About to make the switch...

This might get a bit windy, but oh well. People will survive.
For the last, oh, 12 years, I've been exclusively a Windows user (anything from Windows 95 to Windows XP Pro, and all the Server OSs from NT on up to 2K3), with a smattering of Linux, Unix and Solaris thrown in there. While I am not about to admit that Windows 'crashes all the time' (my experience with Windows XP/2K has been pretty decent, and I've only seen TWO XP installations crash out of literally thousands of PCs I've worked on as a consultant), I am ALSO very aware of the fact that the state of programming and hardware quality has gone downhill in a big hurry. (I.e., 5 years ago it was 'a good idea' to have a virus checker on a PC. Now it is literally REQUIRED.)
I could go on....but I won't. Long story short, while I seriously doubt that every single Mac user has had a rosy experience with their computers, I also know that the three or four Mac owners I know have almost NEVER had hardware problems with their Macs, and software problems only when they do something stupid - and stupidity transcends boundaries.
I'm looking into getting a Mac Mini, probably the basic version because a) I'm not the least bit leery of updating the RAM in the future - I've done it with MANY PCs, and b) this will be used mainly for everyday tasks - burning CDs, storing some music, emailing, surfing the 'Net, writing letters, etc.
What I want to get a good feel of is what to expect when 'switching' from anyone who may have recently 'converted.' Reliability as compared to XP? How does the speed compare to a 'middle of the road' PC? (I use a 1.8GHz Gateway currently with 384MB of memory.)
I'm not so naive as to believe that instantly everything will be 'easier' because making any change takes a bit of getting used to. But I also know that there's a reason many graphics designers and movie designers use Macs.

You are right, I rarely had problems with Apple hardware (have had many).
The mac mini is a good start for you, because it's reliable (according to a macintouch poll). I have had mine since last summer and have been very happy, with one exception. The exception is the lousy DVD burner (or Superdrive in Apple parlance). So you are right to buy the basic version. Add an external DVD burner later if you need it (preferably via FireWire).
The mini is not a fast machine (although adequate for most tasks). Two things are essential for it to feel fast:
1. More RAM. I have 1GB and the difference is enourmous.
2. Proper applications. By this I mean applications that have been carefully optimized for the Mac. A good indicator is the rating an app gets from versiontracker.com. The latest iPhoto is reasonably fast.
Opening the mini is not as hard as somebody says it is. I could manage it.
OS X is generally very stable (on my work computer I get uptimes of 30 days of heavy use with no problems. Try that on an XP machine).
There are rumors that the mini will be revised sometimes "real soon now" to include more multimedia capabilities. Not a real reason to delay a purchase it you think you need it.

Similar Messages

  • About to make the switch internet question

    Hey,
    I am just about to make the switch and get a Mac Pro and I have a question that needs answering. I have two Linksys routers a Wireless-G and a Wireless-N. I need to know if I will be able to use either of these routers with a Mac? What I wanna do is hook the mac up directly to the router (Wired) as the main computer on my network and have all my windows computers hooked up to the router on wireless. I wanna get this figured out before I spend that big of a chunk of money.
    Thanks

    Yes. A router is not platform specific (mac vs
    windows). The only thing you won't be able to do is
    upgrade the router's firmware, which requires a
    windows machine.
    You most certainly can upgrade the LinkSys firmware from OS X. It doesn't work with Safari, but you can use Firefox, SeaMonkey, or Netscape (possibly others, though I have not tried it with any others).
    Mac Pro 2.66, 3 GB RAM   Mac OS X (10.4.7)  

  • About to make the switch monitor question

    Hey,
    I am about to make the switch and get a Mac Pro and I have a question I need answered. Will I be able to use any LCD monitor with the Mac Pro? I need to figure this out because I think the Apple monitors are a bit out of my price range at this point in time.
    Thanks

    Which LCD are you talking about?
    I have a ViewSonic VE800 VGA LCD and it is fine. Uses the DVI-2-VGA adapter that is included.
    I know there is a thread with someone with a problem - not sure how it turned out, whether it was the monitor or video card or something else. Not that many threads in this forum so it should be easy to find. Well, I had to search "Viewsonic": Viewsonic VX2025wm Sleep Problem
    Mac Pro 2GHz 2GB WD Raptor/Caviar RE 320   Mac OS X (10.4.7)  

  • Android user about to make the switch

    Hello everyone, let me start off by saying I HATE Apple. Absolutely hate it. You may be asking, "if you hate it so much why switch?". Well the answer to that is simple, Android doesn't compare.
    Now matter how many blogs, articles or videos you look up you will see that, on paper, Android is the winner. I bought into this and got myself a DROID, which is a great phone but not what I expected. When it comes to specifications and features the Android will always win. Why? Because essentially the Android system can do anything. Does that mean it will do it efficiently or effectively, no, and that's what I soon found out.
    Here are my reasons for switching in an easy to follow list format.
    1. The iPhone is smooth, very smooth. Moving from app to app or something as simple as scrolling up and down a webpage really shows that Apple has put time and effort into making sure thing's were perfect, unlike Android.
    The Android system (for now) is clunky and unusable, at least by my standards. It has it's good days and it's bad days. At it's worst I can't get a program to open for more than a few seconds before it crashes, sometimes crashing the whole phone with it. The thing is, Android is still fairly new to the smart phone game and it is getting better. I would say within 4-5 years, the Android OS will have the smoothness and grace that the iPhone currently has, but until then I guess I will have to "sleep with the enemy".
    2. The iTunes app store is where it's at. No more will I be fooled by the open marketplace.
    The iTunes app store has something like three times as many apps available compared to the Android app store (I don't know for sure). That in itself is a winner, but it gets even better. The Android app store is FILLED duplicate apps and apps that simply don't work unless you have the correct phone model. Also the figure given by Android is the number of Apps available in all countries. So you can take the 100,000 Android apps (or whatever it is) and cut that in half if you live in the US. Then take that 50,000 and cut it in half again for duplicate/phone specific apps (at least). Now you are left with 25,000 apps that may or may not work, because no one is taking the time to test them and there is no screening process for apps.
    2.5. The iTunes app store is filled with useful well written apps that I will actually use.
    After looking over the apps on my friends phone and browsing the apps on iTunes I have come to the conclusion that the apps are just plain better on the iPhone.
    3. Stability. This is a big factor to me. Ask anyone with an Android phone how stable it is. Truthfully they should tell you it's not as stable as they would like. I never hear this from iPhone users, and when handling an iPhone it's apparent that the phone feels genuinely stable.
    4. The fourth and final reason is by far the biggest reason I am switching. Netflix. Yes I am buying an iPhone almost entirely because they now have a Netflix app.
    When I first learned about this I was with a friend and her son driving in her car. Her son kept yelling about watching some childrens show. I had no idea what he was talking about so I just waited to see what my friend was going to do. The next thing I know, she pulls out her iPhone, and on the screen I see Netflix in white with a red background... She pulled it out and turned on a show for him to watch, then handed the phone to him. She did it like it was second nature to her like, "Duh I can watch Netflix on my iPhone!". I wanted to slap her for not telling me sooner...
    As sad as this may sound, I am a movie and television fanatic. My life revolves around it. That might make me sound like a couch potato but I like to think of it as a hobby. Ever since I found Netflix a few years ago (specifically the instant watch) my life has been happier, haha.
    Well that is about it. From an Apple hating Android user to an Apple hating iPhone user. At least for now, until Android get's there stuff together and makes a better working OS. Thanks for reading!
    Andy

    Welcome Andy, I think. Too bad you hate Apple, but for whatever reason that may be (you didn't really say why), you should be very happy with the iPhone. I myself think Apple's a great company. It's an American success story and there aren't that many of those thriving today. Their products are innovative and as you've found with your Droid, the hype didn't match your expectations. The iPhone will match your expectations and then some.
    So again, welcome to the forums. Maybe your iPhone experience will make you an Apple fan......

  • Should I just wait untill the Intel Mini's are out to make the switch over?

    I have been somewhat active on this board for the last month or so looking at the Apple Mini. I want a computer that never really slows down, or crashes a lot. Also, I want a computer that can do some light video editing, and some light gaming (think: Battlefield 1942!).. I'm thinking about waiting till the New Intel Mini's come out but I really don't know when that will be! I don't know if I can hold on for 8 more months with this crappy thing they call an OPERATING SYSTEM.
    Do you guys know when the Intel's are coming out? When they do, thats when I might make the switch from XP to mac OX.
    Thank you all!

    Though a bit belatedly, I thought it might be worth pointing out an issue that ought to cross the minds of those considering buying a mini but not sure whether to wait for the Intel models or not.
    Aside from the fact that no-one knows when the Intel minis will be announced and what specs (thus performance) they will have, and the fact that as soon as the first models are out, there will be a tendency to want to wait until the next revision for the 'rev.a' bugs to get ironed out and some speed bumps ironed in, one important extra consideration is the software that's intended to be run.
    All software at this time is G4 compatible, and many titles are either already in universal binary, or about to be so, thus would run natively on an Intel-mini. But some, Adobe CS and Microsoft Office (to name a couple of significant examples) are not universal yet, and while they likely will become so, it's not at all clear when. Until they ARE universal, those apps will run in emulation on an intel Mac, and performance is not reported to be stellar.
    So I'd suggest to anyone considering the issues, to look at the titles you want to run, and make sure all the important ones are Intel-native already, or going to become so very soon. If they are, then waiting for an Intel mini is perfectly reasonable as long as you don't have any immediate need and can wait however long it takes. But if any crucial apps are PPC only and likely to stay that way, I'd buy a G4-powered mini while they're still available, and trade it later when the crucial apps go Universal and the Intel models have settled down.

  • Is it time to make the switch?

    I'm only around 18years old, and I've used Windows OS since I started using computers like when I was about 7 or 8. I now have grown to hate Windows and Microsoft in general for there latest Operating System.. So much was promised, and so little was recieved when I first fired up WXP. I'm a multimedia freak, who loves to listen to music, watch video's, DVDs, and I wouldn't mind making my own slideshows and writing some of my custom dvd's. I love playing games, but I can handle poor graphics because I've been playing my PS2 for 5years w/o buying a Xbox or XBOX360. I want something innovative, easy to learn the basics, a lot of masterful advanced challenges, and really just a great computer that never crashes or has virus's.. Is this the computer for me? Time to make the switch?
    Also: I've been dissapointed with MS's Paint Software for ever, how more advanced or how more less advanced is MAC's paint.. I like to do some easy paint images on my spare time.
    HP a410e Windows XP

    464/2910
    Hi stlouis,
    Welcome to the world of Macs!
    (As an aside, yes, the "silent update" to 1.5GHz is not worth mentioning. Such a small difference. Personally I thought the mistake was coming from the factories side?)
    The switch:
    Yes, I say go for a Mac, you won't regret it!
    Your Mini specs:
    You are right about maximizing RAM. About a small HD too, as it's a better choice to get an external HD for backup purposes.
    Consider adding $100 for a Superdrive? Being able to burn DVDs is a good option IMO.
    Processor:
    If you buy a Mini, you buy the old Apple technology that is about to be discontinued. Of course you learned about the switch to Intel and the ending of PPCs?
    This doesn't mean anything bad now and for a few more years: While the new computers are still struggling with the emulator Rosetta trying to run the old software, all your apps will run perfectly well on the best possible G4 evolution.
    The tried and true.
    Ronald's REFURBISHED idea:
    Ronald is very right about these good deals. If you are going for a PPC Mac (no Intel), check also what G5 or iMac G5 you can get there.
    You'll have to add extra RAM though.
    No crashes, no virus, almost no maintenance,
    and
    so easy and natural learning the OS, Finder etc,
    yes,
    this is the computer for you.
    Axl

  • Hi i have a iphone5 I lost my password ha possibility I make the switch for 5s can not open the icloud?? if accepted as pay the difference? thank you for it helped.

    hi i have a iphone5 I lost my password ha possibility I make the switch for 5s can not open the icloud?? if accepted as pay the difference? thank you for it helped.

    Post in your native language.  Your post is very difficult to understand.  What password are you talking about?  You device passcode?  Your Apple ID password?

  • I have two pnones on my account...my iPhone 4 and my wife's crappy old Samsung.  I pre-ordered an iPhone 4S and plan to give my iPhone 4 to my wife and I will use the new 4S.  How do I switch the 4 to her number once I make the switch to a new 4S?

    I have two pnones on my account...my iPhone 4 and my wife's crappy old Samsung.  I pre-ordered an iPhone 4S and plan to give my iPhone 4 to my wife and I will use the new 4S.  How do I switch the 4 to her number once I make the switch to a new 4S?

    Just call yur provider and they will set it up with you.
    This is what I do, when I get a new iphone and give mine to my wife.

  • I have an old macbook which is running on OS X 10.6.8.  I want to make the switch from moblie me to icloud.  I went to download the new OS X Lion so I can connect and it is telling me I need a Core 2 duo.  I only have a Core duo on this mac.  What to do?

    I have an old macbook which is running on OS X 10.6.8.  I want to make the switch from moblie me to icloud.  I went to download the new OS X Lion so I can connect to the icloud and it is telling me I need a Core 2 duo.  I only have a Core duo on this mac.  What to do?

    Unfortunately there is little you can do, Lion will not run on your machine.
    However it is possible to access some features of iClould while staying with SL. If you go to iCloud you will see the web interface for the cloud.
    Some but not all functionality is here. Check it out and see if it meets your needs.

  • Wanting to make the switch to an Apple, but 128MB VRAM is in the way

    I'm a Windows user, have been since I got my hands on a computer. I've continued using Windows to cater my gaming hobby, I currently play Counter-Strike: Source and World of Warcraft online on a regular basis. That's it just two games.
    My new job allowed me to work with Mac OS X for the first time on one of the new Intel iMacs. From day one I couldn't get over how simple and easy OS X is to use. I just love the software that people make for it too. Always updates coming through with new features to play around with.
    I thought the switch to Vista would keep me using Windows, but alas, it has only powered my motivation to 'make the switch'.
    So I've decided to sell my gaming rig (that I built from scratch) and replace it with an Apple laptop.
    I started looking at the Macbooks first, and was impressed with everything except the lack of a video card. Can't play games without a decent one! Now onto the Macbook Pros, pricey but have everything I want in a laptop. But looking closely, the Macbook 2.2, the one in my price range, actually comes with 128MB less VRAM than the rest.
    This 128MB of VRAM is enough to put me off buying a Macbook Pro altogether when other laptops (Dell) come with the 256MB version. Gamers all around have told me 128MB of VRAM is quite a difference when playing games like CS:S and WoW.
    I could step up and go for the next model which is the Macbook Pro 2.4, but that's another $800NZD I'm not prepared to pay. $800 all for another 128MB! Of course it has a better chip and more disk space, but I don't need that. All I want is a decent card. I don't want to take the cheaper video solution.
    I hope this doesn't sound like a worthless rant, but I really do want a Mac. And because I can't customise like other companies by simply adding a few more dollars to upgrade the video card I find myself swwaying back to a Windows laptop where I'll get that extra grunt to play games.
    I feel that Apple have done this so that gamers like myself have to go that extra mile to get a decent graphics solution. My only options are to get a Dell with Windows, which I'm REALLY not keen at all to do - I want Mac OS X! Or to simply wait for the next Macbook Pros to roll in and hope for the best they upgrade that minimum VRAM to 256MB where it should belong.
    Can anyone give me some recommendations or just thoughts on what I've written.
    - James from New Zealand
    Windows Vista

    I started looking at the Macbooks first, and was
    impressed with everything except the lack of a video
    card. Can't play games without a decent one! Now onto
    the Macbook Pros, pricey but have everything I want
    in a laptop. But looking closely, the Macbook 2.2,
    the one in my price range, actually comes with 128MB
    less VRAM than the rest.
    This 128MB of VRAM is enough to put me off buying a
    Macbook Pro altogether when other laptops (Dell) come
    with the 256MB version. Gamers all around have told
    me 128MB of VRAM is quite a difference when playing
    games like CS:S and WoW.
    What's the class of video cards in the other laptop system you're comparing too? The MacBook Pro uses a nVidia GeForce 8600M GT which is superior much faster then the other CPU's, there is a 256Mb version.... but you have to buy the more expensive model, even then it's cheaper than the top of the range PC equivalent, plus you can run MacOSX on it.. you can't easily do that with a PC unit.

  • I am looking to swtich from an individual creative cloud membership to a team membership, but I only have one employee.  Is it worth it to make the switch to team if we are both only using Photoshop?

    I am looking to swtich from an individual creative cloud membership to a team membership, but I only have one employee.  Is it worth it to make the switch to team if we are both only using Photoshop?

    Hi ,
    Team subscription can be done for only one software ( for example team for Photoshop ).
    The advantage of team is that you have one charge and one invoice for all users.Also when a member of your team leave the company ,you can delete his invitation and assign it to another employee ,you can also add seats if you have additional employee without contacting adobe or changing your plan,you have more storage volume ( 100Gb ).
    Here are the most important advantages but it's your decision .
    regards, 

  • I currently have a licensed version of CS6 for my PC but I want to make the switch over to MAC soon.  Is there a less expensive way to have CS6 without having to buy it all over again?

    I currently have a licensed version of CS6 for my PC but I want to make the switch over to MAC soon.  Is there a less expensive way to have CS6 without having to buy it all over again?

    Order product | Platform, language swap
    Mylenium

  • My mother in law is wanting to make the switch. Help please?

    Gang,
    My mother in law is looking to make the switch to Mac.  She will be utilizing her Mac to create a web page to include lots of content, pictures, video, voice recordings, etc.
    One of the things she wants to puchase is Adobe Creative Suites, I think the premium package.  The system requirements are as follows:
    Mac OS
    Multicore Intel® processor with 64-bit support
    Mac OS X v10.5.8 or v10.6; Mac OS X v10.6 required for Adobe Flash Builder™ 4.5 Premium Edition and Flash Builder integration with Flash Catalyst® and Flash Professional; Mac OS X v10.6.3 required for GPU-accelerated performance in Adobe Premiere Pro
    2GB of RAM (4GB or more recommended)
    26.3GB of available hard-disk space for installation; additional free space required during installation (cannot install on a volume that uses a case-sensitive file system or on removable flash storage devices)
    1280x900 display (1280x1024 recommended) with qualified hardware-accelerated OpenGL graphics card, 16-bit color, and 256MB of VRAM
    Adobe-certified GPU card for GPU-accelerated performance in Adobe Premiere Pro
    Some GPU-accelerated features in Adobe Photoshop require graphics support for Shader Model 3.0 and OpenGL 2.0
    7200 RPM hard drive for editing compressed video formats; RAID 0 for uncompressed
    Core Audio–compatible sound card
    DVD-ROM drive compatible with dual-layer DVDs (SuperDrive for burning DVDs; external Blu-ray burner for creating Blu-ray Disc media)
    Java Runtime Environment 1.6
    Eclipse 3.6.1 Cocoa version required for plug-in installation
    QuickTime 9 software required for QuickTime and multimedia features
    Adobe Flash Player 10 software required to export SWF files and to play back DVD projects exported as SWF files
    Broadband Internet connection required for online services and to validate Subscription Edition (if applicable) on an ongoing basis*
    Visit the NVIDIA website for system requirements and compatibility. The list of graphics cards that are compatible with Adobe Premiere Pro CS5 is updated on a regular basis.
    Can anyone recommend which machine and which upgrades would be needed to make sure this program would run ok?
    She definitely wants an iMac.  My household runs Macs but we aren't tech savy enough to know what all of the above requirements mean.  Obviously there aren't a lot of customization options when purchasing a Mac so I'm not sure if it will require aftermarket type stuff.
    Any information would be greatly appreciated!
    Thanks!
    Chad

    iMacs are great machines. The Adobe CS suite will work on any new or older iMac.  iMacs have great video cards as well. I would suggest that once you buy the iMac, add more memory. Buying it directly from Apple is quite expensive but places like Other World Computing sell excellent memory at great prices. I don't work for them, but I am a long time customer. I love my iMac. The screen is just fabulous.

  • I am looking to make the switch from pc to mac and have been eyeing the MBP 13". I would like to know whether it is fine to add RAM and SSD myself? any compatibility or warranty problems? what brand/type of RAM and SSD is the best fit? thank you.

    i am looking to make the switch from pc to mac and have been eyeing the MBP 13". I would like to know whether it is fine to add RAM and SSD myself? any compatibility or warranty problems? what brand/type of RAM and SSD is the best fit? thank you.

    Chamar wrote:
    I'm possibly wrong here but I suspect opening a brand new MBP to add parts yourself will void the warranty.  It is probably in the small print.  I certainly would not risk it for an expensive Apple product.
    Some (Windows) laptops have easy access to memory and disk slots that do not necessitate taking the complete back cover off.  However, Apple does not make life easy for you.
    However, if you are going for a 'used' machine it is probably worth a try.
    Not possibly, definitely wrong, Ram and Hard Drive are considered user replaceable and will not void the warranty if changed.

  • I want to make the switch from 5 iphone5 to pay the difference and how much?

    I want to make the switch from 5 iphone5 to pay the difference and how much??he's locked icloud already bought it so now I'm not using as too expensive and thought this possibility .... you guys can help me ... thank you for it helped

    Unfortunately there is little you can do, Lion will not run on your machine.
    However it is possible to access some features of iClould while staying with SL. If you go to iCloud you will see the web interface for the cloud.
    Some but not all functionality is here. Check it out and see if it meets your needs.

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