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stealth_bond · Apr 29, 2005, 10:36 PM

I'm thinking about purchasing a new PowerBook. I've been using Windows my whole life, and my main concern is that I won't be able to get used to using a Mac. Is it complicated to use a Mac or is it actually easier? Also, I've heard that games are pretty scarce on a Mac. I'm not a huge pc gamer, but it would be nice, having a new computer and being able to play games on it.

osxisfun · Apr 29, 2005, 10:41 PM

the top games make it over but in general the games dept. sucks when it comes to the mac.

having said that _evey_ other part of it is head and shoulders above windows xp./

you need to come up with a list of things you want to do and make sure there is software that does that.

also,

go to an apple store. you can stay in there all day and play with all the different powerbooks up close.

Dinan · Apr 29, 2005, 10:45 PM

i'm in the same boat except i'm not a gamer.. i want a powerbook for college, and i've been using windows my whole life.. but i'm definitely gettin tired of it.

Oisín · Apr 30, 2005, 07:20 AM

Originally Posted by Dinan

i'm in the same boat except i'm not a gamer.. i want a powerbook for college, and i've been using windows my whole life.. but i'm definitely gettin tired of it.

Make the switch.

I'm in the same situation as you, but at the next step: I'd been using Windows my whole life (and didn't think of it as overly bothersome at all, really; I was even fairly comfortable using it, though it did seem rather slow). I went ahead and made the switch, and my 17" PowerBook arrived on Tuesday. Since then, I've been having the time of my life tweaking this baby, downloading and installing apps, etc.

In the past four days, I have come to realise just how bothersome Windows really is. Seriously, almost every single thing I've done on this computer, with a few exceptions, have been about a gazillion times easier on OS X than it is on Windows, and even the exceptions have not been cases where something would turn out to be near-impossible, just a few cases where something happened to be very easy and integrated in Windows and less so in OS X. But, let me reiterate, these exceptions have been very few, and the enormous amount of things that have been indescribably easier by far outnumber them!

So yes - make the switch; if you're anything even remotely like me, you'll absolutely adore it!

[/praise]

f1000 · Apr 30, 2005, 07:52 AM

stealth/dinan, both of you should consider getting an iBook first. If the iBook isn't enough for you, then take a look at the PowerBook.

There really isn't that much difference between an iBook and a 12" PowerBook, so don't think that an iBook is some kiddie computer.

His Dudeness · Apr 30, 2005, 08:23 AM

Well, I would go for the Powerbook first. The screen size is worth it, that is if you're blind as a bat like me. I want a 15" Powerbook so bad it hurts.

And OS X is easy to get to learn. The downside is that it is built on a Unix foundation of FreeBSD, so there are tons of strange folders there. DON'T DELETE stuff that you aren't familiar with.

tbd · Apr 30, 2005, 11:45 AM

Originally Posted by His Dudeness

The downside is that it is built on a Unix foundation of FreeBSD, so there are tons of strange folders there. DON'T DELETE stuff that you aren't familiar with.

Having unix underneath is a big upside not downside =).

Dinan · Apr 30, 2005, 02:21 PM

Originally Posted by f1000

stealth/dinan, both of you should consider getting an iBook first. If the iBook isn't enough for you, then take a look at the PowerBook.

There really isn't that much difference between an iBook and a 12" PowerBook, so don't think that an iBook is some kiddie computer.

i'd get an ibook if the resolution was bigger.. i really cant stand looking at 1024x768. i like the bigger resolution of the 15" pb.

plus the PB looks so much cooler

His Dudeness · Apr 30, 2005, 05:17 PM

Originally Posted by tbd

Having unix underneath is a big upside not downside =).

Oh, I just didn't speak right. I know it's a good thing, but for a new person, it is confusing and they might want to delete a /usr yada yada yada folder or something!

Oisín · May 1, 2005, 09:52 AM

Originally Posted by His Dudeness

Oh, I just didn't speak right. I know it's a good thing, but for a new person, it is confusing and they might want to delete a /usr yada yada yada folder or something!

You might do the same in Windows, with equally catastrophic consequences.

His Dudeness · May 2, 2005, 03:00 AM

Yeah, that's true. I'm planning on erasing my XP in favor of Ubuntu here pretty soon. I hate XP with a passion.

asodamiac · May 2, 2005, 03:48 AM

i've had my mac for little over a week now. the pc has been neglected ever since (well i game on it from time to time and use it to move over pictures/music/etc). the powerbook is so nice! the main thing that bothers me about it is the heat issue. even my speakers get warm to the touch. other than that, things are going very well for me. there are some things that i would prefer a pc over a mac, but the list is very short.

when choosing between ibooks or powerbooks, make sure you go somewhere and check them out. side by side comparisons are useful. i bought my pb on a whim and i'm very pleased. good luck!

Oisín · May 2, 2005, 07:29 PM

Originally Posted by asodamiac

the main thing that bothers me about it is the heat issue. even my speakers get warm to the touch.

Perhaps it's just because my PC laptop is a discount piece of crap, but the PB doesn't run anywhere near as hot as the PC laptop. My PB is 'warm to the touch', the speakers too. I like this - I don't like it when you just turn on the machine and it's icy cold, it makes my fingers cold. I would guess it's about 40�C at the palmrests, which is very comfortable, just slightly warmer than my hands. My PC would run at least 5-10�C warmer than that, sometimes so hot it would be uncomfortable to touch, much less rest your hands on.

Oh yeah, and the PB does this with the fans never coming on. In the week I've had it, I've never heard the fans come on, so either they're so quiet you can't hear them, or they haven't been on at all. The PC on the other hand has the very noisy fans in top gear from the second you turn on the computer till the second you turn it off - they never go off.

DylanG · May 2, 2005, 07:47 PM

I made the switch recently and I couldn't be more pleased. It is simply a better designed computer. Neither me nor my wife had any problem making the transition. Sure, a lot of things are different than Windows but it's very well designed for the new user.

What has surprised me the most is the quality of the shareware and freeware apps. When you go to look for a Windows app to do a particular thing you'll find 100 of them and typically 95 of them will be junk, the last few will be decent and, if you're lucky, you'll find a good one. You won't find such a high quantity for OS X but the average quality is much higher. For example, the three non-bundled apps I use the most are NetNewsWire for RSS, Unison for UseNet, and Adium X for IM. All three of those are better than any app I'd used on Windows for the same purpose. Then there's apps like Clutter which is creative and cool and has no Windows counterpart that I've seen. I think it's because OS X has such a pretty and intuitive UI that it sets a high standard for software developers to live up to. Someone is going to flame me for this next comment but I think the more creative minds gravitate to the Mac and it shows.

So you don't think I have an inherent bias let me tell you I've been a Windows/Unix software developer for about a dozen years. I'd never touched a Mac but I always give myself a toy with my tax return money and this year I decided to get a PowerBook. I can assure you I'll never be buying another Windows computer for personal use. Now I really want to be a Mac software developer.

My suggestion is to buy it from Amazon. As I read their return policy, there is no restocking fee if you return within 30 days. You're only out shipping. (I suggest you don't trust me and confirm it with Amazon, though, as I may have missed some clause in their return policy.)

And check out http://www.xvsxp.com . It does a great job covering the differences between the operatintg systems.

Lesterm10 · May 2, 2005, 08:08 PM

My Suggestion would be if you're going to play a few games, get a 15" or 17" Powerbook. The 12" powerbook has a weaker graphics card, so if you get either the 15" or the 17" it gives you enough room to play today's game without sacrificing too much frame rates no matter what game you play. They have todays games such as Rise of Nations, and World of Warcraft, even Call of Duty. It's true that Macs have sooo fewwww games, but I have a Gaming PC for that. As to how hard it is to switch. If you're going to be doing word, excel, and powerpoint files (the major applications suites for the business and school world) it's not hard transferring and editing files from a PC or Mac. It only takes a few minutes orienting yourself the basics of Mac OS X (how to close windows, navigate around the hard drive... that sort of thing) but after a few hours or days of using the Mac, you'll ask yourself "Why didn't I make the switch sooner." I did, and I only switched because my brother got a Mac for college, and I played with it for an hour and fell in love with it. Now why do I have a PC, to be blunt and honest... it's only for games, everything I do, papers, spreadsheets, email, pictures, etc.... it's all done on my Mac. Hope this helps with your decisions.

Lesterm10 · May 2, 2005, 08:16 PM

Ohh and one last thing, I just switched a month ago in April when I plunked down my savings account and got a laptop to take with me to school so I wouldn't be home playing games everyday, and I can go to school and be focused studying or writing papers. And since then, for me unless I'm going to play games on it (I'm an avid gamer), I'm only getting an Apple, because it's so much easier and organized to use... no spyware(yet), few viruses for Macs and everytime I had my PC Laptop (Sony Vaio r505) I envied the newer models of laptops from dell, gateway, fujitsu and of course apple, and told myself, "I wish I had those" Now, doesn't matter how old or new a PC laptop is, I have a Mac, it far surpasses other laptops in terms of functionality and DESIGN. Now the only problem I have is, I should have waited (maybe) for Tiger.