Thinking of buying a mac?

[ecookman]

http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/tech-fun/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/whynottobuyamac.png
now, before you hate on me and say macs are great, yeah the OS is LOL, but the whole "mac" is over priced I find... and apparently someone has noticed the same thing lol
want a mac? I'd say build a PC and load on OSX

[rdrake]

I'll give this topic 24 hours before it turns into such a huge flame war that it'll need to be locked.

[andrew.]

Well, it's all personal opinion. Personally, I like my MBP (2008 model) because it's sturdy, fast (yes, even though it's C2D), and portable (more than my friend's laptops).

The OS itself is decent, and IMO on par with Windows 7; I like both of them the same. However, you can legally install Windows on a Mac, but not OS X on a "PC". Installing OS X on a PC is against Apple's EULA, which I believe is illegal. Not to mention, if you manage to install OS X on a PC, many drivers probably won't work right, and a system update will most likely make your computer unusable.

Although, I do agree that Apple charges a lot for their hardware (more than other manufacturers). But you have to consider the fact that they engineer everything into a sturdy, aesthetically-pleasing form factor. The Mac laptop designs are very good, definitely better than what I've seen from other companies and the prices for the laptops (i.e. MBP) aren't very steep considering the thought and design that went into it. However, I do believe that the Mac Pro, specifically, is very overpriced because it's basically a regular-sized computer in a regular case. The only special thing I can see about it is that the motherboard (in the 12-core version) supports 2 CPUs.

But then again, this is all my opinion.

[Insectoid]

hackintoshes are buggy and getting the right drivers for your hardware is a rare thing. I buy legit macs because of the design of the hardware. Yes, it's far more expensive. However, while the numbers on the box might be the same as a far cheaper laptop, the quality of the hardware is significantly better.

Have you ever used a mac trackpad? I prefer it over my mouse for general-purpose computing. How many laptops have full-sized keys on the keyboard without cramping them together and having them awkwardly placed? Not many. Most non-apple laptops (hereby referred to as PCs for ease) have either keys too small to use effectively or large enough but awkwardly placed, and the trackpads are often tiny, inaccurate and unresponsive. Yes, there are exceptions, but only for a comparable price to a macbook.

Macbooks are made of aluminum and are hard to damage. Most <1500 PC laptops are plastic and will chip if dropped. My macbook pro's corners are a bit scratched, and that's the extent of the damage that I've ever done to it (with the exception of blowing the logic board, but that doesn't matter). Other laptops I've used have gone through minimal abuse and yet visibly show their age on the case.


Not to make this a flame war or anything, there certainly are quality laptops available from other manufacturers, I'm just justifying the price of Apple hardware.

[DtY]

My Macbook is a year old now, and I can still use it for two or three hours, and the battery is still mostly charged. I do not know anyone with any other brand of laptop that is a year old who is not plugging it in when they need to use it for ten minutes.

[ecookman]

DtY @ Wed Oct 20, 2010 5:57 pm wrote:

My Macbook is a year old now, and I can still use it for two or three hours, and the battery is still mostly charged. I do not know anyone with any other brand of laptop that is a year old who is not plugging it in when they need to use it for ten minutes.

My studio 17 that's 2 years old, I slap it into power saver and its good for 2.5-3 hours with general stuff, and the screen is half dimmed. (on the OEM 6C battery).

[SNIPERDUDE]

Hell, if someone gave me a macbook I wouldn't be disappointed. They're quite fun to use. However I would never pay money out of my own pocket to get one, they really are way over-priced. Convenience not worth the price.

[ecookman]

andrew. @ Wed Oct 20, 2010 5:02 pm wrote:

The OS itself is decent, and IMO on par with Windows 7

I fully agree with you on that one.

[DtY]

ecookman @ Wed Oct 20, 2010 6:48 pm wrote:

DtY @ Wed Oct 20, 2010 5:57 pm wrote:

My Macbook is a year old now, and I can still use it for two or three hours, and the battery is still mostly charged. I do not know anyone with any other brand of laptop that is a year old who is not plugging it in when they need to use it for ten minutes.

My studio 17 that's 2 years old, I slap it into power saver and its good for 2.5-3 hours with general stuff, and the screen is half dimmed. (on the OEM 6C battery).

Mine doesn't have a (manual) power saver mode. But that's about equal to what mine gets with the WiFi on, screen brightness around the same. That's pretty impressive, what make is that?

[SNIPERDUDE]

Not HP

[ecookman]

DtY @ Wed Oct 20, 2010 8:13 pm wrote:

ecookman @ Wed Oct 20, 2010 6:48 pm wrote:

DtY @ Wed Oct 20, 2010 5:57 pm wrote:

My Macbook is a year old now, and I can still use it for two or three hours, and the battery is still mostly charged. I do not know anyone with any other brand of laptop that is a year old who is not plugging it in when they need to use it for ten minutes.

My studio 17 that's 2 years old, I slap it into power saver and its good for 2.5-3 hours with general stuff, and the screen is half dimmed. (on the OEM 6C battery).

Mine doesn't have a (manual) power saver mode. But that's about equal to what mine gets with the WiFi on, screen brightness around the same. That's pretty impressive, what make is that?

surprisingly its a dell. LOL after getting my Studio 17, I have absolutely noting to say about dell that is negative, the computer still works like brand new, I have run triple and dual boots, currently I run on win7 and Back Track. the hard drive hasn't failed, I accidentally scratched the screen, and damaged my O key, but besides that and a few nicks on the case, its amazing.

[ecookman]

ecookman @ Thu Oct 21, 2010 3:19 pm wrote:

DtY @ Wed Oct 20, 2010 8:13 pm wrote:

ecookman @ Wed Oct 20, 2010 6:48 pm wrote:

DtY @ Wed Oct 20, 2010 5:57 pm wrote:

My Macbook is a year old now, and I can still use it for two or three hours, and the battery is still mostly charged. I do not know anyone with any other brand of laptop that is a year old who is not plugging it in when they need to use it for ten minutes.

My studio 17 that's 2 years old, I slap it into power saver and its good for 2.5-3 hours with general stuff, and the screen is half dimmed. (on the OEM 6C battery).

Mine doesn't have a (manual) power saver mode. But that's about equal to what mine gets with the WiFi on, screen brightness around the same. That's pretty impressive, what make is that?

surprisingly its a dell. LOL after getting my Studio 17, I have absolutely noting to say about dell that is negative, the computer still works like brand new, I have run triple and dual boots, currently I run on win7 and Back Track. the hard drive hasn't failed, I accidentally scratched the screen, and damaged my O key, but besides that and a few nicks on the case, its amazing.

Now I know I am waking the dead, but I swear to god, After posting this my computer has been on a downhill slide, I have been having audio driver issues and issues with my WLAN card.

[Insectoid]

Karma?

[ecookman]

Definitely -_-

[Sur_real]

my dell laptop died last year (had it since 2006...is 4 years around average?) and I've given up trying to fix it.
So learning from my mistakes I get another dell as an interim replacement >.>
It should be temporary though since I'm gonna get a new comp when I go to university. Hopefully it can last for a few more months lol.