Once Apple gets faster CPU speeds, will you be interested?

[mrtristan]

Price is the main reason keeping me from buying a mac again. I've used both macs and pcs from when they were "born," and always preferred macs. However, I've been using a windows based machine for about four years now and I don't feel comfortable with macs anymore. I'm sure I could jump back into the groove with a little time, but I don't like the idea of shelling out that much money and then having to get used to the system again.

I like the fact that I can customize my pc to anything I want, for cheap. I'm going to build my mom a new box for her birthday. I bought an AMD XP 2000+, motherboard with onboard audio, 512MB of RAM, a cheap ATI 32MB videocard, and a 7,200RPM 40Gig IBM hard drive for $260, with shipping. That is just dirt cheap. Granted it's not the best and the brightest, but that is still just damn cheap.

I don't like the fact that windows based machines can be compatability nightmares, due to the tremendous amount of third party developers. It's easy for one part to screw up the whole system. The balance for being able to buy any part at any time, I suppose.

As for macs, they are just smooth, smooth, smooth. I used my wife's 333Mhz ibook for a few weeks, when I was waiting for a replacement motherboard. Although it was in Japanese, I didn't have much trouble browsing the internet and accessing my mail through the web. Although it was a bit slower than I'm used to, it didn't crash when it became bogged down.

I don't worry much about software availability/compatability, because I know I'll eventually be able to find replacements for what I use on the pc. I just don't want to invest the time finding them and learning how to use them. PC's may have a ton of software to choose from, but a lot of it is crap.

[ktnwin]

No way I am going to use a Mac. I have used them on two occasions, due to my work place requirements.
The user interface sucks. Windows use 4-th generation user interface. Right click on an object and it will show you what you can do with it. With the MAC, it's on the top bar.
Personally, I like the blue screen (never seen that with Windows 2K) better than the bomb
On one occasion, I used the iMac to edit DV video, the iMovie software is crude, it renders transitions, overlay text right on top of your original AVI file , that means it's slow and you lost the ogirinal. Can't go back unless you recapture again.
Peripherals are expensive and software... the list goes on.
That's what I think about a MAC. Sorry..... folks.

[The village idiot]

I'm going to through in a curve ball here.

If you want to run something close to OSX on your x86 box, you might be able to do that. You can get the core of OSX, called Darwin, from apple. For FREE. It is really just a flavor of free BSD. Unfortunitely, it will not run the Mac binaries directly. You can also get Gnu Darwin from the Gnu foundation. At any rate, it is great to have a manufacturer supporting unix again. One of the best things to happen to computing in a long time. Free BSD has recently made a complete number change to their OS. That means significant developement. Some of that came as a result of Apple's involvement.

I really wish Apple would continue developement on the x86 version. If they made it compatible with the Mac binaries, then they would really have something, and I would run it! I have a feeling that there is an unwritten agreement with MS not to produce an OS for the other companies machines. That is the only thing that would stop MS from porting winderz over to the Mac. Too bad, we as consumers might be losing something with that deal.

[tgpo]

Right click on an object and it will show you what you can do with it. With the MAC, it's on the top bar.

I right click on a file and it tells me what I can do with it. Under OS 9 and OS X. SO I'm not sure what you are trying to point out here.

Personally, I like the blue screen (never seen that with Windows 2K) better than the bomb

Was this under OS 9? I don't think that OS X has the bomb, I've never seen it under OS X :P

overlay text right on top of your original AVI file , that means it's slow and you lost the ogirinal. Can't go back unless you recapture again.

Completely untrue. I've had numerous times where I messed something up and had to go back to the original and I didn't recapture. Under the program you can restore clips. Lies are bad.

Peripherals are expensive and software...

What like Firewire Drives? Same as PC. USB Printers? Same as PC. USB Mouse? Same as PC. I'm not believing this argument as of yet. Software? Same as PC. I'm still just not convinced here.

[Faustus]

I agree with TGPO here, the only thing really more expensive about using a mac is well... the mac.

[vitualis]

The peripherals scene is definitely better with Macs now. Most new scanners, printers, etc. if they are USB will work on the Mac as well. However, not so long ago (e.g., I have a fairly new Canon USB scanner) some peripherals would only have drivers for Windows and OS9 and no drivers for OSX.

However, if you have a look, there are TONS of way out peripherals you can get for the PC that often won't have Mac drivers. Sure, they may not be all that useful or common, but the common denominator is that they almost always will have Windows drivers.

Regards.

[Faustus]

Sorta on topic I got this link from a friend who says it came from Slashdot.

http://www.2khappyware.com/order/

Do It Yourself mac kits. Just add drives, ram and video card. Still a little expensive but hey its bound to be cheaper then the real thing.

[The village idiot]

Prices aren't too bad for mac hardware at that site.

[EddyH]

Sounds interesting... crossover peripherals... build your own mac... hey, it's almost like the old days again

So, TGPO, yours is a G3 cube... funny.. that's the only one I've ever really liked the look of. What's the performance really like on the base chip?

Suppose I'd like to try one of those tiny, boxy toasters out (almost total silence! ) esp with OSX and the dual 1.4ghz chips... speed or what? Only experience so far is with iMacs (imac 2s?) and old Performas in the uni Mac Lab running OS Godknowswhat... it's a real culture shock going to them from Win98. Doable, but not pleasant. Even after much practice and experience, the PC wins me back, even if the only exercise carried out on both is simple web browsing. OSX and recent-mac experience has only really come from playing on them in PC world. Sure, it looked pretty, and it wasn't maybe so bad as the older OS's, but X still baffled at my brain quite badly. It just doesn't seem half as intuitive as Windows. And many of the old annoyances are still there - the titlebar meme (it was all good and clever in the early OSs and other GEM clones, when resolution was really restricted - 320x200, 640x256, 512x340-ish - but now it's not so great, having to trek the mouse over miles of screen to reach the file menu...), having to kill programs twice for example.

Time will tell.

[tgpo]

Actually I have a G4 Cube. THere were no CUbes produced with the G3 chip.

[EddyH]

Doh, my bad... and i even had a poster with the thing on, mores the memory hole. G3 was the iMac right?

[tgpo]

Actually there were both G3 and G4 versions of the iMac I do believe.

[Faustus]

Depends, if you have the spaceegg style iMac it was always G3, but the newer style ones we call lamps, have G4s.

[Ducatti20]

I've had 3 macs and 4 pc's. Only reason I moved away from macs was the price and software compatability, although the software is less of an issue now. Of the two systems, the mac was far superior in every aspect. If I could build a mac for the same price as I built my pc for, I wouldn't be using a pc...

[tgpo]

You can build your own mac

[Ducatti20]

The prices are narrowing, but still too much to move back. Consider this, my current computer profile cost me around $700 US without monitor (that's being generous, seems like it was closer to $600). Can I get a comparable Mac for that? With same video, ram, HD and dvd RW? I won't compare CPU's as I have personal beliefs on Mac CPU strength and performance. As soon as Mac can compete with my price tag, you'll have another mac user on this forum tpgo!

[Faustus]

Emac G4 can be purchased with built in 17" monitor for a grand. The only reason I'm not dying for one is I know I'll want to upgrade the video later, and you can't.