Need help from Mac Users

[Switch Kicker]

Yeah. I'm not Mac savy... at all. However, I was looking at one being used by a friend roomy at the college dorms a few weeks ago. My god... it's absolutely gorgeous.

So, I've decided to get a Mac as my next computer, whenever that will be.

However. I need to know... is Apple the only company that makes computers using Mac? I mean, Mac is Apple... yeah, but are there any other companies that make PCs designed for Mac? Cause, I love HP PCs. But I don't think they make anything for anything other than Windows.

I was just wondering. I've never seen a Mac PC, or their Monitors. Can any monitor be used with a Mac PC like with the Windows program? See.. I don't know this stuff. Maybe if somone has a niffty little FAQ that they can linky me to?

Any help would be great. Thanks.

[PegLegHolly]

-apple makes mac
-nothing other than apple makes mac
-macs can run two operating systems: os x (mac designed operating system) and windows... you just have to ask special for windows
-mac computers + os x = super rad... really different from windows but it wont take you long to get used to it
-mac computers + windows = an okay compromise, but not as rad as osx
-you can buy mac computers at most computer stores, although you -might not get as good of a deal as going to the apple store or to mac authority
-www.apple.com
-holly <3's apple
-if you get a mac, dont go messing it all up. have a mac buddy help you set up your stuff or go to the apple store and they will help you free of charge

[/apple loving post]

[Switch Kicker]

-apple makes mac
-nothing other than apple makes mac
-macs can run two operating systems: os x (mac designed operating system) and windows... you just have to ask special for windows
-mac computers + os x = super rad... really different from windows but it wont take you long to get used to it
-mac computers + windows = an okay compromise, but not as rad as osx
-you can buy mac computers at most computer stores, although you -might not get as good of a deal as going to the apple store or to mac authority
-www.apple.com
-holly <3's apple
-if you get a mac, dont go messing it all up. have a mac buddy help you set up your stuff or go to the apple store and they will help you free of charge

[/apple loving post]

So... If I want to... I can have OS X Leapard, and Windows XB Media Edition on the one computer? (Screw Vista. It's sucks compared to XP.) And I could just simply switch between the two whenever I like? So I can install something on OS X Leapard... would it work even if I switch over to Windows? Or would I have to install both versions of whatever I'm installing for it to work with both? What about music? If save music to the hard drive, can both operating systems take that music and play it?

[Switch Kicker]

My God. Looking at the options from the Mac Pro... Just the sheer possibilities they offer are insane. 3,000 GBs of hard drive space, 16GB of RAM? My god. Of course, that's like, going up to about $15,000... but just the fact taht you can pack all that in there... I've never seen any other computer company offer such options before.

Lol, maybe I'll blwo 20 grand on an ultimate Mac... If I win the lottery. lol.

But yeah, just their base options alone are, really impressive. They really don't offer less than a gig of ram, and most comps come with 512mb. Lowest harddrive I saw was 160. Most comps I see are around 80-120. And screw HP monitors... Those Apple monitors are gorgeous.

I will probably use a portion of my signing bonus that I should be getting later this year to get a Mac. And by then, Leapard will be out, so yeah.

(Why is the world using Windows? Seriously.)

[hakkpakk]

Since computers were invented, my family has always had an apple. I just got a macbook pro for 1700. If you have a student ID, you get 300 dollars off a computer. Once you get a mac, you'll never go back..... no lie. Download alll the porn you want and never ever get a virus. You know how on IM, people send links that are viruses? Well I always click on them and nothing ever happens

[Footbag Forever]

Mac's=love!
My family has also had Mac's since the beginning of time. I have a Powerbook G4...I love it to death. No virus's and I have never had a problem with it. The only real problem with mac's is they aren't compatible with a lot of things that PC's are, but hey...they last forever. I definitely suggest going Mac!!

[Allan]

s Apple the only company that makes computers using Mac?

The short answer is: Yes.

That being said, there are modified (cracked) versions of OS X out there that you can install on generic beige-box PC's, but this is not supported by Apple, and is, in fact, illegal (although it shouldn't be). I don't really recommend this path unless you really know your shit.

Can any monitor be used with a Mac PC like with the Windows program?

Apple makes a variety of Mac computers, from portables to desktops.

The only systems which you would need to worry about a monitor with would be the Mac Pro line, and Mac Minis. In your situation, a Mac Pro is probably overkill. If you already have a nice monitor, then a Mac Mini might be an option for you; however, I would recommend looking at the iMac line, as they come with very beautiful monitors built-in.

-you can buy mac computers at most computer stores, although you -might not get as good of a deal as going to the apple store or to mac authority

This is not true. Apple price fixes all of its hardware; so, it will cost the same wherever you go. If you find a Mac for a price cheaper than advertised on Apple.com, do not buy it, as it more than likely a scam of some sort.

You can order directly from apple.com, but since it won't save you any money, I recommend going to a smaller "Apple Authorized Reseller" and purchasing from them. Not only will doing this create a relationship with people who can help you in your transition, but it keeps some money in your community.

As noted above, if you are a student, you can generally save a couple hundred dollars by purchasing from your local university's computer store (or direct from Apple.com) upon showing your student ID. You can check the eligibility of your school, and look at the Apple catalog price-adjusted here:

http://store.apple.com/Catalog/US/Image ... gpage.html

Sometimes the University store will actually have somewhat cheaper prices, depending on a variety of factors; it's worth it to compare between the Apple Store, and the schools.

I can have OS X Leapard, and Windows XB Media Edition on the one computer?

First of all, Leopard is not available yet, and probably won't be for at least another month. Recent news suggests that it will be more like several months . . .

10.4 "Tiger" is the current release of OS X, and it kicks serious ass

As for running Windows on your Mac, you have a couple of options there. First of all, there is Bootcamp:

http://www.apple.com/macosx/bootcamp/

Bootcamp modifies Intel-based Macs to be able to dual-boot Windows. This option is free (for now), and means that, if you want to "switch" to using Windows, you have to re-start your system, and choose to boot into Windows as an option on start-up. If you are using Windows to play video games, this is the recommended method, as the next option takes more system resources, and may degrade your gaming experience. Of course, when you want to go back to OS X, you then have to re-start the system again, and boot back in it.

Your other option is run Parallels:

http://www.parallels.com/en/products/desktop/

Parallels is a software option that you buy ($80), that allows you to run Windows inside (if you will) of OS X. This is a great option if you have software other than games that you want to run. You download and install Parallels, then follow the (easy) given instructions on how to install XP. Once you're done, you're two clicks away from running Windows in a little window (you can full-screen it too) from within OS X with no rebooting. Since I don't really play games, this is the option I use when I need to look at a website in IE6 (the horror!), or use Arcview (windows-only GIS).

There are a couple of other options out there for running Windows on OS X, but I can't recall the name of the other primary choice offhand (although they're been around longer).

As for the "virus-free" thing: be careful about this. Although Apple plays up this fact in their marketing, you still need to practice caution when surfing on any system on the web. OS X is an inherently more secure system than Windows XP, but that doesn't mean you should not be careful. There are exploits for OS X out there that don't qualify as viruses (they're technically "worms"), but can still do damage to your system if you are too glib about your imperviousness.

Overall, I can't recommend the Macintosh platform more highly. Apple makes using a computer fun again.

[Switch Kicker]

Yes, I know Learpard's not out yet. However, I won't be going to finish up AIT untill October this year, meanign I won't get my bonus untill like... November. So it'll be out by then, lol.

Thanks for all the help. I was leaning towards teh iMac. It's got what I need for an affordable price, and it'snice and compact. And there will be better ones out by the time I buy one.