[Leica] Experience with Apple?

[clive.moss at gmail.com (Clive)]

I switched to a 24" iMac with OS X 10.5 a couple of  months ago after 
using a MacBook with OS X 10.4 for over year, after using Windows PCs 
for about 15 years, after using both Windows PCs and Apple Mac in the 
late 80s, after using MS DOS PCs for a few years, after using the 
original Apple II, after using mainframes since 1963.

I am typing this on the MacBook in a rented holiday home, using mac.com 
as my mail repository, with Thunderbird as my mail client. The system 
just spun the ball (for Windows users, thats the hourglass) for about 3 
minutes - probably a problem with mac.com (now Mobile Me or some other 
marketing BS).

Mac built in "productivity" applications (Mail, Address Book, iCal) and 
its sync service via .MAC are primitive. The open source and/or free 
equivalents (Firefox, Thunderbird, GMail) are way better. Microsoft 
Outlook with Exchange is better than all of them in ease of use and 
functionality.

Macs have almost as many problems as PCs - but they have fewer users, so 
the problems are less exaggerated. It is a personal preference, and 
right now, I prefer the Macs problems to the Windows PC problems. YMMV.

In general, OS X seems to network and handle new hardware more easily 
than Windows. Windows seems to have more freeware available.

Apple industrial design is way better than that of most PC manufacturers 
(IBM and Lenovo laptops excluded).

Apple's mice are a joke. Get a Microsoft or Logitech mouse.

Use Parallels to run the Windows applications that I still need. I have 
Windows Office (got it free for attending a Microsoft seminar), but find 
OpenOffice does everything I need.

When configuring your Apple for photographic use, avoid the smaller 
iMacs. They all have a screen that is extremely sensitive to vertical 
viewing angle (as of August, 2008). The 24" iMac, which I now use, have 
a screen that is very impressive, but too bright. There is a freeware 
app called Shades that can dim the screen.

In retrospect, I should have bought a Mac Pro and used my old PC 
monitor. It would have cost about the same, run faster (maybe), and is 
more modularly upgradeable.

Matte (Antiglare) vs Glossy - personal choice. I have glossy, I did not 
have a choice offered when I bought my system. I think I may have 
preferred matte.

My personal summary - Macs are "better" than MS based PCs for most 
purposes, but the gap is not as great as Apple addicts make it out to be.

Full disclosure - I own Apple stock, and do not own Microsoft stock
--
Clive
http://clive.smugmug.com


LUISRIPOLL@telefonica.net wrote:
> I think some of you are working with Apple, my first experiennce with 
> Vista was very bad. XP is difficult to be long more available. Who?s is 
> thinking that MAC could be a better option and why?
>
> Up to now Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office ahs been my natura domain 
> to work,  and at home it represented me even a bacl up of my business 
> aplications.
>
> I'll appreciatre your opinions and advice.
>
> A decond question, do you thionk that brilliant monitors are better than 
> mate?, personnally I prefer the mate.
>
>