PC or Mac - which to choose

Ok so its not hockey related but I am trying to get some insight.

My computer is toasted and I am now looking at getting my 1st laptop but I dont know if I should go PC or Macbook.

Thoughts or suggestions as I've had minimal success on learning more when I go to Best Buy or Futureshop. I seem to get staff who dont know what the heck they are selling because they always have to go ask questions themselves.

The Mac is represented by a laid-back, hip, tolerant and all-around cool dude. The PC is represented by a portly, nerdy, bespectacled and somewhat inept fellow.

That's all you need to know.

SeawaySensFan wrote:The Mac is represented by a laid-back, hip, tolerant and all-around cool dude. The PC is represented by a portly, nerdy, bespectacled and somewhat inept fellow.

That's all you need to know.

Just goes to prove that advertising has NOTHING to do with reality.

I have a Mac and I love it... I would never go back to Pc but alot of my friends dont like the Mac... It take's some getting use to. By the way if your a gamer do not get a Mac.

caissie_1 wrote:I have a Mac and I love it... I would never go back to Pc but alot of my friends dont like the Mac... It take's some getting use to. By the way if your a gamer do not get a Mac.

thanks, not really looking at doing any really high end games other than cards etc. More of a looking for something that I can use for multi-media, photos, download movies, music etc, watch movies and of course word processing.

Phoenix30 wrote:

caissie_1 wrote:I have a Mac and I love it... I would never go back to Pc but alot of my friends dont like the Mac... It take's some getting use to. By the way if your a gamer do not get a Mac.

thanks, not really looking at doing any really high end games other than cards etc. More of a looking for something that I can use for multi-media, photos, download movies, music etc, watch movies and of course word processing.

That's got Mac written all over it.

Well the Mac can do all of the things you listed and it's in a very nice and well formated way. I would recommend you go to your local Future Shop and try one out.

If you can, go to an Apple Store and talk to them about the various notebooks and the software that comes with it.

Unfortunately, there's only two Apple Stores in Alberta - Calgary and Edmonton.

See here: http://www.apple.com/ca/retail/

Phoenix30 wrote:

caissie_1 wrote:I have a Mac and I love it... I would never go back to Pc but alot of my friends dont like the Mac... It take's some getting use to. By the way if your a gamer do not get a Mac.

thanks, not really looking at doing any really high end games other than cards etc. More of a looking for something that I can use for multi-media, photos, download movies, music etc, watch movies and of course word processing.

Macs destroy PCs for anything having to do with multimedia. The vast majority (if not all) designers use macs for their stability. I personally have a Mac because it is much more useful for my line of work. Most programs can be found for both platforms and you can always partition your drive to install windows if you need any Autodesk products that are unavailable for Mac.<-- if you dont know what this is then you probably do not need to partition your drive and install windows.

That being said, it really comes down to a cost benefit analysis. With amac, you will VERY rarely run into issues where the actual operating system crashes or slows down (in the past, there was something called "the wheel of death" but it is not an issue anymore). So you wont getany of the "blue" screens that you may be used to getting with a PC. Ifyou get an issue with your mac it will probably be that it physicallyfalls apart <--not likely. However, Macs are more expensive and for the price of a Macbook (1200) you could buy a pretty decent laptop(400) once every three years for a total of 9 years. Thus:

Macbook (1200) = 4-5 years worth of computing
Decent laptop (400)x3 times = 9 years worth of computing.

shabbs wrote:If you can, go to an Apple Store and talk to them about the various notebooks and the software that comes with it.

Unfortunately, there's only two Apple Stores in Alberta - Calgary and Edmonton.

See here: http://www.apple.com/ca/retail/

Thats because there a many apple "licensed" dealers. I know of at least three that are not big box retail stores: Mcloed close to Stampede, Centre St N between 16th and the bridge to Chinatown, and the University.

Btw, I always recommend against buying a computer at Futureshop or Bestbuy if you dont know what you want/are doing. NEVER buy the extended warranties from those stores (you always get a warranty from the manufacturer for "free" and they generally pay for shipping and handling; and in most cases they just replace the items) !!!

Blazer wrote:

shabbs wrote:If you can, go to an Apple Store and talk to them about the various notebooks and the software that comes with it.

Unfortunately, there's only two Apple Stores in Alberta - Calgary and Edmonton.

See here: http://www.apple.com/ca/retail/

Thats because there a many apple "licensed" dealers. I know of at least three that are not big box retail stores: Mcloed close to Stampede, Centre St N between 16th and the bridge to Chinatown, and the University.

Btw, I always recommend against buying a computer at Futureshop or Bestbuy if you dont know what you want/are doing. NEVER buy the extended warranties from those stores (you always get a warranty from the manufacturer for "free" and they generally pay for shipping and handling; and in most cases they just replace the items) !!!

Do those licensed stores offer the same type of service and knowledge that the Apple Retail Stores do? Like migrating your data from PC to Mac etc...

I haven't had the BSOD in years. Are you still running Windows 95 or something? Or are you using Outlook for e-mail and IE for browsing?

One important thing to think about is not generalizing 'PC' into one category. That is a figment of Apple's marketing department.

Personally, I would avoid Dells. When I was in rez, friends of mine all seemed to have hardware problems with their Dell computers. They provide you with control over the creation of your laptop, but I would advise against it. My parents have a Dell desktop, and over xmas, their harddrive broke on it, thankfully since they are owners of a small business, they have a couple of laptops in which they also store files on.

My University roommate had a Toshiba laptop for about 4 years and is a big fan of it. He recently bought a second one. My parents too have a Toshiba laptop which they tend to use quite often, and travel with. But because of its size, 17 inch screen, they have recently bought a HP netbook.

Me, I'm a Lenovo man. My desktop is Lenovo, and have had no problems with it. I have had it for about a year and a half. My father also has a Lenovo laptop for work, although I plan on buying it from him, as he has too many computers already.

But someone you should talk to is Shabbs. He seems to be extremely tech savvy. I'm not sure if he works in the industry, considering his knowledge base I would not be surprised. He just bought a Lenovo laptop, top of the line, drool worthy. He also managed to get some deals on it, so he didn't even pay nealry as much as the actual price. I would definitely suggest, if you are interested, in PM'ing him.

EDIT: sorry i started the message at 3 ish, and finished it at 3:45 ish, cause my dad called and needed me to go pick him up.

The whole Mac-PC kerfuffle is marketing BS.

It really depends why you need a laptop and what you use it for.

In the publishing and media world, for example, it's not uncommon to employ both platforms, interfacing them for appropriate tasks.

Graphic designers and motion picture people like the Mac because that operating system seems to have been developed with those functionalities in mind.

The PC operating system has become the standard for the majority of commercial businesses, partly because the document/memo aspect of corporate communications have migrated to the PC.

I've used both.

For me, it has always been a question of compatibility with my professional environment (being media and corporate consulting), so PC has been my platform of choice.

While IBM (now Lenovo), Compaq, HP, Toshiba and Dell were the predominant names for years (with Sony Vaio making major inroads in the last ten years), the Korean firms like Acer are now making a very competitive product.

After using Compaq, IBM, and Toshiba laptops over the past fifteen years, I purchased an Acer Aspire (based on a recommendation) which has proven so far to be an excellent decision.

But there is so much to select from, so you really have an unprecedented ability to pick the laptop that fits you best...and that makes you happy.

I suggest you consult CNET.com among other sites that can provide you with extensive product information; and some even offer you the ability to ask their experts what might be the right choice for you.

Have fun!

shabbs wrote:

Blazer wrote:

shabbs wrote:If you can, go to an Apple Store and talk to them about the various notebooks and the software that comes with it.

Unfortunately, there's only two Apple Stores in Alberta - Calgary and Edmonton.

See here: http://www.apple.com/ca/retail/

Thats because there a many apple "licensed" dealers. I know of at least three that are not big box retail stores: Mcloed close to Stampede, Centre St N between 16th and the bridge to Chinatown, and the University.

Btw, I always recommend against buying a computer at Futureshop or Bestbuy if you dont know what you want/are doing. NEVER buy the extended warranties from those stores (you always get a warranty from the manufacturer for "free" and they generally pay for shipping and handling; and in most cases they just replace the items) !!!

Do those licensed stores offer the same type of service and knowledge that the Apple Retail Stores do? Like migrating your data from PC to Mac etc...

Most of them do. But when in doubt just head to the Apple store close to stampede grounds.