Macboook v Windows 7 Laptop
Discussion
I have been thinking if i should ditch the trust old windows Laptop for a MacBook. I am struggling to see what benifits there are with a Macbook over a normal PC. For video/photo editing i cant really see much difference between them.
All of my family can use Windows stuff quite easily including my 6&7 years old. But by switching to a Mac o one is going to be able to use it out of the box. Soem of the Features do look quite good. Am i missing something or are people just buying them for the Fashion Factor.
All of my family can use Windows stuff quite easily including my 6&7 years old. But by switching to a Mac o one is going to be able to use it out of the box. Soem of the Features do look quite good. Am i missing something or are people just buying them for the Fashion Factor.
stevieb said:
I have been thinking if i should ditch the trust old windows Laptop for a MacBook. I am struggling to see what benifits there are with a Macbook over a normal PC. For video/photo editing i cant really see much difference between them.
All of my family can use Windows stuff quite easily including my 6&7 years old. But by switching to a Mac o one is going to be able to use it out of the box. Soem of the Features do look quite good. Am i missing something or are people just buying them for the Fashion Factor.
I made this switch about a month ago. I wish I had done it years ago. The Macbook does everything so much quicker, from starting up, to opening apps. It took me about a couple of days to get used to the new layout and the way it operates, but it is so much more logical than a PC. And I dont think you can get virus's either. Apparently you can run windows off a mac also. All of my family can use Windows stuff quite easily including my 6&7 years old. But by switching to a Mac o one is going to be able to use it out of the box. Soem of the Features do look quite good. Am i missing something or are people just buying them for the Fashion Factor.
Well the multi-touch trackpad is a massive plus for moving around the Internet, although this will doubtless get copied by windows laptops, if it hasn't already.
Also how quick it boots up from sleep mode when you open the lid, around 1 sec.
Generally less of a pain to use overall. Another big plus is that it runs pretty cold and doesn't have any vents underneath to get blocked if you dare use it on anything other than a shiny solid table.
Also how quick it boots up from sleep mode when you open the lid, around 1 sec.
Generally less of a pain to use overall. Another big plus is that it runs pretty cold and doesn't have any vents underneath to get blocked if you dare use it on anything other than a shiny solid table.
james_gt3rs said:
Can you stomach the price premium for the same hardware?
Dont you think the build quality of the Macbook more than makes up for the cost. Also the time saved when using your Mac v PC. I was forever waiting for updates, virus scans, restarts with my old Laptop, which was a fairly decent spec, I think it was about £800. Just something about the Mac that screams quality.james_gt3rs said:
Can you stomach the price premium for the same hardware?
I have about £1200 to spend. at the moment we have 2 laptops at home which have reasonable specs.. They are HP/Compaq 8510W (Workstation replacement things.. Which have proved there worth in the last year. But with the the obvious purchase of the Iphone/Ipod etc i am considering making the move to the Mac..
I have had various Macs for years in my home office (after wonderful RiscPC based Acorns!) and a number of Windows pc's (Compaq and Toshiba) for my work-work (base/presentations etc.) including a Toshiba now.
I recently wanted a laptop to complement the iMac and checked out many laptops running Vista or 7 but went for a MacBook and am very glad I did. As I've said to colleagues who regularly snipe - but who seem to be always moaning at their pc - it's easy to be a "Mac snob" when you use both!
The build quality, feel of the keyboard, cool running, speed of start up/that applications run at etc. is noticeably better imho. The biggest benefits that convinced me to pay the extra though are general ease of use (the 'gesture' based touch pad is fantastic for example) and the battery life. I get around 8 hours per charge (it also charges quickly) so at conferences can go through the whole day without the hassle I used to have of finding a powers source mid day. None of the high end Windows laptops advertised anything like as good a battery life.
My brother has a new pc laptop running 7 and thinks the Mac looks a better proposition overall.
It also seems that they are safer for web use (less virus risk? plus built in Firewall) and the ease of setting it up for the internet etc. (well, actually it found my network and wi-fi printer for itself in seconds, all I had to do was click 'confirm') was a big help.
I doubt you'd be disappointed after a it of acclimatisation.
I recently wanted a laptop to complement the iMac and checked out many laptops running Vista or 7 but went for a MacBook and am very glad I did. As I've said to colleagues who regularly snipe - but who seem to be always moaning at their pc - it's easy to be a "Mac snob" when you use both!
The build quality, feel of the keyboard, cool running, speed of start up/that applications run at etc. is noticeably better imho. The biggest benefits that convinced me to pay the extra though are general ease of use (the 'gesture' based touch pad is fantastic for example) and the battery life. I get around 8 hours per charge (it also charges quickly) so at conferences can go through the whole day without the hassle I used to have of finding a powers source mid day. None of the high end Windows laptops advertised anything like as good a battery life.
My brother has a new pc laptop running 7 and thinks the Mac looks a better proposition overall.
It also seems that they are safer for web use (less virus risk? plus built in Firewall) and the ease of setting it up for the internet etc. (well, actually it found my network and wi-fi printer for itself in seconds, all I had to do was click 'confirm') was a big help.
I doubt you'd be disappointed after a it of acclimatisation.
stevieb said:
james_gt3rs said:
Can you stomach the price premium for the same hardware?
I have about £1200 to spend. at the moment we have 2 laptops at home which have reasonable specs.. They are HP/Compaq 8510W (Workstation replacement things.. Which have proved there worth in the last year. But with the the obvious purchase of the Iphone/Ipod etc i am considering making the move to the Mac..
Peter101 said:
I was forever waiting for updates ... with my old Laptop
Updates often get a mention in the Mac or PC threads, but it's a bit of a red herring. Windows updates tend to be little and often, Mac updates tend to be less frequent and massive. It depends on personal preference as to which one is 'better', although theoretically frequent updates should equal less time exposed to potential security issues.Peter101 said:
Just something about the Mac that screams quality.
That's the price tag.petersLUFC said:
stevieb said:
james_gt3rs said:
Can you stomach the price premium for the same hardware?
I have about £1200 to spend. at the moment we have 2 laptops at home which have reasonable specs.. They are HP/Compaq 8510W (Workstation replacement things.. Which have proved there worth in the last year. But with the the obvious purchase of the Iphone/Ipod etc i am considering making the move to the Mac..
Form over function? A bit harsh! Have you ever used a Mac? I don't really care what it looks like it is how it performs - function - that wins it for me.
Oh, and my Mac Book cost £730 new in December, not £1200.
Peter101 said:
james_gt3rs said:
Can you stomach the price premium for the same hardware?
Dont you think the build quality of the Macbook more than makes up for the cost. Also the time saved when using your Mac v PC. I was forever waiting for updates, virus scans, restarts with my old Laptop, which was a fairly decent spec, I think it was about £800. Just something about the Mac that screams quality.Although I don't have a Mac, I do get fed up of Windows sometimes. The anti virus software slows any PC down, as does the bloatware installed with PCs. My compromise is to do web surfing with Linux, and gaming/multimedia with Windows. So I have the advantages of a Mac, but without the price drawback and occasional software incompatibility.
stevieb said:
james_gt3rs said:
Can you stomach the price premium for the same hardware?
I have about £1200 to spend. For anitvirus, install Kapesrky, you won't know it's running and is the best anti-virus software around.
Job done.
Edited by Silver993tt on Thursday 11th February 17:24
stevieb said:
I have been thinking if i should ditch the trust old windows Laptop for a MacBook. I am struggling to see what benifits there are with a Macbook over a normal PC. For video/photo editing i cant really see much difference between them.
All of my family can use Windows stuff quite easily including my 6&7 years old. But by switching to a Mac o one is going to be able to use it out of the box. Soem of the Features do look quite good. Am i missing something or are people just buying them for the Fashion Factor.
Buy a Mac, and within a week (99% sure) you'll use the well worn cliche "It just works". We've all done it. We were all happy on XP, but decided on a change. And what a change? If you still hate it after a month, sell it on Ebay and recover 80-90% of its value. Just remember to keep the box.All of my family can use Windows stuff quite easily including my 6&7 years old. But by switching to a Mac o one is going to be able to use it out of the box. Soem of the Features do look quite good. Am i missing something or are people just buying them for the Fashion Factor.
Apple stuff is quality kit works that works the way it should. The quality is not just in the design and manufacture of the product but also in the detail like the magnetic power connector - which means you can't break it off for instance! There are lots of little things that just make them so much nicer to deal with than the average Windows laptop.
Also, after 2 years they will hold a much higher resale value. But then that won't matter as many Mac users keep their machines for years without bothering with a new machine. It's why the installed users in the US is so much bigger than their market share. Mac users just keep their machines. And that is in part down to the quality of the product.
The difference between Mac users and PC users is this spec thing. Mac users aren't generally interested in spec, or the latest OS. They just want it to work. PC users are much more concerned with spec and staying current, which is ££ every single time. MS says "jump", PC users all jump.
How many PC users do you see posting the specs of their machines? Seriously, have a look around at Mac vs PC debates, and you always get some froggy looking nerd salivating over their 512M graphics card or something, or "oooo my hard drive is capable of 6g p/s transfer". I mean, seriously, who gives a f?
2 years in with my MacBook and I still can't remember what processor it has, because its unimportant for the most part. It's a Core something or other. And I'm saying that from someone who uses their machine way more than most people do (loads of things i've compiled up in the unix side to link in with our London servers for instance, custom graphic programmes that manipulate images when I'm on an event etc).
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