Posted on 04/25/2011 9:49:28 PM PDT by balch3
So, an older relative wants a laptop so he can surf the web from his recliner. His computer skills consist of being able to turn the computer on, open his browser, and do simple word processing/printing. He's tired of viruses and malware. I've been talking up the Macbook. He's decided on the Macbook pro with 17 inch monitor, Way more computer than he needs, but he likes the big monitor because it will be easier on his eyes.
All sounds good, right? That is, until I go online and look at the price. Yikes! Nearly $2500. He can afford it and doesn't seem phased by it, but...still, Yikes! My worst case scenario fantasy is he isn't satisfied and I'll feel guilty for giving him a bum steer. Or, something goes wrong and we have to send it back. Or, I have trouble setting up the wireless LAN--Seems simple enough, but I've never done it before. Or...well, you get the picture.
Somebody talk me into (or out of) this, please?
Once you do, you might like it. The ‘upkeep’ cost that Apple imposes is the variable here.
Well worth the $. I’m working on my 3rd MacBook Pro which is now 3 years old. I could probably get work done on another ‘puter, but I’d attribute a great portion of my productivity to this silver beast in my lap.
Go for it.
If he can afford it, he should go for it, great computer. But if he is watching his dollars, he can get a refurbished Dell Inspirion 17r for $509 right now at the dell outlet. If all he really does is browse, I’m not sure it’s worth an extra $2000 dollars. Just set him up with Chrome of Firefox, and hide all the IE icons..
If you are a teacher, college student or have child attending college they use to offer a 10% discount FYI.
17” laptops tend to get pretty hot on the lap, they are usually desktop replacements, they have hot CPUs and hot GPUs.
My suggestion would be to find a 1-5 2nd generation CPU, and either completely integrated GPU, or the Nvidia Optima dual integrated/discrete video card.
Paying more than $1500 is excessive.
Get the SSD drive for the primary OS partition.
For example, if you want just a thing to browse the Web, Dell Inspiron 17R will cost you only $600 - about 1/4 of MacBook Pro.
Sounds like a serious waste of money for only net surfing. You can get a 17” PC laptop for $500 to $600.
I built a table with a monitor stand and a wireless keyboard and mouse so I can use my computer in my recliner.( Picture on homepage.) I can’t take my table with me any where conveniently so I would go with the Mac Pro. The only thing I would have him do first is play with the keyboard in a store to see if he likes the feel.
If he wants it he wants it. It’s a good looking laptop, very highly rated. Routine maintenance issues as well as viruses and malware are far less of a concern.
Does sound like a pretty big premium for the screen real estate, given his very limited stated uses for it, though. Point out the price differential for a smaller screen model of Mac as well as PC notebooks and if he still wants it, he can afford it as you say.
Then, let go, he makes the decision, ultimately.
For what he wants it for, I would suggest an Intel based Windows machine, at about a third the cost. If he’s willing to shop a little, $1,000 will buy him a very nice, fast, 17 inch laptop. Tell your friend to take the difference and plan a nice vacation or maybe support a certain Conservative website we know of.
I’m very happy with the used Mac iBook G4 I purchased from a reputable Ebay seller last year. $225 with free shipping- 1GB of RAM, 1.33GB processor, Mac OS 10.5 pre-loaded. Just to let you know that there are less expensive options out there, albeit without the 17 inch screen.
Interesting. How much has it cost you, after the initial purchase.?
I am not sure abut the Macbook Pro; but I bought an IMAC for the same reasons he wants the Macbook. So far I am happy.
I’ve had a lot of Macs, currently two Mac Pro 15 inch, and three big iMacs.
The 17 inch is not practical for a portable. If he’s going to mac around at home, the iMac is the way to go. Cheaper and with a bigger monitor too.
The one thing I don’t like about the IMAC is the wireless mouse and keyboard. I am putting in new batteries constantly. Tried batteries you recharge and they are not worth it. They never get the full 100 percent back like the regular batteries do.
Love my new MacBook Pro... but it sounds like complete overkill for the needs expressed here. Of course, it’s possible that iLife might inspire him to do more...?
One of the things I like is the mag-safe power adaptor. For wireless networking, if you get an airport base station it almost sets itself up. The Airport Express should be plenty.
I understand the comments of others about the price.
It’s very difficult for someone used to a Windows computer to acclimate to a Mac. I strongly recommend against it for an older user who’s not so up on computers.
Incidentally, because of work, I switched to a Mac about a year ago and I have gotten very used to it, but it was a tough transition. My wife absolutely hates it. The only reason Macs don’t get viruses is that virus-makers want to do the most damage they can for the least effort, and Windows machines greatly outnumber Macs. As Macs have gotten more popular, they’ve gotten more viruses. I’ve never had one, but then I never had one on a Windows machine, either.
Windows Vista bombed because its hardware requirements pushed the limits of what was available. Windows 7 is more scalable, and stopped the trend of continually upping the ante of the hardware needed to run it. Get yourself a good Windows 7 machine. Anti-virals are built in; just make sure you update them and stay away from sites that offer porn or pirated material.
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