Mac v. Windows – Contemplating the old Switch-a-roo?
It seems as time rolls on, the folks up in Cupertino (that’s “Apple” for the non-techies out there) continue trying to make computers less of “work machines” and more like “life machines” – works of art that become the hubs of your digital lives (and occasionally allow you to type up a document or do “business” stuff). While I hardly concede that one should purchase a computer on looks alone, it is hard to deny the insane amount of positive reviews the Mac hardware seems to amass. While I agree that the subject of this blog is predominantly “Windows-based,” I do like to remain open minded and throw out an occasional post about interesting things in the Mac and Linux world.
One of the things that generally held me back from making a switch to Mac was application compatibility. In my mind, many of the programs I ran on Windows never seemed to have worthwhile Mac counterparts. Many times, a software company either didn’t write a Mac-compatible version at all, or wrote a version that included basic functionality (and wasn’t a feature-to-feature equivalent). I’ll admit that has started changing (case in point – MS Office:Mac, and Quicken Essentials for Mac) due to the greater overall adoption of Mac hardware platform (yay for Intel processors!) and positive acceptance of OS X. One of the things I’ve been reading up on is the idea of virtualization within OS X. While Windows OS’s have had this for years with programs such as VMWare and Virtual PC (and we can’t forget Linux with the “Wine” project), it seems that virtualization is something new on the block with OS X. What is “Virtualization” you ask? Basically, it’s running an Operating System (such as Windows) within another Operating System (Such as OS X). Think of it as “Picture-in-Picture” for your computer.
Sidenote: Macs have supported “Dual-Boot” (by way of Boot Camp) since Intel processors joined the Mac hardware. However, I personally think it would be annoying to reboot back and forth between OS’s when trying to accomplish different tasks.
If you’re like me and are worried about application compatibility on a Mac, then the following few links (noted from the Twitter-verse) may give you some new food for thought. As you will see below, not only does the Mac have a number of merits on its own, but if you combine it with Virtualization (the ability to run the Windows-based everything else as though it’s a program within your Mac), you may just have everything you need.
- 10 Things I Love About My Macbook Pro – Mike Afford
- Virtualization Performance Testing – Macworld
- Windows on a Mac – Infoworld
- Side-by-Side Windows and Mac OS with Parallels – LifeHacker
As I said, this is just a little food for thought I wanted to share for any of you who may be contemplating the switch to a Mac. As always, I welcome commentary on your own experiences switching to Mac and/or using some type of Virtualization software (Parallels, VMWare, etc) on a Mac. If you have questions, feel free to Contact Me directly!
Like this posting? You will definitely enjoy getting my free technology tips and tricks sent straight to you as I write them! No spam, and I will never give your email address to any other company!
Apple iPad Announced! Pricing starts at $499!
All,
If you haven’t been following coverage on Apple’s media announcement today, they’re releasing the “iPad” starting at $499! It runs all the apps in the app store, plus does some fancy other stuff for e-reader functionality and your usual web/email/music/video stuff. Looks pretty neat. Engadget has a live feed going right now on their website.
Available with 16GB up to 64GB of storage. On-screen virtual QWERTY keyboard, built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 3G coverage from AT&T (at $15 or $30 price tiers). Looks awesome!
I’m sure there will be more to come regarding this one!
Rob
