Mac Mini...

[Canadian Eh?]

Well, i kinda need a new computer, this one is old...And i was looking at laptops but i remembered about the mac mini and i was wondering, for all you mac guys, what is the biggest change/difference between a PC and a Mac? PLZ HELP...thnx

[Redundant]

Mostly it's the operating system (i.e. Windows or Mac OSX)
-Macs have slightly different keyboards and their older mice have no right-clicker
-Macs have no BIOS, they have something like it but it's not a BIOS

That's pretty much it. (Oh, and I don't own a Mac. hehe)

[anvilinc01]

I do own 3 macs and I am not a mac nazi (but if apple offered an arm band I might consider it) The biggest differences i have found in the os as a mac automatically stores an item you download in the right place! there is no need to fight to locate it later and spotlight allows you to search on the fly. by the time you have typed 4 characters of the file name it has a list of all files beginning with those characters to choose from. also apple allows you to build workflows in the automator program so no more repetetive tasks i.e. renaming music or video files! Oh and the applecare program ( extended warranty) is renewable and the best replacement program i have ever used! broke a three year old laptop and had a new one in my hands in one week!!!!! do you like to use linux/unix ? mac is right up your alley , afraid of linux /unix take alook at cocoa the new intel core2duo macs rock because you can partition your hard drive and load one side with all your windows software and now you have 2 machines in one that can work simultaneously on seperate opps!!!!! take that non mac owner :p !! I am currently in the process of gathering all the parts I need for my first mod.I am looking for an old terminal type IBM suitcase computer to put 2 g3's in! any way I'm no expert but I am a firm believer in getting info from a source that is at least credible and people who criticize things they dont fully understand are the worst kind of self professed experts! Go to the nearest mac store and talk to the people on the sales floor, they don't get paid a commission and they are a great source of free info,also the majority of them are mac converts who know about win based pc's!

[Eruhat]

Macs don't have a BIOS they have an EFI... whatever that means. The biggest difference would probably be the operating system and the hardware. The Mac is getting increasingly popular and most new games are made for both mac + pc. The macs hardware is very proprietary which doesn't make it AS upgradable or customizable as a PC.

[Canadian Eh?]

Thnx for the help, but with no right click would you just use keyboard shortcuts for things like copy, paste, etc?

[progbuddy]

Apple is evil. Here is a complete explanation:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spSzDeEZ6uU

[slytherock]

Mac do have right clicks. I'm writting this on a mac right now. But if I had the choice, get one of each. different platforms with differents properties for different needs. Still preefer PC thought ;)

[isunktheship]

New Macs have left and right click.

I'm not sure how macs are nowadays, but last time I checked, you can't be a gamer on a mac. Unless you like photoshop A LOT... and Blizzard games work.

The way I see the Mac Vs PC is like this:
Mac's claim that PC has copied it's OS (Vista looks like OSX)
But the Mac has copied PC's internal customizations as well, Mac's use intel processors... some have the same HD as my PC has, and you can almost customize a Mac as much as a PC.

The real issue with Mac is that PC has the fanbase, they have the software/compatibility. Macs are powerful, this isn't the questions, but it is rare where you find software that Mac has that PC doesn't.

Overall: Both are spedy, but due to compatibility issues I would get a PC. You might want to wait a little bit before upgrading to Vista though.

[Redundant]

New Macs have left and right click.


Sorry about that; I changed it. I haven't used any macs in a while so I didn't know...

[isunktheship]

Haha no worries, I wouldn't have known either, but someone convinced me to go into a Mac store, and so I was messing with the computers. I crashed one :(.

[slytherock]

someone convinced me to go into a Mac store, and so I was messing with the computers. I crashed one :(.

Dont worry, it's not you, Mac have the ability to crash themselves ;)

[progbuddy]

Dont worry, it's not you, Mac have the ability to crash themselves ;)

Macs are special in their own way like that. Macs are fast, but theyre OS is horrible. You can't run most other OSes because they don't have a BIOS, and they make their own version of Microsoft's programs (they also cost a fortune). Apple's decieving looks may get you into buying one. If you're shooting for a PC as small as a mini, buy an ITX mobo/CPU combo, RAM, and a PSU (if it doesnt come with one, usually it does), and a graphics card (most have PCIe x16 for those nice cards like the ATI Crossfires).

[Canadian Eh?]

the reason is cuz my computer sux big time. 256mb memory and a 60gb hard drive. so i can't upgrade to vista anyways, unless i wanna spend about $500 bucks to replace almost everything and a the better mini is i think $800 so there is $300 difference so it would be worth getting a new system instead of upgrading. by the way the video-lmao:)

[anvilinc01]

If the money is what is driving your decision check out e-bay chances are you can buy a machine either pc or mac for less than the upgrade costs you mentioned. also you may want to look at a used mac from a reputable reseller. the cost of upgrading just to use vista seems a little on the crazy side when the system is still not proven! yaeh its nice looking but the system is still not proven and how many releases of windows were less than desirable in the first year of release! The long and the short of it is that it's your money do what feels right for you if you already like the extra work involved in using windows then go for it. If you are interested in getting a machine that does more for you then I still think that the mac osx systems are better overall because they have gradually arrived at the current system, windows can't say the same thing. Bill is rich because the changes were leaps from system to system (and the results were often less than spectacular)where the current apple os is a product of gradual change based on user needs and requests. the majority of windows users have been duped into buying how many "versions" of windows that were products so different from the previous system there are sections of bookstores devoted to things you'll need to undestand all of the changes. And how much money have we all spent on these books! Good luck with your decision.:)

[Crimson Sky]

Apple blows. don't listen to this guy, and don't believe the hype. ^^ ;)

Oh and welcome to the forum anvillnc01

[DaveW]

Apple blows.

You're just pissed about your i-pod. :p

-Dave

[slytherock]

If you are interested in getting a machine that does more for you then I still think that the mac osx systems are better overall because they have gradually arrived at the current system, windows can't say the same thing.

The Mac OSX can do more with only one OS, for sure, but can it do it better? I doubt it. I work everyday as a movie editor (that's becoming redundant to mention it) I do most of my work on PowerMac G5 almost fully upgraded. ANd not just one... And I still beg my boss to get a couple of PC in here. That way I wont have to do half of my job at home on my own computers. The PC world offer so much more softwares and possibilities then the Mac cause there's not only two or three companies involved.

Bill is rich because the changes were leaps from system to system (and the results were often less than spectacular)where the current apple os is a product of gradual change based on user needs and requests. the majority of windows users have been duped into buying how many "versions" of windows that were products so different from the previous system there are sections of bookstores devoted to things you'll need to undestand all of the changes. And how much money have we all spent on these books! Good luck with your decision.:)

We call this capitalism And he probably did the best thing in that way.
BTW, I never spended a penny on books for computers, internet is still free...

Sorry, this became a flame thread, but working on both stations everyday, I just cant be a Mac Freak. PC rules! And if you dont want MS in your system, switch to Linux