Top 5 Myths about Mac
Quite possibly one of the most talked about topic when it comes to a Mac. Here are 5 popular myths about the Mac and my personal take on them.
5. Macs are difficult to operate.
This is probably a less common myth that I hear nowadays but nonetheless there are still some people who believes that Macs are difficult to use. Maybe its the one buttoned mouse that got most people confused when using a Mac, but I mainly blame Steve Jobs’ stubbornness for that (the one button mouse is an interesting topic which I might revisit next time).
Macs are not only intuitive, but they are actually pretty fun to use too. When I first switched to a Mac, I had problems figuring out where all my applications were and how I could install new software. On Windows you’ll find your applications installed in the Program Files folder with short cuts through the Start button. On a Mac, all your apps are in just one location, the Applications folder. No fumbling through the Start menu looking for a particular app. Just go to the Applications folder, type the first few letter of the app and run it. Going to run this app frequent ? No problem, drag it to your Dock or put it on your desktop for faster access next time.
Software installation on the Mac is mostly a drag and drop affair for apps that doesn’t require additional settings. They usually come in the Disk Image file format (*.dmg). To install, simply mount the image by double clicking on them, then drag the application to your desired location or the Applications folder. Simple enough, no ?
Skype Installation
4. Macs aren’t compatible in a Windows environment
We all know that Windows machines are dominant in the market which is why most people are afraid that buying a Mac may not fit into their existing Windows ecosystem. Macs support a large number of major open standards and architecture from networking to scripting languages. Getting a Mac to work in your existing Windows network is as simple is plugging them to the network and enabling Windows sharing. You can even browse Windows machines from the Finder application without any setup. Print sharing works just as fine and they do not require any drivers in most cases since they speak using the standard printer languages.
3. Macs are only for the hippie designer folks
Back in the days, Macs were really popular among the graphic designer folks simply because some of the best desktop publishing tools were only available on the Mac then. Color profile management on the Mac was another strong point why many professional designers opted for a Mac to publish their print work. The higher end Mac Pros packs some serious processing power and they’re often used by professional video editors to edit real time digital video. But just like any other computers, Macs can do a whole lot of other stuff too. With an intuitive user interface and maintenance free system, why let the designers have all the fun? Everyday tasks like web browsing, word processing and number crunching is a cakewalk on the Mac, so just pick your software and start getting things done on a Mac. Afterall, it is the software that makes the computer, so you should just do whatever you want with your Mac!
Don't be a Mac or a PC, just be you.
And that leads us to …
2. There aren’t many applications for the Mac
I’ve been a PC user for many years now and since switching to a Mac and I can’t say that I actually miss many of the applications on Windows. I use Firefox and Netbeans for development work and both these apps are available on all the 3 platforms that I deal with daily (Centos 5, Windows XP, MacOSX Leopard). For media playing, I use VLC and iTunes which works great on a Mac (iTunes is a nightmare on Windows actually, in fact any Apple ported apps on the Windows is a nightmare for that matter).
Commercial applications like Microsoft Office or Adobe system’s Creative Suite have always had a Mac version for all their releases. Its also a little known fact that Microsoft Office was actually first released on the Mac back in the 80s. Other applications that I regularly use on the Mac is Adium, which is a multiprotocol instant messaging client and replaces both Yahoo Messenger and MSN Live Messenger on Windows and Mac. Practically for every Windows app that I used to use, there’s a equally good counterpart for the Mac. You don’t need many apps for the Mac, you just need good ones. So far I have not encountered any major problems getting my work done with the current setup.
Of course if you really happen to use a piece of highly proprietary software that’s only available on Windows, you could always get yourself a copy of Windows and install it on a Bootcamp Partition or virtualize it using programs like VirtualBox for free or if you have the cash to spare, VMWare Fusion or Parallels. If you are even more adventurous, you could try installing your app natively using Darwine instead. If you’re into gaming then your best bet is probably Bootcamp as that will let you run the games at the fastest possible speed and take advantage of full 3D acceleration.
Google Chrome on Leopard
1. Macs are pricey
Now this is an interesting subject. What do you perceive as something expensive ? A million dollar car may not seem expensive if you can certainly afford it and appreciate the fine engineering that went into building it. Then again a thousand dollar car may seem expensive to you if it breaks down all too frequent and requires regular maintenance. Just like the old saying goes “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, Macs are expensive only if you think that they’re not worth the price that you pay for them. Spec for spec, a similarly configured desktop/laptop is easily a few hundred dollars cheaper than a Mac but the quality of their build and their aesthetics is certainly far superior compared to some other PC makers. You may not agree with me but personally I think the Macbook Pros are beautiful and are piece of engineering marvel. Not to mention that they’re a joy to use too.
Apart from that, I’ve yet to worry about spyware and viruses while using a Mac and I’ve never had to run a disk defragmenter for my Mac. Less worry and headache equals more time spent working and higher productivity and thus more value for money. So if you ask me, I wouldn’t say that the Macs are expensive, they’re just worth the price that I’m willing to pay.
So here’s my top 5 myths debunked, I’m sure some of you have other thoughts about this so please do share with me by dropping your comments here.
Popularity: 33% [?]
Popularity: 33% [?]
- Top 5 Myths about Mac
- 5 Tips to Get Started on Your New MacBook
- Free CodeWeavers Crossover Mac Professional Version !
- Screen Sharing Desktops from Leopard using VNC
- Feeling the heat on your Mac?
December 31st, 2008 at 9:58 pm
I should probably ask my marketing / sales people to see if we can hire you ? hmmm - Apple is The Best - ….Well Done my broodlings.