When a veteran Windows user first tries a Mac®, he might feel a moment of unease, but what follows can only be described as relief and amazement. Here are 10 reasons why:
1. Better Out of the Box
You won’t need to fritter away an afternoon getting your new Mac up and running. Apple® takes extraordinary care to make sure its computers are easy to set up. Windows machines, on the other hand, come bloated with trialware and demor software that you neither need nor fully understand.
2. Super Secure
Based on the rock-solid UNIX operating system, Mac OS® is built on a famously secure foundation. Mac computers are immune to Windows viruses and spyware. The easy-to-configure Mac firewall, combined with robust Internet apps like Mail and Safari®, keep network threats at bay. Apple’s built-in FileVault® encrypts your home directory, so if someone steals your computer, they won’t get access to your files.
3. Plays Well with Windows
Actually, your Mac is a PC. Apple makes sure you can run Windows software on a Mac by building its Boot Camp® utility right into the operating system. And that’s not the only solution. Try third-party utilities such as Parallels Desktop for Mac or VMware Fusion. Of course, in addition to all your favorite PC apps, you still have avvess to the multitude of brilliant Mac-only program.
4. Great Apps
Mac computers come loaded with smart apps you will actually use like iCal®, Time Machine®, iPhoto®, iTunes® and GarageBand®. Few would argue that Windows Media Player and Windows Movie Maker are as intuitive as their Apple counterparts. And that’s not to mention a passel of the most productive third-party programs including: Microsoft Office: Mac 2011, Filemaker Pro, Intuit Quickbooks, and more.
5. Network Friendly
Macs are delightfully easy to network. They are particularly good at finding and configuring networks, whether wired or wireless, automatically—but if you need some help, head to the handy Network System Preferences page to run simple diagnostic walkthroughs. Networking Windows machines rarely goes so smoothly.
6. Seamless Integration
In computing, as in life, simpler is better. Since Apple develops the hardward and software built into the Mac, they work together seamlessly and hassle-free. PC software has to run on different flavors of Windows operating systems and scores of different machines plugged into hundreds of devices. Invariably, complications arise.
7. Faster Boots and Reboots
Most Macs start up from a cold boot in 30 or 40 seconds. With Windows PCs, reboots leave you staring at an hourglass icon that seems to be frozen in time. Or actually is frozen in time, necessitating yet another reboot. With the stability of a Mac, fewer crashes means fewer reboots, a luxury that gives you more time to work rather than wait.
8. Better Looking
Apple’s flair for design is legendary; the way their products look and feel, even down to the packaging, makes hearts race. How many Windows machines invoke such admiration? But beauty isn’t just skin deep. The Mac’s clean, modern design extends to its user interface, placement of ports and peripherals, and hardware under the hood.
9. An Operating System that Works
Not everything Apple does is perfect but the company hasn’t blown a major system upgrade the way Microsoft mishandled Windows Vista. Released in late 2006, Vista was criticized for its security, performance, price and digital rights management. Microsoft defended Vista until the recently released Windows 7. No Mac system upgrade has ever faced the same level of controversy.
10. Better Customer Support
If something goes wrong with your Windows PC, you’ll find yourself ping-ponging between Microsoft and whoever made your hardware. Apple’s AppleCare® team, by contrast, offers expert-level phone support that won’t pass the buck, or you can drop by an Apple Store or reseller for hands-on help.
Above all, Apple has been consistently at the top of Consumer Reports’ tech-support survey for a decade. This year, Apple earned not only the highest overall ranking, but also the top scores in laptop and desktop tech support.
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