Looking to buy a laptop and am wondering if I should go straight to mac or give something else a chance? Do Macs ever go on sale?
In search of a laptop...
- Thread starter Starsearcher
- Start date
In answer to your last question about Macs going on sale all I can say is NOPE.
I just bought a 17" Toshiba with Windows 7 Home Premium last November and I think it's great. No problems yet and even when I just have a question the Toshiba reps are very fast and eager to please. Even with the extended warranty that I purchased it still cost me about half of what a comparable Mac would've cost.
I just bought a 17" Toshiba with Windows 7 Home Premium last November and I think it's great. No problems yet and even when I just have a question the Toshiba reps are very fast and eager to please. Even with the extended warranty that I purchased it still cost me about half of what a comparable Mac would've cost.
http://www.tuaw.com/2009/11/17/this-just-in-macbooks-are-more-reliable-than-netbooks/
I am still very happy with my 2½ yr old Toshiba laptop. No problems at all so far running Vista and Linux as a dual boot system, knock on wood. Linux runs better than M$. Paid $600 for it back then. Today I could get a better Toshiba laptop with more features for $450.
Phone service to Toshiba reps has been very good the couple times used to answer questions.
Were I in the market today for a new laptop, it would be either Toshiba or Asus. BOTH are rated better than a Mac.
The cheapest Macs you will get are via student deals around back-to-school time (if you know a student) or on the refurb store on the Apple Canada site. They're $1100-$1600 or so for a 13"/15" model.
Whatever you get, pay attention the the screen resolution, not just size. Not much benefit in bigger screens with the same resolution as a small one if you plan on moving it around a lot.
There is no way I would get a laptop bigger than 14" if it only had a 1366x768 resolution unless I had poor eyesight.
Pay attention the to keyboard too.. Poor quality ones will flex down/feel flimsy in certain areas of it.
Battery life as well.. Less than 5 hours is poor in this day and age, 6+ is more like it.
Whatever you get, pay attention the the screen resolution, not just size. Not much benefit in bigger screens with the same resolution as a small one if you plan on moving it around a lot.
There is no way I would get a laptop bigger than 14" if it only had a 1366x768 resolution unless I had poor eyesight.
Pay attention the to keyboard too.. Poor quality ones will flex down/feel flimsy in certain areas of it.
Battery life as well.. Less than 5 hours is poor in this day and age, 6+ is more like it.
To counterbalance some of the preceding posts, Apple ranks tops in customer satisfaction:
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Apple-Tops-Another-Customer-Satisfaction-Survey-141753.shtml
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Apple-Tops-Another-Customer-Satisfaction-Survey-141753.shtml
I also think Macs were the only laptops to outgrow the market last year....
Really depends on what you want, if you want low price go buy a cheap windows machine and view your purchase as disposable. If you want to keep it several years then by a high end windows machine or a mac. I have windows machines for work, Lenovos and Toshibas, - they all start having issues after a couple of years - we just order new ones when that happens.
OTB
Really depends on what you want, if you want low price go buy a cheap windows machine and view your purchase as disposable. If you want to keep it several years then by a high end windows machine or a mac. I have windows machines for work, Lenovos and Toshibas, - they all start having issues after a couple of years - we just order new ones when that happens.
OTB
I also agree with this. Do you view your computer as a throw away commodity or not?
Both a Ford Fiesta and a Ashton Martin DB5 will get you from point A to B. The experience will be completely different depending on which vehicle you drive.
If you decide on a Mac, there are ways to reduce the price. PM me for more info. If you have questions about Mac, ask away.
Two things on laptops.
1. They are more fragile than desktops. You have to pamper them being careful not to bang or jostle them about too much which will shorten their life. There is always the chance dropping one will totally destroy it no matter which one you get. For this reason I can't see spending more than $500 today for a laptop. It is remarable what a $500 laptop will do today! Take care and it will last. Abuse it and it won't.
2. Windows machines by nature accumulate crap, which slows them down. You have to religiously do your PM to clear the crap away to keep them running fast and speedy like new. If you don't they s-l-o-w down with time. Then when you go into a PC store complaining about this, a salesman will con you into getting a new PC telling you your PC is getting old and it's time for a new one. When all it needed was a cleaning out or a re-format to make it run JUST like new again.
Perfect example of this is that 13 yr Old Gateway Pent 2 that I still have and use on occasion. With proper PM and a few critical upgrades that old P2 runs BETTER today than when it was brand new. So don't fall for that sales/marketing BS, when your PC gets a couple years old and is slowing down, it's time for a new one....
2 important questions for you that will help you get exactly what you need
What are your needs with the laptop?
do you have a budget in mind?
generally speaking you can purchase 2-3 decent windows laptops for the price of 1 mac. i will give examples when you answer the questions
I think i saw futureshop and bestbuy have a sale on mac once. they took $5 off 1 day only
then Steve Jobs threatened to take aways their rights to sell macs lol
First off, never heard that story about Jobs taking away a store's right to sell Macs. I'm pretty sure that there is a penalty clause somewhere but I strongly doubt that Jobs would get his hands dirty. BTW, I purchased an MBP at an obscene discount when it was replaced by a new generation MBP. That is the best time to buy a new Mac, right after it's been discontinued.2 important questions for you that will help you get exactly what you need
What are your needs with the laptop?
do you have a budget in mind?
generally speaking you can purchase 2-3 decent windows laptops for the price of 1 mac. i will give examples when you answer the questions
I think i saw futureshop and bestbuy have a sale on mac once. they took $5 off 1 day only
then Steve Jobs threatened to take aways their rights to sell macs lol
Second, a really good Windows laptop such as Thinkpad T-series will cost almost as much or more than a MBP. I love Thinkpads but I'll stick with MBPs for now.
learn to take a joke applefanboy LMAO!
plus I have a REALLY good windows laptop that i paid $700 for.
17" screen
Centrino 2 duo core processor
4 Gigs DDR3 memory
500 gig 7200rpm hardrive
1 gig discrete memory Nvidia 9800m graphics card
Windows 7 64 bit
DVD burner
6 type card reader
4 usb 2.0
HDMI out
eSATA
room for another harddrive
user replaceable memory, hard drive, graphics card and processor for upgrade ability
I use it for portable gaming and my HTC
pretty much able to run circles around your MBP for half the price
LOL!
Well smilies are a great way help drive home the point you are making!....
I need the laptop for part time on the go studies ( upgrading) just need the Internet and word. Doesn't need bells and whistles but the more the better if the price is right. I would like it to last as long as possible so I'll stay away from low end. Thanks for all the advice, still undecided for now though
If you're a student then you should have a look at what your school's bookstore or computer store has. More often than not, there are special deals for students.
If you want to avoid the low end, then, I'd pony up for a Thinkpad. It's the only Windows laptop brand that I really trust. It will cost you though.
If you want to avoid the low end, then, I'd pony up for a Thinkpad. It's the only Windows laptop brand that I really trust. It will cost you though.
Just stick with the two best top rated laptops, Asus or Toshiba and you won't have to spend a bundle on either...
I think Lenovo and Asus are the best for Windows PC. I had a Thinkpad before I switched to Mac.
It's not as sexy as HP and may be lacking in some consumer features. For example, my Thinkpad has a mono speaker (that's right, mono) that wasn't very loud. But they're rock solid. The keyboard was amazing, the best one I've ever typed on one period. It was the only thing I miss today after switching.
It's not as sexy as HP and may be lacking in some consumer features. For example, my Thinkpad has a mono speaker (that's right, mono) that wasn't very loud. But they're rock solid. The keyboard was amazing, the best one I've ever typed on one period. It was the only thing I miss today after switching.
DONT GO WITH MAC. I have a macbook pro and I effing hate it. I cant wait to go back to windows. I cant do 90% of the things that I want to because the programs arent compatible. I have used maybe 10/30 icons that come with it.
Starsearcher, why Mac? Unless you're making a politico/social statement, you might want to see what the courses you're interested in require. For sure a Windows machine will be cheaper and more compatible with other students and, most importantly, your instructor. Let's say you send your Word file in and they can't open it. You're on the hook to fix the problem.
Some people buy by need. Some by function. Some for show. What about you?
Some people buy by need. Some by function. Some for show. What about you?
