My Quest For The Apple Part 1

I have to say, if you’re comfortable using a mac then go for the MBP. It’s a good machine with lots of nifty features.

I, too have been a loyal windows user for many years but where you and I differ is I have niether the time or the inclination to go about learning a whole new OS and spending a butt load of cash just to do the same job I do now but look more stylish doing it.

The choice is yours mate but think about the cost to benefit ratio… how badly do you want to go apple?

Dan

What hurts even more is, I can go to dell.com and configure a new notebook for the same money, but with a lot better specs.

If I think of the cost vs. benefit - That’s where my dilemma is. I’ve set my mind on the MBP, but I know I can get a lot more for the money if I buy a PC.

I see it as a challenge to learn a new OS and blog about my experiences as a Mac-user from day 1.

Yeah man I see what you’re saying. I’m about to order my Dell Laptop in the next few days.

Dell Vostro 1700:
core 2 duo 2.1ghz with 3MB cache
2GB RAM
250GB HDD
256MB GeForce graphics card
Webcam
17″ widescreen
Nice gloss black finish (a’la mackbook)

£474.70
________________________
MacBook Pro:
2.4ghz Core 2 Duo
2GB RAM
200 GB HDD
15.4″ Widescreen
256MB GeForce Graphics
Webcam

£1,299
________________________

Speaks for itself really doesn’t it?

I understand what you are saying about comparing the two, but I think you will be very happy with the MBP.

I love my MBP - I switched about a year ago and am happy with my choice. It’s stable and reliable, and really a joy to work on. I had never touched a Mac before I walked into our local Apple reseller, but I was instantly sold.

Dennis, I disagree that the PC is a better value - it really depends on what you’ll be using it for. If all you need to do is surf the web and write emails, sure, you can go with an inexpensive machine. If you’re a more hard-core user, go ahead and configure a machine on Dell’s site with the same specs that a Mac has - you’ll often find that the PC is more expensive. The macs are built with high-end processors, graphics cards, ample hard drives, etc. that are usually pricey upgrades for a PC. That said, I recently purchased a Dell XPS for my son to bring to college. For what he wanted to do with it, and taking into account the huge discount that I found online and the fact that he’s a hard-core “windows guy”, the Dell was the obvious choice. Everyone is different.

Keep in mind, also, that Macs using Leopard can run Windows flawlessly through BootCamp. There are times that I have to use Windows programs for work, and through BootCamp and VMWare I can do so quickly and easily. I work on a PC all day at the office, but get more done in less time at home on my Mac.

Be sure to look at the whole picture before you pull the trigger!

Lisa… I’m sorry but:

“I disagree that the PC is a better value - it really depends on what you’ll be using it for.”

..is nonsense. Look closely at my comparison. In the MBP you get Less HDD, smaller screen and Identical graphics card (Both are GeForce 8600M GT with 256MB of memory). You get 0.3 ghz per core more on the CPU but an identical amount of cache… that’s hardly worth mentioning. In that case… the MBP is nearly 3X more money. THREE TIMES! I don’t care how you look at it. The PC is better value.

This is especially significant now that PCs and Macs use the same architecture.

Now, a word on Software… for the mac it’s more expensive. Fact. From games to Office Applications it’s consistently more expensive. So from a Value for money point of view… PC is an obvious winner.

The advantages macs have, however are that they are very simple to use in anger. They are very “point and shoot”. Also, there’s no denying that they are beautiful objects that make you look pretty cool.,… Although not as cool as the £800 I have left over in my wallet…

Oh, and I thought I’d add. Dennis, if you do choose the macbook pro, you will be very happy with it. there’s no denying that. It’s a good spec and a solid, tried and tested machine that a lot of people swear by.

I was simply stressing the point of cost over benefit as they are, near as damn it, the same machine and that seems to be your main concern in this move.

Dan

Well, then, do enjoy the savings and your new Vostro.

You can argue price all you want. The most important thing is the operating system. I have a Apple Powerbook (the MBP predecessor) that is five years old. I have lived with three major upgrades to the OS and the computer is still humming along smoothly. No bugs, no crashes, no viruses. Ease of use. I am never tweaking the thing to get it to recognize a wireless signal, to burn CDs, to download images. I am never reinstalling software, dealing with a registry (what is that, anyway?) or other time consuming chores.

Regarding comprison pricing between Apple, Dell and HP, here is another article:
http://lowendmac.com/ed/fox/08ff/mac-pro-vs-dell-hp.html

@Lisa: Bootcamp is one of the reasons, I’m so close to buying a MacBook. I think it’s a great feature and very easy to set up.

Thank you very much for your input and welcome to TBN!

@Dan (Minute44): There is an economic side to this as well yes. That’s a part of my dilemma

@Dan: Welcome to TBN and thank you for stopping by. I’ve read a lot of people say that MacOSX is very stable.

Great link by the way.

@ Dan…

I think you’ll find you can run OSX on third party laptops now… and apparently it works very well indeed.

Hi Dennis -

Thanks for the welcome. I don’t get into the mac vs. pc debates, because frankly, I don’t care for the holier-than-though attitudes that are so prevalent in both camps.

I use both Mac and PC, and in my mind, there are clear advantages and disadvantages to each. I’m still finding my way around my MBP, and sure, sometimes I’m tempted to go jump on my XP desktop and work, because I know Windows inside and out. Still, I prefer my mac, and that’s what works for ME. I didn’t purchase Office for Mac because NeoOffice is free and is essentially the same thing. I use BootCamp to access expensive windows software that I don’t want to re-invest in, such as Photoshop and Dreamweaver. I use a virtual machine mostly, rather than logging in through BootCamp directly. I have used Parallels to do this in the past, but found it to be pretty unstable. I’ve started using VMWare and really love it. I can start windows through my Boot Camp partition without restarting the computer, so it’s like using two systems at the same time.

So that’s my 2 cts. Purchasing a new computer is a big investment, regardless of the price. You’re wise to do your homework and purchase the system that is best for YOU.

Best of luck!

Lisa

[...] may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!As you might have read, I’m on a quest for either a MacBook or a PC. The comments in the latest post clearly shows that the battle between Apple and Microsoft - or OS [...]

To realistically compare specs you have to know the manufacturer and part numbers. For example, just because one computer has a 250GB hard drive and another has a 160GB hard drive you can’t conclude the one with the 250GB drive is better.

If somebody could guarantee that your PC would never suffer from malware, spyware or viruses - and that antivirus software was unnecessary — how much would that piece of mind and increased productivity be worth to you in cash? $100? $500 ? $1000?

Macs may be afflicted tomorrow but I am talking about the present — right now. Secure.

[...] you might have read, I’m on a quest for either a MacBook or a PC. The comments in the latest post clearly shows that the battle between Apple and Microsoft - or OS [...]