Windows 7 or Mac
Discussion
I need to replace my desktop PC and have been looking at the all in one Windows 7 machines with touchscreen etc etc. I then started to think about Mac's. I need a machine for internet, office, music, pictures etc. It also needs to be fairly easy for a numpty like me to sort out different usernames so that I can control what my kids have access to. If it makes any difference I do have a 3GS I phone and think it is great.
So windows 7 all in one machine or a decent Mac?
TIA
So windows 7 all in one machine or a decent Mac?
TIA
i Mac every time.
I moved 3 years ago. I wished I had done it earlier.
I don't want to sound like a mac fanboy, but it has made my life so much easier. It just works.
No doubt plenty of people will now post saying the opposite. But I see it like this: If you "like" computers and want to understand how and why they work, get a PC. If you just want a machine that does exactly what you want without ever giving a thought to how, get a Mac.
I moved 3 years ago. I wished I had done it earlier.
I don't want to sound like a mac fanboy, but it has made my life so much easier. It just works.
No doubt plenty of people will now post saying the opposite. But I see it like this: If you "like" computers and want to understand how and why they work, get a PC. If you just want a machine that does exactly what you want without ever giving a thought to how, get a Mac.
I have a Windows Laptop for work and an iMac for pleasure. I only moved to Mac 3 years ago.
The iMac just works - always - so from that point alone I would go iMac. I have a few Windows apps I need so run Parallels (a windows environment on the iMac) which runs my Windows apps as fast as on the Windows machine anyway.
They do look great but it's the fact they don't crash that's the best bit. In 3 years I had 2 occasions to re-start - apart from that it never misses a beat.
The iMac just works - always - so from that point alone I would go iMac. I have a few Windows apps I need so run Parallels (a windows environment on the iMac) which runs my Windows apps as fast as on the Windows machine anyway.
They do look great but it's the fact they don't crash that's the best bit. In 3 years I had 2 occasions to re-start - apart from that it never misses a beat.
toppstuff said:
i Mac every time.
I moved 3 years ago. I wished I had done it earlier.
I don't want to sound like a mac fanboy, but it has made my life so much easier. It just works.
No doubt plenty of people will now post saying the opposite. But I see it like this: If you "like" computers and want to understand how and why they work, get a PC. If you just want a machine that does exactly what you want without ever giving a thought to how, get a Mac.
I have an IMac and use the dual boot system enabling me to have the latest Mac OS and XP running giving me (IMO) the best of both worlds.I moved 3 years ago. I wished I had done it earlier.
I don't want to sound like a mac fanboy, but it has made my life so much easier. It just works.
No doubt plenty of people will now post saying the opposite. But I see it like this: If you "like" computers and want to understand how and why they work, get a PC. If you just want a machine that does exactly what you want without ever giving a thought to how, get a Mac.
The new IMacs look tremendous and there is far more in it than just the branding pushing the price. I (like many) feel you get a better finished machine and a far more rounded product (maybe not technically superior but certainly far better build feel).
Its arguably easier to use (when comparing to Vista) once use to the navigation system although if you’ve grown up on Microsoft it is hard at first to adjust as some features to tinker are better hidden than on XP.
I also got rid of the wireless mighty mouse and key board for higher spec'd pieces so again giving me greater flexibility to adjust the way I interact with the machine.
Overall I’m very happy; the only thing I do wonder is if I should have gone down the Mac book Pro route.
Yeah, those new Mac Book Pro hard drives "just work" don't they 
And Snow Leopard "just worked" so well at deleting some people's data
The Windows 7 touch screen PCs are very good. Multitouch is nicely implemented. I was very impressed with the Sony all in one. Be interesting to see if it has a lasting usability, and obviously there is the Sony crapware issue. But it was a gorgeous screen and an easy interface.
In some areas Windows 7 is better than OS X, but overall I think lags slightly. Not the chasm that Vista opened up, but as a lot of people have pointed out, you can now refer to Windows and OS X in the same breath. And you can always run Windows on the Mac.
You may have to make hardware compromises, Blueray for example. *Most* people won't worry.
The hackneyed "Mac everytime" phrase doesn't work for me, because you don't have the hardware choice in every arena.
In some areas, such as the Mini, I fail to see how the price difference over some of the Ion based nettops is justified. OS X and iLife are good, but not THAT good. And Windows 7 isn't THAT bad.
Price wise the smaller iMac looks good compared to the 24" Windows all in ones. But if you want a slightly bigger screen, I don't think Windows is that much of a barrier. The 27" quad core iMac is in a different league But mighty expensive.
Difficult one. Prodding the screen is a fun way to interact with things !
And Snow Leopard "just worked" so well at deleting some people's data The Windows 7 touch screen PCs are very good. Multitouch is nicely implemented. I was very impressed with the Sony all in one. Be interesting to see if it has a lasting usability, and obviously there is the Sony crapware issue. But it was a gorgeous screen and an easy interface.
In some areas Windows 7 is better than OS X, but overall I think lags slightly. Not the chasm that Vista opened up, but as a lot of people have pointed out, you can now refer to Windows and OS X in the same breath. And you can always run Windows on the Mac.
You may have to make hardware compromises, Blueray for example. *Most* people won't worry.
The hackneyed "Mac everytime" phrase doesn't work for me, because you don't have the hardware choice in every arena.
In some areas, such as the Mini, I fail to see how the price difference over some of the Ion based nettops is justified. OS X and iLife are good, but not THAT good. And Windows 7 isn't THAT bad.
Price wise the smaller iMac looks good compared to the 24" Windows all in ones. But if you want a slightly bigger screen, I don't think Windows is that much of a barrier. The 27" quad core iMac is in a different league
But mighty expensive.Difficult one. Prodding the screen is a fun way to interact with things !
Little Dave said:
I need to replace my desktop PC and have been looking at the all in one Windows 7 machines with touchscreen etc etc. I then started to think about Mac's. I need a machine for internet, office, music, pictures etc. It also needs to be fairly easy for a numpty like me to sort out different usernames so that I can control what my kids have access to. If it makes any difference I do have a 3GS I phone and think it is great.
So windows 7 all in one machine or a decent Mac?
TIA
I think you'll need to try a Mac.So windows 7 all in one machine or a decent Mac?
TIA
I don't like them, I've spent too much time with Windows, and I'm not clever enough to learn new tricks with a Mac, I find it easier to use Windows.
Your Iphone will work very happily with Windows 7, even if you have to use Itunes.
Noger said:
Yeah, those new Mac Book Pro hard drives "just work" don't they And Snow Leopard "just worked" so well at deleting some people's data
The Windows 7 touch screen PCs are very good. Multitouch is nicely implemented. I was very impressed with the Sony all in one. Be interesting to see if it has a lasting usability, and obviously there is the Sony crapware issue. But it was a gorgeous screen and an easy interface.
In some areas Windows 7 is better than OS X, but overall I think lags slightly. Not the chasm that Vista opened up, but as a lot of people have pointed out, you can now refer to Windows and OS X in the same breath. And you can always run Windows on the Mac.
You may have to make hardware compromises, Blueray for example. *Most* people won't worry.
The hackneyed "Mac everytime" phrase doesn't work for me, because you don't have the hardware choice in every arena.
In some areas, such as the Mini, I fail to see how the price difference over some of the Ion based nettops is justified. OS X and iLife are good, but not THAT good. And Windows 7 isn't THAT bad.
Price wise the smaller iMac looks good compared to the 24" Windows all in ones. But if you want a slightly bigger screen, I don't think Windows is that much of a barrier. The 27" quad core iMac is in a different league But mighty expensive.
Difficult one. Prodding the screen is a fun way to interact with things !
I agree with everything above. And Snow Leopard "just worked" so well at deleting some people's data The Windows 7 touch screen PCs are very good. Multitouch is nicely implemented. I was very impressed with the Sony all in one. Be interesting to see if it has a lasting usability, and obviously there is the Sony crapware issue. But it was a gorgeous screen and an easy interface.
In some areas Windows 7 is better than OS X, but overall I think lags slightly. Not the chasm that Vista opened up, but as a lot of people have pointed out, you can now refer to Windows and OS X in the same breath. And you can always run Windows on the Mac.
You may have to make hardware compromises, Blueray for example. *Most* people won't worry.
The hackneyed "Mac everytime" phrase doesn't work for me, because you don't have the hardware choice in every arena.
In some areas, such as the Mini, I fail to see how the price difference over some of the Ion based nettops is justified. OS X and iLife are good, but not THAT good. And Windows 7 isn't THAT bad.
Price wise the smaller iMac looks good compared to the 24" Windows all in ones. But if you want a slightly bigger screen, I don't think Windows is that much of a barrier. The 27" quad core iMac is in a different league
But mighty expensive.Difficult one. Prodding the screen is a fun way to interact with things !
I made the switch a couple of years ago and while I do like Macs, I am not a fan boy.
I use a MacBook Pro as a tool not a symbol for who I am. I have had problems with several MacBooks in the past and found they crash just as much as PCs. Some things are great, like no viruses, no defragging, faster boot up. On the other hand the keyboard is crap, 3 hour battery life (not 7), not very good (for me) software and the glossy screen is a bad idea.
If you have the cash I would say to buy one but realize they have not been designed by God and buy the extra cover.
toppstuff said:
i Mac every time.
I moved 3 years ago. I wished I had done it earlier.
I don't want to sound like a mac fanboy, but it has made my life so much easier. It just works.
No doubt plenty of people will now post saying the opposite. But I see it like this: If you "like" computers and want to understand how and why they work, get a PC. If you just want a machine that does exactly what you want without ever giving a thought to how, get a Mac.
I moved 3 years ago. I wished I had done it earlier.
I don't want to sound like a mac fanboy, but it has made my life so much easier. It just works.
No doubt plenty of people will now post saying the opposite. But I see it like this: If you "like" computers and want to understand how and why they work, get a PC. If you just want a machine that does exactly what you want without ever giving a thought to how, get a Mac.
You don't want to sound like a fanboy, but you quote Apple's ad slogans whenever possible
Your post made me think of this:
http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=ma...
I am confident you would find the transition to a Mac relatively painless. We live in a time where any questions you have can be easily answered by relevant forums (www.macrumors.com for example). I no longer own a Windows machine anymore other than the one I am forced to use at work. It's a shame I can't have one here either 
.
. I moved to a Mac about 4 years ago. The main advantages, are as others have said, that stuff just works. If an application crashes (which isn't that often, and in my case mainly happens with Safari), it doesn't takethe rest of the machine down with it. You also get cheaper software. The OS major releases are not that expensive, and the office software suite iWorks, is a positive bargain IMHO. As someone said earlier, there is a bit of an issue about picking up the Mac way of doing things if you have been a Windows/Microsoft Office user, but it doesn't take long.
Noger said:
Yeah, those new Mac Book Pro hard drives "just work" don't they And Snow Leopard "just worked" so well at deleting some people's data
The drives do work, don't they? Besides, Apple don't make their own drives. So if there is some problem, you'd be just as likely come across it on a PC. If not more so, considering the ratio of PC to Macs sold. As for the OS and data. Do you actually know anyone this happened to? Even read of it happening to anyone on a forum such as this? I haven't. And Snow Leopard "just worked" so well at deleting some people's data Its like the Mac virus/trojan/malware scares. They get a lot of press. Yet you don't see any real world experiences of it. Just over excited journo's jumping up & down.
Back on topic.. Windows 7 or Mac? Well, ones an OS and the other an entire computer that comes with its own OS
But yes, as someone else rightly said. With a Mac you can run whatever OS you want. No hacks or trickery involved. Plus with 3rd party software like Parallels or VMfusion, you can run multiple OS's at the same time.
Its nice to have the flexibility.
I wouldn't say I was a mac fanboy. I just consider Apple a bit less evil than Microsoft
Setting up accounts on Mac is a doddle.
No doubt W7 can do all this as well.
- You start with the admin account (do keep the password secret from the kids), which prevents most software from being added.
- Adding accounts is as simple as clicking on the + button in Accounts and typing in some names. As admin, you can restrict which apps others can use.
- Each account is like its own private machine - different settings for mouse, sound, Dock (size and what sits in it) - btw the Dock is the equivalent of the strip at the bottom of Windows (Taskbar?). All files are private, except a Public folder. Most, if not all applications will have settings specific to the user.
- Swapping is as easy as clicking Log Out, choosing the new user and typing in the password. You can set it so the system logs out after a period of inactivity.
No doubt W7 can do all this as well.
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