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PC to Mac move, non fanboy thoughts please

fightingthesuburbsfightingthesuburbs Posts: 142
edited January 2009 in All Encompassing Trip
I'm contemplating moving to a Mac Mini (assuming a new version comes out in the next few months).

I'm mainly interested in these priorities as I no longer need a PC for gaming:
1. Photo management. Child/ren = hundreds of photos that are "ok" in Vista.
2. Media streaming. Want to get Hulu, Netflix and others streaming to TV. Boxee seems like the way to go. I'd do this for my PC too when I'm ready to get tv top box. Also waiting on an impending move to put all the media in action.

That's it. I have a large external HD of music, DiNovo and MX Revolution keyboard and mouse, and a nice LCD screen, so just want the boxtop. Size is a major concern as well. I'd really like to get rid of the huge hulking PC.

So mac owners and mac owners who were once PC owners let me know your thoughts on this. Please just real life examples of why the mac would be really good for me, not "PC vs. Mac" fanboy crap. That seems to be all I've gotten so far.

THANKS!
New screenname for the new site. At least for now. Previously Lackofdave
Blogging at <a href="http://www.dadtherapy.com">Dad Therapy</a>
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • soulsingingsoulsinging Posts: 13,202
    I'm partial to macs, but not in a fanboy sense. I just like them because they're kind of idiot proof. I tend to crash pc's just by touching them.

    I don't know much about managing photos because I don't really take many. iphoto typically comes with a mac though, and I imagine it would work fine for your purposes. I don't really use it because I don't take pictures really. When I did though, it seemed to synch with my camera as easily as itunes did with my ipod.

    As to the box top... do you mean you don't need a monitor? I think macs typically come in a package, ie you can't buy a mac computer without a monitor attached. I could be wrong though.

    In general, the only reason I prefer mac is more stability. Most things I use are built into the computer so I don't end up with clashing programs causing all sorts of bugs and programs. They also ran about 10x faster. It takes just a few seconds to start up, clicking on a browser opens it almost instantly, etc etc. When I go home or use someone else's pc I inevitably want to throw the damn thing through a window because it takes 10 minutes to start up, 3-4 minutes for any browser to open after clicking, etc. You always have that whirring/clicking/grinding sound that comes from pc's and when that's happening everything moves slow and nothing works. I never get that with a mac. It is consistently quick and efficient.

    So that's my opinion as a computer illiterate.
  • DeLukinDeLukin Posts: 2,757
    Macs have cooler commercials.
    I smile, but who am I kidding...
  • fightingthesuburbsfightingthesuburbs Posts: 142
    Soulsinging,
    Thanks for your feedback.

    The Mac Mini is the only mac without a screen yes. Thus, my interest in it besides the lower price.

    Idiotproof would be good. I've had lots of issues with PCs over the years and am pretty PC savvy. My wife isn't although she uses one at work so the switch might piss her off more than a sometimes crashing PC.

    So, now I still need insight on the photo management stuff and media streaming!
    New screenname for the new site. At least for now. Previously Lackofdave
    Blogging at <a href="http://www.dadtherapy.com">Dad Therapy</a>
  • libragirllibragirl Posts: 4,632
    Im a PC owner but Im seriously thinking of switching to a Mac just for the reason that you don't have to deal with antivirus software. I swear no matter what kind i use they always seem to slow down my computer.
    These cuts are leaving creases. Trace the scars to fit the pieces, to tell the story, you don't need to say a word.
  • soulsingingsoulsinging Posts: 13,202
    FightingTheSuburbs wrote:
    Soulsinging,
    Thanks for your feedback.

    The Mac Mini is the only mac without a screen yes. Thus, my interest in it besides the lower price.

    Idiotproof would be good. I've had lots of issues with PCs over the years and am pretty PC savvy. My wife isn't although she uses one at work so the switch might piss her off more than a sometimes crashing PC.

    So, now I still need insight on the photo management stuff and media streaming!

    I think your wife will have no problem switching. My gf was a pc user for years. She played with my computer for about a week and then went right out and bought her own mac. They're very easy to adapt to... very self-explanatory.
  • chiquimonkeychiquimonkey Posts: 9,337
    macs are designed to be intuitive, so you'll have no prob switching over. i got sick of my PC crashing and just being annoying. design stuff runs nicer on my macs too....iphoto should treat ya well, and you can import straight from your camera into it, and organize by albums.

    i'm able to watch netflix movies on here with no prob, i don't usually just cuz i have a macbook and it isn't as comfortable to watch a movie on it. but if you got a nice big monitor, then you're set. enjoy! :)
  • LikeAnOceanLikeAnOcean Posts: 7,718
    I like both for different reasons.

    Macs are more user friendly, have a prettier interface. The OS tends to be more stable and they are much less prone to viruses and spyware. They do cost more, but tend to offer better customer service and are made with better parts.

    PC's are more for tech savvy people. You can do more with them. For the average computer user I think they are going to be a lot easier to mess up, prone to viruses and such. Loading programs, memory usage and so forth is too easy for people to overwelm them with. Most PC's I've encountered are not running nearly to their fullest potential, because most people just don't understand Windows.

    I prefer Mac. XP was good. I don't like Vista very much, but I am anticipating Windows 7.
  • TravelarTravelar Kalamazoo, USA Posts: 3,415
    libragirl wrote:
    Im a PC owner but Im seriously thinking of switching to a Mac just for the reason that you don't have to deal with antivirus software. I swear no matter what kind i use they always seem to slow down my computer.

    Actually, Apple does recommend anti-virus for Macs. It's a whole new ballgame since they switched to Intel chips.
  • IGotShit76IGotShit76 Posts: 768
    I switched one month ago from PC to Mac and so far so good ...
    The transition is fairly easy and as people said mac is more intuitive.
    Overall my macbook is more stable and faster than my PC.
    I'm using my macbook essentially for photo and video editing and to record music (with garageband).
    Regarding desktop applications, I installed NeoOffice which is free and doing the job correctly (can open excel, word, powerpoint files).

    iPhoto is nice to organize all your photos and easy to use. You can edit them but if you want to do more editing you'll need to get another application for that like Aperture.

    About media streaming I can't tell much because I'm not doing it.
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