Cool Gadgets
With the release of the Mac Mini in January of this year and now with the eminent release of OS X Tiger looming over our collective head, the reasons for switching to the Macintosh platform is becoming more persuasive. As a recent convert from the PC, I understand the greatness of the PC and its downfalls. Today in Cool Gadgets, we will be looking at the top ten reasons for the PC users of SMU to join the Mac users.
10. The iPod, gateway drug of the Mac users.
The iPod digital music player owns 90 percent of the digital music player industry. Walking around campus I often see gobs of the trademark white ear buds sprouting from students’ ears. Because of this little white box, most of the campus has been introduced to the Apple ideal of simplicity. If you can use an iPod, chances are you can figure out how to use a Mac running OS X.
9. Student discounts are a good thing- use them!
One major problem for buying a Mac is the price. Lucky for us, because we go to college we get a pretty nice discount on Mac hardware. So if money was the only thing holding you back from switching, then look into it now. Student discounts with Apple can go further than you think.
8. Beauty is in the eye of the user.
When was the last time you looked at a Windows machine and were in awe of its beauty? Probably never. If you get a chance walk into the Apple store on Knox St., you will be in the presence of some of the most beautiful machines on the market today. Now, Greek girls and boys, who doesn’t want something simply pretty on their desk to make it look like they’re sophisticated while doing work?
7. We All Need Somebody to Lean On.
Apple was rated number one for customer support last year, and it makes sense seeing as they control what software and hardware goes into their machines. With a PC, if you have problems with your computer you have to figure out whether it’s the computer or the software that’s messing up. With the Mac, you only need to dial one number, tell them your problem and they’ll help you fix it. That is, if you have any problems.
6. More power.
When you take the information about a Mac and PC and place them side-by-side, the speed of the processor will look faster on a PC than on a Mac. In most applications though this isn’t true, due to the nature of the software running on the PC versus the Mac. The thing that I’ve done in the past is to take the processor speed of a Mac, double it and then compare it to a PC. You will get a much better picture of how the two compare. So although the processor numbers on a Mac may be smaller than the numbers on a PC, chances are the Mac will run better for many reasons which I’ll touch on later.
5. Eye of the Tiger.
OS X Tiger is being released on Friday. Most Mac users know this already and have either pre-ordered their copy, or are going to the release party Friday night at one of the two Apple stores in the DFW area, Knox St and The Shops at Willow Bend. Most PC users though have no idea what Tiger is or what makes it so great. First of all, what is OS X? OS X is the Windows XP of Mac. And when I say this, I’m sure I’ll have Mac Fanatics trying to skin me alive, but it’s the easiest way to break it down. Tiger is the third upgrade of OS X and by far the most advanced. Packing over 200 new features, it is touting things to put a leg up on windows machines over a year before the next version of Windows is released. One of the new features is Spotlight, a search tool that instantly scans your entire hard drive to find what you need faster. Speed is good. Another new feature is the introduction of Widgets. Widgets in Tiger are small applications that will sit on your dashboard that perform any number of tasks, from keeping you updated on the weather, translating any word into a variety of different languages, to a yellow pages directory.
4. Flexibility is good
Today the Mac and Windows platforms have come a long way for compatibility. No, you can’t run window’s applications on a Mac machine but you can get versions of Windows software such as Microsoft Office and Adobe Photoshop. So if you type your paper on a Windows machine in Word, you will be open it on a Mac, assuming that you have Word installed on there. You won’t be able to play your PC games on a Mac, but if you want to get serious work done, the Mac has a much better platform. So unless you play games or the software you need for your profession isn’t offered on the mac platform, what’s holding you back?
3. It simply works.
When I first set up my new Mac I plugged it in, turned it on and within 10 minutes I was surfing the Internet and listening to music like I did on my PC. The layout of the system is easy to use, easy to get used to, and almost foolproof to break. With a PC you can delete the wrong thing, or click the wrong icon and your computer will die. But with a Mac, as long as you stay away from a single folder you’ll be fine. It all just works. If you try one out, you’ll understand.
2. Live your live, use iLife
iLife is a software suite that comes with every new Mac. It includes iTunes, iMovie, iDVD, iPhoto and Garage Band. PC users will never know the joy and simplicity of making their own movie, editing it with iMovie, making the DVD with menus in iDVD to share with their friends. They also won’t understand the amazing ease of plugging in your digital camera, uploading all your pictures from that hot party on Friday night, and then loading on them onto your website for your friends to view. The one part of iLife PC users will get a taste of is iTunes. It’s the same program on PC and Mac that iPod owners use to synch their music collection with their computer. PC users also won’t get the pleasure of using Garage band, the music-recording program included in iLife. With Garage Band, you and your buddies can finally get together and record that hit album you’ve been writing since spring semester of freshmen year.
1. An Apple a day keeps Viruses and Spyware away.
At the moment, Macs don’t get viruses. Or Spyware. Yes, you read that right. There are no viruses for Macs. Why? Because no viruses are written for Macs, and no Spyware either. As a result, the Mac platform is one of the most stable and safe platforms you could choose as a student. Not only will you be using a more reliable system with the Mac, but because you won’t have Spyware, antivirus software or viruses taking up crucial system resources, you will also have a faster computer all together.
