Why do you buy Apple products?

[MJZ]

I have an iPhone. I got it because I had two choices. Our firm only authorizes two kinds of devices to access the exchange server remotely - iPhone 4's and anything Blackberry (RIM). Thanks a lot google for fragmenting your platform.

First, I've used smart phones for a long time (Treo's, windows mobile, and androids). Phones are tools and I use whatever tool gets the job done. So I have a pretty unbiased point of view.

The iPhone is a nice phone and its build quality is better than anything out there. The OS is smooth and stable. However, I am experiencing 3 annoyances. Maybe I'm just new and haven't figured these things out yet, but here's what I miss:

• Notification LED - Someone please explain why I have to turn the phone on and unlock it to see if I have any missed messages/emails?!?! Am I missing a setting somewhere?
• Integrated Navigation - I bought a nav app for my iPhone, but it's not integrated into the OS. On my old phone (android), I could click on any address (in a calender event, text msg, email, webpage, etc...) and it would navigate me. That's very helpful when I'm traveling. My assistant would just text the address, I would click it, and boom - navigation begins. Now I have to type everything in. Also, I could say "Navigate to St.Pat's hospital in Missoula Montana" and it would take me there.
• Widgets - I'm used to turning on my phone and instantly seeing stock market info (sp500, djia), weather, and my schedule for the day. On my iphone I have to click on 3 different apps to get this information.

So I feel like the iOS experience isn't as integrated as the android experience, but it is light years ahead of RIM. I hope Apple revamps the pop-up notification system soon. It's outdated. I think that even my old windows mobile phone had always-visible icons that told me if I had new email or messages.

Don't get me wrong, I like my iPhone. I guess it seems like my old android was more usable and convenient and that kind of surprised me when I switched.

Those are very valid criticisms for the iPhone that I also want Apple to implement or address in the next revision.

However, they aren't really critical for me. Convenient? Surely.

 

[vivithemage]

I've had 2 handfuls of smartphones,and the iphone has always been superior, easily.

 

[Dew]

Those are very valid criticisms for the iPhone that I also want Apple to implement or address in the next revision.

However, they aren't really critical for me. Convenient? Surely.

I wouldn't mind them, as long as I could disable the notifications LED. God, I HATE those things. I'm one of those people that checks my email whenever I have a new message because I hate seeing the unread email notification.

Navigation integration is terrible, for sure. I use Navigon because it is decent, but I would love to be able to copy a text message and paste it in to Navigon for the address information.

As for Widgets, *shrug* Doesn't matter either way to me. I tried LockInfo, but I found the clutter on my lock screen annoying. That may have to do more with LockInfo's horribly small fonts and crap layouts more than anything.





As for why I buy Apple products, because nothing else comes close to the pleasant experience of iOS. I can't stand the versions of Android I have used(1.5, 1.6, 2.1, 2.2). So much going on, so much clutter, so much inconsistency. The first time I used iOS I knew where to go, or how to find whatever I needed because the whole interface made sense to me.

I went from a iPhone 2G, iPad 1G, to a 3GS, and now I ordered my iPad 2G last week. I'll take the iPhone 2G any day over the Android phones I have tried, even as shitty as it is compared to anything in the 3GS class or better. I didn't realize just how slow the iPhone 2G was until I got the iPad. Actually, I wasn't planning on buying an iPad2. I wanted one, sure. Before I hesitated on buying the iPad2 because it didn't offer much over the original. Now, since I started my new job, I can easily afford it. Come to think of it, that is why I am getting the 15" MacBook Pro. I am going to spend WAY too much on that machine (Over $3k when all is said and done, since I'm going for a Vertex3 240GB with the original 750GB drive in an OptiBay), but I can afford it and I want a solid, dependable, good battery life, fast laptop for my Afghanistan tour.

That said, I don't worship the ground Apple walks on. While iOS is far and away better than anything that Android offers IMO, it has its faults. Those that Apple will not correct, I have Jailbreaking to fix, hopefully. I do use quite a few tweaks from Cydia. Mostly minor tweaks, but they make the whole experience better for me.

As for OSX... Well, pre-Windows 7 I could have made the transition with ease. Now, I really like Windows 7 and the other software products that MS puts out these days (Hence keeping my MSDN subscription). What I would love to do is run Windows 7 on the MacBook, but one of the primary reasons I am going for a MacBook is that beautiful touchpad and multitouch. I don't see it being the same under Windows.

If I need a bash shell I can SSH into a virtual machine, having it on my desktop isn't really necessary for me.

I guess the statement someone else made holds true:

because if you want to give a retard a computer, you give them a mac.

if you know what you are doing but lack the funds, you don't buy a mac.

if you know what you are doing and have the funds, you buy a mac.

I fall solidly in the final category now. I was teetering between the second and third.

 

[pxc]

Because it gives me a magical sense of child like wonder while using it.

This thread... seriously?

 

[MrCrispy]

Has anyone used MIUI rom on their Android phones. Its like the best of Android + iOS combined, its amazing. After using it vanilla Android settings just looks so boring.

 

[Morazl]

Ok so it seems its just I like it for what it is thing, not really a functionalty thing. I know when I took electronic publication my teacher swore by Macs for their graphic architecture, did not know if that idea ever held water to the bottom line. If i were go purchase a Mac today, would I see any real improvement over a Pc based Linuz\Win system? I have been really curious about trying one out, but would hate to have severe buyers remorse.

Just got to an apple retail store and play around on them. It's too bad that Microsoft doesn't have that kind of personal experience. I love going into the apple store

 

[heatlesssun]

Just got to an apple retail store and play around on them. It's too bad that Microsoft doesn't have that kind of personal experience. I love going into the apple store

There are a few Microsoft stores.

 

[ryken]

There are a few Microsoft stores.

http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msstore/html/pbPage.Locations/home

to be exact

 

[Serpico]

Yup. We have a couple Microsoft Stores here in SoCal. It is basically a lot of what you would find in a Best Buy, except with more items like all-in-ones and tablets, and a big focus on the XBox 360 and Windows Mobile 7 devices.

It is basically copying the Apple Store in terms of lighting, materials, employee uniforms, the layout and the way the sections are organized, the types of computers they focus on selling (laptops and all-in-ones), etc etc. It comes off a little sad because the laptops and AIOs were of a much lower quality than what you'd find in an Apple Store (lower end HPs, Gateways, etc etc). It's stuff you can see at a Staples. They had two unique things in there, one was a big Surface to play around on, and the other thing was a cool home theater type mockup with a 3D version of Age Of Empires 3 on a 3D LCD running of an HTPC. It was unique in that you'd never see that type of setup demonstrated anywhere else, certainly not at a Best Buy.

The living room 3D PC setup wasn't there the last time I saw, they replaced it with a Kinect and some employee in workout clothes dancing to a music game. Pretty lame.

 

[heatlesssun]

They had two unique things in there, one was a big Surface to play around on, and the other thing was a cool home theater type mockup with a 3D version of Age Of Empires 3 on a 3D LCD running of an HTPC. It was unique in that you'd never see that type of setup demonstrated anywhere else, certainly not at a Best Buy.

The living room 3D PC setup wasn't there the last time I saw, they replaced it with a Kinect and some employee in workout clothes dancing to a music game. Pretty lame.

That strange with all the 3D craze these days. 3D Surround makes for an impressive demo if nothing else. I'd have a 3D Surround projector setup with 3D Blu Ray and cameras in every store. This stuff blows a lot of people away the first time they see it.

 

[carlvs]

I guess that person never heard of Boot Camp before?

 

[liquidtrance123]

Has anyone used MIUI rom on their Android phones. Its like the best of Android + iOS combined, its amazing. After using it vanilla Android settings just looks so boring.

I've been using MIUI for the last few months on my Evo and I must agree its amazing.

 

[Ashton]

I'm going to throw out something here that's probably been said a hundred times before:

Macs Just Work!

They may not be the most powerful computers on the market, especially older models compared to Windows Boxes, but when I use my Windows box, there's close to 100% chance within 72 hours I will have a crash, and within a week I'll have it freeze up. (keep in mind I'm talking about a desktop here, not a server, so I do play with it and add/remove software --- the main reason this happens is that OSX is based on Unix, which does not use a "registry" like Windows.)

My old MBP had like 3 crashes in the 2 years I had it, none of them froze the system up completely.

Windows is a requirement for Servers and most professional desktop uses (excluding Photography/video editing) but for personal use Macs just are less frustrating.

Exact same issue with my EVO (android phone) vs my iPad/iPod Touch: EVO is constally getting slow and/or crashing, I have to reboot it at least weekly, while my iPad/iPod does not slow down, and they are running very similar OSs with very similar hardware (Honestly if Sprint gets the iPhone5 I may sell my Evo).

While I do appreciate the beauty of the Apple products, it is not a selling point. My desktop has the tower located behind the monitors so I never see it. My Phone is in a case to protect it from scratches/drops, etc. Outside of a laptop, nobody's going to really see the machine.

Lastly, I took my MBP into the apple store because the wifi card was not working (a wire was literally sticking out from the screen!) and it was having keyboard seperation issues. They fixed the keyboard, reseated the wifi card, fixed the screen, and replaced the scuffed-up palmrest FOR FREE. (Total on bill was ~$300, Total Due was $0)

To Reiterate:
Macs dont crash as often as Windows boxes and are just as easy to use and Apple takes care of it's customers with free repairs/maintenance even outside of warrenty!

(and yes, I know there are people going to argue "but my windows 7 box doesn't crash" and "but my Apple repair was several hundred dollars" and I say this: My opinion is my own, it is subjective. for my personal situation Macs are better, for your situation they may not be, each person has their own requirements and usage patterns.)

 

[MrCrispy]

I'm going to throw out something here that's probably been said a hundred times before:

Macs Just Work!

They may not be the most powerful computers on the market, especially older models compared to Windows Boxes, but when I use my Windows box, there's close to 100% chance within 72 hours I will have a crash, and within a week I'll have it freeze up. (keep in mind I'm talking about a desktop here, not a server, so I do play with it and add/remove software --- the main reason this happens is that OSX is based on Unix, which does not use a "registry" like Windows.)

My old MBP had like 3 crashes in the 2 years I had it, none of them froze the system up completely.

Windows is a requirement for Servers and most professional desktop uses (excluding Photography/video editing) but for personal use Macs just are less frustrating.

Exact same issue with my EVO (android phone) vs my iPad/iPod Touch: EVO is constally getting slow and/or crashing, I have to reboot it at least weekly, while my iPad/iPod does not slow down, and they are running very similar OSs with very similar hardware (Honestly if Sprint gets the iPhone5 I may sell my Evo).

While I do appreciate the beauty of the Apple products, it is not a selling point. My desktop has the tower located behind the monitors so I never see it. My Phone is in a case to protect it from scratches/drops, etc. Outside of a laptop, nobody's going to really see the machine.

Lastly, I took my MBP into the apple store because the wifi card was not working (a wire was literally sticking out from the screen!) and it was having keyboard seperation issues. They fixed the keyboard, reseated the wifi card, fixed the screen, and replaced the scuffed-up palmrest FOR FREE. (Total on bill was ~$300, Total Due was $0)

To Reiterate:
Macs dont crash as often as Windows boxes and are just as easy to use and Apple takes care of it's customers with free repairs/maintenance even outside of warrenty!

(and yes, I know there are people going to argue "but my windows 7 box doesn't crash" and "but my Apple repair was several hundred dollars" and I say this: My opinion is my own, it is subjective. for my personal situation Macs are better, for your situation they may not be, each person has their own requirements and usage patterns.)

1. Windows 7 is just as stable - you probably had a bad setup, or are doing things wrong

2. Apple does not do anything outside warranty if you don't have Apple Care. I've had multiple iPods (the ones with hdd's) go bad 16-20 months after purchase and Apple store refused to do anything. So much for the better build quality. Maybe they treat a Macbook better since it costs a lot more.

I sort of agree about the Android vs iOS point, but its because Android does multitasking.

 

[Ashton]

1. Windows 7 is just as stable - you probably had a bad setup, or are doing things wrong

2. Apple does not do anything outside warranty if you don't have Apple Care. I've had multiple iPods (the ones with hdd's) go bad 16-20 months after purchase and Apple store refused to do anything. So much for the better build quality. Maybe they treat a Macbook better since it costs a lot more.

I sort of agree about the Android vs iOS point, but its because Android does multitasking.

1: As I said, I play around and install and uninstall stuff constantly (Example: installed 3 different programs this week trying to get streaming video on my EVO, all failed, all were uninstalled) so my registry is all mucked up, as usual. I dont have the patience to go in there and clean it out... doesn't happen on a Mac because there is no registry. Yes, I'm sure a clean install of 7 with only minimal install/uninstall of programs is very stable, I just don't use my computers that way, I'm always playing around with a new software package...

2. Certain things like the separation are covered under a clause like "extended care" or something - no not every problem falls under this clause (I had an iPhone that died and they simply tried to restore it, when that failed they told me I was SOL...) However, I've never seen _ANY_ Windows Box manufacturer give any kind of "Extended care" outside of things like Dell's exploding batteries...

 

[heatlesssun]

1: As I said, I play around and install and uninstall stuff constantly (Example: installed 3 different programs this week trying to get streaming video on my EVO, all failed, all were uninstalled) so my registry is all mucked up, as usual. I dont have the patience to go in there and clean it out... doesn't happen on a Mac because there is no registry. Yes, I'm sure a clean install of 7 with only minimal install/uninstall of programs is very stable, I just don't use my computers that way, I'm always playing around with a new software package...

How do you know your registry is "all mucked up" and even if it is what effect has it had on anything? You said you uninstalled them after all. I install and uninstall stuff all the time, have on my sig rig for 18 months, as complex a piece of hardware as you'll find even here and the only issues I ever have with it are related to the video system, 3D Surround, which also doesn't exist on a Mac.

On my others systems which are less complex Windows 7 has been virtually flawless. Without OS X running on the vast array of hardware or supporting the number of applications that Windows does stability comparisons between the two are meaningless.

 

[Ashton]

How do you know your registry is "all mucked up" and even if it is what effect has it had on anything? You said you uninstalled them after all. I install and uninstall stuff all the time, have on my sig rig for 18 months, as complex a piece of hardware as you'll find even here and the only issues I ever have with it are related to the video system, 3D Surround, which also doesn't exist on a Mac.

On my others systems which are less complex Windows 7 has been virtually flawless. Without OS X running on the vast array of hardware or supporting the number of applications that Windows does stability comparisons between the two are meaningless.

I know because that's how windows uninstaller works and has always worked. In years past I would routinely go in every 6 months and clean out at least 100 registry entries (most with 2-5 keys) that were long past useless. More recently I have so much stress that I dont have the patience to sort through it without picking up a hammer and sending the thing to hell... (To be fair I also have (especially in the past) run a lot of legacy hardware. While this has slowly dissapeared with upgrades and on-board sound/video/LAN, etc, it still happens (video card right now overheats and resets/crashes when I try to play PORTAL2) and I'm sure that's part of my problem)

See, that's part of the point... While I like to play around, I dont use even 1% of the programs windows supports... I use my media player, my web browser, my email and IM... Outside of PORTAL2 the last game I played was Secret of Monkey Island SE! It gets to the point where you've gone past what is needed.

I'm not going to say that Mac is better for everyone, I've made sure to point that out, but I do basics on my PC most of the time now. What little gaming I do is mostly on my 360/Wii or now a little on my iPad, so I dont need all this power and all these programs that may crash. As I've said, for me OSX is much more stable. If Linux had the compatibility that MS/OSX has, I'd be running Ubuntu on this box right now.

Now, I will point out that my media server will always run Windows. Depending on how true to legends are with Macs handeling Photo/video/etc I might have a windows desktop for photo editing, video editing and 3D modeling. But for my everyday personal useage, I'm going to slowly migrate to Mac simply because it's less trouble for me.

 

[heatlesssun]

I've not touched the registry other than to hack a driver to fix a bug in it, not Windows in the last 2 years. Other than this one instance I've not had any need to touch the registry on my dozen personal Windows 7 machines since they've come online. Also just because the registry exists doesn't mean that an application actually uses it, plenty don't.

You are making WAY more of the registry and issues with it than 99.9% of people using Windows 7 will ever experience. As varied and complex as my Windows devices are the registry is virtually hidden in all but the most technical circumstances for me.

 

[KENNYB]

I'm going to throw out something here that's probably been said a hundred times before:

Macs Just Work!

They may not be the most powerful computers on the market, especially older models compared to Windows Boxes, but when I use my Windows box, there's close to 100% chance within 72 hours I will have a crash, and within a week I'll have it freeze up. (keep in mind I'm talking about a desktop here, not a server, so I do play with it and add/remove software --- the main reason this happens is that OSX is based on Unix, which does not use a "registry" like Windows.)

If your Windows box crashes within 72 hours of use you probably have a hardware problem. Look here for owners of 2011 17" MBP's that see a hard freeze:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2768351?start=0&tstart=0

My old MBP had like 3 crashes in the 2 years I had it, none of them froze the system up completely.

Well good for you. Even in OS X, there is software that will screw up the Finder and when the Finder is F'd, you will probably have to do a hard shutdown. In prior versions of OS X the Finder did a great job of fucking itself up. The Windows 7 explorer has never frozen on me. The Finder has already done that half a dozen times in 2 weeks.

And speaking of 2011 MBPs, take a look at the Apple forums and their recent updates. There are updates that address stability.

 

[shoota]

I have to admit I dont see much difference in stability between win7 and snow leopard. I also have to admit that I'm more confident in installing and uninstalling programs in os x though. I pretty much avoid installing anything in Windows unless it's necessary.

 

[Ashton]

Ok! ok! I'll shut up about the registry! Maybe there have been vast and sweeping improvements in it since I last manually regedit-ed away all the dead entries in XP... (vista wouldnt run on this box, so I had to run XP longer then jump to 7)

Again though, other people may/not have experienced crashing with windows/OSX, I personally have had the experiences above, I may just have great luck with Macs and bad luck with windows.

@ kennyB:
If Finder crashes, cant you go into shell and start it back up like in most *nix distros? (I've had to do that with KDE many times in the past)

 

[heatlesssun]

I also have to admit that I'm more confident in installing and uninstalling programs in os x though. I pretty much avoid installing anything in Windows unless it's necessary.

I constantly install and uninstall software on my Windows 7 machines. In case of the rare event that there's a problem I have System Restore on and besides video drivers on my rig rig which get complicated because of the 3x SLI 3D Surround setup that's a lot more complex than anything on OS X I just don't have issues with anything that mentioned here.

I think many are just stuck in the past of Windows. Sure stuff happens but all this talk of issues with stability, the registry and software installation seems as dated as XP. Windows 7 is incredibly robust and stable and issues that one my have with it are going to be application and driver specific 99% of the time.

I am far from alone in this assessment.

 

[ryken]

OSX > xp

OSX = W7 (except no built in spaces and expose!)

 

[KENNYB]

@ kennyB:
If Finder crashes, cant you go into shell and start it back up like in most *nix distros? (I've had to do that with KDE many times in the past)

It doesn't crash outright. If it did it would probably be easier to restart. Sometimes it gets into a weird state where it's useless, but you can't restart it: Anything in the Apple menu does not work. I think I need to kill the Finder process (children if applicable), in a specific order. Killing the Finder process outright puts it into a defunct state.

I knew I would I have to replace the Finder with Path Finder anyway.

 

[Ashton]

It doesn't crash outright. If it did it would probably be easier to restart. Sometimes it gets into a weird state where it's useless, but you can't restart it: Anything in the Apple menu does not work. I think I need to kill the Finder process (children if applicable), in a specific order. Killing the Finder process outright puts it into a defunct state.

I knew I would I have to replace the Finder with Path Finder anyway.

I take it ALT-F12 doesnt bring up Terminal like in some of the distros... I was thinking you could just "Kill Xserver" then "Start Xserver" (or whatever name apple used for X, probably "FinderServer" or something)

I wonder if when it locks like that you could SSH into it and kill+restart the needed services (yes I know, it's not worth the trouble when you just flip the power off and on, but the *nix nerd in me is getting curious now lol)

 

[KENNYB]

I take it ALT-F12 doesnt bring up Terminal like in some of the distros... I was thinking you could just "Kill Xserver" then "Start Xserver" (or whatever name apple used for X, probably "FinderServer" or something)

I wonder if when it locks like that you could SSH into it and kill+restart the needed services (yes I know, it's not worth the trouble when you just flip the power off and on, but the *nix nerd in me is getting curious now lol)

Of course I have access to the terminal. You missed the part where I stated that killing the Finder outright when it's in this weird state will cause the process to go defunct. The next time this happens I'll try killing the entire process tree.

Still, I shouldn't have to do this. I use OS X for many good reasons, but the Finder isn't one of them.

 

[Chibo]

Of course I have access to the terminal. You missed the part where I stated that killing the Finder outright when it's in this weird state will cause the process to go defunct. The next time this happens I'll try killing the entire process tree.

Still, I shouldn't have to do this. I use OS X for many good reasons, but the Finder isn't one of them.

If you option right click on Finder in the dock there is an option for ReLaunch.

 

[PsycoGeek]

I'm sure it's been said at least a few times already...

I'm switching to MAC (and lucky to be getting a MBP w/Retina display!!!) because I'm just so sick and tired of Windows. I have a WHS (32 bit), and three laptops running Windows 7 that I have to support, and while Win7 is greatly improved, I just can't stand it anymore. And Win8 with the metro interface is just not where I want to go (yes, I know you can turn it off). Every time I turn around there is something I have to fix something on the damn machines. Right now I'm typing this on a 5 yr. old Dell Studio 1735 laptop, and it won't install the latest Windows updates. Nothing I do works... they just won't install.

After I get my MBPR I'm going to rebuild the Studio 1735 with an old 80gig drive and put the two WD Caviar Black drives I installed in it 6 months ago into USB3 enclosures for external storage, and my son's laptop will get my 8gig of RAM from it. Eventually the WHS is going to be replaced with a NAS box with either mirroring or RAID5, and I'll either buy an Apple TV, mac Mini (as a TV connected media player/internet machine, or build a Hackintosh for the same purpose. My son will also be needing a Macbook Pro for college, and my wife's Dell laptop will be replaced with either an iPad or an Air. I've also been discovering that everything I run on my Windows laptop has an OSX version or has a counterpart.

On top of that The MBP's are very well built. I've read somewhere (maybe on MacRumors or 9 to 5 Mac) that Apple uses the highest quality components in their hardware. Everyone gets a bad run of components once in a while, Apple being no exception, but they apparently don't cut corners when they bring their products to market. My Studio 1735 hinges started to seize up and brol their PLASTIC mounting points. I had to tear it apart and repair the damage on all eight plastic mounts. that was 4 months ago, and I already think the plastic is beginning to fail again, even though I tore the hinges apart, cleaned them, and lubed them with Lithium grease. The Lithium grease, BTW, works way better then anything else (and what they used on my hinges). I can close the lid with one finger, and open it the same way without the laptop lifting up with it. The cooling fan is also starting to fail, and I have started experiencing lock-ups and asymmetric processor usage. Don't know if the processor is damaged or it it's just due to excessive heat.

Our phones (all three are 4s') are also great. Music, social media, games, navigation, general internet usage, a great snapshot camera, and entertainment all in one package. Beats having an MP3 player (I used to buy Cowon for it's FLAC support) a phone, and a gaming device to carry around with you. We even use our phones as alarm clocks... saves clutter on the night stands and has a backup battery built right in! We don't jailbreak either. I can't find a real compelling reason to, other than tethering, but I rarely take my current laptop anywhere. That may change when I get my MBPR though.

To sum it up, I'm buying Apple hardware for the ease of use, convenience, and quality. They have come a long, long way since the days of the Apple IIe that we had in my votech drafting class, and the limited software assortment of the 90's... Hell, Steam is now on the Mac and have more and more titles all the time!

 

[mope54]

If you option right click on Finder in the dock there is an option for ReLaunch.

Also, Esc + Option + CMD is equivalent to CTRL + ALT + Delete in Windows. It enables the user to kill all other processes and relaunch Finder

 

[scharfshutze009]

I use all three and I mean Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X. I'm tired of alot the flaws with Windows as well though, like the poorly designed command line compared to the Unix based Linux and Mac OS X. However I don't plan to stop using windows I just know more about Linux and Mac OS X to fix things at the command line. Also I know how to script in Linux and soon Mac OS X, but I bought a book on powershell to see how windows compares to Linux and Mac OS X. Currently I have 9 PC's and enough to build 13. I have alot of history with PC because PC was easier to use with Windows than Linux and in some cases Mac OS X. Also Windows was more stable than Mac OS prior to Mac OS X. Now Mac OS X is more stable, but for some reason command line functionality doesn't work the same way as Linux and was expected. Mac OS X can be just as annoying as windows because if you want to do some your almost stuck doing it in the GUI just like Windows and not like Linux because it you want to kill task in linux you can just type kill -15 and the process ID. However Mac OS X is still pretty good at managing task through the activity monitor and will usually ask you if you want to force quit a frozen application. I've successfully installed Steam on both Mac OS X and Linux, although I had to use PlayOnLinux to intall it on Linux. Also PlayOnLinux just uses Wine to trick the game in to thinking its running on Windows, which doesn't run all games that well if at all. Another thing is I haven't transferred or bought any steam games for my Mac yet because I've spent all summer learning the OS to prepare for the certification exam by using Virtual Machines through VMware Fusion. Basically though Mac OS X is designed to be easier to use because you just double click the .dmg file, click and drag the app to the applications folder in the same window and your done. If you want to delete something just drag the icon to the trash because this will delete the shortcut and the program files do to the fork file system which shows them as one item. You very rarely need to use a third party uninstaller and once you drag it to the trash the program is gone. No need to use add and remove programs or programs and features, which may only partially remove the files and still leave behind garbage. Also, its harder to get a virus or Malware on a Mac because of the way programs are installed and because of the app store which makes it easier to tell if a program is legitiment. Backups are about the same with Time Machine as they are with Windows ntbackup with windows XP or backup and restore with windows 7 except Mac OS X has a 3D flip view to view your files as you search through them. Mac OS X has safe mode just like windows if you hold shift and you can lock the firmware with a password using recovery mode just like a PC's BIOS. The only thing I don't like is that Mac OS X never officially supported Blu-ray and won't because Apple is retarded and doesn't think you need an optical drive.

 

[mope54]

@scharfshutze009
try fishfish as your default shell in OSX
http://ridiculousfish.com/shell/

 

[jordan12]

I bought my first Ipad 2 months ago or so. Love every second of it. I have gotten used to Itunes and now I simply like using it.

I wont anything Machine related from apple, MAC, etc. But I do love my Ipad. Best Tablet purchase ever...(The Android tabs just can't compete)

 

[mazdaboi]

I buy apple products because I need stability, reliablility and longevity.
iPod Mini, Nano and Video - 6yrs old all still working
iPhone 3GS - Retired but still used as an iPod Touch
MacMini- Sold to upgrade to a Macbook1
Macbook1 Owned for 7years works like a champ, recently sold to upgrade to a MacbookPro 15.4" and will hopefully last me another 6-7years
PowerMacG5 was my old gaming computer until powerpc processors became unsupported then sold to build a gaming PC desktop.
iPad 1 - going on 2 years old, used for everything mobile or not needing to be on a laptop for/ traveling etc.

I Keep a Mac for all business, school and important documents
The desktop which cost 1/3 of the Mac price at start (upgrades over the years may bring the price upto the same as the MBP) but its simply JUST for games, Cant trust windows and blue screens with important docs or school work.

I am by no means saying a Mac is the EndAlll for all computers, they definately do serve their purpose but a windows machine may be needed to run a few other applications, Bootcamp and win7 works good for some games but i cant play BF3 with over 40FPS on high on my MBP unlike my desktop so I have to keep the desktop. LOL

Purchasing 1 laptop (@$1200 in 2005) lasting me until a few weeks ago and only sold it to get a bigger laptop is AWESOME! 2 Batteries and 2 power cords later, it still worked like brand new. No PC laptop has ever lasted me that long. 2003-2004 I had a Toshiba laptop, $1000, lasted a year then had to get something else.

You get what you pay for with most technology as prices drop you get more for your money.
I just cant beat the quality and longevity from apple products. Thats why I purchase Apple.

 

[TechLarry]

My life is 95% PC, but it used to be the other way around. If I wasn't in the corporate world, it would still be 95% Mac.

Anyway, I prefer MacOS. I'm not crazy about everything in MaxOS X, but I still prefer it to windows for the most part.

I would love it if there was a utility to put the menu bar in each window though

 

[TechLarry]

The point is that it's a subjective decision. Someone who likes Pepsi better could explain why to someone who likes Coke, but that wont really mean anything to the Coke drinker.

I prefer diet pepsi. I despise diet coke. It's just plain nasty tasting.

 

[mope54]

That's a little different because that's objectivity true...diet coke is deuce juice

 

[intogamer]

http://www.addictivetips.com/mobile/how-to-make-iphone-camera-led-notifications-work-complete-guide/

 

[ranviper]

I buy iPhones and MacBooks because I like them. It's that simple. I just enjoy using them. They're easy to use, have good battery life, look sleek, are built well. I don't agree with everything the company does as a whole. But, every company has issues, some more than others. I use windows as well. I just like technology, and use what I like, no bias.

 

[refraxion]

I buy iPhones and MacBooks because I like them. It's that simple. I just enjoy using them. They're easy to use, have good battery life, look sleek, are built well. I don't agree with everything the company does as a whole. But, every company has issues, some more than others. I use windows as well. I just like technology, and use what I like, no bias.

Well said. And no one can deny that their laptops usually come out with stuff that popularizes the push for higher resolution to mainstream consumers.

 

[PsycoGeek]

I buy iPhones and MacBooks because I like them. It's that simple. I just enjoy using them. They're easy to use, have good battery life, look sleek, are built well. I don't agree with everything the company does as a whole. But, every company has issues, some more than others. I use windows as well. I just like technology, and use what I like, no bias.

I agree... Well said.