Laptop or Macbook

Think this fits in this forum..

So, i'm thinking about upgrading my laptop. I've had a Toshiba for the past 2 years and i had one for 2 years before that. But i fancy a change and wondered whether anyone had any experience with Macbooks and whether they were worth the money? if not, what do you suggest?

If you've used a mac before then they are great... If not then they will confuse the hell out of you.

LondonJonnyO wrote:If you've used a mac before then they are great... If not then they will confuse the hell out of you.

I've seen it a few times, is it worth the investment?

Macs are great machines... but there are all sorts of differences in the operating system which will give you so many headaches for a few months. Not to mention the single button mouse!

Also... none of your software is going to be compatible so there is a problem with that... And also the headache of work vs home machine compatability.

Good news is there are a lot fewer viruses designed to run on a mac so you have that... and they are superfast.

I don't have alot of software to be honest, i don't play games excpet FM and i download that.

I don't mind getting used to a new system if it's worth the time and effort. I've never had a problem with Toshiba's other than the performance really dips after a while and obviously the issues with viruses.

Never had a problem with toshiba to be honest.

Best way is to drop into the Apple store and play with a macbook.. you might find that considering your needs an iPad might be a better option anyway.

Cheers LJO!

I think the bottom line is that people who have used Apple products in the past are very reluctant to go back to Intel/Windows boxes (desktop OR laptop).

However, it is pretty true that the Macbooks are generally more expensive than the Wintel boxes. If you want a cheap, cheerful laptop and are used to Wintel boxes then I'd say stick to them. If you want something more superior and can afford the extra price then the Apple products may be for you. The initial learning curve can be steep if you are used to Windows, but once you get over that you may never want to go back

Price isn't an issue, been saving for a decent one.

In terms of apple products i am generally impressed with Apple stuff, i've had 5 ipods, i have an iphone, everything at home is viewed or played through iTunes and i tend to use safari as my browser.

Maybe i should just get the jump over with?

Why is it that you think you need a macbook rather than an iPad... Is it just iTunes and something to sync the devices with?

I have an iPhone so thats one of the reasons.

The iPad doesn't appeal to me, i prefer a proper keyboard and functionality of a laptop/macbook. Whilst i don't use my current laptop for software, i did used to and would like to start again.

I must say however that if I was in the market for a MacBook I'd be looking at the MacBook Air rather than the larger models.

That's the one i've looked at, i have a Satellite pro with a 13" montior so i'd be looking at that one.

King Beer wrote:That's the one i've looked at, i have a Satellite pro with a 13" montior so i'd be looking at that one.

Depends what your preferences are. I use mine for djing and to get the best out of music editing software. The latest MS office is now compatible with both windows and mac whereas it didnt before. Once you get to know which key is which and how to insert a hash key etc its smooth sailing onwards. I had a windows laptop and ditched that a yr ago. I am working with 2x faster processors and 3x faster graphics, i couldnt complain one bit. Not had any problems (yet) whereas with my windows laptop, after 6 months it was just too slow and unreliable. Like someone also said viruses are not built to run on the Macs. IMO by far a better system than windows

MGould wrote:

King Beer wrote:That's the one i've looked at, i have a Satellite pro with a 13" montior so i'd be looking at that one.

Depends what your preferences are. I use mine for djing and to get the best out of music editing software. The latest MS office is now compatible with both windows and mac whereas it didnt before. Once you get to know which key is which and how to insert a hash key etc its smooth sailing onwards. I had a windows laptop and ditched that a yr ago. I am working with 2x faster processors and 3x faster graphics, i couldnt complain one bit. Not had any problems (yet) whereas with my windows laptop, after 6 months it was just too slow and unreliable. Like someone also said viruses are not built to run on the Macs. IMO by far a better system than windows

Cheers mate!

I have to say I disagree with What MGould is saying - while his new laptop may be faster than his old one that's not down to the OS (Operating System - Windows/Mac) that's down to the new hardware thats in his laptop.

Apple use exactly the same part manufactures as much of the larger builders of laptop (Dell, HP..). As a general rule Apple products are significantly more expensive for the same performance.

However the plus points for Apple are renowned excellent customer support. The OS is structured differently and their products are known as 'fashionable'.

Mac does now support a lot more than it used to, but is nowhere near Windows in term of compatibility. If you want bang-for-your-buck and compatibility buy Windows is my recommendation.

As the user of a MacBook Pro, I would say that Draigoch is wrong with regards to performance. There are too aspects that give equivalent hardware better performance on Macs. One is the intrinsic structure of Mac OS, particularly OSX. The OS is built specifically for Mac computers as the computers are for the OS. This means that operations are done in the most efficient manner, rather than in a manner that allows greater compatibility. In short they are built for the purpose rather than adapted to the purpose. The second aspect is Windows is notorious for its updates. These hugely slow down the machine because the OS has to work through every update to boot, etc. Mac OS, because it is built on a UNIX kernel, alters the source files when it updates far more than Windows, which just tosses the new information in with the old.

To give you an idea of the performance, my MacBook boots in 30 seconds, including me entering a password. It goes to sleep and can be woken to be used almost instantaneously. Spotlight, which is a search feature can find any file on my computer, any reference in recent webpages, definitions, basic calculations simultaneously in an instant. Applications open in seconds. I have used machines with better specs that are Windows based that are not as fast.

In terms of ease of use, they are not as difficult to learn as people make out. Admittedly I had used several different operating systems before I switched including Windows, Linux and Unix, but I still had to learn the specific commands, etc. Once you learn to use the touchpad, it is excellent. There are good tutorials on the Apple website that will show you the differences. In no time it will become second nature. Once you have learned the system it is much easier than anything else I have come across. You can find what you want easily with minimum effort, and everything works as it should.

In short if you willing to learn a new operating system and are willing to pay the money, MacBooks are the best buy. If you are only looking for a computer for personal use the MacBook Air is about right - it's cheaper and has what you need.

Anything Apple...is fantastic.