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Location: Utah | I used to work for IBM back in the 80's. I used to write assembly code for the 8088 and 80286 processors in our lab. As an employee we had access to secret hardware tricks to speed up or expand our computers. Yes, I've got a long history with and good understanding of the IBM PC. But MS piled the last straw on with SP3 this week, taking out the family desktop.
So, what won't an Apple desktop computer do? We run Quicken for our finances, plus use the web extensively for online financial stuff and fun websurfing. We use the computer for music syncing to Sprint MP3 capable cell phones, plus some iPods (and boy do I hate iTunes on the PC). We do some wordprocessing and spreadsheets. All normal stuff. Also I do some recording, though most is done on an old laptop these days.
The desktop family computer is the central point of our home network, with the dsl modem, printer, and wifi hub connected to it. This is the function that most concerns me with migrating to Apple. Will the Apple take on this role and be compatible with PCs on the network?
My employer's intranet is not Apple compatible. We do a buttload on the computer from home, such as computer based recurrent training, schedule bidding, schedule management, updating important info, downloading tax forms, etc. Is there a workaround to be able to emulate or use Internet Explorer? (the company site isn't even Firefox compatible!) Not being able to access work on the family computer is to me possibly a deal breaker. |
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Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | I bet your employer's computer would let you use chrome. check out google's new browser. |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Internet Explore works on Mac. |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | Great question. I went through this same transition about 6 weeks ago. Dumped a lifetime of PC experience and bought an iMac. The best freaking thing I ever did ...
Now, does Mac do everything better than a PC? NO. There is a reason they have 3% market share. But for me I looked at the main things I needed a home computer for: web design and websurfing, on-line banking, itunes, digital recording and editing, photo editing, word processing, spreadsheets, etc. and the Mac was a perfect solution. I would never go back.
Specifically your home network. Your results may very, but I had an existing home network of 3 PCs and a shared printer. I plugged in the Mac and it said "there's a network do you want to connect?" yes "there's a printer do you want to print?" yes. It was that simple.
I plugged in my digital camera - worked with no screwing around. I plugged in a USB midi interface - worked with no issues. I even took a standlone USB drive completely loaded with a backup from my old PC, I plugged it into the Mac and boom, everything was available with no dicking around what so ever. I loaded some new apps like Logic, Photoshop and Dreamweaver. It all worked really slick.
Now there were some small hurdles, but easily overcome - my old web designer FrontPage was not compatible, needed to get and learn Dreamweaver. It's a somewhat steep curve. Old Photoshop was not compatible (hacked version), so I needed Photoshop CS for Mac. No problem. I needed a new FTP program - I got Transmit, VERY nice. And a few other small apps that could be used directly from their previous PC versions. I also bought Logic Express 8, which is a very DAW program.
Things are different, no arguement here. You need to learn different shortcut keys, etc. I still confuse Ctrl and Option, but it's gettiung easier. The Mighty Mouse is also very easy to get used to. But the whole environment is somewhat different and you need to have an open mind. Not better, not worse, just different.
The Safari browzer is very nice. I never think twice about it, it just works. There's other browzers as well. Hell you could run bootcamp and run Windows if you wanted to! I do all my online banking from the Mac with no issues. I don't know about Quicken and all that stuff. The biggest compatibility issue I ran into was my DAW (switched form Sonar to Logic), Photoshop (switched form PS7 to PSCS), and Web Design (switched form FrontPage to Dreamweaver). I still need to replace my database (Access) and will probably go with Filemaker.
The only thing to beware of, depending on your level of use and expectation, is that all the "Goodies" that they advertise you get free like iWorks, iPhoto, iWeb, Garageband etc. are somewhat limited. For example GB can't trigger external midi. i-Web can't build tables. The iWorks programs are actually OK, they do a nice job of reading in all Office files. But they do not output in a format that you can take back INTO Office on a PC. Or at least I have not figgered it out yet.
An unexpected bonus is the community of Mac users. I can not tell you how many people have gone out of their way to help me and the various online support forums are great. It's sort of the "Ovation" underdog attitude. I've posted here before that Ovation is sort of like the Mac of the guitar world. Different but in a lot of ways that are important to the average user, BETTER.
I'm not bashing PC's and don't believe for a moment that Mac is the solution to everything. But for ME, it's perfect. I'd be surprised if you didn't experience similar results.
Good luck, Dave |
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Location: NJ | y'don't do anything in AutCAD, do ya'?? . . . |
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Location: Central Massachusetts | These days, you can do pretty much anything on a Mac that you can do on a PC. Some things are easier. Maybe a few things harder. A Mac should be fully compatible with any network and printer resources you have. They can participate in Windows file sharing, etc.
Like Jeff said, there is a native Internet Explorer for the Mac, if you must.
If you absolutely must run something that is Windows-only, you can run something like VMware Fusion and install Windows into a virtual machine. Sounds complicated but it's really not, and you can do pretty much anything in a virtual machine that you could on a stand-alone Windows box. The only caveat is, make sure to put lots of memory into your Mac if you plan on going that route. And don't buy the memory from Apple (too $$$$)! |
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Location: Las Vegas, NV | Or play games on the PC? |
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Location: closely held secret | Originally posted by dvd:
If you absolutely must run something that is Windows-only, you can run something like VMware Fusion and install Windows into a virtual machine. Sounds complicated but it's really not, and you can do pretty much anything in a virtual machine that you could on a stand-alone Windows box. Unless, that is, it involves something pretty much Windows specific, like .net. Then YMMV. |
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Location: Rego Park, NY, | I'm on the verge of getting an apple also. Our main laptop computer at home is having an annually recurring problem. it thinks that if it is on that all I want to see is a blank screen. The online computer techs can see my screen but I can't. It's a problem with the video card and the driver. I have had the video card replaced 3 times in the last 3 years. I also sent the computer to their repair DEPOT 3 times and they told me that everything is fine.
The video card was replaced right after receiving the computer back from their DEPOT. During the last 3 years I was told by the company tech's that I had to reformat my hard drive twice only to find out that my hard drive was not the problem. I even told the techs this time that I know exactly what the problem is. Their solution was to send me a new blank hard drive.
Okay so I downloaded windows, series of chipsets. Download the video driver on their new drive and guess what Blank screen!!. I can only use my computer while running the windows video driver and the picture is wavy. I got so pissed at them last night I told them that the S in the model number stands for Sh@T. Am I being good in not mentioning the computer company's name? I don't want to be responsible for shutting down this thread.
All I really need the computer for besides this forum is for e-mails, surfing, photos(DUH)and video editing. |
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Location: Central Massachusetts | And running a Mac is the best way to draw Waskel into a conversation, so beware! :)
Waskel, Windows bits are Windows bits. They work the same in VMware Fusion as they do standalone. I think the 3D graphics drivers are about the only area where VMware comes up a bit short.
But you're right about the YMMV. I've had a Windows virtual machine on my Mac for a while now. The only time I use it is to boot every month or two and catch up on the updates. Not sure why I bother anymore, as I've had zero need for it. ;) |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Ah... Yeah! But can you get an Apple new-in-box with 200GB HD and a digital monitor for $302? :D |
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Location: Central Massachusetts | nope. unless you count the iPhone! ;) |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | FlySig, don't you have a teenage kid? Why are you asking the Old Farts Club? Your kid will know all the answers. Both my kids went with Macs, although we still have PCs at home. |
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Location: Utah | Mark, my eldest tells me that many/most of her college friends have traded in their laptops for iBooks or whatever the Apple laptop is called. Microsoft Vista has been a big disaster and driven away tons of customers from the PC world. I see many high-schoolers with Apple laptops these days, too. |
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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | If you are doing email, internet, some word processing etc... basic stuff like 90% of the world does.. MAC vs Windows vs Linux... who cares.. they all do it well with each having a strong point or two.
It's only when you get into high-end graphics, audio, CAD etc.. that there is a difference that can actually be measured, and that has more to do with supporting hardware and software than the computer itself.
MAC is getting better at playing with others. I take issue with "My employer's intranet is not Apple compatible"... the reality is the "Apple" part that's not compatible, but that's a different story. As I said, they are getting better, much better.
There are some minor quirks with such has how email and email attachments and graphics within emails are handled. Once you figure out what to do so everyone can read your emails, it ceases to be an issue.
So bottom line... get what you can afford that does what you need and don't pay so much attention to what logo is on the box. |
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Location: Las Vegas, NV | I think you see many college and high school kids with Apples, as this is a residual from the big push Apple was making in the education circles (and maybe they still are). Nothing against Apples (I owned an Apple II+, back in the day), but most kids are in shock when they get out into the 'real' world (getting a job), and almost everyone is still using PCs. For better or worse, that's how it is. |
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Location: Glendale, AZ | In place of Photoshop, you might try GIMP. It is UNIX based and free. It will most things Photoshop will.
You should not have any network issues with the Mac. Its just a matter of finding the controls you need to do things.
Games are the big issue. I play a lot of on line games, like City of Heroes and World of Warcraft. Those would be hard to give up. However, it is possible to run Windows on the Mac for those times when you absolutly need to. I have thought of getting a Mac many times. So far, it has just been the cost that has kept me away. I can build a PC from parts, but a Mac, you have to buy from Apple.
Devin |
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Location: Utah | This has been my wallpaper for a few weeks. Perhaps MS sent a killer update as retribution!
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Location: Phoenix AZ | Mac vs. PC is no different than Ovation vs. Martin or Taylor vs. Collings or whatever. There's different choices just buy the one that's best for your needs. Dave |
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Location: SoCal | What won't an Apple do? It won't sit on my desk.... |
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Location: NJ | It would if y'moved all of that Glen Campbell paraphernalia (and the StarTrek crap) . . . |
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Location: Vermont USA | Easy on the Star Trek stuff Paul might vaporize you with his phaser. |
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Location: SoCal | Scotty, aim phasers at New Jersey and fire!
Scotty???
I've tried to like Apple computers. I even got one for my wife for Xmas and she loves it. But every time I've sat down and played with it, it just drives me nuts. I guess it's just not that important to me to learn a new system when the old one works fairly well (with the exception of recording, and I think I've got an answer to that)... |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | Originally posted by moody, p.i.:
it's just not that important to me to learn a new system when the old one works fairly well (with the exception of recording, and I think I've got an answer to that)... ... he's gonna lip-synch. |
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Location: Wichita, KS | Phil Wong wrote:
All I really need the computer for besides this forum is for e-mails, surfing, photos(DUH)and video editing.
Phil, a Mac will do all you need. You can use iPhoto to organize your photos. iMovie and iDVD will give you the video tools you need and they come bundled with the system. And the best part about Macs is that they just work. No applications just shutting down because they encounter "an unexpected problem". No worries about spyware, adware, and viruses.
I do the same stuff you do. In addition, I use Peak for audio editing, Photoshop for image manipulation, and Toast for burning CDs. I paid a premium for Microsoft Office, but last year dumped it and bought a family license for iWorks.
All of my family are Mac users. My daughter is a 6th grade teacher. She used a Windows laptop through college. As soon as she graduated, she replaced it with a Mac and has never looked back.
I use a PC at work because I have to (I write software for a living). I use a Mac at home because it works the way computers should work. |
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OT - What won't an Apple computer do?
