Mac vs PC: Mac myths debunked

 

Mac pictured: 24-inch 2.16GHz iMac
1GB memory
250GB hard drive1
8x DL SuperDrive
NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT graphics
RRP: $2,999.00

Mac OS X Tiger provides a variety of features and technologies that enable Macs and PCs running Windows to work seamlessly together. Macs and PCs can easily share files, share the same network and can even share the same peripherals, like printers, scanners and cameras.

Share files

With a Mac running OS X Tiger, you can easily connect to a Windows-based server or Windows PC that has file sharing enabled. Windows servers automatically appear in the Finder, so you just click the Network icon and browse to the server youure looking for. Likewise, Mac OS X users can share the files on their computer with Windows users with sharing software thatts built into Mac OS X Tiger. Shared Macintosh home folders appear in the Windows Network Neighborhood just like a Windows server enabling Windows users to browse folders and share files without having to install any additional software. Through file sharing, Macs and Windows PCs can open, edit, save and copy the same files using a shared folder or directory on the Mac or PC.

Share printers

Macs and PCs can also share printers. Shared Windows printers automatically appear in the Mac OS X Printer Setup Utility so they can be added to the Macintosh as a local printer queue. You can create a queue for as many shared Windows (and Macintosh) printers as you like, and any application that can print on the Macintosh can print to the shared printer.

Share discs

Mac OS X automatically burns CDs that support the cross-platform ISO 9660 standard, which can be read by both Macs and PCs. So you have a simple and cost-effective way to share numerous or extremely large documents. If your Mac has a SuperDrive, you can also burn and share files on a recordable DVD disc. A single DVD-R disc can hold up to 4.7GB of information (almost eight times the capacity of a CD), and a Windows PC with a DVD-ROM drive can read the DVD-R discs.

Share mail

Mac OS X Mail works seamlessly with Microsoft Exchange mail servers, whether youure in the office or on the road. Mail supports IMAP so while youure on the road, you can see all of the mail on your machine at the office. You can read new messages, reply, delete a few items and leave other items for when youure back in the office. Mac OS X Tiger also uses standard GNU Zip compression and expansion for file attachments so Mac, Windows and Linux users can easily open and read them.

Stay connected with VPN

Many employers now let you work from home and use an ADSL or cable modem to connect to the corporate network in order to collaborate with your colleagues over email or share files. But to protect the network from unwanted guests, companies often create a virtual private network (VPN), which requires additional software and configuration. Mac OS X Tiger is VPN-ready right out of the box and even supports VPN on demand, which connects and disconnects securely to the network as needed. Mac OS X Tiger includes a built-in VPN client that supports the Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol over Internet Protocol Security (L2TP/IPSec) and Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP), and is compatible with most popular VPN servers, including those from Cisco and Microsoft.

Common myths About Mac

Myth: Windows and Linux applications donnt run on a Mac.
Fact: You can run most anything on Macs, no matter what the platform. Boot Camp from Apple, you can dual-boot your system into either Mac OS X or Windows XP. Alternatively, using virtualization software such as Parallels Desktop for Mac or VMWare, you can run Windows XP, Linux, or any other operating system simultaneously with Mac OS X.

Myth: Macs cannt run Microsoft Office.
Fact: Macs can run Microsoft Office, and the files you create on Mac are fully compatible with Windows.
Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac OS X gives you full-featured Word, Powerpoint, and Excel with the same familiar interfaces. And for any Microsoft application thatts not yet available for Mac, like Microsoft Access or Project, you can run them on Intel-based Macs using Boot Camp or virtualization software like Parallels or VMWare.

Myth: Macs wonnt fit into my network.
Fact: Mac OS X can talk to every major file server protocol on every major server platform on the market today. Mac OS X includes the major networking protocols for accessing every major server platform, including Windows, Linux, and UNIX. Mac OS X is the most compatible operating system available today.

Myth: Macs are expensive.
Fact: Apple hardware and software offer tremendous value.
Owning a Mac offers the scientist a cost-effective solution and great return on investment. The Mac is designed for optimal productivity with exceptional price/performance and minimal investment for the most innovative computing features offered on any platform.

Myth: Macs are proprietary.
Fact: Mac OS X is an open architecture, based on industry standards.
Itts based on an open source variant of FreeBSD UNIX and developed entirely with openness and interoperability in mind. Mac OS X incorporates the major open standards for directory services, programming and scripting languages, interprocess communications and arithmetic libraries.

Myth: New Mac users and IT staff face a steep learning curve.
Fact: The Mac it just works.
Mac users are up and running quickly thanks to the well-designed, intuitive user interface of Mac OS X. On the IT side, the Mac makes system administration so easy you can expand your existing compute infrastructure without increasing your IT staff.

Myth: The Mac OS X operating system isnnt stable.
Fact: Mac OS X is based on UNIX, a platform renowned for its stability. Beneath the surface of Mac OS X lies an industrial-strength UNIX foundation integrating a Mach 3.0 microkernel and state-of-the-art FreeBSD 5 variant.

Myth: You cannt develop cross-platform applications on a Mac.
Fact: Cross-platform development is one of the many strengths of Mac OS X.
Mac OS X is a superior development platform that includes a robust set of developer tools allowing you to develop and test cross-platform applications.

Myth: Apple only makes iPods.
Fact: Apple makes serious computers for serious science.
In addition to making iPods, Apple develops the technology to tackle the most demanding computational and visualization problems facing scientists today. In the MacBook Pro notebook, Mac Pro scientific workstation, and Xserve server, youull find the high-performance 64-bit computing, advanced graphics, and scalable memory and storage capacity needed to handle your big data requirements.

Source: http://www.apple.com/getamac/