<p>
[quote]
Trying to convince someone that Mac is better than PC or vice versa is like trying to convince a Christian that Judaism is the correct religion. No one is going to change their mind on what type of computer they use. Some people like PC's and some people like Macs. If you dont know what you want, go to an Apple store and try out a Mac, if you like it, buy it. Otherwise, don't.
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There is some evidence that people are switching to Mac:
[quote]
Apple said it shipped 1.76 million Macintosh computers in the quarter, a rise of 33 percent from a year earlier as it continued to outpace growth in the broader computer market. Sales of notebook computers rose 42 percent.
<p>While it’s true that Apple has sold more computers this quarter (3Q07), the numbers need to be place in context of the overall US and global marketplace. In the US, Apple is posed to replace Gateway in the number three spot. Given the problems at Gateway, you could argue that its product line weaknesses over the last couple of years allowed Apple to move up in the rankings. As of 2Q07, IDC reports Apple with only 5.6% of the US marketplace and globally, a dismal 2.8%. </p>
<p>Looking a little deeper into the US numbers, Toshiba (2Q07) has 5.3% of the marketplace which is all laptops. Toshiba doesn’t sell desktop machines in the US as opposed to Apple which sells both desktops and laptops. Since Apple doesn’t break out computer sales by model line, it’s fair to say that subtracting out Apple’s desktop sales, Toshiba handily outsells Apple all by itself. And these numbers don’t take into account laptop sales from Dell, HP and Lenovo…</p>
<p>As ArsTechnical points out, while Apple’s sales are growing, both Toshiba and Acer are growing even faster. </p>
<p>Windows crashes once a month or so for me. People that buy Macs are paying for design and for nice graphics/video software. There is NOTHING that a Mac can do that a PC can't as far as my needs are concerned. I just ordered a dell for $1070 with better specs than any computer I've seen under 1500 (it's got one of Intel's new Santa Rosa Core 2 Duo processors). A low-end Mac with decent specs is a good 1200-1500. I can't afford to pay 150-450 dollars for a pretty GUI. I like XP, I like Vista even more. I've used Macs before, and I can't stand them.</p>
<p>So while PC's market share has dropped only 3.5% in these four years, Mac's has nearly tripled (easy when they started so low). This (I think) tends to support the idea that some people are switching to Mac, no doubt helped by the iPod and iPhone tie-ins.</p>
<p>Again, I don't use my Mac because it's so uber that it never crashes. I use it because it does everything I want and does that very well. Would I switch back to Windows if Vista demonstrated that it could do that? Yes.</p>
<p>Heck, I'll still probably build a new Windows box for gaming sometime in the next couple years. But in the end, the Macbook Pro has been an enjoyable experience. That's more than I can say for most of my past notebooks.</p>
<p>The Ipod Halo Effect has been much debated since their introduction in 2001. From the charts presented from CNet and The Seattle Post-Intelligencer (admittedly in “enemy territory”), Ipod sales from their introduction to around 2Q04 shows little “coat-tail” effects with Apple’s computer division. From 2Q04 forward (when the Windows version of the Ipod appeared), Ipod sales really took off while there were only small gains in the sale of Macs through 4Q06. One can argue that the jump in Mac sales in ’06 was a product of Apple moving to the Intel platform. If there is an Ipod Halo Effect, it’s very modest</p>
<p>I think that market share is overrated as a measure of company success anyway. Like Jobs says, Mercedes and BMW have relatively small market shares, but nobody would call them unsuccessful.</p>
<p>What's remarkable about Apple these days is how profitable they are. They were nothing of the sort in the late 80s and early 90s.</p>
<p>If Mercedes and BMW could triple their market share at a time that overall car sales were increasing, their profits would increase significantly, too.</p>
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[quote]
That, and while the game selection on the Macs is still more limited, any Intel Mac users can just boot Windows and play games anyway.
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Don't forget to mention that that voids your warrenty.</p>
<p>You think you won't have problems with a mac. They're soo-------o surperior. Well think again. It's all about how you treat your computer. If you don't know how to keep it up (ie, defragment the harddrive, regularly scan for spyware, say NO to scripting when you're online!!, etc.), then it's going to spazz. I've got a computer still running on Windows 2000 and it works great, even if it's only got 256K RAM (yes, LOL). But the Macs I used at school for yearbook were incredibly slow, had problems all the time, etc.</p>
<p>And the only reason there are fewer viruses is because more people have PCs, so hackers target people with PCs. Now that more people are getting Macs, there will be more mac-viruses to accomodate you all.</p>
<p>PS: You can install MacOSX on a Windows computer if it's the operating system you really want to use.</p>
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[quote]
Don't forget to mention that that voids your warrenty.
[/quote]
Not true. There is no statement from Apple like this, and if you call Apple support they'll tell you it's not true. The software that supports Windows on Mac was written and is supported by Apple. But clearly, Apple will not support a Windows software problem on a Mac.</p>
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[quote]
And the only reason there are fewer viruses is because more people have PCs, so hackers target people with PCs. Now that more people are getting Macs, there will be more mac-viruses to accomodate you all.
[/quote]
The theory sounds right, but so far no MacOS X viruses have been indentified. But, please, if you find a valid reference to one, post it here.</p>
<p>
[quote]
You can install MacOSX on a Windows computer if it's the operating system you really want to use.
[/quote]
Absolute nonsense. MacOS X will not install on a computer not made by Apple.</p>
<p>People have yet to tell me why I should shell out 1.5x the money for a Mac that has <em>nothing</em> on my pc. It can't do anything that my pc can't, it's not more powerful, it has no advantage except a a shiny covering and an operating system i can't stand using.</p>
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[QUOTE]
"(ie, defragment the harddrive, regularly scan for spyware, say NO to scripting when you're online!!, etc.), then it's going to spazz."
[/QUOTE]
</p>
<p>That's the point some Mac users are trying to make. They don't have to do any of that to keep it in great condition.</p>
<p>I own a Macbook (1.25GB ram, 80GB HD) but still regularly use XP, so it's whatever to me. These arguments are kind of dumb. There's no sense in trying to justify a PC/Mac purchase to anyone but yourself.</p>
<p>
[quote]
People have yet to tell me why I should shell out 1.5x the money for a Mac that has <em>nothing</em> on my pc. It can't do anything that my pc can't, it's not more powerful, it has no advantage except a a shiny covering and an operating system i can't stand using.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>This statement is no longer true. Look at the prices of Macbooks and Macbook Pros versus their competitors.</p>
<p>But again, remember that notebooks and desktops SHOULD NOT BE COMPARED. Also, remember that you aren't paying for the hardware alone when you get a Mac, but also the support and package that comes with the computer. Macs are about more than raw horsepower. </p>
<p>I don't define my computing experience by my 3DMark or PCMark scores.</p>
<p>Oh, and booting Windows on your Mac does not void your warranty. Please, please, please verify your facts before you post. Please.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Actually... There is a small community of people running OS X on x86s these days.
[/quote]
Wow, that is interesting, but it's hacked versions of OS X (it has to be; the Apple installer won't), and the site itself says it's illegal to do so unless you're an Apple developer.</p>
