Thinking Of Switching

[>AndyUK84<]

Hi All,

I have been thinking about getting a new laptop for some months now however whenever I think I have decided theres always something else I see that takes my fancy. Now I use laptops as my main working machine as I dont have space for a full blown desktop in my room. Now I am looking for something whats powerful and will last me a good few years, the reason I am thinking of switching to Apple is for the Mac Book Pro 15" model which is both powerful and portable also.

The real PC game I play is Football Manager as always use consoles for my gaming needs as I would hate having to keep uprading machines every two years and graphics cards etc. Now I have heard great things about OSX and thats why I am thinking of switching as well as with Vista I have heard the memory needed is ridiculous even when the machine is not doing anything.

So really I just need some help deciding if going Mac is the best option, I would be playing the odd game and browsing the internet/office documents so I dont think I would miss Windows that much.

Should I go Mac?

Cheers

Andrew

[misspiggy82]

I have always owned a Mac and the only PC I come into contact with is at work where it is constantly crashing or picking up viruses or just deciding to shut down whenever it wants.
Macs do not suffer from these problems. If a program does crash (and it happens very occasionally) it is easy to force quit just the one application without having to restart the whole machine.
In terms of game play, the only problem is getting hold of the games. Most stores do mot stock Mac games and so you need to hunt on the internet. However, they are out there and yo can get most games on the mac (although you usually have to wait 6 months more than the PC owners for new releases)

[scottlwl]

hi Andy,

I am in the same boat as you, just needing a little confidence to make the jump.

I posted a similar thread earlier and the response was So positive there can be no doubt at all that it is a good idea.

I dotn know you matey but lets do this leap of faith together (metaphorically of course)

[NickRich]

Don't forget you can run Windows (if you really want to - for games perhaps) on the new Intel Macs using Boot Camp or Parallels.

Nick

[DIPESH14]

And as for Football Manager, its definetly available for a Mac, its all I play! I think its the same disc for the Mac and PC as well so u wont need to but a new one either.

[itsamac]

Go for it. I have the 15" MacBook Pro. It's my third mac after a drought with PCs. I am glad I came back. The operating system is by far the easiest to use and it's pleasant environment to work in.

There is not much I can add more unless you have specific questions in mind?

[rob_finch]

>AndyUK84<, I see you are in Essex (like me!). Get yourself over to Bluewater and have a play on one in the Apple Store. Have a chat with the friendly staff about switching and they will help with any concerns you have.

I will add to the earlier testimonies and say that OS X is far more stable, secure, intuitive and pretty than XP (not used Vista yet myself). The MacBook Pros have just been updated, no better time to get one!

[tredders]

I was in the same situation about 6 weeks ago. I'd been a Windows user for years and years, and had built my own PCs, tinkered with them, upgraded them etc etc etc. When Vista came out, I bought a new Core2 desktop, pre-installed, and guess what? I had no end of problems with it. It kept crashing, iTunes wouldn't run, my Squeezebox would play etc. I got fed up of having a flakey unreliable system.

I came to realise that the things I really needed a computer for: -

1. Photo editing (I do photography for newspapers and the BBC)
2. iTunes
3. Internet
4. General office tasks

I figured that I'd get off the upgrade merry go round with regard to PC gaming and would buy a next gen console when the gaming bug bit me again.

So, I bought a black MacBook (2.16, 2GB ram), and it's quite honestly the best thing I've bought in years. Apple's advertising slogan is absolutely right: It just works out of the box.

For example, in the 6 weeks I've had the machine, I've created 2 photo books (nice hardback proper books containing photos which appear in the post a week later), I've edited and created a holiday DVD (with proper chapters and previews), and I've created personalised party invites for my little girl. Now, I realise that I could have probably done all of this on a PC, but the point is, it was all so quick & easy on the Mac, and all the software was standard, and integrated.

I'm not trying to fan the flames of the Mac is better/worse than PC debate - however, it's better for my needs.

My next buy will be the 24" iMac - just waiting for the rumoured upgrades to be announced at the end of next month, and the PC will be consigned to the kids room....

Mark.

[>AndyUK84<]

Hi Guys,

I still cant decide as I am really unsure moving to something I have never used before, the good thing with Mac Book Pro's is Apple somehow have managed to combine power and portability with the 15" version although the model I like is the £1600 model .

Also the other plus point I guess is they do hold they value well, I am just worried as I have used Windows for years that moving to OSX may be the wrong move.

Whats the RAM consumption like when using OSX is it as memory hungry as Vista for example?

Thanks

[JayCee]

Originally Posted by >AndyUK84<

I still cant decide as I am really unsure moving to something I have never used before

Go for it...you can always install XP or Vista under Bootcamp if you find it a steep learning curve

[>AndyUK84<]

I was thinking of holding out until Leopard comes out in October I believe it is?, I can just about get by until then with my current Windows PC.

For anyone who has switched from Windows to OSX how long does it take to get used to OSX?

[rob_finch]

Originally Posted by >AndyUK84<

I was thinking of holding out until Leopard comes out in October I believe it is?, I can just about get by until then with my current Windows PC.

For anyone who has switched from Windows to OSX how long does it take to get used to OSX?

Leopard is now scheduled for release in October.

For general use such as internet, email, it will take you a day or two to adjust. That's it. For adding new applications and updating existing software, maybe a week or two. It's a natural and intuitive OS, just allow yourself to "do" things, rather than remember the Windows way that's programmed into your mind!

Seriously, get yourself to Bluewater or Oxford Street (or even a local PC World) and have a play on one. The Apple Store staff will show you the basics and you really will see how easy it is to use. And if it's not for you, Bootcamp will let you dual boot XP or Vista so you haven't lost out on your purchase.

[>AndyUK84<]

Thats the beauty of OSX it does allow you to run to operating systems, although Boot Camp will come pre installed with Leopard so you wont have to partition the drive is that correct?

Also I really cant decide out of the 15" or the 17" MBP as it would be my main computer that I willl use ideally I would like a bigger screen but I guess I could always buy an external monitor as the 17" MBP is too much over my budget.

Also I was looking at going for the 2.4Ghz version which is £1600 and that has a 160GB 5400RPM drive in it, would it be worth upgrading to a 7200RPM drive or is the performance increase not noticeable?

Thanks

[jont]

FWIW unless you are going to use disk intensive apps like video editing I'd save the money and stick with the 5400 - you'll also get better battery life and probably run a bit cooler as well ... the 15" MBP also has the led backit screen, the 17" doesn't (yet)

Jon

[>AndyUK84<]

Originally Posted by jont

FWIW unless you are going to use disk intensive apps like video editing I'd save the money and stick with the 5400 - you'll also get better battery life and probably run a bit cooler as well ... the 15" MBP also has the led backit screen, the 17" doesn't (yet)

Jon

Thanks Jon, the only real thing what is holding me back from switching is having to find substitute programs what I can run on a Mac, I know this is easily sorted as there is a good range of free programs out there such as Neo Office etc.

For the extra money what a MBP costs, do you really feel its value for money?