Laptop purchase: Windows or MacBook.

[DeMoon]

Just wondering if anyone here’s made the transition from Windows XP and jumped over to Apple’s new MacBook? How do you like the MacBook compared too window’s based PC and would you make the transition again?

My Toshiba laptop just died, so I’m in the market too buy a new laptop and I’m seriously considering going with the MacBook Pro. But still feeling a bit confused if I should make the transition or not…one thing holding me back is having too purchase new software for the mac.

I’ve only visited Futureshop and Best buy, are there any good Apple dealers in Calgary?

[nos_efx]

Try the apple store right outside of downtown, southbound McCleod by the Sasso towers... Sorry do not have an address.

I'd go for a MAC anyday and I've used Windows my entire life... Reason I don't go now is because of the software (Games and smaller applications). But if you are just using it to access internet and office productivity apps GO FOR IT :thumbsup:

The OS isnt that hard to transition to.

[CivicDXR]

The two big Apple dealers here are Westworld Computers, and My Mac Dealer. I've used a PC all my life and recently moved to a MacBook laptop. Can't say anything bad about using a mac so far...

http://www.westworld.ca/

http://www.mymacdealer.com/

[BrknFngrs]

definetly go for the macbook, i use a powerbook for any work im doing of value. Never once lost anything or had anything bad happen with the OS. Really easy to learn the operating system too

[kaput]

.

[ZorroAMG]

If you can afford it, go for the MacBook Pro...better graphics card, larger HD, more ram, 15" as opposed to 13.4"...

I have a MacBookPro and I LOVE it. I also have a G4 iMac from 2001 and it only really needed to be upgraded this April as I started using photo editing and video editing programs....
PC's out of the box that stay useful for 5yrs are pretty much non-existent.

[slick2404]

guy, the macbooks are crazy. i love mine.
i upgraded to 2gig ram so it can handle anything...put windows xp on it just incase i have compatability issues (bootcamp) so far everything is SOOO much better on a mac.


check out the youtube videos on macbooks haha i did so much research before getting mine

[Talies R]

Originally posted by slick2404

check out the youtube videos on macbooks haha i did so much research before getting mine

theres a million videos on fan noises, whats up with that?

[slick2404]

something with the first batch that people said overheated and made MOOOing sounds.
mine never did, and i picked up mine off ebay haha

[Talies R]

Originally posted by slick2404
something with the first batch that people said overheated and made MOOOing sounds.
mine never did, and i picked up mine off ebay haha

is buying a laptop from ebay a good idea? what about warranty and all that? as appose to westworld, my mac dealer.

[rockwolf2001]

If you can afford it, go for the MacBook Pro...better graphics card, larger HD, more ram, 15" as opposed to 13.4"...

agreed

Macs win
Plus you can upload windows onto your mac so that you can use both mac and windows, thats what my friends do

[DeMoon]

Thanks for the links, I'll head down to westworld and Mymacdealer in the next couple of days and check them out.

How long did it take you guy's to get used to the operating system...looks like everything is done the opposite in OS x?

Just read more info regarding "Boot Camp" that sounds very kewl that I can have dual boot, so I can still use some of my favorite windows programs on the macbook.

Also I've read alot of good reviews regarding the Macbook Pro, however I've also read alot of user reviews complaining about the heat generated from the macbook. Have you guy's noticed this at all?

I'm also looking at purchasing an external monitor as the laptop will most likely be used 80% at home 20% at the office or when I'm travelling. The 23" Apple Cinema HD is high on my list. Any other monitors I should be considering?

[kaput]

.

[nos_efx]

I personally will not buy any major computer purchases over ebay. You can take your chances with dealers that have phenomenal positive feedback but still the peace of mind of knwoing you can go somewhere in person should there be anything wrong is priceless.

Frankly you stand a better chance at getting a better product from an authorized dealer, you honestly will not save a great deal getting it online... There really isnt any of a markup for laptops/desktops as they've become more of a necessity then anything.

I've worked at futureshop and laptops barely rake in any substantial commission, we do however nail you on the warranty though lol :rofl: :rofl:



Originally posted by Talies R


is buying a laptop from ebay a good idea? what about warranty and all that? as appose to westworld, my mac dealer.

[Phat_Tercel_YO!]

If you don't mind me asking, what happened to your Toshiba?

I've been looking at a few laptops myself, and the MacBook is definately in my mind right now. I was also considering a Toshiba due to it's huge screen, and the fact that my ancient Toshiba is still ticking somewhat.

From the things I've been hearing though, the MAcBook Pro is the way to go.

[DeMoon]

Originally posted by Phat_Tercel_YO!
If you don't mind me asking, what happened to your Toshiba?

I've been looking at a few laptops myself, and the MacBook is definately in my mind right now. I was also considering a Toshiba due to it's huge screen, and the fact that my ancient Toshiba is still ticking somewhat.

From the things I've been hearing though, the MAcBook Pro is the way to go.

The screen or video card on my Toshiba finally died. Purchased it back in 2001, and used it heavily at different client sites and at the airport when I was travelling 100% of the time. It never once gave me a problem. Only thing I've replaced so far is the power adapter, replaced the battery a couple of times, and upgraded the HD. So over all I was very happy with it.

Toshiba and IBM Thinkpad are by far the best out of a bunch of laptops that I've used with DELL being the worst.

Based on the responses and from what I've read on the net it looks like the MacBook may live up to my expectations.

[eblend]

i would never buy an apple hardware product, but thats just me.

[sneek]

my sister had a macbook and absolutely loves it. The only thing is it broke within 60days of getting it. It was fixed at no cost.

For myself, Id rather stick with PCs

[clem24]

Well, depends. My wife's bro bought a mac book thinking heck, it can run Windows now, so why not? Well, it's really not as smooth as he thought it would be. If you can't live without Windows, then don't even think about it.

He is actually going to bring his desktop back to school (in addition to the laptop) just in case he needs to run windows stuff and it doesn't work on the Mac. So totally defeats the purpose of the laptop in the first place.

Just think long and hard and consider what you want it to do and if OSX is what you really want.

And btw, if you're buying for styling, the new Sonys seem to be styled very similar to the Macs and they are very attratively priced. Some even have the 13.3" screen.

[ZorroAMG]

ewwww.....sony products.

last great thing produced by sony:

http://pocketcalculatorshow.com/walkman/sony/graphics/wm-f5.jpg

[googe]

ive always hated mac. that said, OS X is the way to go now. its all intel hardware and can be used for either one now too. i just hate that apple wont let you install os x on non-apple intels, cause i want to use it on my existing pc hardware.

[clem24]

Originally posted by ZorroAMG
ewwww.....sony products.

What is it that people have against Sony? Their ES line of audio equipment from a few years back was awesome bang for the buck. Their Discman players were awesome (mine is 10 years and still works). My PSP is an amazing little machine. My PS1 still works great (though I have to flip it upside down).

Quite honestly, I am not sure what to think anymore. I've seen Sony's that last a long time. I've seen Toshibas that crap out in less than a year. I've seen Dells that crap out in 1 year and ones that run forever. My boss likes Acer even the painted finish always gets flaky and chips off and battery issues show up now and then. And now people have problems with Macbooks.

Seriously, they probably all roll off the same assembly line in China and Taiwan, with just different shells on top. I think it's just luck of the draw.

[snade831]

I've had my iBook for almost 5 years. I wont use anything else.

[ZorroAMG]

I dunno, Had my iMac G4 since 2001, upgraded in April of this year to the MacBookPro and I still use the Imac sometimes...

Not a bad lifespan, most PC's could never go that long without an upgrade.

[DeMoon]

For those with Macbook and also running "Parallel" or "Boot Camp", do you still have full access to USB Ports, Firewire and DVI?

[Envitro]

Yes. and Yes.

MacBook Pro FTW... Seriously, it's not even close. I run WinXP SP2 and Vista using Parallels. Haven't tried bootcamp yet, but I can't be bothered with Dual boot setups. I just don't like it. The laptop is more than powerful enough to run both OS' at the same time, without issue.

I just switched to a 17" MBP C2D and it's the shits. It kicks ass. Can't say enough about it. It's about a 1000 times better than any PC laptop that I've used.

[Supa Dexta]

I find macs and sonys under spec'd and over priced...

[ZorroAMG]

[/unsupported statement]

[ProjectR]

the macbook pro is so much more expensive than the macbook. a buddy of mine just said to get the macbook and upgrade the sd ram to 2gb and get the superdrive.

i'm also trying to decide between the two or just a regular windows based laptop. with the money you spend on the mac's you'd be able to get a pretty good windows laptop.

[yellowsnow]

there's a reason why the macbook pro is more expensive, and that's the video-card and the screen size.

i have a macbook, and it doesn't play games that well. if you're doing a lot of media stuff, go with the macbook pro, otherwise the macbook is pretty good for everything else.

[yellowsnow]

and bootcamp is awesome.

just hold the apple key during bootup, and just click on the windows icon to boot with windows, or the mac icon to macosx

[ProjectR]

Originally posted by yellowsnow
there's a reason why the macbook pro is more expensive, and that's the video-card and the screen size.

i have a macbook, and it doesn't play games that well. if you're doing a lot of media stuff, go with the macbook pro, otherwise the macbook is pretty good for everything else.

yeah i do graphic design. still a toss up between that a just a regular laptop. $1500 can get a pretty decent windows laptop.

[camby]

I have a macbook and without parallels I'd say it's not worth it.

[CaseoftheEX]

mac all the way

[Si_FlyGuy]

Originally posted by DeMoon


The screen or video card on my Toshiba finally died.

What a coincidence, my Toshiba died a few days ago too. I also think it's the video card. The thing lasted 19 months, the shortest lifespan out of the IBM, Sony, Compaq laptops that I've used. Quite disappointing actually.

[CivicDXR]

Originally posted by camby
I have a macbook and without parallels I'd say it's not worth it.

just switched to parallels today, so much better than boot camp in the fact that I don't have to reboot to swich OS's...

[core_upt]

I'm also considering a Macbook (non-pro) and have a few questions (some of which are pretty dumb!):

Pretty much all I will use mine for is internet, email, photos (no major photowork, just photoshop), and music. Will a mac run Bit Torrent? Is there specific software I'd need to burn CDs (ie Nero for my PC).

Does the copy of Windows need to be legit to run two operating systems (I do need windows for a work program)?

Any thought on Apple.ca Refurbished units?

Applecare worth it? I do intent to keep it for a while and am currently leaning towards warranty.

Wireless - will it recognize any wireless signal, or do I need the Airport BaseStation? IE - we have a PC at home and if I add a wireless router, will it detect it?

[CivicDXR]

Originally posted by core_upt
Pretty much all I will use mine for is internet, email, photos (no major photowork, just photoshop), and music. Will a mac run Bit Torrent? Is there specific software I'd need to burn CDs (ie Nero for my PC).

Thats pretty much what I use it for... i can use torrents on OSX, I use a program called Tomato Torrent. U can use iTunes to burn CD's, or if u choose, I use Toast to burn CDs



Originally posted by core_upt
Does the copy of Windows need to be legit to run two operating systems (I do need windows for a work program)?

Doesn't have to be, but it'll probably be better to keep it updated and secure. Remember, to run it in BootCamp, it has to be a non-upgrade version, and it has to be an SP2 version because it need the SATA install drivers, the older versions don't have it.



Originally posted by core_upt

Any thought on Apple.ca Refurbished units?

Applecare worth it? I do intent to keep it for a while and am currently leaning towards warranty.

Haven't tried either, i think their refurbished units are covered by the same warranty though.


Originally posted by core_upt

Wireless - will it recognize any wireless signal, or do I need the Airport BaseStation? IE - we have a PC at home and if I add a wireless router, will it detect it?

Yes, Airport is just their name for the wireless stuff...

[bball2]

I have a mid end hp laptop, it's lightweight and compact, and I've gotten battery life of 5+ hours.

Intel Celeron-M 430 - 1.73GHz
512 ram
60gb hd
xp pro

Really happy with it, and I also got it at a great price. I would suggest a windows laptop if money is a factor at all.

[DannyO]

Mac 4 Evar.

I had it with windows, Apple all the way now (got no problem with pc hardware, I've got a couple sonys that have lasted).
I run loads of stuff on my iMac G5 and it does it all, and with only 512megs of ram and a full harddrive (so its hard to swap around its virtual memory), its been on now for 3 months, don't see any reason it needs to be turned off, iBook also got to over 2 months being on until I accidently turned it off, my windows machine couldn't reach a week without fucking up.

As for Apple hardware, they seem to be ok, although a lot of people say the quality has dropped, I know 3 people with the new Macbooks and they have had no problems, like one guy said, I think its just luck of the draw with most of the hardware.

[E36M3]

I have a Macbook Pro and my girlfriend has a Macbook, and they've been nothing short of excellent so far. I work with a couple dozen people who have them as well, and I haven't heard a single problem reported.

Couple tips:

Parallels is far better than bootcamp. You can run any of your favorite OSes natively without rebooting.

Ordering from apple.ca is usually faster than using a local Calgary dealer (they don't seem to ever have any stock, and are piss poor in my experience in terms of knowledge and service)

If you are a student, Apple offers a discount directly online.

Refurbished from Apple.ca is probably a good way to save even more money.

I don't buy AppleCare as my warranty is automatically doubled by my credit card company, and two years is as long as I keep anything. I handed down my first Apple laptop (a TiBook which is now probably five years old) which is still used everyday and still works flawlessly. I'm typing this message on a Powerbook which is a few years old now, and I honestly don't know why I needed to upgrade to a Macbook Pro.. this computer is still perfect for my needs.

I've owned four Mac laptops personally and never had a problem with reliability. These machines are very well constructed, and the value for dollar on the new Intel boxes is incredible. Compare a comprably equipped laptop from anyone else and Apple actually usually comes out less expensive.

Mac OS X is a masterpiece. Windows, Linux and other Desktop OSes all seem quaint and dated by comparison. Even Windows Vista seems a couple generations behind.

Everything just seems to work as it should with Apple, and you save yourself an incredible amount of hassle. It is a very pleasant computing environment.

[white_insomnia]

Originally posted by core_upt
I'm also considering a Macbook (non-pro) and have a few questions (some of which are pretty dumb!):



Applecare worth it? I do intent to keep it for a while and am currently leaning towards warranty.

Wireless - will it recognize any wireless signal, or do I need the Airport BaseStation? IE - we have a PC at home and if I add a wireless router, will it detect it?

Protection Plan is definitly worth it (most of the time they will just replace your computer at no charge) oppose to having you send it in for repairs and you covering the costs after 1 yr

also all shipping charges are covered by the protection plan

YEs the computer will detect any wireless signal

[ZorroAMG]

Originally posted by E36M3
I have a Macbook Pro and my girlfriend has a Macbook, and they've been nothing short of excellent so far. I work with a couple dozen people who have them as well, and I haven't heard a single problem reported.

Couple tips:

Parallels is far better than bootcamp. You can run any of your favorite OSes natively without rebooting.

Ordering from apple.ca is usually faster than using a local Calgary dealer (they don't seem to ever have any stock, and are piss poor in my experience in terms of knowledge and service)

If you are a student, Apple offers a discount directly online.

Refurbished from Apple.ca is probably a good way to save even more money.

I don't buy AppleCare as my warranty is automatically doubled by my credit card company, and two years is as long as I keep anything. I handed down my first Apple laptop (a TiBook which is now probably five years old) which is still used everyday and still works flawlessly. I'm typing this message on a Powerbook which is a few years old now, and I honestly don't know why I needed to upgrade to a Macbook Pro.. this computer is still perfect for my needs.

I've owned four Mac laptops personally and never had a problem with reliability. These machines are very well constructed, and the value for dollar on the new Intel boxes is incredible. Compare a comprably equipped laptop from anyone else and Apple actually usually comes out less expensive.

Mac OS X is a masterpiece. Windows, Linux and other Desktop OSes all seem quaint and dated by comparison. Even Windows Vista seems a couple generations behind.

Everything just seems to work as it should with Apple, and you save yourself an incredible amount of hassle. It is a very pleasant computing environment.


GREAT post, my sentiments exactly with my 2001 iMac G4 and my MacBook Pro