I may <gulp> make the leap from PC to MAC, any suggestions?

[Chipell]

Hi all,
Let me start out by saying I have been a pc user since 1987. I started on a dual floppy 8088 and have just progessed with the times.

I can build PC's, repair PC's, mod PC's and I have software out the YING for pc's. I was in the MAC IS JUNK camp for many, many years. Sorry.

Here's my dilemma:
I have been having all kinds of trouble with PC's manufacturers. HP puts out some decent stuff, but it doesn't last. Same with Compaq, Toshiba, etc. Gateway is on it's last legs and the home-built root is just not cost effective. The last go round I have had is with DELL. I ordered one of their M2010 desktop replacements, and so far I have had to return it, and the 2 units they sent to replace it.

I have NEVER EVER considered a MAC, until now. I stopped by the Apple store near here two weeks ago to get my iPod fixed, and while they were trying to fix it (they couldn't and I had a new one the next day, impressive to say the least) I started looking around. I totally became enamored with the iMac 24".

Sooooo, here's where I need honest, forthright, BLUNT advice:
----Should I change to Apple?
----What kind of reliability do they have?
----Are they as fast as PC's?
----What about add-ons? I want a tv tuner for my iMac if I get it
----Is buying a refurbed through the Apple store a bad idea?
----Can I get as many add-ons as for the PC?
----How hard is the 'transformation' going to be? I am very, very comfortable with Vista;
----I use MS Office with ease, and especially like Outlook 2007.
----Ohter programs I use frequently are: Wordperfect. I love Adobe Photoshop Elements, Adobe Audition and Adobe Acrobat. I use Roxio 10 all the time. I use Limewire all the time.

Ok, have at it. Be honest, up front and totally blunt. I know that to many of you I have been on the "dark side" for over 2 decades, but I can't say that it wasn't a great ride.

Thank you all.

Chip

[houltmac]

Hi Chip. I'm going to answer your questions, but remember that most of us (myself included) came from the PC camp also, so we aren't just Mac zealots. I'll answer as bullet points as simply as I can.

1. In my opinion yes. I don't know anyone who would be better off on a PC, even if they have to run Windows only software, but that's another story.

2. Macs are generally very reliable. I would say that in my experience they have been more reliable than any of the top PC manufacturers, but more importantly support is far better with Apple and with communities such as these (I should probably say now that I work for an Apple Authorized Service Provider (viz. repair center) in the UK).

3. They are as fast as equivalent PCs, although it's not a fair test. The hardware and software is very specifically chosen in Macs, and of course PCs can't run Mac OS X, so you can't run truly fair tests. Macs can however run Windows and PC Magazine recently said that the MacBook Pro was the fastest Vista laptop in their testing. For doing the same kinds of things on an iMac (running OS X) and a similar spec PC (running Windows), I would expect the iMac to more than just beat the PC in terms of performance.

4. Many add ons are available for the Mac, though it's such a complete system that very few people actually require them. Macs aren't really designed to be messed with by the general public (they are already beautiful and functional of course), however there are some great third party devices. Elgato makes the brilliant eyeTV, a USB TV tuner with built-in features which would rival any other brand on any platform. Be sure to check it out.

5. Buying refurb and buying second hand are entirely different. Apples refurbs are fully tested by Apple engineers and are even given a standard warranty (which you can extend with AppleCare still). This is a great way to save a few bucks if you don't mind the second hand box and they have the model you want when you want it.

6. This all depends what it is that you want. If you want to add a second graphics card then you can't (unless you get a specific one and add it to a Mac Pro). If however you would like to enable things through USB, FireWire, Bluetooth, 802.11x, ethernet or the like then it's very simple. An entire industry has been built around this for the Mac so I doubt you would have an issue filling your needs.

7. Going from Vista to OS X is both simple and difficult. At first you are going to be stuck in WIndows mode, but teaching yourself a couple of truths about how computers work in general (like the Menu bar doesn't have to be in the window, or forgetting how Windows handles installers) will mean you will likely be as competent on OS X as you were before within a few days to a week. It is very simple stuff, just takes getting used to but I promise you won't look back.

8. Microsoft Office 2008 just came out for the Mac. It is another iteration on previous Mac versions, so it's not like it's new. If you can use Office on Windows, you can use it on the Mac. Just be sure to try some other things first; you might like the alternatives.

9. There is a ton of software for the Mac; that there isn't is compelte falicy. Much of the decent/major Windows software is available for the Mac (especially Adobe applications). Still, there is a huge market for cheap (<$50) or free Mac software which is far better than much of the >$200 Windows equivilants. This also takes some getting your head around but it's true. Be sure to test out some of this software before spending a ton on crappy big name products; they are likely not as good as the free/cheap stuff, or as fast.

All of the above mentioned software is available for the Mac with the exception of Wordperfect. That said, you can still run Wordperfect in Windows on a Mac using Bootcamp (free, built-in to Mac OS X), Paralles (cheap) or VM Ware Fusion (cheap). Of course, there are alternatives for this on the Mac and all the other software you mentioned also which are much cheaper and would suit most people much better also. Be sure to check it out and ask for advice if you would like it; we would be more than happy to help out in these areas.

Hope that helps.

[Chipell]

This helps a lot, thank you so very much! Can you give me some good alternatives to MS Office? Especially Outlook?

I was looking on the Apple site for refurb's. I don't think I would buy second-hand. I've never had a lot of luck that way.

Thanks again, and if (probably more like when) I make the leap, I'll probably have a lot more questions!

Chip

[Chipell]

I do have another question: is there a BIG difference between the iMac 24" 2.8 dual core and the 2.16 dual core? Thanks.

[baseballboy828]

Keep in mind that refurbished doesn't mean second hand. You receive a flawless mac. It's just as good as a new mac. In fact, some would argue that it is better because a refurbished mac receives much more extensive testing on its hardware.

I assume you are asking about the difference between a 2.4Ghz and 2.8Ghz processor, since 2.16 to 2.8 is a jump you cannot make with new models. There will be a difference, but from the description of your use, you aren't doing anything particularly resource intensive. I'd save the $$ and use it on something more important, RAM for example. By the way, you never buy your RAM from apple. They charge a huge premium. Get the minimum and buy from Crucial.

If you need a good Gnutella client, consider buying Acquisition. This is just one example of the great shareware and freeware available for OS X. Windows may have more apps available for it, but there are far more well designed mac apps.

As for an outlook alternative, I am a big fan of Apple's mail app, which comes with the OS. Apple's iWork ($79) is also a great replacement for Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. Keynote, the PP replacement, is actually much better than PP itself.

[Ginamos]

Here's my take on your initial questions:

Should I change to Apple?
The reduction in time spent on maintenance and problem solving was the biggest plus I found when I switched. Another area is the helpfulness of the Mac community, that's a huge resource and shouldn't be underestimated. The crown jewel is OS X, which in my experience is the best OS I've used.

What kind of reliability do they have?
I'm not sure what overall reliability rates are, I would guess lower than the industry average. The key to consider is the support that Apple provide in the event of hardware problems. Generally the level of service and support is very good.

Are they as fast as PC's?
Most components are industry standard computer parts so I would guess if it were possible to find a similarly speced PC it would run at equivalent speeds to a Mac. If you're asking about speed differences between OS X and Windows, I'd say that OS X probably performs better overall, particularly if you max out the RAM. However I'm basing that comparison on XP, as I haven't used Vista and also from the POV of the desktop experience.

What about add-ons? I want a tv tuner for my iMac if I get it
Elgato make an excellent range of products, from simple USB tuners to DVR's.

Is buying a refurbed through the Apple store a bad idea?
I have a refurbished MacBook, I've had absolutely no problems with it. When it arrived it looked exactly the same as a new model, it even had the Apple packaging. For the price saving I'd definitely recommend refurbished, educational discount is another saver.

Can I get as many add-ons as for the PC?
Plenty of accessories, check out the online Apple Store, for 3rd party hardware.

How hard is the 'transformation' going to be? I am very, very comfortable with Vista;
If your fairly computer literate and not "stuck in your ways", you shouldn't have any problems. Initially look for the common features between the two OS's i.e. System Preferences = Control Panel, Finder = Windows Explorer, Dock = the old MS Office taskbar, there's no Registry and preference files are like ini files etc etc.

I use MS Office with ease, and especially like Outlook 2007.
Initially, avoid the temptation to buy Office (save yourself some money) and see how you fare with the standard software. If you still find that you really need Office then of course go ahead and buy it. Your alternative to Outlook would be Mac Mail, which comes as standard on a Mac, Entourage if you buy Office.

Other programs I use frequently are: Wordperfect. I love Adobe Photoshop Elements, Adobe Audition and Adobe Acrobat. I use Roxio 10 all the time. I use Limewire all the time.
Wordperfect - try TextEdit ( comes standard), or maybe the trial edition of iWork that includes Pages.
Elements - there's a Mac version, if you need a printer or scanner if often comes bundled free.
Audition - Maye Soundbooth, several others such as Audacity
Acrobat - Preview comes standard
Roxio 10 - Roxio Popcorn/Toast or use the built-in burning tools.
Limewire - there's a Mac version, or try Transmission or Azureus BitTorrent clients

Useful sites for software are VersionTracker and MacUpdate.

[notabadname]

I belong to and subscribe to a particular consumer's group that doesn't like their name used in advertising etc. So I won't use it here either, but in their reports on reliability, Apple has been the number one computer maker- by a substantial lead.

As a percentage of owned units, the number of all repairs or "serious problems" between 2003 and 2004 are:

Apple...........------------12%
Compaq.......-----------------17%
Dell..............-----------------17%
IBM...............-----------------17%
Sony.............-----------------17%
HP................------------------18%
eMachines....-------------------19%
Gateway.......--------------------20%

That's 41% more problems for Compaq as compared to Apple.

The Apple iMac also scored first/highest against the "budget/affordable - similarly priced" models from all of these manufactures.

Tech support was not even close with Apple scoring top with a rating of 79, next was Dell at 54, HP was 50, Sony 49 and Compaq 44.

In closing, "Apple's computers have attractions of their own. The brand repeatedly scores best in tech support and has been consistently reliable for desktops. According to our surveys, viruses and spyware have targeted Macs less often than Windows PCs. The newest Macs also let you run Windows as a second operating system. Apple's reliability is top-notch. "

[houltmac]

The iMacs we have sold at work really narrow down to two; the entry level 20" and the 2.4GHz 24". The mid-range 20" seems so closely priced to the 24" that you may as well take the upgrade; the display alone is worth it. Then you have the 2.8GHz 24" which we simply don't sell. That really is a beast of a machine and we haven't found anyone who needs to spend the money as yet. I highly recommend looking only at the low end 20" and the 2.4GHz 24".

As has been said above, Outlook doesn't exist for the Mac, but a very similar client called Entourage does get bundled with MS Office. I have not had good experiences with it and never recommend it, in fact we are moving all of our clients away from it at work. I can highly recommend Apples Mail, iCal and Address Book which work in conjunction better than Outlook performs as a single application with a lot less constraints.

Until you start using it you won't believe what is possible without any additional software. For example you can save any document to PDF in OS X, then use the built-in Preview application to edit the document in a number of ways.

As BBB said above, it would also be worth checking out Apples iWork (which ships as a trial on all new Macs) as an alternative to MS Office. It's much cheaper ($79 as apposed to $399.95) and I for one much prefer it. A trial of MS Office is also available on all new Macs however. Also don't forget about the fantastic iLife applications bundled free with all new Macs; they take care of most of what many users would look to the third party market for in terms of software - a very powerful suite.

[notabadname]

The reason I most believe in the wisdom of a Mac over PC purchase, has also been my favorite of the Apple marketing slogans:

It Just Works,

More true today than ever (in my opinion

[Chipell]

Originally Posted by notabadname

The reason I most believe in the wisdom of a Mac over PC purchase, has also been my favorite of the Apple marketing slogans:

It Just Works,

More true today than ever (in my opinion

That's what I am counting on. I am sooooo tired of reformatting, reloading my operating system, putting back all of the software, restoring the backup files, using Norton Ghost to restore; fight off all kinds of virus, trojan and malware attacks.

And, the best of all, I read online last night that you can use a program called 'Bootcamp' to run Windows on the iMac. Now, to me, that is incredible! I was worried about all of my files in MS Money and having to switch to Quicken, but maybe now I don't have to. BUT I also don't know if I want to have anything more to do with Vista/MS and the like.

Thanks for listening. And thanks for helping!