Should I Switch To Apple?

[anono12]

I know this topic has been covered before, but I am really considering getting an Apple notebook. I am willing to spend 2500 dollars American on it.

I am a music producer / DJ and have found IBMs to work just fine. However, there are some questions I would like answered before buying an Apple:

1) Is it hard to download 'pirated' software? (like Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop, etc.)

2) Does it work with bit torrent clients like utorrent?

3) Do .avi files work with it?

4) Can it run Windows seamlessly?

5) I would want to run games like Civ 4 and play friends who own IBMs. Possible?

Also, I'm just curious to hear testimonials from people who made the switch and either like it or dislike it. I know owning an Apple is more expensive, which might be a bother.

Also, my IBM (Dell Inspiron) is having problems in this humid environment... would an Apple be better suited for Bangkok?

[ihightower]

I know this topic has been covered before, but I am really considering getting an Apple notebook. I am willing to spend 2500 dollars American on it.

I am a music producer / DJ and have found IBMs to work just fine. However, there are some questions I would like answered before buying an Apple:

1) Is it hard to download 'pirated' software? (like Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop, etc.)

2) Does it work with bit torrent clients like utorrent?

3) Do .avi files work with it?

4) Can it run Windows seamlessly?

5) I would want to run games like Civ 4 and play friends who own IBMs. Possible?

Also, I'm just curious to hear testimonials from people who made the switch and either like it or dislike it. I know owning an Apple is more expensive, which might be a bother.

Also, my IBM (Dell Inspiron) is having problems in this humid environment... would an Apple be better suited for Bangkok?

1) YES. Quite Hard

2) YES. see http://torrentfreak.com/mac-bt-clients/

3) YES. see http://guides.macrumors.com/Watch_AVI_Movies_in_Mac_OS_X

4) YES with some kind of virtualization. But, trust me it is totally crap. Don't believe any word what other say. It is slow and totally useless. It is only useful, when you are in a desolate island and desperate to run a windows version of a software with no windows PC but only a mac which has a virtual environment to run Windows.

5) Civ 4 is available for Mac too as you can see here.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilization_IV. I have no idea what Civ 4 is really

- My comment is Apple is just beautiful for the eye with a clear screen and a clean design.

- Only if you are a techno, the Unix environment (using the Terminal) is really good. But, the same can be achieved using cygwin on Windows

- Everything else is crap and too costly.

with Windows you have a lots of options... Both cheap and good.

Why would you limit yourself with the same vendor for both the OS and the Hardware.

DO NOT BUY APPLE. Go with Windows.

YES!!! I have worked with Both Apple and Windows machine... Apple at work for 2 years (2006-08)... and Windows all other times.

Edited June 30, 2009 by ihightower

[wester]

If you are a hard-core IBM user, you will find that switching to mack is like learning to live comfortably in hel_l.

But gosh those mackies look good, don't they?

[pagallim]

For that kind of money, you're probably looking at a MacBook Pro 15''. I've used both IBM and Dell in work environments, and found neither brand particularly reliable. Macs on the other hand (and I now have 3), have been consistently good. You'll find all of the pirated software that you need for Macs also, just have to make sure that the version(s) are for Mac, not Windows.

You can run Windows on Macs, but not vice versa, with 2 options being available. You can either partition your hard drive for each OS (which then involves selecting which OS you want to log into at start up), or having a 'virtual' computer on your Mac OS hard drive into which you can install Windows. If your use of Windows is mainly confined to Office, you can load Office for Mac directly into the Mac OS. I also find Mac's Safari browser far superior to Internet Explorer.

Some of the Apple peripherals are excellent also. I use a Time Capsule, which as well as providing a wireless connection, also has a 500Gb hard drive, which connected machines back up to wirelessly every hour. It also provides a wireless printing facility.

[jackdanielsesq]

I use both - Mac as a h/w brand & way superior to anything that say Dell, HP, Sony can produce.

The O/S is a Linux fork & way ahead of any Linux or M$ O/S.

Ya can dual/boot/camp anything ya want. Or run a virtual O/S.

The same way that the iPhone has slapped everyone stupid, Mac has/will do the same.

The hardware is no longer propriety.

BR>Jack

typo

Edited June 30, 2009 by jackdanielsesq

[villagefarang]

I love my iMac 24 and get movies and Mac software from torrents, using Transmission. I find I don't need so much peripheral software because the Apple stuff works without needing to be tweaked to death.

[noahvail]

I'm not a techie but worked with MS stuff for 20+ years. When my old PC had one foot in the grave, my kid bought me a 15" MacBook Pro. He's the geek in the family - double major in computers and design; he's got two macs and two pcs. Whichever will do the better job, for what he needs at the time, is the one he uses. He'll switch back and forth for different games as well.

For me, it took a good month to get used to it. There's a mac guide for 1st-time users who used to run MS, and that was helpful. Threw it out after a month. For what I do, searches, emails, skype video-conferencing, and music, it's great. Not to mention one of the sweetest keyboards I've ever used.

Battery is good for about 2-3 hours of netting around, about 1-1/2 hours of videoconferencing. It comes with two cords, so you can leave one at home and one at the office.

So, I'm hooked. Got an 80gb iPod about 8 months ago, it's great, and seamless, synchs and recharges automatically. Next will be the iPhone - too pricey at the moment here, and I'm a bit wary of getting something off of eBay (too many horror stories).

Bottom line: for me, it's easier to use, and I've of course *never* seen the Blue Screen of Death. Oh, and I use Time Machine software on an external Western Digital 750gb hard drive, seamless (and cheaper).

[Tywais]

One post removed for violating this rule:

17) Not to post links to pages that contain objectionable material. This includes, warez, cracks, file-sharing, pornography, pyramid schemes, referral ID's, eBay listings and requests for donations.

And reminder of this rule:

16) Not to post about gambling, betting, pornography, illegal drugs, fake goods/clothing etc and other activities that are officially illegal in Thailand.

Which piracy is.

Any further comments that fall under those rules will close this topic.

[ThaiLife]

One post removed for violating this rule:

17) Not to post links to pages that contain objectionable material. This includes, warez, cracks, file-sharing, pornography, pyramid schemes, referral ID's, eBay listings and requests for donations.

And reminder of this rule:

16) Not to post about gambling, betting, pornography, illegal drugs, fake goods/clothing etc and other activities that are officially illegal in Thailand.

Which piracy is.

Any further comments that fall under those rules will close this topic.

Hi , Tywais , just wondering about ...

( 16) Not to post about gambling, betting, pornography, illegal drugs, fake goods/clothing etc and other activities that are officially illegal in Thailand Which piracy is. )

I have read countless posts on the subject of .. Jailbreaking an Apple iPhone , would you consider that subject to be ok to post about ..?

Thanks

TL

[Tywais]

I have read countless posts on the subject of .. Jailbreaking an Apple iPhone , would you consider that subject to be ok to post about ..?

I did some checking on that a while back and seems to be a gray area. Apple states it is illegal under DMCA laws. Why I say gray area is due to this:

Apple has publicly defined its legal stance on iPhone jailbreaking, arguing that it represents copyright infringement and a DMCA violation, in response to an exemption filing by the Electronic Frontier Foundation that was submitted to the Copyright Office as part of the 2009 DMCA triennial rulemaking. The foundation proposal asked for an exemption that would allow jailbreaking of iPhones or other handsets, effectively liberating the devices to run applications other than those obtained from Apple's own iTunes App Store.

Source: MacNN

Electronic Frontier Foundation

A lot of debate going on over this issue throughout other forums also. I've let the current topics alone on this at the moment but limit it to not discussing how or where to go to do it.

[ThaiLife]

I have read countless posts on the subject of .. Jailbreaking an Apple iPhone , would you consider that subject to be ok to post about ..?

I did some checking on that a while back and seems to be a gray area. Apple states it is illegal under DMCA laws. Why I say gray area is due to this:

Apple has publicly defined its legal stance on iPhone jailbreaking, arguing that it represents copyright infringement and a DMCA violation, in response to an exemption filing by the Electronic Frontier Foundation that was submitted to the Copyright Office as part of the 2009 DMCA triennial rulemaking. The foundation proposal asked for an exemption that would allow jailbreaking of iPhones or other handsets, effectively liberating the devices to run applications other than those obtained from Apple's own iTunes App Store.

Source: MacNN

Electronic Frontier Foundation

A lot of debate going on over this issue throughout other forums also. I've let the current topics alone on this at the moment but limit it to not discussing how or where to go to do it.

Hi, Thanks for clarifying this point, ive often wondered just where the divide was .

TL

[Crushdepth]

I did some checking on that a while back and seems to be a gray area. Apple states it is illegal under DMCA laws. Why I say gray area is due to this:

Also worth bearing in mind the DMCA is a US law, so unless you live there or plan on taking your phone there, it's irrelevant. What (if anything) the Thai law says about this practice I have no idea.

[Tywais]

Also worth bearing in mind the DMCA is a US law, so unless you live there or plan on taking your phone there, it's irrelevant.

Yes, I'm aware of this and figured someone would mention it. However, it is considered a copyright infringement by Apple which is covered by International copyright laws and the Berne Convention which Thailand is a member. As I said, it is a gray area and would prefer not testing it out on Thaivisa.

[phetaroi]

My only question is this -- if Apples are so darn great, why is their worldwide market share only 3.2%?

I just retired from being a school administrator in one of the largest school systems in the U.S. Our system started out heavily Apple-oriented for student use, but as time passed we phased out of Apple products virtually 100%.

[sjaak327]

I use both - Mac as a h/w brand & way superior to anything that say Dell, HP, Sony can produce.

The O/S is a Linux fork & way ahead of any Linux or M$ O/S.

Ya can dual/boot/camp anything ya want. Or run a virtual O/S.

The same way that the iPhone has slapped everyone stupid, Mac has/will do the same.

The hardware is no longer propriety.

BR>Jack

typo

LOL, it is certainly not way superior to anything that Dell will produce, I agree it is in price, not in actual quality though, and trust me I have opened and worked with both very very frequently. ..

The OS is certainly not way ahead of any Linux or MS OS, in fact it is quite the opposite, make no mistake, Apple is notorious for their lack to patch security holes timely and correctly. Their tiny marketshare is there for a clear reason, and it doens't seem very likely that it is ever going to change, not with the track record Apple has.. Leopard is certainly not praised for it's security by people who do know what they are talking about, there are still features that were promised by Apple when leopard was released, that are still not working in 10.5.7 (SMB package signing for instance, not unimportant when it comes to networking, something that any " inferior Linux" dist does support correctly).

[namoo]

Apple for sure. Does everything a windows machine can do usually better and if the worst comes to the worst u can run windows virtually in os x or indeed natively with bootcamp.

Reference why is the market so small. Compare it to the car industy. In Asia BMW has about 6% of the car market. But everyone agrees they offer a great product at a premium price - You are paying for quality reliability and performance and not everyone is prepared to pay the premium for a BMW or indeed a Apple product. That is why the market is not as high as cheaper and inferior although productive windows / ford models

I have a Mac Pro 09' in the office and when on the road macbook pro 09' girlfriend is happy using her macbook, Apple TV for entertainment and of course the iphone.

The products are well made and as the marketing says "They Just Work"

[phazey]

My only question is this -- if Apples are so darn great, why is their worldwide market share only 3.2%?

I just retired from being a school administrator in one of the largest school systems in the U.S. Our system started out heavily Apple-oriented for student use, but as time passed we phased out of Apple products virtually 100%.

Up until recently, you could only use Mac OS X (or OS9 way back when) on Apple hardware - nowadays with Apple's switch to Intel CPU's - it is possible to run OS X on any old hardware to come extent - but within breach of the EULA. Apple make hardware and operating system software bound to that hardware. Any old joe can make a PC and then legally bung windows on it.

Anyways answering some of the OP's original questions. If you buy an Apple, you can pull chicks easier. FACT!.

[stumonster]

if Apples are so darn great, why is their worldwide market share only 3.2%?

.

If you buy an Apple, you can pull chicks easier. FACT!.

is there a correlation in percentages for people with chicken fetishes then ?

sony and apple make good hardware - but I don't trust either of them

[konfuzed]

I know this topic has been covered before, but I am really considering getting an Apple notebook. I am willing to spend 2500 dollars American on it.

I am a music producer / DJ and have found IBMs to work just fine. However, there are some questions I would like answered before buying an Apple:

1) Is it hard to download 'pirated' software? (like Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop, etc.)

2) Does it work with bit torrent clients like utorrent?

3) Do .avi files work with it?

4) Can it run Windows seamlessly?

5) I would want to run games like Civ 4 and play friends who own IBMs. Possible?

Also, I'm just curious to hear testimonials from people who made the switch and either like it or dislike it. I know owning an Apple is more expensive, which might be a bother.

Also, my IBM (Dell Inspiron) is having problems in this humid environment... would an Apple be better suited for Bangkok?

Ignore the person who originally answered - they must have been used to the old days...

1 - nope pm me for details

2 - yep, pm me for details

3 - yep - you can install divx codecs for quicktime, download mplayer os x - which is pretty good or download VLC which is awesome

4 - yep, install bootcamp and then install windows on a second partition... couldn't be easier

5 - yep just reboot into windoze...

i think hardware wise they are better than their windows equivalents, so its best of both worlds... they do run a bit hot here, so i've always used a fan when doing either processor heavy work, its hot or its been on a while.

Not Konfuzed About This...

[nikster]

The new MacBook Pros all have 6-7 hours battery life, just wanted to mention that. I have a 17" rated at 8 hours and get about 6 1/2 in real life - not bad for a desktop-replacement grade powerhouse with a huge bright screen.

OP: All your questions are covered, is it hard to download pirated software? I don't know, maybe try to type blahblahblah torrent into Google and see what happens. E.g. it's very easy. Civ4 is out for Mac and compatible with Win users, so you'll be able to play.

There are some guides for Windows switchers out there as has been mentioned - I'd think they are going to be extremely useful because some stuff is different on Mac and if you don't know and have nobody around to ask, it's going to be hard.

I'd also ask in this forum, or the notebookreviews forums (the OS X and Apple forum) if you have any specific questions. Use the internet, there are tons of people out there more than happy to answer any questions.

Macs have good usability but it makes a world of difference if you have an expert telling you four of five things.

[0zz1]

first of all if you are music producer / dj i dont understand how have you lived without mac so far? get the apple right now - you will love it.

1. no

2. yes - i recommend bits on wheels

3. yes =) lol

4. yes - see some test results below.

5. hmm... no idea.. generally macs are not for gaming..

Fastest: Apple MacBook Pro

The fastest Windows Vista notebook we've tested this year is a Mac. Try that again: The fastest Windows Vista notebook we've tested this year--or for that matter, ever--is a Mac. Not a Dell, not a Toshiba, not even an Alienware. - Pcworld

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,136649-p...ks/article.html

so yes if for any reason (i cant think of any) u want to run winslow in it you can.

Edited July 1, 2009 by 0zz1

[namoo]

No shortage of gaming options on the mac. The best games company in the world in my opinion Blizzard make all there games available on mac same day release as PC.

Such as World Of Warcraft (Starcraft 2 and Diablo 3 coming soon), Pokerstars have a mac client, plenty of games available including civ 4, Call of Duty etc.

And for those games that do not have a mac client simply start up Vmware playwithin mac os x for less demanding 3d games (Although most are fine such as counterstrike etc.) or for the big boys in 3D such as Crysis, Total War Empire etc. Just start Bootcamp.

I can honestly say I see no reason for buying a PC anymore what can they do that mac cannot??? The only reason is price i guess.

Edited July 1, 2009 by namoo

[jackdanielsesq]

We had to replace several NB mobo, batteries & Nvidia GPU - maybe ya dont get to work on many or even aware of the crisis that caused Michael Dell to return. Or the multi-billion Dollar losses that Nvidia had incurred. Or the Sony battery cell blowups - Google them. We had +30 of them and never bought another Dell, ever.

Sony has also gone to the dogs quality wise - check their stock price - of late as they have more non Japan components on board. It is also impossible to get any decent service/warranty here in Asia.

Macs simply work, and their warranty/service is excellent. Ya get what ya pay for.

There is a huge difference in owning a truck-load of NB and repairing the odd virus-ridden M$ machine.

We use them all in production, and frankly dont care if ya dont like one or the other.

All these machine are component-transparent, their respective O/S simply a GUI.

The average user is not interested in the nuts & bolts, just so long as it works.

Which might somehow explain the dumbed-down M$ approach, and the commiserate Mac+Linux market-share numbers.

BR>Jack

LOL, it is certainly not way superior to anything that Dell will produce, I agree it is in price, not in actual quality though, and trust me I have opened and worked with both very very frequently. ..

[sjaak327]

We had to replace several NB mobo, batteries & Nvidia GPU - maybe ya dont get to work on many or even aware of the crisis that caused Michael Dell to return. Or the multi-billion Dollar losses that Nvidia had incurred. Or the Sony battery cell blowups - Google them. We had +30 of them and never bought another Dell, ever.

Sony has also gone to the dogs quality wise - check their stock price - of late as they have more non Japan components on board. It is also impossible to get any decent service/warranty here in Asia.

Macs simply work, and their warranty/service is excellent. Ya get what ya pay for.

There is a huge difference in owning a truck-load of NB and repairing the odd virus-ridden M$ machine.

We use them all in production, and frankly dont care if ya dont like one or the other.

All these machine are component-transparent, their respective O/S simply a GUI.

The average user is not interested in the nuts & bolts, just so long as it works.

Which might somehow explain the dumbed-down M$ approach, and the commiserate Mac+Linux market-share numbers.

BR>Jack

LOL, it is certainly not way superior to anything that Dell will produce, I agree it is in price, not in actual quality though, and trust me I have opened and worked with both very very frequently. ..

Hmm, so you are saying that when you open up a macintosh, you are not going to find the same processors that are also used in your average dell ?, you're not going to find nvidia in a pcie slot ?

They all use the same components, I have been a lan admin for many years and yes, we too had to replace a hardrive here and there, a motherboard on one or two occasions, but in my view, that happens to macintoshes as well, again the superiorty isn't plainly visible inside, nor is it measurable after years of usage.

Nothing at all wrong with the service that dell delivers either.

Regarding the thing that they "just work", maybe for consumers, in businesses the time to roll out a OSX machine in a networking envirornment is much more time consuming and money consuming then your average dell, which comes with an OS that is not only easy to rollout using various methods Microsoft provides in this field, it also doen't neccesitate people having to slim down on security on a domain controller, just so that the Macintosh can actually make a connection to a shared drive.

Then all of a sudden it becomes apparent that in some case they don't "just work"

[jackdanielsesq]

Ya dont read too good for a lan-admin

BR>Jack

All these machine are component-transparent, their respective O/S simply a GUI.

[sjaak327]

Ya dont read too good for a lan-admin

BR>Jack

All these machine are component-transparent, their respective O/S simply a GUI.

well, maybe I am misunderstanding you, but surely your above quote contradicts this one :

I use both - Mac as a h/w brand & way superior to anything that say Dell, HP, Sony can produce.

[nikster]

Regarding the thing that they "just work", maybe for consumers, in businesses the time to roll out a OSX machine in a networking envirornment is much more time consuming and money consuming then your average dell, which comes with an OS that is not only easy to rollout using various methods Microsoft provides in this field, it also doen't neccesitate people having to slim down on security on a domain controller, just so that the Macintosh can actually make a connection to a shared drive.

Then all of a sudden it becomes apparent that in some case they don't "just work"

Translation: In order to work with our proprietary Microsoft crapware that we have sold our souls (and our job security) to, the Mac causes a lot of work.

I mean - yes, it does, because you have installed all Windows-proprietary stuff everywhere probably because the IT admins don't know anything else. Windows on servers, it's just a tragedy. These Windows servers and services were never made to work with anything else - to the contrary, they were designed specifically to only work with Windows. Now we come along with a Mac and the IT guys blame us - in reality, they should be providing a good service that's independent of the client machines. If your systems are garbage, blame it on the user.

It's like if I set up an AppleTalk network, and then complain that Windows machines are so difficult because they don't do AppleTalk. Well, it's a proprietary protocol that only works with one vendor - should I really have used it to run our company on? Probably not.

Sorry, waaaaaaaaaaaaay OT!

[sjaak327]

^ haha, not really, your average linux distribution is much easier to integrate into the windows server infrastructure.

Here lies a clear lack on Apple's part.

By the way, windows on server isn't really a tragedy, Server 2008 and active directory are the defacto standard in file sharing nowadays, and that is not purely because IT guys don't know any better.

[mnbcm]

I speak as a die hard PC user who has partially migrated to a Mac in the last 6 months.

1) Is it hard to download 'pirated' software? (like Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop, etc.)

Install VMware Fusion 2 on a Mac and you can install any Windows (or Linux) operating system you like. You can do almost everything on it that you do on your PC; including downloading legal material with torrents. http://www.vmware.com/products/fusion/

2) Does it work with bit torrent clients like utorrent? Yes http://www.utorrent.com/downloads/mac

3) Do .avi files work with it? Anything works with VLC Media Player http://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-macosx.html

4) Can it run Windows seamlessly? Yes, there are great things about Mac's and PC's. You don't have to love one and hate the other like most people. VMware Fusion allows you to get the best of both worlds on one computer. I have been VERY impressed with it's stability and ease of use. You don't have to be a tech pro to run it. You can buy it online or from the Mac store when you buy a Mac http://www.vmware.com/products/fusion/

5) I would want to run games like Civ 4 and play friends who own IBMs. Possible? Depends on the game. I have had a little graphics trouble running windows in Fusion on the Mac, but that's part of the reason I still have my PC.

I do lots of video editing and some music editing. Mac is far and above the best for working with media in my opinion. As a DJ think you'll love what you can do with Garage Band on the Mac. And if you can't do it on the Mac, I'm sure whatever software you had running on your IBM will work fine with your VMware Fusion running Windows. I was quite skeptical when I first began switching over, but it grows on you quickly as you learn to navigate the Mac.

Edited July 1, 2009 by mnbcm

[blakegeee]

I switched to Mac about 3 years ago and haven't had the slightest regret for a second. It is a pleasure to use and it always works. I spend enough time on a computer as it is, and it gets to me when I have to spend more time trying to make the computer work. The mac works and runs well everyday.

//Reference to pirating and method of cracking/serializing software deleted - mod//

For all your other questions "yes" no problem.

Learning how to use a Mac takes no time. It is extremely well-thought out and logical. Each program has a similar layout and controls through the menus up top. As you go you learn more short-cuts etc of course. Get the AppleCare (you can buy it anytime within the first year). It is really worth it if you do have any trouble and it is REALLY good service. The battery alone makes it worth it. Just call them before your applecare is finished and say that your battery isn't as good as it was when new (3 years ago!). Good enough, they'll send you a new one.

The apple support/discussions forum is also very helpful if you have any questions or problems. https://support.apple.com/cgi-bin/WebObject...L%3D/index.jspa