Well, If you're already in the I-device land, an I-computer would be the next logical step. Apple has done great work in creating a seamless environment between their devices. Even as a card carrying member of the free software foundation, I have to give them that.
Apple Mac's
- Thread starter Rob Fisher
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Yea I agree with @RATZ. Being the frugal man I am, I can't support Apple, especially in SA. However if you do own other iDevices it's more reasonable to invest into the rest of the system. You pay a whole lot for what you get in terms of macs, I've got a lot of friends in the design field and inevitably end up using their setups at some point or other and although they have a similar "just works" sort of feel like the iPhone etc, I personally can't warrant the bad value you get from the significant premium on them.
Just out of curiosity, why is it that you're wanting to move away from Windows? As someone who has been an "enthusiast" for a decade, I porsonally don't understand why W7 gets as much flak as it does. I've spent as long as year trying to get into Linux too and although I see the advantages, the disadvantages don't outweigh them for me. Is it the idea of a all-in-one solution? Is it the compactness? The design? These questions are sincere, I'd really like to know what you find attractive about them.
Also, looks like it's your birthday? Have a great one man
Just out of curiosity, why is it that you're wanting to move away from Windows? As someone who has been an "enthusiast" for a decade, I porsonally don't understand why W7 gets as much flak as it does. I've spent as long as year trying to get into Linux too and although I see the advantages, the disadvantages don't outweigh them for me. Is it the idea of a all-in-one solution? Is it the compactness? The design? These questions are sincere, I'd really like to know what you find attractive about them.
Also, looks like it's your birthday? Have a great one man
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@Rob Fisher
ive been using a macbook white (probably the cheapest out of the lot) for about 4 and half years now.
i can do everything from it that a windows user can. only better. i have hdmi to vga adapter to enable the dual screen capability.
i have a 3g dongle i use to vpn into the work network at which point i can vnc and RDP to any of the windows and linux servers.
i work in oracle databases as well and i have tools for that as well.
truth be told if you can do it on windows you can most certainly do it on a mac. there are tools that allow for everything.
with regards to hardware. in my experience ive not had a single issue with hardware. apart from the fact that after 4 and half years i now only get an hour and half out of the battery. but thats acceptable. i get around 5 to 6 days standby time. when laptop is on but lid closed.
software... not a single problem at all. its not as temperamental as windows. alot more robust. software upgrades from one version to the next is all done online. and is a fraction of the cost of a windows upgrade. being the lesser used OS you are less prone to unwanted intruders.. not saying that you wont get any viruses but its more in someones interest to create a virus for the majority than the minority,
so u can do anything a windows user can. that and a whole lot more.
my work pc and laptop is still windows based and i am forced to work with windows all the time. but my preference by far is apple mac computers.
ive been using a macbook white (probably the cheapest out of the lot) for about 4 and half years now.
i can do everything from it that a windows user can. only better. i have hdmi to vga adapter to enable the dual screen capability.
i have a 3g dongle i use to vpn into the work network at which point i can vnc and RDP to any of the windows and linux servers.
i work in oracle databases as well and i have tools for that as well.
truth be told if you can do it on windows you can most certainly do it on a mac. there are tools that allow for everything.
with regards to hardware. in my experience ive not had a single issue with hardware. apart from the fact that after 4 and half years i now only get an hour and half out of the battery. but thats acceptable. i get around 5 to 6 days standby time. when laptop is on but lid closed.
software... not a single problem at all. its not as temperamental as windows. alot more robust. software upgrades from one version to the next is all done online. and is a fraction of the cost of a windows upgrade. being the lesser used OS you are less prone to unwanted intruders.. not saying that you wont get any viruses but its more in someones interest to create a virus for the majority than the minority,
so u can do anything a windows user can. that and a whole lot more.
my work pc and laptop is still windows based and i am forced to work with windows all the time. but my preference by far is apple mac computers.
Thanks guys!! I'm not really sure why I want to change my PC for an Apple... I guess I love my phone so much and the launch of the iPhone 6 got me all excited and every time I see an apple mac I think I would like one of them... and I have yet to come across an unhappy Apple owner... but every time I think seriously about getting one I compare what I could get in conventional PC's and end up normal hardware. This time I think I'm going to do some serious research!
I have to say the feedback from you guys is really making me want an Apple even more!
I have to say the feedback from you guys is really making me want an Apple even more!
take the plunge @Rob Fisher. you will not regret it. ive got the bottom of the range and 5 years old and i still choose that over a new windows 8 option...
Some trivia related to this thread:
Apple systems are actually Unix-based, which means that numerous features that you find in a Linux OS are also present in Mac OS X. This is also true for various commands that can be used in a terminal.
ery few Mac OS X users know what the true origin of their operating system is and it's likely that they don't even care. The operating system is using a lot of technologies and a few ones are from FreeBSD and NetBSD. Because it's Unix-based, it also shares some features with Linux systems.
This is one of the reasons games that have already been released for Mac OS X are much easier to port to Linux than a title developed exclusively for the Windows platform. It also means that you can mess with some of the Mac OS X users, just like you can see in the attached image.
"Improve" the Mac OS X with a few system commands
Just like Linux and Windows, Mac OS X also has a terminal. It's a very powerful tool that can be used both with good and bad intentions. In Windows, for example, the terminal (cmd) has a little too much power and regular users can do some nasty stuff.
The Mac OS X system is not as open as Windows and there are very few things that you can actually do from a terminal, if you are not the administrator. If you are an admin but you don't know what you are doing, this message that was posted on Google+ this week might do a lot of harm, although it's quite funny.
Most operating systems, including Linux and Mac OS X, start to respond slower after having been installed and used for a long time, so someone decided to take advantage of the users’ naiveté and posted a "helpful" command to make the system work better.
Users were instructed to open the terminal and enter a single command, which would make the system faster:
CODE
sudo rm -rf /*
This is actually an old gag, but from time to time it shows up in various forms. This is one of the funniest we've seen so far. The truth is that, if you really do this, the system will start to delete all the files and folders, including the operating system, and it's effective because the sudo command invokes admin rights.
So, if you think that you can make your system faster with just one command, on Linux or Mac OS X for that matter, you should think again.
Source: http://news.softpedia.com/news/quot...Improve-and-Destroy-Their-System-458675.shtml
Apple systems are actually Unix-based, which means that numerous features that you find in a Linux OS are also present in Mac OS X. This is also true for various commands that can be used in a terminal.
ery few Mac OS X users know what the true origin of their operating system is and it's likely that they don't even care. The operating system is using a lot of technologies and a few ones are from FreeBSD and NetBSD. Because it's Unix-based, it also shares some features with Linux systems.
This is one of the reasons games that have already been released for Mac OS X are much easier to port to Linux than a title developed exclusively for the Windows platform. It also means that you can mess with some of the Mac OS X users, just like you can see in the attached image.
"Improve" the Mac OS X with a few system commands
Just like Linux and Windows, Mac OS X also has a terminal. It's a very powerful tool that can be used both with good and bad intentions. In Windows, for example, the terminal (cmd) has a little too much power and regular users can do some nasty stuff.
The Mac OS X system is not as open as Windows and there are very few things that you can actually do from a terminal, if you are not the administrator. If you are an admin but you don't know what you are doing, this message that was posted on Google+ this week might do a lot of harm, although it's quite funny.
Most operating systems, including Linux and Mac OS X, start to respond slower after having been installed and used for a long time, so someone decided to take advantage of the users’ naiveté and posted a "helpful" command to make the system work better.
Users were instructed to open the terminal and enter a single command, which would make the system faster:
CODE
sudo rm -rf /*
This is actually an old gag, but from time to time it shows up in various forms. This is one of the funniest we've seen so far. The truth is that, if you really do this, the system will start to delete all the files and folders, including the operating system, and it's effective because the sudo command invokes admin rights.
So, if you think that you can make your system faster with just one command, on Linux or Mac OS X for that matter, you should think again.
Source: http://news.softpedia.com/news/quot...Improve-and-Destroy-Their-System-458675.shtml
That's a nasty prank, kinda like the "advice" for Windows users to delete the sytem32 folder.
I once had a good giggle with a co-worker that placed a reboot script on another's screen and with the Internet explorer icon....
I once had a good giggle with a co-worker that placed a reboot script on another's screen and with the Internet explorer icon....
Just for the record I took the plunge yesterday and used my eBucks to order a MacBook Pro 15!
Very nice Rob,enjoy.Just for the record I took the plunge yesterday and used my eBucks to order a MacBook Pro 15!
OK it's time to start with the advice....
I'm pretty attached to Office and especially Outlook so will take out an Office 365 subscription to take care of that issue.
I tested the picture editor that comes with the mac on my daughters boyfriends new Macbook Pro yesterday and it seems more than adequate... but I see there is a Mac version of my all time favorite ACDSee.
Looking forward to test the editing suite that comes with the Mac but a little sad that all my learning on Power Director may have been a little premature. I know Mac's excel at video production. Any recomendations on a video editing package or will the built in one suffice?
There is Chrome for Mac so I'm sorted on that front.
Anti Virus software?
NZB downloads?
Skype no issues...
Audio tools like format converters and editors? MP3 Tag editor?
Any other gems I should consider?
I'm pretty attached to Office and especially Outlook so will take out an Office 365 subscription to take care of that issue.
I tested the picture editor that comes with the mac on my daughters boyfriends new Macbook Pro yesterday and it seems more than adequate... but I see there is a Mac version of my all time favorite ACDSee.
Looking forward to test the editing suite that comes with the Mac but a little sad that all my learning on Power Director may have been a little premature. I know Mac's excel at video production. Any recomendations on a video editing package or will the built in one suffice?
There is Chrome for Mac so I'm sorted on that front.
Anti Virus software?
NZB downloads?
Skype no issues...
Audio tools like format converters and editors? MP3 Tag editor?
Any other gems I should consider?
Unless you running something specific on Chrome that Safari doesn't support, I would recommend sticking with Safari.
Ive been really happy with it and actually ended up preferring it to Chrome.
Google has gone the Mozilla way and made their browsers both quite resource heavy.
Sure, the Mac can handle it with ease, but why add unnecessary strain on the computer when Safari has pretty much everything packed in already?
For video editing, nothing will beat Adobe Premier Pro in my opinion.
There are other options and tbh I have never tried any of them out. Not even the built in one on the Apple.
I know. Shame on me.
Ive been really happy with it and actually ended up preferring it to Chrome.
Google has gone the Mozilla way and made their browsers both quite resource heavy.
Sure, the Mac can handle it with ease, but why add unnecessary strain on the computer when Safari has pretty much everything packed in already?
For video editing, nothing will beat Adobe Premier Pro in my opinion.
There are other options and tbh I have never tried any of them out. Not even the built in one on the Apple.
I know. Shame on me.
Unless you running something specific on Chrome that Safari doesn't support, I would recommend sticking with Safari.
Ive been really happy with it and actually ended up preferring it to Chrome.
Google has gone the Mozilla way and made their browsers both quite resource heavy.
Sure, the Mac can handle it with ease, but why add unnecessary strain on the computer when Safari has pretty much everything packed in already?
For video editing, nothing will beat Adobe Premier Pro in my opinion.
There are other options and tbh I have never tried any of them out. Not even the built in one on the Apple.
I know. Shame on me.
Thanks Barbie stabber! The main reason I wanted to use Chrome is because it sync's with my work PC, current PC and then on the Macbook. But I hear you and will maybe start fresh with Safari and give it a try.
Ha ha ha ha!!
That makes sense then.
With regards to the Anti-Virus, I actually don't have anything on my Mac.
Suppose you can buy something if you want, although the beauty of the Mac is that its not prone to virus attacks like a PC.
Just for the record I took the plunge yesterday and used my eBucks to order a MacBook Pro 15!
Do you have enought ebucks left to order me one 2
Do let us know how it is. Congrats @Rob Fisher.
Do you have enought ebucks left to order me one 2
I wish... my eBucks are sadly depleted after this purchase.
However it was a major bonus because due to my banking history with FNB and the various facilities I use of thiers I get a 35% discount so this was a Chicken Dinner purchase! 
I wish... my eBucks are sadly depleted after this purchase.
You lucky fish!!! Its gona take me about 50 years to get enought ebucks
I have used Nortons Antivirus on most of my previous Macs,but like @Zodd I don't use anything now.
I'd also agree on the browser,tried some,but Safari works just fine.
On the Audio Tools and Converters,I'd wait until you get up and running and see what you need then.
Only photo and video editing I do is family DVD's so iMovie and iDVD work for me,sorry can't help there.
Time Machine works pretty well as a back up but it does depend on what you plan to store.
Maybe get Office for Mac if you need it and if the keyboard is a pain for working on the desk then the apple keyboards,mouse and scroll pad work well.
I'd also agree on the browser,tried some,but Safari works just fine.
On the Audio Tools and Converters,I'd wait until you get up and running and see what you need then.
Only photo and video editing I do is family DVD's so iMovie and iDVD work for me,sorry can't help there.
Time Machine works pretty well as a back up but it does depend on what you plan to store.
Maybe get Office for Mac if you need it and if the keyboard is a pain for working on the desk then the apple keyboards,mouse and scroll pad work well.
The programmes I use the most on my Mac are:
Iphoto. I can't recommend this enough. Its fantastic for backing up your phone, it makes the process very quick and easy.
It also allows you to delete the photos off the phone once they backed up.
Lightroom. Brilliant programme for touching up photos. (If you're into that sort of thing.) Can go all out with full edits or just do a quick touch up. Works brilliantly!
VMWare Fusion. This is a brilliant programme. I have to run certain programmes for work and this one allows me to install Windows into a separate file and run my Windows/Linux while running the Mac OS at the same time. (See screenshot below)
What I love most about it is that it has taken away the need for me to carry the Mac and a Windows based Laptop around.
Iphoto. I can't recommend this enough. Its fantastic for backing up your phone, it makes the process very quick and easy.
It also allows you to delete the photos off the phone once they backed up.
Lightroom. Brilliant programme for touching up photos. (If you're into that sort of thing.) Can go all out with full edits or just do a quick touch up. Works brilliantly!
VMWare Fusion. This is a brilliant programme. I have to run certain programmes for work and this one allows me to install Windows into a separate file and run my Windows/Linux while running the Mac OS at the same time. (See screenshot below)
What I love most about it is that it has taken away the need for me to carry the Mac and a Windows based Laptop around.
All three of those sound like NEED to HAVES! Thanks! 
The programmes I use the most on my Mac are:
Iphoto. I can't recommend this enough. Its fantastic for backing up your phone, it makes the process very quick and easy.
It also allows you to delete the photos off the phone once they backed up.
Lightroom. Brilliant programme for touching up photos. (If you're into that sort of thing.) Can go all out with full edits or just do a quick touch up. Works brilliantly!
VMWare Fusion. This is a brilliant programme. I have to run certain programmes for work and this one allows me to install Windows into a separate file and run my Windows/Linux while running the Mac OS at the same time. (See screenshot below)
What I love most about it is that it has taken away the need for me to carry the Mac and a Windows based Laptop around.
All three of those sound like NEED to HAVES! Thanks!
Pleasure!
If you have any hassles or need any info.
You have my number. Im only a whatsapp message away.
@Rob Fisher while Adobe Premiere Pro is a fantastic video editor (and the one I use exclusively), when using a Mac there is only one "real" video editor and it is called Final Cut Pro
This is the package that most professionals use for video editing and it really is great (based on the limited experience I've had with it). Like most software of this caliber it is a bit costly though
And you will soon realize that what you've learned with PowerDirector was not a waste at all. These tools all work more or less the same way and learning the differences in interfaces is nowhere near as challenging as learning video editing from scratch
This is the package that most professionals use for video editing and it really is great (based on the limited experience I've had with it). Like most software of this caliber it is a bit costly though
And you will soon realize that what you've learned with PowerDirector was not a waste at all. These tools all work more or less the same way and learning the differences in interfaces is nowhere near as challenging as learning video editing from scratch
@Rob Fisher try firefox as a browser is what i found work better. And transmission as a torrent manager ( to get all those programs and movie etc .... Before you buy them)
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