1 Macbook VS. Two PCs?

[MixedDrink]

Okay, so here is the deal,

me and my sisters laptops have to be returned to my father's workplace soon. And we need a new computer,

for Christmas, we could either get two decent Toshiba PCs, or a Macbook pro.

But my question is, which one would be more worth while?

I am an extensive computer user, I edit video, animate in Flash CS3, but I don't game.

MacBook Pros are very high quality, and last a good long time.

But I'm a little bit afraid we would fight over the computer a lot.

We've had to share before, but since it's been a while, I don't really know how much she uses the computer.

However, she for sure uses it less than me.

So it's either a base model MacBook Pro, or two decent $700 Toshibas.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[spaceace12]

You will want a comuter for each of you. Because you could be working on something and your sister comes along and says she needs to check her email/chat with friends/or whatever and could be on there for hours.

[Yankee cannonball]

Whichever one will get you more memory, disk space, ETC. because I have gotten in fights with my little brother after I delete his unused games to free up space.

[DiSab]

Definitely go for 2 separate computers. Plus, I personally trust PCs more than Macs.

[kamikazewatermelon]

Definitely 2 PCs, They're probably just as good as the macs, only macs are WAAAAY overpriced.

[MixedDrink]

You will want a comuter for each of you. Because you could be working on something and your sister comes along and says she needs to check her email/chat with friends/or whatever and could be on there for hours.

 

Well, heres some facts/rules

My sister is actually not a big computer user, and she would not be on there for hours, I would kick her off.

She'd have an hour, unless I was gone/didn't want to go on.

And she's bad with time, she'd forget how much time has gone by, and not kick me off for probably more than an hour and half (if I'm even on that long). So I'm not worried about that when our parents our home,

I guess to straighten things out more if my parents aren't home we'll kill each other, that's really the only thing I'm worried about with sharing.

That and porn, bahah.

*Excessive Use of Winks!*

 

Definitely 2 PCs, They're probably just as good as the macs, only macs are WAAAAY overpriced.

 

Well my sister is stupid, so that's another pro for the mac.

She would probably try and download a game or something and get a virus, not that they are hard to get rid of, but I feel like it's a waste of system resources having an anti-virus.

[christianscoasters]

I am writing this on a Macbook Pro.

 

Personally, I'd go with a Mac. They are excellent computers.

 

And Safari, Mac's internet, has porn-mode it's called private browsing. Lol.

[mcjaco]

Will a new PC stop you from posting like everything is hiaku?

[astroworldfan1]

She would probably try and download a game or something and get a virus, not that they are hard to get rid of, but I feel like it's a waste of system resources having an anti-virus.

 

Last time I checked, Macs can't get viruses.

 

Edit: Why would a girl be searching porn?

 

-Tatum

[Wes]

^ There aren't any Mac viruses in the wild, but that doesn't mean it can't get them. There just hasn't been one written that's been effective (yet).

 

Personally, I would find it more annoying to have to share a computer, so I'd go with the Toshiba's. Or buy two refurbished Macbooks (not Pro) for the same price.

[Cameron]

^^ Macs can most definitely get viruses, it's just that no-one (currently) bothers to write any because the impact is so small.

 

As for the actual question at hand .. First you need to figure out whether you need one PC or two, and only then can you decide whether or not you want a Mac or PC. Typically a Mac will be just a little more expensive than a PC with similar specs; however the Mac will likely be a better user experience (once you get used to the differences in OS), and you'll spend less time tinkering with it.

 

If you're looking for a computer to use online for Internet access (web, e-mail, youtube, blogs, etc), word-processing (school assignments), and video crap, then the Mac will likely fill that need exceptionally well. If you're looking for something on which to play games, and specialized software/hardware, then the PC might be the way to go.

 

When buying any computer (Mac or PC), spend more money to add RAM than you would to add hard-drive space. Low RAM just slows everything down (even more so than a faster processor).

 

Cameron.

[Wes]

^ What I don't buy about the whole "no one writes mac viruses because the impact is so small" is that anyone who wrote a successful Mac virus would be instantly famous in the hacker/virus community. The notoriety one would gain by unleashing the first huge OSX based virus would EASILY trump anything nowadays, it would be all over the tech news sites and even regular news because Apple has built such a huge expanding market share using the safety and stability of OSX.

Remember when people figured out how to crack the iPhone last year? That was a big deal. Tarnishing Apple's image seems like an amazing target for the virus community...but so far, there has been nothing substantial.

[Alix]

I'm a Mac user, and i love the system MacOS X Léopard. It's so amazing. If we compare Vista and Léopard, we really see who sucks : Vista.

 

If i was you, i'll buy the MacBook Pro, specially for what you want to do with this, CS3 is perfect on a Mac, i know i have it on a Mac Mini !! And like in my Mac Mini (who isn't powerfull...) it work perfectly.

Don't forget, the Mac is after all, a professional computer, specially for video and image (final cut pro, adobe photoshop, etc...)

 

Should i recall too a Mac can't have virus, etc...

 

 

Look the Apple Ads "Hello i'm a Mac, and i'm a PC"

[terrancew_hod]

I totally agree with what Wes has said. I have both PC and Macs at home and I use the Mac way more and it's what I do my web page work on.

 

I've seen articles where mac antivirus companies will sound the alarm about a potential virus, but nothing becomes of it. It usually is chalked up to the company needing more sales. Besides most of the viruses would have to trick you into giving it system access from your password (which will prompt you only when it is necessary unlike the many pop ups in Vista), unlike the pc where sometimes even clicking on a file will activate it.

 

But that's going beyond what the thread author is asking. If your sister rarely uses it, then I would definitely go for the Mac. The mac is designed for what you plan on using it for.

 

As far as the Mac is more expensive, if you compare similar hardware, you'll find the macs are more competitive especially when you add on the softwre that comes with it that you would need to buy on PC. Apple computers don't use cheap parts and refuse to sell computers in that niche. Thus, they're doing a lot better financially than Dell or Gateway. But, as Wes said, look at the refurbished computers for your best discount, or use the education discount (on apple's web page) to get a cheaper price. You could also get away with using a regular Macbook, but I would stick with a Pro model just because of the optimization features coming up in the next operating system release... that is unless you get the aluminum macbook that was just released.

 

I also found more free software utilities on the mac. DVD-to-Ipod, disk cloning and iPod music extraction software were free to download where I found you had to pay for them on the PC. A good chunk of the utilities were derived for linux or unix so they just needed to be ported.

 

But whether you get a PC or Mac laptop, just make sure you purchase a warranty plan. If something happens to it, you're screwed. Laptops are not fun to fix.

 

Terry

[jmicha]

I'm writing this on a 17 inch Macbook Pro, and I must say I am in love with this computer. I have literally never had a single problem with it and it just works. The same cannot be said for my family PC, my personal desktop PC, or my older brother's laptop. Yes, they are expensive, but it is astounding how easy to use they are. I wasn't sure what to think when entering college and a Macbook Pro was required for my major since I had never used a Mac before, but it only took a matter of weeks before I converted to a Mac person. I will never spend the money on a PC again. And from what I've seen with my friends' computers, that is a good thing. Almost all of my friends with PC's have had some sort of serious problem in less than a year of owning their computers, yet I only know of one person out of the 120+ people in my major with Macbook Pros who has had a serious problem (hard drive committed suicide three times. She must have bad luck). So if two computers isn't a necessity, I would definitely go with the Mac as you will have a more robust, long-lasting computer.

[Carnage]

As far as the Mac is more expensive, if you compare similar hardware, you'll find the macs are more competitive especially when you add on the softwre that comes with it that you would need to buy on PC.

 

People actually pay for software on PCs??

[terrancew_hod]

^I see you're trying to start trouble!

 

Work with me here.

 

Terry "It's for evaluation purposes, really!" Weaver

[MixedDrink]

Just a reply for tons of posts,

I am well aware Macs have few viruses,

I was stating that she may get a virus on a PC.

 

 

My parents have an iMac, and my oldest sister has a MacBook, both of which are slow (by my standards), most likely because of a crap amount of ram. So I have to be sure to get more, but I love the UI, and the general vibe from Macs. They don't often harsh on my mellow (it has crashed maybe once or twice, and both of those times were most definitely my fathers fault. )

 

I was wondering if the awesomeness of macs would be overruled by convenience, but I think I've made my decision. If my sister does agree (she's been hesitating lately), I think I'll be going for the MacBook Pro.

 

Thanks for all of your help!

 

- Basil

[Cameron]

^ What I don't buy about the whole "no one writes mac viruses because the impact is so small" is that anyone who wrote a successful Mac virus would be instantly famous in the hacker/virus community.

 

But see, there's no reason why a Mac e-mail virus couldn't work. I get plenty of emails a day with .exe files attached .. These viruses only spread because people are foolish enough to click on any attachment they see. I imagine the same would work on a Mac (unless all Mac users really are smarter ).

 

For the record, I adore Apple products and have been using them since our family picked up an Apple //e when I was 9. I only mention this because my post (above) may have sounded anti-Apple (I was trying to sound neutral).

 

I am currently lusting after the new MacBook Pro's, myself.

 

Cameron.

[Carnage]

My parents have an iMac, and my sister has a MacBook, both of which are slow (by my standards), most likely because of a crap amount of ram.

 

If your parents and sister already have computers, then what's the issue with sharing if you got a macbook??

[MixedDrink]

^ Oh crap,

could've sworn I wrote oldest. >.<

I have two sisters.

Sorry about that, I'll edit that one right now actually..

[terrancew_hod]

But see, there's no reason why a Mac e-mail virus couldn't work. I get plenty of emails a day with .exe files attached .. These viruses only spread because people are foolish enough to click on any attachment they see. I imagine the same would work on a Mac (unless all Mac users really are smarter ).

 

Fortunately executables on the mac don't work like that. A virus would have to have administrator permission to install itself in the operating system directories. This requires entry of a password before anything would install. Usually this would be your warning to be careful. On XP, the file would immediately install and vista would get so many popups that you would unintentionally authorize the installation because you're tired of clicking away the popups that follow to notice. SP1 of vista reduced the popups but they're still annoying.

 

So you could get a virus if you aren't paying attention and installing everything that comes across in an email, but at least you know that something is requiring access to your system before the damage is done.

 

Also Macs are great when going to the more unsavory portions of the 'net. Sites that cause massive popups on a PC mostly get blocked on my mac. My friends now can surf those 'Free' porn sites without getting infected and calling me. I used to have to clean up my friend's PC every two weeks because of this and I convinced him to get a mac. Now he only calls me when he wants to make sure all the system updates are installed. This means months go by without a call on this subject, which I love.

 

Terry

[jjeerr]

I have a new macbook pro. It is great, my wifi/trackpad/videocard works, the screen is bright, the keyboard is my favorite laptop keyboard ever. If your buying one right now, I'd wait for revision 2, there are many people on the internet having issues

 

Is it worth 2 PC laptops? The question depends on how much you like OS X. If you don't care about your OS, I'd get the PCs. If you like/love/want to try OS X, you might want to go for the mac. (though you could install OS X on a PC laptop...but the amount of work needed for that would pay the extra cost...)

[MixedDrink]

^People are having problems with em?

The newest ones with the unibody case?

Or the older ones?

[terrancew_hod]

^There are a few issues some people are having with the new trackpad, but a software fix is coming out soon. It just means you if do have the issue just plug in a mouse to bypass it. But I think the issue is only on the macbook, not the pro models.

 

But it's a small amount so it shouldn't stop you from getting it. When I bought my powerbook years ago, there was an issue with the screen so I sent it to repair and got it back in two days. Their customer service is pretty good... when it's in warranty. That's why you get the applecare to make sure it stays that way.