How do you convince your friends/family to buy a Mac?

From the way I see the situation, you are being selfish. It looks like you are threatening them to do what you want or maybe you are forcing your views on them even without you realizing it.

Their reasons are all valid, they just go with practicality. When they buy a Mac, it will be much expensive + they need to learn how to use it. But if they buy a PC, it will be cheaper + they already know how to use it.

put your money where your mouth is and offer to pay the difference

@kevbo, that’s a good idea. They probably will not accept the offer, but it’s worth trying.

@jerico, you’re also right, I know I’m being a bit selfish. And truth-be-told, I don’t think I’m capable of telling them no if they ask for help. I just made the switch 3.5 years ago and could never, ever consider going back to a PC.

You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make them drink. BTW, I would cut off most of the support. It is your time and it was their decesion.

Actually, I went through this a long time ago. After finally being completely fed up with having to deal with cheap, thrown-together PCs and all the craptastic versions of Windows, I finally told everyone that I was not supporting PCs any longer. And I stopped. And my life has been SOOOOoooooo sweet as a result. I never really cared if others switched to Mac or not (although I believed that they would be far better served by a mac)... In the end, everyone found Macs on their own and I can report that today, everyone in my family (and indeed all my friends) are all running Macs, are FAR more productive with the computer than they ever thought possible, and nobody ever needs my support. So, yeah, I would suggest turning off the pipe – i mean, why should you be subjected to Windows just because they are too stubborn to take your advice?

Those around you will come to see the truth, that Macs are a better value.

I have told my brother-in-law, I will help you find a cheap PC if that is is really what you want but I would help pay for a Mac. Thus, this Christmas I am helping buy two MacBooks and an iPhone.

How can I let a love one dwell in darkness when I have the light.

@extolsmith: you were able to articulate my exact sentiments in your last sentence. Thanks.

I let them use my Macbook Pro for about 20 minutes. It usually works every time.

I have worked with both platforms for 20 years. They have their pluses and minuses. Right now, you can buy a Mac, and install PC software on it. The best of both worlds. In the end it is not “wich system is the best” it is “wich system is the best for the user”.

I believe a PC or a Mac can be set up to facilitate what any user may want. Do I have a preference? Mac, with out question. That has mostly do to my wanting a solid operating system and loving programs not worying about op systems. This is also why I reccomend Macs to others who don’t want to have to deal with the intricacies of multiple versions of sysetems before getting into printers, and drivers and wireless and bluetooth and on and on.

Many of the things that people debate and argue about or use to lay claim as to why one is better than the other, would never actually effect most users 95% of the time. And for you statistic hounds, no that is not from a scientifically sound study but I think my meaning is understood.

The price for preformance ratio is not as tight as it used to be. When buying a Mac. Top out the processer. Get a decent graphics card. Minimize the ram and the Hardrive space. You can get both SUPER CHEAP everywhere else. Email me if you need specifics. They also have very VERY good resources actually ON THE MACHINE (hows that for good design) on how to install.

Hope this helps.

I offered to give my Mom the price difference when she was shopping for a laptop, and she declined, fearing she wouldn’t know how to use it (despite my reassurances). She has since spent almost the same amount of money she ‘saved’ by having to pay support techs to clean her PC laptop. Twice. Within 6 months.

I have already told her that she has no choice in the matter next time (nicely).

Use me as an example. I turn 71 on Dec. 31 and have been able to use the Mac intuitively since I started, as a really dumb and scared novice, in 1998 w. the old blueberry eMac

.Last year, in order to stay in touch w. the Zeitgeist, I took a 3-evening intro-to-PC course at the local high school.. I found it wearisome, confusing, time-consuming, ugly and generally tedious; and also ended up as the ass’t teacher to the 90 year olds…what a joke.. (The fluther techies have helped me enormously w. their patience and hints.)

Never one virus,and one $75 fee to a guy to install Tiger in addition to the OS 9, whose cat name I have forgotten. I have been able to do my own OS upgrading and trouble-shooting ever since. Mac makes it really easy.

How about taking your in-laws to an Apple store and letting them play w. the Macs? With the new OS and the dual chips, the Mac whatever will last for a long time; you can pro-rate the initial cost.

I now have only 700MHz and 384 MB, which is fine for my purposes, but will get more memory in the spring when I buy a new iMac and Leopard.

I offered my mom a deal when she needed a new computer a couple years back: she would buy a Mac mini, I’d help her get it set up and teach her to use it, and if she didn’t like it after a month, I’d buy it from her and help her get set up with a PC.

It turns out she needed a Microsoft Windows-only website to do her work as a real estate agent, and so even though she loved the Mac, she had to have a PC. So she gave me the mini for the cost of her new PC, which wasn’t the original deal but seemed fair to both of us.

I don’t help relatives or friends with Windows, though – I explain to them that, yes, I work with computers, but none of the computers are Windows, and the last version of Windows I used was Windows 2000, which I used last in 2001. It usually takes a couple of firm statements along those lines, because many people don’t grasp that there might be something available other than Windows, but they eventually get it.

Really, I don’t care what other people use for their computers; but I’ve decided that I’ve wasted enough of my time and effort on Windows.

Thanks for everyone’s response. I’m happy to say that we went to the Apple store this afternoon and my mother-in-law is now the proud owner of a new black Macbook. Now the support begins, but luckily with Mac not much support is needed.

YES for ketoneus mother-in-law!!! If only for delving into the new! But also because I believe she made the right choice!