Making the ultimate change!

The only way you can test a Mac before buying it is by either illegally downloading it and installing it to a virtual machine on Windows (a huge hassle, let me tell you) or by visiting any Apple store, but I assume there are no Apple stores in Afghanistan so the answer is no, there isn't a way.

From experience, Mac OS X Lion is very similar to Snow Leopard (if you've tested it before) but with a few improvements and better overall user experience. You can Google Snow Leopard vs. Lion and you'll probably get a list of the upgrades. Lion is a great OS, I'm loving every bit of it.

You'll not regret buying a Mac, I can assure you. It might seem hard at first because you're a Windows user and it might take you a while to get used to the new system, but once you do it's going to be great. Also most applications on Windows have versions for Mac, or at least alternatives, so you won't have to worry about that. The only thing Mac lacks is games, but you haven't really mentioned that so I assume you're not a gamer, especially since you're a busy man.

In short, GO FOR IT. It's a great system that is much better better than Windows, in my opinion. Oh and you can install Windows on Boot Camp (Google that) so you can have the best of both worlds in case you miss Windows or something.

Best of luck and hope my post helps.

 

I don't know any more than Tarek (in fact I know less) about being able to test a Mac but I can concur with him that you will not regret it and that you should just GO FOR IT! I made the switch from Windows to Mac ten months ago and am still on my OS X honeymoon, so to speak. Are you wanting an iMac, MacBook Pro or Air, or a Mac Pro? Just curious, I love my MacBook Pro and use it in docked/desktop mode quite a bit. Though the Mac/OS X forums here aren't nearly as busy as the iPhone related ones, you'll find plenty of helpful members to offer advice and guidance in your Mac experience.

 

You're correct about that, however, I wouldn't pay money just to test it out, in all honesty, especially since if I decide to get a Mac computer, the OS will come for free. What I forgot to list is that he could just borrow the Mac OS disc from a friend and do the Hackintosh method.

 

Or you could just buy the mac and give it a go... if you don't like it. Return it in 14days, as per Apple policy.

 

Yup. Doesn't work like that in Egypt, so I'm assuming it won't work like that in Afghanistan.

 

It took my friend and I around an hour and a half of trial and error before we were successful in installing Mac on his Sony Vaio. However, we used a virtual machine rather than the Hackintosh method. We weren't able to find any drivers, though, so we gave up about a couple of days later.

 

Eh... idk, his best bet is to call Apple and find out if they will ship to his base. Also he should inquire about government discounts which Apple offers.

 

Alternatively, you could buy a cheap used mac to try out, and then resell it for little, if any, loss.

You can score a decent mac mini on ebay for $300-400. Should be good enough just to demo the OS.