Anand wants to know how you feel about Apple...

[GTaudiophile]

From his latest weblog entry:

The seal on the deal however seems to be OS X, which brings me to my point - being a member of the group of the hardest of hardcore PC users, would you all ever consider not necessarily moving to an Apple but maybe adding one to your collection of computers? I've thought about it in the past, just as an experiment, but the hardware never excited me and the feel of the OS was just a little uncomfortable for me. Just curious as to what you all think.

 

[InlineFive]

The hardware is overpriced and there is rarely new stuff to get interested in unlike in PCs. And the OS is all too "babyish" for me.

-Por

 

[Markfw]

Can you say "Over-priced ?" I would try it, but not at the prices I see now. I also like being able to build my own using generic parts. Not an option with Apple ?? (not that I know of anyway)

 

[beatle]

I'm open to new ideas, but part of the reason I like PCs are their flexibility and my already vast knowledge of Windows (compared to my knowledge of OSX at least ) lets me do what I want easily. If I had a lot more disposable income, I could see myself owning an imac and keeping it in my bedroom or living room for guests to check their email and browse the web.

 

[erikistired]

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
From his latest weblog entry:

The seal on the deal however seems to be OS X, which brings me to my point - being a member of the group of the hardest of hardcore PC users, would you all ever consider not necessarily moving to an Apple but maybe adding one to your collection of computers? I've thought about it in the past, just as an experiment, but the hardware never excited me and the feel of the OS was just a little uncomfortable for me. Just curious as to what you all think.

i seriously thought about buying a ti powerbook when i bought my thinkpad, but then i looked at the price tag, cringed and went back over to www.ibm.com, where for once the prices were reasonable. however, when i buy my next laptop i'll probably give them another look. for a machine that isn't going to be my gaming system, i will once again consider apple. i'd love to get my hands on os x and give it a ride.

 

[magomago]

Originally posted by: PorBleemo
The hardware is overpriced and there is rarely new stuff to get interested in unlike in PCs. And the OS is all too "babyish" for me.

-Por

Haven't a lot of stuff on Pcs originated on the Mac? I'm no Mac Zealot (prices are too ridiculous), but I know that Macs have been the source of a lot of stuff in the industry (though I'm not too sure about the current state of Macs)

 

[ISAslot]

I would love to get an apple rig. I'm really interested in some of the new music software they have out now. But, alas, the price is still too rich to justify purchasing one now.

 

[LiekOMG]

I just bought myself a new mac a week ago. Its an old used iMac, but its run OS X perfectly. This would be my first Mac ever, and so far i'm really enjoying it. The computer itself is sleek and sexy (and silent!), and the OS is remarkably easy to use and get the hang of.
While Apple computers are expensive, they seem to be in a different class than your old run of the mill Dell. Obviously getting one wouldn't appeal to a hardcore gamer or something who enjoys constantly building their own PC's and staying on the top of new technology. However, for the person who doesn't want to have to worry about being infected by some new worm, or having spyware or adware installed on your computer, its a refreshing new experience. I've always build my own PC's (my first was a Cyrix back in 1995), yet lately i've grown tired of doing it. I find there is nothing new and exciting about building my own anymore. As a matter of fact, i'm deeply considering getting a new G5 sometime in the future. While I doubt many who visit Anandtech would be interested in a Mac, Apple still makes some great computers.

 

[dogin]

Many things intrigue me about Apple. BUT, my money is going to build a new BTX PC system with PCI Express. As was stated earlier, if money were no object, I would get one after my PC based gamer was finished. Not likely that will happen so in real life "No not interested".

 

[Erasmus-X]

I already own one Apple machine, a 15" 1 GHz PowerBook G4 (Titanium). The primary motivation for me trying out the platform was comprised of two things: a) the overall design and quality of the hardware (the metal casing is light, yet very rugged); and b) school (I study film and the majority of our hardware and software are Mac-based). Eventually, I fell in love with Mac OS X, although it does take a good two weeks or so to make the transition - the biggest hurdles for me were getting used to the idea that closing an application window doesn't necessarily quit the whole application and having a pointing device with only one button (easily fixed by plugging in a 2-button USB mouse, though). I also hate the fact that the Trash can is part of the Dock and cannot be moved to the actual desktop. To me, something like that belongs on the desktop.

As far as the desktop computer market goes, I'm not quite sure if I'd buy an Apple for that quite yet. I've been a do-it-yourselfer for too many years to jump to a largely proprietary machine in terms of internal hardware. I like being able to build something to my exact specifications. Plus, once you factor the cost of the display in, you can't realistically buy a PowerMac G5 for less than $2,600. That's a lot of bones for a desktop based on a brand new processor architecture that will take months to perfect in terms of software optimization (remember when the first P4s came out?). I have a friend with dual 1.8 GHz G5 and it's surely nice, but I'm not sure if it's worth over 2 grand to me.

On the plus side, I've never had any significant software problems on the Mac platform. It's very stable and reliable. I can't always say the same thing about Windows XP.

 

[WHipLAsh13]

MAC just isn't for me. In addition to Windows based programming and Digital Video Editing I do a lot of gaming.

 

[BDawg]

I use a MAC address just about everyday.

As for a Mac, I'd love to have one if I could afford it.

 

[DaveSimmons]

No, Windows does what I want and OSX does not. For an alternative desktop OS I'd be much more inclined to dual-boot one of my PCs with Windows and an open linux distribution instead of Apple-flavored 'nix.

And I'm finally getting a Dell Axim X3i to play with PocketPC application development, that should satisfy any new-OS cravings for awhile.

 

[DanJ]

Nay. Overpriced.

 

[Barnaby W. Füi]

I would like to have a mac for music-related stuff; Linux is pretty worthless for creating music.

 

[TheBoyBlunder]

No, it's too overpriced and doesn't run nearly enough software I use.

 

[Gagabiji]

Originally posted by: TheBoyBlunder
No, it's too overpriced and doesn't run nearly enough software I use.

In my case it's games though...

 

[DaveSimmons]

Originally posted by: BingBongWongFooey
I would like to have a mac for music-related stuff; Linux is pretty worthless for creating music.

My brother is an amateur electronic musician (influenced by old-school people like Tangerine Dream) and he switched last year from Mac to PC for his sequencing, recording and software synths. I know zero about it, but apparently GigaStudio for the PC is sweet.

He's also a graphic artist and web designer, and this year he's switched from a G4 mac to a P4 3.2 GHz system for work. He found OSX different enough from OS9 (in annoying ways) that he preferred Windows XP and a P4 for his end-of-year upgrade instead of a G5 system and OSX.

 

[Barnaby W. Füi]

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons

Originally posted by: BingBongWongFooey
I would like to have a mac for music-related stuff; Linux is pretty worthless for creating music.

My brother is an amateur electronic musician (influenced by old-school people like Tangerine Dream) and he switched last year from Mac to PC for his sequencing, recording and software synths. I know zero about it, but apparently GigaStudio for the PC is sweet.

He's also a graphic artist and web designer, and this year he's switched from a G4 mac to a P4 3.2 GHz system for work. He found OSX different enough from OS9 (in annoying ways) that he preferred Windows XP and a P4 for his end-of-year upgrade instead of a G5 system and OSX.

I would rather not use windows.

 

[wjsulliv]

My wife grew up on apples so when it was time we bought her a new one (this Thanks Giving). Since it was my first apple I checked it out etc.

For the price, it doesn't do anything I couldn't do on my pc for less money. Its cute, simple, and runs really well. But everything about the entire platform is overpriced. Software is more expensive than Windows, hardware is more expensive than Windows, why wouldn't I like to save a little money to spend on the next machine?

I don't have any complaints as far as perfomance or the OS other than price.

 

[PrinceXizor]

Mac has inroads in the music production biz primarily due to driver issues (imo) and stability. If you are building a computer based studio solution, you sure as heck don't want to be BSOD in the middle of a session.

That being said, for home use, I see a trend towards PC's for the price reasons and customizability.

I used both macs and pc's in school and this is probably one of the reasons that I don't have a problem with either platform. I've seen macs lock up enough times that the whole stability issue is moot with me. (I use to joke that Macs don't BSOD, they just totally freeze on you...big differance). I'm more familiar with a PC/windows based system, but I wouldn't be averse to buying a Mac, provided it meets the same criteria I use in purchasing PC/windows based systems...is priced reasonably and meets the needs of what it will be used for.

P-X

 

[minendo]

I'll own a Powerbook as soon as I can afford it.

 

[nowayout99]

Hardcore Mac users would argue that Macs are not overpriced... referencing total cost of ownership, separate PC software, etc. but I still don't buy it. They also try to have it both ways, saying their high-end G5s are powerful and price competitive... and when they can't prove it, they default to the "G5s are mostly for professionals anyway" standby.

We can build very kick-ass PCs for $800-900, while that price barely covers their lowest of the low-end eMac computer.

Their margins are at LEAST 25% on their computers. PC users are spoiled, for sure. I would be more inclined to add a Mac to my collection if they were price competitive.

 

[BlvdKing]

I have decided to try an ibook for my laptop. I like the portability 12.1" ibook and the battery life should be decent. I hope it holds up to being carried around everywhere.

 

[JBT]

no way costs way to much and it doesn't have the software I use the most.