So I am sitting here in English 571.02 thinking about life, the ballads along the Scottish and English border that crossed into America (what the lecture was about), and what I was going to be writing for the Wednesdays update. Then, I look around. I am sitting there with my little Acer and everybody else in class has out a Mac of some sort. That is write, an OSX running, white background, glowing apple orb Mac. I realized that Macs are something that REALLY GRINDS MY GIGANTIC NOTCHED WHEELS.
So lets start talking about Macs. I mean, what is the appeal in these systems; they are underpowered, not unupgradable, cost way more, and have the most restrictive end-user agreement of any OS (and most Mac users claim Microsoft is evil and the devil). Really, it boils down to the three following things:
1) Macs are not worth how much they cost
2) Any benefits that OSX had over Microsoft are now no longer applicable
3) There are no benefits in having a Mac over a PC
So, let us start by discussing how much Macs cost compared to a similar PC. I will be using the Macbook Pro (standard) vs a PC (comparable) that I made on Cyberpower. The stats are listed here:
Item Mac PC
Size 15.4 inches 15.4 inches
CPU 2.4GHz with 3Mb Catch 2.4GHz with 3Mb Catch
RAM 2gig 2gig
Video Card 256Mb 8600GT 256Mb 8600GT
HD 200gig 250gig (no 200)
Optical Disc 8X, DVDRW, CDRW 8X, DVDRW, CDRW
Cost $1999.00 (plus shipping and tax) $1115.00 (plus shipping and tax)
Now, it is clear that the Mac is way more expensive then an equal PC. Clearly, there is no argument that you can not get more bang for your buck with a Mac, so there must be something else at play here. So, we must examine if there are any benefits in having OSX over Vista. While one could have made the argument about XP, and especially, ME, there are no real glaring differences in Vista to OSX. In fact, Vista runs better and is very secure. There is a reason that OSX is usually the first system hacked in trials. While Windows does have more viruses written for it (due to the market share) it is more secure. Furthermore, Windows immediately attempts to fix all found flaws, while Mac takes there time. Clearly, there are no benefits on OSX there.
So, what are the benefits of OSX that make it work the 800$? Is it usability? Now with Vista, which took all of OSXs best features and added them. Is it security, well, yes, but not by much, and definitely not 800$ worth. Is it programs? Get real, what is there that is on a Mac that is not on a PC? I can name much better programs that are PC only. According to crave vista wins against OSX in a trial and error. With that knowledge, is there any reason to pony up the extra 800$? This Vista and Ubuntu user says NO.
20 comments:
Of course this is the first thing that you write about. Is this your biggest pet peeve? I can't think of anything that you talk about more except maybe me....<3
Yes, those are the two things i must talk about the most, my hatred of macs and my girlfriend
It has to do with marketing. You know that shem that apple plays over the TV. The common fucktard believes it. If MAC was the leader over Windows I think it would be the same. gets no virus which is changing.People think that Microsoft has a bad user agreement, I don't see apple extending User/Manufacturer Agreement and updates for all older products. I guess both of us could write a paper while Apple sucks and has sucked since OSX 9 and is just a cute toy for those who can't handle real computers. Also OSX86 Project hacked MAC, so they run on Windows, one less on the fan boys.
Also this was Steven Hawkings.
I think there is more to it than marketing. I think it is almost Viral actually. Think about it, Mac users promote it to an extreme, make fun of PCs, and the like. Of the people I know, I am the only one who pushes for PCs. I think it is spreading like those crappy youtube movies or Cloverfield, online and via word of mouth. Which is, I admit, a good advertising strategy.
There are some open mac projects, the issue is will Apple sue them or not. I hope they do, as then the fanboys will see exactly what Apple does
True, though look at the iPod commercial, or "Think Different Commercial". They are some of the most successful commercial made as for now. do to their quirky was they used video. It's a bit sicking to put Guhidie and a commercial to sell stuff and compare yourself to so many people.
Recall MAC World 1997?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEHNrqPkefI
I get amused by this, mainly at the crowed and what Job says, and look what he says when Vistia came out. Comapired to Gates, who could have wiped his company off of the face of the earth, he didn't. Mainly in part with fighting Netscape at the time and the government and having one more mark against him. To get sued for.
You most likely heard that Apple released their web browser for Windows. It so crappy it's like IE5 in the year 2008. IE7 is a good browser and despite what people believe IE7 allows more freedom than most commercial browsers. It only bashed by Apple users.
Well, I have an Ipod so what can i say? I think the adds are not as good as you think. I mean, any Mp3 player is usually called an Ipod now. Really, the market share they have is much less than name share, and that is what keeps it popular. Plus, they keep making them better and better (i have the touch, love it)
Safari is shit, most mac users even say it
I mostly use FF
I hate macs. They don't seem to be very functional. :/
Also, I commented. :D
Yes, but they are still prettier.
Who makes more reliable laptops: (apple is bottom)
http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9938550-1.html
Pretty PCs (towers):
http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9902412-1.html
Pretty PCs:
http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9851803-1.html
http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9889014-1.html
once you use one, you will see
Refurbs the way to go.
Same damn thing for hundreds off.
Off course, for me those hundreds get redirected right back into additional apps for the Mac, but I still save.
There is more to a laptop than raw specs, the build quality of a Mac is generally much higher.
Furthermore OS X is more secure than Windows OS"s just look at the number of viruses available for OS X. A Big fat zero.
Dont come out with this crap that it is to do with marketshare, you just said it yourself your entire class is Mac and you are PC. Don't you think virus makers want to target a previously untappped market?
To the first anonymous, I have used Macs several times, and have yet to justify spending an extra 800-900$ on them. Remember, Had i used the AIR it would have been much more
To the second
I am fine with the idea of refurbishment provided you can trust it. However, I do like brand new items, and when it comes to two items costing the same, barely a difference, and one being new the other used what (logically) should be picked?
Third
1) The build is no more secure. A Virus count is not a good measure because the point of a virus is hit as many as you can, why go after 15% when it only takes a bit more work to get 80%?
http://antivirus.about.com/od/macintoshresource/a/macosxflaws.htm
2) Never say zero when there are clearly some: http://antivirus.about.com/od/macintoshresource/Macintosh_Viruses_and_Mac_Virus_Resources.htm
3) Virus makers are increasing the Mac viruses as the share grows, but because most want good payoff, they still want the business and majority personal PC. It is logical that 80% of viruses are with the 80% share, right?
You clearly are ignorant, the fact is there are ZERO OS X viruses.
Don't you think a hacker would get alot of cred by being the first to be able to code an OS X virus?
there are several viruses that infect OSX. The issue here might be how you are using the term 'viruses', how are you using it?
People who don't like Macs, have probably never used one!
I wish Apple did a two week 'Test-Drive', to show people what all the fuss is about.
And in terms of cost, yes they're expensive, but it really is a case of, 'you get what you pay for'.
Anon -
I have used Macs several times; I fix my friends, worked on them, used them for school, and programmed on them. I am aware of the so called 'benefits' that they have over PCs. As for the 'get what you paid for' part, I clearly show that the same thing costs 900$ more.
to "anonymous:"
hardware is hardware, it all works the same. in fact, in case you haven't noticed, apple has begun to switch it's choice of hardware over to the same things that every pc owner has had the OPTION to use for years now (i.e. intel chipsets, nvidia graphics...) again, i say OPTION to use, because every pc owner has the ability to easily access and upgrade and/or replace ANY piece of hardware in their computer. macs are specifically designed to NOT be able to be upgraded. if you buy a mac, expect to have it outdated in a few years.
do not say that there are no viruses or bugs in macs, if you do, you just sound like you're regurgitating the "facts" fed to public by apple's marketing teams, who have been repeating the same outdated "facts" since the company was first formed. any study they quote facts from are studies that they did themselves, and they refuse to release vital information about the computers they were using, and how the study was conducted. but dont say that macs are 100% secure. in fact, just a couple months ago, in a hacking competition, someone came up with a code, and embedded it in a website, which enabled him to gain control over ANY mac that visited his website using safari. he did this on a macbook air, and it was the FIRST computer to be hacked in the entire place. (this was among macs, and pc's running osx, windows, and linux)
also, dont say that the only people who hates macs are people who have never used them. i also have a good amount of experience using them, (my brother has one) and i do NOT like using them, the interface is not as user-friendly as they make it out to be. the performance is not different than a comparable pc, and although i must say that it DOES seem to have a solid feel to it, i don't like how they use the case a heatsink. (macbooks have a magnesium alloy case, which pulls heat out from the inside to the outside, which is theoretically a good idea, but it makes it very uncomfortable to use on your lap.)
i must agree that there is NO good reason to spend extra money to sacrifice the freedom of options and compatibility, to gain nothing.
My family has always used PCs because that's what my dad decided. He's a tech-geek and I guess he thinks PCs are better. I will say that every time I encountered a Mac, I enjoyed using it more than our family owned PC. But reading this helped me understand the differences better. Thanks, Barga!
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