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Intel Based Macs: What's the Big Deal?
Last week was MacWorld week and the big deal was Steve Jobs demonstrating that in fact you can now get a Mac and be part of the Intel clan. Big deal. The rest of us have been there for decades. I think that with the Intel chips in the Mac you still only get half a loaf. What you get is what Steve Jobs wants you to have and no more. And you will still pay more for it. Maybe a shinny white shell is worth the premium?
Frankly, I like the choices that I am accustomed to having. I like having vendors competing to sell me memory and disk drives at the best price and performance. I like the vast array of software ready to download or order off the shelf. I like AMD pushing 64 bit memory bus and multiple core architecture. I like the build-it-yourself opportunity to build exactly what I want.
As I was saying, just what is the big deal?
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2. Posted by: Benjamin Higginbotham on January 16, 2006 9:38 PM:
I would like to sum it up this way:
What would happen if Microsoft all of a sudden said "STOP! We're moving everything to PowerPC". Think of the chaos, the outcry, the PAIN of moving all of your MS apps to PowerPC. Do you think they could pull it off? I don't (before you argue, what's the status of WinFS again?)
Apple is moving to an entirely new platform and they are making it so insanely easy it almost looks like childs play. To me THAT'S the big deal.
And a few points of clarification:
1 - Apple uses standard RAM. Go buy from any third party you like.
2 - Apple uses standard SATA drives. Go buy from any third party you like.
3 - You can run Unix, Linux or Macintosh software on Mac OS X, and I think you'll find the selection and competition much more amazing than Windows. On Windows you can run Windows software and a limited selction of *nix.
4 - You can build your own Macintosh as well.
5 - The current G5 desktop is a multi-core 64bit system. Apple has been on top of the 64bit game for a long time now, and in some cases the 64bit PPC chips out-perform their AMD counterpart. To be fair, in some cases they do not, it depends on the task. Actually, the current iMac is a 64bit system. Can you pick up a 64bit, fully loaded, AMD system with a 17" widescreen LCD for under $1,300? Don't forget your virus protection.
When MS decides to move to PPC, I'll have just as large of a reaction as I did when Apple decided to move to X86. It's HUGE!
3. Posted by: Jeff Deitch on January 16, 2006 9:44 PM:
Another big deal about Apple switching to intel chips is that you will most likely be able to set up a second partition and install Windows. Now you can have one computer that can run OS X and Windows at native speeds. This is great for someone like me who does 99% of his work on a Mac, but still needs a PC on occasion.
Who knows, maybe Apple will design a WINE like system for OS X that can seamlessly run Windows applications without the need for Windows. This would be a great way for Apple to leverage themselves against Microsoft. Say Microsoft decides to stop making Office for Mac, no problem, we can just use the Windows version.
I wouldn't be surprised if Apple had something like this in the works for the next release of OS X as a response to Microsoft's Vista. However, it is probably just my wild fantasy.
4. Posted by: bg on January 16, 2006 10:00 PM:
Benjamin Higginbotham, I would like to clear some stuff up that youve got wrong. First off Pc's do use sata drives, as well as the newer sata 2 drives (only older pcs still use ide)- and u can buy sata anywhere Second you can buy any ram for your pc as long as its the type for ur pc (theres only 2 types: ddr & ddr 2). Build your own Mac? Third- A pc has way more building options and upgradability, i mean the choice of components is infinite, its up to u if u want a gaming PC or a Office setup. Apple on top of the 64 game? Well thanks for letting me no, because ive never heard anyone mention that-even apple users. Amd has had true 64 bit technology for a while. AND what do u mean u cant get a 64 bit for less than $1,300. I got my pc with a Athlon 64 3500 for $600. Can u get that at apple?....Not. And did u know the cheapest athlon 64 cpu is only $122 (athlon 64 3000) and it performs well. for that cheap price. Come on Ben, U just trying to big up apple, but u need some hard facts to back it up.
5. Posted by: Benjamin Higginbotham on January 16, 2006 10:17 PM:
BG,
Uh, I think you may want to go back, re-read my post and follow the linkage. Everything you need is right there, or on Apple's web site at http://www.apple.com. I think you simply misunderstood my points.
6. Posted by: Pete Ottman on January 16, 2006 10:26 PM:
Uh, you two are on the same page about buying things like ram and hard drives. The difference really, between Mac and PC is that building a PC is very easy and you have lots of choices. To some how say that dings the Mac universe is reaching because most people buy there machines and don't build them. I'd say that for most upgrades, Macs and PC have equal opportunities. Oh, and I've built plenty of PCs. And the "oh one can build a gaming system" comment makes me laugh. Really, while else would one build a PC? A cheap Dell is good for everything else and a custom rig is really about gaming.
7. Posted by: Hogg on January 17, 2006 1:08 AM:
I was wondering the same thing? I've always been a PC guy and don't know much about Macs and I'm by no means a hardware guru, but from what I've heard, these new machines still aren't better performance-wise than some PCs that are already available.
8. Posted by: Gig Dick on January 17, 2006 1:58 AM:
There are literally billions trying to get their programs on your computer and thousands will succeed every single year. The programs are free but will cost you on average $2,000.00 per year. That's the nature of swimming in the cesspool of Windows the virus platform. But hey, you saved $20.00 on purchasing that virus platform.
The thinking class uses real applications that work so they can pursue other activities while you slave over your steaming pile of shit trying to rid it of the perpetual malware infestation, including Windows which dies several times a year and must be born again.
9. Posted by: John on January 17, 2006 2:33 PM:
Oh boy, a religious war!
Apple is doing a very good job with the transition. That said, the big differentiator remains the OS.
I've used both platforms for years and am neutral. I hate Apple's imperious attitude about everything. The free bundled software: big deal, you can go download the same things for Windows and have choices. (I've used iPHoto a lot; Picasa kicks its butt. The calendar stuff is nice but limited and doesn't play well with any other calendar software. Etc., etc.)
As for quality: don't get me started on my last iMac, which has been a relatively crappy machine - fans that won't go off, mysterious changes in display settings no one can explain, and so on.
As for the person making the big claims about "the thinking class," it's kind of funny when it seems most die-hard Mac folks spend an inordinate time thinking about their OS. Kind of like proclaiming the world what kind of dishwasher you have, over and over and over....
10. Posted by: Roger on October 10, 2006 11:23 AM:
I am a PC user and in my opinion nothing could take their place. As far as building a MAC, my man bg sums it up when he uses the word "infinite" when referring to upgrade parts, look at the vast array of graphics cards, not to mention SLI, The vast array as processors as well such as intels new core duo 2 extreme, AMD and hosts of others as well as Celeron for those who can't afford the more costly items. You can build a PC and give and take as financing allows. Say your using a $600 video card but you only want to spend $40 bucks for a sound card, No Problem! Tons of different wattages of power supplies not to mention modular power supplies, it's just endless. Mac will never be a PC and needs to stop trying. Gaming, let's not even go there cause I would put my machine against any Mac anyday. 3.6 Gig P4, 2SLI 512 DDR video cards, 4 gigs DDR2 Ram, 1 Terabyte hard drive(2 500's) I can load it forever. 500 watt modular power supply, Creative Labs AudigyZ24 bit sound card spell whoop a mac's butt. Thank you.
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1. Posted by: Raheel Gauba on January 16, 2006 5:53 PM:
Very interesting post... i am sure there are tons of people out there wondering the exact same thing...
In my view, there are a few big deals here:
- Apple made a switch to a completely new platform ahead of time (great for investors, wallstreet...)
- They showed that true universal binaries are possible and can be done elegantly... while still having one of the best translation layer (Rosetta) so that current generation applications can still run well.
- They are in the midst of a huge transition and so far it seems like its going really smooth... the big deal here is the fact that ... well ... its going smooth and not only meeting target timelines, but beating them
You can still have vendors compete for selling you memory and disk drives... yes, they cant compete on selling you a processor for you to upgrade... but most people are not looking for that anyways... a very small percentage of computer users just upgrade the processor in an existing system.
There is a huge software library available already for the mac... but an interesting thing is that most of the software that windows users would actually have to download are already included with the Mac... and they are integrated really well...
- iphoto - a photo management and editing software
- garageband - a powerful music creation software
- itunes - one of the best music library management software around
- imovie HD - easy movie editing in HD!!
- iDVD - create high quality DVD menu's with ease!
- iWeb - a web publishing software that generates gorgeous webpages, blogs, podcasts etc.
- Mail - one of the best mail programs out there
- iCal - an appointment management tool
Im sure theres tons more in there... so software really isnt a big issue in my opinion for most home users.
A couple of reasons why you would want to pay a high price for an apple rig...
one, the brand... think of it as the lexus of the computer world... where there are perfectly good cars around to take you from point a to b... but this one does it in style!
two, their hardware IS of a much higher quality... and if you compare the price of a high end notebook from, say sony... with a cool high end design, you are pretty close to apple pricing!
Just my 2 cents ... as you can tell i just love apple ;)