What do you prefer ...IBM, Mac or Dell?

Right now I am using Windows XP on my Emachine but am too considering switching to a MAC. I am considering the Apple Macbook or the new Apple IMac computer. Preferably the laptop so I can take it wherever I go. I am tired of Windows and all the problems that come with it so I think a switch would be good.

I have a HP and eMachine, OF those I like the HP better..

I have an HP - I do prefer PCs to Macs

I have a Gateway and love it for somethings. I have a Mac and love it for photos, photoshop and several other things, I also have a few home made computers which are used for other things and for the kids. My HP laptop is great as well for many things.
If I could afford it though most of my PCs would be macs! I love the capabilities of a Mac and no blue screen of Death :)

Do your homework and research the different computers you are wanting to think about. Find out what is going to server your needs. What you plan on using the computer for and go from there,. Also figure out your price range and that will eliminate some :)

my Dell is five years old and I love it,,,

I will be getting a macbook soon, im over PC's, i have a new dell here with VISTA on it and i HATE IT, windows has gotton too freaky to work with anymore, major privacy issues.

There was a long discussion on this topic about a month or so ago. As usual, lots of ferrvent comments from both camps. I myself am a longtime Mac user and wouldn't change to Windows for anything, but I can understand someone who has learned Windows being reluctant to switch over to Macs, too. The new Macs offer you the best of both worlds: you can run Windows OS on them if you want to, switching back and forth between the two OSes as you need. PCs can't do that (legally); only Macs can.
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Jim Swan's "None-Too-Great Hits" now on iTunes. Featuring the title song from his novel, "Dawn in Honolulu"

I have an IMac. We have 3 other computer in our house that my husband built. They all run Linux.

I guess I should say that I was using one of the Linux computers but me and my husband traded. I am still getting used to this Imac.

I like my Dell computer. I am running on Windows XP. I may need an upgrade, but the computer itself has lasted well with relatively few problems for how much it has been used.

I've used Macs for fifteen years. I ran my office on PCs for a while and went back to Mac when they started using intel chips and I can run windows on the same machine.

i HAVE WINDOWS XP, DSL, BUT THE COMPUTER IS COMPAC.

My husband just got laid off from IBM, we have a lap top we bought from them. My younger son is a certified apple repair technician, we have many mac computers(non laptop and lap top) and we also have two acer lap top computers. I have no idea what he has running underneath his desk in his home office. I have no preference myself. My husband is the "guru". I liked all the ones I have used, IBM, Mac and Acer. In addition to what everyone else is saying I would also consider the cost of warranties and who is going to fix them. My son will fix the mac's but he lives several states away. Check out the prices on the internet also as well as your local stores. My husband bought a palm pilot on overstock.com with a two year warrantee, that was $20 cheaper than our local office depot for the palm pilot without the warantee. My only problem with Mac are that the power supplies are fragile and aren't cheap to replace. Repairs should be a consideration. Ask around if it will take a few days to get fixed vs a few weeks at your local shops I would opt for the one that can be fixed the quickest.

I have had a few computers I now have a HP compac, and I like it a lot, it is a little over a year old but the computer genius I live with has taken all but bare necessitites off of it, and it it a swift machine. He builds his own, runs servers and has linux and because everyone uses windows for gaming, uses that too. He has two hard drives on one he built with a dual processor, I don't know they don't cost a lot to build yourself, but the upgrading for him is constant. I don't know anything at all about a Mac although they were big when I first got my first computer about 12 years ago. I don't know what I would do without one, banking, shopping, everything, could live right in this room and have meals sent in via the internet. I don't know much about IBM but we have had an e machine which I believe is an IBM and my grandson has an IBM professional notebook he uses for school, so guess they are all good.

Hi, Dark. It sounds like you have the responsibility for 1,000 Windows and 300 Macs, all at the same time. Is that right? Wow! (And congratulations on answering all ten of those riddles, too! No wonder you're a troubleshooter!)

I'm wondering what you mean by the support point of view. Consumer Reports ranks Apple as the top in customer support. Is it so much different being a little guy or being a big guy? I would imagine that with 300 Macs in your shop, Apple would be more willing to talk to you than to talk to me, and I've never had any trouble getting them to talk to me. Hardly ever needed them, though.

Are your main troubles with the hardware or the software? I would understand if you say software, because it's so cutting edge and they have done major upgrades on the OS more than five times since Windows last did. There are bound to be problems, but surely the benefits must outweight the liabilities?

Hi, Daryl L, I always wonder when I hear "availability of programs" as the reason for not choosing Mac: what kind of program did you need that you couldn't find? It must be something really specialized for a particular niche.

I would say for myself that the main disadvantage with being a Mac user is that everybody else expects you to be Windows-compatible on everything. That's been a problem in the past, but these days I find myself having less and less difficulty exchanging files with Windows users.

I knew I didn't want to let myself get drawn into this discussion, but sure enough! Here I am! LOL Full disclosure -- I am in no way associated with Apple, but I sure would love to be a stockowner right about now.
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Jim Swan's "None-Too-Great Hits" now on iTunes. Featuring the title song from his novel, "Dawn in Honolulu"

(((Wonderful article Mary...very informational...from such inteligent Gather people...keep them coming!)))

I have used Macs all my life. I currently use a Mac desktop and a black Mac laptop. I like the laptop because it has Intel and I have the harddrive partitioned with 30 GB for Windows, so that I can do things in Windows when I absolutely have to.

Great points made.
I have more of an idea based on all your info. I have Windows XP right now, and I am wondering if the new Vista bugs are ironed out. I think I am veering towards a mac that is a wireless laptop with OS ability.
What would I do without gatherites? I hold you all in high regard. You're great!

I am a PC person and currently have what started out as an HP. I have upgraded and added a lot on my own.

I would never switch to an Apple. I was raised on PC's and understand them pretty well. Swithching for me would just be too much to learn for this old dog:)

I have always viewed Macs as the machines to have if you were an "Artsy" person. What I mean by that is smeone that does a lot of work with digital imaging or other graphic arts. I have found that for what I need, there are plenty of programs for windows that do the job.

The other thing is that in all of the fields that I have ever worked in, they use PC's. It just isn't practical for me to switch. I have always heard good things about them, though. They supposedly never crash or have any of the other problems that PC users complain of. I do my own upgrading and repairs, so this has never been a problem for me.

I've always been a Mac person. I tried learning DOS (I'm old) but it made absolutely no sense to me. I love my iMac (my second) and it's a breeze to use and maintain. I run my disk maintenance software monthly and have had no problems. My other half works in a Unix environment but also with Windows and she hates Windows.

If you are in the graphics, movie or advertising business, it's nearly 100% Mac. I have a friend who worked in a graphics house in San Francisco and they had only one PC and the rest were Macs. I can't print the words she said they used when someone sent them a PC file.

A friend of mine who is a systems engineer recently made the switch from PC to Mac at home. He went to upgrade his video editing software and it trashed his machine. It turns out the upgrade wasn't supported by XP. When I talked to him, he was furious. He went out and got an iMac and is thrilled with his machine. He is getting into doing video and wants to upgrade to a Mac Pro once he sells his house. He told me he will never, under any circumstances, get another Windows machine. Macs have been making slow but steady inroads into the business world. I read of a university that went to Macs to save money. They had both and realized that since you could run Windows apps with or without Windows OS, they didn't have to duplicate their systems.

To all the geeks and chipheads out there:

There are many of us who can't or don't want to learn all the intricasies of building and maintaining a computer. We just want the thing to work and be reliable. I have heard time and again that it is utterly inexcusable that at this late date, Windows is still unstable and has such reliability and virus issues. Yes, Macs need updating from time to time, but the beauty is that all you have to do is download the updates, they self install and all you have to do then is click Restart and it's done. No board upgrades, new drivers or any of that other nonsense. You don't need to buy a new computer just to upgrade your OS.

HP & Compaq!!! That is what I use / have.

But I guess Macs are probably still the choice for hi-quality publishing and artwork (graphics).

I love my Flower Power iMac -- even though I originally ordered the Sage DV Plus version (which was later recalled!). Even though it has its quirks (it likes to spike up the volume at start-up when connecting to the internet), it's been an awesome easy-to-use machine. And tough too -- today I accidentally dropped my Star Trek Space Shuttle clock radio on it, and it just bounced off the Kevlar plastic case! If you want simplicity, virus avoidance, and beautiful graphics -- it's hard to beat. Thanks for posting this!

I'm a Gateway owner.