prefer style, convenience, flaunt value and the best operating system in the world over practicality, features, gaming and value for money.

2. The design, the style and Mac OS X,

3. You are repeating the same questions.

4. I don't think Macs are as good VFM as, say, an assembled PC. But still you do get a lot for your money with a Mac.

5. Depends upon the needs of that person. Macs are not for everyone. If you need a powerful machine for gaming and stuff, then Macs are not for you.

6. If the things about Macs that I mentioned in the answer for the first question appeal to you, the Yes.

7. The way Apple has designed Mac OS X, the attention to detail that they've paid, the extra thought they've put in, the way they've combined style and functionality and many other things is why Mac is better than any other OS. Plus the feel-good factor is the highest here. Plus technically it is very robust as well (I must say I don't know much about the OS technicalities) and also enjoys almost negligible number of viruses.

8. A sufficient number of high quality softwares to work on.

9. Apple's comments should be taken with a bit of salt. Not everything they say is true (which is the case with nearly every company).

10. Mac OS X Leopard.

11. I think iLife has all that one needs. What else do you want?

12. In the world of Computers and technology, nothing is more than 1 year future proof.

Thats the best I can do. I know that guys like Aayush and Goobi and all the other Mac users will be able to answer your questions better. Wait for their replies.

Disclaimer- I'm not an Apple fan. I'm just someone who uses Windows and dreams of owning a Mac one day.

 

[mail2and]

I'm not a Mac user, but I'll try and answer some of your questions to the best of my knowledge.

1. Macs are for people who prefer style, convenience, flaunt value and the best operating system in the world over practicality, features, gaming and value for money.

2. The design, the style and Mac OS X,

3. You are repeating the same questions.

4. I don't think Macs are as good VFM as, say, an assembled PC. But still you do get a lot for your money with a Mac.

5. Depends upon the needs of that person. Macs are not for everyone. If you need a powerful machine for gaming and stuff, then Macs are not for you.

6. If the things about Macs that I mentioned in the answer for the first question appeal to you, the Yes.

7. The way Apple has designed Mac OS X, the attention to detail that they've paid, the extra thought they've put in, the way they've combined style and functionality and many other things is why Mac is better than any other OS. Plus the feel-good factor is the highest here. Plus technically it is very robust as well (I must say I don't know much about the OS technicalities) and also enjoys almost negligible number of viruses.

8. A sufficient number of high quality softwares to work on.

9. Apple's comments should be taken with a bit of salt. Not everything they say is true (which is the case with nearly every company).

10. Mac OS X Leopard.

11. I think iLife has all that one needs. What else do you want?

12. In the world of Computers and technology, nothing is more than 1 year future proof.

Thats the best I can do. I know that guys like Aayush and Goobi and all the other Mac users will be able to answer your questions better. Wait for their replies.

Disclaimer- I'm not an Apple fan. I'm just someone who uses Windows and dreams of owning a Mac one day.

Couldn't put it more perfectly. Very nicely done, krazzy. Just one thing though. When I bought my Macbook, I got a 2 GHZ C2D; whilst competing companies gave about 1.4-1.6 GHZ C2D (Dell, Lenovo), but with more RAM. I prefered the Apple way as I always could upgrade the ram for a negligible cost, but the cost of upgrading the processor would be very high (if at all it was possible). So, as you said, it can't obviously offer as much VFM as a properly assembled machine by someone who knows what they're doing; but in many cases and scenarios, it does offer good VFM.

 

[narangz]

Nice, krazzy.
I would also like to own a Mac someday, even if I run Windows on it (On a second thought, it'll be dual boot).

 

[RCuber]

My dad wants a iMAC .. he is just not leaving me till I take him for a live demo

 

[goobimama]

1-4: Seem to me like the same questions
a) You don't have problems of viruses, drivers, maintenance. Everything works out of the box.
b) Excellent after sales support. No issues with warranty, none whatsoever.
c) The Mac is value for money, because for me time is money. And the less time I spend configuring/maintaining a machine, the more time I have to work.
d) Macs are freaking silent! Not a peep can be heard from any one of them. Compare that to any PC which is a whiny ......

5: Weak? You call a Core 2 Duo 2.6Ghz with 6MB cache on a notebook weak? Most notebooks I see come with a default config of 1.8Ghz or something. While the minimum MacBook comes with 2Ghz and 4MB cache.

6: Performance drop? Are you serious? Performance is not measured by gigahertz and synthetic benchmarks, at least not by me. It is exactly the reason why my Core Duo iMac is faster than a similarly configured Core 2 Duo Windows PC.

7: Now to tell you about OS X will take a while. Certainly not just the three points mentioned below.
a) Generally problem free. You will find that some people have problems, but they are much rarer than any other system. Its more like if a mac user has a problem, he immediately voices it out cause Macs are known not to crash.
b) Silent. Transparent. Works for the user. So my workflow for making a website doesn't include running a maintenance script or making sure I don't open a malicious file.
c) Software: You might have heard that Mac OS X lacks software, but that is soooo not true. The best applications are Mac only.

8: I don't care for eye candy. If its there, good. If its not there, no problems.

9: Care to mention which ones you think are invalid?

10: Mac OS X Leopard. Silent operation. Just one or two cables hanging around so less mess. Uses very little power.

12: Using the iBook which was bought three years ago without any problems. The hard drive crashed once but that was replaced. The F4 key stopped working so the keyboard was replaced. That's it. The machine runs leopard beautifully and I think its going to be doing the same for at least another two years. 5 years is future proof enough I think.

 

[MetalheadGautham]

Well, I am mainly talking about desktops. Everyone knows laptops and mobile phones have still not reached the level of desktop where no company can afford to rip customers off.

And again, for laptops, @milind, I don't think current generation laptops come with 1.8GHz CPUs. I am talking about Dell XPS m7120. But then, I doubt I and many people with a similar view as me will be intrested in a very expensive portable PC which may get lost easily, and at the same time offering half the performance of a Desktop built by myself.

So as far as I am concerned, I am into only sub 30k laptops. Among these, can you tell me if any mac fits in, or if any mac has higher performance than another laptop at the SAME price ?

Anyway, here are more questions, after getting Milind's and Krazzy's answers:

Let me put in my personal situation:

I am comparing a mac to a tailor made system, with a taylor made OS that can do everything what you said a mac can, and much more. I find this OS much more easy to use compared to even my friend's mac. I generally do tasks which take an hour on a windows machine, like installing a service pack, in three to ten minutes flat on my OS. I never experience any instability issues. I always have the latest software at my disposal, and save some indivudual software in iLife I enjoy everything else here too. I always install and just run the OS right away, since any and every driver is already installed and hardware is successfully auto-detected. I have lots of robust keyboard shortcuts to get lots of work done, and I customised the OS with menus at all odd places to offer more usability.

Considering this fact, I doubt OSX in the mac will be my primary attraction to buy a mac. What do you say ? Can OSX still be a valid option in a mac ?

And most of your speed points of an imac, I gather, come from the fact that it runs leopard and not vista ? But here, I am using a custom OS, am I not ? And this OS is faster than any other OS I have seen...

I think I need to take the mac more as hardware entity than a software one. How better can a mac, say an iMac, be, when compared to a tailor made system for me by me ?

 

[mail2and]

I also forgot to mention that whilst the OS provides ease of use to the non-geek users, it does provide you with a command line if you need to play around. Ultimately, it is also another implementation of Unix, isn't it? I've installed many Linux software, including GNUcash, using Darwinports on my OS X implementation. With Wine and Crossover Mac, I can run Windows software including Office 2003 and SopCast; and with software like Darwinports, I can install most, if not all software available for the Linux platform.

As for the hardware, Apple is more competitive on the notebook front than it is on the desktop front. The Power Mac is meant for, and used by graphics professionals. The Mac Mini is the sub-30k entry level mac (and a verrry cute one at that!). That leaves iMac which is their flagship desktop Mac. There is room for another user-customizable Mac without a monitor in the desktop range, according to me.

As far as the software goes, almost all the Linux software that you use can also be run on OS X. You can customize desktop shortcuts to your heart's content, too. If you try hard enough, you can even run GNOME or Xfce on top of Mac OS X, replacing the Mac desktop environment! If that isn't customization, I don't know what is.

Also, if a person is a gamer, then it is always better to go in for an assembled PC. Nothing beats self customization, not even Apple's ease of use or its well designed hardware.

 

[MetalheadGautham]

I also forgot to mention that whilst the OS provides ease of use to the non-geek users, it does provide you with a command line if you need to play around. Ultimately, it is also another implementation of Unix, isn't it? I've installed many Linux software, including GNUcash, using Darwinports on my OS X implementation. With Wine and Crossover Mac, I can run Windows software including Office 2003 and SopCast; and with software like Darwinports, I can install most, if not all software available for the Linux platform.

As for the hardware, Apple is more competitive on the notebook front than it is on the desktop front. The Power Mac is meant for, and used by graphics professionals. The Mac Mini is the sub-30k entry level mac (and a verrry cute one at that!). That leaves iMac which is their flagship desktop Mac. There is room for another user-customizable Mac without a monitor in the desktop range, according to me.

As far as the software goes, almost all the Linux software that you use can also be run on OS X. You can customize desktop shortcuts to your heart's content, too. If you try hard enough, you can even run GNOME or Xfce on top of Mac OS X, replacing the Mac desktop environment! If that isn't customization, I don't know what is.

Also, if a person is a gamer, then it is always better to go in for an assembled PC. Nothing beats self customization, not even Apple's ease of use or its well designed hardware.

but the zillion dollar question is this: Is it worth buying a mac for that when I am already in my current state ?

edit: I mean I have an OS ready, but not the hardware ofcourse

 

[RCuber]

@Gautham.. lets take a clear look.. Now a days almost all operating systems have same basic features.. how they impliment is different.. You can do almost everything in all operating system be it free or paid.. You can browse, create spreadsheet, surf .. and watch movies and other stuff.. heavy usage.. Photoshop and other MM tools are also available for most platform.. Main point comes to security.. and OS X is Unix based.. (lets keep aside the fact that OS X was hacked in two minutes).. but still each OS can do what the other does.. only the implimentation will differ..

On coming to the hardware .. it all depends on the budget and requirement of that computer.. if its your first computer and you have less money to spend then Assembled PC is the way to go..
If you are a gamer and want to play games with full eyecandy then its assembled ..

IF you have enough money and you are ready to trade a bit of "Speed" to sleek look and less clutter on your desktop then its iMac.

heck man.. Leopard runs smooth on my 4 year old P4 with 512 MB RAM and that too with buggy drivers

 

[mail2and]

but the zillion dollar question is this: Is it worth buying a mac for that when I am already in my current state ?

That's for you, and only you to decide. Que le pouvoir soit avec vous! वह नतीजा आपका है!

 

[RCuber]

Also .. iMac would be perfect for my dad.. he doesnot want any clutter in his room.. he hates wires.. but iMac is not for me cause I Will invest in a quad core processor for my budget, because its my requirement..

 

[goobimama]

but the zillion dollar question is this: Is it worth buying a mac for that when I am already in my current state ?

The basic idea is not having to configure anything. You might be happy with your current situation (Linux I presume?) now that you've configured it just to your liking and all that. I don't know what kind of work you do with it, but for me, I love the OS X environment. Coding with Coda is a dream come true and the variety of other well-designed applications just makes the big difference. I'm sure one can type the same code in a free text editor and then upload those files using a free FTP client, but design and workflow makes a big difference for me. Which is why I use a mac.

iMac hardware:
1. Looks awesome
2. Silent (I say this yet again!)
3. Very space saving
4. Power friendly (uses less than 3 watts while in sleep mode)

Mac OS X Software
1. Such that even the dumbest of users can find their way around, yet even power users don't feel restricted.
2. Problem free, configuration free, maintainance free,
3. The best UI in the world.
4. Third party apps.

 

[gxsaurav]

Hmm...I better not write why not to buy a Mac

 

[nish_higher]

goobi has mentioned every reason to buy a mac but still it depends on what u wanna use it for
you wont ever be bored with mac
there are many pro apps that are mac exclusive so if thats the case with u - forget a pc

and the stuff i use runs better on my mac than a pc - that might explain mac's power though my pc has better specs.

 

[mehulved]

That's for you, and only you to decide. Que le pouvoir soit avec vous! वह नतीजा आपका है!

Show off.

 

[iNFiNiTE]

And again, for laptops, @milind, I don't think current generation laptops come with 1.8GHz CPUs.

There are laptops above 1.8GHz. Check HP dv2700 and dv2800 range.

But then, I doubt I and many people with a similar view as me will be intrested in a very expensive portable PC which may get lost easily, and at the same time offering half the performance of a Desktop built by myself.

errr..... Do you want to buy one or not? And protecting the laptop is ur job

I generally do tasks which take an hour on a windows machine, like installing a service pack, in three to ten minutes flat on my OS.

A service pack is a large collection of updates so its obviously going to take time, just as it will take time if you are going to download abt hundred different updates and then install in linux.

And most of your speed points of an imac, I gather, come from the fact that it runs leopard and not vista ? But here, I am using a custom OS, am I not ? And this OS is faster than any other OS I have seen...

When did Apple started shipping Vista on Macs?

And if you are THAT satisfied with your OS then why change?

So as far as I am concerned, I am into only sub 30k laptops. Among these, can you tell me if any mac fits in, or if any mac has higher performance than another laptop at the SAME price ?

but the zillion dollar question is this: Is it worth buying a mac for that when I am already in my current state ?

edit: I mean I have an OS ready, but not the hardware ofcourse

But here, I am using a custom OS, am I not ? And this OS is faster than any other OS I have seen...

Well, will you be more clear about what are you trying to ask?

It's just like saying that " I know how to drive a car, already having a Maruti 800 in fine condition and don't have the budget for a higher end car like Chevorlet,Corolla or Benz. Can anyone tell me why should I buy a higher priced car if I'M already comfortable with what I have?"

 

[napster007]

As explained above.... all the points are true.

But may i warn you...if u are into gaming don even think abt getting a mac. Mac is good for style and buisness. Go for a PC if ur into gaming....U'll get almost 2x performance for the same cost

 

[FilledVoid]

Wow finally a good explanation on Macs and their pros. Nice answers goobimama and mail2and. Could you also answer the following questions.

1. How is virtualization on Macs?

2. How easy is it to install multiple OS'es on a Mac Book (I believe thats what they call their laptops) . I recall Aryayush saying that Installing Ubuntu with Mac OSX in parallel is quite simple.

3. Can Macs run all Windows apps if not a majority of them? Is there a considerable performace hit?

4. Are Macs ready to use on opening. Consider the following scenario.
Entertainment (Movies, songs)
Office Use (As in Documentation , Spreadsheets, Presentations)
Synchronizing with Mobile Phones (Calendar and Contacts )
Or would I have to like the others download all the stuff ot be fully functional.

5. Can I use all of the above data on a Windows / Linux platform easily? As in Documents.

6. I recall hearing drgrudge saying that MS-Office doesnt come on it for free. So is there a fully blown functional office suite for usage?

7. Do I need a broadband connection for this? (As in are the updates huge and frequent?)

8. Are there plenty of Open Source Alternatives which I don't have to pay for and I can use on Mac ?

9. Out of curiosity what kinds of folks would you recommend to stay away from Macs. I can understand gamers staying away but considering that I can install any OS on it should it still matter? Or are there some kind of performance hits that come along with it?

Hmm...I better not write why not to buy a Mac

As long as its not another OS comparison thread Id love to hear it .

It's just like saying that " I know how to drive a car, already having a Maruti 800 in fine condition and don't have the budget for a higher end car like Chevorlet,Corolla or Benz. Can anyone tell me why should I buy a higher priced car if I'M already comfortable with what I have?"

The car analogy strikes again .

 

[bikdel]

@iNFiNiTE Man you lost out on many point Gautham made....

1. He was saying that iMac is faster because it ships with OSX and not Vista.
2. About laptops he was saying that laptops come with better CPUs than 1.8 GHz (i suppose)...

and the like ... hope i understood...

And question for ALL...

My dad is going to buy a new laptop. He uses MS Office in his current laptop. Does the Preconfigured Macbook have office tools that will serve his purpose like Word Processor, Presentaions and Spreadsheets? How well will a Mac integrate in an environment when office apps used are mostly Ms Office? i dont think macros of MsOffice apps will work in the bundled Mac office suite(if there is anything like that )

Hope I get my answer. And hope my dad gets convinced as I am really looking forward to see a Mac in home.