To Mac or not to Mac?

[cuongp]

I'm looking to get a Macbook for christmas this year. I'll be mainly using it for school work, watching videos, and internet browsing. I don't think that I'll be using it for gaming.

I don't know much about Macs or PC so I was hoping the RFD community could help me on this one.

Are Macbooks overrated?

For the Mac users, why did you decide to get a Mac?

For the PC users, why did you decide to stay with PC?

If I end up getting a Mac, what are the other costs associated with it? Service Plans? etc...?

Which one should I get that would meet my needs?

If not a Mac, what PC would you recommend me?

Thx a bunch everybody!

[1337rice]

stayed with PC because more than half the world uses it, so software and hardware compatibility wouldn't be a problem.
I have used a Mac (an iMac 20"...the steel or aluminum ones...), it takes a while to get used to it...
its kinda hard to say...because for $1000, you can get the macbook...or you can get a decent pc laptop...its just about the different OS and the look of the macbook

[TruE SkiLLS]

I'm looking to get a Macbook for christmas this year. I'll be mainly using it for school work, watching videos, and internet browsing. I don't think that I'll be using it for gaming.
I don't know much about Macs or PC so I was hoping the RFD community could help me on this one.
1. Are Macbooks overrated?
2. For the Mac users, why did you decide to get a Mac?
3. For the PC users, why did you decide to stay with PC?
4. If I end up getting a Mac, what are the other costs associated with it? Service Plans? etc...?
5. Which one should I get that would meet my needs?
6. If not a Mac, what PC would you recommend me?
Thx a bunch everybody!

Before I start, VERY VERY bad title. this is gonna turn into a flame thread.

1. Depends how you look at it, I personally wouldn't say its overrated, I like the OS a lot.
2/3. got it because I like the OS... but i still use windows quite a bit in other locations (when I dont have my mac around)
4. There are no real cost after buying a mac, I mean, you can buy a service plan if you wish, tats optional. then you can always get extra accessories, but no, there isn't really any cost after buying one.
5. I'd say, go for the new macbook. It'll meet your need and its newer and "more powerful" than the older generation. It's decent if you dont ever need firewire, and it does have a better gfx card
6. Really depends on your budget and what you are looking for. Dell has pretty cheap ones (so does acer, but lets not go there). Asus has decent styling one (but then their customer service sucks if it breaks down). Lenovo are pretty durable (but some people thinks they look as ugly as hell) It really depends on WHAT YOU WANT in the end.

good luck!

[GroceryBagHead]

Apple laptops are worth their ticket price, in my opinion. I use Macbook as my work computer for the last 2 years every single day. Hauling it to and from work every day. I never owned more dependable machine. I already ordered the new model as I need all 4 gigs of ram (my maxes out at 2) and cpu speed bump is rather nice.

At home I have my PC with quad core 2 cpu and beefy video card. Not even thinking about switching that for a Mac (or installing Vista instead of XP). Also I have a Linux server in the basement. I guess it boils down what kind of computer user you are and what you do with that.

If you decide to get a Macbook I'd suggest not getting AppleCare for few simple reasons:
1. You are covered for the first year anyway. Things like motherboard and other things you cannot replace yourself will normally fail within that period of time or won't fail for the long time.
2. AppleCare will never cover accidental damages like "ooops i dropped it and broke the screen"
3. You can replace harddrive/memory/battery yourself and it won't cost much.

If you can't afford a Mac, get a cheapo Dell. At least warranty from Dell is pretty good. Alternatively Lenovo is a relatively solid choice as well, used to be better when it was still IBM though.

[Matrixvibe]

In my opinion, i would actually get a mac, but they are pricey and the reason i stick with PC is because most products out there are made for pc and it becomes more convenient when buy add-ons like printers or what nots. Also because i already have a bunch of pc's and i dont want have deal with compatibility issues. Basically i would get a Mac but they are pricey. but if you are people who edit photos and videos i would say Mac would be the choice. And i know people who own Mac's and they claim it boots up faster than their Vista pc. If you end up getting a Mac, you could always run boot camp or any other program that will allow you to run XP or windows programs.

[KorruptioN]

If anything, do not get a Macbook just to run XP on it.

[TruE SkiLLS]

If anything, do not get a Macbook just to run XP on it.

or vista =P

[cuongp]

Changed the name of the title as advised.

Lots of solid points so far. I'm really leaning towards a Mac atm.

Looking at possibly getting this one:
http://store.apple.com/ca/browse/hom...ok?mco=MTE2NTQ

the $1399 one.

I have a question about the AppleCare warranty, how much is it and how long does it cover?

When is the best time to buy a Mac? I remember they sometimes offer free iPods when you purchase one or something. Should I wait till boxing day?

[TruE SkiLLS]

Changed the name of the title as advised.

Lots of solid points so far. I'm really leaning towards a Mac atm.

Looking at possibly getting this one:
http://store.apple.com/ca/browse/hom...ok?mco=MTE2NTQ

the $1399 one.

I have a question about the AppleCare warranty, how much is it and how long does it cover?

When is the best time to buy a Mac? I remember they sometimes offer free iPods when you purchase one or something. Should I wait till boxing day?

just to help you a bit more:

education discount (if you're in post 2ndry) is available. so it will be cheaper. and yes, that one is good.

Apple warranty: 1 year. if you have a cc that doubles the warranty of it, u odnt really need applecare

Applecare: 2 years on top of that. so 3 years total from date of purchase of the mac. (you can get this and register it on the 364th day of your mac warranty, it adds 2 years).
Cost: 199$ (cheaper with educational discount iirc)
Covers: parts and labour. just not any "accidental stuff"

best time for a mac? during summer when student ipods giveaway was available! but if not, any other time is fine (you might sometimes even get free printer offer)

boxing day: no, apple does NOT do discounts.

[jb22]

If you are getting a new computer and you have nothing holding you back, say a certain app or piece of hardware then it really doesn't matter if you're getting a Windows or OSX based laptop.

A MacBook would be a great laptop but in that doesn't mean that a Vista based laptop wouldn't be just as good.

When it comes to hardware, there really is no difference these days since there's nothing Apple specific about them.

For general use, it really doesn't matter.

I will say that when I was looking for a laptop I decided not to go for a MacBook Pro but rather an Asus with the exact same specs (plus some additional features) not only because it was a bit cheaper but more so because the Asus came with 2 year international warranty as standard.

[Mgz]

I'm looking to get a Macbook for christmas this year. I'll be mainly using it for school work, watching videos, and internet browsing.

this is RedflagDEALS , so just get the cheapest machine that satisfies this requirement

[pitz]

I just picked up a Dell Latitude D630, 2gb RAM, Intel Wi-Fi, Intel T7500 CPU, 14.1" LCD, etc. for $800 with 3-year next business day warranty, Vista Business, 9-cell battery, etc.

To pay close to double that for a Macbook makes absolutely no sense.

Macbooks top out at 4gb RAM -- the Dell D630/D830 and the new E-series all accomodate 8gb.

And, the lack of a trackpoint/pointer stick on the Macbooks is a major dissappointment, compared to the Dell Latitudes.

[tragd]

I just picked up a Dell Latitude D630, 2gb RAM, Intel Wi-Fi, Intel T7500 CPU, 14.1" LCD, etc. for $800 with 3-year next business day warranty, Vista Business, 9-cell battery, etc.

To pay close to double that for a Macbook makes absolutely no sense.

Macbooks top out at 4gb RAM -- the Dell D630/D830 and the new E-series all accomodate 8gb.

And, the lack of a trackpoint/pointer stick on the Macbooks is a major dissappointment, compared to the Dell Latitudes.

$800? 9 cell? how?

[pitz]

$800? 9 cell? how?

eBay..

Try this one, for instance:

http://cgi.ebay.ca/New-Dell-Latitude...d=p3286.c0.m14

You can look up the total configuration on the support.dell.com website based on the service tag, including any additional applicable warranties.

The unit I bought cost ~$40 more, but had the 9-cell. That one only has 6-cell it would appear.. But basically, still a solid business-class laptop for the money..

(and apparently you can hack MacOS to run on the D630's as well, albeit I believe there are some licensing issues).

[jb22]

Macbooks top out at 4gb RAM -- the Dell D630/D830 and the new E-series all accomodate 8gb.

Just be aware that Vista 32-bit only takes advantage of about 3.5gb or ram. To make use of more ram you need to go to Vista 64-bit. Something to keep in mind.

In any case, I don't see why the MacBook would ever need more then 4gb since it isn't designed to run pro apps that would ever require more ram.