Macbook vs Netbooks

[RU OX Alum]

I will always be a "mac person" because the two non-macs I had both went to hell in a matter of months.

I'd rather spend a few hundred up front than that same few hundred getting it repaired 6 months down the road.

[DaemonSeid]

I really would be curious to hear why anyone would go back to PC.

I guess for me, with my Mac, I do love having the Boot Camp option which allows one to run Windows on a Mac. I think the biggest issue with Windows is not necessarily the OS altho that tends to have its issues, but the hardware.

There are 1000s of hardware configurations that any one person can have to run any Windows OS on their system and that's why you have the 1000s of problems that keeps Geek Squad and etc in business. Not that Mac doesn't have the same kinds of failures but the rate is considerably less.

As far as the question as to mac building something cheaper...it's entirely possible and I still caution that you get what you paid for. There have been times i have spent under $500 bucks and the PC in question was a mixed bag. The Macbook I have had since November...so far...no problems. We have a G5 in the house that we have had for 4 years...ZERO problems.

Yeah it gets redundant...but I am saying all of this to say, let's be careful of what we ask for...when products start getting cheaper in price, the reliability becomes suspect.

That's why even in the used market, most Macs can still command a fair price...so Nikki if you still are pondering. in all seriousness there is craigslist.

That reminds me, one of my frat brothers called me last week angry because he can't find a used Macbook Pro 15" on craigslist for under a G. I laughed and told him...that's the sign of a good product. Take a Dell with the same specs that was $700 dollars last year and you will be lucky if you can get 1/2 for it right now.

Lastly, if you ever want to see what kind of rip off people are trying to pull, go to the computer shows. Note how much the vendors try to sell their laptops for. Take note of the specs (hard drive, CPU, memory) and then look at what you see in Best Buy or on TigerDirect.

[sigmadiva]

Originally Posted by DaemonSeid

I really would be curious to hear why anyone would go back to PC.

A few of the 'hard-core' programmers (LINUX, UNIX) that I know would rather use a PC over a Mac.

For me it was simply the physical weight of the netbook, combined with the price. My Acer weighs ~ 3 lbs and my MacBook Titanium weighs ~ 7 lbs. That may not seem like much until you have to haul it around all day!!

As far as the question as to mac building something cheaper...it's entirely possible and I still caution that you get what you paid for. There have been times i have spent under $500 bucks and the PC in question was a mixed bag. The Macbook I have had since November...so far...no problems. We have a G5 in the house that we have had for 4 years...ZERO problems.

From my research about netbooks is that the reason they are cheaper is because of the smaller screen and they don't have an internal CD drive. I never read that their lower price is due to quality. It is just stripped down a bit more, which then lowered the overall price. The way it was explained to me by a BestBuy sales person is "Netbooks are just a bigger palm pilot".

[DaemonSeid]

Originally Posted by sigmadiva

A few of the 'hard-core' programmers (LINUX, UNIX) that I know would rather use a PC over a Mac.

For me it was simply the physical weight of the netbook, combined with the price. My Acer weighs ~ 3 lbs and my MacBook Titanium weighs ~ 7 lbs. That may not seem like much until you have to haul it around all day!!



From my research about netbooks is that the reason they are cheaper is because of the smaller screen and they don't have an internal CD drive. I never read that their lower price is due to quality. It is just stripped down a bit more, which then lowered the overall price. The way it was explained to me by a BestBuy sales person is "Netbooks are just a bigger palm pilot".

But see, you just in a way, reiterated what i just said...you get what you paid for.

You buy a netbook that's missing 'pieces' and a smaller screen...LOL

I see your point too but something else to consider, netbooks are just starting to catch on, I would be curious to see what consumer reports will say about them within the next 2 years.

And Elepahnt walk just pointed out something else...to a degree, you still need to 'tether' your netbook with a PC in order to get some use out of it...

..interesting.

[sigmadiva]

Originally Posted by DaemonSeid

But see, you just in a way, reiterated what i just said...you get what you paid for.

You buy a netbook that's missing 'pieces' and a smaller screen...LOL

If that is all you want, then there is no problem. You 'get what you pay for' in terms of complexity of the computer, not necessarily in terms of quality.

And Elepahnt walk just pointed out something else...to a degree, you still need to 'tether' your netbook with a PC in order to get some use out of it...

..interesting.

I don't think this is what he meant, or, at least I did not read it that way. You have a netbook for 'quick convenience', not because it will be you main computer.

[KSig RC]

Originally Posted by DaemonSeid

I guess for me, with my Mac, I do love having the Boot Camp option which allows one to run Windows on a Mac. I think the biggest issue with Windows is not necessarily the OS altho that tends to have its issues, but the hardware.

There are 1000s of hardware configurations that any one person can have to run any Windows OS on their system and that's why you have the 1000s of problems that keeps Geek Squad and etc in business. Not that Mac doesn't have the same kinds of failures but the rate is considerably less.

Unless you're claiming Apple's (3rd-party) components are superior (hint: they buy from the same supply chains as PCs), then this is indeed a software/Windows issue.

Here's the thing: most computer issues are eminently predictable, and fall into a few main categories:

-Software issues (setup, virus/spyware) - this is entirely operator error, and any differences between Macs and PCs are incidental, rather than an innate superiority/inferiority
-Basic system failure due to 'old age' (this would be a motherboard dying, failed power supply, hard drive, etc.) . . . other than the actual processors, there isn't a fundamental hardware difference between PCs and Macs
-Laptop errors (screens breaking, etc.) - Macs might be superior here over certain, low-end PC brands, but I'm not sure the difference is significant.

The bottom line is that Apple has spent years defining their product as a "premium" product, one worthy of extra expense - if you like MacOS and prefer not to be able to 'customize' (which, for most people, means 'eventually fuck up') your system, or if you just think it looks cool, it's definitely worth the dollars. But anecdotes about Apple's lack of failures on a systemic level ring hollow - our company is split between PC and Mac users, and we've had far more problems with the Mac side, both in terms of hardware and software issues.

That reminds me, one of my frat brothers called me last week angry because he can't find a used Macbook Pro 15" on craigslist for under a G. I laughed and told him...that's the sign of a good product. Take a Dell with the same specs that was $700 dollars last year and you will be lucky if you can get 1/2 for it right now.

This is actually patently false - it's because similar Dells are basically given away, generally via corporate buyers. Value is a function of supply and demand, which may or may not be based on product quality - here, there's a perception issue ("Macs are cool, Dells are dime-a-dozen") and a product that has flooded the market. Seriously, I have five mid-line Dell workstation laptops sitting in a box in my office right now - they're far more capable than a similarly-priced Mac and just as reliable, it's just that there isn't a market. Dell's ads suck.

[PeppyGPhiB]

I've only owned two computers in my adult life. They both lasted more than six years. I've had to add more RAM to them once or twice so they can keep up with today's Web technology, but after that they're just fine. My experience has been that most issues people have with PCs is that they don't know how to use computers...period. They go to problem Web sites that are filled with malicious code, they download stuff they shouldn't, they click on links in emails that they shouldn't, or they try to game on a computer that doesn't have the memory for it. Macs are just as vulnerable to viruses as PCs...it's just that in the past the virus creators haven't bothered creating versions for Macs because they didn't have a big enough share of the market. As more and more people start buying Macs, you'll see a lot more viruses for them. And as any Mac owner - or company that has Macs - will tell you, once something goes wrong with a Mac, it REALLY GOES WRONG.

[DaemonSeid]

Why are they sitting in a box? LOL

Also I am not claiming that Mac's parts are superior but when you have so many ways to configure PCs (100's of brands of memory, HDD, CPUs<Athlon's incarnations vs Intel's incarnations> cooling systems) , then yes I tend to think that is the reason why the hardware failure rate could be so high on Windows machines.

I have to disagree with you on Dells....hehe and this is just purely my opinion based on what i have seen come out form them in the past 3 years, but I remember earlier in the decade, Dells were THE BRAND to get because at that point, the machines ran with few problems. But the last 3 years, from what I have dealt with (faulty memory errors, burnt out motherboards, etc.) and also with as you also stated, they are being given away, most Dells are 'junk'.

If I ever have to recommend a PC to anyone, I generally say Acers and HPs are your best bets and Asus brands are catching up.

I am however wondering when the gap will begin to close with Macs and PCs now that within the last few years, Intel chips are running the machines and people are starting to gravitate between both.

But let's come back a sec...to anyone who has or is thinking about getting a netbook. How many of you think that this will change the ideas of laptops as we know it?

Especially in a few years when solid state drives will hopefully have caught up to the conventional harddrive...will netbooks be 'the thing' to have?

[sigmadiva]

Originally Posted by DaemonSeid

But let's come back a sec...to anyone who has or is thinking about getting a netbook. How many of you think that this will change the ideas of laptops as we know it?

Since I have one, I'll answer. I really don't think it will change the idea of laptops. Netbooks were designed for a specific purpose. From my understanding, they were not necessarily designed to replace a laptop. Have BlackBerries changed how we think about laptops and telephones? To an extent, but the Blackberry market just made it easier to communicate. It did not make traditional phones and computers obsolete.

Especially in a few years when solid state drives will hopefully have caught up to the conventional harddrive...will netbooks be 'the thing' to have?

The netbook will be the 'thing to have' if you need one. Again, like BlackBerries, if you need one, then you have one. I personally don't need a BlackBerry so I don't have one.

[trutexn]

Hey guys,
would love to update this thread. Does everyone own a notebook or 13" Mac? I'm ready to shop.

[PiKA2001]

Originally Posted by trutexn

Hey guys,
would love to update this thread. Does everyone own a netbook or 13" Mac? I'm ready to shop.

I had a 13in macbook, loved it. Currently have a 15in Macbook Pro, love it even more.

BUT

Isn't a netbook like one of those 9in $300 internet only computers? Why either that or Mac? It's like deciding whether to buy an Escalade or an Escort.

[trutexn]

LOL! Fair enough. I meant notebook but was moving too fast. I'm leaning towards the Macbook 13". I'm tired of windows crashing.

[PiKA2001]

MacBooks have better resale value over notebooks, thats something to consider.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by PiKA2001

MacBooks have better resale value over notebooks, thats something to consider.

Silly person. You never get rid of computers, as long as you can still make them work for something.

[NinjaPoodle]

Although I'm a PC person, I gave in and recently purchased a MacBook Pro 13". My school's photo department (really, the school in general with the exception of a couple of departments) is hooked up with APPLE (yuck). So, since I've learned all my photoshop, lightroom, etc on macs and really, those programs are designed to work best with macs.

I bought it with my tax refund. I also got the student discount and managed to hustle additional discounts. I have my issues with it but basically, I'm ok with it. I do like that it's really a lot lighter than I thought it would be. Almost as light as the Macbook Air.

Originally Posted by PiKA2001

MacBooks have better resale value over notebooks, thats something to consider.

This is something else I considered when I purchased it.