Readers Endorse Switch to Apple

aryayush · 17-09-2007, 03:55 PM

Readers Endorse Switch to Apple

Former Windows Users Offer Tales
Of Why They Switched to a Mac
September 17, 2007

Last week's column on pondering a new PC, and the possibility of throwing over Windows for Apple, brought in a tidal wave of forum posts and email -- and more evidence that the consumer-PC market is turning in Apple's favor.

Email after email came from people who had recently switched from Windows to Macs, or were planning to do so once OS X 10.5 -- Leopard -- comes out next month. (By the way, why don't all operating-system makers just stick with the working names? They're always cooler.) And many of those emails came from people who were longtime, dedicated Windows users, including engineering types who had resisted what they saw as Apple hype. (Another theme that emerged from my correspondence: Vista was the final straw for a number of Windows users. Microsoft has a problem on its hands there.)

I know looking through an inbox is anecdotal evidence -- but there was an enormous amount of it, of which the letters below are a small sample. Yes, there was a reverse wave of folks suggesting Linux, building my own PC, or staying the course and getting a game console. But it was a small ripple against the tide. Thanks to everybody who wrote in with their experiences.

By way of brief update, I've put off my PC decision for a bit. I've eliminated the Mac mini because it doesn't seem capable of running dual monitors, something I've come to rely on quite heavily. This is disappointing, because I'd liked the idea of simply plugging my existing gear into a new box -- and because the price of a mini is far below that of an iMac.

I'm definitely considering the iMac, but I'll wait for Leopard, and paying $1,200 for a new PC (at least -- because you know I'll want the 24-inch iMac and the fastest processor and the most RAM) makes this a decision to be mulled over a while longer. But like so many correspondents, I sense an Apple takeover of my computing world. I haven't tried Vista, and I've always been fairly happy with my Dell machines, but in last few years the world has changed, and I can't think of a compelling reason to stay on the Windows-only side of it.

On to the letters -- as always, they've been edited. We'll start with the switchers:

David MacCallum writes: I found myself in your exact same predicament about four months ago. Ever an early adopter, I found that Windows Vista left a bitter taste in my mouth. I thought, "Is this is the best Microsoft could do in five years?" It was slower and more unreliable on my P4 3 GHz PC with 2 GB of RAM. I started down the path towards a new Dell with Vista when I came across some articles about Macs and their ability to run Windows and seamlessly switch back and forth nearly instantly.

I took the plunge in April, bought a Mac Pro desktop and have been extremely happy. Some things work much, much better than on a PC while some things are not as good (but very close). It does take a couple of weeks, but once you get the hang of it there is no looking back. Oh, and in those four months with the Mac, I have not had a single application or operating-system crash. Read more...

[Via WSJ.com]

goobimama · 17-09-2007, 06:42 PM

Vista is seriously a big mess. When all the features and stuff of Vista were announced, security included, I though MS is making an effort to be the best OS out there. Little did I know that it was going to be the same piece of kaka (read siggy), only this time with transparency.

"If you can't innovate, you imitate. But its never quite as good as the original"
- some guy.