←
 →

Why I didn't get a Mac

Posted on 2007-03-12

I just got a new machine, and seriously considering getting a Mac Mini. This is a brief summary of why I didn't.

The disadvantages of the Mac:

  • Cost - GHz vs GHz, byte vs byte, you just get a lot more bang for your buck. I know that there is design beyond GHz and bytes, but it has to be competitive.
  • OS X Leopard - it is coming, but it isn't here yet and it won't be a free upgrade. I suppose it is good that the new version has some worthwhile & exciting features, unlike with Vista...
  • Java - Apple always has lagged behind Linux & MSWindows in releasing new/updated Java versions. If there was something great about Apple Java, it might be worth it, but there isn't.
  • Internet focus - I'm pretty much sold on the idea of doing/having everything online. Google Apps has the features I need for word processing and spreadsheets. I'm using GMail for email. So instead of comparing the OS's, for me it makes more sense to compare browsers. And Firefox is simply better than Safari IMHO. I know I can use Firefox on the Mac, but then why not just use Linux?
  • Maximum RAM - I want 2 Gig with the option for more.
  • Licensing costs - one of the reasons I've been getting involved in Linux is because of I'm tired of paying the "Microsoft Tax" whenever I want to add a new machine (or upgrade an existing one). Just swapping in a new "Apple Tax" doesn't make much sense.
  • Licensing hassle - the other big hassle with Microsoft is their whole license enforcement system. I've been using a Microsoft OS essentially forever, and literally the only times I've had to call them for help has been for problems with licensing. Just too much of a pain for something that doesn't do me any good.
  • Virtualizability (is that a word?) - at some point in the not-to-distant future, I will get yet another new machine. I want to be able to virtualize my existing machine and just take everything with me. I used to do this with hard drives (i.e. a new drive 2+ times larger than the old one, and make a "previous" directory with a copy of the old drive in it: it got to be 3 or 4 levels deep at one point), but that only works for data. Current licensing forbids virtualization of OS X.

Tags: hardware mac Apple