In light of the new Mac ads pitting the two against each other, I thought I'd see what the Metacritic crowd uses and why. Is it just a thing where you're raised on one and you stick with it? Is one really better than the other or is it all just personal preference?

I'm a Mac user, as are the rest of my family. It also helped that I was a graphic design major and the majority of the industry uses Macs.

I have like a six year old PC that I would replace except I don't do anything on it that requires a new computer.

I don't know what I'll buy when I finally get a new computer....

I'm kind of put off, though, by the Macs' presentation. It seems kind of over-user-friendly. I want to customize my interface, not have all these 'handy helpers' thrust on me or anything.

I'm also really hoping to be able to find a cathode ray monitor. I don't like the LCD screens where, if you change your angle a little, the color changes.

quote:

Originally posted by SDF:
In light of the new Mac ads pitting the two against each other, I thought I'd see what the Metacritic crowd uses and why. Is it just a thing where you're raised on one and you stick with it? Is one really better than the other or is it all just personal preference?

I'm a Mac user, as are the rest of my family. It also helped that I was a graphic design major and the majority of the industry uses Macs.

I don't know why the Graphic Design industry is so set on Macs. There's no software you have to use that won't run on a PC. Additionally, Adobe says most of their design software (Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.) runs faster on PCs.

I've used both Macs and PCs in my professional experience, and I think the whole "Macs are more user friendly" thing is a myth. And I have yet to purchase a digital camera, scanner, printer, or mp3 player that I couldn't get to work within minutes on my PC. On the other hand I've spent hours trying to install a DVD Drive on a Mac.

Also, PCs are cheaper, easier to find support for (if you need it), and easier to replace components on.

quote:

Originally posted by ericg75:
I don't know why the Graphic Design industry is so set on Macs. There's no software you have to use that won't run on a PC. Additionally, Adobe says most of their design software (Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.) runs faster on PCs.

I've used both Macs and PCs in my professional experience, and I think the whole "Macs are more user friendly" thing is a myth. And I have yet to purchase a digital camera, scanner, printer, or mp3 player that I couldn't get to work within minutes on my PC. On the other hand I've spent hours trying to install a DVD Drive on a Mac.

Also, PCs are cheaper, easier to find support for (if you need it), and easier to replace components on.

PCs are much cheaper and I believe they have faster processors which Apple is working to fix. The processing speed would explain why Photoshop runs faster on a PC. There is a lot of software that is only made for PCs as well, especially games.

I believe graphic designers prefer Macs because of compatability with the printing industry which also is mostly Mac-based. Also, the two have a history together as Macs have always been more compatable, so why switch now?

As far as installing a DVD player, pretty much any Mac nowadays comes with at least a DVD player, if not a DVD burner (superdrive). If you needed to replace a drive, just about everything I've seen is compatable with both formats (though I've never looked into DVD drives). Installation is quite easy on mine (G4 tower). I just pull the handle on the side and it opens up with everything right in front of me.

The best thing about Macs is the operating system. It runs very smoothly, is easy to use, and has all the excellent standard apple software.

Macs are, in my opinion, better made machines. That said, I no longer own one. They aren't compatible with a lot of software, and they are EXPENSIVE. If money was no object, I would own Mac everything. Until I'm fabulously wealthy, though, I'll stick with my little Dell laptop.

My Macbook came today. So far I am quite happy. It owns.

Macs are usually better, except in OS X when the dreaded Wheel of Homosexuality, as i've come to call it, pops up, and freezes you to death. But, they do usually last longer. On the other hand, I'm a PC entheusiast. I build PCs, fix them, and love them. And Macs, you can't really build.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: 1337_MJSU,

I don't really wanna start a new thread on a narrow and specific topic so I just chose this thread to put it on since it's related.

Has anyone used Internet Explorer 7 yet? I dunno man, I think it's pretty neat I get in the habit of having like 20 IE windows all open at the same time coz I check websites simultaneously... like this one, Wikipedia, imdb.com., ebgames.com., youtube.com., google, etc., etc. But with IE 7 you use tabs instead so you can have like 50 tabs in just one IE window. I'm liking it.

K, that's my rant for the day.

I just recently got the new internet explorer and am still trying to become accustomed to the interface. Overall, it seems very practical and the tabs are really cool as well.

Yeah, the new interface took a bit of getting used to, but once I discovered the ease of using the tabs option, I immediately realized how much better it is than IE 6.

I never used to use Internet Explorer when I had a PC, but Firefox and Safari (Netscape too, I think) have had tabbed browsing for a while now. My mom downloaded IE 7 and says it's really glitchy.

I use a dual-2.3 at home and at work. I preferred PCs before OS X; now I won't touch them.

I might consider buying Mac OSX if Apple made it a truly independent product and didn't force you to run it on their ridiculously overpriced hardware.

<Caresses his G5s in front of the quite clearly violently jealous eric>

I think the Mac ads are targeting the most naive demographic, people who are borderline technophobes who would like to have a computer but are afraid it's too complicated.

The learning curve for a first time PC buyer, just to get up and running and do basic things like email or internet or word processing, just isn't that difficult. If someone is already an experienced PC user, I see absolutely no good reason for them to switch to Mac, with the possible exception of industry specific stuff (Photoshop, Pro Tools).

If I were trying to teach a pygmy from Venezuala how to use a computer...OK, maybe then I'd go with a Mac, just to make it as simple as possible.

*Also, anyone who's even thinking about playing the newest games should disregard Macs. The PC has become just as important to the gaming world as the consoles, to the point that it's a direct competitor and is spurring the consoles on, technology-wise. I know Macs can run Windows now, but there are still compatability issues with specific software, and the newest Windows games require much more powerful hardware than is standard on the Mac.

quote:

Originally posted by Commontone:
I think the Mac ads are targeting the most naive demographic, people who are borderline technophobes who would like to have a computer but are afraid it's too complicated.

I'm an experienced pc user, and I think some of those ads have the opposite effect on me than what Apple intended. The latest ad has Mac and PC trading gifts. PC gets Mac a book about C++ programming, and the Mac gets PC some photos. What it says to me is that the PC is good for doing useful stuff like programming, but the Mac is only good for storing digital photos. Sorry, but if all I were going to do with my computer is store digital photos, I'd buy the cheapest possible computer I could find, a big, cheap hard drive and download a free copy of GIMP. You certainly don't need the world's best computer for digital photography.

Whether you're a Mac or a PC person, yeah, the ads paint a pretty ridiculous comparison of the two. According the ads, the PC is a virus-ridden, ugly, boring, unworkable metal box designed purely for administrative-type stuff. While the Mac is a pristine thing of beauty that one-ups the PC for anything "fun." For anyone who knows anything about computers, Mac's angle is obvious and over the top. Macs have their place, but it's not as if 90% of personal computer users are imbeciles for using PCs.

I think you all take them too seriously. They're just funny. That's all anyone remembers.

I'm not thinking these things when I see the commercials. Actually, I'm thinking these things for as long as it takes me to scan this thread and type a response, and that's about it. You're right that it's not worth taking up brain space over, but we're just having a discussion.

No one should throw around the "Better built machines" argument. If you think PC's aren't made well, make your own. That's the beauty of a more open platform.

I just don't care for Apple, being the giant smug-hippy-catering Enviroment-destroying entity they are. They haven't made a decent computer for around...8 years.