At a time when I am having continuing glitches with my Sony Vaio Desktop (purchased around 2005), I'm trying to wrestle with the perplexing question: Should my next computer be a PC or a Mac?

Many of us have experienced problems at some time or another with our PCs running on XP; not to mention the headaches we encountered after purchasing a Vista upgrade (Ouch!).

Right now I'm looking to purchase a top name laptop computer (under a $900). Mac owners (such as Grahame Edwards) that I have talked with are usually content with their Macs. And besides, Mac computers have programs geared towards graphic artists and photographers.

In a vain effort to fix my current PC, a technician from GEEKSQUAD is coming over next week to fix my 'puter. I can expect the bill to start at $129. Ouch!

Rather than dump money into my current PC (plus the likely cost to upgrade to Windows 7), I probably should buy just buy a new laptop wtih Windows 7 already loaded. Early reviews say it looks good; that it doesn't have the glitches everyone experienced with Vista. Right now I just want something that will be dependable for the next couple of years.

Busted, I just got myself a PC laptop with Vista.. Not one problem yet. A free Windows 7 came with it but I am not going to bother with it. May be a mistake but if it ain't broke I don't fix it. And it might have bugs in it and I don't need that...

However, if you talk to Mac users, you cannot convince them that there is anything else. I know about 7 or 8 and they swear by Macs.. One thing is, they don't have viruses I heard. My daughter LOVES hers. She tried a PC for awhile and went back to Mac..

Another thought.. Four years of use with a laptop sounds pretty good to me. I wonder about the heat that it produces.. I always try and give it plenty of breathing space but still it gets warm.

Anyway, that is my two bits for what it is worth which is probably less than two bits!!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Patsy Elmore,

Hi Busted,

Go with a Mac

I have used a Mac for over ten years and would never change.

Working as a graphic designer and also my work as a music journalist and producing the fanzine I could never see myself changing from Mac to PC.

Peter

Patsy,
Thanks for your comments. I guess it comes down to this: Mac users swear by their machines; PC users swear at their machines.

I couldn't help but notice the laptops and big screen monitors that the news networks feature on their shows. The announcers using just their hands actually pull and drag (and enlarge) the images right on the screen. You can't help but notice the MacIntosh logo.

And as I pursue my interests in digital photography (I might do wedding photography on weekends), I am inclined to think a Mac is better suited to handle the digital photgraphy applications and the internet. Just a thought.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Busted,

Peter,
Is your Mac a laptop or a desktop model? Would you recommend a laptop or a full desktop model (and/or what features should I look for)?

The downside to Macs is the cost.

Two of my kids have them and love them.

Myself and Shannon have PC's; if they break they can be thrown away and replaced easily enough with a new one since prices get cheaper and cheaper.

We do all of our writing and photo work on PC's. The entire JohnnyCash.Com site was designed and is run on a PC system.

It's almost like the argument between Canon and Nikon in the camera world; you'll find diehards who swear by both!

Hi Busted,

I currently use an imac and am very happy with it. There will be for and against with both PC and Mac and it is down to personal preference.

I am biased but to me the Windows environment will never compete with the Mac operating system.

Bill is right about the costs. Macs have, and always will be, more expensive but for design work and music they can't be beaten. I have worked in various recording studios over the past ten years and you will never see a PC, they all seem to use Macs.

As I say, it is personal choice so you have to go with what you feel with best suit the work you want to do.

Peter

Thank you Bill and Peter for your input. Your comments on comparing the advantages/disadvantages of the Mac vs. PC are no doubt based on years of real experience.

My next step will be to the computer stores to make a 'hands-on' comparison (ask questions and compare costs). It should be interesing. I'll provide my findings in a day or two. For now I'm leaning towards the Mac.

Toughbook,it got Windows.It is expensive but you can do this:
Pour beer in it,drive a car over it,use it in direct sunlight,use it in the desert.It is used by the military.

Once you go Mac, you never go back.

(Just one bloke's opinion, Tom. Don't take my word for it. Do your homework with your usage in mind, mate.)

Folks are quite correct when they say that all computers do the job, in much the same way as whether you drive a Rolls Royce or a Ford Edsell, you'll still get to your destination (mostly). (Oh, and folks, I'm not saying one computer platform is the Roller and the other is the Edsell.) The question is, "What will the ride be like?" The reasons I favor Mac include:

very little maintenance or tinkering required (eg: defragging, optimizing hard drives etc). I just switch on, do what I want or need to do, switch off and get on with my life. A call to a tech or a consultation of a help file is a very rare event.

100% compatibility (ie: who makes the computers makes the operating system and the software and it all works together nicely with no hissy fits),

less hassles and downtime (It is extremely rare in my experience of computing since the early 1980s for me to experience computer hassles on my Macs. Obviously, it's not unheard of, just very rare. This has not been my experience of the PCs I have had to use with my work.)

No extremely great price differential. (Sure I can buy PCs much cheaper, but I usually get what I paid for in terms of the quality of the parts. "Now, just how 'compatible' was that video card supposed to be?" By the time I have the PC tooled up for the job, I find the price difference to be a lot smaller than most people assume.)

ease of use (Maybe it's just a question of familiarity, but after around 25 years of using both platforms, I find that Apple products have an ease of use and a simplicity that suits me.)

Having said all that, I'll guarantee that for every person who says what I say, there'll be ten who say I'm a boofhead. I don't know why it is, but once upon a time in polite society you avoided references to sex, politics and religion but now, if you want to be dragged out of the room and stoned to death, just try saying you like Mac. Folks cross the street to slap you and tell you PCs are better. I don't mind. I'm happy for them that they're happy with their choice. I know both platforms will do the job and, for almost a quarter of a century, I've used both. I know which one I'll keep buying.

Have a great day, mate and don't be a stranger!! Whatever computer you buy, make my day and shoot me an email, eh?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Grahame Edwards,

Your mate in The Land Down Under,

Grahame.

Carpé diem "y'all"!

edwards.grahame@gmail.com


______________________________________________________
"But I'll try to carry off a little darkness on my back,
Till things are brighter I'm THE MAN IN BLACK."
______________________________________________________
SUPPORT JOHNNY CASH RADIO www.johnnycashradio.com.
BECOME A REGULAR DONOR AND
BUY FROM THE GENERAL STORE www.johnnycashstore.com.

Graham I agree 1000% with you! I love my Mac and this is the first one I have ever purchased. I have always been a PC user and I still am with my work - but the ease of use with the Mac is incredible!!

Also, I purchased a refurbished MacBook Pro, therefore it is a bit cheaper and there is NOTHING wrong with my computer! It is beautiful! And they say that refurbished can be better than new because of all the test they put the refurbished computer through.

My thoughts - go with a Mac, you will NOT be disappointed!

Tammy

I saw this posted about Kris Kristofferson on a Hank Snow topic.

Yes, June, and his sons name was Jimmie RODGERS Snow, if I spelled that right. Quite unusual and meaningful, I think.
It was during a service in his church in Hendersonville when Kris Kristofferson was overwhelmed by everything and wrote "Why me" right after the service. It became his first # 1 hit.

Maybe Kris could honor us with a version to cover PC owners and their problems: Why my PC, Lord?"