Hi, I'm considering gettting a mac book pro. I've been a pc user. I want to know anyone's opinion on the mac book pro compared to a pc.

Question

I'm considering buying a mac book pro. I want a few opinions about the mac book pro compared to a pc. I've been a pc user. How do you rate the mac compared to a pc?

Answer 1

michaelfromnorth miami beach wrote:
I want a few opinions about the mac book pro compared to a pc.
With Mac's, there are less software and hardware choices, Apple almost demands you upgrade the operating system (paid) annually now, then inflicts all sorts of unexpected UI changes etc., and breaks your third party software/hardware.
With Windows you might have malware, but on Mac's the pain comes with constant OS X upgrades and bricking of third party software, it's like Apple has no stability.
DRM is becoming standard issue, you can't install OS X on your own via the disks, it has to be downloaded from Apple now.
OS X is turning into iOS that's all controlling, all Apps are copy protected, open source software is not allowed.
Hardware quality is mixed now, 13" and below have cheap low res glossy screens like any other $400 Walmart PC, the 15" and up high res anti-glare are very nice models.
OS X is just a paint job on hardware with Apple "oh a new OS!", it's not a stable long term operating system in the sense that Windows versions are which you can set it up, make a backup and go on nearly forever.
At least with Windows one can reinstall the OS and get updates for 10+ years, all one has to do is buy quality long lasting hardware from a huge choice of vendors.
So value wise, hardware and software choice, 3D gaming, business world, standardization etc., Windows 7 is pretty sweet now. Vista and XP of course were terrible.
Apple's OS X Lion is terrible, it's the beginning of the end, a transition to locked down iOS X on Mac's and Apple's exit from the "computing" market into something only for consumers only really based on the closed iOS concept. They are really going overboard on this, pushing the App Store in your face when you do searches and everything.
The "candy like" OS X interface gets kind of tiring, it used to be we could avoid a lot of it, but now Apple is pressing it more into one's faces.  So forget having a professional or mature look about OS X anymore.
The App Store is like something made and to appeal to children and Toy Story cartoon watchers, not appealing to mature serious people.
OS X is pretty and all, the high quality screens of Mac's make OS X look nice and attractive, but I also run Windows 7 on my Mac and it looks just as great, Windows also has a more mature looking UI.
All in all there is really no advantage to getting a Mac over a PC anymore, since with Win 7 Microsoft provides the free Security Essentials and System Restore to make disks and images to restore one's own machine themselves easy as pie.
I'm a long time Mac user, from day one, because Mac's were innovative and more secure than Windows, however Apple has tarnished that image when I found out they were not issuing security updates for older OS X versions and not fast enough for Java, (they control) which resulted in a 600,000 botnet of Mac's called Flashflake.
Sure finally Apple issued a security update for 10.5 users, but on Intel processors only, not the zillions still on PowerPC processor Mac's.
Apple is so much about change to sell hardware that they burn bridges behind them, hopefully that will change now under Tim Cook's rule, (Steve Jobs died) I suspect it will.
Apple's OS X market share has been decreasing, not because Apple isn't selling things, but rather a larger portion of it's users are now using iOS devices instead of Mac's.
Before iOS arrived, it was 10% of users on OS X/Macs, now it's 4% iOS and 6% on OS X/Macs as recorded outside of China's Great Firewall.
I guess the positive thing is, I've only got one piece of malware on my Mac's in 24 years, however I've spent about 10x more for my computers over the years than my PC using friends have because of all the Apple hardware and OS X changes draining my wallet.
For instance they changed video out from DVI to Dual DVI, to Displayport to something else and now Thunderbolt, it's just insane you can't go back into a Apple store and pickup a piece of hardware anymore or older OS X, they start pumping you to change this or that and don't tell you what's it's really going to cost in the end to upgrade everything.
I swear they want us to turn over our machines every two years now like a iPhone or something.
If your a smart PC user, you know then what hardware to buy and how to reinstall Windows yourself, I don't see why you would give up so much hardware and software choice to use a locked down, DRMed Mac that's designed for newbies and children mostly and exiting the "pro" type market more and more every year.
If you think my compaints about Apple above pale in comparison to your experience with Windows 7, then by all means get a Mac, bring a fat wallet and they will be all over you like any high end fashion or Gucci store would.