alphaprior

With the above time for my iPad to go so I can do what I want not what Apple want me to do ???? 

Quoting alphaprior,

reply 23

heh! I know about Mac Pro sure it would be great to have one but it's way more expensive
as you said, sleek, powerful, upgrade potential but..
I'm not rich... and I don't need it anyway

sure it would be cool to have a long desk with a High End PC, a Mac pro, a Macbook Pro etc etc...  

I'm not rich, either, but if I really want something badly enough, then I set my mind to it and save like crazy until I can afford it..... I will NOT get things on credit.

I have built two high end PCs over the last couple of years by eliminating whatever costs and unnecessary spending I could, by saving as much as I could and looking out for bargains and specials on the items I needed.  Of course it helps when you don't run a car, smoke, eat out or blow money gambling or other such stupid things,  I look after my shoes and clothing, so I haven't had to buy any in years... and I eat cheaply but well  Put bluntly, I save hundreds upon hundreds per year by being a tight ass, and with those savings I get things I want.

So yeah, you could have a Mac Pro if you set a goal and put your mind to it.

Being that pennies have been mentioned as a potential hurdle - not being available in abundance, that is - I made a tentative enquiry yesterday about a Mac Mini and its costs, etc... you know, as a more economical way to switch over to OS=X.  The low-end one with 1.4ghz and 4 gigs of RAM was $620 AUD, which didn't seem too bad for a functioning PC, but then I was flabbergasted with what the salesman said next.

Firstly he asked what keyboard and mouse I had, plus optical drive.  When I said my keyboard and mouse were a Logitech wireless combo and my portable opticl drive was Samsung, he then told me that those wouldn't work with the Mac Mini, that I'd have to purchase the Apple ones at $120 AUD a piece... like WTF!!!!!! 

I thought the idea was to make the Mac/OS-X more accessible to the masses, but if you can't use your existing peripherals then it pretty much defeats the purpose, especially at those prices.  I mean, who's going to buy a standard, nothing special keyboard and mouse @ $240 AUD?  Not I, that's for sure.

Now I'm not too sure of this because I haven't researched it as yet, but I understood that the Mac Mini was designed to allow usage of your existing peripherals, be they wired, wireless or Bluetooth, though not according to this saleman.  Now I don't kmow whether he was telling the truth or just trying to sell me another 360 bucks worth of Apple products.  I intend to find out when I've woken up properly, but if true, then Apple and JB Hi-Fi lost a 'potential' sale yesterday.... had I been in there to buy.a Mac Mini.  For the $980 to purchase the necessary parts to be functional/up and running, I could build a much more powerful Windows machine and use it with existing hardware.

Anyway, I will research the peripherals thing and get back, but I thought it was interesting, being the discussion is about Apple/Mac products.

Sounds like bollocks - I can attach USB keyboards and mice, bluetooth and "wireless through USB dongle"  to my macbook - I always use external mice on laptops and I much prefer a proper mouse (two proper buttons) than the stupid Mac ones.

mac-mini is useful if you want to do some development for macs but don't want to shell out megabucks, just beware that new versions of xcode usually require new OS and new OS will sometimes require new hardware - thanks apple

Have to jump in. I use a mac book air for my job so it is not really mine. If I had to buy my own laptop that's what I would buy. Running Yosemite. IT IS FANTASTIC. It boots up in seconds. It has what they call flash storage. It is incredibly light. I can run it on the battery all day. This is in a newspaper production environment. Using classified pagination. Indesign, photoshop. It kicks ass. Almost everything you can think of to do with it is easy. I have to admit that I love it. I have always favored PC's and because you can customize a PC better I still prefer my cheap win7 PC but I gotta admit the mac book air is a better computer. That's pretty much right out of the box.

"Almost everything you can think of to do with it is easy."  

Oh really? Just like that huh? Well let me post a little link down below to show you a compare in specs. 
It may be ok to write and do some strokes in Photoshop with it, but other than that it does not even remotely get close to a laptop/notebook that are not branded Apple.
Blowing some hot Macbook Air – it’s only hot Air.
If you had any good words for the brand back in 2000 I would have nodded my head and said yeah you are right in some points, even if you did in 2009. With some tolerance I would´ve believed, that the guy doing it still had faith in the company, while meanwhile it is just stupid.
Mainly because the whole brand became a rip-off...
Not saying that “whatever has fallen far from the apple tree into the market is better” if you take a look at the production fees, but in general apple just overshoots its competitors by miles. 

Link

Now why do i write such mean things about apple, i had them at my old job aswell and i used it yes i did work with the crap.
We also still have them at university, i see people run around with Istuff all the time.

I say let them buy it, let them feel "cool and hip", let them have those short seconds of attention.
It has a benefit for us who love/reject apple products, it becomes easier for us to spot some raro stultus populus  from 20-10 meter range.

Okay, so the smile on my face and the twinkle in my eye is still there... but not for the same reason.  Yeah, I went back to the store and did something I swore I'd never, ever do  Yup, I'm a back-pedalling hypo-critter and I purchased an Apple product... a 1.4ghz, 4Gb RAM model of the Mac Mini with the Yosemite OS preloaded.

I settled for the low-end model because it better suited my finances and will most likely suit my needs,  If I want/need to do any resource intensive work I always have my big beasty, though the Mac Mini hasn't buckled thus far with a few video conversions, etc.

I'm still finding my way around, but my first impressions....

Firstly, it is somewhat bland after Windows and being spoilt with Stardock apps to dress things up. Having the 'taskbar' at the top of the screen is different... and NO start menu, either.  Yeah, that takes a bit to get accustomed to, but after a while it's not so bad.  The dock at the bottom is not a lot different to having ObjectDock or Winstep's Workshelf, other than it comes default with the OS and is preloaded with shortcuts to the most used/most popular apps.  Overall, the UI is okay.  Not spectacular but still quite usable just the same.

One thing that did surprise me is the amount of included programs/apps... inclusions the EU would have fined Microsoft quite heavily for.  In essense, I can pretty much do all I want/need right out of the box, what with all the built-in media tools, emil client and other internet tools..  What wasn't included was found in the Apple Store and downloaded easily, though I found a few handy items at majorgeeks in their Mac section.  Now while many programs and apps are pay for, there is a number of freeware alternatives available for the budget conscious.

While my Mac experience has been positive for the large part, there has been a couple of [thus far] unresolved issues that have been negatives.  The first is that I cannot connect to the internet via wi-fi, whereas I can with all my Windows machines from the same location.  It may be that the signal is weak because the internet here isn't being received at full speed, and the Windows network adapters are more efficient, but I cannot set the default network and lock it in. 

The other snag was that I had issues connecting the Mac to my LG monitor via HDMI while my main PC was connected via DVI.  For some reason the monitor wasn't recognising the Mac until I removed the DVI connection.  After that the Mac came up first time every time via HDMI.  Anyway, I bought a DVI-HDMI adapter today that should remedy that situation... with the Mac then going to DVI and the Windows machine going directly to HDMI, which poses no problem.

Overall?  I don't mind it, but there's no way I'm switching from Windows to go OS-X exclusively.  It'd be a cold day in Hell before that happened.

Quoting Chasbo,

reply 41

Very well said starkers.

The damn thing works right from the git go.

In my perfect world I would like to have both PC and Mac. 

Well I now have both Mac and PC, though I'm currently spending more time on my Windows machine.  However, that would be due to familiarity and being accustomed to where everything is and how it works.  Having said that, I am enjoying using the Mac and I'm sure my usage will increase as I become more familiar and competent with it.

A little later today [when I'm more awake and alert... over the morning vertigo] I will look at installing Windows 10 on the Mac Mini using Boot Camp, which also comes pre-loaded. for convenience.  There is a program called Crossover which installs Windows and allows it to be launched from the dock without rebooting, which I may look into if my experience with Boot Camp isn't overly pleasing... though at 60 bucks it may have to wait some time before my budget allowed its purchase.  A trial version is available for download, however, so that's an option to test its suitability.

Another thing that impresses me about the Mac Mini is its design and manufactured quailty, the case being carved from a single block of aluminium... the fact it's so compact and takes up such little room on my desk.  I've seen compact PCs from ASUS and others, but their quality and design didn't impress me that much... not counting the fact I didn't need another Windows machine anyhow.

Oh shit!!!!!  I'm beginning to sound like a Mac/Apple fanboi.  

Yeah, just wait a bit and I'll be back..  Gotta go rinse my mouth out and scrub my typing finger.

The Mac Mini was my first desktop Mac, and this was when they were a lot bigger in size. Regardless, it was still small and a great machine.

Well I'm back... but only after I washed my mouth out with soap and water and scrubbed my typing finger. 

Hopefully that's enough to stop me turning into a fanboi.

However, it won't stop me being pleased with my Mac purchase.

While it will never replace my Windows machines, the Mac Mini will be an intergal part of my computing life from here on.... because, I will admit, I do like using OS-X and find it easier to use than I first thought.  I'm still finding my way around, but it is an enjoyable experience, rather than a frustrating one.  I do, however, have my years of using Windows to thank for that.  Had I gone into OS-X without that computer experience I expect that I'd be frustrated and cussing every time something didn't work the way I thought it should.

Quoting Daiwa,

reply 43

The Rubicon has truly been crossed, starkers.

Hehe, yeah... and the rowboat sprung a leak so there's no crossing back.   Thing is, it does not change my opinion of Apple.  I still think they're slimy and greedy, not to mention being tax cheats and corporate thugs.  However, my purchase wasn't to support Apple.  Rather it was to expand my own experience and learn new things.

Yes, it is a great way to experience the Mac OS without having to spend a fortune.  And the compact size, well that is fantastic. A whole computer in a tiny case that sit unobtrusively and out of the way on my desk, yet is still cleary visible and easy to access if I need to add a new USB cable, etc.

That is the big drawback with all-in-ones... one part goes bust and isn't repairable, you have to replace them all.  That's why I've never been fond of all-in-one units of anything.  Whenever I buy hi-fi/stereo equipment, I always prefer the separate components rather than those units with everything combined.... it's the same with TVs.  I'd not consider a TV with a DVD/Bluray player built in... more can go wrong with it... and if one goes bung I'm without both.

Anyway, back to the Macs!  I see that you're building another Windows machine and plan to stick with Win 7, and there's nothing wrong with that, but you could still experience OS-X in the same way as I have, with a Mac Mini.  The 1.4ghz model wouldn't set you back that much and you could satisfy your desire to be running a Mac a lot sooner than having to save up thousands for an iMac that, as you said, is all-in-one and possibly a liability if the screen died, etc. Believe me, the Mac Mini is quite a capable machine... you just connect your own monitor and peripherals, thus saving a fortune on a complete setup.

Anyway, I felt myself getting a bit carried away there, so I'm off to wash my mouth out again.

Hehe, so I buckled under curiosity and bought a Mac.  Big Deal! So What!  Leave me alone, get off my back, ride somebody else's boo-boo to the papier mache factory.

Besides, it's not like I spent bucketloads to help fill Apple's coffers.  I went about it in the cheapest way I could, and even then Apple was the farthest thing from my mind.  After seeing a demonstration and being given a test run, being impressed with what I'd done, only my wants, need and desires were considered during the sale/transaction.  Had supporting Apple entered my mind during the process I'd have walked out empty handed.

At the end of the day, I'm happy with my decision and purchase, and I'm enjoying the experience of both sides of the fence.  And just as importantly, Apple will not see another cent of my money... my 1st Mac purchase is my last.  And just cos it'll sync with iPhone, iPad, etc... it ain't happening. I got my Windows phone and tablet, and that's it, no more portable devices required.

So, in conclusion, Apple is still rotten to the core, and to show its true nature, the logo should have a half eaten worm coming out of where the 'bite' is.

I don't care !  I sorta tolerate MS, whereas I can't stand Apple... in my opinion/experience, Apple is the Evil Empire, corporation-wise.  But I didn't purchase a Mac Mini to suck up to Apple, it was 100% for me and my wants/needs. 

And so we're clear, I don't like or trust Microsoft anymore than I like Apple because I happen to like Windows 8/8.1.    I only hate some corporations more than I hate others.  I neither like or trust any of them.. none have ever earned my trust OR respect.... with one exception... Stardock, which hasn't gotten too big for its boots and forgotten about its customers.  If/when that happens, I'll add it to my list of fech off companies... but in the meantime it's all good.