Product Review: Apple Mac for the First Time Owner

Have you considered buying a Mac even though you have used a PC your whole life like me? I just bought my first Apple Mac. Here is my review:

Being a writer creates a need for a great word processor. Being a graphic's artist requires a great operating system. A PC has been the preferred system for word processing while the Mac has been geared toward more graphics: hence the bout between PC and Mac users.

However, if you do a little of both writing and working with graphics in the office, then you have likely considered purchasing either a PC or a Mac for your home. But familiarizing yourself a little with each type of computer-a Mac and a PC-can go a long ways in combining your skills in both areas. Which one you buy for your own needs at home is entirely up to you. While both have capabilities in each area, you may need to lean toward one or the other based on the skills you desire to employ. I don't choose to advocate one over the other with the assumption that one fits all needs better than the other.

In fact, after buying a Mac, my experience of a PC best filling my writing needs remains true. I thought that I relied so much on a PC because it was more standard between work associates, but if cross-relational aspects matter most it is because of programs more than machines. You can buy adobe graphic products first intended for Mac systems that are compatible with your PC, or you can buy Microsoft products first intended for PC systems that are compatible with your Mac, but your decision will likely be based off of what programs you use more.

I still own a Dell Inspiron 4000. It has been a great machine for me for the past ten years. I brought it in for some repair after too many years of exposure to Internet viruses. And now I strictly use it for my writing. In its refurbished condition it runs well. I'm actually typing this article on my Dell PC because I didn't see a reason to buy Microsoft Word for my Mac, and I don't like the word processing programs that came with the basic package for a Mac. On the other hand, my Mac has been capable of handling more Internet traffic and programs in general, with fewer crashes. Yes, I can crash anything with what I think are very basic maneuvers. The point is that a Mac has done well to support my learning of Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Dreamweaver, and Flash. I've seen these products downloaded onto a PC and it did cause more trouble for what seemed to be capable computers than I have had with my Mac.

There is only one real gripe I have with my Mac, other than not wanting to have to buy Microsoft word processing products (intended for a PC) for my Mac. My main issue is that although general procedures may be more streamlined once you figure out what to do, the Mac is not as intuitive as its users boast. The Mac machine could definitely benefit from a little less arrogance about its marketing strategy. The PC is not any less intuitive, and even seems easier to use-not only because it is primarily what many of us have used and learned from others-mostly because the PC is more friendly with help menus and organization that is searchable. My Mac had some strange difficulties that have left my desktop interface unorganized to this day (I bought the Mac about a year ago). I have had trouble running programs after they were installed. It has been an issue even after getting them to run, where each time I open programs it gives me an error message asking whether I want to repair the location it will open from. And then all of these documents on my desktop, I assume need to go into different areas of my hard drive because unless I do it that way, I can't seem to find those items when I go looking for them. I'm still a novice with the Mac but it suits my needs more and more.

In short, the Mac proves to be very easy when I figure out what to do. Setting it up was about as easy as turning it on. If you don't know what to do with any given task, however, it becomes hard to figure out, because it is assumed you should know. Once you get a task down, you will always know though. But seriously, who would know at first that moving an item to the trash bin then makes it an eject button? That's the last place I want to be hovering over with all that I have saved on my zip drive. I wouldn't call that-among other things-intuitive.

Still, I like my Mac for some things and I like my PC for others. Together the combo is exceptional. Now at work, I could use either, given the right programs.