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Why MacBook?

F

friekunater

macrumors 6502
Original poster
okay, so I'm in the market for a laptop and the new MacBook is #1 on my list. but, my mom isn't as attracted to it as I am. she thinks they're too expensive and she thinks I would be wasting my money if I bought a Mac. she doesn't like the operating system (nor has she used it) and she thinks it would be too hard to get used to it. she says they're just overpriced PC's, basically.

convince me (and my female parental unit) to get a MacBook
 
why not? seriously, the reason to get a mac has to do with a few things. Apple controls everything about Mac computers. so, everything just works together. no hassles. the other main reason is the OS. it's not hard. it's easy. and intuitive. and awesome. is your mom buying it for you? make sure to tell her that because apple controls everything about their computers, they tend to last a lot longer than windows laptops. one $1200 computer is better than 2 $800 computers.
 
I switched to mac in the summer, I had NEVER used the OS before and had never had any first hand experience with one, I didn't even see a demo before I bought it. When I took it out of the box I had it set up in minutes, and the OS, about 5 times easier then Windows. Another thing I did before I bought it was going onto the dell website and trying to match my computer specs with that of a dell, the price was only about €200 difference. So try and find a dell that has the same dimensions, weight and battery life (you would probably have to look for a XPS laptop) and bring the spec up to the mac.
 
It's mom's money, so go the refurb route and tell her Macs have a greater lifespan than Pc's. also what bozz2006 says
 
Find a Mac-savvy friend who can show you around his machine. Try to find some impressive things that you can do with the Macbook (e.g. multitouch) which make it better than everything else.

Then, once you have this knowledge, take your mother to an Apple store and show off the Macbooks there.
 
bozz2006 said:
why not? seriously, the reason to get a mac has to do with a few things. Apple controls everything about Mac computers. so, everything just works together. no hassles. the other main reason is the OS. it's not hard. it's easy. and intuitive. and awesome. is your mom buying it for you? make sure to tell her that because apple controls everything about their computers, they tend to last a lot longer than windows laptops. one $1200 computer is better than 2 $800 computers.
Click to expand...

I agree with all of the above. MacOS is very powerful and very easy to use. The more I use it, the more it does, the more creative I can be, without calling in tech support. I've always hated this cliche, but it's true. It just works. It's very stable. When I customize something on my system or experiment with something (and get it wrong), it doesn't cause ripples of corruption throughout the system.

I replaced my wife's Sony Vaio (which crapped out after two years) with our first Mac (a white Intel iMac) in 2006. Initially, she didn't like it because it was different, but she quickly fell in love with it. The interface is so easy to learn . . . it didn't take her long to master it. We are an all Mac family now.

I've have found 2 downsides to my recently-acquired (2006) Mac addiction: (1) lack of parity on certain important software products, such as Quicken (the Mac version sucks), Microsoft Office (the Mac version is still quite functional), and certain enterprise products (our company's accounting and time keeping software); and (2) unwillingness of my enterprise to embrace/support my Mac). But, I can live with both. My hope is that both will resolve in time.

Finally, I find that I am more creative with my Mac. I can't explain it, but I love it!
 
In their notebooks at least, the internal hardware doesn't tend to cost that much more than anything else, maybe $200 at most. The build quality, though, is typically horrible especially in the first revision of something. Anyone trying to tell you that it will last longer is very wrong; the hardware will last the same wether there's an apple logo on it or not. Software wise, I've had to format and reinstall 10,5 once more than I have Vista. If you find that it's worth the extra money to be paying just for a shinier OS that really has no power edge over the other, then get the mac. Otherwise, I would agree that it's probably just an "overpriced PC." Especially when you could just install an even better OS through a distro of linux on any computer, I don't really see the point in forking over so much extra money for mac OS.
 
Don't get one. If your mom is already looking for things wrong with Macs AND you're aware of this forum, there will be no end to your misery.

Soon you'll be on here complaining about screen viewing angles and tilted function keys. Madness!😀
 
akonradi said:
In their notebooks at least, the internal hardware doesn't tend to cost that much more than anything else, maybe $200 at most. The build quality, though, is typically horrible especially in the first revision of something. Anyone trying to tell you that it will last longer is very wrong; the hardware will last the same wether there's an apple logo on it or not. Software wise, I've had to format and reinstall 10,5 once more than I have Vista. If you find that it's worth the extra money to be paying just for a shinier OS that really has no power edge over the other, then get the mac. Otherwise, I would agree that it's probably just an "overpriced PC."
Click to expand...

It depends, actually. There's a lot of psychology to it. There are Mac users that become emotionally attached to their machines and tend to pay more on accessories and a lot of them tend to actually try to take better care of their computers, leading to a longer life span. Mostly from observation, conversation, and by what we have in stock where I work. There are hard shell cases for MacBooks but none for other laptops. Same with keyboard protectors. And all sorts of random accessories that you really don't need.

As for Mac OS versus Windows, it comes down to usage needs, but Macs can boot both anyway.
 
butterfly0fdoom said:
It depends, actually. There's a lot of psychology to it. There are Mac users that become emotionally attached to their machines and tend to pay more on accessories and a lot of them tend to actually try to take better care of their computers, leading to a longer life span. Mostly from observation, conversation, and by what we have in stock where I work. There are hard shell cases for MacBooks but none for other laptops. Same with keyboard protectors. And all sorts of random accessories that you really don't need.
Click to expand...
That means that mac users are more anal about keyboard shine and whatnot. That doesn't imply that the computer will crap out sooner if it runs windows. You don't have to use a mac to be able to take care of your product.
 
Mac OS X has no registry, keeps it simple, and therefore there is a very very small threat for any type of malware, spyware, or any other badware. Whatever akonradi was saying about them not being worth it, essentially "a more expensive PC" I can't necessarily agree with that. The two are completely different. If you've used both, then it's important that you make a decision for yourself.

I personally have made the switch from PC to Mac. I was fed up with Registry errors, crashing, lagging, and just the general "gunkieness" that builds up on a windows system over a certain period of time. I had always used PC, until I realized that, for me, there were better OS's out there. I played around with Ubuntu, and then landed at Mac OS X. I wasn't digging Ubuntu though.

And sure I guess you could get a Linux OS that is similar to Mac OS X, go ahead. But you can rest assured that Mac OS X has been built and tested by Apple and their fabulous engineering staff.

The bottomline for me, and a lot of people is, you get what you pay for. Sure you pay a little extra, but for almost everyone that does, it is well worth it.

I hope this helps,
-Steve
 
Bring your mom to Apple store, show her these laptops. If money is the reason, buy used one with warranty.
 
Tell Her this " It just works out of the box " I was a PC user for many years switched over to a Mac about 6 months ago, I don't know why I did not do it sooner many years sooner. All the problems I had , missing files, programs would not load, blue screen, internet not working, printing not working, Hell I could go on for days about the problems I had, If I could not have a mac I would do without a computer, that's how much I hate PC's. I can't tell you how many times I wanted to throw the computer across the room. Make the switch, you will not look back .🙂
 
akonradi said:
That means that mac users are more anal about keyboard shine and whatnot. That doesn't imply that the computer will crap out sooner if it runs windows. You don't have to use a mac to be able to take care of your product.
Click to expand...

you're the kid's mom, aren't you?
 
I got a second hand mac off ebay for £250 ( 2004 iBook G4). It's an older model but a good intro to the world of mac. I would now but a new one with no hesitation for these reasons:
Macs are easier to use
They look nice ( not important to every I know)
'They just work' ( most of the time)
The re-sale value is much much higher than with a PC laptop (PCs depreciate at a ridiculous rate whereas this mac is 4 years old and is still worth about half it's original retail value)
 
I switched to macs 8 months ago. We had a Sony Vaio desktop that I was tired of fixing constantly. I saw a mac ad, at the perfect time, that said "If you're spending more time fixing your computer than enjoying it then it's time for you to switch". Needless to say, it hit a chord with me.

I had actually thought about macs when I bought the Vaio but chickened out because I listened to friends who only owned PCs and knew nothing of macs.

We bought an iMac. Couldn't have been happier. So happy I bought my wife a MBP. Now we're looking at getting another laptop.

We will never go back to PCs. Never. Once you use macs and get used to them that's it. The line sounds so "played" but it's so true... They just work. They look great, they work great, the service (in my experience, and I'm talking about AppleCare here) has been much better than what I had experienced in the PC world.

For my family, the switch has been a turn for the better. Like I said, we won't go back.

Good luck.

All the best,
mac&cheesey
 
friekunater said:
okay, so I'm in the market for a laptop and the new MacBook is #1 on my list. but, my mom isn't as attracted to it as I am. she thinks they're too expensive and she thinks I would be wasting my money if I bought a Mac. she doesn't like the operating system (nor has she used it) and she thinks it would be too hard to get used to it. she says they're just overpriced PC's, basically.

convince me (and my female parental unit) to get a MacBook
Click to expand...

Dear "female parental unit",

I bought my MacBook on May, 2nd this year, because I was in the market for (and actually also in need of) a notebook, mainly for business reasons.
After being used to all the hassles a PC brought to my life since 1996, I was convinced it was time for a change, so I perused this and a few other forums for information about Macintosh computers and the usability of OS X, which gave me the rudimentary knowledge of the adventure to come.
When I unpacked the MacBook and turned it on for the very first time, I didn't even have the slightest idea of how much quality to my life this little computer with it's 13,3" screen has just given to my life. Configuration was done in a few minutes and there I sat in front of a new experience using the notebook. No driver installation, apart from my scanner, was needed. With respect to the software Apple provides - whether it is considered free is dependant on your personal point of view - is awesome, to say the least.
There is a clean and more then full-featured operating system, a multimedia suite that would easily cost you 300-400 EURO included with the MacBook. There are very few programs I installed since May, mainly because I just don't need them. The value of Apple's software-package cannot be over-estimated, because it is so much more than Microsoft has to offer.
Since May I got rid of almost any problems I previously had to face with my computer - and guess what? I'm so much more productive now than I used to be...

From my point of view, this computer is worth any EURO I invested 🙂

P.S.: As English is not my natural language, don't mind the mistakes.
 
I have several things that could maybe sway her opinion.

1- There's nothing like them.
2- Apple controls every little bit of the production of these things.
3- They currently do not have or get viruses!
4- They will last forever, my last ibook lasted 5 years and i sold it for $500.
5- They may be a little bit more expensive, but take this story into thought....
My father is a VP of a major (foreign) automobile company. They bought him a new dell about a month ago. He has had to replace the hard drive, re-install the operating system (three times), and get a new battery.... In a month!

I sent my iBook in once because it had an optical drive go bad in it. In five years, i sent it in once, after the waranty was up and they replaced it for free.

6- Popular Science magazine said that a macbook is the best PC out there (because macs can run pc)
7- my new macbook has Leopard, Ubuntu, Vista, and XP Pro installed on it. Runs windows better than my brand new (week old) HP i got at work.
8- Microsoft Office runs awesome and looks awesome on Macs too 🙂
9- Just take her into an Apple store, then take her into a Best Buy or something of the sort. Tell her to compare the service between the two. Put an Aluminum Macbook next to an HP at Best Buy. Compare the build quality of the two....

Really i could go on for hours. She'd be dumb to save a few hundred dollars now, when she'll end up spending the extra in repairs in the next year. Buy nice once.
 
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