<p>I know someone had a similar thread asking to which laptop is better, but these 2 are different laptops.</p>
<p>Disregarding price, which is the better choice (i know the macbook has lower specs, but ive heard these macbooks are flawlessl)</p>
<p>Sony Vaio CR
14. 1 " LCD w/ xbrite-eco
intel core 2 duo 2.4ghz
Vista Home Premium
2GB DDR2 mem
250gb hard drive </p>
<p>Macbook Air
13.3" LCD
intel core 2 duo 1.6ghz
Mac OSX v10.5 Leopard
2gb DDR2 mem
80gb hard drive (hd space not too big of a concern; 80 gigs is more than enough for me)</p>
<p>Btw, this laptop will be for college and mostly for regular daily use (i.e. internet, word) not for gaming (pro-PC) or photo/video (pro-mac).</p>
<p>I would go with the Vaio, even though i don’t like either of them. The vaio is better… I havent had good experience with Mac’s my last one broke after 6 months so i got a new one then that one took about 5 months before it broke… Could me just me I like to stick with XPS (Dell)</p>
<ol>
<li><p>the 2.4ghz (sony) vs. the 1.6ghz (macbook)…is that a significant difference?</p></li>
<li><p>Switching from pc to mac (not used to mac)</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Why wouldn’t you go with the OS you’ve been using all these years, the one you’re used to and comfortable with? There’s a learning curve either way, even with Macs.</p>
<p>Cross post, sorry. I think you’d really have to love the Mac to switch.</p>
<p>just a thought, has anyone heard about those sites that give laptops pending you participating in a certain amount of offers (like laptoprewardzone.com, etc). They sound too good to be true but some people have told me they actually ended up receiving those laptops in the mail!</p>
<p>The Vaio looks way better. Macs are really overpriced for what they bring to the table. I would honestly suggest a Dell XPS, or an HP, although a few of my friends have had problems with HP’s chargers wearing down quickly.</p>
<p>If you really want a Mac interface, just use Linux or get Hackintosh or something.</p>
<p>vista does suck.
But even though you’re not worried about cost, the Mac Book Air is WAY overpriced. I’m saying that as I type on a macbook now. The might be lacking a lot of stuff that you miss…</p>
<p>Make the switch to mac OSX, it’s worth it =] and if you do, don’t go for the air!</p>
<p>If you’re switching to Apple, don’t get the Air. Get the regular MacBook (you don’t need the macbook pro)–you can still buy the white version on the Apple website. It runs great and is cheaper than the new aluminum version. If money is an issue, go with the White version. If money is not an issue, go with the newest model. The new model of the regular macbook now has a backlit keyboard.</p>
<p>Important: Before you buy anything, check to see what your college recommends for computer configurations. Usually this info is on the college website. You could even call or email the Computer tech dept. of the campus and ask them specific questions on what they recommend for the school’s network</p>
<p>If you’re interested in Macs, get a MacBook rather than the Mac Air. As pointed out, the Air lacks an internal optical drive. If you want to watch movies or play music CDs, you’ll have to buy an external SuperDrive for $100 and plug it into your USB port. And speaking of USB ports, on a MacBook Air, it’s spoken of in the singular. That’s right $1800 gets you one USB port. While you do get WiFi with the Air, there is no Ethernet connector. Most school dorms have wired Ethernet. You connect to the network using an Ethernet cable. You’ll need to pay Apple $30 for a USB to Ethernet dongle. The Internet or watching a movie…? External mouse…? Any kind of USB device…? You’ll need a USB hub. The Apple “tax”</p>
<p>Today, ARS Technica reported hinge problems on the first generation of Airs. The aluminum hinges can crack. This is not covered by Apple Care. Some users have reported that Apple stores may cover the repair on a case by case basis. Officially, the hinges are not covered under the warranty claiming it was caused by user abuse. For those unfortunate users, it’s an $800 fix.</p>
<p>I have a similar dilemma, but with MacBook (the alumninum bodied one) vs. a Sony VAIO SR.</p>
<p>Both are around the same weight and size, so that’s not an issue.</p>
<p>The MacBook I would get would be the cheaper one – with my school’s discount, the 2.0GHz processor, 250 GB HDD, 2 GB RAM, with the DisplayPort to DVI adapter and the remote + 3 years of AppleCare + tax would cost me $1,596.</p>
<p>The Sony I could configure to a 2.4GHz processor, 320 GB HDD space, 4 GB of RAM, already with DVI and VGA output (I plan to purchase a monitor), no care plan (but this has never been an issue for me) + tax would cost $1,441.</p>
<p>As you can see the difference in price is small, but I like Microsoft Office 2007 much better than the mac2008 version, and I use Office a LOT. But I like the Mac OS X (don’t have it at home but I use it in the labs all the time) and the aluminum MacBook is BEAUTIFUL, and I am vain when it comes to my gadgets :D</p>