Someone sell me on a MAC!!!

Ok, let's say I am in the market for a new laptop, why should it be a MAC? Is it really worth the extra money? Is it really all that much faster?

I want someone that knows enough about them to sell me, please. I have been considering them for awhile now and just have never pulled the trigger. I also need to be able to use Microsoft Office everyday, is that possible and affordable?

This is what I have been considering. Pretty much maxing it out so I don't have to upgrade anytime soon.

MacBook Pro 13-inch $1,799.00
2.8GHz Dual-core Intel Core i7
8GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM — 2x4GB
128GB Solid State Drive
SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Backlit Keyboard (English) & User's Guide

That's an easy one Booseman! There are so many reasons why Macbook is better than any other laptop, and they fall into 2 categories : hardware and software.

Hardware : best processor available today (intel i7) best hard drive available today (solid state). Can you get these in a PC? yes. But what you can't get from a PC(unless you are an UBER nerd) is the WHOLE system that apple puts together. Most PC "manufacturers" contract parts from several different vendors and mix and match parts, while apple uses exactly the same parts in every computer, and each part has been carefully balanced to work as best as it can in relation to all the other parts. I'm talking about the ram, graphics, sound and all other chips on the mainboard, as well as the mainboard itself. Most people never talk about motherboards when discussing computers, but they are where most computers break and/or have issues that make them unusable or unfixable, ESPECIALLY LAPTOPS. Also, the macbook has THE best monitor available on ANY laptop in terms of quality and clarity as well as being made of a solid aluminum body machined from a solid block that really really helps with keeping temperatures stable.

Software (this one is really easy!) : You only have 3 major options for operating systems to run a modern computer; windows, Linux, and macOS. Unless you know more about computers than I do, you will have a hard time learning Linux. I run Ubuntu Linux (the easiest Linux of all) and I still have to ask my smarter friends to guide me through things on it at times. So that leaves you with windows and macOS. Windows is popular because it is "user friendly" (read: geared toward ID-10t's) and because it is what most video games are designed to run on(even though most games are made on mac's...) BUT, windows is also what 98% of viruses are programmed to run on( even though most viruses are made with Linux)
MacOS is a little different if you haven't ever used it before, but you get used to it quickly. Its easy to use, gets no viruses, and runs STABLE(something windows will never ever be able to claim)

The only bad thing that can really be said of apple computers is how much the frickin things cost, but if you have the $$$$ then buy it, you won't regret it. I wish I had the money to buy one so I can stop hating on my friends that have them Would I buy an apple desktop? No, I can build one myself just as good for less money. Would I buy an apple laptop? ...if only I wasn't broke from tuition.....

In regards to microsoft office, they sell a version for mac but you DO NOT need it. Any office type software you can get will open microsoft office files and can save files in formats microsoft office can read too. Its all about the file extension and making sure you use the proper one when you save your files. (.txt, .doc, etc.) I highly recommend OpenOffice. http://www.openoffice.org/ It is free, well known, very well supported, and the best one I have used.

With all that in mind, that is the real question. Is it worth $1800 for the MAC or do I save a few bucks (meaning about $600) and get a PC.

The software issue is the one I am most afraid of. I absolutely have to have Excel, Outlook, Word, PowerPoint etc. you know what I am getting at. I have a pretty good understanding of PC's as I am A+ certified but I hav enever even touched a MAC except about 20+ yrs ago. Many of my friends that use a MAC have said that I will pick it up really fast though.

If you HAVE to have MS office, they make it for the mac. http://www.microsoft.com/mac/products

What you have to understand is that what that extra money is for is not the speed, but the stability and long life of a mac. You will wear out at least 2 PC's before that mac will break, so think of in terms of time and you will be saving quite a bit. Don't let that stop you from buying the best warranty they offer, though, "just in case". The best warranty apple sells also covers accidental damages IIRC, so.......

Cochise said:

If you HAVE to have MS office, they make it for the mac. http://www.microsoft.com/mac/products

What you have to understand is that what that extra money is for is not the speed, but the stability and long life of a mac. You will wear out at least 2 PC's before that mac will break, so think of in terms of time and you will be saving quite a bit. Don't let that stop you from buying the best warranty they offer, though, "just in case". The best warranty apple sells also covers accidental damages IIRC, so.......

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That is what I like to hear, that I will basically have to buy to PC's to last as long as this one MAC. That is the ultimate selling point right there.

3x the money for 1/2 the productivity = 2x the win.

Not. I'll stick with PC.

My wife got us a MAC for christmas 2 years ago. I've been a PC guy going back 30 years to my old IBM PC in 1982....
I can get around on this thing, but i don't really get it.
It's fast, but now I am the problem!

and now that I think about it, you are comparing the price of that mac to the "average" laptop. If you buy any laptop from any of the reputable companies with the same features ; i7 cpu, 8gb ram, and solid state drive, then you will pay about the same price.

Cochise said:

and now that I think about it, you are comparing the price of that mac to the "average" laptop. If you buy any laptop from any of the reputable companies with the same features ; i7 cpu, 8gb ram, and solid state drive, then you will pay about the same price.

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This is true.

I'll tell you about when I converted. I'm currently in college (to give you an idea of my age). I grew up on PC's. Got my first desktop when I was 9. When I was 13 I learned HTML and CSS, and started doing webdesign. At 14 I built my first PC. At 16 I started taking old PC's, ripping out hard drives and stuffing them in other casings to make servers in my closet. I've used Windows 98, Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 a little bit via my netbook. When I hit about 16 a lot of people I knew were getting Macs. I thought it was stupid. Why spend that much money when you can constantly upgrade your PC and have it just as good for half the price? Also talk about the customization and things you CAN'T do on a Mac... Well finally I decided to buy an iMac and see how it was and I absolutely loved it. No glitches, no freezing, no slowing down over time. It takes a little while to get used to but one day you just start to realize, hey, this thing works! When I went to college I did what you're looking at doing now. I bought the best MacBook Pro I could at the time. And I'm typing on it right now, and I must say it's as fast as it was when I bought it and that's almost two years ago. I have 4 Gigs of RAM and an i7. Also, my first Mac (the iMac), was purchased in 2007, only has two gigs of Ram and some intel dual core and it STILL runs well. I still own a handful of PC's but there's not much of a comparison.

If you need PC for work, or like to do gaming and networking etc, stick with PC. If you want a computer that runs well, and just plain and simple works, the Mac is worth it. And like mentioned before office is no problem. I have Office 2011 on mine right now. They make a version specifically for Mac. Also with Mac OS updates are really cheap. I was pissed when I bought a Vista computer, only to find out what a nightmare that OS is and then realizing I had to pay almost $200 to upgrade to the equivalent version of windows 7. OS upgrades on Mac are like 30 bucks.

Be sure to get the Apple Care warranty if you go that route though. I've used it more than once and the custom service is beyond amazing. When I first got the iMac the power supply went out. I was living in NOLA before that Apple store opened at Lakeside mall. Apple paid to have a certified technician come out to my house. Turns out he couldn't fix it, so Apple over nighted me a whole new iMac, and offered to pay to have all my files transferred.

So yeah, there's my long drawn out story of how hard I was into PC's and now how big I am into Mac's. Let me know if you have any questions!

Cochise said:

and solid state drive, then you will pay about the same price.

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Probably going to buy a Mac within the week. I know solid state stuff has been around for a while in jump drives and such but has it been out long enough to see its reliability in a hard drive ?

That pretty much answers a lot of questions for me. Thank you all I appreciate it. Like I said I have been on the fence but I think I am over that now.

Taiaut said:

Probably going to buy a Mac within the week. I know solid state stuff has been around for a while in jump drives and such but has it been out long enough to see its reliability in a hard drive ?

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Solid State has been out over 50 years. Only in recent years are people seeing its benefits in replacements for hard drives. I think it's extremely reliable. Only short coming is price and capacity. If you don't have a lot of files, or don't mind getting an external you should get one.

Taiaut said:

Probably going to buy a Mac within the week. I know solid state stuff has been around for a while in jump drives and such but has it been out long enough to see its reliability in a hard drive ?

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I have done a little re-search on that and everything I have been over says YES!! It is just very expensive the bigger you go. It is also much more durable and faster from what I have been reading. Everything out there pointed to going that route and that is why I chose it.

Cochise said:

Windows is popular because it is "user friendly" (read: geared toward ID-10t's) ...

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The same could be said of Mac, for those of us Linux users.

Mac is not worth the extra $ if you are not into making 3d animations or prefer the very impressive video editing/creation software. Otherwise Windoze is fine unfortunately if the Linux learning curve is too steep. I jsut priced a similarly equipped Windows laptop for a buddy last night for about $750 less than what your Mac up there costs(with a 17.3 inch screen, not 13.3). For your intents and purposes, you won't see a difference in performance if you're not doing the aforementioned tasks.

I've had my Macbook Pro 17 for about 5 years. I've never had a virus or had to reboot for anything other than upgrading the software. I started with a Commodore 28 and worked my way through many PC's. Then I experimented with Linux, that is what eventually got my to buy a Mac. My son DJ's and he started with PC and had a lot of crashes, we got him a Macbook pro 15" and he said he'd never go back to PC, as far as productivity goes, you can get Open Office for free, and it does everything Microsoft Office does. I actually have mine set up to save in Office format since I have to deal with Microsoft products at work. Adobe Photoshop, Coreldraw, and many other productivity suites work best and trouble free on Macs. Get as much RAM as you can afford, the newer one I think can hold 8 gig. Mine is limited to 4. My son has 8 in his. Once you go Mac you won't go back. I do have Win 7 on a desktop that my wife uses, and I converted my Win7 netbook to Ubuntu. Also Apple's customer service it great to deal with. My only issue was a battery that went out after 3 years of leaving it plugged in all the time, and the replaced it at the Apple store for free. The newer Macbooks with the solid state hard drives also have longer battery life, not as long as an Ipad, but twice as long as my Macbook. If I ever get a newer one it will be a 15" instead of 17".

Don't do it.

Brian22 said:

The same could be said of Mac, for those of us Linux users.

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This is very true, but I accepted long ago that Linux just isn't for most people. I love it, its free, its open, and the better versions are infinitely customizable, but I almost never recommend it to others unless they show to me that they enjoy the challenge of learning new things and even then, I tell them to get a second computer or use a dual boot setup. What distribution do you run?