Heading back to school? Pack an Apple with your lunch

[MacBytes]

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Category: Apple Hardware
Link: Heading back to school? Pack an Apple with your lunch (http://www.macbytes.com/link.php?sid=20050812110504)

Posted on MacBytes.com (http://www.macbytes.com)
Approved by Mudbug

[Capt Underpants]

I suppose it's good that he is recommending Apple laptops, but at the same time he is spreading misinformation. The 12" Powerbook's case is anything but durable. It dents and scratches very easily. And virtual PC is still mind-numbingly slow.

It sounds to me like they just recommended Apple portables to get the mac-heads off their case.

[JDOG_]

Yeah I agree wholeheartedly with the above statements. It's also safe to say $1,499 isn't really "easy on the wallet" compared to a comperably equipped $799 PC laptop. I mean I'm comparing Apples to Oranges (no pun intended), but I think most people I encountered in college had Dells and did great in college paying a fraction of what I paid for my notebook.

I appreciate the pro-Apple standpoint, but take a walk around most colleges and you'll find Dell is mopping Apple's ass in the college-computer market.

[jkhanson]

Actually, the story is inaccurate to the extent that both of the configurations listed can be had for $100 less at education prices. To top that off, Apple has the deal through Sept. 24 for to provide a $179 rebate on an iPod mini or iPod with purchase a computer (excluding the mini, the eMac, and the base 12 inch iBook).

And, while Dells are certainly common, I see lots of Apples on campus at my university. They are in far greater proportion than in the general public. I believe that Apple's share of the college market is over 20%, which is quite good. I bet Apple does really well this fall.

[nagromme]

The 12" Powerbook's case is anything but durable. It dents and scratches very easily.
I couldn't disagree more. It must depend on just what kind of abuse your 'Book goes through.

I'm VERY hard on my laptops. I grind them across gritty surfaces, throw them in bags with metal cables, even stow them in soft luggage crammed tight with other packages. My plastic PowerBook got BADLY scratched quite rapidly, as did my sister's plastic iBook. My Al PowerBook has ZERO scratches after nearly 2 years. ZERO--not the tiniest mark to tell it isn't brand new. I take no special care with it. Lots of things (sharp cable ends, keys, desk corners) make a mark... but the mark rubs right off because it's not a scratch: the anodized Al is tougher than the other object, so it's the OTHER object taking the "damage"--writing on the 'Book like a crayon, in essence. I've also subjected my poor PB to some impacts. No denting.

There are things that can scratch anodized Al, I'm sure, but a whole LOT less than can scratch plastic. I was nervous about keeping my PB shiny and new, but now I'd take anodized aluminum over any electronics product casing I've ever tried.

[me_94501]

I appreciate the pro-Apple standpoint, but take a walk around most colleges and you'll find Dell is mopping Apple's ass in the college-computer market.
Not at UC Berkeley. I work at the on-campus computer store (and am a Cal student) and our top-selling brands are Apple (which make up roughly half of all sales) and IBM. Dell comes in third. When walking through the library or nearby cafes, I see a ton of Mac laptops.

[Marble]

Apple has a strong presence at my University, also. There's a kind of aura of shame that surrounds plastic PC laptop users that have their 'books open in class.

[cwtnospam]

Yeah I agree wholeheartedly with the above statements. It's also safe to say $1,499 isn't really "easy on the wallet" compared to a comperably equipped $799 PC laptop.
Funny, but for me, the PC I won as a door prize cost far more than any Mac I've ever owned. The wasted time on the phone with tech support cost me more, and then when you add in the costs of anit-spyware software, anti-virus software, reinstalling the OS when the anti-virus/anti-spyware software failed, well the costs just keep adding up. Even free, my PC is a very expensive paper weight.

[puckhead193]

is the ibook really bullet proof? or its just made from the material.