Wine is pretty great but there are plenty of things that won't run with it or won't work. My experience with it during my short time on Linux was iffy. Somethings it was able to do perfectly. Most of the time, it was a headache to use and set up. The thing is, a Winows pc can be as minimalistic or as feature packed as you want it to be. I could buy a super awesome looking computer and customize it to have a super awesome looking OS. I also have the choice to buy a stupid looking computer and jam pack the OS with so much stuff that it looks terrible, but I, the user, can choose that for myself. I can also do it for cheaper than a Mac. Cheaper hardware means more power for your money. I would also like to point out that comparing Windows Hardware to Macs is very difficult. There are thousands of different types of Windows computers which range from cheap junk to powerful gaming rigs. On the Apple side you have the hardware Apple wants you to have that best shows off their operating system. For this reason, you can't just say "Windows computers are slow" because while there are certainly some terrible ones (like the one I am using now), the upper end of the market, which is what Apple tries to sell you, is full of vastly superior products that are mathematically better and faster. As for the OS itself, you can easily customize it to your liking with a bit of googling. It does take a little more time, but being able to change it as your needs change is worth it for me. For reference, here is my current desktop. I have the taskbar hidden up top for those wondering.
Very true. I have been familiar (and a part of) the hackintosh community for a while now. The reason that Apple restricts their software to only hardware designed by them is exactly that, in itself. Apple designs both hardware and software designed specifically for their hardware. Microsoft develops software alone (in this case) so that anyone can put it on their computer. It is because Apple and Microsoft are selling two different things. Apple is selling the hardware which runs Mac OS (which is free) and Microsoft sells Windows (not any hardware running it [again we are talking specifically about windows here]), for a reasonable price. It is really quite simple. Anyways, you said that you have not found anything on Mac OS that a Windows machine cannot do. How about the other way around? You can do everything on Mac that you can on windows. And while compatibility is an issue with macs, you can always; 1) Run a VM with windows (very easy to get set up, use just like a normal computer) 2) Go through the process of "BootCamp" which is installing a bootable form of windows next to OS X 3) Learn how to use wine. (Wraps a windows program so that it can be run on a Mac) I personally have done all three of these in the past, and what I use depends on the task. For example, if I am going to play a game that is not on steam for Mac, I will completely boot into windows. If I need a simple task completed that I don't want to waste a lot of time for by rebooting then I will run the virtual machine/emulator of windows and do it on there. If it is a single program that I would like to run next to other applications on my Mac, on the same machine, I will wrap it in wine. It is really quite useful to know how to do these three things if you are a Mac user so I suggest you all check them out.
One big thing is being able to customize my desktop and make it truly mine. Take a look above at my last post for what I am talking about. The biggest thing though is that I can run it on whatever hardware I want at a reasonable price. osx can only be run (legally) on Apple hardware which ties the two together. I may not have that many reasons to avoid the osx operating system, but I do have a very valid reason to avoid the Mac hardware. It is an undeniable fact that I can find better hardware for a PC at a better price than I can with a Mac.
Not everything. Although this is true for some of their products, others are completely custom made for Apple, Ex. All of their motherboards. The specialness of having a Mac comes from both having a Mac (they are pretty mainstream, especially from what I have seen at colleges) and the fact that all the parts are designed/chosen to be used together. There should be some sort of computer spec. that measures how well all the parts work together, although I have no idea how such a thing would be measured. In many cases, Macs outperform custom PCs with the same(ish) parts.
The thing is, I could use that money saved to buy a more powerful computer that out performs the Mac with the same or less amount of money. The fact that apple makes everything does help them a ton with performamce on mobile products, but the difference is less noticeable on desktops or laptops. The additional power will help out with things like gaming or other resource intensive activities such as rendering or compiling a big project. Apple is definitely one of the best at what it does; they just don't try and price themselves that competetively because they don't need to. They will make tons of money doing what they are already doing and that is what really matters to almost all companies.
Lol, the whole pricing thing, I can't disagree with you there. Apple products are certainly not competitively priced. And yes, most likely you could build a custom PC that could outperform almost any Mac for a cheaper price. The only issue with that is wether you are willing to put in all the effort it takes to build a computer. And it takes a lot. You have to research the compatibility of all the parts, figure out a good layout for inside the case, even assembling it can be hard if you don't know what you are doing (even though that's the most fun part ) I'm sure you get the point. Not that I am saying that Macs are better because they are preassembled but I was merely pointing out how much work it takes to build a PC.
Building a computer is easy. It is an over-glorified Lego set. There is no process of figuring out where to put things in the case, every motherboard has a standard layout (unless you are referring to HDDs, then it is just evenly spacing them out). http://pcpartpicker.com/p/XWqcrH I put this list together in less than five minutes by comparing the specs to the base Mac Pro. http://store.apple.com/us/buy-mac/mac-pro?product=ME253LL/A&step=config# I can build a better computer for $800 less than a Mac. Emulation is nice, but it never beats native compatibility. And as mentioned a few other times, Wine and VMing has its issues. Apple actually doesn't design any of their hardware. IIRC, the motherboard is a standard board made by Intel, just reshaped. The RAM is standard, as is any HDD/SSD. The GPUs are standard GPUs or renamed (the current FirePro D series is just a renamed FirePro 7000 series). The CPUs are all Intel, same models as in a PC. The I/O ports are all standard. The only thing Apple designs is the case.
I use both Windows and Mac on a daily basis, and I certainly prefer Mac, but not by too much. The one thing that I feel the windows market doesn't have that Apple does have is consistency and choice (or lack of it). If I went out to buy a Windows computer, I wouldn't have any idea what to buy, where as buying a Mac, there's not much choice and I know I'm getting good quality and consistency with the product.
There's only one option if you like todo games, use very new hardware like the oculus rift etc. that's coming. and want a good graphics card. Apple is pretty poor in most of that and very expensive too. Linux is terrible with hardware support.
I hate to break it to you, but specs aren't everything. You can have the beefiest PC with like a 6 GHz processor or some crap like that and the parts won't work well together. Also, [most] Macs have custom motherboards. They are specifically designed for the processor. And yes, Apple may not design all the parts, but they do design the layout. I don't believe that there is any one decently sized company I the world that designs and sells every piece in their computer.
Apple used to design their internals, now they just cherry pick parts off the shelf. I have built several high end PCs and I can tell you for a fact that the parts do work well together. It is a myth that because Windows is made to be able to be used on many different system setups that it loses efficiency. The drivers are what determine how well a part works, and every driver is made by the manufacturer or chip designer. It is true that stock windows will accept many parts, but it is the consumer's responsibility to update the drivers. If you are an average user, then this probably isn't a big deal. But if you are a power user, then it is. Anyone who claims to be a power user but chooses a Mac based off of not wanting to be a part of the updating process is not a power user. Buying a Mac is buying a lifestyle. They do not perform better, they are not safer, they are just a lifestyle choice. They are simpler, and that is all they are. They are simpler because they can't do as much.
You may be right lol The processors and motherboards are not standard. I know that much I've got two of the old Mac pros (the ones that are in a box) and they are very customizable. The new Mac pros are much harder to customize I have heard (I don't own one)
