[TruckersFun]

I am looking into purchasing my 1st Mac computer.
I am seriously considering a 17" macbook pro with a 256gb Solid State Hard Drive.
I am really having a tough time making the decision based on the cost factor.
The machine I have spec'd out is approx $3300 USD. with " NO" development software on it.
I know I can get a Good PC for a lot less money, but I seem to go through Laptops like disposable lighters.
My questions are:

• What kind of life can I expect from a mac VS a PC?
• Is there a noticeable difference in performance between a Mac and a PC?

Any help in making an informed decision is greatly appreciated.

[samd007]

Yes, compared to at least Lenovo PCs, mac is less hardy, chips blow very often & not to mention many softwares are not compatible & the equivalent ones are little non-user friendly to work with. The Office for Mac is very slow start up.
The + points are: you don't really need any anti-virus software, and speed faster than windows

P.S: I am posting this reply from a Mac

This post has been edited by samd007: 15 February 2010 - 04:20 AM

[TruckersFun]

samd007, on 15 February 2010 - 03:19 AM, said:

Yes, compared to at least Lenovo PCs, mac is less hardy, chips blow very often & not to mention many softwares are not compatible & the equivalent ones are little non-user friendly to work with. The Office for Mac is very slow start up.
The + points are: you don't really need any anti-virus software, and speed faster than windows

P.S: I am posting this reply from a Mac

What do you mean by " Blow Chips Often"? and is this an expensive repair when it happens?
I am not familiar at all with Mac's. so to hear they blow chips has me confused.
I have never heard of that happening to any computer,
burned up a few components, but never blown up a chip. YET

[ClubUgly]

I have never had that happen on any mac that I've owned. The first macbook I had for 6 years then my home was robbed. I now have a 15.4 macbook pro for almost a year and no problems. It outperforms my vista64 anyday. Infact my old macbook out performed any of my computers. I assumed you are looking for solid state laptop due to movement around in the truck which is a good choice, but if you need to cut back on the funds get the same laptop with a normal drive then swap the drive out for a WD Scorpio 320gb drive as it has shock and drop protection and less expensive to replace as that drive only costs $69 at bestbuy.

As for the software, everything you can find on a pc you can find for a mac... adobe, dreamweaver, ftp, msword, msn, firefox and etc... I run them everyday and fast.

[samd007]

TruckersFun, on 15 February 2010 - 08:51 PM, said:

What do you mean by " Blow Chips Often"? and is this an expensive repair when it happens?
I am not familiar at all with Mac's. so to hear they blow chips has me confused.
I have never heard of that happening to any computer,
burned up a few components, but never blown up a chip. YET

I also own a 15.4 Macbook (now the same model they launched as pro) with 4 GB Ram & 250GB HDD since Nov2008. I love it, but within 5 months, found the airport not working, when took to a Mac centre, they renewed my motherboard. Now that was free as within warranty. Imagine if you had to do it yourself. FYI, I do not travel with that mac & hardly 200 Hrs ran till then. It was almost brand new but ...........
I also recently bought a Sony Viao with Win 7 & cann't say which one out-performs which one.

[Chad Whaley CEO]

mac all the way

[Dan]

I really cannot compare myself. I have ran pc's since the 8088. However, my buddies that have made the switch say they wish they had done it sooner. I for one do not like big changes.

[elmadah]

mac is the best OS

[ClubUgly]

elmadah, on 20 May 2010 - 02:34 PM, said:

mac is the best OS

I agree... I have been running both OS for almost 8yrs plus and the Mac has never failed me. I have wanted to toss my windows os computers against the wall on almost a weekly basis lol. For those that are scared of change, pretty much everything you use or need on a pc is available on a Mac without popups or spyware lol.

[Matze]

I also think Mac is the best. Easy to use, no spyware, no drivers, no bluescreen(s). <3

[Zero]

Matze, on 19 June 2010 - 08:14 PM, said:

I also think Mac is the best. Easy to use, no spyware, no drivers, no bluescreen(s). <3

If it wasnt for those problems I wouldnt have much income at all lol

[Joshua Webb]

well you can always look for some TuTs on the net to install Mac on a PC just to see if you would like The Mac OS then buy a real one..( I would as running mac on PC is not supported)

[SlideRiceFC]

I've been debating my next laptop purchase too. I'm pretty much sold on the macbook pro but I also fear issues with the hardware. If I do get one you better bet I'll be getting any applecare coverage they offer.

I bought a graphite iMac SE when they first came out years ago and it died within a year of having it. It started out with the screen getting darker. At first I thought it was my imagination. Finally it got dark enough that I knew I had a real problem. On the apple forums MANY people had the same issue and several had their logic boards replaced under apple care. Some even more than once. I tried several little tweaks and things people suggested. Eventually one day I powered it up and could hear everything coming to life but the screen stayed black. When I called Apple they claimed I purchased my mac months before I really did and the tech claimed he'd never heard of such problems with the iMacs. I suggested he read his own forums. I spoke to another person and was told the same thing...never heard of this issue. Finally they claimed to have found the correct date of purchase but my applecare coverage was set to expire in two days. They told me that since they had conflicting purchase date information I needed to find my original receipt and fax it to them showing proof I bought it on that date. If I did that they would allow me the option of purchasing the extended apple care coverage for two hundred dollars and I could make my call in to support then. I was so pissed. I told them the issue occurred well before the expiration date on the coverage. They can look at their own forums for my postings and they should have records of my calls to support made well within the coverage period. They said they were sorry but that was the only option they could give me. In hindsight it was probably dumb of me to not take them up on it. I'd spent almost $1800 on a computer that didn't make it through a year. But I'm a stubborn guy so I took it up on mezzanine storage area in my shop and pitched it a good 15 feet down onto the concrete garage floor. With all the hoopla concerning the new iPhone I see they still haven't changed how they deal with their customers. I bought an iPhone 3g a couple years ago and I'm overdue for an upgrade and was waiting for the new iPhone. After seeing how they've been handling things I've held off and am giving serious thought into going with a HTC phone.

I wish I hadn't had such a bad experience with them because truthfully I love their products. The first computer my family ever had was an Apple II. I used them in high school for editing the school paper. I probably would still be using them today if it weren't for the iMac fiasco.

My room mate just built a very slick hackintosh box using new components from Fry's Electronics for $450 that at least spec-wise should outperform a high end mac desktop. It worked great until his last update that apparently wasn't compatible with his sound card so he's in the process of reloading 10.6.2 back on. But hell, for the price it's a decent option. The only downside is for people like me that are largely attracted to mac due to design aspects. I've even seen some very nice netbook hackintosh projects that even after hd and ram upgrades still came in under $800 including the purchase of OSX and the netbook. And some of the mac clone netbooks out there are another option and if it craps out you're only dealing with at worst buying a new $400-500 machine.

[Joshua Webb]

SlideRiceFC, on 17 July 2010 - 12:02 AM, said:

I've been debating my next laptop purchase too. I'm pretty much sold on the macbook pro but I also fear issues with the hardware. If I do get one you better bet I'll be getting any applecare coverage they offer.

I bought a graphite iMac SE when they first came out years ago and it died within a year of having it. It started out with the screen getting darker. At first I thought it was my imagination. Finally it got dark enough that I knew I had a real problem. On the apple forums MANY people had the same issue and several had their logic boards replaced under apple care. Some even more than once. I tried several little tweaks and things people suggested. Eventually one day I powered it up and could hear everything coming to life but the screen stayed black. When I called Apple they claimed I purchased my mac months before I really did and the tech claimed he'd never heard of such problems with the iMacs. I suggested he read his own forums. I spoke to another person and was told the same thing...never heard of this issue. Finally they claimed to have found the correct date of purchase but my applecare coverage was set to expire in two days. They told me that since they had conflicting purchase date information I needed to find my original receipt and fax it to them showing proof I bought it on that date. If I did that they would allow me the option of purchasing the extended apple care coverage for two hundred dollars and I could make my call in to support then. I was so pissed. I told them the issue occurred well before the expiration date on the coverage. They can look at their own forums for my postings and they should have records of my calls to support made well within the coverage period. They said they were sorry but that was the only option they could give me. In hindsight it was probably dumb of me to not take them up on it. I'd spent almost $1800 on a computer that didn't make it through a year. But I'm a stubborn guy so I took it up on mezzanine storage area in my shop and pitched it a good 15 feet down onto the concrete garage floor. With all the hoopla concerning the new iPhone I see they still haven't changed how they deal with their customers. I bought an iPhone 3g a couple years ago and I'm overdue for an upgrade and was waiting for the new iPhone. After seeing how they've been handling things I've held off and am giving serious thought into going with a HTC phone.

I wish I hadn't had such a bad experience with them because truthfully I love their products. The first computer my family ever had was an Apple II. I used them in high school for editing the school paper. I probably would still be using them today if it weren't for the iMac fiasco.

My room mate just built a very slick hackintosh box using new components from Fry's Electronics for $450 that at least spec-wise should outperform a high end mac desktop. It worked great until his last update that apparently wasn't compatible with his sound card so he's in the process of reloading 10.6.2 back on. But hell, for the price it's a decent option. The only downside is for people like me that are largely attracted to mac due to design aspects. I've even seen some very nice netbook hackintosh projects that even after hd and ram upgrades still came in under $800 including the purchase of OSX and the netbook. And some of the mac clone netbooks out there are another option and if it craps out you're only dealing with at worst buying a new $400-500 machine.

yea I currently Run Mac On My Gigabyte ep45-Udp3 Motherboard and Love and in doing this it has sold me on Getting A Mac Pro(8-core Version) and I have only 150 more bucks to save! woot

[ClubUgly]

Don't forget on any given day you can purchase Apple Care for $300 even after the computer has taken a shit and they will pretty much replace all internals even if it's just one item defective which is a really good deal and it lasts for 90 days but whatever they replaced in it has even a further warranty so if the stuff they replaced fails after 90 days you are still covered for those items for even a more extended time. I had a year 2000 ibook which they did this too and still to this day it's working like a champ and I know for almost a year after paying that $300 they took care of me. You will never get that with a PC anywhere unless you bought a warranty of something with BestBuy