“Poke around the net for a while searching for information on what it’s like to switch to a Mac, and you’ll quickly get a face full of hyperbole, zealots, platform bigots, feature weenies, and naysayers – from both the Windows and Mac camps,” Bill Westerman writes for utilware.
Westerman writes, “But there are precious few places to get an honest word about what it’s like to switch, other than some deeply technical face-offs. So, I’ve been taking notes for the past few years, and thought I’d write them down. Before I get into things, I should say that I’ve been a happy Mac user for 3 or 4 years, but spent most of the 10+ years before that quite enamored with Windows and DOS as well.”
So, here’s what it’s like to switch to a Mac, without all the whining and hysterics:
01 People will ridicule you for having a Mac
02 You’ll feel like you’re in a little club
03 People will help you for no reason
04 Fewer people will try to attack you
05 You’ll be able to ignore most viruses
06 You’ll have some compatibility problems
07 The Internet will be mostly the same
08 You’ll be continually amazed at the fit and finish
09 You’ll have a few “damn it!” moments
10 You’ll have some “ah-ha” moments
11 Keyboard shortcuts will drive you nuts
12 You’ll regret your purchase, but you’ll get over it
13 You’ll be amazed at how little there is to modify
14 You’ll actually have to plan your reboots
15 There isn’t much stuff to buy for a Mac
16 You’ll spend more money than with Windows
17 You’ll generally sell your used Mac for a decent price
18 Random strangers will stop to talk about your Apple
19 You’ll get more things done
20 Apple isn’t Dell when it comes to returns
21 Everyone is griping about market share
22 You’ll play pretty well on a Windows network
Full article, with explanations for each of the 22 points above, here.
Related articles:
InfoWorld: 9,000 people switch to Apple Mac every day (plus testing ‘Embrace and Extinguish’) – February 28, 2007
Netscape founder Marc Andreessen switches to Apple Mac – February 28, 2007
Computerworld: Windows expert dumps Windows, switches to Apple’s Mac OS X – February 08, 2007
Windows sufferer spends six hours trying to ‘upgrade’ to Vista, says: ‘I should’ve bought a Mac’ – February 07, 2007
Windows Vista woes push BBC News editor to regret never having ‘defected’ to Apple Mac – February 06, 2007
Bill Gates unhinged with Apple envy; Microsoft on path to become high profile casualty – February 06, 2007
Apple takes dead aim at Microsoft’s Windows Vista in latest ‘Get a Mac’ ad (with video) – February 06, 2007
Digit: Don’t buy Vista; Microsoft may be driving millions to stick with XP or move to Apple Mac – February 05, 2007
Bill Gates has lost his mind: calls Apple liars, copiers; slams Mac OS X security vs. Windows – February 02, 2007
TIME Magazine: Microsoft’s Windows Vista ‘an embarassment to the good name of American innovation’ – February 02, 2007
Microsoft’s Windows Vista: Five years for a chrome-plated turd – January 30, 2007
Those unfamiliar with Apple’s Mac OS X may be impressed with Windows Vista – January 29, 2007
Digit: ‘Microsoft’s Windows Vista may be the best reason yet to buy an Apple Mac’ – January 29, 2007
Pioneer Press: Windows Vista shows ‘Apple is an innovation engine; Microsoft, not so much’ – January 29, 2007
Windows Vista disappoints, so get a Mac – January 29, 2007
Microsoft emails reveal serious Mac OS X Tiger envy – January 26, 2007
Analyst: Microsoft’s Windows Vista could be an opportunity for Apple – January 26, 2007
CNET Reviews Windows Vista: Is that all? Clunky and not very intuitive vs. Mac OS X; warmed-over XP – January 24, 2007
Mossberg: Microsoft’s Windows Vista offers lesser imitations of Apple’s Mac OS X features – January 18, 2007
Windows Vista disappointment drives longtime ‘Microsoft apologist’ to Apple’s Mac OS X – January 17, 2007
InformationWeek Review: Apple’s Mac OS X shines in comparison with Microsoft’s Windows Vista – January 06, 2007
NY Times’ Pogue reviews Microsoft’s Windows Vista: ‘Looks, Locks, Lacks’ – December 14, 2006
Unlike Microsoft’s Windows Vista, Apple’s Mac OS X Leopard will create no new jobs – December 12, 2006
A Windows expert opts for a Mac life, finds the experience ‘superb’ – December 07, 2006
15-year Windows vet tries Apple Mac: ‘My God! This is amazing!’ – December 04, 2006
Dave Winer: ‘Microsoft isn’t an innovator, and never was – they are always playing catch-up’ – December 01, 2006
Harvard Medical School CIO picks Mac OS X over Linux and Windows – November 30, 2006
A Windows expert opts for a Mac life – November 06, 2006
Apple Macs can run more software than Windows PCs – October 30, 2006
Microsoft’s Windows Vista is basically Microsoft’s version of Mac OS 9.3 – October 11, 2006
Embrace and Extinguish in action: TechIQ’s ‘The VAR Guy’ dumps Windows, switches to Mac OS X – September 25, 2006
Top Windows developer dumps Microsoft’s ‘pile of crap’ for Apple’s Mac OS X – September 12, 2006
$399 for Windows Vista Ultimate?! (Hint: Get a Mac) – August 29, 2006
Apple’s Mac OS X Leopard is 64-bit done right, unlike Microsoft’s Windows Vista kludge – August 14, 2006
Microsoft Windows Vista: If you can’t innovate… try to impersonate Apple’s Mac OS X – August 10, 2006
Analyst: Apple’s new Mac OS X Leopard sets new bar, leaves Microsoft’s Vista in the dust – August 08, 2006
Microsoft botches another copy job: Windows Vista Flip3D vs. Apple Mac OS X Exposé – June 26, 2006
Windows Vista rips-off Mac OS X at great hardware cost (and Apple gains in the end) – June 13, 2006
Computerworld: Microsoft Windows Vista a distant second-best to Apple Mac OS X – June 02, 2006
Dude, you got a Dell? What are you, stupid? Only Apple Macs run both Mac OS X and Windows! – April 05, 2006
Defending Windows over Mac a sign of mental illness – December 20, 2003
23: You’ll wonder why you didn’t do this a long time ago.
I have a problem with a couple of those
I didn’t agree with a few of his points, but after reading his explanations I can totally see where he’s coming from.
I liked the article for it’s lack of BS and platform warmongering.
why is this guys post getting so much recognition? It’s a poorly written piece that doesn’t really say anything that others in more powerful positions haven’t already said much more effectively.
Makes me want to write a blog post about the obvious merits of OS X and put some Google ads on it for you to help me promote.
“There isn’t much stuff to buy for a Mac” —— Huh? eemmmkay
00 You are thinking to kiss your mac cause it so pretty
01 People will ridicule you for having a Mac…Not the smart people, just the trailer trash
02 You’ll feel like you’re in a little club…that’s getting bigger all the time
03 People will help you for no reason… the reason is that they know people that own macs are good people
04 Fewer people will try to attack you… because fewer people CAN attact you
05 You’ll be able to ignore most viruses…of course, ALL viruses
06 You’ll have some compatibility problems, not if run windows on a mac, DUH???
07 The Internet will be mostly the same, but better
08 You’ll be continually amazed at the fit and finish
09 You’ll have a few “damn it!” moments…”Damn it, why didn’t I switch five years ago?”
……………………………
19 You’ll get more things done…And that’s what its all about
I’m invisible, just like the type on that page.
No story, here, people. Move along.
Haha his page doesn’t load up in OS9. I’m so sick of OS9! Company says an upgrade to OS10 and MacPros is happening this year. Thank God.
Invisible Man,
It didn’t load for me either using Netscape 7 on OS9, but I tried in in IE on OS9 and it worked fine. For once, a Microsoft product actually worked. Amazing.
24: You will begin to hate Windows
Doin
Very Nice!
TR
“01 People will ridicule you for having a Mac”
Pssssst. Hey. Over here. Guess what?
It’s not the Mac they were laughing at. That was a quick excuse for the real problem.
Don’t you remember red and green plaid golf pants, that huge blonde wig and shouting the lyrics to Cher’s Greatest Hits? Ease up there, halfbreed.
absolutely amazing piece. we need more of this.
this is old.
“”There isn’t much stuff to buy for a Mac” —— Huh? eemmmkay”
I was first going to disagree with him, however he could be referring to not having to buy add ons or accessories that are required to get a PC up to the same level as a Mac.
Or if your display goes on the blink, it can take days or weeks to get your machine back.
exactly how much less than days would you expect it to take? minutes? Seconds maybe?
People will ridicule you for having a Mac
As if youd take shit off anyone for owning a Mac! Sounds like a dweeb.
“”There isn’t much stuff to buy for a Mac” —— Huh? eemmmkay”
Yeh, if I see a nice piece of software, there’s usually something on Sourceforge that is free and much easier and better to use.
So he’s right, there isn’tmuch stuff to buy for a Mac, it’s usually free.
Check out MediaFork, the new HandBrake!
“15 There isn’t much stuff to buy for a Mac
If you go to the local Fry’s or Best Buy, you’ll find aisles and aisles of stuff for Windows, a few things (like USB Keys or mice) that work on both Windows and the Mac, and if you’re lucky, a crappy little shelf of Mac goodies. But you’ll also likely find that you don’t need to buy all that extra stuff, as a lot of it’s not necessary with the Mac.”
Exactly.
12 You’ll regret your purchase, but you’ll get over it…not true. Who would regret making their computing life better?
16 You’ll spend more money than with Windows…not true. Add in virus/spam/adware protection, subscriptions to these services, and a bunch of other crap you need in order to compute safely…and you’ve got one expensive Windows machine.
It’s true. People do ridicule you for having a Mac. But then they want to check their email while at your house… and once you have them in the chair, a little demonstration is in order. Needless to say, the drool I have seen on PC users’ chins after checking out my MacBook Pro makes me smile, knowing that their decision on a PC will not be so easy the next time.
If he sold his used macs to IRESQ or Ifixit he might get a better price because these guys buy older powerbooks and sometimes mac minis for spare parts.
25. You’ll wonder why other people don’t jump at your suggestion to dump Windows.
Haha his page doesn’t load up in OS9. I’m so sick of OS9! Company says an upgrade to OS10 and MacPros is happening this year. Thank God.
— AshNazg
It won’t load in Firefox 2.0.0.2, running in 10.4.8, either, even when the user agent switcher is set to IE. So I dumped the cache and cleared the history, quit Firefox and restarted it through Terminal, using safe mode, to ensure that no extensions were screwing it up. I did all that before posting the first time.
Using Safari, the typeface loses its ledding — each line is squashed into the next — even when the type size and minimum type size is set to 8 points. The same thing happens with iCab in 9.
Why would anyone care what he thinks when the site is a dog’s breakfast of bad code? He obviously can’t get a real job.
16 You’ll spend more money than with Windows
No, you’ll WANT to spend more money with Mac/OS X, you HAVE to spend way, WAY more money with Windows : )
It’s money well spent with Apple, it’s sucked into a black hole with M$.