I am considering switching to an Imac. Apple has a word for that (a "switcher"). Any of you have any thoughts regarding macs, more specifically switching from a PC to a Mac? (I used to be a Mac fan and consumer, long long ago). Aside from email, I use the PC to make slideshows of still photographs, as well as stitching together video clips. I use Ulead for the former, and Pinnacle for the latter on the PC.

Can the Mac read all of the files I've got stored on external hard drives? (.jpg and .avi)

welcome to the good side of life

there's a lot of good info in this thread: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...29-mac-pc.html

as to your questions "can the Mac read all of the files I've got stored on external hard drives? (.jpg and .avi), yes.

just about any graphics file can be read by the mac's own program called "preview" but if for some reason preview doesn't want to open the file, there is a terrific shareware program called "graphicconverter" (not expensive and well worth paying for) which can open any type of graphics file and save it to just about any graphics format you like

as to avi files, quicktime (apple's video player) can open them tho you might need to download "flip4mac" (can't remember the registration fee but iirc, it's not much) which allows quicktime op open avi's

Why are you considering switching? Macs will read jpgs and avis (as well as all other video and graphics standards).

One piece of advice I can give a new switcher is to make yourself stick with it. At first, a lot of stuff is different and it can be frustrating. I bought a Mac Mini and promised myself I'd stick with it for 30 days before considering going back. Three weeks later I got an iMac.

all macs come with the ilife suite which includes iphoto and imovie.

absolutely. macs can read and write standard formats such as jpeg. in fact, the included textedit application can read and write microsoft word documents. macs can also read pc formatted drives directly, just plug it in (usb or firewire).

the mac will also file share in either direction with your old pc and there's also a third party tool that can import your pc's settings such as network configuration, email configuration, etc. as well as copy your personal documents. if you buy the mac at an apple store they'll even do that for you.

note, however, that avi files, like mov files, aren't a specific format, but rather a container that can hold a variety of compression formats. normally avi and mov files use standard compression formats (e.g., mpeg, h.264), but sometimes a third party codec must be installed.

flip4mac mentioned in another post is free and will provide for playing windows media files (wmv) in virtually any application that supports quicktime (which is more than just a player). there is also a divx plugin that lets you play divx movies. with both installed, there's very little that won't play properly.

You said in your original post you wanted to get an iMac, is there any reason for that choice in particular?

I mean why an iMac as opposed to a Power ("Pro"), Mini, or Laptop?

Cause they're SeXy! I can't speak for the OP but the Pros are wayyy too expensive IMO.

That's pretty much it.

I like the fact it's an all in one unit, they are SO cool. Plus, the big screen just can't be matched by a laptop. I started my computer life way back in the early 90's with a used mac 128K, floppies only. Was hooked then; but as they got more expensive (Quadra was my last), and Windows became more mac-like and a lot cheaper, I went that route. Using windows vs. mac is like driving an Escort vs. a Mercedes. They both do essentially the same thing, but the experience is SOOOOO much better on the latter.

Well. There are a set of applications that are not available on MacOS (in my experience, mostly scientific/engineering applications, but colleagues in medical fields have told me the same thing). Yes, you can run those apps in a virtual machine, but if they're critical to your work, that's not a very appealing solution.

Otherwise, though, MacOS is simply another computing platform. I'm a heavy user of MacOS, Windows, and Linux/UNIX, and am not particularly persuaded by arguments that any platform is definitively "the best." It's certainly an attractive machine and UI, with well thought-out aspects. But it has its issues as well.

For many users, the experience on MacOS is much better than it is on Windows. For others, the reverse is true. I switch back and forth between my machines regularly, and fall on the fence. It all depends on how and where you push the computer's interface.

It's probably true that Windows requires significantly more care to keep it as usable as it can be (the "bit-rot" effect). A non-carefully-tended Windows machine, after running for a year or so, gets pretty crufty; with similar care, a MacOS machine is still pretty snappy. That's probably worth the price of admission to many users.

I switched my home computer to a Mac Laptop about a year ago. I love using the mac instead of windows for most of my everyday work. I have a couple of programs that aren't mac compatable (Quicken, TurboTax, some excel files with macros) and I use vmware fusion to run a windows virtual machine. this is also way cool in that it runs windows better than my 4 year old dell laptop and ported over my whole old windows laptop without having to reinstall the operating system or applications.

all in all a great experience.

I use a Mac for most of my work. It's not a religious thing, any OS is after all just a means for getting something done, but the whole system works better as a unit for me. As one highly-paid industry analyst, whose geek cred is beyond question, said to me a while back: "My time is too valuable to waste screwing around with Windows." This is true, at least for me, even when the value of more time isn't measured by dollar billing rates.

I have a couple of apps, mostly Access, that require Windows. I use Parallels Desktop for those. In Cohesion mode, it's nearly transparent: when I get an Access .mdb or .accdb file, I double-click on it just as if it was a Mac app file, and Access opens in a Windows window on the Mac desktop. Much of what I do with Access involves going back and forth between the database, FireFox (on the Mac side) and TextEdit (also a Mac app); it's seamless. I can't avoid seeing Windows completely, since once in a while something needs tweaking there, but it's minimal.

I honestly can't figure out why anyone would NOT buy a Mac. First, it works. Second, I use VMWare Fusion and have Windows running -- in full screen mode, you'd never know you were on a Mac -- works just like Windows (for better or worse).

I'd say go for it -- you'll surely be happy and will never regret the decision.

Mordy

there are also applications that are only available on a mac, such as final cut pro and aperture. in fact, some people buy macs just to run final cut. it all depends what one needs to do.

many scientific and engineering apps are unix based which will run natively on a mac. windows-only apps tend to be specialized apps, such as medical apps or apps that interface with custom hardware. mainstream applications (e.g., microsoft office, adobe creative suite, firefox) run on either platform.

and running an app in vmware is not a big deal. unless the app is heavy on 3d graphics, it will run at native speeds (the overhead is negligible) and it can share data with mac apps. for graphic intensive apps (e.g., games), one can dual boot into windows.

Something that you might want to consider is that many PC vendors are refreshing their hardware lineup and have some very cool machines in the pipeline, designed for Windows 7. Dell has a laptop that's actually thinner than the Macbook Air, but physically larger (larger keyboard and screen). Sony has a thin netbook-like PC that's so thin it will actually fit inside of a Macbook Air.

And there will be a wide selection of all-in-one PC's, like the iMac, designed for Windows 7, that have multitouch support which supports some really cool apps. I have an HP TX2 tablet, which supports multitouch, running Windows 7 with a multitouch version of Microsoft Virtual Earth that allows you to use gestures to flick the map around, zoom in/out, etc. Once other ISV's start jumping on the multitouch bandwagon I think we'll see some really cool innovation in this arena.

Honestly? I'll give you one - cost.