Mac or PC?

[turbo chicken]

on price alone with both a PC and Mac having compareable hardware... PC everytime.

That being said ... I'd look into upgrading her current pc to Win7 if it has the hardware to support it.

What is she going to be using it for outside of MS Office and Internet? Probably not much.

 

[Vic Winters]

-The ability to run ALL software from BOTH OS's

Not a fair comparison. Windows is by and large a software company, their OS will run on anything with the proper specs. Apple is mainly a hardware company, and their OS is designed only to work with said hardware. Putting OSX on non Apple hardware goes against their EULA.

 

[air_leech]

Not a fair comparison. Windows is by and large a software company, their OS will run on anything with the proper specs. Apple is mainly a hardware company, and their OS is designed only to work with said hardware. Putting OSX on non Apple hardware goes against their EULA.

the above kinda beats the argument that the same hardware can be purchased to build a PC that's cheaper and does everything the same.

it also beats the argument that claims Apple's hardware isn't different from any other maker...


personally, I find it more logical to buy a software that was tailor-made to the hardware rather than the "one size fits all" Windows way.

 

[Ziltoid]

I wish I was Pacman and could do a classic "Nothing to see here" lock.

 

[john turner]

I didn't say that Xerox was the originator, simply that this is where they were exposed to those concepts. But I guess that could be deduced from my jest.

no, that's cool, it's just that englebart gets overlooked routinely for his contributions, back in the sri days. i wanted to make sure he got his mention .

 

[L-A]

Not a fair comparison. Windows is by and large a software company, their OS will run on anything with the proper specs. Apple is mainly a hardware company, and their OS is designed only to work with said hardware. Putting OSX on non Apple hardware goes against their EULA.

Two things:

Apple make both software and hardware. That doesn't mean they are "the other" in comparison with a company that only makes one of the two.

Putting OS X on other hardware voids the minimum one-year warranty that comes with the computer you buy. Not much happens when you install it on third-party hardware – there's nothing illegal there.

 

[Killerfridge]

Sure.

...and it's still a crappy low quality web cam.

Just like every other "HD" webcam out there.

I have no interest in the rest of this discussion, other than the fact that the "crappy low quality webcam" is actually very good. This is coming from someone who has actually been out and tried to buy an HD webcam.

The quality is about as good as my guitarists HD Sony handy cam, and my FlipHD thing.

 

[fdeck]

Apple make both software and hardware. That doesn't mean they are "the other" in comparison with a company that only makes one of the two.

The difference is substantial, because it affects the range of price offerings in the respective markets.

The prices of Macs are set by Apple alone. Apple has deliberately left a "gap" in their product line, namely the entire the sub-$1k notebook computer market.

The prices of PC hardware are set by competition among several PC makers. In such a market, every gap gets filled, as each maker tries to gain market share.

The end result, for better or worse, is that PC hardware covers a wider range of prices than Mac hardware. This is without making any judgment of quality. It makes good business sense for Apple to stay out of the low end market, in order to support their software development, marketing, and profit margins -- all of which are unparalleled.

It makes sense for a company like Asus to enter the low end market, because they can't afford to develop an OS. Instead, they focus on stripped down systems with a reputation for high reliability. Their marketing budget is probably close to zero.

For $1600, I'd buy an Asus netbook, load it with Linux, and use the rest of the money to buy Apple stock.

 

[NineSpine]

It's one of my examples.

...and yes, I'm not 15. I've been repairing computers for a LONG time and judge the competitors on the entirety of that.

If I started criticizing Windows solely on how much ME sucked and used that as a basis for Windows sucking now, you would rightfully call me out on it. Stop playing games.

They still cost more to repair.

Most common desktop PC (Mac or Windows) failure? Power supply. Price compare.

That's an inherently disingenuous argument considering that the VAST majority of Macs are all-in-ones are laptops.

The newer Macs (due to using less proprietary hardware) are better - but they still don't offer nearly the bargain shopping on parts... and they invariably more difficult to tear apart.

What parts?

 

[NineSpine]

Battery replacement.

Batteries are about the same price as for any other laptop.

 

[Turock]

That's an inherently disingenuous argument considering that the VAST majority of Macs are all-in-ones are laptops.

Need a new battery for your laptop? That change has to be performed by an Apple Authorized Service Provider.

 

[Vic Winters]

Batteries are about the same price as for any other laptop.

Including the time and money to ship it to Apple? Or the torx screwdriver that's required if you want to do it yourself?

 

[Turock]

Batteries are about the same price as for any other laptop.

Obviously you haven't checked that out. At least double or triple the price, and they are built-in, so no changing them out when they die, and they will.

 

[Vic Winters]

the above kinda beats the argument that the same hardware can be purchased to build a PC that's cheaper and does everything the same.

You can buy cheaper and install OSX, it's called a hackintosh build. You just have to know what to buy. Apple only uses certain components, so your build options are limited to the ones OSX has drivers for.

it also beats the argument that claims Apple's hardware isn't different from any other maker...

A Core2Duo is a Core2Duo. The main issue is that Apple uses EFI as opposed to BIOS

 

[Vic Winters]

Two things:

Apple make both software and hardware. That doesn't mean they are "the other" in comparison with a company that only makes one of the two.

Putting OS X on other hardware voids the minimum one-year warranty that comes with the computer you buy. Not much happens when you install it on third-party hardware – there's nothing illegal there.

Apple sued Psystar for doing just such a thing.

 

[NineSpine]

Obviously you haven't checked that out. At least double or triple the price, and they are built-in, so no changing them out when they die, and they will.

Could have fooled me when I changed mine last month.

 

[Turock]

Could have fooled me when I changed mine last month.

I'm guessing you are uninformed:
Link Removed

"MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro models with built-in batteries should be replaced only by an Apple Authorized Service Provider, Apple Retail Store, or Apple Service Depot. Attempting to replace a built-in battery yourself could damage your equipment, and such damage is not covered by warranty. For more information about replacing built-in batteries, read the frequently asked questions about battery replacement for MacBook Pro, MacBook, or MacBook Air computers".

 

[NineSpine]

I'm guessing you are uninformed:
Link Removed

"MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro models with built-in batteries should be replaced only by an Apple Authorized Service Provider, Apple Retail Store, or Apple Service Depot. Attempting to replace a built-in battery yourself could damage your equipment, and such damage is not covered by warranty. For more information about replacing built-in batteries, read the frequently asked questions about battery replacement for MacBook Pro, MacBook, or MacBook Air computers".

Ah, looks like I haven't bought a model since that change. Still don't really care though.

 

[TreeTheStudly]

Normally, I would advocate a Linux OS. Since this is for college, however, I would have to say a PC. Typically, the majority of any school-related document, application, spreadsheet, etc. will be most compatible with Windows. Macs can have a decent compatibility with Windows-related files and programs, but Windows would be supreme. Not to mention they are typically cheaper.
In my opinion, the only reason to get a Mac would be for the durability and "hip" factor. The workmanship and quality of their laptops that have aluminum and glass parts is excellent. There are plenty of PCs that are built well and durable, but that aluminum and glass drives me wild.
Side question: Does Mac still exploit FoxConn?

 

[NineSpine]

To clarify: I don't care because the battery is covered by the warranty and outside of the warranty there's no downside to just replacing it myself.