FAO Mac users (as in Apple Mac, not Cammie Mac)

So who here uses a Mac rather than a PC? I know operafantomet has one...anyone else?

I ask because I'm on the verge of selling my soul to Apple. My current laptop's 5 years old and I think it's reached the end of its lifespan...it's become quite slow and there's hardly any memory space left on my harddrive. Since I've already partly bought into the Apple world as an iPod Touch user (and previously one of those old iPods) and a user of Safari as my main web browser, I thought I might as well buy into the whole thing. I'll admit: it's mainly because I keep drooling like a geek over those sexy machines in the Apple store.

Thinking of getting a Macbook Pro, either 13 inch or 15 inch. Ouch at the cost, but I think I can manage to get a discount and it should last me some time, right? As far as I can tell compatibility should be fine...I can't think of many things I use on a regular basis that don't work on a Mac. I'll probably buy the Mac version of MS Office though instead of iWorks.

Would love to hear any tips/recommendations from other Apple users, and also "nooooooooooo don't do it!" messages from people who might happen to hate Apple and everything it stands for (see if you can convince me not to change).

I'm a total Mac novice -- have never used one before except very briefly in the Apple stores -- so literally any tips = most helpful!

I use a Mac and I think it's great. I've had my MacBook for 6 months now and there's been no problems so far (and I use my computer a lot). When it comes to compatibility it's not really a big problem, I use Mac versions of Skype, MSN, Google Earth, a lot of other things...and I use OpenOffice instead of MS Office. It's free and it's got everything I need, I didn't want to spend extra money on iWorks or MS Office.

I had never used a Mac before I bought mine but find it really easy to use. I got an iPod Touch a few years ago and have loved Apple's stuff since. A bit expensive yes, but I really think it's worth the money so I would definitely recommend you to buy one.

I've been using Macs my entire life. I was introduced to them when I was in grade school and they've pretty much been a staple in the kind of classes I've taken ever since. Personally, I think they're great for artists and it was a generally long-held belief that users have less to worry about concerning viruses since they get more bang for their buck screwing with all the PCs out there.

Expensive? Oh yeah. But in my experience, very much worth it.

R.

Best reason to buy a Mac: there's an own key for @ in the keyboard, for Christ's sake!

Ahem... Seriously though.... Mac is extremely user friendly if you want a reliable, solid and functional multi media computer. When you buy a Mac, you get basically everything you need of programmes; what you might need is an additional web browser (I have Firefox AND Opera, as well as Mac's Safari) and a fancier Word programme. I love iTunes, iMovie and iPhoto, they've made my life SOOO much easier, and are lots of fun. Getting all this stuff means that you have a complete computer from the minute you plug it in.

A regular PC don't have this "everything included", but on the other hand you're free to build a PC as you choose. This option is MUCH slimmer on a Mac. If this matters a lot to you, Mac shouldn't be your first choice.

Then there's the aspect of Macs not getting viruses. I think that's a matter of time, with the increasing number of Mac users... But, as of now, Mac is wonderfully free of viruses. Knock on wood!

What more... Well, though PC is per definition a "Personal computer", people seem to have a more personal relation to their Mac. Most I know have an individual name for it (as an example, a die-hard PC friends user suddenly told me she was in love, with Charles... her new Mac... named after Scottish designer Charles Mackintosh... Haha!). I don't know why this is, I've used both PCs and Macs in my life, and I also have this personal relation to my Mac laptop. I've never felt this way with a PC. But I don't have any rational explanation on this...

Hmmm... Mac is expensive. You can do super good deals on PCs. You need to know what you're looking for, but still. PCs are definitely more affordable. But Macs are solid workers, which quickly will prove themselves worthy of the extra money you pay for them. My stationary iMac G4, which I bought in 2002, is still going strong and still the coolest computer I've owned. It was worth every penny, and I feel the same way about my new MacBook laptop.

So... PCs if you have basic knowledge in computers, knows what to look for when buying, and how to keep them in good shape (virus free, with the right programmes etc), and want affordable stuff. Macs if you want a ready-to-use, solid, self-explanatory machine. Both have pros and cons, but for me the choice is Mac (whenever I can afford it), because I like the combination of extreme user friendly machines and cool design.

Wahey, got my Macbook Pro and am loving it! My only complaint so far is that I wish it had more USB ports...but I bought a wireless printer to go with it, so won't need a port for that. It took me ages to work out what the CD drive was! And IAmErik, thanks for the great tip...as someone who uses diacritics in other languages frequently, that Option Key function is very useful!

I sort of miss not being able to automatically maximise everything to full screen...I kind of like my browser taking up the whole space when I surf, so I've just expanded it.

Any other cool Mac tips? BTW is it really the case that I don't need any anti-virus whatsoever? There's nothing out there that can harm a Mac?

Scorp wrote:Wahey, got my Macbook Pro and am loving it!

I knew you would love it

Scorp wrote: My only complaint so far is that I wish it had more USB ports

Yes, that's actually my only complaint as well, because I use my USB ports a lot! But I can live with that I guess...because apart from that it's great

Scorp wrote:BTW is it really the case that I don't need any anti-virus whatsoever? There's nothing out there that can harm a Mac?

People discuss that a lot. I've actually got an anti-virus just in case but it has never found anything harmful. It could be recommended to use it because even if certain things wouldn't harm a Mac some viruses could spread on into your friends computers, if they've got a PC it could cause trouble for them. And of course it depends on what kind of websites you visit and how you use your computer. If you download a lot of stuff from the Internet and then send things to your friends for example I should recommend it. It's true though that Mac is much more safe than a PC.

I'm a Mac. Been since '07. I'll never go back. HA!

We just got an iMac. Loving it. Currently on here from my husbands PowerBook G4, and need to send my MacBook in to Mission Repair. I accidently hit it and broke the LED screen. :/ Apple told me it would cost $800 to fix, but if I sent it to Mission Repair they'd fix it for under $200.

Does anyone here use Garage Band? I've just bought a jack to connect my Macbook Pro to my keyboard/synthesiser and I think I've set it up correctly, but I'm a bit overwhelmed by how many features there are on Garage Band so I don't even know where to start. I had a one-to-one session at the Mac store today but I think it confused me further...

All I've used Garage Band for is to import/clip some music track for my iTunes library. Afraid I don't know all that much about it.

Been the proud owner of the new Macbook Pro since the new model's release in May. I was going to get the new Mac Pro to replace my old G5 that kicked the bucket earlier this year, but according to a friend whose a Mac expert, the only improvement over the previous model is a few nanoseconds of speed, so I'm going to see if I can bulk up my laptop to hold myself over for another year. Hopefully, there will be significant improvements in the Mac Pro line by then.

R.

You know kids I am learning more about Macs and computers here then in the past five years, I am in awe of you