<p>^^^ I lol’ed at how fail this post was. Learn to shop.</p>
<p>Having a netbook or a small screen size doesn’t mean your screwed and have to have high resolutions with small print size nor does it confer that much difference in keyboard button sizes (seriously look up close and you’ll notice not that much of a difference). Do you have to have small hands to push the buttons on a phone? Not really. Maybe if you compare a 7" netbook with a 17" notebook but a 9" netbook with a 13" notebook is pretty close.</p>
<p>I don’t even know how to read your rant on Mac. “Do computer you own…” huh?</p>
<p>“Do you like to play games on your laptop and/or enjoy windows? - get any laptop.”</p>
<p>LOL you failed to make the distinction between dedicated and integrated graphics cards. If you’re running off of integrated graphics there’s going to be a serious drop in the performance of modern games.</p>
<p>When comparing the cost of Macs and equivalent notebooks, they’re not that much different. Meaning, compare the technical specs.</p>
<p>“do you like more processing power for editing movies or believe in getting the most for your money - get a desktop”</p>
<p>Again, in no way shape or form is it that simple. There are so many classifications of PC’s from gaming rigs to HTPC’s and even then the cost of these PC’s can range from $300 to several thousand dollars.</p>
<p>lol, yeah… wasn’t even sure how to read that post. Oversimplified with a oddly worded rant on Macs. </p>
<p>Honestly if anyone’s still confused or debating, you really should do some research rather than asking here :)</p>
<p>^^, its not really a rant. </p>
<p>“Do computer you own slow down dramatically over time? ( ie after 1 year your computer takes 10 minutes to boot up) - get a mac”
Simplifies to, if you cannot take care of your computer, get a Mac. </p>
<p>“Are you willing to pay a premium for ease of use and Aesthetics - get a mac”
True. Can’t argue with it.</p>
<p>Zairair
“When comparing the cost of Macs and equivalent notebooks, they’re not that much different. Meaning, compare the technical specs.”</p>
<p>I would like to disagree here and say that a Mac’s specs can be found on a notebook for definitely under $800, perhaps even under $700.</p>
<p>4GB ram, 320+ HD, 3+ hrs of battery, dedicated GPU, bluetooth, HDMI, firewire, webcam, 14 in., at LEAST a 2.0ghz C2D processor.</p>
<p>Difference is in the Ipod touch ($200 value). And if you’re really nitpicky, higher education student discount ($50). And pray tell… what laptop are you talking about?</p>
<p>And just because 1 or 2 notebooks is a better deal than the Mac doesn’t mean the Mac doesn’t still reside within the middle %50 of all laptops because I bet you’re just referring to a single laptop on an incredible sale or something…</p>
<p>It was a poorly worded sentence, hence why we thought it was a rant, when in reality none of us know for certain what he meant except for himself.</p>
<p>[Newegg.com</a> - SONY VAIO CW Series VPCCW23FX/B NoteBook Intel Core i3 330M(2.13GHz) 14" 4GB Memory DDR3 1066 500GB HDD 5400rpm BD Combo NVIDIA GeForce 310M](<a href=“Are you a human?”>Are you a human?)</p>
<p>[Newegg.com</a> - MSI E7235-295US NoteBook Intel Core 2 Duo P7350(2.00GHz) 17.0" Wide XGA+ 4GB Memory 320GB HDD DVD Super Multi NVIDIA GeForce GT 130M](<a href=“Are you a human?”>Are you a human?)</p>
<p>[Newegg.com</a> - TOSHIBA Satellite L655D-S5076 NoteBook AMD Phenom II Quad-Core P920(1.6GHz) 15.6" 4GB Memory 320GB HDD 5400rpm DVD Super Multi ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4250](<a href=“Are you a human?”>Are you a human?)</p>
<p>[Newegg.com</a> - HP Pavilion dv4-2140us NoteBook AMD Turion II Dual-Core M520(2.3GHz) 14.1" Wide XGA 4GB Memory 320GB HDD 7200rpm DVD Super Multi ATI Radeon HD 4200](<a href=“Are you a human?”>Are you a human?)</p>
<p>[Newegg.com</a> - Acer Aspire AS5551G-4280 NoteBook AMD Turion II Dual-Core P520(2.3GHz) 15.6" 4GB Memory DDR3 1066 320GB HDD 5400rpm DVD Super Multi ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5470](<a href=“Are you a human?”>Are you a human?)</p>
<p>Well this is just from 5 minutes of looking through newegg.</p>
<p>Imagine what you can find if you actually spend time researching for the best deal.</p>
<p>I never said the Mac doesn’t reside within 50% of all laptops…</p>
<p>Don’t get me wrong, I think the Mac is great. I just want to be objective and maintain a holistic perspective.</p>
<p>The 310M is a lesser model than the Macbook’s 320M. The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5470 also is worse than the 320M. Don’t believe me? [Notebookcheck:</a> Notebook & Laptop Reviews and News](<a href=“http://www.notebookcheck.net/]Notebookcheck:”>http://www.notebookcheck.net/) Check the benchmarks. The Mac has a higher clock speed on it’s processor (2.4GHz C2D). I would not value those tech specs alone any better than the Mac. Those laptops don’t seem to offer anything but more HDD space and wider screens.</p>
<p>Also there’s a certain reason why noone writes reviews for any of those laptops. My point was, if you’re not simply paying for the name when you buy a Mac nor aesthetics. You’re getting the right tech specs for the right amount of money.</p>
<p>Hmm i typed that post at 3 am, ya insomnia is a ***** .</p>
<p>My main point was that i’ve heard complainants from people with netbooks about the size of the keyboard, I guess it’s the transition from one size to another. </p>
<p>My others point about the mac wasn’t a rant. It’s my belief that if you’re not very proficient with computers or tend to accumulate a bunch of spyware/Malware on your computer, then your best bet is a mac. Not saying that Macs don’t get spyware/malware but there is just significantly less. Especially if you like to pirate movie games whatever</p>
<p>Gaming on a laptop is never ideal and discussing onboard video card vs integrated graphic might be a bit of a reach for a college laptop</p>
<p>Macs are great, I have one it works great and does everything my pc does ,but in the end you have to determine if you want to spend alittle extra for it.</p>
<p>Except the little extra = the free Ipod Touch.</p>
<p>(You really can’t ignore this guys it’s $200… $1000-$200= $800 true value = most equivalent laptops)</p>
<p>More to junshik on his finds from his earlier post.</p>
<p>The Sony is spot on, less graphics card, less processor, better HDD, better ram, less battery and $800.</p>
<p>The MSI is a pretty neat find… that laptop retails for $1100 off it’s website. In fact it’s the only laptop you found with a dedicated graphics chip that’s worth more than the average integrated chips.
[MSI</a> Notebook Official Website](<a href=“http://www.msimobile.com/level3_productpage.aspx?id=160]MSI”>http://www.msimobile.com/level3_productpage.aspx?id=160)
If only Apple did sales right?</p>
<p>Toshiba HP and Acer they’re cheap yea but…
The Toshiba lacks the HDMI and the bluetooth and probably the battery life too (quad core will kill it)…
The HP definitely lacks the battery life…
The Acer lacks the bluetooth and the battery life…</p>
<p>You should adjust your earlier post to these specs.</p>
<p>4GB RAM, 320+GB HDD, 2+Hr battery life, integrated GPU (because mobility chips don’t fool anyone), sometimes HDMI, sometimes bluetooth, etc…</p>
<p>NOW THAT I can believe… You haven’t found “the Mac’s specs for a notebook cheaper than $800 or even $700” in all but 1 laptop (the MSI). Please spend a little more than 5 minutes on your search and find some laptops that are worth that of the Macbook actually for cheaper than $800 because you’ll be searching for months waiting on new technology to outdate Apple’s product.</p>
<p>The reason I’m posting so many times is because the internet is unstable right now and I keep getting disconnected and can’t reedit posts.</p>
<p>BUT since you went so far as to use Newegg to find your great deals… I get to use CedarPC (some website I got to using Google Products in like 3 minutes) to lower the price of the Macbook to $650 even though it’s out of stock, well within the range of your better deals.</p>
<p>[www.cedarpc.com</a> - Apple M13.3" MacBook C2D](<a href=“http://www.cedarpc.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=269]www.cedarpc.com”>http://www.cedarpc.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=269)</p>
<p>But look at the specs of that macbook…</p>
<p>Dang you got me… I was really ****ing sleepy when I posted at 2:55AM.</p>
<p>I dunno I just thought it was unfair how you used Newegg because they’ll sell everything for cheaper than the manufacturers themselves. So it’s not that you can get Apple for more price, it’s just that you can get other notebooks for sale. Like since Toyota has a sell-a-thon every so often with tons of cashback… that automatically means you’re paying for the just Honda looks if you decide to buy a Honda. Wherein reality I would just define that as “true pricing”.</p>
<p>You’re right, anyway Apple seems to be doing just fine with their prices so of course naturally it will stay high as it is.</p>
<p>It is ultimately up to the consumer, so make a wise decision!</p>
<p>If the laptop will be used strictly for notetaking, consider a netbook. A netbook with a 6-cell battery will typically go for at least 6 hours on a full charge. Mine did 6-7 hours. They are easy to carry around due to their size, don’t require much desktop space in class and can handle the MS office suite as well as some basic applications just fine.</p>
<p>Another option to consider is a convertible tablet. I just upgraded to one with the hope that I’ll be able to start taking notes on a computer again. I had to take notes on paper at my last semester at a CC as I had nothing but technical courses which required plenty of diagrams. I’m hoping I’ll be able to draw well enough on my tablet to take notes for my classes. The HP TM2T series is relatively inexpensive for a tablet and has decent battery life at 5-6 hours. I got the Core2Duo version, but it appears HP is now selling them with an i3 or i5 processor. Keep an eye out for coupons as well. I helped my sister buy one earlier in the year and I found a bunch of coupon codes for this series. Here’s a link to a current deal:</p>
<p>[$150</a> off + $50 Coupon HP TouchSmart tm2 12-inch Core i3/i5 ULV Tablet | HP tm2t review - LogicBUY](<a href=“http://www.logicbuy.com/deals/hp-touchsmart-tm2-12-inch-convertible-laptop/14734.aspx]$150”>http://www.logicbuy.com/deals/hp-touchsmart-tm2-12-inch-convertible-laptop/14734.aspx) </p>
<p>Of course if you need something more substantial in order to run more robust software, these may not be good options.</p>