Why is it that some people hate Macs so much?

That’s a lot of fanboi talk, but I believe the main reasons are price and fear of the unknown.

Its not a big deal switching. Almost ALL your files are compatible and the Apple sotre will even move your files from your Pc to Mac for free.

Is it so bad to say that I just don’t like them? I don’t like the cute little icons on the bottom that explode when you scroll over them, I don’t like the layout, I don’t like that they are like $2000, etc. If I could have it my way, I’d still be using DOS. As it is right now, I have a system with XP and another system with Ubuntu Linux. And I love them both.

I use PC’s for gaming! My parents are anti-console (i much prefer a gaming PC to a console) Although I prefer my iMac to my old tower and i have XP on my iMac sometimes i find myself yearning for the ability to upgrade my machine with a bigger HD better graphics etc. I even have OS X on a PC so poo to all that think that you cannot run Leopard on a PC! My iMac runs graphics intensive programs better than my old tower PC but then again there are those who shelled out $400 for CS3 or other software on windows and don;t want to pay again for a OS X version.

edit :: whats with all the PC haters out there, they try there hardest, c’mon give ‘em a break

I know you can run Leopard on a Pc but its hacking it. Does the average person know how to hack a Pc? You hack anything to do whatever you want! But were talking about the computer here. Not about hacking.

@Les basic iMacs are about 1,200$

I have no hacking skills i just hit up youtube! and paying $1,200 for a basic mac is not a good idea, you aren’t going to get the functionality and specs you would with a $1,200 PC

@mrblogger: Yeah, that’s a little better, but I still think they are kinda pricey. I guess it just comes down to what people like. You know? I mean, some people like chocolate, some people like vanilla. As long as what you have works for you, then what’s the problem?

@ joeysefika Your right but I really dont mind.If you have a tight budget then your right but an apple computer really doesnt need that good specs to run really fast and smooth. Anyways I love the look of the hardware XD

@Les Lets say cost isnt a problem, you can do WHATEVER you do on a Pc. You name it, Game, Spreadsheets, Graphic designing, whatever! Then after im done I can switch over to Leopard and get some visual effects done off Final Cut Studio and Shake. Its the best of both worlds. Who doesnt like that?

$1,500 iMac:
Core 2 Duo 2.66Ghz
2GB Ram
320GB HDD
256Mb ATI Graphics
20inch Screen

$1,500 PC:
Intel Core 2 Duo 3Ghz
320GB HDD
4GB Ram
22” Screen
nVidia GeForce 9600GT 512MB DDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card
20x DVD Writer
On Board Sound & LAN
Vista Home Premium (OEM)

You can use office on mac which is a plus too!

That is true but really think about it. Vista is not the best operating system and if you put the two beside eachother to do the same tasks actually they are both exactly the same in speed. Windows needs a good computer to run it. Leopard does not. Macs are pretty fast for the specs.

Ignorance. Don’t question it. It will get you no where.
I’ve tried explains to my buddies – they just don’t get it.

@mrblogger: I’ve tried them, I don’t like them. I’m sorry. I’m not entirely PC oriented; I’m using Ubuntu right now. Mac just isn’t my style. No sale.

Granted that a old PPC iBook can run leopard but just because Vista is so graphics intensive doesn’t mean you can’t downgrade to XP, a very good OS

(I am a mac user but just feel like sticking up for the little guy)

I don’t hate Macs at all. It’s the smugness of Mac users that I hate. It’s the way many of them look down and sneer at we PC owners.

@Les Okay Im cool with that its just some people just defend what they already have and dont even take a look or touch the competition. Ive tried alot. (Linux i havnt tried so much so i dont know) When I had a Pc i was like this is shit. The I saw the Mac and fell in love

Look who I found

The reason Mac users are smug is because they are really REALLY passionate about their computer and I dont blame them. A Mac user would go “I love the lovely graphics, the amazing cross fade when dragging and dropping, the lovely animations and so on. and a Pc user would go “Holy shit its just a computer, I can get a Dell for 500$”.

IMO most who are retticent believe they would be giving something up by switching to PC; in reality, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Simplicity, a real and intuitive OS, and multimedia functionality out of the box are the hallmarks of a true end-to-end system; the deal about the money issue is quickly dissolving, as many see the larger picture-regular, stable OS updates that aren’t $300—$400; stunning design and integration “out of the box;” relatively “virus free” operation (crosses fingers), and workflows and support features that are truly ahead of the curve (real plug and play functionality with peripherals, cloud computing w/Mobile Me, integration with mobile media and hardware).

I think most of all, people are somewhat embarrassed to come to the “light” when they’ve been poo-pooing Macs for so long. My father-in-law, fed up with networking and virus issues and Vista, is finally considering making the transition (proud of him)...don’t worry I say, if it works for you, stick with PC…I on the other hand, love my mac and all things Apple, for all the things I use them for: professional multimedia apps, cutting-edge OS, mobile media, etc. At least for my industry, the adage goes: “Macs make the money, PCs count ‘em.”

Because people with Macs don’t ever shut the fuck up.

@sndfreQ I agree. Some times after bad mouthing something for so long and then realising oh shit what have I done they dont want to use it now because of the things they have caled it

@simone54, that doesn’t have anything to do with the computer at all. It’s just another excuse for not switching.

And most Mac users are vocal because we used them in the 90’s. The constant bullshit about Apple being dead in a year made people get vocal and call bullshit. We just never learned to STFU after that.

People who say we should just “Shut the fuck up.” are people who dont care about the computer and dont understand what all the hoopla is about. So they get annoyed

@MrBlogger, agreed. I hate it when people say they don’t like Apple products because of the smug users, well that’s not a reason to not like apple products, it IS a reason to not like apple users, but not the products.

Upgrading to Vista is horible. You would have to get a totally new computer just to make it run “okay” and the space it would take is 8gbs.

Have you used Vista? Like really sat down and used it for a week or two? It is not actually that bad once you get used to the MEGA candy interface

I have! For a month! I have a Pc and a Mac! I have both!

exactly, its not a bad OS (I wouldn’t spend $400 on it, that is why I’m a pirate… arrr) but its not bad

Meh, I dont like it so much, My pc is just collecting dust while my Mac is being used everyday. Im using Xp because Vista really was just a headache. For people who say theres nothing wrong with it is because they’re just people who do nothing exept browse the internet and most likely go on YouTube all day. I do more than that. (Photoshop, Premier Pro, Apple Shake, Final Cut Studio, Aperture… you get the idea)

I use aperture and photoshop everyday albeit on my iMac

The only thing I like about Vista is the look, which IMO, isn’t better than the look of OSX. I’ve used Vista and still like XP a lot better.

Nice

Seems like this debate is dying.
Aww, I wanted to see what people had to say.

Why is it that almost all Pc users can talk about is gaming when you know they have an Xbox 360 in their house.

I own both, and sell both….And people consistently compare full size desktops to imacs. When in fact if you were to compare an imac to anything, it’d be an all-in-one. I will admit that you can get more power in a desktop pc than an imac (imac using a notebook processor anyways).

My primary computer is an imac…I have an HP desktop that I use for media, and is attached to my Television. My HP computer I actually picked up on a clearance for about 300 dollars and put in the exact same graphics card I have in my imac. here are the specs.

HP:
Athlon X2 5200+
4GB Ram
320 GB hard drive
512mb Radeon 2600 pro

imac:
Core 2 Duo 2.4ghz
4GB of Ram
320 GB Hard drive
512mb Radeon 2600 pro

I spent about 400 dollars total on the HP, and about 1600 dollars on the imac, and they both runs games equally the same. I do still prefer my imac, and I’d say the reason that is, is because of the operating system (it’s just so streamline, expose, spaces, time machine, just everything about it).

I absolutely love my mac, but if you do break it down to practical use, and dollar to dollar spent, you really can get the same result in a PC and save the cash if the OS, and ease of use, no need for anti-virus and all that jazz aren’t important to you.

If you compare Vista to Leopard…Leopard will win hands down every time in my opinion…I am just fed up with trying to defend vista (when I have even stopped using it myself). Even if you compare XP to Leopard, I still have to side with Leopard. there is just so much you gain in the Mac OSX that you miss out on with a Windows based PC.

And as far as all the myths about mac not being compatible…I’d say about 99% of that is untrue. for the most part, everything I want to do on my PC, I can do on my mac. There are few exceptions with some old school games that don’t work for some reason or another on my boot camp partition, but I think that is partly to blame on the age of the game. Where as, if you find any software for a Mac, you cannot use it on a Windows based machine. It is why I still buy only PC games, not Mac games, so I can put it on both my machines.

I guess I should just wrap this up…I’d honestly say, if I were to choose which one to use, if money were not an option, I would take Apple…if I am working on a strict budget, and I need something practical and something I can rely on just as much, I’d go budget PC. Luckily for me, I can afford both, and really do enjoy my iMac. But really, I could argue it both ways, and I do sometimes sway customers whichever way I may feel that day when I compare the two =) (also depending on what they may be using it for)

@RandomMrdan Your right. I just dont like Windows at all. Pc hardware is actually really really good but its just the operating system that ruins it. I like how Hp is now working on their own sort of operating system. Now their starting with touchsmart which is pretty nice so far. I just dont like WIndows. Apple software is the best.

I think you’ve proven my point.

by the way…I was a pc user most my life, bought my first one when I was in junior high, back when AMD had the K62 chipset. And I built my first computer about 2004….oh yes, good ole memories. I’ve been using my iMac for about a year now.

for a long time, Mac was not really that user friendly. Just because they’ve made vast improvements in the last several years doesn’t mean you’re going to convince those of us who’ve wanted to shove old generation Macs out the friggin window.

Out with the old, in with the new. Just because it was bad before, doesn’t mean that it can’t get better. Like if windows changes dramatically and eventually gets better than Mac OS, then I would be more than happy to switch to Windows again, even though it was extremely bad before.

For a company that makes 15 times more updates and improvements and 5 times more major updates than Microsoft they evolve pretty fast and are getting allot better. I have always loved Macs. Ive never felt like shoving one out the window

Ive wanted to show Windows out the window.

@MrBlogger, Especially after having Windows crash a couple times.

@Mr: Who the hell puts the power button on the KEYBOARD?! Every electrical appliance I’ve ever come into contact with had its power button on itself. Never have I ever seen a power button that’s only on a peripheral device. How stupid is that? that is why I hate Macs. I can’t get over the frustration of 11 years ago, trying to turn on the damned computer and not being able to find a friggin button.

What? When have they had that? They certainly havent had the in a long time. It seems to be that you hate Macs because your just not used to the computer. You talk as if youve only tried it once. Anyways I dont see a huge problem with the power buttom. Anyways now the Macs or at least for a while have had the buttom on the computer.

Show me a picture of the model with the power button on the keyboard

This is another perfect example of Macs improving. There hasn’t been a model with the power button on the keyboard for a while. Have you even tried using a recent model of a Mac? That’s just like saying you hate Windows Vista because you didn’t like Windows Millennium.

I said it was 11 years ago, which probably means that the computer itself was even older than that.

I don’t know the model. Scenario: Back when chat rooms were all the rage and I was at the ripe old age of 14, I met a boy in a chat room. We “fell in love” and because he happened to live 40 minutes away from my father’s best friend in Michigan, my dad agreed to supervise a visit. Well, sure, but in the meantime before we met, I wanted to talk to him online. So I went into my father’s friend’s office to use her Mac. I looked and looked, and there was no power button! Finally I freaked and called my “boyfriend” and he goes, “oh, it’s that button on the keyboard with the triangle on it.” O_o

Yeah, I have used a more recent one. But also, Macs are insanely more expensive. If you’re not doing a whole lot more than office work and web surfing, it’s sort of a waste of money… unless aesthetics are that important.

Note: I was kidding about the frustration lasting over a decade. sort of

Just for the record, I like Macs and would have one if not for the limited choice in software. Just read some of the shit you Macheads have written about people who prefer PCs. Why the arrogant posturing? No matter how much into Macs you are, you aren’t any better than anybody else. I get tired of the smugness. You love your Mac. I get it. I think the better question would be Why is it that Mac people hate PC people so much?

Okay limited choise in software? What do you do or need? I do allot of stuff on my computer, spreadsheets for school, presentation, graphic designing, visual effects, I make illustrations, beats whatever and have toons of software that meets my needs. If theres something I really really need that wont work I can switch to Windows on my Mac.

how about a nice grammar/spelling program?

Sorry im trying to type fast. Oh and speaking of grammar Mac OS X Corrects my grammar anywhere in the operating system. Pretty neat?

-how about understanding that it is possible to make typos?

@Mr: Sorry, the lack of apostrophes is sort of driving me insane.

Right now I have a PC running XP and a laptop running Vista. Anytime I want certain genealogy software or certain game software or certain multimedia software I never have a problem finding it for my computers. I have no problems with Macs! I happen to like my PCs just fine, as well. I just don’t understand the problem with that. Enjoy your Mac.

Astro, this debate is not as much about saying that windows is bad, as it is about that there is no reason to dislike Macs.

I just want people to express their feelings. I want a big argument. I want to see how people think. Its for amusement. Im not as big of a douche as It sounds.

@Mr: I have to agree with Chuck here. Not about the machines themselves, but about some of the people who use them. If someone is willing to take personal attacks on you and judge you because of the computer you use, that is one damned shallow person that I don’t really want to know. Which sort of includes the company itself, because it did just that in a not-too-distant string of advertising… you know… the commercials with the idiot Windows user and the cool, hip Mac user? No thanks, you condescending asses. [Not you, Mac.]

I personally don’t like the Mac commercials, because I agree with you on that. As much as I like Macs, through this whole debate, I have never ONCE said anything bad about a PC user, only the OS and machine.

Yeah I just wanted to see how Pc users think. I want a huge debate. Im interested so I want people to express their opinions. I really like Pc hardware. Its actually very very good! What HP is doing is quite clever. I think its great that their working on their own operating system. I think its great their starting with touch smart. I just dont like Windows

And neither of you has addressed my issue of cost for the vast majority of people who don’t do super-fancy things with it.

I really like Pc hardware. Its actually very very good! What HP is doing is quite clever. I think its great that their working on their own operating system. I think its great their starting with touch smart. I just dont like Windows

If there were a mass Mac switchover tomorrow, within a week, those Macs would be so inundated with viruses that it would make me laugh like a hyena. Sure, Macs don’t have such a problem with viruses, but there are plenty of nasty viruses for UNIX and they won’t have to work very hard on a Mac, being that they don’t use the same security schemes as full blown UNIX (otherwise they’d get in the way).

The reason I really don’t like Macs is because they are so damned proprietary. If I’m going to spend $1500—$2000 on a computer, I want to be able to upgrade, or add other stuff to it, which isn’t easy to do, not only that, but it’s also a violation of the EULA to do so. That’s another thing…I really don’t like their licensing practices; anyone remember Novell?

How often do you even upgrade your computer physically? How often does anyone?

Anyways you can upgrade. Its actually not to hard on a mac

I use both PC and MACs, the reason I like Macs over PC’s is there are no real issues with viruses, it seems everyone is trying to kill PC’s! It’s the vunerabilities in the Microsoft software

Okay. Before I read all the comments written by everyone else I’ll answer a question or that you asked.

“Like honestly who games on a computer?” I do, I play games from Valve’s service called Steam, which runs on computers only, games like Half Life 2, Garry’s Mod, Counter Strike, Half Life 2 Deathmatch, Team Fortress 2, and then non-steam games like Stalker, Call of Duty 4, Supreme Commander, Sim City 4 Deluxe Edition, Command and Conquer Generals and Command and Conquer 3, Ground Control II, Empire Earth, Empire Earth II, Battlefield 2142, Earth 2160, Earth 2150 and a few others.

World of Warcraft isn’t the only PC game worth getting. Don’t go there, okay?

My computer cost me about £700 and although it doesn’t use the highest quality RAM (as for everything else, my CPU is made by Intel, a defacto make, a manufacturer that Apple uses, so there’s no difference in quality; my PSU is nice, modular, well powered, if not somewhat over powered for my use, bad mistake on my behalf; the motherboard is fine and my HDD’s are just standard HDD’s like everyone else) it runs fine. Smooth, no problems, I run all my games (all the ones mentioned above) at the highest quality. As for the make of my PC, it’s builder is me.

Apple Mac machines are nice computers. I cannot deny that. They are well built, they do use high quality parts, they do run smoothly and they are compatible with a multitude of operating systems, and the cost does reflect that. They are expensive but they do use good parts. But when I don’t have a job, or much of an income, let alone an income enough to pay for an Apple Mac with a decent graphics card, then I will go for a PC because I can modify that as I want. If I want a Mac with a nice graphics card I tend to have to fork out that bit more I don’t have when I can build a PC I’m perfectly happy with for a lower price, even if the parts don’t match up in standards, they work as I want them to, and as someone on a lower budget then most it’s absolutely perfect.

I also love to mess with things like computers. I’m deciding whether to do a degree in electronic engineering if I don’t get the nuclear engineering course I want. A course such as that will go in much more depth into the electronics of things like computers. That is the interest that fuels me into building my own PC, not just buying an off the shelf PC or an off the shelf Mac. Yes, you can upgrade the RAM and the Harddrives, but I don’t want to upgrade, I want to build, from scratch. I was so excited when I got all the seperate parts in their boxes, then fixing them all together, I find that there is more beauty inside my PC then the case and the OS.

As for the compatibility thing, I believe it’s more about the Operating Software itself, not the hardware. Yes Mac’s can run more operating systems but that’s because Apple has got their operating system locked to their computers, Microsoft could lock Windows out from Mac-machine users, but there would be an uproar and a decrease in their market. It’s just a different business model. Back to the OS’ themselves however the Mac OS is less compatible, you have to admit that, you do have to run extra software, or even Windows itself to use some of the software you want (but that’s the same with Linux, you have to run WINE or some other emulator to run Windows software in which there is no possible alternative). The Mac machines may be more compatible but they are just computers and the reason why they are more compatible is because it’s the way Apple works as I mentioned above.

I have nothing against Mac’s or the Mac OS itself. Nothing. They are just different machines and the OS is just different software. So what? My grivence is with what it does to people.

It. Is. A. God. Damn. Computer. Get. Over. It.

It’s not a life style. It’s not a clan. It’s not a difference in personality. It is just another tool. You don’t see car owners arguing over which car is better and such. People just use them as they’re supposed to, not turning them into a life style. I suggest that people just use the things, yes if someone asks for an opinion, please do tell them about how awesome whatever you’re using is, do sell it to them, because that’s why they asked, they wanted to know. But if I didn’t ask, I didn’t want to know. So don’t tell me. If I wanted to know about Mac’s specifically I would ask about them, ask what the plus and minus points of them are and go visit the apple.com website (which by the way, when I tried checking for the UK prices of things gave me an error, it’s back up now). I dislike this elitist attitude that some Mac users have towards PC users. What makes you think that you’re so damn special that we hate your little machines? They’re not special. They’re not magic. They are things. And I couldn’t give two twinkies about them.

On a final, ‘take with a pinch of salt’ note, this page here I find it hilarious, absolutely hilarious.

Disclaimer: even though I am an English native, I am not perfect and I did not spell check this because I’m lazy and so my spelling and grammar will be slightly screwed up in many places. Please forgive me for being imperfect.

Amazing monolog! You said it perfectly!

The thing I hate most about Macs are the fanboys. Reason enough not to give them a try.

From what I’ve heard, though, another would-be dealbreak for me is the lack of control. Apple seems to like having control (e.g. who can make their apps available for the iPhone). All OS X screenshots also look the same, and I’m a serious disbeliever in the one size fits all mantra. A lot of people seem to disagree though, and don’t mind giving away control.

That’s a good question. There aren’t many reasons why Macs should be hated…

The reason people are sosmug is because they believe it’s not just a computer! Of users think completely differently for example a mac user would go “wow my mac is so beautiful, lovely animations when dragung and dropping, there’s a lovely poof when deleting items. Muah! It’s beautiful” then a pc user would go “I can get a dell for 500$! dollars” it’s just Apple is the company with the most loyal users people just fall in love with macs after using it often. Sorry about my speelling I’m on my iPhone trying to type fast.

Oh yes and take a look at the other comments

I’d really like to be there when one of those Macs gets a nasty virus that wipes out its filesystem and slaps that smugness off of that user’s face.

Can I just point out, all the lovely snazzy effects can be quite easily obtained on Linux. Easily. You can find a lot of Youtube videos of users showing off their highly varied Linux desktops (ranging from Ubuntu to Gentoo, from Fedora to Mepis). I don’t think that’s a Mac user trait because as I said, it’s not a life style, it shouldn’t change who you are, it’s just a computer. That is just a human trait. A number of us like things snazzy and beautiful. That’s just how we are! As for whether all the snazzy extras makes Mac OSX better…I don’t know. I don’t really think it matters at all. These things are available on other operating systems. I don’t think it gives Mac users a reason to be smug about. Don’t know about anyone else though :)

And thank you Eambos!

I’ve built a box that was identical to the ‘wonderful’ Mac interface. Thing was…it wasn’t Mac…it was FreeBSD. But the ‘wonderful’ interface really bothers me. I don’t like icons popping boners when I hover my mouse over them.

Hardy Heron with a Compiz desktop it amazing!

i just like pc’s better =]

i own a zune

There’s one area that I prefer Apple products to other companies: Music Players.

Haha, it certainly is (compiz that is…in continuation from Eambos before), and although many of the effects (think, rain on the desktop, paint with fire etc.) are totally useless, others are very handy and I use them daily (like the better Alt+Tab features, and the multiple desktops with the cube, which although is nice visually is very handy to get a quick overview).

And I’m stuck with an iPod to (I say stuck with, not nesscarily in a bad way, just because I buy a lot of music off iTunes because I’m silly like that). Which is annoying, but they are nice media players :)

@jamzzy: Me too. Can’t live without it.

Definitely. iPods are far and away the best digital music (and much more) player out there. Nothing, Zune included, comes close! Still, I don’t feel an air of superiority with my iPod and iPhone.

The only thing I don’t like about my Zune is the poor shuffle feature. But that’s not something iPod has a corner on; I had a Zen Micro and I LOVED it. Now if only they’d had a fully flash version and not a hard drive of the exact same player, I would’ve loved it.

Is seems to me that this is turning into a “All Apple products vs. all Non-Apple products” debate.

Not so much a direct, pure debate as such, more of a broader discussion about the technological world of Apple and it’s ‘contenders’. Off-topic? Possibly. Is it wrong? No, it certainly has some sort of relation to the original topic at hand :)

True. As much as I love Macs, I hate how all the Apple fanboys think everything Steve Jobs touches is perfect. It gets annoying. Very annoying.

I have been using both my whole life.

I prefer macs because I don’t want to hack the heck out of the operating system to change or to fix it.

I would also point how incredible the desktop design in the new towers are. I have not gotten a new pc in a couple years but the mac drives slide in and out like a server. The ram is just as easy to ad.

And finally, in my opinion, what makes people hate either one so much is the same thing that does in politics and religion.

Extremists.

I thank you and good night.

I really learned alot. Pc hardware most of the time much better than Macs (even though most of the time they’re hideous) and Apples Operating system is much more prefered for most people. I guess this should really be turned to a software debate. (Apple vs Microsoft)

You know just because almost everyone has an iPod doesnt mean they’re better. Actually ive seen lots of Mp3s much better than iPods. Its just Apple came up with the solution quicker than the rest, then the iPod population just exploded. RIght now the best iPod is the iPod Touch hands down. I prefer iPods more just because it syncs beautifully with my computer and is soo easy to put media on. Its just Apple got a head start then people started to “go with the flow.” I remember people didnt even know what an MP3 was. Nobody even heard of the competition. Thats what kind of angers me. Just going with the flow.

@poofandmook i like the shuffle its not that bad what dont you like about it

Linux does have fancy animations. More animations than the Mac but its operating system isnt just as good looking as the Macs. The animation and look dont flow together that well. Sure you have allot more customization abilities but with the look of the Mac I feel as if there is no need for a mod. The design team at Apple really have taste.

Repeat: I really learned alot. Pc hardware most of the time much better than Macs (even though most of the time they’re hideous) and Apples Operating system is much more prefered for most people. I guess this should really be turned to a software debate. (Apple vs Microsoft)

@jamzzy: I worked in the lab for a year, and so I had my Zune playing for 8 hours. Every night, I would hear the same couple of songs. Out of 1900 tracks, that shouldn’t happen.

I posted about it in the Social forums, and everyone agreed with me… so it’s not just me.

The only Zune that looks pretty nice is the 80 GB Model. I hate the others. The scroll button or whatever its called looks too big on them.

why is PC hardware better? I reread and missed it. No sarcassm just can’t find that point.

@MrBlogger: There you go, aesthetics. So what if it looks better? The Zune interface is much easier, to me, than the standard iPod.

My little brother has a zune and I have an iPod touch.

His had some very impressive stats.

Functionally I prefer the iPod because I do all my scheduling and everything on a mac so it is that much easier.

Wow that is a lot of replies.

As a Mac user, my main qualm with the hardware is that is costs so friggen much. I had to replace a power cable for my old iBook, and the part cost me just shy of $100 CAD. Stupid. But I can’t afford a new notebook right now, so I bought the cord. The discount that students get is pretty much nothing, too.

I’m not a developer, but as a Hackintosh hobbyist, I’m annoyed that isn’t supposed to be uploaded onto other systems. If you buy the software, you should be able to do what you want with it.

@shadling21 – I saved around £150 with the student discounts. At the time, as I was a student, that felt like quite a healthy saving. Do your research.

Questions like this are easily answered with one word: Hype. At some point the smug advertising of Mac vs PC and the endless ranting of Mac users about the better platform starts to wear thin, and people are actually turned off by it. Which is a shame, because it’s a great platform regardless of the cost of the hardware – and I wonder how many people are missing out on that because some fanboy OMG IT ROXXX’d it to them a little too often.

@ Vincentt – All OS X Screenshots look the same… right…

You don’t actually explain the ‘lack of control’ you mention here. We’re not talking about the App store, in which Apple try and levy some form of quality control bordering on dictatorship. We’re talking about an OS which by the sounds of it you’re incredulously under-qualified to talk about – I am the master of my Mac’s OS and there is no ‘Apple Control’ issues any more than there is Microsoft control issues under XP or Vista. Muddying the discussion with half-truths assumed from another product area probably isn’t going to help…

@benseven – my app store example was an example of how Apple likes to keep control. I’ve experienced the same on my iPod (I can elaborate on that if you like). As I said, my main reason for disliking OS X is not because of experience, but because of the culture around it and because of my experience with Apple.

And yes, Microsoft too has too much control.

I like to have a lot of control over what my desktop looks like, how much panels I have (I don’t like a dock, thankyouverymuch), I like to be able to upgrade whenever I like and use the latest versions of software, or stick with older versions if I want to, and I especially do not want my computer to be suspicious towards me (though that’s more a sneer to Windows Genuine Advantage – don’t know if Apple has something like that).

Oh, and I’d like to be able to use the hardware I want.

Apple’s had a WGA type thing since I believe OS X.0, not that it keeps you from updating or anything. It really wouldn’t be that hard to port the Aqua theme to UNIX/Linux because OS X is pretty much UNIX with a pretty theme.

Vincent brought me back to the TPM thing when he mentioned control. That’s the really bad thing about TPM, is you’re relinquishing too much control to software companies aside from Apple and Microsoft. You leave your system (and documents) open to the corporate wills of those companies. If you have a document that admonishes Adobe for certain wrongdoings, Adobe can come in and delete that document when they want. TPM may be ‘more secure’, but it opens a really big hardware security hole.

I like to have a lot of control over what my desktop looks like, how much panels I have (I don’t like a dock, thankyouverymuch), I like to be able to upgrade whenever I like and use the latest versions of software, or stick with older versions if I want to

I can do all of these things and more within OS X. I don’t use a dock. I can use the latest versions of software, or if I feel the need one of the many alternatives (before we get into app availability debates).

So my point still stands about slating an OS you have little or no experience with, simply because of the hype that surrounds it. That’s called ignorance.

The App Store I honestly don’t blame Apple for. If I retained control of the hardware allowed to be compatible with my OS, I would then want to meter other’s contributions to maintain a high level of quality because it’s my reputation as well as theirs that gets sullied when things go wrong.

As far as using the hardware you want, I’m sure you’ll make a much more informed choice than a team of professional computer engineers in one of the world’s finest industrial design departments. </sarcasm>

@benseven – I’d like to see a screenshot of your setup :)

And I’ve openly said it’s ignorance. I’m not using it because of the culture that surrounds it, and because of Apple’s reputation. I’ve themed my computer exactly like OS X (and Vista, for that matter) – I’ve never seen OS X themed exactly like my computer, and I seriously doubt it’s possible (though I might reconsider if I could see your customized setup).

I’m not saying I’m blaming Apple for the App Store, I’m just saying that’s a reason for me not to use it. I don’t give a damn about Apple’s reputation, I want to be able to decide what “high quality” means. Just because I can understand Apple’s motivation doesn’t mean I need to put up with it.

And as for the hardware: ehm, yeah, definitely. That “team of professional computer engineers” doesn’t take into account my personal preferences. Like that it needs to be cheap. And that I (or someone else I trust or pay) can mess with it. That I like the looks of it. “One size fits all” just doesn’t make it for me.

Actually. In regards to your sarcastic comment benseven I believe that I personally can make a more informed choice of the hardware I want then a team of professionals who I will never speak to on the other side of the world, as I know what I want in my computer. Yes, they do have the financial backing and the knowledge to build top quality computers that can be modified to a certain degree through the Apple website, but the hardware they choose has been selected to fit a wide variety of people. Whereas my computer is one of a kind, and one that I am proud of personally and wouldn’t swap for a Mac if I had the choice. I enjoyed selecting every part to go into my computer. I enjoyed piecing them together. And I enjoy seeing them run together. That is what I enjoy. No matter how much they paid the highly trained professionals at Apple Inc.

@Skyrail, etc.: That’s a really good point-a lot of Apple/Mac followers go to them for exactly that reason-they do a great job of configuring systems to meet a variety of needs, and specific uses. For those used to having “control” over building their own system, using Windows (which leaves more options open for them) is the answer; for Mac users, ease-of-use, simplicity, and “it just works” out of the box factor are the key selling points.

Neither purpose invalidates the other; the cheerleading falling on deaf ears is what often creates the problem and the perpetuation of the myths. I say, whatever works for you is what works for you…no need to hate on the other side because they’re happy with what they’ve got.

@Vincentt: regarding the control factor with the iPhone-that is a condition of the partnership with AT&T, as they initially reasoned with Apple that if they were going to subsidize development on the iPhone platform (and work with Apple to let Apple port their OS to that phone), then it would be supported only on the condition that certain baseline securities were in place that would not compromise their network (AT&T’s mobile data network). This included a secure OS, as well as any future enhancements undergoing a rigorous security process/evaluation. This is why it’s so restrictive to develop apps for the App Store, not because of the perception of [Apple] having an ego or Jobs not wanting to relinquish control.

And yes, Apple does have certain motivations to keeping a certain amount of control over their products-that they care about operability in their “end-to-end” solutions is clearly their right, and the reason why their quality remains high in both software and hardware. It’s clear Microsoft is not in the hardware business (quoted prior to the XBox era), but Apple has always prided itself on being a true “end-to-end” solution; that doesn’t come without some sort of control factor…you either need to like it or lump it, or not buy it…then put the issue to rest rather than making it a stump speech.

“I say, whatever works for you is what works for you…no need to hate on the other side because they’re happy with what they’ve got.”

I like the first part of that, certainly very fitting in this digital age where there is so much variation and difference. As for the last part I understand entirely to. But I just wished that those who are very happy with what they’ve got wouldn’t push that on to the others so much because it invalidates the first part of your statement. “Whatever works for you is what works for you”, although it may work for others, that is the key word, ‘may’, it won’t always.

It is nice to see such a flourishing digital world, with so many improvements and extras. I will move with them at my own pace though and enjoy what I want to enjoy. Not try and enjoy what others do enjoy. Because that isn’t necessarily what I enjoy. Right?

Right…I’m tired of people jumping to the conclusion that I’m trying to recruit them to the Mac, honestly, I just say, let it be. I’m just tired of people saying stuff like

“I’d really like to be there when one of those Macs gets a nasty virus that wipes out its filesystem and slaps that smugness off of that user’s face.”

Get a grip-hasn’t happened yet, and frankly with Apple’s relatively low market share, the Mac OS is not a “worthwhile” target to most of the criminals/hackers out there…

It’s all just getting so old-especially when die-hard Win users can get the exact same OS experience by running their OS on a Mac (boot camp), but alas, most don’t, to avoid that very problem that the quote indicated.

It is what it is.

> you either need to like it or lump it, or not buy it…
> then put the issue to rest rather than making it a stump speech.

Exactly. I don’t like it. I don’t keep on mentioning it – the question was why people don’t like it, and I answered.

And when Skyrail mentioned that he “just wished that those who are very happy with what they’ve got wouldn’t push that on to the others so much” (which I agree with), he didn’t specifically mention you, just people who do do that (and there are plenty).

Oh. I wasn’t specifically picking on anyone here at all, or even en-compassing you, sndfreQ, into that ‘group’ that I seemed to refer to. It was just a statement, a general statement in lieu with the discussion at hand. It didn’t even cross my mind about anyone trying to ‘recruit me to become a Mac user’, please, accept my apologies if I came across that way at all, it was entirely unintentional :)

I still feel that the only way you can start to bring “hate” into it is when you get personal and fanatical about it. Other than that it is preference.

As everyone has stated here we each prize different things at different levels. Enjoy what works for you and there you go.

@benseven – Regarding educational pricing, I’ve done my research. If you paid in pounds, then you’re from the U.K. Apparently prices there are 16–48% more expensive than the US?

Here in Canada, if I buy a MacBook, I’ll save $100. I don’t consider that a healthy enough saving. Granted, they currently have a promotion on where you get a free iPod… I suppose you could sell that and get some more money. But that deal wasn’t on when I was computer shopping in the spring.

Sorry if it was mistaken, I may have come off as attacking folks…I was just trying to make the point (poorly), to “let the issue rest” and concur with the conclusion that it’s a matter of personal preference, and that fanboi-ism is detested on both sides :)

I’m not a die-hard windows person…I’m a UNIX administrator. I use windows because the stuff I use regularly hasn’t yet been ported.

Does anyone think Apple will rule the touch screen computers if they create one? I mean touch screen phones haven’t even mastered it yet. When i use the iPhone the scrolling is soo smooth. Its amazingly responsive and almost never laggs were touch screen phones and even tablets still do when trying to scroll or flick. Its just not as smooth and responsive as the iPhone. So hearing that the Mac will have a touchscreen soon what do you people think about that? Apple will probably change the way we think of tablet computing. Don’t you think?

I just realized. This is kind of funny. Most Mac users are actually proud to be fanboys. Mac users are really passionate about thier computer eh? Haha. When a Windows fanboy is asked he usually denies it. Why is that?

I like my mac and what I enjoy about it.

I don’t care for the way the fanboys act on either side actually.

I think, in seeing how Apple have handled technology in their current products, that Apple will create a well built, quality product, because that is Apple. They are known for well built, if not somewhat costly, products. They have the upper hand on the phone market with the touch screen (so you say, this entirely based on what you have said) and I believe they will not overlook the touch screen market with notebooks. This is Apple. It can not be denied.

I did write a longish paragraph about some mumble jumble about fans. But I gave up after realising that I was just rambling a lot

I’m not a fan boy, so I couldn’t answer that, and if Windows fan boys deny that they are fan boys I doubt you’ll get a straight answer from them ;)

Yeah you might be right but it does seem like a great strategy! First they introduce the iPhone. Now people know Apple for their great quality touchscreen. Now don’t you think maybe there’s a chance that if they introduce a touch screen Mac it will bring allot of people to Apple from Pcs? I think it might actually work.

I don’t think it will make people think ‘hmm, maybe I should switch to an Apple Mac now’. I do think however that if you are looking at getting a touch screen laptop, and quality is something you are looking for then you will seriously consider getting a Mac with that feature (if a product as such does get sold), especially if it does turn out to be a well built product with good reviews, because at the moment I don’t think there are a great number of well built, large market, touch screen laptops or computers. I do think though, as it is a niche market, it is something that Apple can get a grip on, and I do believe that if they market it well and design it correctly that they will have a product that appeals to those people, more so then the non-Apple equivalents.

Yeah. I hope it does go to the market. Apple is right now looking into touch screen computers. I hope they do it right.

I’m sure if the market is out there Apple will do its research and will be successful. This is Apple we’re talking about, a company with billions of dollars of turn over in revenue, and a secure foothold in the general computer market (they say Windows is way ahead, but Apple does have a meaty share). Things will always have their downsides and problems, as the iPhone did (and still does); but they are small, and will be ironed out over time and I think Apple will do a fine job, whatever they do :)

I’m going to sleep now, back to school in the morning. And all this has been from purely a neutral standpoint, even though I’ve not got a Mac myself, I’m only judging from the market, the products, it’s user base and from what I’ve seen and heard.

@MrBlogger – fanboy has a negative connotation. It means that you are enthusiastic without reasoning, will embrace everything <in this case Apple> produces, even if it were to suck greatly (i.e. if Apple’d release Microsoft’s Bob as its own product you’d love it).

I’ve hardly never met Windows fanboys though. Most Windows users put up with it.

Okay im not like that. The whole point of this was to see what people think and to learn. You should see some of my other comments. Ive actually learned the Pc hardware is allot better than macs. You can get a much reasonable price for good hardware. Its just the software. When I used windows I never liked it. I hated it then when I first picked up a Mac I was like this is what I will use the rest of my life. Im able to reason with. Its just with Apple its very hard. People who like a company this much is very rare. Why is it only Apple people love this much? You should see what people do.

I guess I should say big fan instead of fanboy. I guess its better to say it like that.

Haven’t people even noticed Mac users have switched from Pcs?!

Mac users have also switched to PC. I don’t need a Mac. It doesn’t do anythhing that my UNIX machine won’t do, so why spend that much money when I can get better hardware and a free OS for a fraction of the price?

Yes but very very little have switched back to Pcs. Your right but Apple really does make the best operating system. I dont know what else to say. Just use one for a week or so. If you have enough money go with a Mac. If you dont go with a Pc. If you buy a Mac it’s literally getting both. (Mac and Pc)

I have used a Mac, and it’s UNIX with a pretty interface.

Hmm well then I guess its not for you. I just prefer Mac more. I have both.

It seems as though you’ve not used UNIX outside of your Mac, then.

@MrBlogger – but if you call it big fan then Windows fans won’t mind being called that ;-)

I’ve wondered the same as you though: how can people be such fan of a for-profit company? I haven’t found the answer yet though…

Also, Apple can’t make the “best” operating system, since “best” is subjective. Plus, you (me neither) haven’t even tried all operating systems, so you can’t compare.

Well I havnt tried all so right now i’m just comparing Windows to Macs. It really is amazing though how people can fall in love with a company. Apple is sort of a company who cares about the little details were other companies dont. Apple also cares about how it looks and that really does matter because it gives you a sense and feel of how it will work and it just makes you feel good. This is why I really admire Steve Jobs and Apple.

@MrBlogger – It is more than looks. The latest desk top is a breeze to install drives and ram as I indicated before.

I have not bought a desktop PC for a while, have they improved the incredibly pain in the but way everything was to install?

Macs are fine, as most computers, until they break.

@MrBlogger – ah, you’re just comparing with Windows, that explains… :P

Seriously though, even though they pay attention to the little things in their products, that’s no reason to admire them?

The people who’ve created my OS perhaps don’t care about the little things as much (or at least, don’t have as much time/manpower to spend on it), but they do care about me, the user, not about my money. And if I were to prefer another operating system, that’s fine with them too.

And if I were to prefer another operating system, that’s fine with them too.

Is that supposed to make them sound better than Apple? Because last time I check I could run any OS I like on an Apple machine too. If you’re going to make a point, at least have a point to make!

@benseven – you can run any other OS, but Apple doesn’t like it. Just as it doesn’t like me running another operating system on my iPod.

In the end, Apple’s goal is not to provide me with a pleasant computing experience, but to get hold of as much of my money as possible.

You can run any other OS, but don’t you need bootcamp to do it?

This fighting is so foolish. I have both. :)

I have gone from wanting a mac to hating apple more than any other company. I can not stand their annoying advertisements, and I hate using the mac os ( I have used it for the last year, daily). I’d much rather spend 1k and get a great PC rather than a basic, lowest tier mac.

Hmm I love the Mac OS. It makes me want to lick the screen. I hope that’s not too strange

Most Mac haters I know are really PC savvy, and therein lies the crux. I used to be the most serious PC guy in my work environment. Slow internet? Check MaxMTU, is your RWIN okay? Slow HD, lets defrag, nono, not onboard, Diskeeper is the way to go, and so on and so forth.

Being knowledgeable was a constant source of pride and a feeling of superiority, the honing of my PC skills paid back manyfold in respect and an aura of reverence…...wink….lol

Then comes along this stupid piece of snassy looking aluminum, doing AAAAAALLLLL the things that used to give me opportunity to demonstrate the hard-earned prowess

HORRIBLE

No more asking me why that USB drive won’t boot, no more routers not working on a regular basis, no more freezes because 15 windows were open.

I BECAME useless….sniffle

Now Betty over there is able to install hardware herself, John on the other side is playing Counterstrike with less machine-side lag than I’ve ever seen…GRRRRRRRR

Lets face it, if you’re like me you gotta hate Macs. These darn stupid things just run and even dare to look good on top. Loooooong years of learning about why some games need a 512MB card, and my oh so cool blue-lit CPU water-cooling all became obsolete with a simple: “Hi I’m a Mac” lol.

One hope, nag about not being able to upgrade or modify. Ah dang I forgot, like most people do, there’s the Mac Pro line. Pricey? Indeed! But modifiable up the wazoo making ever Alienware Pro Gamer machine look like…...well…...a PC.

Most Mac haters forget one thing, they started it, with constant uninformed statements about what Macs allegedly can’t do, when in fact they do everything and better, those peeps just don’t know how. This is what led many Mac users to an attitude of mild pity towards those that simply can’t accept that it is the far superior platform.

This attitude towards PC users combined with all their hard-achieved knowledge and savviness being put in question makes them hate Macs.

OK, I’ve used Macs now (at my university), and I gotta say: I hate them. I’m going to write an article on them once, but there’s one, huge nagging issue right now: how can I cut files in the Finder?

And don’t come up with lame reasons like “cutting might be dangerous” like I’ve read on some forum (dare thee criticize Apple?) – dragging in Expose is not an alternative. I can learn to use other shortcuts (i.e. Apple+X instead of Ctrl+X), but they do need to exist.

cut copy paste are the same as PC with the Apple key replacing CTRL…...

PS

Sorry that was dumb on my part, CUT only works in text, not with files, my bad

@ vincentt – could you tell me how you do it on a pc. I may have been missing out all these years.

@bri L select the file and hit Ctrl+X or right click on the file and select cut in the mneu

@Bri_L – this might vary with the software you’re using on your PC, but with most OS’es (e.g. Ubuntu, Windows, ...) you can right-click a file and select Cut, select it and press Ctrl+X, or (for some items in applications that have an Edit menu) open Edit and select Cut. You then navigate to the place you want the file to be moved, and do the same but replace Edit by Paste or Ctrl+X by Ctrl+V.

Very handy indeed if you prefer working with the keyboard.

@Uber and Vinc – thanks guys – sorry for the late reply – I was out sick for 3 days.

Wait. The big fuss is about being able to Cut and Paste? Thats basically just moving a file. Why not drag? Or Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V to copy and paste.

it is a pretty neat thing to do

@PIXEL – not the big fuss about why I hate Macs so much, but more a very big annoyance for which I had hoped there would’ve been a quick solution. Ican copy and paste but then I have to go back to the original folder to delete the file again – I’ve been doing that now but it’s terribly annoying. And draggin’s a hassle too. I just prefer using the keyboard and “why not use something else?” is not a solution. I know it’s moving a file, but it’s an easy way. I like easy.

vincentt – it appears you can copy a file but not a folder on a mac.
kinda silly

@Vincentt I guess it’s a tiny bit annoying but I don’t really mind dragging at all.

@Bri_L Yes you can copy a folder. Well on Leopard you can. Don’t know about Tiger.

@Pixel – your right just not on the desktop sorry

@Bri_L Yes you can copy a folder anywhere.

Your right I don’t know what the hell I was doing.

Macs are fine if you just want to ‘do stuff’. I like to tweak my system to the Nth, and a lot of stuff that I do you need to be logged in as god to do them. Who knows the god password outside of Apple?

I may have mentioned this here, or in another post, but the claims of Mac being immune to viruses is just plain false. Yes, most viruses are written for Windows, but there are quite a few out there written for UNIX(-like) OSes. Most of those viruses make the Windows viruses look like kids playing at recess, and the beauty of it is that you don’t even need to know how to program to do it, as a simple shell script can do the job.

But the main reason I dislike Mac is the default user privileges. They’re too lax, and one of the aforementioned viruses can execute as a root user and wreak havoc on the system.

@winblowzxp – I keep telling my buddy that. I don’t want to tweak the hell out of it. I am an application nut job. I love them. I just want my system os wot work.

Theres a thing I hate about macs: you can’t build one yourself. I mean, you could build a Hackintosh, but why would you want to deal with an untweakable OS if you configured the whole computer yourself? I like a computer where I can change or replace every part, and tweak the OS to almost no end.

And the stupid mac UI pisses me off

@ eambos – I think that is just what differentiates users. I don’t want to do that to the extent you do. I have butler, and have changed my dock to a reflective piece of cheese and such. But I am not that big into buying it to tweak it. I want it as a tool.

Also, as far as the machine I think your right, but the OS is very tweakable with lots of clean options for doing so. I f’ing hate tweaking Windows.

I guess it is like cars. Some want them to keep their asses off the road at 55mph and some want to play.

It’s the price that does it for me. You can find a new basic pc cheap or a real nice one cheap on Ebay.

I actually think that PCs are better than Macs, but that the Mac OS is better than Windows.

In certain ways OSX can be better, but in others, Windows rules.

I don’t feel like getting into details once again.

Well said Eambos

I love PCs and Macs but I understand why most Mac users act like it’s some new spiritual finding and that they are now closer to jesus now that they use a Mac.

Quite frankly and I know this wrong and horrible of me but I think most people that glorify their Mac just don’t know how to use a computer in general. (this excludes you if you’re an educated consumer)

and this never gets old to me :
http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=macs_cant

Maddox never gets old :)

What are you talking about? Macs are total pieces of crap. They cant do anything and when they do it either freezes or crashes. If all your going to do on a computer is look at spread sheets and word documents just use Google docs. Since its internet it works on everything. Besides whats so great about the hardware on a Mac. Hell even a PSP can do more than a Ipod. Also the reason why Mac users don’t like Vista is because they cant comprehend how wonderful it is. Getting Vista for my computer was the second greatest thing I ever did technology wise. The other was getting an Android phone. If you try to change the OS of a mac its just plain doesn’t work. Where as with a PC you can get pretty much anything by either dual booting or just plain old changing. The only good thing I see about a Mac is that its written in bash.

@tinyvamp- that was funny. I have never seen it. Although it was moronic and counter to his point to point out that a piece of Apple Software that never crashes on a Mac doesn’t work on a PC.

@Bugabear – I have not had any of my 3 macs crash in 4 years. I can install pretty much any thing I want on a mac through a couple methods. I have to say if your having that kind of problem you might be doing something wrong.

And I would add that I like Mac and PC. I am not a fan of Windows Operating system but am very psyched about Windows 7 having tested it.

Written in Bash? xD

What is Bash?

See Wikipedia. Yeah, that’s not of much help but I only understand the basics of it either. Enough to understand that it’s funny to suggest OS X was written in it (though I suppose @Bugabear meant that it is the default shell, but, like the rest of the quip, it’s not really a good argument for anything).

Well to ‘be honest I only used a Mac in my school days because it was “the latests greatest”. And When I say its written in bash thats just what my friends say when they’re raving about how good a Mac is. And I suppose IF you really know your computers then a Mac would be good but I just prefer my Vista. But the Ipod touch and Iphone. Those are @#$%. An android phone could kick it’s @$$ any day. People just like them because they look cool. The only reason I bought a Ipod touch was because my friend was going to throw it out anyways. And I just hate to see technology go to waste. Granted it is the first gen but what really got to me was the constant freezing. The second gen seems to be much better thoug.

A lack of understanding is my guess.

Not everyone can have good taste.

I mean, it was determined there was a market for this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontiac_Aztek