its not easy to install OSX to any other laptop....

but installing windows is a lot easier on a mac

How are Macs more vulnerable to viruses? There are under half-a-dozen identified viruses for OS X that are known, compared to a few gajillion for Windows. If the user is smart and runs an antiviral software in the background, he or she ought to be fairly protected.

For the specialty software part, the reverse is true - what if you're taking a Visual Arts Course and you have to use Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro etc? No actual Windows counterpart there, though you can find a substitute - it goes both ways.

I'm not gonna go through the details, but it has been proven that Mac's are significantly more vulnerable. This is increased even more when the user has a false sense of the Mac's security, it is as vulnerable as any other computer and precautions still have to be taken.

and the OP never meantioned anything about needing a Macbook for school, just that they wanted one. So I'm gonna go out on a limb (sarcasm) and guess that they don't actually need a Mac.

Same deal for PC users.

Test the harddrive using a program called "HD TUNE"
its good, it scans ur drive and slows bad/problem sectors.

Adobe premier, Nuendo and Cubase come to mind. I know fthe FX for the original X men movie were done on a PC. You have way more options for software on a PC.

I bought the new MacBook Pro after using PC for as long as i can remember, and its honestly better. Ive just been using it for basic things right now, and its just faster and smoother and more user friendly in every way.
Sure, i may have paid a little more compared other laptops, or could have gotten something better in a PC for the same price.


.....but in the end, its just COOLER to be working on a Mac!

I have a dell m1210 running mac osx and i would not go back to vista or xp. The ease of use, the interface, the speed of boot up: i would not trade back. My dell m1210 with 4 gigs of ram and a 7200rpm drive boot in half the time it would take xp or vista to boot up. The dell is my 7th laptop, and having pcs since the 486 dx2 days, i would say that mac OSX is way better to use than windows is. Ubuntu is a close second....a very very close second, since it boots up just as fast if not faster.

Me and my dad are planning to get a Mac for my brother as a graduation gift. He will have finished a civil engineering degree and plans to do further studies related to interior design/architecture, as that is his main interest for career. Does that warrant a good enough reason to get a Mac? Or do I need a Mac at all (as a necessity for design related work?) ?

The reason I thought of getting a Mac because people I know who do artistic/design related work (photography, design, drawing, etc.) use/prefer Mac. I don't know if this is stereotyping, but that's generally the feeling I am getting.

^ Find out what SW he specifically needs to use to decide between Mac or PC. Both platforms will do the things most ppl need to do on a computer. When it gets down to specialty SW, you need to do some research. The Mac world is a lot smaller than the PC world.

Apple did a fine job on the Macbook (I can only talk about the new one). Those who call it just a fashion item obviously have never used one to do any real work. That said, a PC will get the job done fine, no frills. And you can find hacked apps a lot easier on a PC. The mac is expensive, so ppl should really try it out to see whether it's worth more to them. It is a nicer toy so that could be all that's needed for some.

IMO, as a packaged deal, Macbook Pro > PC Laptop.

For example:

Bootup: I close the lid and it goes to sleep. I need to use it: I open the lid and it wakes up the way I left it. It's quiet and there's no boot up time. I haven't shut that sucker down in ages.

Battery: It's officially a 7-hour battery. You'll probably get 5 for normal work (not videos, etc). It means I don't carry a charger around with me and hunt for an outlet like I did with my Thinkpad.

And so on.. there's other good and bad.

Hey OP, want to buy my well-taken care of Macbook Pro 17"?

You're kidding, right ?

First of all, iPhoto, iDVD, iMovie, and iChat equivalents either come with Windows Vista or are free to download for XP (Windows Live suite). All you're missing is an iWeb and Garage Band equivalents, neither of which your average person needs or even wants, but cost about $60 each if they did, which puts it nowhere close to the price of a Mac.

Second, you have the option of extended warranty on just about anything these days and AppleCare is no better than a lot of others. In fact, our experience with AppleCare has been significantly worse than the service my GF got on her previous Acer. Not only was the service better, but it was cheaper from Acer on a more expensive laptop ($221 on a $1499 unit vs. $299 on a $1449 unit), covered accidents, and was valid internationally instead of just North America.

Third, he clearly has no idea what he's doing and all he's said is that he's "using it for simple stuff." Is the software and hardware that he wants to use compatible with Macs ? Is he aware Macs have just as many problems as PCs (Hell, I've had more problems with our 2 Macs over the past 2 years than I've had with ANY of my PCs over the last 9 years) ?

Mac lovers - living in a dream world, as usual.

you *do* know that PC's can do that too right... sleeping is nothing new.

why is it that all the recent movies, in a scene where a guy is sitting in front of a computer , this is always done in front of a MAC book pro (silver). I never recalled someone sitting in front of a PC

Two and a half men; everyone uses old Dell laptops.

Werd, this is what I don't get either from a lot of the Mac users I know. Why spend top-end money for basic activity/simple usage?

If by simple stuff people mean media keeping (pics/docs/vids), internet surfing, and basic word processing, even your cheap ass $300 - $700 notebooks is more than capable of those tasks. No need to shell close to $2000.

A) Macbook = the 'in' thing
B) Gotta jump on the macbook bandwagon
C) People care more on looks than performance/specs
D) Nobody can deny that Macs are overpriced. At the end of the day its all personal preference. The crazy buzz is for macbooks, just cause... :rolleyes:

you should of told me earlier roastpuff, i ended up buying a 1 week old macbook off craigslist for $800.