Apple Mac…. Are they worth it???

I switched my new iMac on, it connected to my home network straight away with no fiddling required.

Funnily enought that's completely the opposite of my experience. SWMBO's works Mac has never worked reliably with our home wifi network, but all the windows and linux boxes we've had (including visitors) have worked straight away once the password has been entered.

We also seem to be more hassle with getting visitors macs to talk to our office wi-fi network where as the Windows ones are fine.

Cue smug Mac user

Is there any other kind? People seem to thing buying a Mac elevates them to a higher level of existence after all…

beamers – Member
Here's my take on Mac OS v Windows 7

I switched my new iMac on, it connected to my home network straight away with no fiddling required.

My office buddy installed Windows 7 on his home PC and the next day spent a good half hour on the phone talking his wife through the uber complex steps to change settings in order to get their computer connected to the internet again.

Cue smug Mac user look from across the office.

I set up a Win7 on an old Advent celeron laptop for my mum and even she can boot it on and get online easily, and she is 62. I think the problem here is user error.

*Also i would like to again add the caveat that yes i am a mac user. So should obviously be blindly agreeing with you.

macs are like rapha cycling clothing. one of the best things about them is the resulting consternation from non believers.
worth every penny.

Well, I'm a happy and very smug Mac user. That is all.

Happy Mac user here. Had my Mac Book Pro for >2 yrs now, and it is a fast now as it was out of the box. Never had a problem with it.

Not used Windows 7 yet, so don't know how it compares.

….now the question is, has all this diatribe from both sides influenced the OP? He probably went out and bought a PC World own brand in the end.

Not used Windows 7 yet, so don't know how it compares

I have to say, I've very impressed with it. Installation was incredibly easy, I really didn't have to do anything at all. It got itself connected to the internet, collected everything it needed, configured everything up with minimal user interaction. It boots lightning fast even on my old 1.8MHz AMD, I mean really, click your fingers fast. It's been very stable, has lots of lovely little features and works exceedingly well as far as I'm concerned.

I did try installing it on my notebook as well but it was a little bit slow so I went back to linux on that. Well recommended from me and I'm a Unix afficiando.

Going back to the OP – for pretty much browsing only then yes, I'd say get a cheap pc notebook for under £500…

Or wait a couple of months for an ipad!

Or wait a couple of months for an ipad!

The size of a laptop with no *real* keyboard or mouse.

The functionality of an iPhone without the portability.

Is it just me in not quite getting them?

I've already got a 27" imac and a macbook pro, but I'm very tempted by the ipad (although I'll wait a few months at least to make sure they do work as advertised with no major tech issues).

One reason is that we've been thinking about (but not doing anything about) sorting out a whole house wireless sound system for ages (mainly to listen to the radio via iplayer) and I've come across a home made solution that uses an iphone (which I don't have) or an ipod touch (which I don't have) as the controller in a similar way to the way the Sonos system works.

So… an ipad could also be used for that, but also (as you can see) I spend quite a lot (too much) of my time surfing and I think the large multi-touch screen of the ipad would probably help me to avoid the RSI type pains I sometimes get in my shoulder when I use the computer too much. It would also be much more comfortable to use whilst sitting in a comfy chair or in bed.

And BTW, if you do want to use the ipad as your main computer there is a stand and wireless keyboard for it that you leave on your desk.

For me, the main +ve of the ipad over previous tablet devices is the huge multi touch screen. I think it will end up being as revolutionary as the mouse was to keyboard entry.

ipad – tempted as part of whole-house media system as mentioned above. It'd also be useful for our girls – portable disney films etc and I know my wife'd love it, the sum total of her IT use is browsing the web and catching up on iplayer / Channel4OD etc. The small HD doesn't bother me as we have lots of networked storage over home wifi.

I've just got to work out whether or not it'd be worth it when the prices are finalised…

It'll be interesting to see how the iPad goes. At the moment it does seem very niche so it's really difficult to predict take up – pricing is going to be particularily important.

There are elements of it that I find interesting but I can't think what I'd actually use if for. My wife and kids are IT literate enough to be comfortable with laptops with a proper keyboard (my daughter in particular is a very fast typist now) but if the iPad is cheap enough I wouldn't rule out buying one to play about with – possibly as some kind of media controller.

I can see the iPad being popular at work amongst those with long commutes and who are currently glued to their iphones / blackberries catching up on emails and videos etc on the train. Portability-wise it looks good. Battery life'll be a question-mark too (as it's one of the weaknesses with the iPhone if you use GPS / video / 3G / bluetooth heavily)

I'll defer judgement on the suitability for carrying to and from the office until I can see one in the flesh – can't say I was exactly blown away by it but it'll certainly be interesting…

Don't buy if you're expecting some angels-singing, light pouring from the sky revelation to your home computing. Don't expect everything to be "better", or to be intuitive straight away. Don't buy one if you've got a load of windows apps that you absolutely must still run because keeping a VM of windows going is always a compromise.

Try it, you might like it. You might not, and just want to use Windows. That's fine too.

best response!

used both, like both. But please dont get it cos its a mac. You will probably need antivirus and it wont make your life suddenly 'better'.
For your needs i think either a 2nd hand mac, or a cheap laptop will do.

One thing you might want to consider is the extended warranty. Just had a call from the repairers and mine needs a new logic board and he said that is £900. My laptop is 18 months old so out of warranty. At least get it from John Lewis where they give you another years warranty free.

Apple computers (and iphones etc) are like a tomy my first computer (smartphone).
They are most appreciated by people who do know how to use stuff.

Glenh – mac, linux, unix + windows user.

Kuco – Member
One thing you might want to consider is the extended warranty. Just had a call from the repairers and mine needs a new logic board and he said that is £900. My laptop is 18 months old so out of warranty. At least get it from John Lewis where they give you another years warranty free.

This too is my experience of mac's, take out extra warrenty or be prepared to throw it away when it break just out of warrenty. As repairing an out of warrenty mac is slow (due to the lack of repair centres and their back log) and very very expensive.

They look & work lovely though.
I'm a pc techy and though I can't see any reason to use a mac at home (even after saying there lovely) as there over priced and do nothing better than any pc does. Though an ipad is tempting for browsing in front of the tv (done on my iphone @ the moment), though I reckon you'll still need a mac/pc to get data onto it if you don't want to purchase everything through itunes.

My GF reckons replacing the XP desktop PC with a big-ass iMac has improved her (working) life considerably. I've used it a bit: it's a joy.

The size of a laptop with no *real* keyboard or mouse.

You can use any bluetooth keyboard if you feel you need one, and the OS is optimised for use without a mouse. The computer mouse was created simply as a replacement for a finger.

The functionality of an iPhone without the portability.

Overall there is more functioanlity in the iPad – but I agree, you ain't going to stick it in your pocket.

Is it just me in not quite getting them?

I suspect that a lot of people may not get them right now but will see the point eventually.

For me it's 80% of the time it will sit on its dock in the kitchen and will be the first thing you go to for a quick bit of information (i.e.google search, check email, check weather, news, etc) with the advantage of being almost perfect for lounging on the couch surfing/book reading, etc.

I suspect that a lot of people may not get them right now but will see the point eventually.

You may well be right and I do use my iPhone as device of choice for surfing at home now. But I suspect that is because it can sit on the arm of the chair and not get in the way. That is something the iPantyliner can't do and that is why I am reserving judgement on 'getting' it.

Even though mine cooked it self i'v decided I'm going to replace it with a MacBook.

they are most appreciated by people who do know how to use stuff.

I'd disagree strongly with that. I'm an epic geek (compsci PhD etc) and I appreciate my macs lots. Cos I can appreciate the easy to use ness when stuff needs to just work, and also the unix underpinnings for when I need to use gcc, set up cross compilers, write some scripts etc etc.

That is something the iPantyliner can't do and that is why I am reserving judgement on 'getting' it.

Think laterally……… it's not going to get lost down the back of a cushion 😉

Edit: that's an incredibly rubbish reason for not getting one. I suspect you want one really and are trying to find reasons not to get one.

I can't afford one right now but am going to get one to show potential clients 'a different way' of accessing the documents we've scanned for them (instead of a boring old PC/laptop).
I think it will work for us in that my wife and the 3 girls all have their own email account all of which the iPad could handle. If they want to check their mail (which there isn't much of as they're 8 and 10) all they have to do is press one button, rather than find a laptop, boot it up, open outlook express, let it check for mail, etc. With the iPad they could do this almost as they walked past it!

Hmmm what I don't like about the MAC is the one-true-wayism that is Apple. Try and go a little off piste and it just says no.

Anyway I'm waiting for me wife to get her own laptop and then I can head off into the Ubuntu jungle.

Hmmm what I don't like about the MAC is the one-true-wayism that is Apple. Try and go a little off piste and it just says no.

There is no other way is there?

Look into my eyes, not around my eyes, into my eyes. Click, and your back in the room.

"One reason is that we've been thinking about (but not doing anything about) sorting out a whole house wireless sound system for ages (mainly to listen to the radio via iplayer)"

That just made my day 😀 all that just to listen to the radio 🙂

time-shifted radio.

can we have these posts collated and stickied at the top of the forum?

I've been a mac user since pre-intel and they have great residual value and even the old ones perform more than good enough for most things. I have cascaded just about all my old ones through the family and they're all still going strong.

Plus the ones that have got my old ones now dont hassle me to fix their laptop problems over the phone which imho makes them worth every penny.

My first one was purely on a whim (mac mini) as I was fed up of using windoze when I got home from work (simular to some others on here) and the fact I dont have to **** about with it (which is what I do for a living) makes it perfect for me, if a little expensive.

At the end of the day, if you can afford it do it, if you can't dont.

Or buy a PC a hackintosh it, gain some nerdery options but lose the reliability of the hardware

all imho of course

Never had a hardware problem with all the pc I owned. It was software problems that pissed me off.

For Mac deals worth looking at dixons airport shops – vat free pricing even if you're only travellingbwitgin Europe.