wanted: realistic reasons to buy a mac

edX

edX

mac shaman
yesterday a friend asked me what kind of reasons he might give to his dad to convince him to get him a mac. his dad thinks macs are overpriced and not very functional. his dad is also concerned about the family being able to use the mac. so what he wants are some reasons the mac is easy to use, will do everything that the family expects a computer to do and wil be worth the extra money.

He is not looking for things like speed or other obvious stuff that has been debated to death. he is looking for more real life day to day user stuff. in other words he wants to make a rational presentation at an average computer user level that will persuade his dad to reconsider his viewpoint.

i think points here should include osx and 9 as well as their compatability along with hardware issues. answering public media criticisms would also help.

I will start off by offering the stability of the osx/classic environment as a good reason. For the average user, this system combo offers exceptional reliability with no need to go thru a complete reboot when a program does crash. even the finder can be rebooted without restarting.
 
Apple has the most straigtforward software for novices. His family should have a better time with a mac than any PC.

Mail
AOL Messaging
IE
iTunes
A better version of office than exists on Win
Beautiful Interface
An arguably longer lasting machine
Great Community Support Sites like this one...
Ease of Installation
Ease of Upgrading
No Drivers. No Drivers. No Drivers. (Can't tell you how many times this trips up PC users)


Almost any functionality is available for the Mac that you would want for a PC, plus a few extras. Sure if he has a small niche interest a mac may not be able to fill it, but i think it will be just fine, especially for family use.
 
Hmm, this is a good question. The things that attracted me to the mac like, Unix underpinnings, rich development kits, and a good UI aren't the things that will win over this person's father.

I would probably say things like:
===============
It will work with our digital camera.
It will play our movies in the car. (If he wants a notebook)
It will surf the web, support java applets and all the major plug-ins.
It will work with our ISP/email provider.
It can read and create documents that you can use at work.

But the bottom line, Dad, is I like this one better and this is the one that I would use more often if we got it.

===============

When I was a kid, that would be the most affective way to convince my father to get the one I wanted.

{semi-offtopic}My father loved his three-speed bicycle. He liked it so much that when it was time for my brother and I to get new bikes he insisted that we both get a three speed. We rode them once, were ridiculed by our peers, then we *never* touched them again. Ever. (Of course, we didn't like them much because they were fragile in comparison to the bmx bikes we needed.) What I'm getting at here is that if you buy something the kid doesn't want it will be a waste of money.{/semi-offtopic}
 
Macs aren't really that much more expensive. Ever tried to compare a iBook to an PC laptop? You get exactly what you pay for.
Example: First, when the iPod was new everyone though that it was expensive, but when they realized how good it really is they didn't think it any more. (the toshiba drive inisde the iPod actually has the same price as the iPod :))
 
I think that I have already have an upgrade, because my old Performa was smoking like my pengirl. I think I can defend this, because I have learned in school something like analysing. Very popular and the mustbe in Windows. They are saying that you can save money by not buying hardware, buying anything. What is the Point?
 
What is a weak point from Apple is that when you have broadband that you can't connect an other computer to it right out the box. I have never seen this argument, a very strong suggestion...
 
I think one thing is all the things we Macers take for granted. Look at XP, they are flshing banners and showing everyone how they have easy multi-user and can edit DV-movies...we've done both for...what? 2 years? And we took it for granted.

Look at Sherlock, it's a powerful searcher and it comes default.

And we have a lot more knowlege of computing than PC-users, so getting help in any case of trouble would be easy as hell...
 
His dad probably know what is the difference between a Ford and a Ferrari. Both r car, they both get you from A to B. One is a better, safer and nicer car than the other. Is the extra cost good there? Well I have in my office a Performa 630, more than 10 years old and a 128 mac that even older. They both still running never had a problem. The software got upgraded but always looked the same. The mac has always beeing easy to use, no problem with compatibility, usually you really plug and play, not plug and pray like windows.

All the major software that run on PC have a mac version so you will be able to exchange documents with any machine. The Virtual PC software works really good so if there is something that your mac cannot do (never happen to me) you will be able to do it with your PC emulator.

Finally, MacOS X wich is the best OS in the world. Is unix base and I love it, easy and really stable. Lets not talk about the network because its stupid prof. Try to network a PC, is you want to get really mad that is a good way.

Well afther all a mac is a better machine, they last long, they rarely have problem and, they r compatiple with 90% of printer scanners and peripheral... If you want to have the least problem mac is the way to go.
 
Originally posted by Hervé Hinnekens
What is a weak point from Apple is that when you have broadband that you can't connect an other computer to it right out the box. I have never seen this argument, a very strong suggestion...
Click to expand...

while this doesnt' sound like someone who will be worried about networking a PC to a Mac, out of the box a Mac OS X box can talk to Windows boxen. Also, through software like Connectix DoubleTalk, a Mac can talk to a PC and vice versa.

I think a better argument might be what are the REAL reasons to keep a PC?

File compatibility? Macs have it. Network Compatability? Macs have it. More programs? Macs just don't have all the CRAP software. Macs have EVERY bit of essential software available to them.

There's really just no reason to keep using a windows PC, unless you are a masochist.
 
ITUNES......ITUNES....ITUNES...
MP3s and music in general is big on the computer......
while PC apps make u pay over $30 4 sum decent software.........
its free

id give more.....but a lot of em have been covered and im rather high :D

Originally posted by thedbp
Macs just don't have all the CRAP software. Macs have EVERY bit of essential software available to them.

There's really just no reason to keep using a windows PC, unless you are a masochist.
Click to expand...

lol
 
not that it really makes any difference, but should say that this friend is a university student. hence having no money of his own right now he must rely upon help from parents. He is very computer knowledgable, so much so that it is difficult for him to understand the more basic features that his dad would find important if you know what i am getting at. At any rate getting a new computer, particularly a mac would help him in school but his dad doesn't get it from the more advanced arguements.

so far i think the suggestions are going great. i agree with here that the networking with pc they already have could be a good point.
 
a mac will last longer, the slot loading iMacs should be able to run the mac OS for the next 4 years at least (with a RAM upgrade), a 4 year old PC now would struggle to run XP at any speed, the components are much better quality and generally last for years, iMacs look cool (dunno if that would count though) and the OS is simple to use.
 
How about:
- Resale Value - Compare the price of a 4y.o iMac to a 4yo PC in your classifieds pages. How about 10 years? I found Macs hold their value MUCH better (though, for some reason, nobody really wants to sell them!)
- Stability - Macs are less vulnerable to viruses, and are free from windows-related crash problems like DLL-conflicts, memory leaks and GPFs. The Unix core is well protected and can be set up to keep kiddies out of important files while still allowing them access to their stuff.
- Goodies - iTunes, iMovie and iTools are all fantastic tools for the home user, and turn the Mac into more of an entertainment/communication device.
- Style - Macs are a lot more personable than the biege-box PC, and present a cleaner, neater interface. The result: people actually ENJOY using a Mac.
- Cost of Ownership - PC owners are being forced to 'license' software for certain periods. PC owners are being forced to use proprierty formats, such as WMA and ASF, unless they pay more fees to M$. Win users are NEVER offered free upgrades, unless there is a security hole. And, worst of all, PC users are being 'pushed' into upgrading regularly.
- No Drivers means less time #$%ing around and more time working on what is important to you.
 
Compare the price of a 4y.o iMac to a 4yo PC in your classifieds pages.
Click to expand...

LOL! I got my Dell back in January 2001 for $3000 total (with 4 years financing costs) and it's worth a little over $400 now (on dell.com's resale value page)...

i could have bought a mac and been much happier, but since I knew of no mac programs that could do what I do, I bought a dell... bad decision on my part...
 
blingbling - when you say you knew of no programs that would do what you needed, do you mean there weren't any at the time or that you just didn't do enough research to find the ones there were? i think this issue of having the same or compatably, equivilent programs might be of concern to my friend's father.
 
I think I get the situation now...your friend know a lot, his dad knows nothing but what you'd learn in an A4-office.

Here are a few aruments(yes, you've heard them before, but these are the ones who will work)

1. They last longer, so it's not needed to buy a new comp one year from now
2. They are easier to set up, he'll have more time for studying
3. He won't have to worry about virus, thus giving him a more reliable computer
4. Searching for info is easier on Mac, using Sherlock, beleve me, this IS a convincing argument

Do NOT mention games, iTunes, Ircle or any other non school-related apps. Rather say they are crawling for Windows and having them in the box would cause distraction...
 
i was interested in doing digital video and DVD's in January 01 (and still am). i was well aware of iMovie and had tried it in store, but wanted something more powerful. I hadn't heard of Final Cut Pro and never really looked around on the Apple site (my fault...). When I looked at the Dell website, I saw some of the add-on packages for it, seemed pretty good, and ordered my PC. I didn't get the video add-ons yet, and i'll tell you why... because i'm only 14 and didn't want to spend A HUGE TON of money. The Dell seemed a whole lot better of a deal in my financial situation.

but now that I am better off financially, I will be able to afford a mac and pay off this piece of fertilizer (i'll be nice) of a computer and give it to my little sisters (they don't know the difference... the computer they're on is so slow, they'll take anything)

so sorry this doesn't make a valid reason why to buy a mac... or wait, maybe it does...

if you buy a computer, you'll be screwed over quick. if you buy a mac, you'll be very happy for years to come! :D
 
voice, you're almost right. the suggestions you made are some of the right ones and i think the dad profile is about right. but because the family will share it at times (i think, i'm not real sure), some of the other things you said not to mention might be good for his dad to understand that macs can do them. but i agree, his mentioning them as his reasons would be counterproductive. the guy is very smart and making the grades doesn't seem to be his problem. i think the idea that the ease of doing his work would make doing it go quicker and leave him more time for other parts of studies would be a good argument. but how do you convince someone who, from what i gather, hasn't really examined macs since back in the original ppc days? i think his dad still thinks macs are more for artists than for 'real life' work. i do think it might help if i find out just exactly his dad expects a computer to do - like what apps, what connectivity, what functions, etc. my friend was kinda vague on this when we talked. but from what i can tell he is serious about wanting a mac soon if he can just find the right argument to overcome dad's objection. i can empathize with him on this.
 
Originally posted by Hervé Hinnekens
What is a weak point from Apple is that when you have broadband that you can't connect an other computer to it right out the box. I have never seen this argument, a very strong suggestion...
Click to expand...

I'm sorry... WHAT?
I got DSL recently, hooked up my G4 and put the supplied IP addresses/server names in the Internet System Preferences/Network panels and was up at 1.2Mbps in less than 5 minutes.

Networking has always been a Mac stronghold. Ever used one PC-Boy?
 
I grew up using IBM-compatible computers. And I admit that the only reason I knew so much about it was because I had to fix problems with it or pay someone else to fix it. Nine years and three computers later, I got fed up,
heard about OS X being Unix and bought a G4 (before OS X came out even).

Here's a couple reasons:

1) Less Maintenance
- reinstalling OS for Windows is laborious and painful, usually taking
me 2+ hours. reinstalling OS for Mac: 20 minutes. of course, this
depends on how many applications & how much data you've to back
up & if you have a CD burner/ZIP drive.
- No IRQ conflicts, driver problems (an often issue with Windows);
literally plug and play. I don't spend time on figuring out if the
computer recognizes my perihperals.
- Less time setting up hardware & software
2) Well designed case
- In my old PC's, I've had problems with diskette drives not working,
PCI cards (sound, video, modem) coming loose and such. Times
where I wanted to upgrade my CD-ROM, add RAM. Times where I
cut my fingers on the sharp sheet metal. Times where taking out a
diskette drive was like a Rubik's cube puzzle. Times where it was a
hassle to put the cover back on. Apple has a nice lever to open and
close the case for **easy** access to the internal components.


I have more reasons but I feel that these reasons are more relevant for a family computer. OS X is UNIX and is super stable. Many Microsoft compatible software is also available in Mac version. Basically, less stress, more productivity, and a computer with personality.
 
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