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I told the wife I would like a new laptop this year. I've had the same Toshiba Satellite for over 6 years and would like to replace it before it bites the dust. I've been a PC guy ever since my dad brought home the very first IBM PC back in 1977 or so. However, they've changed so much that I'm more just a user now and don't mess them like I used to. So, I'm open to Macintosh and I know some of you are Mac people.

I'm curious what the differences are and what I can do with one that I can't do with the other and vis-a-versa. For work, my company relies heavily on MS-Office (Outlook, Word, and Excel). I know MS makes Office for Mac, but are their compatibility issues going back and forth between the two platforms. What about this forum? Haven't some of you guys mentioned that you have difficulty wen using a Mac?

Chrome Book

tbrown wrote:Chrome Book

That's strange. I did a search and find that Google Chrome is also an OS. I thought it was only a search engine. I like using that Chrome. I'll look into this a little more.

Oh, while I've had a laptop for the last 6 years, I've looked at the iMac's and might be interested in going that route. I don't take my laptop out as much as I used to.

A Mac is a toy, a PC is a tool.

Bye now . . .

Chas.

Charles L. Cotton wrote:A Mac is a toy, a PC is a tool.

Bye now . . .

Chas.

Heard that for years/decades.

Might as well just start a Glock vs. 1911 thread.

I am one of the few that uses both platforms on a regular basis and like them both. Converting to MAC can be very frustrating learning a new OS but it is generally intuitive. The biggest differences in my opinion are that my MAC machines ALWAYS work and I spend time doing what I set out to do. My PCs are generally stable but much more at risk of viruses, malware or hacking. If you want a powerful machine that works, integrates flawlessly with other devices, and intelligently handles your music, photos, videos, etc. then MAC is outstanding. You can run Windows 7 on a Mac using various emulators but Parallels works best for me. Can't think of anything you can do on a PC that I can't do on my MAC. I have a 21.5" iMac and my only regret is that I didn't get the 27". Join the revolution and come to the dark side.

The forum actually runs better for me on Safari too.

Charles L. Cotton wrote:A Mac is a toy, a PC is a tool.

Bye now . . .

Chas.

Toy = Fun, Enjoyable, Amusing

Tool= Required for fixing which PC users should be proficient

Hi all! I've been lurking in the shadows here observing for a while, but when I saw this topic, I just had to post.

First, in response to the idea that MACs are less susceptible to malware, that's because Apple is relying on the idea of "security through obscurity." Macs are only a small percentage of the whole market share, so a cracker (malicious hacker or script kiddie) will get his/her biggest bang for the buck by targeting computers running Windows. If you want the best "security through obscurity," go with Linux.

And here is this little gem:
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/ ... 000_winner

And I'll close with some comparisons for you visual-type people:

Certainly are of the potential war and absolutely do not want one. The pros you mentioned are why I'm considering a Mac. I've been lucky for years or all the precautions I've taken have been effective or both.

MagicGlock, do you have any experience with any of the MS Office suite products on your Mac?

E2P989 wrote:First, in response to the idea that MACs are less susceptible to malware, that's because Apple is relying on the idea of "security through obscurity." Macs are only a small percentage of the whole market share, so a cracker (malicious hacker or script kiddie) will get his/her biggest bang for the buck by targeting computers running Windows. If you want the best "security through obscurity," go with Linux.

Thanks for finally jumping in and welcome. Iv'e read these reasons for the apparent increase security level of Macs. However, isn't their OS and basic firewall structure at least a little more difficult to break into?

C-dub wrote:Certainly are of the potential war and absolutely do not want one. The pros you mentioned are why I'm considering a Mac. I've been lucky for years or all the precautions I've taken have been effective or both.

MagicGlock, do you have any experience with any of the MS Office suite products on your Mac?

Since you'll be spending a good chunk of change by purchasing a MAC, you can save some money and earn some street credz by trying either OpenOffice or LibreOffice:
http://www.libreoffice.org/download/?nodetect
http://www.openoffice.org/porting/mac/

C-dub wrote:

E2P989 wrote:First, in response to the idea that MACs are less susceptible to malware, that's because Apple is relying on the idea of "security through obscurity." Macs are only a small percentage of the whole market share, so a cracker (malicious hacker or script kiddie) will get his/her biggest bang for the buck by targeting computers running Windows. If you want the best "security through obscurity," go with Linux.

Thanks for finally jumping in and welcome. Iv'e read these reasons for the apparent increase security level of Macs. However, isn't their OS and basic firewall structure at least a little more difficult to break into?

Unfortunately I cannot answer that question as I am not familiar with that area of expertise. I can just say that a MAC is a computer, and computers follow their programming and hardware limitations. That means, a computer is only as secure as it's designers/developers make it. And we're all humans.

E2P989 wrote:

C-dub wrote:Certainly are of the potential war and absolutely do not want one. The pros you mentioned are why I'm considering a Mac. I've been lucky for years or all the precautions I've taken have been effective or both.

MagicGlock, do you have any experience with any of the MS Office suite products on your Mac?

Since you'll be spending a good chunk of change by purchasing a MAC, you can save some money and earn some street credz by trying either OpenOffice or LibreOffice:
http://www.libreoffice.org/download/?nodetect
http://www.openoffice.org/porting/mac/

Yeah, that's going to be an issue if I stay with a laptop and may be a deal breaker. That's one reason why I'm considering an iMac, probably the 27". It'll cost more than the PC laptop I'd get, but might be worth it in a desktop.

Switched from PC to Mac about 6 months ago. I'll never go back. It was a bit of a learning curve, but now that I'm used to Mac OS, I love it. This is coming from a student-turned-salesman. I use my computer for emailing, Internet research, and paper writing. Did I pay a premium for Apple product? Yeah...I did. But I don't regret it one bit!