[PreciousLiberty]

MacOS is an often overlooked part of why Macs are actually a better value proposition than Windows PCs for most uses.

A few other points:

• You can run the broadest selection of software of any computer: Mac, Windows and Unix/Linux programs - natively or in a VM, your choice.
• In addition to Game Center, Steam is porting a lot of old games and all new games to Mac.
• The bundled apps, like iMovie and Garage Band provide a lot of added value.
• Free development tools which enable you to target Mac, iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch.
• You'll spend much less time reinstalling the OS, uninstalling and reinstalling programs, fighting malware - and there's no registry to cause problems!
• You'll be able to preview almost all new Windows features ahead of time... ;-)

[PreciousLiberty]

ping!

[ponygirl]

.

[FatherofFive]

You'll be able to preview almost all new Windows features ahead of time... ;-)

But for business, Excel still rules.

I help companies design powerful and sophisticated solutions using Excel with VBA. VBA is just not available on Apple OS.

You could spend millions on a solution with SAP, but we could give you better functionality for $100,000.

[Chipper]

I am tempted to make the upgrade. I didn’t move up to Lion because I read about some issues with my mid-’10 MacBook Pro. I may wait for a short time to see if the same thing happens with Mountain Lion. I know the Airplay will not work, but I don’t have any HDMI TV at this point, so no Apple TV for now. That may change in the near future as my WD Live TV Hub is on the fritz. Lots of other stuff that I like about Mountain Lion though that would be nice to have in integrating my iPhone, iPad and Mac.

[mikrofon]

There’s an old joke that if you want your home systems to be secure from visitors, stick to Windows equipment — Apple user “guests” won’t have a clue....

Mac’s et al. are great products for individual use, but where your business is 20+ years entrenched in MS you can’t afford to proselytize.

[aMorePerfectUnion]

“You’ll spend much less time reinstalling the OS, uninstalling and reinstalling programs, fighting malware”

I was a Microsoft Slave for 13 long years - dreading calling support to listen to an Indian voice tell me it was “time to reinstall the operating system.” Yea, apparently, it self-destructs.

Beyond that, I provided years of free technical support to myself and others, Googling solutions to figure out how to fix Microsoft products. I have more actual time devoted to using my computers now, instead of fixing them.

I switched to a MacBook Pro about 5 years ago. Never a virus. I check once a month, but feel like the Maytag repair man. Every update installed flawlessly the first time. I have a VM set up to run Windows XP occasionally, to access a program I still must use at work. It sucks to boot it up and watch the agonizing process begin of Windows updates, Virus updates, etc.

Is OSX perfect? Of course not. Nothing is. Does it work? That’s my experience. Does it self-destruct? Apparently, that process, if true, takes more than 5 years.

To each their own.

[Astronaut]

I went the other way and dropped OS X for Windows 8. I was a beta tester for Mountain Lion back in the winter. I realized early on that there was nothing particularly innovative or exciting about Mountain Lion. Its primarily designed to help sell more iPhones, which is Apple’s primary cash cow these days. OS X has gotten boring, and while it is becoming more like iOS, its pretty much the same as 10.7 or 10.6.

In contrast, Windows 8 is a tremendous leap forward. I tried it on a lark in a virtual machine, but I was so impressed I sold my MacBook and bought a ThinkPad. Now I run Windows 8 as my full time OS. Visually, its gorgeous. Once you get used to it (takes a couple of days) you realize that along with the beautiful Metro apps, its easier to navigate and use than the traditional Windows desktop. In my opinion, Apple has gotten lazy and is resting on its laurels, charging a lot of money for itoys, and Microsoft has kicked itself in the butt and become the innovator. Tech pundits will bitch and moan about Windows 8 at first because change is difficult, but I think it will be a huge hit with Microsoft’s customers.

[RIghtwardHo]

My wife has a Powerbook and LOVES it. I’m still running XP on a desktop. Maybe I’ll bite that bullet and switch.

[montag813]

Reasons not to:

* I can't afford to pay double for the same technical hardware specs.
* I already have thousands of dollars in software for Windows.

[OrangeHoof]

I heard Rush gloating about AirPlay the other day and all I could think of was “Slingbox! Rush is talking about Slingbox.” Isn’t it about 2-3 years old? Sure it is because I could watch a computer screen remotely on a tv set using Slingbox but I guess that must have been through Windows and Apple is only now getting around to it.

I love it when Rush brags about some new whizbang Apple has come out with that I’ve been able to do for quite awhile. Yes, I know sometimes Apple comes out with stuff before a Windows equivalent comes out but I bet there are just as many things Windows users have done that Apple users like Rush regard as some new revelation when it has actually been available to the rest of us for a few years.

[KYGrandma]

I have stayed away from Apple because all my programs are Windows based. Can I now use an Apple and install all my WIN bases programs?

[kingu]

You'll be able to preview almost all new Windows features ahead of time... ;-)

I suppose if you legally hobble your competitors enough, you can certainly have the decency to make a reasonable experience. But please, nothing Apple has done failed to exist before on the Windows platform.

How Apple has escaped the monopolistic practices punishments that Microsoft has experienced I do not understand. I could see the outrage tomorrow of Microsoft required nearly every financial transaction on their machines to go through a single payment processor, yet this is not only accepted practice on all of Apple's platforms, Apple gets to keep a hefty 30% premium on every transaction. I certainly appreciate not having a daddy and daddy approve what software can be offered, much less what can be purchased.

I guess if you love big government, Apple is your choice. But I can't get beyond the surrendering the freedom of my choice to avoid danger. And yes, I know I can run Windows software on Apple hardware, but why not just buy the same hardware cheaper from one of 20 vendors? It is like the liberal argument for gun banning - if all guns were banned, bad guys wouldn't have them, and you'd be safer, so their theory goes. I think the UK shows how well that works.

I'd love to see what Microsoft can come up with if it had their legal shackles shattered.

[adorno]

Reasons 1 thru 10 not to get MacBook Airs: The high prices for them. For most of what the vast majority of people need a laptop or ultrabook/MacAirBook, a $699 ultrabook will be more than enough, versus the price of a MacBook Air at around $1300.

Then, Mountain Lion, which is still the OS with around 5-6% of the world’s market share for OSes. Why limit yourself?

The only reasons for getting a MacBoor Air: a decorative device, and bragging rights for being the only kids on the block that can afford them.

[TwelveOfTwenty]

I'd like to find a version of Linux in place of either of them, because I'm tired of supporting lefty causes by buying their products.

And I know there are lefty sympathizers within the Linux community, but that's a big difference from the companies that produce the products supporting lefty causes.

Any suggestions?

[CyberSpartacus]

Apple does not have a good future as anything other than a niche market.

They base their business model on keeping everything proprietary. Not everyone wants to be locked in to one set of applications and/or technologies. As a matter of fact as the market is now proving most people don’t.

[tophat9000]

So I just bought my first Mac, and now I just returned my first Mac...gave it 12 of the full 14 day return window

It was the new ivy bridge Macbook Air 11, ordered on line from Apple, it was near maxed out, i7, 8 gig memory, 256 ssd, $1805 out the door..

It came with Lion and I installed Mountain Lion...I set up Boot Camp with Windows 7...then I set up VM Fusion using Window 7 in Boot Camp

Now I've been working computes since 1980...(Field engineer on mini systems, then 3th lever tech support, now network engineer) ...I work with computes...lots of them ... And Ive worked with lots of different computer OS's

Sorry but OSX, Lion or Mountain Lion, is just hokey and crippled (or I should say the Mac OSX shell over what is left of a UNIX OS is just hokey and crippled)

And why, why, why, to Mac people rave about Mac getting thing that Window has been doing for years as if Mac just invented it?...It just shows Mac uses have no real awareness of other computers and so have no other point of reference...

Mountain Lion..now you can wireless send your display to your HDTV...Oh wow...it called WiDi, its build in to the Intel chips and windows has been doing it for two years!

Running other OS in virtual machine?...doing it in windows for years..and can do it for free

The bottom line is this:

A Mac can run Window OS in a virtual machine...

And a Mac needs to run Window OS in a virtual machine just do a lot things window user take for granted or do for free with freeware

And a PC running Window OS can run Mac OSX in a virtual machine (search on-line)..and do it for free

But a PC running Window OS has no need to run Mac OSX to do anything.

[CodeToad]

Apple can’t even get my iPhone they promised could do voice command to actually dial the phone properly.

Me: “Call Wife Mobile”
iPhone: “Calling 911”
cancel

Me: “Call Wife Mobile”
iPhone: “Playing songs by Rush”
cancel

Me: “Call Wife Mobile”
iPhone: “Calling Scott Work”
cancel

Sorry, buy my next phone will be an Anroid model that does speech recognition perfectly already. I’ve had it with Apple. Apple had their chance.

[Caipirabob]

My wife went Mac and she never went back. A bit more expensive but she LOVES her Macbook Air.

[ctdonath2]

When Apple gets around to releasing iMac 2012 I will upgrade (from WinXP).

[Revolting cat!]

I’m about to go Apple. Enough of this MS DOS based OS.