Going from PC to Mac...Should I do this?

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Agreed, high end Windows machines are usually nice. My Mac's have been flawless. My Vaio (circa 2004) has been rebuilt a time or two .. and is ready to jump in line to take over performing duties if the need arises. There are also a few Toshiba Satellites in the family, also ready if they are ever drafted.
 
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Also of note, Apple has gone as far as blocking some Java and Flash in an effort to protect their users. Have you seen MS take this step?

From a security standpoint, the best advice is in there. Don't use networks you don't know and don't trust. That would eliminate a good 40% of problems. Visiting bad websites would be another 40%.
 
Yes and no Flash is now in a sandbox if you use internet explorer and it's your choice to install and use either of these products. Hey people can hack street signs, atm machines and even the controller inside your usb thumb drive so nothing is as secure as you think.
 
Yep, I know. Being prepared is what it's about. Allegedly, the 'national security specialists' have a way of embedding their code into hard drive firmware. If that's accurate, nothing you have is secured.
 
Like anything else both Windows and Mac OS X has their positives and negatives. I bought a used Mac Mini a few years back and despite being locked out of the latest OS updates it runs great for my mother as her game machine. I hop on it from time to time to check my email. It's a good machine for being 6-7 years old.

I could make a bullet list of what I like about each system but that would turn this into a very long post. :D I'll stick to one positive and negative about each.

The thing I like most about Mac is the sudo system. It means even if you're signed into an administrator account you have to enter an admin password to make any system wide changes. It's a good reminder that you're about to do something that could potentially boink your computer. Ubuntu has the same system.

The thing I like most about Windows is it's ubiquity. Put most anyone in front of a Windows machine and they likely know how to get around.

The thing I like least about Mac is the Apple tax. I mean it's the same damn hardware you find in any old PC why is the price so dramatically different.

The thing I like least about Windows is the bloatware that OEMs put on and the fact that MS doesn't do anything to stop it. They could modify their licensing agreement and give the end customer a much better experience out of the box.

Just my :twocents:
 
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Good post Danno - and I agree with a caveat. Apple didn't 'share' PC hardware until the 07 time frame. That said, I do believe the hardware is not the 'same'. At one time not long ago (and maybe still), the Macbook Pro was the BEST Windows Machine. If they're all the same hardware, how could that be possible?
 
Good post Danno - and I agree with a caveat. Apple didn't 'share' PC hardware until the 07 time frame. That said, I do believe the hardware is not the 'same'. At one time not long ago (and maybe still), the Macbook Pro was the BEST Windows Machine. If they're all the same hardware, how could that be possible?
Agreed. I was hoping the move off the Power PC architecture would see hardware prices come down. Isn't Apple buying up the same chips and hardware that every other manufacturer is? With the exception of the motherboard (aka Logic Board) the pieces are the same. Most OEMs have customized mobos in their laptops anyhow - just like Apple.

I do think the Mac Book Pro is a great looking machine and overall the build quality is there. I just don't see the value for the significant price increase over a comparable Windows based laptop. To be fair, if I had more disposable income it probably wouldn't irk me as much.
 
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Apple is integrating more and more onto their (custom) motherboards. Memory and hard drives in some cases aren't replaceable at all. While it seems like a bad thing, it appears it's the new Mac way, so you'll have to just look past that.

The fact that they are in absolute control over their hardware, though, means they can do a LOT more with the operating system and ensure that everything works. The battery and performance improvements in the last few OS X updates have been quite amazing, and they targeted the specific hardware characteristics.

iOS is the same way with phones and tablets. Google doesn't just release an update that gets pushed to Android devices (at least the vast, vast majority of them) -- the update has to work its' from Google way through the OEM and carrier and in most cases doesn't even happen.

Apple can release an update that addresses certain issues or upgrades or whatever it may be and it will support all of their hardware (at least within the window of non-obsolete hardware) directly and it will just work, and it's entirely because they have absolute god-like control of their hardware.

The Windows world has hundreds of different makes and models, brands, etc., all with their own characteristics -- from a top of the line gaming rig, to a high-end desktop workstation, to a $189 eMachine. There is -zero- control of hardware, and a ton of room for software problems, including performance and compatibility issues, because of it.

To that end, I completely agree that Microsoft should step up and address the OEM bloatware that is so prevalent even still today, worse than ever, in 2015. While I understand that it's yet another lane for the OEMs to make money by shoving trialware down everyones throat, it's pathetic. And that's yet another thing that Apple is on top of -- you don't have your Best Buys, or Verizons, or anyone messing with your devices before you open it. It's pristine.

*sigh*... I'm not a fanboy for either. I promise. I'm just getting extremely fed up with how Microsoft is both handling these things and the direction Windows has been headed.
 
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I was really hoping Ubuntu or Linux Mint had really become more popular. I've used them on desktops and the stuff runs great. Unfortunately for us, there is very little native Linux DJ software, MIXXX being #1. So I gig with Windows laptops.

IMHO, while free, the Open Source concept is now hurting Linux. Too many iterations, too much "Kingdom Building" (when something doesn't work, it is somebody else's problem), and the programmer's still do not understand that Joe Consumer wants nothing to do with Command Lines. It is doomed to being a niche product.
 
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I was really hoping Ubuntu or Linux Mint had really become more popular. I've used them on desktops and the stuff runs great. Unfortunately for us, there is very little native Linux DJ software, MIXXX being #1. So I gig with Windows laptops.

IMHO, while free, the Open Source concept is now hurting Linux. Too many iterations, too much "Kingdom Building" (when something doesn't work, it is somebody else's problem), and the programmer's still do not understand that Joe Consumer wants nothing to do with Command Lines. It is doomed to being a niche product.
Me too. I think a lot of people see free and automatically make the mental leap to seeing no value. Ubuntu and it's directives (Mint, XUbuntu, etc) are really decent OS'es out of the box. Ubuntu has grown leaps and bounds since I started using it 2005ish. On most hardware, it's rare you have to drop into terminal to get things work for the past couple years. Although, I do simply because it's easier to run sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get dist-upgrade && sudo shutdown -r 0 from Terminal vs going through the GUI to get everything updated on a fresh install off the bat.

I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty at the command line. Unfortunately, Windows even with the anti-virus/malware overhead is just less of a chore to run especially when it comes to program compatibility.

Now, If I could magically get my Windows 7/8 licenses to activate in a VM. Ubuntu would be my host system. Any Windows based stuff I needed would be virtualized.
 
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Now, If I could magically get my Windows 7/8 licenses to activate in a VM. Ubuntu would be my host system. Any Windows based stuff I needed would be virtualized.

Hear that. I actually like Linux better than Windows and I could get a lot of Windows programs to run using Wine - OK if you are a hacker, but again, that is not for the average Joe.
 
Addressing the OP, the reason that I switched is that I had a relatively new high-end Windows laptop lock up on me two wedings in a row, and one was during the Father-Daughter dance. I resolved to never have that happen again. I invested in a MacBook Pro, and I haven't looked back.

I have been using it exclusively for three years, and it has never even had a hiccup. I love the fact that I don't have to worry about drivers (for the most part), and that it seamlessly works with my iPhone, iPad, and iPod. I have all of my music maintained in iTunes, and it just works.

There are many great points that have been made in this thread, and the damn thing was expensive, but I can promise you that my next desktop will be a Mac. The experience has just been way too good for me with the MacBook Pro.
 
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Since starting my DJ business 10 years ago I have used a PC to DJ with. Basically because at the time I started I was more comfortable with PC's. I have since become more familiar with Mac and wonder if I should switch. I see a lot of dj's using macbooks and I'm wondering if I'm missing out on something by not using one.

Questions I have on this are.

1. Is there a benefit or is it pretty much the same?

2. What kind of problems will I encounter and how to get around them?

3. With a PC I know how to "reboot" with a mac I'm not so sure.

4. I have a macbook pro core 2 duo from 2010 with 4gb's of ram. Is that enough to run virtual dj and not have problems?

I would appreciate any advice on this because I'm not sure about doing it or not.
1. Yes, there are improvements on stability and ease of use not to mention less hassle when connecting devices... Point blank it just works.

2. Don't know of any problems you might run into. Though the mouse pad is a multi touch / gesture track pad and mouse clicks are done by simply pressing down with one or two fingers depending on if your launching an app or trying to access a secondary menu.

3 rebooting is a snap either use the apple icon or press and hold the power button until prompted.

4 yes that is ample for running VDJ tho I'd recommend upgrading the memory to 8gb.
 
1. Yes, there are improvements on stability and ease of use not to mention less hassle when connecting devices... Point blank it just works.

2. Don't know of any problems you might run into. Though the mouse pad is a multi touch / gesture track pad and mouse clicks are done by simply pressing down with one or two fingers depending on if your launching an app or trying to access a secondary menu.

3 rebooting is a snap either use the apple icon or press and hold the power button until prompted.

4 yes that is ample for running VDJ tho I'd recommend upgrading the memory to 8gb.

Thank you for these answers. I'm probably going to do it. The only trouble I'm having is converting my VDJ playlists over to Mac. The paths for the music files aren't the same. Going to have to do some XML editing I'm afraid. Either that or re-create the playlists myself on the mac.