[CNN] Mac vs. PC gap is the narrowest since '90s - Page 9

Not really. Not compared to OS X, namely for mobile use.

- The Control Panel is a jumbled mess compared to System Preferences.
- The Start Menu requires deeper navigation then the Applications Folder.
- I often don't even need the Applications Folder since my frequently used things are in the dock.
- More programs need installation due to a unified registry then .App programs do. A .App file is like an executable folder and often uses config files inside the .app rather then depend on a system registry. When an app does need to be installed, you usually just dump it in the Applications Folder.
- Integration with my phone is easier (I'm an iPhone user. I care more about the OS then the hardware, and I like iOS over Android).
- You rarely, if ever, need to bother with drivers. Heck, the Xbox 360 Kinect is FAR easier to setup in OS X then in Windows.
- You rarely, if ever, need to clean a registry (because there isn't one) or clean up startup programs.
- The multitouch gesture integration makes laptop use far more efficient.
- I'v had less issues connecting to and selecting wifi networks in OS X then in Windows.

These little things add up in the use experience. Sure, some of these may have third party equivalents, like the dock, but I specifically don't want to mess with stuff like that on a laptop. I want it ready to go out of the box or after a reinstall of the OS. Less tweaking means I can toss my apps and files on an external drive, reformat, and quickly be back where I was without installing anything. Others, like Windows more complex folder hierarchy or unified registry, are inherent of the OS. When messing with this stuff on a track pad, it can get frustrating quick. Doubly so if the trackpad is small and offset like so many are, and like I'v said before, a laptop should not be dependent on external devices.

I wonder how many of those "Mac" users have a windows Parallel running as well?

Love it!!

I must've missed something, how is windows "hard" to use in any way...?

Please see my post at the top of this page. I'm not saying Windows is hard to use. What I am saying is that OS X is simpler and has a focus on ease of use.

This is the main problem with OCN posters in Apple threads -- a ridiculously thick set of blinders. Set your own opinion about ease of use aside and make the call again. I'm a daily user of both W7 and OSX and can say that, without a doubt, OSX is easier to use if you haven't been grinding your teeth on a Windows system for the last 15 years -- but that didn't stop me from taking a couple of days to pick up the major differences and adjust. Of course, I'm also assuming that based on the average intelligence in this thread that most Apple haters' only experience with OSX has been a quick glance and a "SO OVERPRICED BRO" in-and-out of the Apple store in their local shopping mall.

In most instances thats a hard claim to backup, however I can do pretty close to backing up his claim.
I payed 750 bucks for my ASUS K53SV, with very similar specs to the equivalent macbook pro at the time. Said macbook pro would have cost 750-1000 dollars more.
Said Asus laptop has a aluminum body, a core i7 2630qm, 6 GB of ram, and a GT 540m at GT 550 speeds as well as a 640 GB hard drive.

there's also:

Mac Book Pro - $1,999.00
Toshiba Satellite S855-S5254 15.6" - $770.95
that's $1,228.05 more for basicaly the same thing. the differences are in red.

Yea, that would surely never happen on a Mac.



That's just dirt, after ~1 year of use. I've sold one for my boss (which was a dual core model, much more recent) that had the same thing, except also with faded keys all over. I had actually listed it here on OCN, trying to dig it up now (darn, it was long before OCN's new look and was probably scrapped). And no, it won't come off. Windex, Simple Green, highly concentrated degreaser, nothing worked. Granted, Apple does change it if it gets like that within your warranty period, (I'd hope any company would) but what about after that? ~$200 easily for the keyboard assembly?

I hope you're not implying that Macs aren't made cheap (at least in relation to their sale price). I'm not even defending the ASUS side of things here, I'm not too crazy over their laptops. You place Apple on such a high horse over other products, I just had to pick at you. Saying "they are cheap for a reason" implies more expensive products are made more expensive. Not really helping your case that Apple marks up their products more than... well, pretty much everyone.

Everyone is forgetting that most people who buy a Mac dont care about specs. Alot of the time they want a change from a crappy Windows based laptop. Average Joe isnt going to care about GHz and MHz, all he wants is a machine that is fast and can do the things that Average Joe does, like browse the web, social networking, youtube, dvd movies. Apple have a superior marketing model and it shows. They use Buzz words like Fast, Powerful, Lightweight. Simple words that Average Joe can understand. And Average Joe likes Buzzwords, you open a magazine, turn on the TV, walk down the street, your being blasted with Buzzword based advertising.

Like it or not, Apple have got their marketing down to a T. And that is why we are seeing more and more people using Mac's and iPhones and other pieces of Apple tech. And Apple makes it even easier for people have have a piece of Apple tech to use it with another piece. The iPhone, iPad, iTouch all integrate with a Mac right out of the box. Apple have jumped on this "everywhere, anytime" thing.

Average Joe likes to be connected, they arent technically minded so the Buzzwords that Apple use sound super awesome to them. When Average Joe see's the adverts from Apple about all their devices being able to connect and share stuff across them, they really like that. No need to have a degree in computer engineering for that. Its simple stuff that Average Joe can understand.

What about when things break and they will because we all know that the parts are made by Foxxcon. Average Joe just needs to take it down to the Apple store and go fix it. Apple have been smart by having a store front.

Oh sure, you can show them cheaper and much better spec'd machines but most of the time they will see that it has Windows on it and many have had bad experiences with Windows. They dont know whats going wrong with their old laptops, they will just blame Windows.

I'm not defending Apple because they have some very questionable business pratisces but I believe Apple have been this successful because they know the market and know how to exploit it.