Part Two of this debate takes place today, once again derived from the wonderful conversations in the forum at Better Networker.
A gentleman by the name of Gary asked about software and the lack of titles available on a Mac.
This was my response….
The application issue, used to be an issue.
But not anymore.
First of all, there are hundreds, if not thousands of native software titles available for Macs now.
And that includes major name brand titles, such as Microsoft Office, Quick Books, etc.
But the cool thing is you can run Windows on your Mac. The OS has a dual boot feature called bootcamp, which allows you to install a full version of Windows on the Mac and choose it as your primary OS anytime you boot the computer. Your cost is the price of Windows. That’s option #1.
Option #2 is to purchase one of the popular Windows emulation software packages that are available. These do the same, but allow you to boot Windows and the Mac OS simultaneously. They cost about $80 + the cost of Windows.
Option #3, my personal favorite, is VirtualBox from Sun Microsystems, an open source alternative to the other emulators mentioned in option #2. Mind you, this option is just slightly more technical, ie. you may need to browse the manual once or twice to make some fine tuned adjustments for your particular needs. But it rocks, and actually makes Windows, dare I say….. almost….. enjoyable to use. Ahhhh I can’t believe I said it. Really though, all seriousness aside, Windows actually runs 1000x better on my Mac.
So you might be asking if Mac is so great, why do I still run Windows?
That’s easy…. mostly, for testing. Although me and many of my friends are Apple users, there are obviously a lot of people who still own Windows machines. So I have to test for browser compatibility when I build a new website. There are also a bunch of little “mom & pop” or “boutique” software titles that I use for marketing that do not have a Mac version available yet. But we’re talking obscure ninja marketing stuff.
I kinda got suckered into buying Microsoft Office as a package deal with my iMac, because I had becomed so dependent on Outlook Pro. But I have since realized that even the mighty MS Office Pro package can easily be replaced with FREE open source software, such as OpenOffice.org and Mozilla Thunderbird with the Lightning extension installed, or With a $79 purchase of Apple’s office suite called iWork, which puts MS Office to shame at a 1/3 of the cost.
Again, everyone quivers at the initial cost of Macs, and it is true you are paying more upfront, but pound for pound you are buying FAR SUPERIOR hardware and technology, and in the long run (ie. 1-2 years max) an Apple will save you money. Not to mention it’ll save your hair – if you have any left from using Windows for so long.
~Richard
+ Richard Bravo