Low End Mac Reader Specials

TypeStyler For Mac OS X is Now Shipping! Download The Free Fully Functional 60 Day Tryout at www.typestyler.com

Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how to download and install a native Mac poker application such as Full Tilt Poker Mac.

Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.

Compare products like desktop computers, apple laptops, apple macs, and LCD Monitors side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for new mobile phones, sat nav systems, or MP3 players. The Ciao online shopping community makes searching products easy for you.

Apple Archive

Reasons Not to Switch

- 2002.10.11

By now we all know how much Apple is depending on it's Switch campaign to get Windows users to start using a Mac. However (and the Mac advocates gonna hate me for this), there are a few reasons why switching may not be best for some PC users.

You know that Mac users enjoy promoting the Mac, telling you why you should buy one, what the advantages are, and what the disadvantages of a PC are. What they won't tell you is why you may not want to switch to a Mac just yet.

Applications are available on both platforms. There is Microsoft Office for Mac. But some specialized applications are made only for PCs running Windows, and buying Virtual PC with Windows makes your already somewhat expensive Mac even more expensive.

Then there are applications like Kazaa for file exchange - even though it contains spyware, many people still use it - and it doesn't run on the Mac. If you're into games at all, your best bet for gaming is either a PC or a game console.

Operating systems also work differently. Some people have no problem using both Windows and the Mac OS, but others can't figure out one after they've used the other for a long time. If you want to switch to a Mac, make completely sure that you've used the Mac OS and feel comfortable with it.

I don't mean just turning on a Mac and opening an application. Actually sit down and use it for an hour or so. Open applications, browse the Internet, and try using some of the features of the OS.

Some people find that the dock and the Mac Finder work much better for them than the Windows taskbar and Explorer. Others find the opposite. In order to switch to a Mac, you have to be willing to change your work habits completely. Apple has made this change less drastic over the years, but there is still a big difference, and you have to be ready to face it.

Make sure that your peripherals are compatible with the Mac OS if you plan to keep them. If they don't work, you'll have to add the cost of replacements to the cost of the Mac itself.

Also remember that Macs never do, never have, and probably never will come with enough RAM. Buying more memory is another added expense, although it doesn't have to be expensive. Probably the best place to check RAM prices is on ramseeker, where you can compare prices from several different vendors.

One of the big advantages of buying a Mac is that it stays useable and up to date for quite a while. You can keep a Mac and use it well for four years or more, but PCs start really showing their age after just a couple years.

I had bought a used (maybe two years old) 550 MHz PIII PC to replace my 200 MHz one when the top of the line models at the time were around 1.4 GHz. Now, about 6 months later, you can buy a 2.2 GHz PC, Windows XP is becoming widely used, and my 550 MHz PC is starting to look a little old. Try running brand new applications on it, and I bet it would feel a little old, too.

This makes a really good case for the Mac - my 9600/233 still does a decent job for most things, and current applications run on it without too much trouble.

But let me also remind you that you pay more for the luxury of being able to keep your computer longer. You can pay $699 for a low end Dell that might last you two or three years - or $1,299 for a low-end iMac that might last you four or five.

Is the Mac worth the extra cost? It's really a personal decision that is governed by how much you are willing to spend now and how long you plan to keep the computer.

I'm not trying to convince anyone not to switch, but you should consider the pros and cons of switching very carefully before you run out and buy a Mac.

Then again, some people do really well with impulse purchases - the 1976 Pioneer SX-1050 receiver I'm listening to now was bought on a whim, and it was one of the best purchases I've made yet.

Recent Apple Archive articles

iPods, notebooks, and other modern electronics more readily replaced than repaired, 12.07. Whether it's an intermittent failure or a broken display cable, more often than not it's cheaper to replace a broken electronics device than repair it.
Options for replacing your older iPod, 11.19. Whether you've run out of space on your old iPod or want features it doesn't have, here are your options in new and used iPods.
Could the $200 'green' PC with gOS Linux become a threat to Apple?, 11.14. The low cost, low power Everex desktop comes with a customized version of Ubuntu Linux, has a Mac-like Dock, and sells for $400 less than the Mac mini.
Leopard different, a bit buggy, but worth the upgrade, 11.02. Leopard on a Power Mac G4 and a MacBook Pro: It runs well on both computers, but each has some odd bugs, and some of the changes are a step backwards.
More in the Apple Archive index.

Links for the Day

Mac of the Day: Mac mini Core Solo, Feb. 2006 - The only Mac to use a Core Solo CPU, this model ran at 1.5 GHz, has integrated graphics, and includes a Combo drive
Group of the Day: SuperMacs is for those using Umax SuperMac clones.
November 24 in LEM history: 98: Microsoft's heavy hand - 00: Looking at the iMac - 04: The best Mac for the holidays - Picking the right replacement for a dead mouse - Better battery for 15" AlBook
Support Low End Mac

Recent Deals

Best G4 iMac Deals, 11.24. Used 15" 700 MHz CD-RW, $150; 800 MHz Combo, $229; 1 GHz, $289; 17" 1.25 GHz, $200; 20" 1.25 GHz, $509.
Best MacBook Air Deals, 11.24. Used from $899; refurb from $1,099; new 1.6 GHz/120 HD, $1,150 after rebate; 1.8/64 SSD, $1,150 a/r; 1.86/128 SSD, $1,350 a/r; 2.13/128 SSD, $1,694 a/r.
Best PowerBook G3 Deals, 11.24. Used 233 MHz WallStreet, $75; 266 MHz, $160; 400 MHz Lombard, $199; 400 MHz Pismo, $289; 500 MHz, $350.
Best 12" PowerBook G4 Deals, 11.23. Used 867 MHz SuperDrive, $348; 1 GHz Combo, $379; SD, $519; 1.33 GHz, $529; 1.5 GHz Combo, $549; SuperDrive, $609.
Best Mac Pro Deals, 11.23. Used 2.66 GHz 4-core, $1,300; 3.0 4-core. $1,919; refurb 2.66 4-core Nehalem, $2,149; 2.93, $2,549; 2.93 8-core, $4,999; new 2.26 8-core, $2,290.
Best Time Capsule and AirPort Deals, 11.23. Used 802.11g AirPort Extreme, $49; 500 GB Time Capsule, $150; new, $190; 1 TB dual-band, $280; 2 TB, $469; 802.11n AirPort Extreme, $170.
Best eMac Deals, 11.18. Used 1 GHz Combo, $100; SuperDrive, $269; 1.25 GHz Combo, $119; SD, $319; 1.42 GHz Combo, $289; SD, $498.
Best Mac OS X 10.6 and Mac Box Set Deals, 11.18. "Snow Leopard", single user, $25; 5 users, $45; Mac Box Set, single user, $139; 5 users, $180; Server, $414. Shipping included.
Best Xserve Deals, 11.18. Used 1 GHz dual G4, $649; 2.3 dual G5, $795; 3.0 4-core Xeon, $1,899; refurb 2.26 4-core, $2,499; new, $2,888; refurb 8-core, $2,999; new, $3,449; more.
More deals in our archive.

About LEM | Support | Usage | Privacy | Contacts

Apple Archive articles copyright ©2000-07 by Adam Robert Guha. Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2009 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Advice presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
Access our RSS news feed at http://lowendmac.com/feed.xml.
Email may be published at our discretion; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. If you prefer your message not be published, mark it "not for publication." Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.
Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iBook, iMac, eMac, iPod, iPhone, PowerBook, MacBook, MagSafe, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.