[Goofas]

After 2 years of being an Apple user and singing the praises of OSX I'm gone. I have owned 2 apple computers in 2 years and both have had countless hardware issues. The latest I have battled is the classic exploding caps in my rev A G5. I decided to buy a new Apple this weekend then thought some more. If I am going to buy an Intel machine...why not just go back to a PC. I bought a Dell XPS 2.8 dual core, 160gb hdd, 1gb ram, dvd burner, media center remote, 128 video, 5 usb's wireless key/mouse, Office 2003, 17'' Ultra sharp monitor, and 2.1 speakers shipped for $1000. Can't beat that with a stick Apple. The best part is if a component "dies" I can fix it myself! I will only miss iphoto.

[Maflynn]

Good for you and don't let the door hit you on your way out.

Have fun with the weekly security patches from MS, the adware, spyware and viruses. The constant reboots and worst of all being part of mindless drones. You may have saved a buck or two but now your saddled with a dog of an OS.

I'm amazed at why people ahve to post that they're leaving. Usually its trolls with a post count under 5 but this time its a ripe old member with a post count of 32.

[demibob]

Originally Posted by Goofas

I have a 17 inch rev A that has and is perfect in every way. Not a single problem!

didnt you post this a while ago.

edit: 01-03-2006, 11:43 PM
what countless hardware problems have you had in that time.

[demibob]

Originally Posted by Goofas

I just sold my entire windows computer set up and all software on EBAY. I have wanted a MAC for years and now I am ready! I am going to get the new Emac with 512 memory, 80gb hdd, and stand. I have an external hdd for back up I can use. The only thing I am going to miss is my Photoshop 7! How does iphoto compair? Do I need anthing other than my FAT32 usb hdd to import mp3's and jpegs to the new emac? On more question....will the spreadsheet program that comes on the emac read my Excel files?
Thanks for helping out the new guy!

first switch

[Agent69]

Well, the cap problem effected Dell as well as Apple, so it is obviously more than bad caps than it making him switch back.

[hickey]

one less messy kid in the sandbox.

[mduell]

Originally Posted by Goofas

I will only miss iphoto.

Microsoft Digital Image Suite

[Wiskedjak]

Originally Posted by Maflynn

Have fun with the weekly security patches from MS, the adware, spyware and viruses.

Careful with that one ...

'Worms' Turn on Apple Macs, Bigger Target as Sales Boom
... as the Mac is seeing some of its best sales in years, bad guys appear to be casing the joint.

In the past two weeks, information-security companies like Symantec Inc., Sophos PLC and McAfee Inc. have identified several security issues related to the latest version of Apple's Mac operating system, called OS X. Among the concerns: two "worms," programs written by unknown hackers that were designed to spread themselves to other Macs through Apple's iChat instant-messaging software and Bluetooth wireless-communications capability ...

... Some security experts believe hackers are becoming more interested in writing nasty code for Macs precisely because of reports of its relative immunity to security woes ...

[baw]

Originally Posted by Maflynn

Good for you and don't let the door hit you on your way out.

Have fun with the weekly security patches from MS, the adware, spyware and viruses. The constant reboots and worst of all being part of mindless drones. You may have saved a buck or two but now your saddled with a dog of an OS.

I'm amazed at why people ahve to post that they're leaving. Usually its trolls with a post count under 5 but this time its a ripe old member with a post count of 32.

Quoted for emphasis.

[Wiskedjak]

Originally Posted by Goofas

I will only miss iphoto.

I stopped missing iPhoto the day I discovered Picasa.

[Stradlater]

Have fun with XP and maybe Vista. I personally prefer OS X.

[harrisjamieh]

Originally Posted by mduell

Microsoft Digital Image Suite

$99!!! No thanks, i'll stick with iLife for $79, which not only includes photo software, but basically all the media editing software a consumer needs. Much rather that than some overpriced M$ crap

[sledsbehave]

Originally Posted by demibob

didnt you post this a while ago.

edit: 01-03-2006, 11:43 PM
what countless hardware problems have you had in that time.

regardless of hardware issues, i can't give up OS X....

i've always said if i could put OS X on a thinkpad, i'd do it, but until then i will buy whatever runs OS X

[production_coordinator]

Originally Posted by Goofas

If I am going to buy an Intel machine...why not just go back to a PC.

Because it doesn't run OS X.

If your only reason for buying your Mac was because it was a PPC, IMHO, you were rather foolish. Generally speaking, the PPC did not prove to be all that much faster than x86. It had a few moments in the sun, but generally they were only in the MOST expensive systems, on ONLY for a short period of time. The mid and low end systems we usually much slower than their x86 counterparts.

Originally Posted by Goofas

I bought a Dell XPS 2.8 dual core, 160gb hdd, 1gb ram, dvd burner, media center remote, 128 video, 5 usb's wireless key/mouse, Office 2003, 17'' Ultra sharp monitor, and 2.1 speakers shipped for $1000. Can't beat that with a stick Apple.

Now if it only ran OS X... you might have a point. I don't buy art by the pound, I don't buy computers by their specifications alone.

Originally Posted by Goofas

The best part is if a component "dies" I can fix it myself! I will only miss iphoto.

Guess what, you can do the EXACT SAME THING with the Mac. Of my PowerMac, only my motherboard, case and power supply are original. Hard Drive, RAM, video card, they are all standard off the shelf components and easily replaced.

[Tomchu]

Originally Posted by Maflynn

Have fun with the weekly security patches from MS, the adware, spyware and viruses. The constant reboots and worst of all being part of mindless drones.

Yeah ... as if.

Get a clue, please. That means open up your mind, and not just live off whatever Jobs and your forum friends feed you.

[Eug Wanker]

To be fair, hardware issues are quite significant these days with Apple products. Lots of problems with consumer Apple hardware (iBooks, iMacs, iPods). My iBook was repaired several times, and the first time they initially refused to repair it because they wouldn't own up to the problem.

However, I much prefer OS X (even though it has it's own issues too).

[jwoods]

It's your money, buy what you want.

All major brands of computers have issues. If you think you'll have less issues on a PC with windows...by all means buy it.

I fail to see why you thought your switch to or back to windows was so important that we all needed to know about it, but I can be somewhat dim witted at times.

Good luck with the Dell. I hope it serves you well.

"Dude....you got a Dell!"

[Eriamjh]

Buh-Bye!!

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by Goofas

After 2 years of being an Apple user and singing the praises of OSX I'm gone. I have owned 2 apple computers in 2 years and both have had countless hardware issues. The latest I have battled is the classic exploding caps in my rev A G5. I decided to buy a new Apple this weekend then thought some more. If I am going to buy an Intel machine...why not just go back to a PC. I bought a Dell XPS 2.8 dual core, 160gb hdd, 1gb ram, dvd burner, media center remote, 128 video, 5 usb's wireless key/mouse, Office 2003, 17'' Ultra sharp monitor, and 2.1 speakers shipped for $1000. Can't beat that with a stick Apple. The best part is if a component "dies" I can fix it myself! I will only miss iphoto.

This was a useless post. First, you CANNOT really replace bad parts on a PC motherboard-unless you have the skills to desolder, replace, and then resolder components (many of which are surface mount devices) on and through multilayer boards. I kinda doubt that, as such skills come with a lot of experience in electronics-years of it-and take lots of expensive equipment to do the work with. And watch out for Dell's proprietary motherboard, expansion chasis and power supply. Yep. Replace it yourself. Wrong.

In fairness, Dell's XPS is a neat machine-but it does not run OS X. And that is 99% of what Mac users want: a Mac OS. XP cannot touch OS X for ease of use, integration of functionality and a number of other features. I should point out here that I have used Windows since version 1.0, and I think XP is the best Windows ever. But it still ain't OS X.

Originally Posted by Maflynn

Have fun with the weekly security patches from MS, the adware, spyware and viruses. The constant reboots and worst of all being part of mindless drones. You may have saved a buck or two but now your saddled with a dog of an OS.

Security patches for XP come out about monthly unless there's a major issue, and even then the process is almost identical to the Mac's Software Upgrade process. Really. Further, what's the big deal with a reboot now and then-even Windows machines can boot up in less than a minute. Don't be so harsh. XP is NOT Windows 3.1...it's just not as well crafted as OS X.

[sledsbehave]

Originally Posted by Eug Wanker

To be fair, hardware issues are quite significant these days with Apple products. Lots of problems with consumer Apple hardware (iBooks, iMacs, iPods). My iBook was repaired several times, and the first time they initially refused to repair it because they wouldn't own up to the problem.

However, I much prefer OS X (even though it has it's own issues too).

at the same time, i've had 7 different macs in the past three years with zero problems

but i'm not gonna post that i'm having zero problems on a regular basis...

powermac G4
powerbook G4 400mhz
ibook G3 600mhz
ibook G3 500mhz
powerbook G4 1ghz al
currently --
imac G5 2ghz
ibook 366mhz clamshell

[Big Mac]

Originally Posted by Eug Wanker

To be fair, hardware issues are quite significant these days with Apple products. Lots of problems with consumer Apple hardware (iBooks, iMacs, iPods). My iBook was repaired several times, and the first time they initially refused to repair it because they wouldn't own up to the problem.

It's the recent AIOs, particularly the recent iMacs and iBooks (especially the iceBook G3s), that have had the worst QC issues. I have never had a problem with any of my iPods. And in fact, I have never owned a "defective" Mac requiring hardware service, either. The AIOs really seem to have more complicated engineering issues and thus greater rates of failure. Anyone who bought a Rev. A iMac G5 or an iceBook G3 after the defects were widely known should have known better. That fact does not exonerate Apple in the least in this regard, but it does mean one should do due diligence before a major purchase.

[ghporter]

Eug and Big Mac, I think these "QC issues" are more related to mass quantities of products going out to meet a surging demand. Fast product shipping means less time for full QC testing. And customers demand fast delivery-because we are not a patient society.

Not to say that Apple shouldn't do more to make sure every Mac shows up at the customer's door as perfect as possible, but do recognize the storm of complaints they'd get if it took a week before a standard Mac was shipped instead of one or two business days.

I further believe that (and this is not political!) the Chinese factories they are now using are not as diligent with QC, production processes and consistency as the Taiwanese factories they used to use. Moving production to China seems to be coincident with a rash of complaints about iBooks, iMacs and so on. However, Apple is not the only victim of the batch of bad capacitors-as noted above, Dell got caught too. (Off topic: component counterfeitting is a major problem in a number of industries-want to be on an airplane whose wings are held on by counterfeit and substandard fasteners?)

[uicandrew]

i personally like picasa over iphoto, so if you're going to miss iphoto, i don't think you'll miss the mac anymore.

i'm sure you'll like the fact that desktops can cost as little as $400 and laptops cost as little as $600.

hats off to you

[Eug Wanker]

Originally Posted by ghporter

Eug and Big Mac, I think these "QC issues" are more related to mass quantities of products going out to meet a surging demand. Fast product shipping means less time for full QC testing. And customers demand fast delivery-because we are not a patient society.

Not to say that Apple shouldn't do more to make sure every Mac shows up at the customer's door as perfect as possible, but do recognize the storm of complaints they'd get if it took a week before a standard Mac was shipped instead of one or two business days.

I further believe that (and this is not political!) the Chinese factories they are now using are not as diligent with QC, production processes and consistency as the Taiwanese factories they used to use. Moving production to China seems to be coincident with a rash of complaints about iBooks, iMacs and so on. However, Apple is not the only victim of the batch of bad capacitors-as noted above, Dell got caught too. (Off topic: component counterfeitting is a major problem in a number of industries-want to be on an airplane whose wings are held on by counterfeit and substandard fasteners?)

It has been shown time and again that the QC in mainland Chinese factories are as good as QC in Taiwan... if the QC is important to the manufacturer. ie. The bigger issue however is how much Apple is willing to spend on QC. Apple has been reducing prices, and rightly so, but hasn't been willing to drop margins much. Good for Apple's profit, but not so good the customer.

It's a delicate balance, and Apple is just trying to compete, but it's justifiable to put much of the blame squarely on Apple's head. I can understand the bad capacitor issue, but I do not understand how Apple can make so many iBook models in a row with the exact same problem.

[goMac]

You wanted a solid computer so you bought a DELL?

See you back here in a year...

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by Wiskedjak

Careful with that one ...

... as the Mac is seeing some of its best sales in years, bad guys appear to be casing the joint.

In the past two weeks, information-security companies like Symantec Inc., Sophos PLC and McAfee Inc. have identified several security issues related to the latest version of Apple's Mac operating system, called OS X. Among the concerns: two "worms," programs written by unknown hackers that were designed to spread themselves to other Macs through Apple's iChat instant-messaging software and Bluetooth wireless-communications capability ...

... Some security experts believe hackers are becoming more interested in writing nasty code for Macs precisely because of reports of its relative immunity to security woes ...

Perhaps it would be more accurate to say "Worms that will ever actually infect anyone and weren't cooked up internally by Sophos so they could issue a press release"?

[aristotles]

Originally Posted by Wiskedjak

Careful with that one ...

"One" being the operative word. Last time I checked, one or two is a lot less than thousands.

[aristotles]

Originally Posted by Tomchu

Yeah ... as if.

Get a clue, please. That means open up your mind, and not just live off whatever Jobs and your forum friends feed you.

Listen pal. I love windows because its problems used to pay my salary and I still derive my income from software development on the windows platform. Many mac users around here are dual platform users so don't give us this crap that windows does not have weekly zero day exploits. We know better because unlike you, we actually use what we criticize. If you were a mac user, you would have some credibility talking about OS X issues. Why do you hang out here anyway?

[Andy8]

au revoir

[baw]

I think he based his decision on Apple dropping OS X in favor of Windows.

[Goofas]

Originally Posted by demibob

didnt you post this a while ago.

edit: 01-03-2006, 11:43 PM
what countless hardware problems have you had in that time.

That was then.....Emac with dead combo drive...emac with dead power supply. Not to mention the shaking emac screen. Imac with upper fans replaced, imac with dead combo drive, imac caps bulging. Told 2 friends to by macs....imac g5 with dead network port...dead firewire port...now dead powersupply. New mactel with doa superdrive. Don't get me wrong about osx being great. I just want more flexibility changing out a dead motherboard, cd drive, video card, getting a better/bigger monitor, adding a second hard drive without spending $2500 on a power mac plus $700 for a monitor. I have built over 20 pc's and price for options Dell is a good option. Thanks for those of you mature enough to not start a mine is better than yousr flame. I really enjoyed the tips and help I received here as a new apple user.

[hickey]

...and this is now?

whats your point, procrastinating until you re-join some windows forum sites?

[gorotdi]

Why do you care? He's upset with Apple, and he's rejoined the Windows fold. I'm quite certain that if you look real hard tomorrow morning, you'll see the sun coming up despite the apparent tragedy of someone deciding that he doesn't like Apple anymore.

Who gives a sh*t?

[ICD2k3]

eh, to each their own...

I personally hope to have enough money when I get out of college to have a strong apple machine as well as a strong windows machine - they're good for different things. All personal preference really, don't let it bother you.

[badnewsblair]

For real. Who posts something like this...

Better yet, why did I read all the way to the botttom before quitting out of Camino?

Remove this thread. Has nothing to do with an iMac other than he had one.

[uicandrew]

Originally Posted by badnewsblair

For real. Who posts something like this...

Better yet, why did I read all the way to the botttom before quitting out of Camino?

Remove this thread. Has nothing to do with an iMac other than he had one.

i don't think that this thread is one that needs to be removed. It would be different if the person was a new guy whose only only post said "mac sux."

not everyone sees things as black and white (as in macs are good and windows is evil). this is small/closed mindedness that is referred to in psychiatry as "polarization"

if you don't like this thread, ignore it and it will eventually drift to page 5 of this forum.

If you think that this thread could provide intelligent debate/discussion, then reply and contribute.

[eddiecatflap]

well , i've had loads of macs in the last 5 years and had NO hardware issues

imac bondi blue
ibook original - blue 300mhz
icebook 500 mhz
imac G4 FP 800
powerbook 15" Ti 1Ghz
powerbook 17" 1.33 ghz
now
imac duo 2ghz

the only problems have been broken keyboards and mice

overall - extremely impressed with apple and wouldn't even consider anything else

[eddiecatflap]

oops , left out a mac mini my sister bought before xmas

it's so tiny , i forget it's there

likewise NO problems with that either !!

[badnewsblair]

Useful debate? How many times have you had this "useful debate" about 'Macs are better, no Windows is better'? Probably about 1 billion times, right? You aren't sick of it?

I'm one of the most open minded people when it comes to this debate, but I come to these forums so I can get useful news and tips and tricks about my Mac. The rest of the world out there is Windows based. Let me have my 4% and enjoy it.

[toddtmw]

I have three Macs, Three Windows boxes and one linux box. All of the non-Macs were made from components. It actually costs more than buying a Dell (Especially when you add in the cost of Windows) but you get to choose EACH compannet and when you want to upgrade, you know what is there and what is possible.

I use the Macs (20" iMac Core Duo, 500MHz G4 Tower and 500 MHz TiBook) for most things. I let the kids play games on two of the Windows boxes. (Why should I pay Mac premiums so the kids can play Reader Rabbit?) My youngest learned how to reboot the Windows box (to fix ANY "Problem") when she was three. Kids have a lot more patience for this kind of stuff than adults do. The third Windows box is used with Remote Desktop whenever I need to use a PC-only app. I reload the OS on the windows boxes about every six months. I reload the OS's on my MAcs whenever Apple releases a new OS. (10.3->10.4). All reloads involve a reformat of the main drive. I keep anything I "Care" about backed up to the Linux box, which has been running whatever the last free version of Redhat was for a long time...

I prefer the Mac experience, but if something happened and I couldn't afford to use Macs anymore, I'd get by with a PC. They each do what they are supposed to do, and they each do what 9?% of the world wants from a computer.

I don't play games on PC's much, but lately, I've been playing World of Warcraft on my iMac. It handles it without even breaking a sweat.

-Todd

[demibob]

Originally Posted by Goofas

That was then.....Emac with dead combo drive...emac with dead power supply. Not to mention the shaking emac screen. Imac with upper fans replaced, imac with dead combo drive, imac caps bulging. Told 2 friends to by macs....imac g5 with dead network port...dead firewire port...now dead powersupply. New mactel with doa superdrive. Don't get me wrong about osx being great. I just want more flexibility changing out a dead motherboard, cd drive, video card, getting a better/bigger monitor, adding a second hard drive without spending $2500 on a power mac plus $700 for a monitor. I have built over 20 pc's and price for options Dell is a good option. Thanks for those of you mature enough to not start a mine is better than yousr flame. I really enjoyed the tips and help I received here as a new apple user.

I find it hard to believe youve had that many problems in just two years. Iv had my ibook for three and it still works like it did the day i brought it. Did you buy them second hand if so from where.

[Macpilot]

About 5% of those early iMac G5s had issues, and Apple extended the one year warranty to two years for power and video issues.

Other PC makers get logic boards and power supplies from the same vendors Apple does, so it makes sense that they have their share of troubles too.

Have fun with Windows.

[LagunaSol]

I don't get it. First off, buy and use what you like. No problems there. But why is it some people have a laundry list of problems with their new Macs, and lo and behold all their friends have a laundry list of problems with their new Macs as well? Is it just coincidence or exaggeration? Seriously?

I've owned who knows how many Macs and I've had one problem - a DOA hard drive in a Mac Mini. And the friends I recommended Macs to who then bought them haven't had any problems. So this just strikes me as weird.

Oh, I also built my own PC with a nice high-quality aluminum case and great, high-quality components for $800 (I built it for a gaming rig), and it hasn't had any hardware problems. But guess what? I can't stand to use it because of Windows, so it sits and collects dust in the corner. So I guess that's $800 down the crapper. Not much of a deal after all, is it. Saving money by buying PCs over Macs is often false economy.

[driven]

Originally Posted by harrisjamieh

$99!!! No thanks, i'll stick with iLife for $79, which not only includes photo software, but basically all the media editing software a consumer needs. Much rather that than some overpriced M$ crap

Microsoft's DIS *IS* a nice photo application.

[driven]

I stopped buying Dell when their tech support department went through the floor. Their new #1 goal: Get you off the phone, forget about trying to get anything fixed. Their tech support group (in bangalore) ordered me a part ... the WRONG part. To this DAY I still have it because they wouldn't take it back nor refund my shipping fees. I had to have the credit card reverse the charges.

How do I know it was the wrong part? They sent me an ATI video card for a desktop. I was trying to replace a faulty video card in a laptop.

At least with Apple whenever I needed repairs (exactly 2 times .. so maybe not a great sample) I had excellent customer service. When they couldn't fix an iMac of my wifes, they upgraded her to a new model with more memory and hard disk. wow.

My history with macs:
- iMac DV SE 500 (circa 2000) <-- Still in service!
- G4 Cube
- iBook (Wife)
- PowerBook G4 1.67 Dual-Link DVI
- G5 PowerMac Dual 2 Ghz
- Many many iPods ... <smile>

Good luck with your Dell. (Sincerely). Hopefully one day you'll be able to run OSX on it.

[driven]

Dual post

[TomR]

Originally Posted by Goofas

After 2 years of being an Apple user and singing the praises of OSX I'm gone. I have owned 2 apple computers in 2 years and both have had countless hardware issues. The latest I have battled is the classic exploding caps in my rev A G5. I decided to buy a new Apple this weekend then thought some more. If I am going to buy an Intel machine...why not just go back to a PC. I bought a Dell XPS 2.8 dual core, 160gb hdd, 1gb ram, dvd burner, media center remote, 128 video, 5 usb's wireless key/mouse, Office 2003, 17'' Ultra sharp monitor, and 2.1 speakers shipped for $1000. Can't beat that with a stick Apple. The best part is if a component "dies" I can fix it myself! I will only miss iphoto.

Have fun with all the sweating over security issues! I will NEVER use a Windows machine EVER at home. As long as Apple or Linux is around Windows can eat me.

Windows is FECAL MATTER.

Tom

[Helmling]

I'd probably be ticked if I'd had that sort of experience, too. I remember my second-to-last PC was an "eMachines" which didn't even have Windows installed properly on it. That went back to the store THAT day. So I can see how he'd be miffed. I wonder, though, did Apple replace all that stuff? My brother-in-law had trouble with his iMac and we had to get on the phone with tech support, but in the end, he's a happy Mac user because they made everything right.

Anyway, for everyone saying to him: Why would you want to give up OSX? He doesn't really have to. I'm sure its going to become fairly common for PC owners to be able to dual-boot into OSX now. Hell, if I had a PC--and I can't imagine why I would--that's what I'd do.

[Kadman]

Originally Posted by TomR

Have fun with all the sweating over security issues! I will NEVER use a Windows machine EVER at home. As long as Apple or Linux is around Windows can eat me.

Windows is FECAL MATTER.

Tom

If you think you don't have to worry about security because you run Linux and/or OSX, then it's YOU who should be sweating!! It's pretty common knowledge that your best bet is to be behind some kind of firewall (even the cheap $50 models come out of the box configured secure by default) and then simply turn on auto updates for your OS and virus scanner. My kids have had their own PC's since they were 7 and 5 years old and they have NEVER had a problem with this in place. But hey, maybe they are future rocket scientists. ;^)

I'm not sure why so many people get worked up over a thread like this. Problems happen and people sometimes feel the need to vent. It's a very natural thing. I usually hate to generalize, but I must say that the typical Mac user is so defensive of their choice in OS that something like this spawns a barrage of retaliatory comments and grossly exaggerated claims about the state of the Windows OS.

Get a grip people! I have Windows XP, 2003 Server, OSX, and Fedora Core 4 all under the same roof and I rarely have to break up a fight between the boxes. This guy just needs to vent about a frustrating experience. It happens. Try showing some support!

[LagunaSol]

All this "nah nah, Mac users aren't safe either" blather is pure nonsense. Very few Mac users are dumb enough to think there won't ever be malware or virus threats in OS X, but the reality is right now, today, as I type this, there aren't. That's just a fact. A couple of proof-of-concepts and a minor attack, though hyped in the press as the Mac Armageddon, are tiny blips on the radar. In 15 years of Mac use I've had one problem: an autostart worm I picked up on a Zip disk from a college computer lab. And that was OS 9. And that was years ago.

Yet who's the guy who gets to clean all the spyware of his relatives' PCs? Yep, lucky me. I've lived on both sides of the fence and I know which side is greener. And it's worth the premium prices for me to stay there.

Your new Dell is cheap up front, but you'll likely make up the difference in blood, sweat and tears later.

Pay now or pay later.

Nonetheless, congrats on your new machine and good luck out there.