Is it worth Switching?


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I think this is covered in one of the software threads here, but I will bring it to light again...

I use Shades which is free. It helps with those hungover moments, migraine headaches, retina burns etc. I too found that the iMac's display was very hard on my eyes at first. This program really helped. Low resource usage and you forget it is there.

SHADES

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I believe the price for Mac OS X Leopard is the same as all Mac OS X releases have been, which is $129 (and is a full version). A lot easier to stomach compared to $250 for an upgrade version of Windows Vista or $400 for Windows Vista Ultimate.

Unless of course you consider that a $250 upgrade option to Windows Vista from Windows XP is actually far cheaper in the long run. In the six years between XP and Vista, there were five Mac OS X releases, and they all cost $129. An XP license cost $199. So... $199+$250=$449, while $129*5=$649. So, really, if you bought every release of Windows and every release of Mac OS X between 2001-07, then Mac OS X really costs more.

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Unless of course you consider that a $250 upgrade option to Windows Vista from Windows XP is actually far cheaper in the long run. In the six years between XP and Vista, there were five Mac OS X releases, and they all cost $129. An XP license cost $199. So... $199+$250=$449, while $129*5=$649. So, really, if you bought every release of Windows and every release of Mac OS X between 2001-07, then Mac OS X really costs more.

US$199 for Windows XP? mate, you must be a lucky person if you can get it for US$199! for those of us outside the US of A - one would be bloody lucky to get it at that price.

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Unless of course you consider that a $250 upgrade option to Windows Vista from Windows XP is actually far cheaper in the long run. In the six years between XP and Vista, there were five Mac OS X releases, and they all cost $129. An XP license cost $199. So... $199+$250=$449, while $129*5=$649. So, really, if you bought every release of Windows and every release of Mac OS X between 2001-07, then Mac OS X really costs more.

A retail copy of Windows XP Professional SP2 on Newegg costs $269.99, so for US customers, $269.99 + $250 = $519.99, and let's not forget that Windows 7 is just around the corner, which is likely to set you back another $250 just for an upgrade version, which doesn't allow you to perform a clean installation and requires that you have a previous version of Windows and a valid product key... so far, you're looking at $769.

With Mac OS X, when you purchase an operating system "upgrade", it is the full version, and you can install it however you like, and there's no silly restrictions. I know a lot of people with older iBooks and PowerBooks who are still using Panther and Tiger without a problem, there really isn't a need to constantly upgrade your Mac to the latest and greatest to enjoy the computer and be productive.

Also, let's not forget the difference in the Windows SKU line-up... right now, there's Windows Vista Home Basic, Windows Vista Home Premium, Windows Vista Business, and Windows Vista Ultimate, all of which carry separate price tags and "upgrade version" pricing as well. It's really a nightmare trying to decide which one is the best choice, and if you want all of the features then you have to purchase Windows Vista Ultimate. With the Mac, there's only one "Mac OS X" so to speak; you get the full experience from the start, there's no missing features, and it only costs $129.

Windows Vista Ultimate (upgrade) retail price: $199.99

Windows Vista Ultimate (full version) retail price: $287.99

Mac OS X 10.5 "Leopard": $129.00

There's no doubt in my mind that Mac OS X offers better value at a lower cost.

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I believe he was refering to how many times you need to pay for an additional software upgrade.. Where as with windows its been being 1 time every 2-4 yrs, but on mac they released 4 updates in 1 yr? I think I am saying it right...

But you can't just compare the price of software.. I mean paying for a Mac is like paying for Nike shoes.. You are paying alot more because of the logo on it, more than what the machine is made of.

But I still want one so bad, hopefully one day I will get one.

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I believe he was refering to how many times you need to pay for an additional software upgrade.. Where as with windows its been being 1 time every 2-4 yrs, but on mac they released 4 updates in 1 yr? I think I am saying it right...

But you can't just compare the price of software.. I mean paying for a Mac is like paying for Nike shoes.. You are paying alot more because of the logo on it, more than what the machine is made of.

But I still want one so bad, hopefully one day I will get one.

Nobody is forcing you to upgrade your operating system, though. Microsoft went through a spot where they didn't release a new upgrade to the market and in a lot of ways that makes the comparison hard, although Windows XP Service Pack 2 brought things up to speed.

As for Apple releasing 4 updates for Mac OS X in one year, I'd like to know where you're getting that from. I believe the average time between major Mac OS X releases (10.x) is about once every 18 months. Minor updates (like 10.5.x) are free, and always have been.

The nice thing about Apple products is that the upgrade cycle is a bit less hectic, there is less of a need to upgrade your operating system with every release and can usually get away with skipping a release here and there depending on what you are doing with the computer and what applications you use. Not only that, but Mac OS X works great even on older hardware, whereas with Windows you will sometimes find yourself needing more RAM, a faster processor, or a faster video card to take advantage of the new features found in a newer release.

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Switched 3 months ago, and I will never look back. It really "just works". That line is overused but is absolutely perfect for describing the Mac experience :)

My favorite feature of all things is Spaces, I use it every single time I turn on my Mac and wouldn't be able to live without it.

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Ok, here's the deal.

I've been a long time Windows User, and I'm honestly a little tired of it. I want a change.

I'm off to Uni in September, and I need a laptop. I want portability etc etc blah blah....the MacBook looks perfect. I'll wait till WWDC is over to see if there are any updates.

Is it worth Switching over? Have you come across any faults or regrets?

All my software I use is pretty much free, or open source (Firefox, VLC etc), so I won't have a problem with that.

I would get whatever hardware will suit you better (You can always install OSX on a HP or Dell and Windows on a Mac) I do have to say that the new Apple Laptop line does look great specs wise but if you hold off you could get a HP or Dell in a month or so with the same specs plus a touch screen (Now if you want that as a option thats up to you if you think you would use something like that)

I hope I made sense lol

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I can tell you this. If you purchase a new Macbook, you will not regret your decision. If you buy a PC notebook, you will always have that regret if you really want a Mac, thats why I buckled up and made the switch.

One of the best decisions I've ever made... its absolutely perfect for a university student.

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Switched 3 months ago, and I will never look back. It really "just works". That line is overused but is absolutely perfect for describing the Mac experience :)

Well said. One of the biggest reasons why I switched over is because my job requires that I do technical support, and I usually wind up supporting all of the PCs in the family as well... I got tired of installing and updating drivers, managing anti-virus programs and trying to keep up with all of the latest spyware threats. Now with a Mac, I don't have to worry about any of it. I can work and play without anything getting in my way.

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Switched 3 months ago, and I will never look back. It really "just works". That line is overused but is absolutely perfect for describing the Mac experience :)

My favorite feature of all things is Spaces, I use it every single time I turn on my Mac and wouldn't be able to live without it.

Couldn't agree more.

Spaces + Expose, and being able to rearrange windows across spaces is incredibly useful.

You can always install OSX on a HP or Dell

You mean OS X86?

Not easily, that's for sure. A lot more trouble than it's worth. There goes the whole "it just works" thing.

It might be fun as a tinkering-project of sorts, but if you're going to choose OS X, best thing to do is the get a Mac.

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Definitely agree with LTD here. I tried installing OSx86 on my HP laptop. Downloaded 6 different versions of it just to get one that would work well with my machine.. And even after that, it's not the smoothest thing in the world.. It takes forever to boot up, my on board keyboard doesn't work unless I plug in a USB keyboard while booting, it doesn't go into sleep mode, and takes forever to shutdown.. It definitely isn't the "Mac experience" that's for sure..

Honestly the more and more I think about it everyday, the more I want to see if someone would buy my Desktop and Laptop, and use the money to buy a Macbook..... As long as I can run windows xp on it, and be able to install games on it, like COD5, etc then I will be fine with that.

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Definitely agree with LTD here. I tried installing OSx86 on my HP laptop. Downloaded 6 different versions of it just to get one that would work well with my machine.. And even after that, it's not the smoothest thing in the world.. It takes forever to boot up, my on board keyboard doesn't work unless I plug in a USB keyboard while booting, it doesn't go into sleep mode, and takes forever to shutdown.. It definitely isn't the "Mac experience" that's for sure..

I actually did the same thing, I tried out OSx86 on an HP Pavilion notebook, and while I got the base operating system working, I had no wireless, no sound, no ethernet, but surprisingly enough the built-in webcam was detected just fine. Couldn't put it to sleep, and it didn't recognize that it was a notebook, so after running on battery for about an hour it would just shut off. However, I liked the interface on the Mac so much and from when I used Mac OS X previously (I used to own a PowerBook G3 "Pismo" a few years ago) that I decided to go out and buy an actual Mac... haven't regretted it for a single minute since then. It really is worth it.

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What about the possibility of doing what I explained in my last post? Is this completely doable?

Honestly the more and more I think about it everyday, the more I want to see if someone would buy my Desktop and Laptop, and use the money to buy a Macbook..... As long as I can run windows xp on it, and be able to install games on it, like COD5, etc then I will be fine with that.
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You can do that. You would need a genuine copy of XP SP2, and I'm not aware of what kind of performance COD5 is going to need.

But a Macbook Pro would do it perfectly, however I'm not sure how well the Macbook would run COD5.

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I would strongly recommend the Linux version of the Acer Aspire One. It boots in seconds, and same for shutdown. its got a very nice interface, check the official website out (its on google) for some more interesting stuff about it.

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I would strongly recommend the Linux version of the Acer Aspire One. It boots in seconds, and same for shutdown. its got a very nice interface, check the official website out (its on google) for some more interesting stuff about it.

I don't think Linpus Linux (which comes installed on the Aspire One) is nearly robust enough for the OP's wants/needs.

Linpus Linux and most (all, actually) Linux distros out there are nowhere near OS X's league. Although I'm sure it's an effective low-cost solution, as are most Linux distros.

And in terms of ultraportables/subnotebooks, I'd say the Macbook Air is top in its class, by far, if you've got the money for it. Though I'd sooner recommend a Macbook due to it being a more economical choice.

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