<p>Is what should everybody get. End of threads in this section.</p>
<p>:D</p>
<p>depends what ur gonna b doin wit the computer in college</p>
<p>graphics, film, photo, music, games, videos, editing of any sort = macbook pro</p>
<p>everything else = macbook</p>
<p>Wait...isn't that pretty much all of it?</p>
<p>I mean, I do Stata and Office on my MBP just fine...</p>
<p>I play games, I write papers, I listen to music (no ipod), I watch movies, and I browse the internet. I have neither the means nor the desire to shell out >2k for a computer with a glossy OS.</p>
<p>not everyone can afford a macbook pro... much less a macbook</p>
<p>You can get a Macbook Pro for about $1600 (without tax...) with the student discount. Also, get the ipod nano rebate, and then sell the ipod nano on ebay. Then, get the $100 rebate for a printer and sell the printer on ebay. It works out to about $1600 for the lowest MBP with no upgrades. Pretty good deal.</p>
<p>I'd rather have a macbook, ipod, printer, and 3 year warranty for $1600.</p>
<p>Or I could put down 1.2k for a laptop running xp with all the features I need plus some. I understand that a mac is helpful for people into graphics or video editing or whatever, but most people have no reason to pay 1600 for a laptop</p>
<ol>
<li><p>iPods suck, and are worthless pieces of junk.</p></li>
<li><p>I have a printer</p></li>
<li><p>Warranties are for people who break their computers. It's the user's fault.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Also, I would get a mac, simply because I could use MacOS instead of Windows, because I have gone through years (hmm... 25?) of PCs and I can't stand it anymore.</p>
<p>gaming = windows</p>
<p>everything else = mac</p>
<p>:). if you happen to need windows, just install it on the mac.</p>
<p>I'm not a gamer, but why on earth should someone shell out several hundred dollars more for a mac if they're just going to be writing papers or browsing the internet or listening to music or whatever? I can think of much better uses for 500 dollars than going from windows to mac</p>
<p>Woohoo, another thread of people who don't really know what they're talking about!</p>
<p>Macs are by far not the be-all-end-all of computers. Frankly, the amount of stuff I can't do on a Mac is irritating, and the fact that I'm paying more for some kind of fluffy "design aesthetic" in order to be not able to do that stuff is just the icing on the cake.</p>
<p>People's points about Windows not necessarily being an unbelievable OS are valid (though no one here made them... guess why?), but if I want an alternative OS I'll go for Ubuntue, with KDE or Gnome. Better design than MacOS, WAY better price. And it'll dual-boot on my hardware, which is also better than a Mac's - and cost less. Hmm, is there a pattern here?</p>
<p>Lol another mac thread. Those things are way overpriced. The only use I can see for them is video editing, because from what i hear, their software is better than premiere. Macs are terrible for games, the only decent game i can think of on a mac is starcraft. I also hear they tend to fail by getting too hot. I know a couple people how have had to replace heatsinks. My roommate had a macbook and his harddrive died. </p>
<p>Granted, the design does look nice, but its not worth the premium. OSX is terrible as well, its functions are limited to pictures, movies, and music. I would rip on their hardware, i'll cut it some slack since they have intel processors now. </p>
<p>Like the poster above, even if i got a mac, i would wipe OSX and put ubuntu on it.</p>
<p>
[QUOTE]
People's points about Windows not necessarily being an unbelievable OS are valid (though no one here made them... guess why?), but if I want an alternative OS I'll go for Ubuntue, with KDE or Gnome. Better design than MacOS, WAY better price. And it'll dual-boot on my hardware, which is also better than a Mac's - and cost less. Hmm, is there
[/QUOTE]
</p>
<p>My most recent build uses FeistyFawn. Linux is not really for the average computer user. Installing applications is a pain. The overall look is an eyesore. Not to mention that the fact that the standard setup of fonts makes websites look horrible. It pains me to think that Linux users aren't viewing my webpages the way I intended them to look.</p>
<p>
[QUOTE]
Granted, the design does look nice, but its not worth the premium. OSX is terrible as well, its functions are limited to pictures, movies, and music. I would rip on their hardware, i'll cut it some slack since they have intel processors now.
[/QUOTE]
</p>
<p>I'm guessing you haven't had much exposure to OS X as you say " its functions are limited to pictures, movies, and music," eh?</p>
<p>The prices are comparable to other companies. The only models that are a bit more expensive than the Windows counterpart seem to be the minis, macbooks, and the low end iMac. The Pro and higher end iMacs are cheaper or atleast around the same price as their Windows counterpart. Not to mention that you won't get the build quality and design from Dell or HP.</p>
<p>I saw a laptop with 2 gigs ram on sale for 650 dollars last week. I'd have to pay a couple thousand to get a mac with 2 gigs. Granted the 650 computer doesn't have the same processor and whatnot that a mac would, but I don't need THE BEST graphics card and THE BEST video software and THE BEST looking operating system, I just need the best computer within my means, and Macs are ridiculously highly priced.</p>
<p>
[QUOTE]
I saw a laptop with 2 gigs ram on sale for 650 dollars last week. I'd have to pay a couple thousand to get a mac with 2 gigs. Granted the 650 computer doesn't have the same processor and whatnot that a mac would, but I don't need THE BEST graphics card and THE BEST video software and THE BEST looking operating system, I just need the best computer within my means, and Macs are ridiculously highly priced
[/QUOTE]
</p>
<p>First of all, it's just silly to compare the prices of two computers with completely different specs.</p>
<p>Secondly, an upgrade to 2GB is $175 on the Macbook. You don't have to pay a "couple thousand" to get a Mac with 2GBs of RAM. Also, buying and installing the ram yourself would be cheaper ($30-50), avoiding the $175 upgrade.</p>
<p>Wow...so much ignorance here.</p>
<p>Where to begin?</p>
<p>
[quote]
1. iPods suck, and are worthless pieces of junk.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>I have a printer</p></li>
<li><p>Warranties are for people who break their computers. It's the user's fault.
[/quote]
</p></li>
<li><p>What makes it "worthless?" I love my Nano, and think it's pretty much the best MP3 player for what I needed.</p></li>
<li><p>Sell the printer, then. </p></li>
<li><p>Not true. I've had hard drives fail in new computers. How was that my fault? How abut having the same computer's motherboard fry three times just using it for internet?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>
[quote]
I'm not a gamer, but why on earth should someone shell out several hundred dollars more for a mac if they're just going to be writing papers or browsing the internet or listening to music or whatever? I can think of much better uses for 500 dollars than going from windows to m
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I shelled out the extra because I wanted a computer that would run quickly, do everything well, and offer me an operating environment that I enjoy using. I also wanted a thin notebook that didn't weigh too much.</p>
<p>Macs are not for people who just want a throwaway computer. They're not the Hyundais of the computer world. They're the BMWs. </p>
<p>
[quote]
Frankly, the amount of stuff I can't do on a Mac is irritating,
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Like what? I have yet to find something I can't do on my Mac.</p>
<p>
[quote]
the fact that I'm paying more for some kind of fluffy "design aesthetic" in order to be not able to do that stuff is just the icing on the cake.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>You're paying more for a lot of things.</p>
<p>You're paying more for the included service, the OS, the completeness of the package, and the whole overall "experience." It's not just the aesthetics. But even so... why shouldn't I enjoy the aesthetics of something I stare at for hours? Why shouldn't I be able to do things quickly and efficiently? I loved how easily I got work done in Excel and Stata compared to on my Windows machines.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Those things are way overpriced.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Define "overpriced." Compare Macs to Lenovos, and you'll find they're quite comparably priced.</p>
<p>
[quote]
The only use I can see for them is video editing, because from what i hear, their software is better than premiere. Macs are terrible for games, the only decent game i can think of on a mac is starcraft.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Try all Blizzard games, all new EA games, Civ, and most of the new big names.</p>
<p>That, and I CAN USE WINDOWS. I play Oblivion on my MBP.</p>
<p>By the way, I also do everything else on my Mac. The only time I switch to Windows is to run Oblivion. That's it. I ran 40 man raids in WoW all the time on my Mac. It performed splendidly.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Granted, the design does look nice, but its not worth the premium. OSX is terrible as well, its functions are limited to pictures, movies, and music.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Except...not. But why should reality get in the way of irrational behavior?</p>
<p>
[quote]
Granted the 650 computer doesn't have the same processor and whatnot that a mac would, but I don't need THE BEST graphics card and THE BEST video software and THE BEST looking operating system, I just need the best computer within my means, and Macs are ridiculously highly priced.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>What happens if the $650 computer goes kaput? Who fixes it? What's the battery life like? Will it be easy to get things upgraded? Is it reliable? </p>
<p>Hyundais may have 10 year warranties. Cheap computers don't. When you buy a better computer, you're hedging against the future.</p>
<p>LOL dude, about the BMW comment. I happen to own a BMW and it is probably the trashiest, most unreliable car I have ever owned. None of the windows open or close (except maybe a few times a year), the steering wheel FELL OFF when I was turning out of my driveway :D, the gas gauge only goes up to the middle after I fill the tank, and then quickly drops to zero, the the automatic transmission does not shift sometimes, the washer fluid low light comes on even when it's not low, and I could just go on all day. </p>
<p>I don't think Macs are like BMWs at all! :D</p>
<p>I totally agree with the rest of your post though!</p>
<p>What year BMW is it?</p>
<p>Really though, your single car is not indicative of any trend. You can find unreliable Toyotas, but that doesn't mean that they are, on average, bad cars.</p>
<p>Nice stuff UCLAri :D I agree with everything you said.</p>