Anyone gone from a PC to iMac then back to a PC?

I believe those are PEBKAC errors, rather than anything being intrinsically wrong with the software. :)

I didn't get errors, just it took 5 times longer to do anything on the iMac because the OS is so fiddly. In an office network environment the weaknesses just jump out at you
 
Excuse me? Higher grade? What does that even mean.

Aperture, Pixelmator, Motion, Final Cut - none of these exist on Windows. They're my tools of choice and they run much better on OS X! :p Never been a fan of Creative Suite.

Scrivener (my choice of tool for writing) does have a Windows version but I prefer it on OS X.

In terms of hardware, my PC is of a higher spec:

Intel Core i7-3820 3.60GHz
16GB DDR3
ASUS NVidia GTX 680
etc...

My rMBP was:

Intel i7 3720QM
8GB DDR3
Nvidia GT650M

I didn't mean the choice of software. :)
 
Got an iMac in 2011 and wouldn't dream of switching back. If I was still in to messing about with PCs then it'd be different but I stopped caring about PC gaming years ago and other than that PCs don't do anything better. Plus having an integrated computer/27" 2560x1440 monitor is pretty awesome.
 
Tried out an iMac last week, gave up after 3 days, the stupidest fiddlest crap i ever used.
Quite a difference between something being fiddly and not knowing how to use it. I've found my Macs to be far less "fiddly" than any Windows machine I've ever used. No "fiddling" about with drivers etc, and I find Windows fiddly as a whole. I wouldn't say everything just works in Mac OS X (no company can claim that), however more of it does than compared to Windows, in my experience. As has been said many times, it's all a case of what you are used to, and even then, whether it works in the best way for you.

iPhones now look like a joke compared to Samsung phones. I have to literary have to squint when using my gf's 4s, forget web browsing on the thing. Even the 5 looks like something out of 2008.
Samsung are still stuck in the "flimsy plastic fantastic" era from pre-2010. Apple in particular, but also HTC have managed to push the game forward here. And it's not a case of "bigger displays are always better", again, personal preference.

But all apple boys can is BBUUIIILLLDDD QUALITY!!!!111 yeah, but it's all the same when you stick it in a case
Frankly silly thing to say. So because everybody uses cases, a poorly built device is excusable? And because Apple make a well built device, it suddenly becomes a bad trait?

Not to mention iOS now looks so dated i just laugh everytime i look at it
Many agree that TouchWiz looks awful, much like a glossed up version of a feature phone's interface. Sense and stock Android are both far better, though the latter can look a little rough round the edges at times. The worst part with Android's interface is the lack of apps that follow the Holo design guidelines. Completely out of place and they look awful.

If anyone owns multiple apple products they will tell you how slick iCloud really is. Push/Pull data is fantastic. Really does just work.
When I was on iOS iCloud worked well, however it's not too different to using Google's services with iOS/Macs or Android/Macs. Messages wasn't brilliant though, worked well when it did work, but Google Talk has proven more reliable for me.
 
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Agreed though, horses for courses when it comes to an OS. I just like the intuitive nature of OSX with the power of UNIX.

Although I've sort of moved on a bit I've been a UNIX sysadmin for nearly 20 years and I still prefer a combination of Putty and to a lesser extent Cygwin (I barely use X). Takes no time at all to set them up.
 
Many agree that TouchWiz looks awful, much like a glossed up version of a feature phone's interface. Sense and stock Android are both far better, though the latter can look a little rough round the edges at times. The worst part with Android's interface is the lack of apps that follow the Holo design guidelines. Completely out of place and they look awful.

TouchWiz is ****ing awful, it's not up for debate! :p In fact, Samsung's entire software design language is abhorrent to the nth degree. It's one of three things that have detracted from my S3 ownership experience over the last 11/12 months (poor battery life and plasticky feel being the other two).

The fact of the matter is, if you want a smartphone that can access a real file system, that has a wide variety of apps well beyond the scope of iOS (SSH, FTP, Torrents, etc) and is infinitely more tweakable, then it's not that much of an issue. Just root it, zap it and load on Cyanogen or a Nexus firmware and hey presto. :)
 
The fact of the matter is, if you want a smartphone that can access a real file system, that has a wide variety of apps well beyond the scope of iOS (SSH, FTP, Torrents, etc) and is infinitely more tweakable, then it's not that much of an issue. Just root it, zap it and load on Cyanogen or a Nexus firmware and hey presto. :)

I guess that's where the line is. How much you want to tinker your software and hardware.

The people who wants to will always find Apple frustrating.
 
TouchWiz is ****ing awful, it's not up for debate! :p In fact, Samsung's entire software design language is abhorrent to the nth degree. It's one of three things that have detracted from my S3 ownership experience over the last 11/12 months (poor battery life and plasticky feel being the other two).

The fact of the matter is, if you want a smartphone that can access a real file system, that has a wide variety of apps well beyond the scope of iOS (SSH, FTP, Torrents, etc) and is infinitely more tweakable, then it's not that much of an issue. Just root it, zap it and load on Cyanogen or a Nexus firmware and hey presto. :)

You have to be careful in this place, the moment you say something as a fact, your head gets bitten off :D But yes, it is awful.

Second paragraph isn't up for debate really, that's the fact of the matter. That's the point - the whole point of iOS is that there isn't anything to tweak that could **** it up. Must say that once you are up and running, I actually find dealing with ROMs much easier than dealing with a jailbroken iOS device.
 
You have to be careful in this place, the moment you say something as a fact, your head gets bitten off :D But yes, it is awful.

Second paragraph isn't up for debate really, that's the fact of the matter. That's the point - the whole point of iOS is that there isn't anything to tweak that could **** it up. Must say that once you are up and running, I actually find dealing with ROMs much easier than dealing with a jailbroken iOS device.

For anybody who disagreed with me on TouchWiz:

http://specsavers.com/

:p

That's why Apex Launcher is so flipping popular on the Google Play Store.
 
I switched to a Macbook Air in 2011 and love the trackpad, the OS and the underlying UNIX components. Can't see myself ever going back to Windows PC's / laptops unless I'm broke and can't afford the Apple premium.

I also use Linux heavily both at work and on personal servers, something just clicks with both Linux and OS X that I don't quite get with Windows nowadays, although 10 years ago I was content with Win 2k / XP for power use.
 
Went from Mac (grew up with them) to PC in 2007 or so, back to Mac (2012 iMac 27" with i7, GTX 680MX, 1TB "Fusion" Drive...what a silly name). Virtualise into W7 if I need to, reboot to W7 for gaming (people can make whatever excuses they want, Mac OS is still a poor choice for gaming).

Dislike MS with a passion, not really that I'm a Mac fanboy - as soon as Apple starts making crap machines and software I'll switch.

As for moving back to Windows, financially it's a bit of a jumble - the iMac will have a far higher resell value than the PC in the years to come (and will sell well now), yet the custom built PC will be cheaper now. So you have to be the judge when it comes to the usual factors: which platform you prefer, whether you'd miss one if you dropped it, which offers the most benefits etc.

Just to offer another perspective in addition to Amp34's, I simply find using Windows a hugely frustrating experience. To me, it feels like they've gone out of their way to make things more difficult. Why is it like that for me? Because I'm not used to it, and because I just don't like it as much. It's a case of personal preference.


That one hasn't been the case for a long time, I've been right clicking (well, two finger tapping if I'm using the trackpad) for many years now :D

While I see where you're coming from I have used the Air as my main computer for 2 years and still find OSX a fiddle to use. For something that' supposed to be easy yo use that's pretty impressive... One of the things that gets me is any remotely technical work has to be done in terminal, whereas in windows you have the control panel, a GUI version of what most people want to do.

On the other hand I do admit that some of the faf may be due to it being a laptop. While the trackpad is great (and there are many things OS X does better than windows, like multiple desktops and four fingers to your "start" screen) it's not a mouse...

Have to say I agree. I prefer my nexus 7 than the iPad for most things (not everything), but the iPad is still cool, but I'd never pay for one.

The screen on the N7 is just too small and the 16:9 screen just compounds the issue. Internet browsing and photo viewing and gameplay is behind due to this IMO. It also feels cheap and is significantly thicker than the mini. On the other hand you don't have to use iTunes and the frankly aweful syncing that goes with it. Again something that is supposed to be easy takes a technical person a few hours and several websites later to work it out, only to delete stuff when you try and sync something new onto it... :( The sooner they ditch iTunes (never going to happen) and make the UI more modern (hey, windows 3.1 wants its icons back!) the better. Hardware wise it's hard to beat.

I switched to a Macbook Air in 2011 and love the trackpad, the OS and the underlying UNIX components. Can't see myself ever going back to Windows PC's / laptops unless I'm broke and can't afford the Apple premium.

I also use Linux heavily both at work and on personal servers, something just clicks with both Linux and OS X that I don't quite get with Windows nowadays, although 10 years ago I was content with Win 2k / XP for power use.

Apple don't really have a premium. They have a premium compared to cheap windows laptops yeah, but compared to equivalent machines (equivalent being similar internal hardware AS WELL AS design, external materials, manufacturing quality and very importantly the screen and battery life) there isn't much/anything in it.
 
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Yeah, Xmas 2011 I bought myself the [then] top of the range 27" iMac with i7 and 6970m but eventually went back to a PC, here's a couple of pros and cons I had with it:

PROS!
  1. The screen, its beautiful, 27" 1440p and glossy (mine didn't like sunlight but I hear the new model is better) if you were building a PC and wanted one this good you would be dropping £450 on a Dell (the Hazro/DGM ones don't count due to lack of pixel warranty which you need on something so expensive).
  2. So quiet, even with a mechanical HDD you had to listen hard to tell it was on (fans speeded up when loaded but as this was gaming/movie time sound drownned it out).
  3. Value, haters always call Apple overpriced however if you look at the entire spec of an iMac (inc webcam, bluetooht, etc) you cannot build a comparable PC for all that much less without skiping on quality.
  4. Compact yet powerful, takes up no more room than a normal 27" monitor really, and has some serious power.

CONS!

  1. OSX, It has some very good features and is very shiney, however it is missing a lot of basic functionality that Windows and even Ubuntu users will take for granted, this functionality can [mostly] be added using 3rd party apps however you shouldn't really need to be installing a bunch of additional stuff just to get the same functionality that Ubuntu has out of the box for free.
  2. It's not upgradable, A given ofc, but it hits home the hardest when a new generation of GPU's hits
  3. Gaming, Not all games can be run in OSX however this can be overcome by installing Windows in dual boot, the flaw with this though is that even the games that run in OSX are 20-50% faster in Windows and look better, so if you do like games you may well reach the point where your booting into Windows the majority of the time wondering why you even need a Mac.
  4. Crashing, Does not happen often due to quality hardware, however it doesn't happen any less than with Windows on quality hardware despite popular myth.
  5. Reliability, the notebook graphics chipsets are allowed to run hot and you can find any number of "spares or repairs" Macs with dead GPU's, which unlike a PC is not a simple expansion card.
 
I'd agree with you on some of those points. However:

It's easy enough to build a completely silent (passive) small machine if you so feel like it, most people on here are gamers though so you end up with massive fan hungry machines making loads of noise (passive mITX case FTW...). Bit of a faf though and it'll cost you just the same as the iMac. It does mean you can buy a Dell monitor though, the same panel but without the glossyness that ruins photo editing for me. You can also buy a new computer without having to replace the screen. Minor points really.

More importantly on the crashing issue. I don't push my macbook hard and haven't installed a huge amount on it but it's crashed 3 times since I've had it. Doesn't sound much but that's 2 times more than my work computer and my desktop computer in the same time period... And the wifi isn't stable*... but then that seems to be an Apple thing, my iPad has issues as well...

*And no the Lion update that was supposed to fix that didn't. Instead it caused all my hidden and system files to appear, rather annoying when you run a clean ship and have 2-3 random undeletable files on your desktop... They disappeared after a few months after another update, Apple must have had some complaints! To hide the files again you had to use several commands in terminal, rather than just two clicks in the Control Panel you would be able to do in windows... Certainly not "just works"...
 
I didn't get errors, just it took 5 times longer to do anything on the iMac because the OS is so fiddly. In an office network environment the weaknesses just jump out at you

Yeah, I mean there's no way a Mac can play ball in a Windows AD domain...oh hang on, it can. There's no way a Mac could work in a UNIX based network... Oh, hang on, it can.

Obviously if you've never really used OS X then it's going to take some getting used to. However to say it can't work in an office/networked environment is just wrong.

Wish I could use a Mac in the office environment, particularly for what I do as a UNIX admin.

I had to twist some people high up to get a Mac for my work. Glad I did though.

[RXP]Andy;24398227 said:
In terms of hardware, my PC is of a higher spec:

Intel Core i7-3820 3.60GHz
16GB DDR3
ASUS NVidia GTX 680
etc...

My rMBP was:

Intel i7 3720QM
8GB DDR3
Nvidia GT650M

Somewhat obviously a custom built desktop has better hardware than a laptop!
 
Have to say I agree. I prefer my nexus 7 than the iPad for most things (not everything), but the iPad is still cool, but I'd never pay for one.

I tried a Nexus 7. Too small a screen to be useful, terrible font rendering* (still a problem on Android even with 4.2.2) and a lack of tablet optimised apps. Got rid of it.

I'd happily pay (and have done) the price premium for an iPad. Apple just need to release a retina-display enabled iPad mini. The portability of the Nexus 7 was nice.

* My daily driver phone is a Nexus 4 and it is a very nice phone. Android is catching up with iOS. However they still need to work on lag and the font rendering is dire. Also because the Play Store isn't a rigorous on QA than the iOS store a lot of apps are still junk. Much better than it was when I had a Nexus One.
 
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