14 Reasons to Switch to a Mac

by methodshop in Miscellaneous Gadgets

Need a reason to switch? Last week there was an article in the Washington Post that highlighted some of the advantages of the Macintosh over the PC.

1. Macs just work. How much time have you spent troubleshooting your PC? Imagine a computer designed by people who hate to waste time as much as you do. Where all the hardware and software just works, and works well together. Plus, Macs don’t crash (that often). The Mac is designed to let you spend more time doing the things you love, and less time doing the things you hate. Like restarting. Get a Mac and get your life back.

2. You can make amazing stuff.
Every Mac comes with iLife ’06, a suite of software that transforms your photos, music, and video into all kinds of projects. Make high-quality websites, photo books, DVDs, songs, slideshows, music CDs, calendars, cards, prints, podcasts, music videos, documentaries, and more.

3. Design that turns heads.
You won’t want to hide your Mac in a corner of the den. You’ll want it front and center in your life. The Apple style shows in every detail, from its sculpted surfaces to its gorgeous Mac OS X graphics.

4. 114,000 Viruses? Not on a Mac.
Mac OS X was designed with security in mind. Windows just wasn’t built to bear the onslaught of attacks it suffers every day. A Mac offers a built-in firewall, doesn’t advertise its existence on the Net, and isn’t compromised within an hour of being turned on.

5. Next year’s OS today.
Since Mac OS X engineers aren’t busy damming a flood of viruses, they have the time to think up amazing new technology. Like Dashboard widgets, mini-applications offering a world of capabilities just a keystroke away. Or a built-in RSS news reader.

6. The latest Intel chips.
Intel Core Duo processors put you on the cutting edge. In fact, a Mac with an Intel chip is so fast it surprises even longtime Windows pundits, who keep running benchmarks again and again. Results? Fast. Fast. Yup, still fast.

7. Instant video chats.
Setting up a video chat with the people next door — or across the globe — should be as simple as picking up the phone. On a Mac, you just click an icon to have a four-way video chat in a full-screen window with amazing clarity and special effects.

8. More fun with photos.
On a Mac, you don’t need any extra software to make a photo book. You don’t have to leave your photo software to visit a separate website and wait for forms to load. All you need is a camera and a Mac.

9. One-click websites.
How long does it take to post a photo or video to your blog on a PC? On a Mac, you can shoot a picture or a movie with the built-in camera, then post it on the web in a few clicks. Pontificate, preachify, and publish. The hardest part is coming up with something to say.

10. Amazing podcasts.
Want to get your message out to the world? Podcast it. A Mac makes it simple to create professional podcasts, complete with artwork. Add sound effects and jingles, even use the built-in radio engineer to make it perfect. So you can be a talk star in seconds.

11. Rock star tunemaking.
Musicians get all the girls (or guys). And a Mac has the software to turn you into the musician of your dreams. Choose from hundreds of cool riffs and instruments to create your own songs. Get good enough and you could be on iTunes.

12. Hollywood-style movies.
Connect your DV camera and turn your movies into spectaculars. Add graphics, titles, and sound effects in minutes. Then use your Mac to burn a DVD or post to your website.

13. No hunting for drivers.
Just plug in your stuff. A Mac includes USB drivers for mass storage, digital cameras, input devices, iPod, and more. It can see Bluetooth cell phones and headsets, as well as FireWire cameras. No rebooting.

14. Awesome out of the box.
Other computers include software, it’s true. But once you start using that software, you find that you’re hobbled in some way or another. Software included with the Mac, on the other hand, is critically acclaimed as best in class.

digg story | methodshop

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11 Comments on “14 Reasons to Switch to a Mac”

Mike Says:

December 9th, 2006 at 8:54 am

My MacBook Pro for my Christmas present was just purchased yesterday, so I’m in the process of switching.

Tom Says:

December 9th, 2006 at 9:37 am

Thanks for the article. All good reasons to switch. A couple of them rang true for our household. We’ve been thinking about dropping our Dell for the 24″ iMac (that thing is gorgeous). We got a demo at the local Apple Store here in Chandler, AZ. We took our own camera in, complete with pictures of the kids, and they walked us through making a webpage on their .Mac service. It was amazingly simple, and surprisingly fun. It took me almost 45 minutes to get my camera working in XP when we purchased it. I had visions of doing the same thing in the middle of the mall, but that wasn’t the case. I plugged in our camera, and up popped the photo program. No installing anything. Awesome.

Robert Says:

December 9th, 2006 at 10:19 am

I own a Mac, and the “iLife” software is unbelievable. My dad used to make slideshows of our family and vacations… now I can put together a professional quality DVD full of video and stills with my kids talking, and send it to my aging parents. Also, the kids will have a record of their youth. The whole thing is professional, yet easy beyond reason. And that’s just one of the ways I use it.

If you’re a musician, or have one in the house, Garageband alone is worth the cost of admission. Again, professional YET insanely cheap and easy. In my day, I bought a full ProTools studio with tons of outboard gear. I got so focused on the finiky gear, that I forgot to make music. The Mac is the equivalent of a very sophisticated TEAC Portastudio of old, in that it makes it simple to just record your ideas and enhance them. Wonderful.

On the serious side, there are word processors and web browsers and mail programs - all with Apple’s unique friendly flair. There’s even a program called Parallels - a Windows Emulator - that runs any Windows programs I may need.

With all the amazing software that comes with the Mac, plus the ability to run any Windows stuff, I cannot think of any argument against the machine at all.

Nick Says:

December 9th, 2006 at 12:35 pm

I switched to a MacBook Pro a couple of months ago, and it was one the best things i ever did.

Apple Store FedEx Discount - Page 2 - Truckingboards Trucking Forums Says:

December 9th, 2006 at 8:35 pm

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Mike Says:

December 9th, 2006 at 10:27 pm

Sadly, I’m awaiting the release of Leopard. Even if it’s only $100 to upgrade, that’s a 5-8% chunk of the cost of the laptop I’m looking at. Plus, I’ve hearc that Leopard will support resolution independance, so (hopefully) the MBPs will finally move to 1680×1050 on the 15″ instead of the 1440×900 or whatever they currently use (I know it sounds minor, and it is, but it’s a $2000+ laptop so I’m gonna be picky).

Ever since I sold my PowerBook G4 (due to the upcoming release of the Intel based machines) I’ve wanted another. However, a $2000+ computer is not something to be taken lightly and I must push my fanboy-ishness aside and try to pinch pennies/hundred-dollar-bills as they really add-up quickly.

Mike

Stan’s List » Blog Archive » 14 Reasons to Switch to a Mac Says:

December 10th, 2006 at 12:23 am

[...] of the advantages of the Macintosh over the PC”. More … Switching | Oodles | trackback No Responses to ‘14 Reasons to Switch to aMac’ [...]

Bradley Dichter Says:

December 10th, 2006 at 7:03 am

I’m not sure commentor Mike knows the meaning of resolution independance, but it has little to do with the actual display pixel count horizontally and vertically. Apple’s displays are already quite dense. A increase to 1680 x 1050 would make them even denser. With a resolution independant OS, then icons scroll bars and such user interface elements can be made to be larger and thus easier to see on such a high density screen. It doesn’t make higher resolution screens cheaper to build and thus sell, and of course the required electronics to drive them.

Studio1020.com» Blog Archive » 14 Reasons to get a MAC. Says:

December 11th, 2006 at 7:53 am

[...] Now go over to coolest-gagdets.com and read more on each reason. Here is the rest of the story. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. RSS 2.0 [...]

Chaps Says:

December 11th, 2006 at 4:30 pm

Oh puhh-lease. Whose advertising brochure are you gonna copy next?? half of those reasons are so old and outdated it is like comparing a 2006 Mustang with a 1984 Corvette…

mac’s don’t crash, no they just randomly turn off… OSX written for security.. hmmmph.. who could be bothered.. “new” dashboard widgets. they’ve been around for years and Apple bought the company and folowed everyone else into the market… one click publsihing to blogs.. that isn’t OS-dependant. i can one-click to publish too and it doesn’t matter where or what am on, PC, Phone, PDA..

there is no doubt that ilife is a good product. iI’m sure students and musos are rejoicing. Please leave the Marketing department out of this and stick to real reviews.