Posted on 12/21/2004 7:32:12 PM PST by shellshocked
I just got screwed by Dell trying to buy one of their laptops. It seems they are out of Pentium M chips and won't tell their customers, so my wife’s Christmas present is doomed.
I am now looking at maybe a 17" wide Apple laptop for the wife. If it can run windows applications, even remotely well, I might just buy one.
This is a Christmas present, so I am REALLY short on time here, and this is a great place to ask. There is also an Apple store near my house. Buying over the Internet from Dell is unreliable. If it isn't in my grubby paws, I don’t believe it will actually show. Dell Hell.
Any thought or suggestions? Thank you. She’ll appreciate it.
Sterile?
Hank, you reduce us Mac users to babbling idiocy for free!
;o)
I found about every 3 years you need to start from scratch and choose your poison. Triple booting should be just fine, with a Symantec Ghost image on a backup drive.
I think Linux looks interesting. It will just keep me from feeding things to Windows. I assigned 6GB to that operating system's partition.
if all she wants to do is surf the web, write email, and write documents in MS Word or excel, save digital photographs, have MP3 music, archive and edit digital movies...then yes, an Apple will work fine.
If she needs to run any specialty windows software, then no.
You do pay quite a premium for Apple's 'cool' though.
I'd get a Thinkpad as soon as you can. Once IBM completes their sale, I might reevaluate that, but now I think IBM machines are the best on the market.
If you want a Mac, buy a Mac. There's nothing wrong with it, but I wouldn't buy it to run Windows apps. If you get a Mac and happen to need to run a couple of Windows apps, then you can go for the emulation software. Or you can try to find Mac software that does the same thing.
I'm put off by Mac fanatics and Apple's general inferiority complex with regards to PCs. Also, I wouldn't be concerned with quality; I've had a TP for 2 years running XP with zero crashes, and I work all my machines very hard. Virus and spyware protection is no prob. and free for personal use if you know what to look for. And you'll save at least 20% in cost.
A computer is a tool. Find the one you like and use it. If its a PC, buy that. If its a Mac, buy that. If its a Cray, get that.
Yes, you can buy lots of cheap software for the PC, but then you're stuck with lots of cheap software. You get what you pay for. Unfortunately with PC, you get the Petri Dishes of the Internet when it comes to viruses and spyware problems.
I have a Mac email and database server that has been online since 1994 and has crashed once. In over 10 years. I have several Windows 2000 servers that are not nearly as reliable as the Macs.
I don't have the time or patience to sit all day on hold with a PC support center across the globe. Dell's service is good, but a reliable computer is better. Get the Mac!
My next computer might be an Apple, but I know in advance that I'll have to buy a lot of new software. PC emulation sucks.
"Don't make an emotional choice. Make a rational choice."
Not giving a lying company money IS RATIONAL.
Checking out alternatives is also rational. Macs are a viable computer. I know, I am a 20+ year software engineering veteran. I am just in a pinch to discover if maybe the Mac is a good enough choice when running minor Windows apps. If so, I can check availability tomorrow at the Apple store.
All the Office apps she can get Mac versions for from Microsoft. It seems Virtual PC will do just fine on the Mac to run Windows apps. Even if she choses a Mac, she still might get that card and picture under the tree until the Mac is available, but at least Apple will say so and not lie about it.
"You do pay quite a premium for Apple's 'cool' though."
Yes, you do. About $500-$1,000 over a PC based laptop, but money is not the object here. Giving her what she will appreciate is.
"HP computers are junque!" ("junque" is a less refined French way of saying junk--this according to the sellers at Staples who say they should be avoided like an unexpected case of AIDs).
Thanks. As a software engineer, myself, and a company owner, TCO is always a consideration. The Mac is just something "different". It really is a looks thing when buying it for her. I know people just love them, and I believe their testimonials are true, so I have no problem buying one. I use PCs exclusive in my business, but I also know what to buy and how to use them properly, so I have very few problems. I always thought the Mac should have been the hardware for the industry. Too bad we got the PC instead.
HP desktops have never been great. My HP laptop is great. I have their new 17" version and love it. All top quality parts. No thin, junk plastics.
Wal-Mart Breaks Price Barrier with $498 Linux Laptop Running Linspire
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1305708/posts
That is only true if you buy it directly from Apple.
The laptop memory is the same as PC laptops use, the Desktop memory is the same as PC desktops use. Go to any big computer store and you can get exactly what you need for the same price as a PC upgrade.
Order it online & it is even cheaper.
To some extent that is inevitable. There is an extra layer between the hardware and the software, increasing the execution time.
LOL! I was dating a sort of "nice" girl that rode a hog a few years ago. Supposedly she worked with a big guy that bought a MAC. He didn't know what to do. After I spent 9 hours fixing her computer and another 9 hours doing you-know-what, she asked me to help this guy out. I told her to tell him only fags bought MACs and he got screwed.
Then I say go for it, if you are sure that it will do everything she will want it to do. They are cool.
I saw that and commented on the other thread. The fact that companies are charging $1,500+ for laptops when the average Joe just types and surfs means there is a HUGE market for cheap laptops. I believe that cheapo has a 1Ghz processor. Not bad. That will certainly run all word processors and web surfers just fine. I imagine that the parent of every college bound kid will want to buy one.
With the lousy service most companies offer today, how could China-Mart be any worse?
"The laptop memory is the same as PC laptops use, the Desktop memory is the same as PC desktops use"
No kidding? Apple.com memory is 2x store memory. 512MB is $150.
"If the folks at Staples knew anything about computers then they wouldn't be working at a dead-end job at Staples.
"
LOL! Or Micro Center or CompUSA, etc.
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