CluelessSi

Wondering which I should get. I am looking for a medium sized screen and light (portable) laptop. I was wondering if there were nice relativly thin laptops that contain a dvd drive. Anyone know the pros and cons about getting a iBook vs PC laptop? Also if PC is the way to go then what brand should I go for?

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Jihforce

PC Laptop.
I like mac laptops more. but the iBook is not worth it. Powerbook G4 is better, but pricey.

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CluelessSi

Thanks,
I have a main desktop that I would use for gaming and everything. The laptop will be for when I have to work at school and other places. Also for portable entertainment like watching dvds or stuff like that. What company makes good PC laptops? I want to get one by the end of the summer so I am shopping around now.

Jeffbx

Mac or PC would do...

The PC would probably be cheaper, unless you're a full time student. If so, look for the Apple discount program.

I would recommend a Dell refurb - you have to check the site pretty often since it changes constantly, but the prices are about 5-25% less than a new system.

brainsmile

I love my IBM thinkpad

CornMonkey

"Duuuuuude...you're gonna get a Dell!"

psycho-

In terms of pentium 4 laptops, My compaq EVO N800 feels much more sturdy (much smaller too) than the Dell Inspiron 8200. I also like IBMs.

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ribitch

I beg to differ. For 1500 bucks you get a combo drive (cd-rw & dvd), a laptop that weighs 5 lbs, 5 hour battery life, built on ethernet and modem jacks, wireless antenae built in, and a 20 GB harddrive.

The thing is a size of a spiral notebook. It is definitely worth th emoney. Done get me wrong, the powerbook is a great laptop that is much faster, but for the average person, they dont need what it offers.


Powerbook screen is an extra large screen. Both systems are light. Very few PC's are as light as these are, and most of those only achieve the lightness when the optical drive is out of the system, or without the "cradle" that contains the optical drives. To achieve similar battery life, a second battery is required in a PC, which adds more weight to the system. As CluelessSi stated, he wants something light.

I am proud to say I am a mac faithful, but this is my unbiased opinion. I use both systems, and for a laptop, I highly recommend the iBook over a dell laptop.

Just do not get a compaq/HP laptop, they are some of the biggest pieces I have ever used.

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NullUnit2000

Perhaps you should consider one of these:

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i6s1

Go with the iBook. I bought a Dell last year and I wish I would have gotten the iBook.

Compare them side by side for featrues. The PC will appear to be a better value, but the apples have better resale.

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ribitch

ok, this picture is the old ibook, which was designed for teh k-12 market. This market is fully of children, so a delicate laptop is not usually something you would want to give children, especially k-3. So apple decided to make the laptop rugged and durable to last in this market. So they made the "clam shell" style case and made sure it was durable. What resulted is a laptop that can be dropped from 3 feet and still keep on working.

The new ibooks are based on the same principle and are designed to be more appealing to the average user. The designed the frame to withstand the shock of being dropped by using magnesium. The case is a durable acyllic, and all drives are mounted on anti-shock pads. What resulted is a rugged laptop. Many educators prefer the older "fisher price" laptop because of the colors, and the extra durability.

I have had both, and personally i like the new ibook because its almost as durable, and a whole lot lighter. I have dropped the new ibook from about 2 1/2 feet with no problems and I have smashed it into walls, desks. and table tops. It keeps on going (these were systems owned by apple and demonstaed to perspective buyers. They came from the general apple inventory pool, so there isnt any difference between internal models and street models)

CluelessSi

I am new to Macs (actually I have used them way back in the old days but I have never used them with PC in the network) Does it allow file transfers and everything just as if it was Windows, meaning it can see PCs on the network and PCs can see it? Also does most apps run for both systems because I constantly will have to transfer and get data from both Unix and PC systems so I want to make sure that it can work flawlessly. And how can I sync files between the Mac and the PC? I know windows provides Briefcase, also does it sync files in outlook? I want to sync up sent email so I have a copy of the data on both computers or at least on my main computer.

Thanks.

yippiekiyeh

Try this link... Hope this helps

Now I don't know how well this works (YMMV) but it's worth knowing about this.

i6s1

"also it makes "software" purchases a no brainer (unless you LIKE buying 2 copies of almost everything... one for PC and one for Apple)"

Of course, if you believe in paying for software, you should be buying 2 copies - one for the laptop, one for the desktop.

Blu

I just want to congratulate the board for not posting juvilnile anti-Mac stuff. WTG...

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Jeffbx

Most publishers actually have changed this rule - what you are describing is known as a floating license, and this is usually more expensive than a single license. You are typically not allowed to install software on any machine if you already have it loaded somewhere else. As long as there is the possibility of both copies running simultaneously, you will be out of license compliance.

So, if you have a dual boot machine, it should be no problem to install Office on both partitions using the same license. However, if you have a laptop and a desktop, you are not complying with the license terms if you install the same package on both machines.

Think of the license like a book - you're not allowed to have it in two places at once, even if no one else is reading it.

Of couse this varies from mfr to mfr... you should read the terms of the agreement if you're thinking of loading a package on more than one machine.

(p.s. - sorry for nitpicking!)

i6s1

Macs are good network citizens and will read and write files on PC networks no problem. If you want to see the apple files from the PC you will need to set up an FTP server on the mac (free) or buy software like "Dave".


Most major apps are available for Mac and PC, and if the program isn't available for the Mac, chances are there is an alternative. See here for more info.
http://www.apple.com/switch/question...ons/index.html


I don't know about syncing sent email.

ribitch

i6s1, good points

as email goes, do you use pop or imap?

imap leaves the message on the server, buit you can also set up mail programs to leave pop on the server and mark it as read. I have a mac.com address, and it is a pop account. I leave the message on the server as well as download it to my machine. This way I can access it from anyplace that has a live internet connection, as well as on my system while its offline.

macs are the easiest machines to set up on a TCP/IP network (in my opinion) You simply plug the cable in, and tell it what device to use in the system prefs.

I work for Central Mich Univ. Resnet, we connect students to the campus network. I am responsible for mac training since most people have never given them a shot. My training session takes as little as 5 minutes with the Q&A included. Wireless networking is just as easy.

As far as file sharing goes, its really easy. Dave will setup the network neighborhood on your system, or you can use the included ftp server. Apple machines can connect to a PC without any problems.

I have purchased versions of fireworks and dreamweaver, and they had both mac and PC disks. Yopu can also use virtual PC, and run those apps in a windows enviroment.

I also agree with BLU. This thread hasnt turned into one giant flame. I am glad to see this board becoming more and more mac friendly. (I partially think this is due to OS X)

Whatever you decide to do, I hope you enjoy your new system.

xsiled2

to bad Mac cant do the same.

CluelessSi

Thanks, I thought about just leaving the email on the server for POP but the main syching I was conserned about is sent mail, because I like to keep a record of that whenever possible.

So without Dave, or usage of the FTP program, Macs can see PCs while PCs can't see and get files from the Mac?

sbp

i6s1

Correct.

Blu

There is a difference between marketing and slander. Apple's ads only say that macs are easier and here are some people that think so. Do you honestly thing Macs are as hard or harder to use than a PC?

ribitch

another good point. Apple technology is very easy to learn (like imovie, itunes, iphoto, etc), their systems are stable since you dont have 100 diufferent mobos, with 100 different sound cards. Their OS is designed for simplicity, stability, and usability.

Putting all of these together make the best first time computer experience for somebody that isnt too keen on computers and computer technology.

I have plugged digital cameras, DV cameras, firewire HD's, USB mice, printers, and webcams into my imac and my ibook. I have never had to worry about downloading a driver, or installing needed software. It all worked without the need to restart.

I have a rio 500 and rio 600. iTunes recognizes them right away without any problems. I use my HP 315 camera all the time, and the origianl cd that came with it has never been opened. iPhoto know what the device is and does its thing.

When I had my AMD system, i would plug in my rio and needed to install drivers, and interfacing software. Same with every digital camera I had used (besides a sony mavica).

Apple is simply listening to what their users have found (all gathered from their feedback at apple.com) when they tried the apple platform and advertising their experiences. The www.apple.com/switch website even shows the message thet they had sent apple.

Apple is in no way flaming microsoft. Its simply real people with real opinions.

eSDee

I can't believe I have stayed out of this thread for so long. I am a longtime PC user, who recently started using Macs as well. I did not "switch" like Mac wants most people to do. But I was required by my jobs to learn the platform, and learn it well. I now support a department at a University, in which about 80% are Mac users. To tell you the truth, whenever a Mac user calls me with a problem, I don't mind at all because Macs are easy to support. The OS is so much simpler to troubleshoot than a Windows machine, and so whenever they have a problem, I'm 99% sure I can fix it.

However easier does not necessarily mean better, it just means more functional. I still use my PC when I get home, but I fire up my powerbook along side. I still prefer the PC over the Mac for personal use, but because of my work, I think Macs are kick ass as well.

Now with that said, if I had $1500 to spend on a laptop, I would buy a PC. The reason for this is because the ibook is a budget Apple laptop. However with $1500 you can get a really nice PC notebook. If you really wanted to make "the switch" to Apple and only want to spend $1500, get a G4 desktop. Or if you can save a little longer, get the Titanium laptop for $2200.

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ribitch

look at store.apple.com and on the lower left corner of the page, there is a link for super specials or something of that nature. This morning there was a powerbook (refurbished) for under 2k. Its an older model, but still plenty of laptop.

eSDee

You mean like THIS ONE (NSS: New Laptop).

ribitch

xsiled2

its like aol, just an os...

ChrisMG187

xsiled,
grow up. Personally, I think WinXP is more like AOL than Mac OSX. Before this year the only Mac computers I had ever used were the old PowerPC ones and Mac Classic. Oh, and the Apple IIG. When I got into my Multimedia class this year and we were working on G4's I have to say that they were stable as hell. The MacOS is very intuitive and easy to pick up. I had learned it in 10mins. iTunes is far superior to any program I have found for the PC. The only time I had a problem with one of the Macs was when some stupid kid decided to delete random system files, but I popped in the OS9 cd, booted from it, reinstalled, and everything was back to normal. I didn't have to format the drive or anything.

Before you judge something, take the time to use it, OK?