I am looking for a laptop. I have been contemplating for some time wether i should buy a mac or not. The problem is i have never had a mac so i don't know the pro's and con's. What IS the main difference between a regular computer and a mac? Any information would be helpful.

Why have a 'regular' ANYTHING when
there is a better choice?

I suggest taking an intro class or
something (search out a Mac Users
Group (MUG) near you) and making an
educated decision before you purchase.
And please DO NOT place PRICE as a
main priority. If you are going to do that
then just go and buy a PC laptop as you
won't need any educated decision if that
is your criteria. But let me tell you: Saving
those initial dollars will cost you PLENTY.
My brother asked me what kind of
computer he should get. I told him " I'm
not going to tell you NOT to buy a PC, but
if you want my HELP, buy a Mac. If you
want my ADVICE, buy a Mac. But let me
tell you what I know you ARE going to do:
You are going to see that lower sticker
price on a PC PACKAGE and you are
going to buy a PC without even looking at
or learning ANYTHING about the Mac.".
And this is what he did. He has regretted
it and his PC gets very little use, as he
can't stand using it for anything but basic
internet surfing (Dont even ask about
getting it set up for THAT, which was a
nightmare).

hey,

I have just today swapped my high-end
PC for a g4 mac and if you want here are
the reasons why I did it:

1) I was bored with windows - it's all the
same tho Xp does look prettier!! I fancied
a change

2) I wanted a slick Os (OSX 10.1)

3) Sounds silly but now I have a
comuter/os that looks groovy!!

4) I wanted hardware that actually worked
well - dont get me wrong I built my last Pc
and it was sweet but as apple has the
monopoly (please correct me if I'm
wrong) on major apple hardware, you get
a higher degree of compatibility.

Hope that helps - oh the laptops look the
dogs!

If you are worried about getting used to a
mac, i've been using one for err about 12
hours now and you do get used to it but it
is a change from windows (obviusly) and
then there are wonderful forums like
these to help u out......

tom

There's an excellent article out called 25
Reasons why a Mac is better that a PC.
Search the archives at MacAddict and you
should be able to view it.

As for me, I can think of hundreds of
reasons why a Mac is better than a PC. I
clean and refurbish older Macs for
low-income families with children and
people with disabilities. The Macs I get
donated are almost always in excellent
shape and only need minor cleaning and
component part replacement. Any
IBM/PCs donated almost ALWAYS end up
costing serious money to repair and are
simply not worth it after the repairs heave
been done. The MAcs go out and NEVER
come back because people are happy
with them. The IBM/PCs I get complaints
about, people are not happy with them
and they want something else.

Therefore, I no longer do Windoze. It's just
too much trouble and the people who get
them are not happy with them.

I just took in a Mac from 1984. It strated
up immediately and did it's thing. The only
problem it had was with a 3rd party
mouse attached to it. I put a Mac mouse
on it and it was fine.

I did my home work and just purchaed a
PowerBook 1400 with a G3 upgrade
already installed for just over $400. This
thing will run at 250mHz and in the hands
of a capable Mac-user run circles around
IBM/PCs rated as much faster. It's all in
the hands of a skilled user.

There's a real old saying, "You get what
you pay for" and I can only add to that-
"You need to buy a Mac." Windoze is a
rip-off of what the Mac has been running
since 1984. Mac built their OS into their
platform and has built on that ever since.

As the old song goes, "Anything you can
do, I can do better..." I prove that song true
on a daily basis as my company uses
cheaper IBM/PCs but still allows me the
freedom to use my own Macs.

Currently they are all in a tizzy because all
the new IBM/PCs they purchased within
the last 2 years are coming up with
defective hard drives. Everyone is loosing
their precious data left and right. Zip
Drives are beening purchased in a hurry
in an effortr to encourage everyone to
make back-ups. For some it is already
too late.

I kick back with my Macs and wonder
when the next VIRUS is going to infect
their precious IBM/PCs, but come no
where near my Mac.

Hope you look around a bit before you
buy. Check the classifieds in you local
paper. You won't find many Macs
because people tend to hang on to
whatever WORKS!

Mister H

Looking for a MUG group? Need to know
what goes on at a gathering? Try
www.gamug.org (Gateway America
Macintosh Users Group) and get an idea
of what goes on here in St. Louis. Terrific
group! Good Luck

17 weeks without a re-boot last year, just putting to sleep when not in use. I can't remember getting a day done without a re-boot at work on their 'Wintels'.
I only re-booted last month 'cause I've upgraded to OSX, and WOW!
I have a Dell laptop, PIII 500,running win98SE, because I have to for vehicular interface, but it never gets used for anything else 'cause its crap compared to my Mac (a G3 powerbook 400). When I did have a problem (with the harddrive, an IBM travelstar) Apple collected, repaired and returned, with a slightly bigger drive, and an apology note, within 4 days! A previous PC laptop, with a faulty USB, became a year long battle because the manufacturer, Fujitsu, denied there was any problem, despite me having demonstrated the fault at the shop.

The Mac just works. I add external hardware and it all just works. I add new software, and it all just works. Once you become a Mac owner, you will realise why all Mac owners are so enthusiastic about their Macs.

Ive even tried Linux (Yellow Dog) on my Mac, and that worked perfectly. Ive yet to find a flavour that can configure itself on my Dell.

Fieraci was correct earlier in this post, about people being swayed by price. I nearly didnt buy my Mac because of the price, but when I had, I realised it was money well spent. 18 months on, and I dont want to upgrade it to a faster one, cause it does everything I want, including Pro-standard video editing (DV using Firewire).

I'm so impressed by Mac's that I bought my Mom and Dad one for Christmas. Dad has it cracked already - it is the first computer he has ever touched (he's 65) and Mom is well on her way to proficiency.

I am renowned amongst my friends for being very hard to please. If there is something to complain about, be assured I will complain vigorously. I have nothing but praise for the Mac.

Hi,

Me too, I'm started an 'investigation' for replacing my PC with a MAC.
I've been using PC's for more than 15 years now. And I'm searching an alternative for the reboots, unstability, plug and pray, and other problems with windows.
I can't give you an advice on how good a Mac is since I don't know, but the approach I follow is following :
- Make a list of what you want to do with your - lets call it neutral - computer.
- Do not look at the price has major criteria (a high end PC is expensive to - a brand PC of course)
- Do the necessary research
- Decide

Regards
Hedwig