Laptop: Macbook or Dell?

[jcd11235 0]

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Now, I will admit, if you've never used a Mac before it will be a bit backwards feeling at first but nothing that playing with it and picking up a copy of Mac specific magazine cannot fix.Once you learn the way it works, it will realy just make sense and you'll wonder how you got on without it.

I have noticed that a lot of the problems "switchers" encounter are often caused because the user tries to turn a one or two step process into a four or five step process.

Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

[jcd11235 0]

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I'm gonna say Linux just to be awkward

I think it's (nearly) safe to assume that anyone who is seeking computer purchase advice on a skydiving website is probably not quite ready for Linux.
Not that there's anything wrong with Linux.

Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

[Nightingale 0]

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Now, I will admit, if you've never used a Mac before it will be a bit backwards feeling at first but nothing that playing with it and picking up a copy of Mac specific magazine cannot fix.Once you learn the way it works, it will realy just make sense and you'll wonder how you got on without it.

I have noticed that a lot of the problems "switchers" encounter are often caused because the user tries to turn a one or two step process into a four or five step process.

LOL! That was me.

Me: I can't figure out how to install this #$%# program!
James: Just drag and drop.
Me: But where's the setup file?
Him: there isn't one.
Me: then how do I install it?
Him: Drag it to your hard drive.
Me: How do I do that?
Him:
Me: That's it?! They made it too easy! I didn't even think to try that! It makes too much sense. Computers aren't supposed to be that easy!
Him: welcome to mac.

There's a good reason why PCs have "users" while Macs have evangelists.

[hjumper33 0]

Yah I cant think of anyone coming up to me and raving about how windows is the greatest thing ever. More likely, people say, well I learned to use windows, and that was so hard that I dont want to have to start over to learn something else. And yes, I am a Mac Evangelist! This thread seems to be a good example. Get a Mac because it has wxy and z. No, get a dell because mine hasnt crashed yet.

[skymedic 0]

My macbook is NOT glitchy, I record on it, Can DJ on it, do podcasting on it, compose music on garageband(its included), download tons of music(I have over 80days of music on it)(that I legally bought or obtained), and generaly surf around on it.

a Mac is the way to go. This is my mac computer and I'd never go back. I blame quade for my love afair with these computers.


also no viruses on either one so far after two years....and no real problems. I also have swapped out HD's on both of them by my self and upgraded RAM on both without issue. It is rather easy...especially on the mac book.

I just don't get why people complain about macs. You can get a refurbished macbook for less than a grand...a brand new one for a grand...and a very decent one with a superdrive for 1200 bucks. the sligh increase in cost is negligible with the benefits you get. all the software included is great. SOOO worth it.

Marc
otherwise known as Mr.Fallinwoman....

[dbattman 0]

I have a die-hard Windows brother that was into everything PC. HTML, Java, does web editing and web-engineering for Citibank. He bought a mac laptop this summer and swears he can never go back to a Windows PC.

I messed around on it this evening. It rocks. Only problem is the extra cost, but that's the tradeoff for buying a superior product- you get what you pay for.

Problem is now I want one. Think I can get our IT to load our VPN client on a mac?

[soundguyscott 0]

I do sound for a Living I have a iBook that just died but i have put it through so much im suprised it lasted as long as it did.. I now have a Mac Book Pro 17" so i can get into video editing and WOW is it fast! i also have a Compaq laptop that i got when i was doing insurance work because of software i had to use... the only thing i use that thing for is a paper weight / protable DVD player to watch moves on while im doing work on my Mac Book Pro.. Apple is the only way to go.. expecially if you need a computer for Music.. next time you look up on stage at a concert and see your fav. artist using a computer i would say its 90% chance they are using a Mac..

[Stumpy 256]

I would love a macbook pro - but here in the UK it seems that they are vastly (and prohibitively) more expensive than an equivalent PC. They start at £1349 here, and that is before you load them up with anything. That for me is just too much when i can get a decent PC for about half that.

Never try to eat more than you can lift

[freekflyguy 0]

I built a dogs bollocks desktop for way less than that purely for editing video on.

I brought a MBP earlier this year and have stripped out the HDD from my desktop to use as externals for my MBP.

The desktop is now only used by my daughter when she cant get on the Mac.

They do seem more expensive initially, but the long term payback is worth it.

It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.

[Stumpy 256]

So people keep telling me, unfortunately the difference is enough to make it the difference between "I can afford one" and "I can't afford one"

Macbook pro 15 inch = £1349
Similarly specced Dell = £839

Thats over £500 difference, which unfortunately makes it just too much

Never try to eat more than you can lift

[Mostly_Harmless 0]

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we have a lot of dells (thousands) at work and the joke is about how the mother boards always blow

If you must buy a PC buy a lenovo...

Dave

Couldn't agree more with the Lenovo. If you are sticking with Windows then Lenovo is the way to go.

_________________________________________
www.myspace.com/termvelocity

[kaerodyne 0]

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I made the Mac switch not too long ago

Well done young grass hopper

I've been on a Mac for over 9yrs and mostly using it for media, I now use my MacBook 13" for all my workand then some.

Mac has hardly ever had any glitches or patches (sorry PC), and are reliable and stable. Just go to your nearest Apple Store and get a test run.

You will not be sorry.

[kaerodyne 0]

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I just cant help myself

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

Hi I'm a Mac
Hi I'm a PC

Enough Said

[LouDiamond 1]

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unfortunately the difference is enough to make it the difference between "I can afford one" and "I can't afford one"

Macbook pro 15 inch = £1349
Similarly specced Dell = £839

What people don't realize is that Macs come with a lot of useful software already installed as standard. Unless there is something very specific you need to do you probably won't have to buy anysoftware. The few extra pieces of software I have needed I was able to find free Mac versions on the internet. Unlike a PC, a Mac really does come ready to go right out of the box.

"It's just skydiving..additional drama is not required"
Some people dream about flying, I live my dream
SKYMONKEY PUBLISHING

[Nightingale 0]

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I would love a macbook pro - but here in the UK it seems that they are vastly (and prohibitively) more expensive than an equivalent PC. They start at £1349 here, and that is before you load them up with anything. That for me is just too much when i can get a decent PC for about half that.

That's the thing about macs.... you don't need to load them up with much of anything. They come with so much software. So far, the only things I've installed on my mac have been MS word and World of Warcraft.

The iLife suite is incredible. The mac comes with:

iPhoto
iMovie
iWeb
iCal
iDVD
GarageBand
and a ton of other stuff.

You'd spend a ton of money buying programs that do all this stuff for the PC. Way more than the cost of a mac.

[Miami 0]

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Macbook pro 15 inch = £1349
Similarly specced Dell = £839

Thats over £500 difference, which unfortunately makes it just too much

Don't know if they are priced differently for you guys over there, but I just went to Dell and built a system (12" XPS M1210) as near as identical to the 15" MacBook Pro ($2499) as I could and it came out to $2850.

The MacBook Pro is high end stuff. If it's budget that's holding you back you should look at the MacBooks...half the price of the Pro's and still a very powerful machine!

Miami

[bazelos 0]

If you don't have an antivirus your pc might get infected but how hard is it to install any anitvirus? There are loads to choose from, some of which are completely free!

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unfortunately the difference is enough to make it the difference between "I can afford one" and "I can't afford one"

Macbook pro 15 inch = £1349
Similarly specced Dell = £839

What people don't realize is that Macs come with a lot of useful software already installed as standard. Unless there is something very specific you need to do you probably won't have to buy anysoftware. The few extra pieces of software I have needed I was able to find free Mac versions on the internet. Unlike a PC, a Mac really does come ready to go right out of the box.

I admit to (almost) never paying for my software, which is easy to do when you run windows because you can easily find programs for the pc for free, you just need to search a litle. Again, my point is, if you have a lot of money (I am a student so I am broke) then yes go for the fancy mac. I am not a windows/pc fanboy, I really couldn't care less who makes my computer as long as it works, but if you are on a budget you can just buy second hand components and built a pc that can do video edditing for a third of a price of the mac.

He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man.

[HUSHPUPPY 0]

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I would love a macbook pro - but here in the UK it seems that they are vastly (and prohibitively) more expensive than an equivalent PC. They start at £1349 here, and that is before you load them up with anything. That for me is just too much when i can get a decent PC for about half that.

That's the thing about macs.... you don't need to load them up with much of anything. They come with so much software. So far, the only things I've installed on my mac have been MS word and World of Warcraft.

The iLife suite is incredible. The mac comes with:

iPhoto
iMovie
iWeb
iCal
iDVD
GarageBand
and a ton of other stuff.

You'd spend a ton of money buying programs that do all this stuff for the PC. Way more than the cost of a mac.

I couldn't agree more! I have a MacBook Pro 17' and absolutely LOVE it!

"You made my panties wet!" Skymama (Fitz 09)
"Never argue with an idiot. They will bring you down to their level and beat you with experience."

[LouDiamond 1]

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(I am a student so I am broke)

Apple offers student/teacher/school/underwater basket weavers discounts on all thier items. If thats not enough and your on a tight budget you can always go for a refurbished model that comes with a Warrenty and is considerably less than a new model or buy used from a friend. Unlike a PC, every Mac I've seen, to include some very old ones handled video and other media sources way better than a PC. If money is that big of an issue, it might take awhile but if you look around, you can find good deals on Macs

"It's just skydiving..additional drama is not required"
Some people dream about flying, I live my dream
SKYMONKEY PUBLISHING

[Shell666 0]

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The MacBook Pro is high end stuff. If it's budget that's holding you back you should look at the MacBooks...half the price of the Pro's and still a very powerful machine!

And if you're a university student or staff or a K-12 teacher, you can get a deal on Mac's from your bookstore (or from apple.com). They have education discounts available. That's how I got mine!

'Shell

Edited to add: What Loudiamond said RIGHT above me! Ooops.

'Shell

[snowslider 0]

Mac.

[llkenziell 0]

I loveeeee my Mac (Powerbook). It's amazing. <3

"Living like fallen angels who lost their halos" - Unknown Prophets

-Love Life-

[riddler 0]

I've programmed computers for over 25 years, and I still work a lot with them. Right now, I have an XP Pro Dell, a Mac Powerbook, a Redhat Linux Thinkpad, a Windows 2003 Server Compaq Presario and enough spare parts to built one or two more complete systems. I like the Mac the best.

It sounds like you don't need to run a lot of typical business programs, so if you can afford it, go with the Mac. Two downsides to Mac - there's still a lot of software out there that doesn't run on them, and they are expensive. The money you save buying a PC isn't worth the frustration you get from poor quality hardware and bad customer service. But if you do buy a PC, Sony and Toshiba have better hardware on laptops (IMO), although the customer service is poor.

I just sent a Dell laptop back for repair because the screen lamp burned out after about a year. When the machine was purchased, Dell promised a 3-5 day turnaround. When I talked to the rep, he said 2-3 weeks. It took about two weeks and came back with a corrupted OS.

With the Mac, I bought a three year service plan. They gave me a free ipod mini, and M$ Office bundle for $99. The only problem with it was one key popped off. I took it to the store and they put it back on inside 2 minutes. Mac hardware is very nice and solid. The software is generally pretty good, but I have issues with iTunes.

Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

[murrays 0]

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or buy used from a friend. Unlike a PC, every Mac I've seen, to include some very old ones handled video and other media sources way better than a PC. If money is that big of an issue, it might take awhile but if you look around, you can find good deals on Macs

My first Mac was purchased in 1999...a G3-400mhz DV SE...the first iMac released with Firewire and iMovie. It edited DV video just fine. I sold it to a friend in 2002 when I bought my current flatpanel G4 imac...he still uses it nearly everyday and it is still capable of editing video....not as quickly as you'd like but then, no machine is ever fast enough...an unfortunate fact of life.

All of LouDiamond's suggestions are good ones. The refurbs can save you quite a bit of money but I think you have to be careful because of the RAM included and the fact that right now all the refurbs I see on the Apple Canada website are one processor generation behind. The same friend I sold the G3 DV SE to bought a refurbed 20" iMac several months ago and it has been golden. But, when he bought it it was a current processor....a Core Duo when the new machines had Core Duos unlike now when the new machines have Core 2 Duos and the refurbs still have Core Duos.

I've been looking at a new machine and would like to save some bucks as well but right NOW I would buy a new iMac rather than a refurb because the savings would be greatly eroded by adding more RAM, smaller HDs and slower and older generation processors.

A student discount would be the preferable way to go IMO.

Also, don't forget the built-in iSight in every iMac and Mac laptop and iChat...great way to stay in touch. Macs are loaded!

--
Murray

"No tyranny is so irksome as petty tyranny: the officious demands of policemen, government clerks, and electromechanical gadgets." - Edward Abbey

[faulknerwn 37]

Don't forget ebay either. I got my 20" G5 that I'm typing this on right now for $800 in April. All I did was add memory but it had the works built in...

W