[iRob]

I switched from Windows to Mac nearly 5 years ago and haven't looked back. I use my computers for pretty much exactly what you use yours for and performance has been a shit load better - to the point where I haven't even considered buying a Windows product since (though I haven't had chance to try Windows 8 yet).

Apple take a lot of crap from people because their computers are so expensive, and it's true that you could get yourself a seriously high-spec Windows machine for the price. However, the problem I've always had with Windows has nothing to do with the spec. It's Windows itself that's awful. I'd had enough with the crashes, error messages, 'program not responding' errors and nothing happening when you click 'end now', and the general lagginess that Windows gives you after a few months usage. In regards to software - most programs now have a Mac version, and otherwise you're able to use Bootcamp to create a Windows partition and easily switch between the two.

So I'm definitely on the Mac side of this argument. I'm on my second iMac now and never experienced any kind of crash, freeze, lag or anything similar. OSX is incredibly simple and clean to use, boots up/shuts down faster and is overall more pleasant to use than Windows in my opinion. You'll find that iTunes, iWork (Apple's MS Office) and Safari are lightning fast and way more slick. Plus, iCloud and syncing are far quicker on a Mac, so your iPhone and iPad will benefit hugely from it.

There are a bunch of people who are against Apple because of their prices or because they're considered to be style products, and I do understand why. But my family members have laptops and PCs with higher specs than my iMac, but they're still pieces of shit. My brother-in-law has formatted his £800 laptop 4 times this year because it just broke down on him for no apparent reason. And he's totally tech literate, so it's not because he's an idiot.

So yeah.. I'd say get a Mac.

[Mitch]

Bought an iMac last year and haven't looked back. I don't mind Windows (although I don't find the 'IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING IT WON'T EVER BE SLUGGISH' argument very convincing), but I much prefer OSX.

[ominousnimbus]

Originally Posted by Mitch

I don't mind Windows (although I don't find the 'IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING IT WON'T EVER BE SLUGGISH' argument very convincing)

It's basically true, though. I'll concede that reformatting and reinstalling every year or two is optimal, but if you're getting crashes and error messages galore like the guy above you, it's probably either user error or a very crappy/low-end machine. I hear those type of complaints so much (especially when Apple gets brought up), but I've not experienced any of it since WinME. Seriously, I can probably count on one hand the number of crashes and blue screens I've seen since switching to WinXP over a decade ago. Now, my older relatives who indiscriminately click sketchy links and open sketchy executables from chain emails have a different experience, but it takes absolutely minimal care and common sense to avoid problems.

Windows 7 is a great desktop OS, after the decent but flawed Vista. If you do a clean install directly from MS with none of the bloatware and adware that Dell/HP/etc. junk it up with, it's just as snappy and productive as OS X. I'm not saying it's better than OS X (though its software selection certainly is), but it's more than good enough for anyone who won't miss the UNIX roots and doesn't need one of the like 3 OS X exclusives in existence. Sadly, much as with Android, the average user's perception of the OS is severely tainted by the butchering job that device manufacturers love to do.

Buy any decent Windows ultrabook with an SSD and I promise that if you have any complaints, speed and performance won't be one of them.

[Spencer Control]

I own an iPod (80 gig refurb, cost me $100), but that's where I draw the Apple line. Although Macs aren't strictly bad computers, I find PCs way more affordable, customizable, and expansive. In general, I've only found that Macs can be slightly more streamlined (in terms of how the OS operates with the hardware) and superior with artistic endeavors; besides that, if you do it intelligently, you can get an amazing PC, upgrade it all you want, and have a better computer while spending less than for the ridiculously overpriced Macs.

I've had great experiences with Acer laptops, if you want a specific name. Stick to Windows 7, I hear; I haven't used 8 but I understand it's pretty bad for a laptop setup.

[Spencer Control]

Originally Posted by Mitch

Bought an iMac last year and haven't looked back. I don't mind Windows (although I don't find the 'IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING IT WON'T EVER BE SLUGGISH' argument very convincing), but I much prefer OSX.

For XP, I find that it's the hardware tends to be inferior to the software; if you downgraded to XP on a solid computer nowadays, you'll be, from a strict OS standpoint, pretty well set. (Never mind that XP is obviously dated in terms of program compatibility.)

For Vista, I usually say: "It works fine until you do something to mess it up; but if you do that thing, you'll find it's not at all something you expected to mess you up."

For 7 I really haven't had any complaints; I am ruthless with deleting unnecessary files, am generally tech-savvy, and apply common sense (avoid junk files and delete the preset package Windows program, e.g. McAfee, the game client, and so on), and I think if all people did that, they would find Windows a solid OS as well.

[iRob]

See, it's easy for people to say that the reason for people receiving error messages and crashes on Windows is because they are using a low-end machine or it's down to user error, but iMacs are relatively low end machines really and they don't crash or show errors often at all.

Like I said, I have owned and used PCs that are much higher spec than my current iMac and they've given me nothing but problems. So I don't think it's a valid argument to say it's because of low-spec or incompetent computer users. I had my old iMac for 4 years so it was pretty out of date technologically speaking. Still never had a problem.

Another thing Apple haters overlook is that Apple products hold their value extremely well. I paid £999 for my first iMac and sold it for £680 four years later. Then I only had to put £320 to it to get my new one, which is only the price of a really low-end PC/laptop. On the other hand, my dad isn't a massive computer user, but has forked out over £1000 on new laptops in the last 4-5 years because they've gotten shitty so quickly.

[drewinseries]

Originally Posted by colorlesscliche

I have both and because of work and school, I use my Windows PC a whole lot more. In fact, I hardly turn on the Mac.

But if you were thinking of going Mac, they do offer Office software ($$), and software that can run both Mac OS and Windows ($$).

Ive seen you in a lot of the video game threads, do you use PC for games?

[colorlesscliche]

Originally Posted by drewinseries

Ive seen you in a lot of the video game threads, do you use PC for games?

Yeah, but mostly Steam based-downloadable games.

[givemegravity]

I made the switch three years ago. I felt exactly like you feel now about both sides, to be honest. I was having pretty consistent issues with the Windows OS and felt like it was a constant struggle to have it run as it was supposed to. I started with a used MacBook Pro and quickly moved onto an iMac. OSX runs smoothly, hardly any issues or frustration, and it works how it should. I use my computer for the same things you do and it's just a pleasure to use.

[WeltallAY]

I had Windows until about 4 years ago when my then Windows computer decided for the millionth time to open 500 windows and freeze. I punched a hole in that piece of shit, bought an iMac and have never looked back. Seriously, Apple is an excellent company and Mac is highly worth the jump.

[WeltallAY]

Originally Posted by colorlesscliche

Yeah, but mostly Steam based-downloadable games.

That would be one of my few gripes with Macs, even though they are often powerful they still don't have great support with gaming. I prefer consoles but there are occasional computer games I'd like to play. I tried Mac Steam service for The Witcher and it crashes often.

[Scrawns]

a decent amount of people that i know that use macs (40% maybe?) are using bootcamp to run windows anyway. OP's specs aren't really bad, but not exactly great either. if you are on the fence then you should just stay put until a reason comes along that tips the scales one way or the other.

[FuckT41182]

Originally Posted by perceptrons

I'm saying he probably wouldn't like it, not that he's incapable. Of course Ubuntu can do everything he would want it to, but it wouldn't be as simple an experience. iTunes would be a pain, LibreOffice sucks, and gaming isn't as good.

If there's a problem, and there will probably be something, having to jump into the command-line for a non-technical user isn't good. Not everyone has a you or I around to help them, they just want everything to work.

Yeah, I get what you say, but his expactations for his OS don't include gaming, maybe just a bit of it, but I agree that if he does want to play, it would be a real pain in the ass to get it going on Ubuntu. I Tunes would be manageable I presume.

And as I said, if you install it correctly and he won't change his expectations any time soon, Ubuntu can work for him. And then, when he needs to install something new, it is not as hard as you portray it to be. There is Ubuntu SW Center, most things you can do right from there.

And also, you are saying that Windows has absolutely no issues ? No problems will occur ? I switched to Ubuntu because of Windows having too many issues, I spent too much time fixing shit and adjusting it to my needs.

[Cøltøn]

Originally Posted by iRob

I switched from Windows to Mac nearly 5 years ago and haven't looked back. I use my computers for pretty much exactly what you use yours for and performance has been a shit load better - to the point where I haven't even considered buying a Windows product since (though I haven't had chance to try Windows 8 yet).

Apple take a lot of crap from people because their computers are so expensive, and it's true that you could get yourself a seriously high-spec Windows machine for the price. However, the problem I've always had with Windows has nothing to do with the spec. It's Windows itself that's awful. I'd had enough with the crashes, error messages, 'program not responding' errors and nothing happening when you click 'end now', and the general lagginess that Windows gives you after a few months usage. In regards to software - most programs now have a Mac version, and otherwise you're able to use Bootcamp to create a Windows partition and easily switch between the two.

So I'm definitely on the Mac side of this argument. I'm on my second iMac now and never experienced any kind of crash, freeze, lag or anything similar. OSX is incredibly simple and clean to use, boots up/shuts down faster and is overall more pleasant to use than Windows in my opinion. You'll find that iTunes, iWork (Apple's MS Office) and Safari are lightning fast and way more slick. Plus, iCloud and syncing are far quicker on a Mac, so your iPhone and iPad will benefit hugely from it.

There are a bunch of people who are against Apple because of their prices or because they're considered to be style products, and I do understand why. But my family members have laptops and PCs with higher specs than my iMac, but they're still pieces of shit. My brother-in-law has formatted his £800 laptop 4 times this year because it just broke down on him for no apparent reason. And he's totally tech literate, so it's not because he's an idiot.

So yeah.. I'd say get a Mac.

Originally Posted by Mitch

Bought an iMac last year and haven't looked back. I don't mind Windows (although I don't find the 'IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING IT WON'T EVER BE SLUGGISH' argument very convincing), but I much prefer OSX.

Originally Posted by givemegravity

I made the switch three years ago. I felt exactly like you feel now about both sides, to be honest. I was having pretty consistent issues with the Windows OS and felt like it was a constant struggle to have it run as it was supposed to. I started with a used MacBook Pro and quickly moved onto an iMac. OSX runs smoothly, hardly any issues or frustration, and it works how it should. I use my computer for the same things you do and it's just a pleasure to use.

Originally Posted by WeltallAY

I had Windows until about 4 years ago when my then Windows computer decided for the millionth time to open 500 windows and freeze. I punched a hole in that piece of shit, bought an iMac and have never looked back. Seriously, Apple is an excellent company and Mac is highly worth the jump.

I've been looking on the Apple site and a couple more issues I have forgotten to address (I'll edit OP right away) are that I've been looking at the 21.5" iMac and the Mac Mini as these seem to be the most reasonably priced and would suite my needs. However, with my current set up, I've got my laptop hooked up to a 17" Dynex TV that I'm using as a monitor (hooked up via VGA) and it's also hooked up to my 42" LG TV via HDMI.

The iMac doesn't even have an HDMI port (WTF?!) and the Mac Mini has an HDMI port but I don't see how I could hook up dual monitors like I'm using now. I'd honestly rather go with the iMac but the lack of an HDMI port completely kills it for me. I've found an adapter (Thunderbolt to HDMI) online but it only seems to support video with no audio. So if anyone could offer me suggestions in this regard, that would be great.

Just wanna thank everyone again for all the advice and let you know that I've been reading all of it and I'm really taking all points into consideration.

[Regards]

Originally Posted by Cøltøn

I've been a Windows user my whole life but as of late, I've been seriously contemplating making the jump to a Mac. The main thing holding me back is that I don't have a lot of experience with OSX so I'm kind of concerned with making the transition. I've been using an iPhone for the past year and an iPad for the past 9 months and I have to say that I'm quite impressed with how intuitive they are and how little maintenance they require.

What I use my computer for:

- Mainly as a central hub for all of my media (music [iTunes], movies [VLC], documents [Microsoft Word/Evernote], pictures, etc.]
- Downloading and unzipping files [Winzip]
- I have my laptop hooked up to a 17" Dynex TV that I'm using as a monitor (hooked up via VGA) and it's also hooked up to my 42" LG TV via HDMI for
movie watching
- Web browsing (including Netflix) [Mozilla Firefox]
- Accounting - currently just starting out with this (mostly using Excel) but from what I've heard, Macs don't handle accounting software
very well. However, if I got a Mac, I would keep my current laptop and use it for anything my Mac couldn't do
- Very minimal (if any) gaming

Why I'm thinking of switching:

- I've found over the past few years of owning my own PC's, I've been having to upgrade almost every two years and it's been getting
frustrating in that regard - I tend to upgrade because I find my computers get laggier and laggier
- I really like the UI of iOS and how intuitive it is
- I have an iPhone and iPad which I feel would work even better with a Mac (it would essentially complete the ecosystem)
- When I do anything moderately intensive (such as using iTunes before v11 was released), open lots of tabs in Mozilla Firefox, use
certain streaming services (mostly the ones that bands use to stream concerts) my laptop gets super hot (even though I'm using a
cooling mat) and my PC will crash.
- Simple things are starting to make my computer lag out which is pretty frustrating.
- If I stay with Windows I'd be getting Windows 8 most likely, so I'd have to learn a new OS either way

So I have a PC, and my wife has a Mac. Both have their ups and downs - personally I'm a PC person all the way, but here's my 2 cents on the issues.

1) Based on the things you use your computer for, you have no reason to go Mac. PC's do all of that for 100's of dollars cheaper. Also, if you're in accounting, chances are if you get a job somewhere and they have software they require you to use, they'll be PC exclusive.
2) Upgrades. This really depends on the kind of PC that you purchase. A lot of computers these days are well loaded to survive. I purchased a computer 2 years ago and it's still running fantastic, running this year's games, and I paid around $800 for it. If you're feeling adventurous, build your own PC! reddit.com/r/buildapc has a lot of information on how to go about this and you could spend around $600 on a PC that will last you for a long time.
3) You don't have to go with Windows 8, and I personally wouldn't recommend it. Just get Windows 7, no need to learn a new OS.
4) Even though I'm a PC person, I also own an iPhone. I think Apple does tablets and cell phones exceptionally well, but I think if you're not using your Mac for things like Audio/Video/Photo production, they're really not worth it.