has anybody lost the faith in macs?

[jefhatfield]

i have one pc and one mac that i currently use

the pc is for my pc repair business, otherwise i would only buy macs

but i have considered buying a new pc laptop for $899, a 1.7 ghz dell...not bad for a pc...the other option is the $999 ibook...but i am torn for the first time

since 1979-80, it's always been apple all the way, but i feel maybe apple has fallen behind the curve

what do you think?

(i may still buy the 999 or 1299 dollar ibook)

[arn]

Originally posted by jefhatfield

but i have considered buying a new pc laptop for $899, a 1.7 ghz dell...not bad for a pc...the other option is the $999 ibook...but i am torn for the first time

since 1979-80, it's always been apple all the way, but i feel maybe apple has fallen behind the curve

what do you think?

Depends what you plan on using that laptop for. Does the speed really matter for the laptop?

arn

[jefhatfield]

Originally posted by arn


Depends what you plan on using that laptop for. Does the speed really matter for the laptop?

arn

for me the best thing that apple had was strong/tough/durable design and a good os

now, ms has got a stable os with xp and dell makes pretty tough laptops...but maybe not as solid as the ibook but stronger than most pc laptops

it's truly a tough call since the dell also has ddr ram and a more generous offer of software that is bundled

but i am still undecided

why couldn't apple at least offer a dvd or cd-rw in the $999 dollar offering of the ibook?

otherwise, i am impressed with the ibook line

[fleetwood]

I think that although Apple may be lagging on the CPU side.
They are bringing value to the platform through the IApps and OSX.
It would be nice if Apple could shift the consumer view from GHZ of a CPU to it's operation's performed when the 128Bit processing kicks into gear with the minipulation of pictures or video.

FLEETWOODMAC

[jayscheuerle]

Not in the least. They're fine machines that have more than enough power for what I need to do.

Now Apple is another matter. I don't like that they were not honest about the level of support OSX would have for older machines. I don't think that they handled .Mac intelligently at all (from a business or PR perspective). Jaguar should not have cost $129. The dropping of a Classic boot seems like a heavy-handed marketing scheme.

I've lost faith in Apple, but not in their products or their customers. They've turned from a way of life into another product for faceless consumers. Existing software is the only reason my next computer would be a Mac.

[Performfreak]

don't forget, since you're debating the purchase of a laptop that you'll probably be getting better battery life from the ibook and it'll probably weigh less too, unless you're buying one of the lighter ones. No, I haven't lost faith in the mac because it does everything I need it to without breaking down. It's an almost daily occurance that one of my friends is complaining how their PC (running XP) is messed up or broken, or any of a number of things I never have to deal with. Until Apple starts building crappy machines that arent' the most user friendly things on the market, I won't lose faith, ever.

[solvs]

What software do you need to run?

I'd get the older 700 with the Combo drive. Same other specs as the $999 model. You can still get it at a lot of places. Don't get the Dell. My Step-Mother has a Dell Laptop. It's hot, heavy, and it lasts about 2 hours with 2 new batteries. I had a 1.6 P4 at my last job. It was slow. The Celeron is even slower, if that's what it is. Especially the mobile CPU. Some of them even slow down when running of the battery.

I tried the 700 at an Apple Store and it was nice. The guy even dropped it from about 2 feet up, while it was on, without incident. My Step-Mom's new, state-of-the-art Dell froze when I moved it a couple of inches and the scanner was knocked slightly loose. Not to mention the errors I kept getting for no reason.

When I borrowed my Mom's 400 MHz G3 PowerBook, it was faster at a couple of things than my 1.3 Duron. And easier to configure. I kid you not. I do wish Net surfing was faster, but I was using IE 5. I sold the Duron, will be buying a new computer after I move. My 400 Celeron works okay (it was free), but I can't wait to upgrade (I do miss my old Performa 6400).

So no, haven't lost faith.

Even after .Mac :rolleyes:.

Edit: though it would have been nice to have a 133 MHz FSB (even though the Celeron and early P4 had a 100 MHz FSB x 4). Or for that matter, the 1 GHz G3 with 200 MHz FSB. And 32 MB vid card across the board.

[3777]

I have an iMac DV......... but Apple doesn't currently have anything on the market that makes me want to go out an buy another one of their products. I don't like LCD screens and they dumped the CRT, and they are falling way behind on the hardware side. My last two purchases have been PC's, one is an Alienware, I recently put in a new motherboard with the kt-400 chipset, XP2100+ processor, and ti4600 card, and I love it.

P.S. I probably will buy a Mac again someday but not until Palladium comes out .....unless Mac gets a different chip supplier in the meantime....

[krossfyter]

all your macs are belong to us

[3777]

All your mac are belong to Motorola incompetence and bad Apple marketing.

[scem0]

Don't buy that Dell. Buy a PC off eBay. They are sooooooooo
cheap. I got a 2.4 GHz for $700 with Windows XP home, geforce
4 MX, 512 Megs of 333 MHZ DDR RAM, and everything else I would
ever need (40x 10x 40x CD burner that I can't live without now).

As for the thread's topic. I have lost a lot of faith in mac. Moto is
making chips that suck, and it has taken apple FOREVER to do
anything about it. Apple needs to concentrate on getting prices
down. That is the reason they don't have very much market share,
it isn't because macs are slower - it is because very few people
can afford them (why I got a PC). They need to start having
updates like the last iBook and tiBook update. I think once apple
switches to IBM as their chip manufacturer, prices will go down,
speed will go up, and market share will go up too. I hope ;).

[OutThere]

To regain the faith that I have lost in Apple there are a few things that would work relatively well...

But first off a note on XP...anytime that I use my friend's Vaio with XP all that I can do is swear at it. The computer doesn't "crash" per se, but the windows "finder" tends to lock up and most of the programs developed by M$ crash in the blink of an eye.

moving on...

1. get the prices down
2. dump the onboard graphics cards, its nice to be able to get a new one
3. fix the OS X help system... when you really need it it's not there for you
4. move from software innovation to hardware innovation...there hasn't really been any amazing steps up since the advent of the dual processor G4's. We need new chips, widespread DDR Ram, and possibly a new chip manufacturer
5. Another thing that has less to do with the laptop issue is the issue of drive bays, it would greatly please me to have spaces to put in more internal drives without sacrificing a superdrive.

[bousozoku]

I've lost patience but not faith.

I was so impressed when the first PowerMacs arrived, except for the operating system which didn't take advantage of the excellent speed of the processor.

It wasn't long before they added more efficient processors for the economy line. Now, we're saddled with their children and it's not a good lineage. The software is good and getting better all the time, but the hardware is on the wrong path.

I hope the next time they turn things around, they do it without losing the other side...or market share. They were at 12 percent before they started working on Rhapsody, but at 3 percent, do they have much left to lose? 12 - 9 = 3 - 9 = eeeek!

[krossfyter]

Originally posted by 3777
All your mac are belong to Motorola incompetence and bad Apple marketing.


haha good one!

[Geetar]

YMMV but...

I use a TiBk500 running OSX , a 7200/90 (!) and a Vaio 16.1" 1.6 MHz Large-laptop running XP.

They all work fine. The PC gets used for WP, Internet, children's tutorial material and DVD. The Macs get used for DVD, Internet, music(Logic and DP), Photoshop Elements and iPhoto.

I can't wait for the next generation of Powerbook, but until then, we're fine with what we've got. The only weak link is Comcast, our Cable and Broadband provider.....it seems to fall over on a semi-regular basis.:rolleyes:

[Tommy!]

i have lost a lot of patience lately. i cant agree more with the fact that the osx help system just plain sucks... although i dont really use it. it should actually work though!

their laptops def. need more expansion. i mean how sweet was the G3 powerbook, with dual battery or dual drive capacity? also, how sweet was it that it was a durable plastic, instead of a chip-prone metal? thats one thing thats keping me from buying a laptop... i dont want the fragile titanium, because its for schooll use, but i dont want the G3 of the ibook either... the ibook is also really prone to scratches with its shiny white case...


i think apples problem is that theyre putting form before function. i know that they can still make a good looking product that is still realy durable...

[Nipsy]

Originally posted by Tommy!
i have lost a lot of patience lately. i cant agree more with the fact that the osx help system just plain sucks... although i dont really use it. it should actually work though!

their laptops def. need more expansion. i mean how sweet was the G3 powerbook, with dual battery or dual drive capacity? also, how sweet was it that it was a durable plastic, instead of a chip-prone metal? thats one thing thats keping me from buying a laptop... i dont want the fragile titanium, because its for schooll use, but i dont want the G3 of the ibook either... the ibook is also really prone to scratches with its shiny white case...


i think apples problem is that theyre putting form before function. i know that they can still make a good looking product that is still realy durable...

Do you mean to say:
How thick & heavy was it with a dual batteries or dual drives?
How sweet was it that it was plastic, instead of durable metal with chip prone paint?

FireWire devices are more useful, and sometimes as small as drive bay devices, and with a DVD burning 1GHz TiBook, what external devices do you crave?

Also, while you can chip the paint, and scratch the lucite, these are some damn durable notebooks...much more so than previous offerings.

The problems is not Apple putting form before function, but you putting aesthics before usability.

Back on topic, having used many laptops in the last few years, including a few TiBooks, and a few iBooks, and a few Dells, I can say withou reservation that I would leap all over the $1299 iBook, even with the extra cost. I think it is the best overall value in the notebook market.

My Dell 7500 has been to service 11 times in 3 years, weighs 9 pounds, and cannot make a battery last longer than 6 months. It was a top of the line model.

The budget model 3800 I bought about the same time has long since been scrapped, as it was the least reliable machine I've ever used.

On the otherhand, I have had some small issues with PBs and iBooks, but nothing major...

[krossfyter]

all your faith are belong to pc?


someone set us up the cpu?

[MacBandit]

Don't forget if you are actually going to be using the laptop as a portable away from power battery life equals performance.

How much are you going to get done on the PC laptop when it runs out of battery life at half the time the Mac gets?

[Choppaface]

I got a PC 6 months ago and have definitely changed my opinion regarding computers in general, but ya I'm surely about a tenth of the mac fan i used to be.... I love my tibook, but if it had the case of my lobard and the capacity for dual batteries, that'd be even better :D

[scem0]

Originally posted by MacBandit
Don't forget if you are actually going to be using the laptop as a portable away from power battery life equals performance.

How much are you going to get done on the PC laptop when it runs out of battery life at half the time the Mac gets?

I don't know about y'all but I am almost always near a power
outlet, so battery life isn't that big of an issue...

[Megaquad]

There are some other PC laptops better then Dell.
They're not that heavy and they dont heat that much.
If i was getting iBook, I'd get 14" model.

[Tommy!]

Originally posted by Nipsy


Do you mean to say:
How thick & heavy was it with a dual batteries or dual drives?
How sweet was it that it was plastic, instead of durable metal with chip prone paint?




i meant to say that the g3 wallstreet, while thicker and heavier, offered a lot more options. you could have dual batteries, so it would lengthen your time to use it. but you didnt have to if you wanted to save weight. you could have dual drives to rip cds, or whatever. but you didnt have to. you could toss it in your backpack. but you didnt have to. there were several aspects that gave you more freedom, and im not saying the tibook is bad, im just saying that apple needs a more expandable laptop, and more computers with more options.

[MacBandit]

Originally posted by Megaquad
There are some other PC laptops better then Dell.
They're not that heavy and they dont heat that much.
If i was getting iBook, I'd get 14" model.

The only reason for the 14" is if you have poor eyesight. The screen is exactly the same resolution. It's just that the 14" has larger pixels. Yes it also get better battery life because of a bigger battery but the increase in portability and reduction of weight far outweighs any benefit the battery life might give you. At least in my oppinion.