June 19, 2007

Should You Buy a Mac for Your Business?

Chris Shipley, producer of Demo joins the chorus of people lamenting their experience in using Windows Vista. As I was reading his problems, I starting thinking (again) if I should buy a Mac to at least try it out.

Let's face it, there's MANY happy users of Windows Vista, but there's also many people who aren't so happy with it for a variety of reasons. For some people, their older programs aren't running on Vista. For these folks, Vista was not for you in any case. For others the security is too restrictive. However, if Microsoft didn't enhance the security people would complain anyhow.

But the issue of Mac or no Mac goes beyond Vista. Mac users have been championing their love of Macs for YEARS.

In responding to Chris' post, many of his readers recommended that he get a Mac. These people don't seem like crazed Mac freaks, but instead - real, honest people who love their Macs.

I've been hearing this over and over again about how good the Mac is, and I'm getting more tempted to visit the Apple store and buy one. Just for the experience of being in the store.

There's many Mac fans who swear by their Mac computers and now that the Mac can easily host a dual operating system - Mac and Windows and therefore run both Mac and Windows applications there is even more of a reason to buy a Mac. I also hear that Apple has outstanding support for the Mac, especially in its retail stores.

However, something is just not quite adding up.

A) If I'm going to buy a Mac and run Windows, would not the Windows experience be the same on a Mac or PC.

B) If I'm going to buy a Mac and use the Mac operating system, there is a limited number of business programs and tools for the Mac. Go to your local retailer or online store and see how much software there is for the Mac and how much for the PC.

If I buy a Mac it'll be so I can at least say I've tried it and used it. But for business, it's going to be a PC for me, for a long, long time.

PS - The biggest complaint I have with Vista is that it has so many gadgets, gizmos, bells and whistles it makes it hard to get work done. However, after a few days of using the new system, it gets easier to use. Just like riding a bike I guess.

Chris writes Maybe all this change is for the good, I don't know. I found some aspects of Vista to be very useful and I'm beginning to get comfortable using Office apps again.

But all this came at the price of time I could ill afford to spend re-learning how to use key applications. If I had realized that I'd spend two weeks re-acquainting myself with Windows and Office, I might have opted for the MacBook after all.

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