ChIcKeN_HaWk

I have been using my kids MacBook and I like it very much...Problem being I have been using Microsoft products my entire life and understand I know I will have a learning curve. Is there soemthing I'm missing in regards to pricing, usability, and compatability?

I'm in school and I realize I can find a windows machine considerably cheaper, but also realize there are some advantages with Macs?

Little opinion will help...

Thanks

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Jeffbx

Windows: much cheaper, easier to get software

Mac: really nice OS & hardware design, but only good if a) you know it already or b) you're planning on running a lot of Adobe software.

Cubsfan

Ok, I'll see if I can give my long story.

Bought a Macbook back in December. Liked it, so I sold it and bought a Macbook Pro in June I think.

Current setup:
Home: Macbook Pro, 1 Main Windows Desktop, 1 Windows Server (old desktop), 1 Linux Server (Old Desktop)

Work: Main workstation is Linux, also have another workstation with Windows on it.


All things considered, if I could only choose one OS to use, it would be OS X. I should also point out that I never have used any Mac products before I bought my Macbook.

I just find OSX to be easier for most tasks. Seems like I have to do far less maintenance with it than with any Windows machine (and certainly any Linux machine) that I've ever had. However, I also very much appreciate the power of the underlying BSD OS, and also use that on a regular basis.

I haven't had much of a problem with software. Many of the common programs (like, say, Quicken) also have Mac versions. There's also quite a few free/open source programs for the Mac that work quite well.

I also run Windows with Parallels as well as BootCamp. This gives me both some quick accessibility to simple Windows programs as well as the ability to play games.

All that being said, there's still some irritating things about OSX. For instance, the finder. It's terrible (in my opinion).


So, anyway, there's my $0.02. If my parents were to get a new computer, I would suggest a Mac (but not push for one. If you don't like a Mac, then you don't like a Mac). I think anyone looking at them needs to spend some amount of time playing around with it, so go to an Apple store or Best Buy and plop down and start messing around with it.


Now, that being said, my ideal OS would

DaFunkyUnit

what I hate about the new laptops they're sellling these days are the crap software thats included. And cleaning out and uninstalling them is no walk in the park either. My brothers and my sister's HP laptops came with tons of crap software. My sister's laptop takes nearly 5 minutes to boot up, after which you have to wait a good 2-3 minutes for everything to load and Vista to be usable. At least my bro was somewhat smarter and removed the unecessary stuff with some de-crapifier software.

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DaFunkyUnit

oh and to answer OP's question, if you can afford it, get a Macbook Pro. Those things are sweet. I <3 my MBP

ArkiStan

I bought my first MAC a month ago (15" macbook pro). Of course it being my first mobile computer and me being a designer, I instantly fell in love with my macbook. But since many of the important apps I use for work is still only available for windows, I never would have bought the macbook if I didn't already have a PC desktop and the macbook couldn't' run both OS's.

Let your work decide what you get.

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LPMiller

It's not really cheaper at the same config. A little, not a lot. And it's not really easier to get software, since most software most people would use is cross platform, or has good analogues. Back in the day that was true, but they are really a lot closer now. Add in boot camp, and it's fairly irrelevant.

I don't own one, but I desire one.

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TruckStuff

I've been using Macs exclusively at work for about a year now, and I'm a programmer, not a creative. I was very reluctant to give up my Linux desktop at first. In fact, I fought my boss on it for over a year before I finally gave in. Coming from the Linux world, I am very appreciative of the BSD foundation. Admining our Linux servers is much easier on OSX than it is on Windows because many tools already work natively on OSX. Once I got over the initial shock and stubbornness, I had to admit that OSX really isn't that bad of an OS. Sure there are differences between Windows and OSX, but the problem is largely a state of mind. Both OSes perform the same basic tasks: read email, browse the web, word processing, etc. They each have a slightly different way of going about those tasks, but they both do everything. At the end of the day, I view OSX as what I wish desktop Linux would be: Unix core w/ a kick ass GUI.

The worst part about owning a Mac is the politics that comes with it. I'm almost afraid to buy a Mac for personal use because there are so many obnoxious fanboys w/ inferiority complexes out there (my boss is example A ), and I don't want to be associated with them in any way. Yeah, it sounds stupid and silly, but hey, its my own hangup. But I'm now to the point that I'm planning on buying a Macbook Pro in October when Leopard comes out.

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ChIcKeN_HaWk

It's interesting reading everyone's opinions. So far the research I have come up with is this:

I can't afford a Macbook Pro

I'm a student so I can get an additional $100 rebate and a free 4gb Ipod Nano which makes the 13-inch the most attractive.

The main issue I have is between the cheaper white model $1182 after Apple Care warranty vs. the more expensive white model $1382 after Apple Care warranty. The main difference I can see is the processer speed is higher, 40gigs bigger hard drive, and the superdrive. $200 is the difference in pricing so it seems worth it to me to invest a bit more money for those extras.

Does that sound reasonable?