Apple VS Windows??

[regder]

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Since you have a 6 year old laptop then one can infer that you use it for Office and browsing.

I suggest a nice $500 Toshiba or Asus laptop.
Save your money. Windows 7 with ideally 8 gigs of ram but 4 is fine makes for a powerful machine that will last for another 6 years.
The new Samsung laptops look pretty good too.

For light use, those cheap laptops are fine. Would throw it out the window if I had to use it everyday though. There is a gigantic gap in usability between a basic laptop and something more expensive.

Things like keyboard, trackpad, battery life, screen quality, thinness, weight, build quality, design.

If you can afford it, don't torture yourself with a cheap laptop

 

[PSY]

For light use, those cheap laptops are fine. Would throw it out the window if I had to use it everyday though. There is a gigantic gap in usability between a basic laptop and something more expensive.

Things like keyboard, trackpad, battery life, screen quality, thinness, weight, build quality, design.

If you can afford it, don't torture yourself with a cheap laptop

I disagree. Those $500 Asus laptops are pretty good for most people.
Clearly if someone wants a gaming rig he would not still be using a 6 year old laptop.
If you are not gaming/CAD/intense graphics work, I see no need to spend more than $1k at the most for a laptop and that is with a 17 inch screen. All batteries are warrantied for 1 year or less so take that off the table.

Toshiba makes a nice 15 inch laptop for ~450-500.
Direct the savings to better bike gear or training.
God for bid you just save your money unless you are loaded and $3k is chump change.

People get caught up in the hype for crap they will NOT do.
This laptop can pilot your space ship to the moon.

 

[Bigevildoer]

Personally, I would buy a Mac.
Sure, I use them regularly. Had a Windows laptop too.

Macs have the unique ability to install both OS's onto the same machine via BootCamp (which comes with the machine).
Since it runs an intel processor, the OS's are ran natively, and not through an emulator which degrades performance drastically.

The BootCamp Windows "partition" is completely contained and cannot effect the Mac directory whatsoever in case one of the bajillion viruses out there manage to infect it.
If you need to wipe the partition, simply erase it and the disk space will be freed up for your Mac to use.

So, if you have need of Windows, simply switch the startup control panel and reboot.
Want to boot as a Mac, switch the control panel again and away you go.

This way you can get the best of both worlds.

 

[BubbaL00]

ASUS is the way to go for quality laptops. My 5 year old ASUS laptop is still running strong. Plus ASUS has the best warranty; 2 year warranty including accidental damage (e.g. dropping your laptop).

 

[Macs]

ASUS is the way to go for quality laptops. My 5 year old ASUS laptop is still running strong. Plus ASUS has the best warranty; 2 year warranty including accidental damage (e.g. dropping your laptop).

And their head office and repair depot are located in Markham!

 

[regder]

I disagree. Those $500 Asus laptops are pretty good for most people.
Clearly if someone wants a gaming rig he would not still be using a 6 year old laptop.
If you are not gaming/CAD/intense graphics work, I see no need to spend more than $1k at the most for a laptop and that is with a 17 inch screen. All batteries are warrantied for 1 year or less so take that off the table.

Toshiba makes a nice 15 inch laptop for ~450-500.
Direct the savings to better bike gear or training.
God for bid you just save your money unless you are loaded and $3k is chump change.

People get caught up in the hype for crap they will NOT do.
This laptop can pilot your space ship to the moon.

My point had nothing to do with specs, rather real world function. I think it's safe to say that 90+% of computer users don't need anything special spec wise, but do need something that works.

My sister has one of those $500 Asus laptops, whenever I have to do something on it, I have the urge to bang my head against the wall. I can't even touch type on it, the keyboard is so bad. Trackpad is beyond useless. Battery only lasts about 2.5-3 hours of basic use, and that was when it was brand new. Screen has low res and poor viewing angles. It's thick, it's heavy, the powebrick is a brick. Well, you get the idea.

As I said, the usability differences between a basic and premium laptop (PC or Mac) is gigantic. There's a reason that Asus sells >$1000 laptops

 

[SunnY S]

Typical quality Sunny post, taking a good discussion and sending it downhill

Yeah, sorry for providing a respected source and link from a website that probably tests more laptops, and a wider range of computers in one week, then you have in your entire life.

Let me burst your reality distortion field again.... they said the Sony Vaio was BETTER than the Macbook Air.

Imagine that?





.

 

[regder]

Yeah, sorry for providing a respected source and link from a website that probably tests more laptops, and a wider range of computers in one week, then you have in your entire life.

Let me burst your reality distortion field again.... they said the Sony Vaio was BETTER than the Macbook Air.

Imagine that?





.

You love putting up that review. I've already responded to it in the Android thread, THREE months ago, still waiting on your reply

Copied from the Android thread

"Dude, get off your Apple bashing high horse. Did you actually read the article?

The trackpad sucks, the battery life is worse than a comparable 13" Macbook Pro (or Air for that matter), the screen has bad viewing angles but better resolution. He likes the keyboard which looks identical to the one on my Macbook, albeit with a bunch of stupid buttons on top. He likes that Sony is now using a slot loading optical drive, how long has Apple had those now? Basically he found a competent (****** trackpad kills it for me, personally) pc laptop, in no way does he elaborate why it's better than a Macbook Pro. It's funny how all the Apple bashers like to point out how expensive Macbooks are, and this guy finds one that he likes, and it's the same price as a Macbook. Go figure

If I was a consumer and I was basing my purchase on internet reviews, that review is absolutely useless. For real tech reviews there are much better sites than Cnet."

http://www.gtamotorcycle.com/vbforu...-than-iPhone&p=1852759&viewfull=1#post1852759

 

[SunnY S]

Did you actually read the article?

in no way does he elaborate why it's better than a Macbook Pro.

Maybe YOU didnt read the article?


"This is the laptop that I wanted the new 13-inch MacBook Pro to be: lighter, graphics-boosted, with a higher-res screen. This Vaio S isn't a revolutionary machine, but it's finally a version of the Vaio S that makes no compromises, and gets a leg up on Apple's 13-inch Pro in the process."


Apple reality distorted fanboys.
:laughing3:

 

[regder]

Maybe YOU didnt read the article?


"This is the laptop that I wanted the new 13-inch MacBook Pro to be: lighter, graphics-boosted, with a higher-res screen. This Vaio S isn't a revolutionary machine, but it's finally a version of the Vaio S that makes no compromises, and gets a leg up on Apple's 13-inch Pro in the process."


Apple reality distorted fanboys.
:laughing3:

With worse trackpad, battery life, and "has terrible off-axis viewing angles".

Not saying it's a bad laptop, wouldn't buy one myself though, all depends on your priorities

Edit: Was reading the comments and the author replied with this;

ScottStein8 Jul 25, 2012
The MacBook Pro has a better design, a better battery life, and better trackpad and overall construction. The Vaio S, however, is lighter, has a better set of specs for the price, a higher-res screen, optional Blu-ray, and Nvidia graphics. These are the features I would have expected in the 13-inch MacBook Pro (except Blu-ray), but never came to pass.

 

[rawr]

Never heard of someone assembling a laptop, do they sell laptop housings/motherboards by the piece?

Yes, sort of. I got a barebones laptop from Eurocom and put my own hard drive and memory in. Best laptop I've ever owned.

Sent from spaaaaace!

 

[Macs]

Yes, sort of. I got a barebones laptop from Eurocom and put my own hard drive and memory in. Best laptop I've ever owned.

Sent from spaaaaace!

If you buy an enthusiast laptop, they're highly upgradeable. Like my M18x, or really any Alienware laptop. Same goes for the Asus G series and Sager/Clevo and Eurocom laptops. But no, you can't just buy a laptop "case" and mobo and screen etc.

Really, to buy a spec'd laptop is a sham. Buy the "worst" they'll offer you and upgrade yourself for less. I got my AW laptop with 4gb of ram, 1 300gb HDD, one gpu, etc. and upgraded to their top tier one (at the time) myself for a significant discount over their preassembled price.

 

[RandomHero]

Since you have a 6 year old laptop then one can infer that you use it for Office and browsing.

I suggest a nice $500 Toshiba or Asus laptop.
Save your money. Windows 7 with ideally 8 gigs of ram but 4 is fine makes for a powerful machine that will last for another 6 years.
The new Samsung laptops look pretty good too.

Maybe YOU didnt read the article?


"This is the laptop that I wanted the new 13-inch MacBook Pro to be: lighter, graphics-boosted, with a higher-res screen. This Vaio S isn't a revolutionary machine, but it's finally a version of the Vaio S that makes no compromises, and gets a leg up on Apple's 13-inch Pro in the process."


Apple reality distorted fanboys.
:laughing3:

The fact that you call anyone who likes an apple product a fanboy makes you look like an idiot. You do ruin conversations by making them confrontational when they don't need to be. Get off apples dick already, it's pathetic.

 

[tricky]

If you buy an enthusiast laptop, they're highly upgradeable. Like my M18x, or really any Alienware laptop. Same goes for the Asus G series and Sager/Clevo and Eurocom laptops.

The Asus G1Sn was the laptop I got when I started school in 2008. Thing still runs well to this day. I don't use it too much anymore because I sunk an arm and a leg into building a desktop, mainly for CAD work.

On a weird side note, the knapsack that came with that Asus is the one I've been using (everyday) ever since. The damn thing's bulletproof. I've even ridden 2 seasons with it.

 

[knowledge]

I've got a mac. it's about to hit 5 years and it's still going strong. And what I got for 2k 5 years ago you can now get for under 1500. I've had windows laptops before this and I'm really happy that I made the switch.

Whether or not it was "worth every penny" is debatable for some people, but my next purchase will be another mac.

I don't consider myself a fanboy - just someone who took a chance once and ended up being happy with the purchase. When I was on windows, I had to reformat once a year; I haven't done it since on my mac.

 

[K1200RS]

The animosity that exists between those for and against Apple computers can get quite intense but it is largely without resolution. I would just shut it out. One forum that provides useful information is http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/switcher-hangout/. You can read about why others decided to switch. Here is another useful webpage from Apple: http://www.apple.com/support/switch101/

My own experience is that it is an easy machine to use for long periods: good keyboard, long battery life, very easy to use trackpad, lightweight, rugged, and an easy-to-view screen. The new Retina display is exceptionally clear and crisp; amongst the technical press, this single feature has received a lot of praise. Generally, the software applications are easy to use and they are cheaper than the Windows counterparts. OmniGraffle, a first rate graphics package is about a third of the cost of Microsoft Visio. Pages, a word processor is 20.00 dollars versus 150 dollars for MS Word.

I recommend you take a trip to a local Apple store and check out their laptops. You will find the staff very helpful. Basically, all their support is free unless they have to replace parts out of warranty or if you require training. For what it is worth, I have never purchased an extended warranty and I have not needed it.

Good luck with your search.

My HP laptop is starting to go bananas, but after 6 years of ownership, I feel like I got my money's worth out of it.
I'm currently in the market for a new laptop and I can't decide between the Apple Macbook Air/Pro VS. another HP.

Every one keeps telling me to get the Apple, it's so much better but they never give me a reason why.
What is it about the Apple computers that is much better than a standard HP/Samsung/etc.?

 

[regder]

For what it is worth, I have never purchased an extended warranty and I have not needed it.

I was with you 100% until that point. I would recommend for everyone that buys a Mac to buy Applecare, you can find it for cheap on ebay or craigslist (you're basically buying a serial number to register it). I paid about $150 for a 15" MBP Applecare off craigslist. So far, it's paid for a new hard drive, a new fan, and a new display.

 

[CruisnGrrl]

if you get an HP fork out the cash for an envy, dv6 or dv7. everything else is not something i would buy.

in my experience apple has the only usable track pad, all other notebooks require a mouse to be usable... apple has nice build quality but for that kind of cash they better.

I've had a chance to play with windows 8, if you can get a windows 7 machine, buy the upgrade discs and set them on the shelf incase you need them but pray that you don't. windows 8 is a nightmare - I'm not looking forward to it's release date (later this week).

if you go with mac you will likely have to repurchase software (and possibly things like printers) you have on your current pc how ever some older versions of software and hardware will not work on the latest version of windows and some will not work on the next version of windows (8). older printers, scanners and other similar devices often do not get driver updates for the latest version of windows because there's no money in it for the company so do your research on what supports what.

if you have to have office it is available on osx, there are also many competing programs for less (or free). osx has an actual built in mail application, where on windows you have to go third party, buy office or use a web browser.

many programs get released on both platforms.

unfortunately there is no perfect os out there, otherwise we wouldn't need tech support, but after dealing with people (and attempting to fix them (or their computers)) all day i don't wanna fight with mine, so i bought a mac. even when i was supporting mac os for the company i work for (peripherals for computers) i found even though macs have their issues they were easier to fix and didn't break as often. also had far less requirement to tell people that they had to format and reinstall because the os was corrupt. plus there's no .net framework (which i found often when corrupted required an os refresh).

 

[Poser]

My HP laptop is starting to go bananas, but after 6 years of ownership, I feel like I got my money's worth out of it.
I'm currently in the market for a new laptop and I can't decide between the Apple Macbook Air/Pro VS. another HP.

Every one keeps telling me to get the Apple, it's so much better but they never give me a reason why.
What is it about the Apple computers that is much better than a standard HP/Samsung/etc.?

Based on you mentioning Macbook in your post, you have the funds for one. Get it.

I came from a 17" HP, and got a 13" Air....i must say the 13" really looks and feel like a 15" in your lap.

A 13" Pro(Retina), should be announced today.

Just like others, i did years on Windows....a dreaded experience, although i was tech-savy with it.
I am sometimes scared to touch a windows computer, true story....but its useful to have laying around.
I will never purchase another windows computer again, but i might install that new Windows OS "8" on my Mac(not sure why, just cause i can).
The beauty about installing it too, i can install Windows onto an External Hard drive....bamm!!!! Even access that Ext. HD wirelessly....bamm!!!

Sometimes i use Airplay Mirroring from my Mac to LCD TV(via Apple Tv).

Accessing a wireless network is a breeze, compared to windows.....damn.

The Trackpad was built large, to justify no such need of touching a LCD screen. The gestures an Apple trackpad utilizes, can't be beat(windows users don't have a clue of what i am talking about). Hint: download bettertouchtool for every Mac.

Only if you see what my Mac is capable of, DONE DEAL.

If you do get a Mac, your computer woes are out the door.

Lets see who will call me a Fan, first?

 

[K1200RS]

In general, for most electronics, I don't believe that an extended warranty (beyond what the manufacturer offers) is worthwhile. Anything electronic that is defective is likely to fail very early in its life (mostly within 48 hours). Beyond that "infant mortality" stage, things just keep chugging along until the device approaches its end of life. If you look up the term "bathtub curve" you will see what the characteristic rate of failure is for most electronics. However, in your case, I am guessing that you either got a lemon (it happens) or the machine saw some hard use.

Buying an extended warranty makes money for the sellers in that it covers potential losses and it is additional revenue. I have heard, anecdotally, that Apple's warranty policy is quite generous and they might, at their discretion, cover damages that are not necessarily covered by warranty. One of my friends, a network engineer who specializes in CISCO systems (read rocket scientist) spilled coffee on his laptop and it was covered by Apple after he sang a song about how many people he had convinced to buy a Mac (me included). On that point, I find that a lot of Apple sales are motivated by friends telling friends.

Let's hope the OP takes the plunge.

Another few sites to check out are Daring Fireball and MDN (Mac Daily News). Both are news aggregator sites that cover a lot of topics related to Apple and its competitors.

I was with you 100% until that point. I would recommend for everyone that buys a Mac to buy Applecare, you can find it for cheap on ebay or craigslist (you're basically buying a serial number to register it). I paid about $150 for a 15" MBP Applecare off craigslist. So far, it's paid for a new hard drive, a new fan, and a new display.

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