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Getting back to the question per the OP... is an Apple harder / easier to use than Windows?
IMHO, no. I've used Windows for years at work, and at home - until ~3 years ago bought two Apples for the house, MacBook and iMac; and after ~1.5 day of getting feel for where things where, how the OS ran, etc., there was no issues at all, for anyone here. Matter of fact, Mac is so easy, even the IL's and my mom have 'em too now, and w/o much troubles at all. We've MS Office, Apple iLife programs, etc., and I do 95% of all my work-related items on my MacBook when at home [there are two programs that are Windows-only based from work], and I even take my MacBook when I travel for work, as it is so much easier to get 'net connections. All of my Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc programs open, read, save, etc. just fine, going back and forth, save to thumb drive and/or email.
One of the big issues is Apple's OS is different from what people are used to, and if they don't give it a solid try and admit they need to relearn things, they get frustrated and drop it as "too difficult" This is not to say that Apple's OS does everything better than MS's OS, but Apple does a much better job on user interface design and workflow design than MS does - its part and parcel of the benefits of a closed system architecture and high standards for acceptability testing.
Giving to two OS's to users with zero computer experience, the users interfacing with the Apple OS always become more productive faster. The OP has an issue with Avery labels - Avery doesn't have a good program on the Mac and printing labels is pretty much impossible in some formats. Of course, with a Mac, you can run the Windows version in the computer if you need to, which is a nice option.
In reality, back at its beginning, Apple used the icons (folders, files, etc.) from Xerox Corporation. This happened when Apple hired several former employees of Xerox. When Xerox realized that Apple had used these icons, they sued Apple. However, since Xerox had not patented the icons they lost in court, and Apple continued using them. Later, MS began using the same icons, and Apple sued, but lost because the icons were not Apple's, nor Xerox, nor MS.
Mac OS-X is another story all together, and you probably are correct.
Just to clarify, Apple didn't just use things, it licensed them from Xerox - Xerox either didn't know what it had or failed to see how it could be used, but Apple did. Apple paid for the rights to use it and that is why Xerox lost its case.
Microsoft started out as a software vendor, and worked closely with Apple and IBM. Apple (and IBM) gave MS its source code for the GUI OS and for AppleWorks and expected MS to help Apple develop them - it gave the OS source so MS could better work on integrating the software. The code was for Apple's GUI OS, plus a spreadsheet program, a word processor, and a database program. MS instead took the code and created Windows and Office from it, and along with MS-DOS, began aggressively pushing its own product. Both Apple and IBM were effectively swindled out of their IP, but they were too trusting some say.
If you wonder why Apple and Jobs are so tight-lipped today, it may have something to do with that betrayal of trust all those years ago. The fact is, MS is great at taking existing ideas and pushing them to market (and killing better products in the process), but has never been able to create a market or original product. Its past is full with failures, but the Office and Windows empire has been able to subsidize this over the past 25 years.
As for OS X, in 1985 Apple's board fired Steve Jobs, and Apple spent the next ten years floundering and almost going out of business. Jobs meanwhile continued to innovate with a new company - NeXT, later NexSTEP - on object oriented multi-tasking OS - what we use today. The NeXT OS was Unix based, one of a few Unix-based OSs of the time, but Unix never got off the ground because of so much infighting among the open source community.
The first web browser was developed on NeXT, as were full color icons, docks, and other GUI elements we got to see for the first time with Vista, 15 years later... At any rate, Apple brought Steve Jobs back in 1996, and Apple bought NeXT with him. NeXT's OS became OS X, and for the past ten years, Apple has developed on an OS designed for internet connectivity and multi-user environments. MS is still working with a single-user environment OS with Windows 7, which is based on Windows Server 2000. Microsoft's big move was off of DOS based OSs around 2000, but it didn't move to multi-user, one reason the OS has security problems to this day.
I only use computer for personal use, typing correspondence and sending resumes. I used for microsoft programs for at least 10 years, just bought a mac a few months ago. I have had issue after issue. whenever I try to send a resume online, the other party can't open it. I can't print Avery labels the way that I used to,etc Are these problems common using the Imac?
This is not a 'compatibility' issue between Mac and PC, it is between a newer and older version of MS Word. Both the 2008 Mac version of Word and the 2007 PC version of Word use a .docx extension by default. If the person on the other end has an older version of MS Word, they will not be able to open the document. The easiest solution is to Save As... a 97 to 2004 Document (.doc) and anyone on any computer with any version of Word can open it (well, as long as it is at the very least the 1997 version).
Quote:
Originally Posted by scarmig
. I tried to use a Mac once. I could not find anything. Didn't know how to do anything. And I couldn't even get to a command prompt to do things the easier way. I was lost, and gave up in frustration, and took a fail on that paper that required me to use a Mac.
So don't attack people for not preferring your preference. It's okay that people are different. It really is.
This is the main issue between the two platforms, and it all boils down to which one the user is more used to. I have been using Macs for over a decade (my first Mac came with OS 9, aka Classic--ironically, OS 9 held its popularity as the better OS amongst the real hard-core Mac enthusiast until around 2003....but that was probably due to the fact that OS X was such a radical change in the OS, where as OS 9 was just an update (and a better one at that) on OS 8, which was just an improvement on OS 7), so navigating around a Mac is a no-brainer and second nature to me.
I know my way around a PC, but I still find myself wondering why X is not 'where it should be', or 'why can't I just do Y?' So, it goes both ways.
The best platform is simply the one that you, the user, feels more comfortable with. I can sit here and talk Macs up like a true fanboy, but in reality, I don't really care. Neither OSX or Windows 7 is superior, and the thousands of features that both OSs possess are going to go unnoticed and unused by the average user of both.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mensaguy
That is incorrect. In the real world, a vast majority of computers are running Microsoft Office of Microsoft Windows operating systems, making that the default standard to which others need to conform. In fact Open Office promotes the fact that it can read and write Microsoft Office documents. Developers for lesser used systems, such as Mac, Linux or NetWare have the burder to make their applications compatible. That burden is certainly not with the users of the majority systems.
Yes, Open Office can read and write Word documents, and it is also available for Intel Macs and PowerPC Macs. MS Word is also cross-platform (as well as Excel and Power Point). And, Apple's Pages, Numbers, and Keynote can open documents created in Word, Excel, and Power Point and save into these file extensions.
All the major programs are available to both PC and OSX, and as Macs become more popular, more and more programs are becoming available every day. Apple gives its developer tool-kit away for free to anyone who wants to use it to develop apps and programs for OSX. You can get it, too, with a simple download, so it is no-longer a pain for developers to develop for the OSX platform anymore.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brill
Because Job's box is immune to such things?
As far as a universal OS, sure, as long as Apple doesn't control it, because you won't be able to run anything on it if Apple controls it.
You can run any program on a Mac. Sure, you might have to install Windows to run a select few, but other than that, it's out there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia
I had an old macbook once and looked into upgrading the hard drive. I abandoned the idea when it appeared that I'd have to remove approximately 14,000 screws of 9,000 different sizes and practically disassemble the entire machine to get to it. Whereas the typical PC laptop's hard drive is replaceable with the removal of 1-4 screws without taking anything else apart. I also wanted to add a wireless card to it, something that would have been trivial on a PC, but the only card that would work on it had been discontinued by apple for this 3 year old machine. Apple really seems to make it as difficult as possible to NOT buy a new machine every couple of years.
If it was truly a Macbook, all you had to do was remove the battery, then remove the shield that covers the memory and hard drive - which has exactly three screws. Then you can very easily pull the hard drive out and slide a new one in.
If it was an iBook or a Powerbook, than yes, you had to remove the entire bottom plate/case, and remove about 10 screws.
Are all PC laptops built the same as one another? Do they all have the same internal configuration and case construction and 'ease and convenience' of replacing the hard drive?
If it was truly a Macbook, all you had to do was remove the battery, then remove the shield that covers the memory and hard drive - which has exactly three screws. Then you can very easily pull the hard drive out and slide a new one in.
If it was an iBook or a Powerbook, than yes, you had to remove the entire bottom plate/case, and remove about 10 screws.
Are all PC laptops built the same as one another? Do they all have the same internal configuration and case construction and 'ease and convenience' of replacing the hard drive?
It was much more complicated than that. I downloaded a service guide on it.
All PC laptops are not exactly the same 95% of them can have their hard drive or RAM changed out in about 1-2 minutes, including finding a screwdriver, without removing anything else to get to it.
I don't find swapping these things any more difficult on a Mac than most PCs. Imo access to the parts is well thought out - on both types of computers, a couple screws and you're done. What Mac exactly did you have such problems with?
I am a long time Mac user.
A few years ago I had to buy a Dell laptop with Widows XP to run a work software program. I had a lot of small problems getting used to Windows, learning the OS.
In the 5 or 6 years I have used the Dell, I have had countless tech support calls to Dell, and several lock ups, freeze ups, and even some virus problems. IN short I have had lots of issues with Windows and Dell.
In the 20 plus years I have used Macs, I have NEVER had a virus, or a lock up/freeze up issue.
Not to say I have not had to call Apple tech support several times over the years. They have always been cheerful and taken care of my issue promptly.
The HUGE difference between Dell/Windows and Apple IS the tech support. Many times I wished that I could reach thru the phone and grab the little idiot at Dell tech support by the neck and choke the life out of him, or find one that could understand English, or I could understand him.
From my experience (both as an end-user and as a tech), Mac's are easier to use, but harder to troubleshoot (e.g.. Stupid Mac icons at startup that don't tell you s#!T about the error )
From my experience (both as an end-user and as a tech), Mac's are easier to use, but harder to troubleshoot (e.g.. Stupid Mac icons at startup that don't tell you s#!T about the error )
That's because in Apple's mind, you shouldn't have to troubleshoot anything. A flawed presumption, to be sure. Through trial and error I did manage to figure out that for the most part, an application crash is due to it loading something it's not really supposed to.
For example, I downloaded the Default Apps application so I could override Snow Leopard's flawed handling of movie files and route everything but QuickTime and MP4, to VLC. Well, for some reason, that causes Firefox to crash when loading any embedded WMV file. Very annoying - because it means I have to download the file first to run it and running it with QuickTime/Perian isn't an option, because then it buffers the file EXTREMELY slowly. On a 3 MB file and using a 20 Mbps internet connection, there should be little-to-no buffering.
IMO Mac OS has two issues, one of which isn't Apple's fault, just the nature of technology. First, everyone is using media technologies that lean towards Windows; WMV, most notably. FLV as a credible media format is gaining traction; but then that nerfs the iPad completely. HTML5 could be a solid contender; but then that doesn't really work well in IE8 on Windows from my experience. Plus I can only imagine it being somewhat cost prohibitive to convert thousands of files over.
Second, I don't think they "get" USB technology and maybe it's Unix that has the limitation...but back before Windows 2000, yes, you had to "Safely Remove Hardware" on any USB device. But XP changed that. That Snow Leopard yells at you and in some cases corrupts data when you pull a flash drive is extremely annoying. Maybe it's just me, but this is one thing I wish they would do something about. It's caused me to shy away from using any flash drives at all and instead just mapping shares from Windows, which is obviously not what they want me to be doing.
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