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- Quix, on 10/12/2007, -8/+46In the past few months, I've had 3 friends switch to Mac. None had previously owned a Mac at any time, and in all 3 cases I was the only Mac user they had any real relationship with.
"Big deal," scream the haters, "it's only 3 people." Yes, but 1 Mac user has now become 4 (do the math). I also have several other friends/coworkers/associates who are planning to switch in the near future. Over the past year, three relatives have switched as well. NONE of my Mac-using friends or relatives have switched from Mac to Windows.
I doubt my experience is unique in this regard. People are starting to wake up and realize that they really DON'T have to suffer with Windows any longer. People who I NEVER imagined talking about Macs are now starting to. There is a very perceptible, growing tide of discontent on the Microsoft side of the fence, and I see big, big things ahead for Apple.
Here's hoping that growth will not be substantial enough to attract the malware and virus authors. 20% market share sounds safe (and attainable) to me. - Mudcrutch, on 10/12/2007, -4/+28First post on digg from my new MacBook Pro! I haven't owned a mac for 10 years but being on them at work brought me back -- and today was the day.
And it is sweet. - telexgalt, on 10/12/2007, -5/+21@jeffh
I work at the apple store i sell the computers to the switchers.
they may come in because they heard about running windows on a mac, but the leave with .mac and run osx. Most are too lazy to go through the hell of installing windows, and the people who are tired of windows will do anything to not have to use it.
windows is losing market share plain and simple, and the 9.9 out of ten mac buyers use osx. - digga, on 10/12/2007, -7/+21@Blah blah blah
You said: "ive been using my computer for 2 years without an antivirus or a firewall,"
How do you know your windows box isn't part of a spam-spewing botnet? Seems a bit irresponsible to me. - digga, on 10/12/2007, -6/+18I wish I could use a Mac at work... :(
Funny thing is, there's no reason not to -- all I use is Eclipse (Java/SWT) Lotus Notes (OSX client available), eXceed for X-Window access (X11.app) and Firefox.
The only thing I can't get a Mac version of is all the W.32 worms our network seems to be infested with! - zwilliams, on 10/12/2007, -4/+15I've had many friends convert to Mac as well, some are casual computer users, some are hardcore gamers, and some are CE/CS majors. They've been happy ever since.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -4/+14I worked with a graduate student on a project that required a simple movie to be made to accompany an audio track. We were able to knock it out in record time because of iMovie and burn it to a DVD with iDVD.
I've found that when PC users learn the ins & outs of a Mac (and the mac-head isn't some snobbish prick), they're alot more open to switch when seeing the benefits. - fozzie, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9I just helped a friend purchase a mac this weekend. I am not a mac user myself because I am in IT and unfortunately need to run software that only works in Windows also I like new games too much to give up my XP install otherwise I would have joined him a long time ago.
Any time a friend or family member asks for advice on a PC for 'surfing and doing the basics' I try to sell them on a mac so I don't have to rebuild it for them due to spy ware the next time I see them. - DelMonte, on 10/12/2007, -3/+11"If your not a dumbass you shouldnt run into any problems using Windows."
Yeah, typical mindset of what I call the "Windows Geek Elite".
The vast majority of people don't want to spent time learning about the intricacies of computing, they find they have better things to do, like reading books and going outside. What's "common sense" to you is not to them, so actually it shouldn't be called common sense.
According to BusinessWeek, 85% of Windows PCs are infected by at least one form of malware. I guess you'll call 85% of people "dumbasses", that would likely include members of your own family, friends, grand-parents etc.
The worst thing is that the Windows Geek Elite® keeps recommending Windows PCs to people that don't know much about computing.
I guess they like feeling superior when they save the day when fixing their registry and removing spyware, and then calling them dumbasses behind their backs. And many in this geek elite financially profit from other's misfortunes by becoming Windows technicians and working in support centers.
That's sad, really sad... - meatmcguffin, on 10/12/2007, -3/+11In my university you find them mainly in the computer science and information systems departments but thanks for playing
And enjoy your windows software that 90% of the world uses because they don't know better.
What was that about sheep? - Quix, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9"There's my reason for not going mac, $550 for the equivalent of a $2000 machine from Apple." - kafitz22
First of all, there's NO WAY you're getting $2,000 worth of Macintosh out of a $550 PC. Period. I've built my own PCs, I know what you can get for $550, and it sure isn't a Core 2 Duo 2.16 ghz with a 24" LCD, GeForce 7300 GT, web cam, Bluetooth, wi-fi, DVD burner, keyboard, mouse, and lots of sweet software (24" iMac - $1,999 list).
Macs are more expensive than PCs in most cases (it's true!), but let's try to keep the wild exaggerations to a minimum, eh?
P.S. my 20" iMac is worth every penny in premium over what I would have paid to build my own PC Frankenbox. - pfranz, on 10/12/2007, -4/+11@Blah blah blah
"Maybe Macs are more idiot friendly, but thats not Microsoft's problem."
If not now, that looks like it may be soon. I don't like to think about 'where did this get moved to in this version of Windows?' every time I need to do something I don't do everyday. Or, when I need a tool that does this... let me see if I can google one up. I think these are things I think about when I have to use windows.
Methinks that bootcamp is more of like insurance instead of something that will get used in most cases. My guess their thinking is "Well, if everything messes up, I can still go back to a well built Windows box." Most all of the people I've seen switch this year haven't brought up bootcamp or the possibility of running Windows. I've also had a few people suddenly have Ubuntu installed on their machines. - DelMonte, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9In two years of using OS X extensively, I never got a single kernel panic... Pretty much the same thing for Mac users I know.
OS X is rock solid, nobody (except you I guess) would argue against that. - IWorkAtApple, on 10/12/2007, -3/+9Well, it's obvious where I stand on this one, or at least it ought to be :-)
I'll be taking a fair number (5) of Macs home with me this year, all of which are for people who've never used them before. Now I get a discount, and not all of those are ones that I've bought (some are bought by people just using my discount) but that's a lot more computers than I've ever travelled with before ... - Justin6512, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8I used macs back in elementary, they were cool, but nothing special. Then when I went to High school, we used macs in our Media department, and I was able to see something special about macs. One year later, and a lot of money saved, I bought an iMac Intel, and it is now used as my main computer.
Mac's Rock! - tobyjoe, on 10/12/2007, -8/+14@jeffh
"One of the main reasons Mac market share has grown has been due to the ability to run Windows on them."
I suppose you can show this somehow? - DelMonte, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6"Osiris for starters."
Are you replying to me? Is this a software you would miss on the Mac?
Do you mean Win32.Osiris.b, the backdoor trojan?
I sure don't miss that on my Mac!
Or do you mean Osiris, the medical analysis program? If that's the case, an OS X version exists. - mikeroySoft, on 10/19/2009, -1/+7I'm a Systems Admin for a small datacenter, and I recently (2 weeks) bought a Macbook Pro.
Originally, i planned on Paralells for regular apps, boot camp windows for games, and Linux for work (gentoo based company)
After I started using OS X for the first time as 'my OWN', I was able to do everything i needed to without using another OS.
Work: Unix shell under the hood... SSH, SCP, rsync, all that unix jazz you can pour into it
Games: World of Warcraft runs AMAZING at native res!
Regular apps: Uh, Firefox? Open Office? I found software to integrate my calender, blackberry, mail, address books and task planner / project manager (read: Daylight )
So, though the temptation to go to windows was there initially, and was convincing enough for the company that it would 'work with what we have', I'm more than happy with my computer that can finally keep up with me, and that just... frigging... works. - digga, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8"Fanboy" along with "own"/"owned"/"ownage" are officially banned in 2007.
You have been warned. - DaffyDuck, on 10/12/2007, -5/+10xatx, I took a look through your posting history and have concluded that you are the most negative person I have encountered in a while. There wasn't a single positive comment to be found. Even a story about improvements to Vista audio had you putting down Macs. I almost feel sorry for you because you must be leading a pretty bad life if your online persona is anything like the real thing.
Also, since you seem to find almost everything on digg to be spam, you'd probably do your blood pressure a favor by going elsewhere. - DelMonte, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5That little ® was a self-directed joke on me, because I'm overusing the expression and I'm the only one using it. It had nothing to do with you in particular.
You took it way too seriously and resorted to name-calling.
Though I admit I heavily suggested that you were part of the "Windows Geek Elite", I didn't state it... you just had to show me I was wrong with rational arguments, not by using insults.
" Would a Windows Elitist admit that he was buying a Macbook for OSX?"
"Windows Geek Elite" to me means: Geeks that know how to keep Windows free of viruses and problems, and that call the rest of the population "dumbasses" for having problems. If you're not one of them, fine... But your comment reminded me of that "blame the users" mindset and that's why I sent you reading my other post and implied you were part of that group. - DelMonte, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6"Does enjoying Windows because of the vast amount of solid programs available make me a douche bag? Or the support of almost all major hardware developers? Or is it the condescending asshat tone I use?"
Did I call you a douche bag? I never call people names.
If you enjoy Windows, fine. I take issue when people recommend Windows PC to non-techies (the majority of the population) then call them dumbasses when they have viruses and problems.
Aside from games, what programs in your "vast library" of Windows programs would you miss on the Mac? There are tens of thousands of software programs for OS X, which cover just about every bases you can imagine. Most Unix, Linux programs can be recompiled to work on OS X, many are already recompiled. And you can install Parallels Desktop for the occasional Windows program you may absolutely need.
Macs use standard HDDs, RAM, and just about every standard USB device will work without installing drivers. Macs have PCI card slots and most every video cards have Mac drivers. Sure there are some hardware that won't work on the Mac, but it's more rare than what many would like you to believe.
If you are using your Windows PC to mostly play games, I wouldn't recommend a Mac, but you're part of a minority. As for the price, it's debatable, and if you don't want/can't to spend a few hundreds more for a Mac, well so be it... - rbond, on 10/12/2007, -6/+11Add another one this Christmas!
- zionKing, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6@^ Do you mean you are a formal rural asexual with a Dell?
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6All my friends hated and bashed the Mac to ***** back in middle school...
now my friends Thomas, Galen, Jimmy, Alex, Justin, Osama (yes I have a friend named Osama) all have Macs
Seriously Best Buy should carry them, we always get asked if we carry MacBooks - Quix, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6"Any OS can be solid if the user is not an idiot." - Gir53457
Blame the users. It's the Microsoft way. - superkendall, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5Computer illiterate?
Have you looked around at any technical convention latley at what laptops people are using? You'd think you were in an orchard during a freak snowstorm instead of a technical convention.
I used to debug ethernet card drivers in Slackware. I sitll like Linux and use it heavily at work, but at home I just use Macs now so I can still have a good UNIX system where I don't have to configure it as much.
I imagine you somehow think knowing much about Windows qualifies you as "technical". I guess you haven't heard the snickers from behind you all your life...
Yeah, I use and can easily admin Windows too. In the immortal words of Scotty - "How Quaint". - rickcarson, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4"Maybe Macs are more idiot friendly"
They also happen to be more friendly to everyone else, as well. - mikev, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7I've been a Mac user for two years, and a Intel Mac user for about 2 weeks. For kicks and giggles I tried Boot Camp etc and the whole windows thing, and didn't feel like I was missing anything at all. I still get the BSOD often (WinXP Pro SP2 only week old install) while in Windows, which really makes me glad I switched a long time ago.
The idea of dual booting is nice when you buy one, and might even get you to buy one, but when you experience OS X itself you really don't want to go back. - Justin6512, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5@DiggMeUpPlsThx
Quote: "Zune sucks, Ipod rocks."
well it's cuz that's true. Numbers speak for themselves. - digga, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5@mikev
That's why Bootcamp is the ultimate Trojan Horse (and not in the malware sense). It's like the carrot that entices Windows users to switch, but it's the carrot rarely gets eaten. - DelMonte, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5Gir53457:
So, you're also a member of the Windows Geek Elite®? Read my post about that up-there, I don't want to repeat myself.
OS X is rock solid, even for what you call "idiots". - kd5ftn, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4I just bought a 24" iMac. The main reason was Final Cut Pro, being able to dual-boot was a huge incentive, and now I'm really starting to enjoy OS X.
- tdowling, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Well now that's a foolish comment
- DaffyDuck, on 10/12/2007, -6/+9Why are you even bothering to post here?
- crack, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5As a long-time Mac user, I can guarantee you that Macs will steadily rise in marketshare, but they will NEVER overcome microsoft. I have nitpicky friends who prefer windows because they "don't like the buttons on the other side of the window." sigh....
- kafitz22, on 10/12/2007, -6/+9yikes, that's a 2000, not a 200 :)
- DelMonte, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3That's good news! (Well just a filler because I did the same mistake again of not hitting the reply button)
- rewilson, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I have to respond to this. I was a graphic design student, who was comfortable with Windows; I actually refused to switch. Vehemently. I liked Windows, I knew how to maintain my computer, upgrade, rip it to bits, etc. After my first six months of classes, I saved up and bought a laptop so I wouldn't have to use the whacked-out Macs at school. (They crash regularly.) My "fanboy" friends kept telling me it's different when it's your machine, that I should switch.
So when the Intel Macs came out, I decided to buy one (both my Windows computers were having major issues), and run Windows on it. I assumed I would just surf the net from OSX, and run all my programs on XP. I had to buy a new copy of XP, and being budget-conscious, I ordered it online. I had my Mac five days before my copy of XP showed up, and after three of them, I was wondering why I was so anti-OSX all that time. Hmmm....this is more intuitive, doesn't make me press ctl+alt+delete all the time, catchy eye-candy.....plus it runs all my programs better.
Months later, I bought my husband a MacBook for Christmas. (I gave it to him early; his PC must have known what was in that box because it caught something that I have yet to figure out and fix!) I was sick of maintaining his PC, and although there are things to get used to (like the aforementioned "close" button), he's having more fun on a computer than I can ever remember! Unfortunately for him, I had to install XP via BootCamp for the sake of his business software. But I'm working on rectifying that!
Being the kind of switcher I was, I really don't understand the mentality of these Windows users (including mine before I got my Mac). It's like they are scared of something? - digga, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5@Gir53457
That is SO wrong I don't know where to begin. DOS was/is an OS, Windows 2 was an OS -- heck I could write an OS that was as unstable as Beryllium-8 if I wanted to! - derleiermann, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2@Blah Blah Blah
I find this kind of attitude really diminishing.
I'm a sysadmin who maintains windows, Linux and mac boxes and I recently switched my computer to a mac book pro, why?
- The ability to run windows
- The capacity of having a UNIX terminal always at hand
- Being able to switch the computer to sleep mode without major problems, this still as of today is something I've not been able to do in any of my previously owned windows driven laptops
- It is also beautiful
It also have its downsides like the java implementation, but most of my experience is extremely positive, and at least I don't need to reinstall my computer every 1-2 years (even with extreme care, cleaning the caches, optimizing the registry, etc, windows slows down in 1 year approx).
So please dude, get a life and try to broaden your point of view - puhsitch, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2They get 25% off on systems.
- superkendall, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2You started with a whole computer?
My first computer was a kit from England, that I had to solder by hand. After a few years of those kinds of things I mostly worked with UNIX systems until OS X finally came along with a solid UNIX core.
The problem with Windows people is that they seem to think knowing how to fix Windows mishaps or plug in a PCI card is really knowing how a computer works. A lot of us Mac users are way beyond that - we know what Mach is doing under the hood of a Mac, and just as happy that day to day, we don't have to babysit it while it does its thing. We are happy that BASH is the default shell. We are happy that we can use Photoshop on the same system that comes bundled with X11 libraries.
We are geeks, we are knowledgeable, and we use a Mac thank you very much. - MacParrot, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Ducky said:
"You didn't hear a peep from the Apple zealot community when other portable music players came out. Nobody panicked when the Dell DJ Ditty came out. The Samsung "YEPP" barely got noticed, except for the fact that it played OGG/Vorbis files.
But the Zune has the Mac community terrified. Apple's loyal lemming have started an Astroturf campaign (i.e., a staged grass-roots movement) to discredit it.
Fact is, people are switching. Nearly everyone who bought a Zune has previously used the iPod."
Another blast from the past from the duckster! Oh, sorry. Another occasion where it's all you know how to say. My bad. - blackjack75, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3I don't really believe in the iPod halo effect. I actually had several people around me switch to mac. They did it for either both or one of these reason:
- It's pretty damn cool (OSX)
- You can run windows and or linux on the same machine.
None of the people I know who switched (about three here too, as in first post) would ever had switched without bootcamp/parallels being available. If you do any tech job, this is a must. You must be able to launch explorer and see how crappy it is, otherwise you just can't design websites or things like that. - rickcarson, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I looked on Newegg last week, and the MacBooks were cheaper (even without discounts) than any Laptop running the same CPUs for sale on their site.
- beijingdave, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I too have had a couple friends recently buy macs. It's quite interesting because one of them is really uncharacteristic of Apple's "traditional customer" (creative etc).
I've often thought that if this friend ever buys a mac...then it's time to consider that Apple is crossing over to the mainstream. Interesting prospect because, even if Apple gains a paltry 4-5% of PC market share, they will have effectively doubled their revenue. - superkendall, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2That sound we are making - it is not the screaming noise. It is the laugh. It is the snort of disbelief that in years of development, Microsoft cannot even make a device that mounts as a hard drive or realize people with WiFi might want to browse...
Have you even actually used a Zune? The way the screen re-orients itself and forces you to also rotate the control mechanism - classic Microsoft, through and through.
What you don't realize is that you didn't hear a peep from us about the other players, like the Sansa, because we had respect for them. The Sansa is a pretty good player if you can do without the scroll wheel for large list navigation. And to me, it would be preferrable to a Zune. - computerdude33, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2In my two years of being on a Mac, I've gotten two kernel panics... both from Virtual PC.
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