Should i get a macbook or a laptop with vista?

Question

i've had a hp running windows xp for about a year now and im tired of carrying the heavy thing around school. i want to get a new smaller (lighter) laptop. i was convinced in buying a macbook hearing great things about apple. ive been getting fed up with all the threats norton keeps telling me about that i can't seem to get rid of and other stuff that is swaying me away from windows. with vista out now, it looks pretty good but i still like the mac. anything i should consider before making a purchase?

Answer 1

If you get a MAC, why on earth would you want to run Windows. If you spend good money on a MAC, it should be a MAC. Don't poison it with Microsoft. If you want Windows, get a PC. Go to a retail store and look at all of the brands.

Of course, I don';t like laptops with exploding batteries, so SKIP Sony and Dell.

Personally, I like HP, Compaq and Toshiba for laptops.

Good luck and Happy Computing!

Answer 2

You've had lots of answers, but most of them have come at it from a wrong angle.

Having used all sorts of laptops for real work, let me tell you I wouldn't touch a mac with a bargepole unless all you do is VERY simple letter-writing and note-taking. Basically, the software I need doesn't run on a mac.

One or two people have correctly pointed out that Vista is new and it's really far too soon to buy anything whihch relies on it. If there are no major bugs in the initial release I'll eat my hat. And yes, it will be a resources hog. Wait a year before even thinking about buying it.

Laptops are rarely seriously powerful machines and those that are usually have problems. That makes the advice to look at machines that will be remaindered off sound very good advice. You'll get something that will meet your needs for the next couple of years VERY reasonably. And that's long enough to rely on a laptop.

Answer 3

Well, it does depend on what you want to do. Seriously, Macs are a lot more expensive than high-end PC laptops and as a student you need to take that into consideration. You can go into any computer store and there will be many different brands and models to choose from, so you have a bigger selection. I do recognize the fact that viruses are not aimed at OS X only because there isn't enough of a userbase to cause widespread disturbances which the virus writers are looking for. I have never had any form of unwanted software on any PC of mine, only because I have got the common sense to delete any spam email with an attachment like "Porn Video.exe" and not to click on any links in those spam emails. Using Firefox with the Google Toolbar will allow you to avoid ActiveX threats and the toolbar has built in phishing detection. This seems to be the only fact that Apple can really stand behind, and most of their commercials are about iLife and about their silly built in web cams, which are two ridiculous reasons to base a decision of buying a computer. It is your choice, and honestly Mac desktops excel in photo, audio, and video encoding tasks, but the MacBooks have had their share of technical problems. Vista is a great OS, albeit a little heavy on resources, but you don't need the latest and greatest hardware. Besides, it may have a few bugs because it just came out one day ago, so give it some time. Bringing up another point, Apple screws their users by releasing OS X 10.0, then .1, .2, and so on. That can be expensive and Microsoft doesn't do this with any of their operating systems. Emulators for PowerPC programs also don't come cheap, adding to the cost of a Mac. (Windows users don't really need to run OS X on their computers, do they?) I do in fact commend Microsoft for being prompt to fix the security holes in their operating system which has about 90% market share. They shouldn't be there but they do get patched relatively quickly. (Hmmm, I wonder why all the viruses are written for it then?) Another thing about Vista, it does take a few good ideas from Tiger, but at least Mac users can't boast about all the other "features" they have that windows doesn't, and Vista does have it's own slew of enhancements, with ReadyBoost being the most appealing to me. It has been proven that it does increase performance.

P.S. I'm editing my post in response to some of the other answers. Above me, the poster stated comments like "no viruses because of the Unix kernel beneath it", which I do agree with. However, other comments like "pop a CD in and a window opens with a list of tasks" are just plain stupid, since XP does that and so does Vista. Vista adds all those glorious search boxes as well, so no more bragging!

I hope this was worth your time and can help you make a wise decision! (you have a lot of reading on your hands!)

Answer 4

Well, I have a Macbook and I really love it. Once you get used to the setup of the OS, things are pretty easy, and there are so many cool features and things that make your life so much easier. Just about anything and everything can be dragged and dropped. For example, say there's a file that you want to attach to an email. Just drag it over to the mail icon, and it'll automatically open a new email with that file attached. Also, if you want to take a screen shot, you can either take a shot of the whole screen, just one window, and you can also make a selection. This is mostly out of personal preference, and I haven't seen Vista yet, but I'm very content with my Macbook. This is my first Mac, and I'll never go back to Windows.

Answer 5

I heard on a tech talk program today that the Vista operating system alone takes a couple of gigs of RAM. If you buy a laptop it needs much more than that to also run your programs. So expect a higher equipment cost. Now that Microsoft has released it for OEM use that will be the only PC operating system you will be able to get when you buy Dell, HP, etc. so be prepared for a real resource hog as a Windows operating system. It is enough to make a PC-loving and Mac-hating person like me think of changing to a Mac (something I thought I would never say).

Answer 6

Macbook! i particularly have one and its great the reveal looks great and the safari browser works particularly good i heard vista is kinda iffy my sister has a laptop with vista and it doesnt artwork comfortably xp is larger yet particularly get a macbook :) and it will pass good with an ipod it okay nicely well worth the funds it may very final u as much as love 7-10 years with out crashing or any of that

Answer 7

There is no real choice. Mac wins hands down. Okay, Get a small one. DO NOT GO FOR THE LARGE. That way it is real portable! Then on your desk have an external flat screen (the largest you can afford) and also an external keyboard and mouse. Now you got the best of both worlds. This is what I do and it works perfectly no problem. My keyboard is bluetooth wireless (built in). Internet is also wireless (airport built in). So I only have to plug in the screen, all my printers scanners etc are pluged into the back of the screen, so one quick connect does it. The dual screen set up is nice to. Price, about the same as if I had baught the biger laptop.

Answer 8

Well, as you may know, PC's have many more security threats that Apple Computers. So, I think it would be best if you'd buy an Apple MacBook, they are much faster, and have many more features than windows. Can you believe that the design on Windows Vista was copied from Apple's "Aqua" design?! Thats awful, but they have a reason; it's just nicer and cooler than the older graphics designs. As you said, PC's tend to weigh more than Apples, and get heated faster, so the best choice would be Apple, for many reasons.
Apple
Think Different

Answer 9

I'm not going to get in to the whole pc vs mac argument, but it sounds like your quarrel is with Norton products, which from my experience, suck... McAfee 2007 is even worse, being that you can't ever disable it and there are about a dozen background processes that make it the biggest resource hog ever. I recommend you try Kaspersky antivirus. You can test out the beta version for free (for as long as you wish might I add!) from their website. The only issues with the beta are a few glitches with windows vista, but you're using XP so who cares... Just don't set it to "extended" proactive defense mode during install.

Answer 10

It is a matter of taste really. I personally prefer Windows, but my girlfriend enjoys the Mac OS. If you are computer literate, I would recommend Vista, since upkeep, updates and problem solving shouldn't be too much of a problem.

If you prefer the hassle free, reliable, more user friendly approach, go for a Mac. If you prefer compatibility, power and versatility, go for Vista.

Answer 11

consider that you will hardly ever get a virus on a mac and you dont even need norton software or anything like that. Also consider that macs look a whole lot better and perform better as well. Vista is like a os x knockoff they are trying to be like mac to much and they cost more because of the 3d card that needs to be installed.

Go with the mac!