This is going to sound like a strange/stupid question but..
I was against macs mainly because of the price, but now I am starting to get interested in them so

what is the best way to try a mac, going into the store to try one I cant do as there isn't one very local, and the last time I went into one, I asked someone who worked there to show me how it works and got told "oh I'm only paid to clean" this person was using an iphone/blah and dressed the same as the other 2 people he was talking to /I was asking for help. so I simply looked them up and down and walked out.

None of my friends have macs so I cant ask them.

Is there a way to either use a virtual machine on my current pc (very good specs) or to install it onto here (I know hackintosh but there isn't a very clear/simple way of doing that)
and the reason I'am posting this in the hardware section...what's the cheapest apple mac I could buy, nothing over £300. what could I be looking at for that sort of price? I am a bit clueless about macs to be honest.

Thanks for any help/advice

My advice would be to buy something ultra cheap on eBay. Like 20 quid, just to see what it's like. I've got three g4s (decent ones too) on tiger that would run leopard and I'd happily give away.

For that price you might find some early Intel Macs on eBay which would be fair enough to try things on (note that they will be old machines so performance can't be like your very good PC).

I think VB supports virtualising OS X, but only on a Mac, but you could give that a go...Or Hackintosh in a VM, might even be able to download an image, though it'd be many GBs.

I would suggest trying a local reseller, even PC world, even if it is just to get hands on experience. There are also Mac User Groups http://www.macusersuk.org/mugs/mugslist.php around the country and see go along to one of their meetings. Some are online only. Then consider getting this book "Switching to the Mac: The Missing Manual, Snow Leopard Edition" http://www.amazon.co.uk/Switching-Mac-M ... 719&sr=1-1 from amazon or you could borrow it from a library. That is what I used. It highlights what alternatives there are to windows programs. The cheekiest way is to loiter around coffee shops or anywhere with wifi as you might find someone use it. And simply go up and ask to have a look. Also try and get one just after a big upgrade. Then at least you will not be kicking yourself if it is upgraded a few weeks later.

Do you have a branch of Currys nearby, they stock Macs now as well as PC World - not surprising as they're the same company! The staff there will probably try to talk you out of buying a Mac and try to steer you towards a cheaper PC. Just be polite but firm and say you're wanting to try a Mac!

For £300 you could probably get a second hand early Intel Macbook (white model) or maybe a 17" or 20" Intel iMac (also white model). I think you'll struggle to find an Intel Macbook Pro or an Aluminium/Black Intel iMac at that price (unless you're really lucky).

If buying on ebay, keep your wits about you and check feedback carefully for the sellers. Personally, I'd start with somewhere local-based like Gumtree, PreLoved.com or Loot.com - that way you can pop round and see it working, ask as many questions as you like and actually check everything's working and complete. With ebay, all you've usually got is a few pictures and a lot of trust that what they send you matches what they say in the listing. There's a lot of scammers on ebay.

For prices, check out www.mac2sell.net and step through the wizard - it should give you a very rough pall park figure to look for. Also, a handy piece of software is called MacTracker that lists all models of each Mac range, together with specs, upgrade options etc. There's a slighter older version of MacTracker for Windows on their Archive Page - assuming you're still on a Windows PC.

Finally, always try to make sure they provide you with the original "System Install DVD" - not only does this have the bundled software like iLife on it (which a retail version of OS X doesn't have) it also has the Apple Hardware Tests which are custom designed for each model - this can prove handy to diagnose any hardware issues (should they arise). If the original discs aren't included, ask for a discount!

Don’t forget, if you have a USB keyboard and mouse already, you could pick up a MacMini pretty cheap on eBay too (seen a couple for around £200). Just remember that Apple changed architecture from PowerPC chips to Intel - if you want to be more current and up to date with software, then obviously you want an Intel based machine. You should be able to plug your screen into it too. A Mini isn’t to most powerful of Macs, but they are pretty good if you don’t plan on games or high end graphics work.

How about this 20" intel iMac - just within your budget, albeit a Core Duo. Otherwise try making an offer on this 20" C2D iMac - still a decent machine, and if you decide to move on to something else later you'll probably get most of your money back on it. Otherwise they also have some 20" G5 iMacs for a bit less.

HTH Pete

Anybody had a go at Hackintoshing? I do understand that they arent to everyones taste and can be somewhat unreliable, but do offer a relatively inexpensive route to osx.

http://tonymacx86.blogspot.com/2010/12/ ... -mini.html

Ok so I have checked previous posts on the subject, and yes, updating the os is still a major drawback. But for anyone with bench skills and the spare cash for a sandy bridge setup as described in the blog above, its got to be a bit of sport?

And what sort of crashy, bug ridden experience is that then?

Mark

Given they've just changed/are about to change the licensing conditions, how about this

1) Buy a copy of Snow Leopard (£25)
2) Buy a copy of VMware Workstation or download VirtualBox (£140 quid ish/free)
3) Install SL in the VM, then upgrade to Lion via the Mac App store (£20).

Therefore legal copy of Mac OS Lion running in a VM. If you already have VMware or use VirtualBox you can end up with Lion running for £45, or at worst you've spent 200 quid ish and have a copy of VMware workstation for other uses as a bonus.

Jon

How is that legal? Apple don’t allow you to run their OS on non Apple branded hardware. Reports say that they do allow the virtualisation of Mac OSX in Lion, but only within the parent Mac OS X itself. You can’t, say, virtualise Lion in a machine constructed by, say, Dell.

I’ve seen Intel Mac Minis going for less than £200 on eBay. Get a Core 2 Duo one, and you should be able to upgrade that to Lion.

I had only seem reports, not the details of the change in license terms. I suspect we'll have to wait and see what it says when Lion hits the.. er.. virtual shelves. If it still retains the clause that you must run Mac OS on Apple hardware then yes you'd still be in breach of the terms of the license. However by definition there's no way for the hosted VM to know what OS/hardware its being hosted on, so they've got no way of checking.


C2D would but a core duo wouldn't, I believe. So you'd need to be a bit careful. Or stay on SL, which isn't really too much of a trial.

Jon

My MacBook Pro is a C2D - it’s the first revision of the Intel laptops, so it just slips in under the wire. I am designating that my “stunt” Mac. When throughly backed up, I’ll be installing Lion on it to see what apps break.

I’m not expecting performance to be great - I suspect I’ll not get as much of the wiz-bang that my main Mac would give my with Lion.

SnowLeopard will be fine for a few more years, unless you really do have to be at the bleeding edge.

Lion really would be best to try, it appears to change much of how you interact with the system. If you can stretch to it get yourself a Magic TrackPad for the full "touch effect" it's supposed to give.

TBH, I have a feeling people are going to notice their video card straining more than CPU. It looks to me that Lion does an awful lot of whizzy transitions and whatnot that all use quartz extreme. If you've got a weedy graphics chip, a lot of that is going to chug like hell.

Jon