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Convincing my girlfriend - she wants me to buy a Dell!

S

svejar

macrumors member
Original poster
Hi,

I just can't seem to convince my girlfriend that we should get an iBook instead of one of those ugly Dells. She's scared that getting a Mac will mean that we'll be seeing compatibility issues all over, and her life will fall apart. 😀 We're both Windows users at work (and at home), so this will be our first Mac.

Anyway - can anyone in here reassure her? This laptop will be used for:

1) Microsoft Office - Word, Excel, Outlook/Entourage
2) Movies - connecting it to the TV to watch DivX, DVD, etc.
3) Music - connecting it to the stereo
4) Some PHP/html, but I mainly use a CMS to maintain my web site, so this is not a huge thing.
5) Browsing
6) Some image work - light stuff in Photoshop. Usually this will mean resizing pictures to put them up on the web.
7) Since I'm getting her a DV camera later this year, some video editing capabilities would be useful.

That's basically it.

Since I'm paying for this machine, I could more or less just go out and buy an iBook, but I would like her approval.

Would an 1GHz G4 iBook with an extra 512MB RAM be a wise choice?

An
 
svejar said:
Hi,

I just can't seem to convince my girlfriend that we should get an iBook instead of one of those ugly Dells. She's scared that getting a Mac will mean that we'll be seeing compatibility issues all over, and her life will fall apart. 😀 We're both Windows users at work (and at home), so this will be our first Mac.

Anyway - can anyone in here reassure her? This laptop will be used for:

1) Microsoft Office - Word, Excel, Outlook/Entourage
2) Movies - connecting it to the TV to watch DivX, DVD, etc.
3) Music - connecting it to the stereo
4) Some PHP/html, but I mainly use a CMS to maintain my web site, so this is not a huge thing.
5) Browsing
6) Some image work - light stuff in Photoshop. Usually this will mean resizing pictures to put them up on the web.
7) Since I'm getting her a DV camera later this year, some video editing capabilities would be useful.

That's basically it.

Since I'm paying for this machine, I could more or less just go out and buy an iBook, but I would like her approval.

Would an 1GHz G4 iBook with an extra 512MB RAM be a wise choice?

An
Click to expand...
I can tell you that I know all of those (except #2, which I don't know much about) will work well on that iBook. Perhaps someone else can chime in on #2? As far as #7 goes, Apple supplies an application called iMovie, which should be just the ticket for you. If you think you'll ever be burning DVDs on that iBook, get one with a SuperDrive - you won't regret it!
 
found this text here

"S-Video and Composite Video Output

Displaying your multimedia projects on a big-screen TV is easy. Simply connect your TV to the Video output port via the optional Apple Video Adapter, and you’re on television."

so its an optional part but I would assume its only 20-30$
 
Your iBook should be able to do all that, the only thing I'm a bit concerned about is divx-viewing. DVDs are no problem, but my 800MHz G4 iBook struggles a bit with larger divx files...

VLC getting better and better for each version, but if you watch LOTS of divx movies, and use your computer as a home entertainment centre with mostly divx' then you need something other than an iBook, unfortunatly. For DVDs, music and all other things you mentioned, though, it will be excellent... I love my iBook, even better than the Pismo it replaced (which was an awsome machine when new...)

I think your biggest problem is your girlfriend. How can you be with someone so aesthetically challenged that she wants a Dell, that is just too gross... Dump her and get the best Mac money can buy... 😉
 
svejar said:
Since I'm paying for this machine, I could more or less just go out and buy an iBook, but I would like her approval.
Click to expand...

you don't need her approval, it is you who buys it and not her. but you can always be nice to her and say "honey, trust me on this one" with a nice big smile... 🙂

just don't buy the dell. be without a computer for a while and when she asks when you're going to buy it, just say "whenever it can be an apple" 🙂
 
1) Got Microsoft Office
2) Got mplayer and DVD Player and the Apple Video Adapter.
3) Got iTunes with a cable from the headphone jack to your stereo
4) Dunno about that. I'm assuming the software exists on the Mac.
5) Got Safari and all of those Mozilla Browsers and IE (if you actually need it)
6) Got Photoshop or even Photoshop Elements (I find it just as good)
7) Got iMovie and iDVD

Get the iBook if you can get all of that software cheaper. The only thing you actually have to buy are Microsoft Office and Photoshop/Elements, if you don't already own those. Everything else is free.
 
6/ iphoto will do image resizing & publish to web if you have the .mac account
7/ dv is very good on the mac. imovie if you want to do basic edits of you home movies & final cut express if you want to do more
 
Get her drunk, then have her sign a contract saying it is okay to buy the ibook. Then you have her approval and get the ibook. 😀
 
As mentioned, it will perform those tasks very well.

It's your money, buy what you want. I recently switched and have been very happy with my decision to do so. Even my wife, who is rather technology-averse has gotten up to speed (or her version of it) on the Mac.

For future reference, try to go out with open-minded girls that are willing to try new things. 😉
 
If you can cope with the small screen - look at the 12" PowerBook with the 80GB 5400rpm Hard Drive Option

It is literally a 33% Processor Speed Increase (33% Faster System Bus, same CPU Multiplier) and buy the RAM from Crucial.

The Faster Hard Drive makes a huge performance difference and it is smaller and lighter than the 12" iBook.

It also has much better graphics - I compared the two and the extra features made it much better value than a nicely customised 12" iBook.

If you do get the iBook, make sure you get Bluetooth Built-In, you never know when you might use it and it can't be retrofitted later!

It is also just as good value than any Dell for sale in the UK as far as the specification goes!
 
The iBook will do everything you have asked of it. As for the GF, just explain to her that this is what you really want to do. She should understand.
 
Awww. Her sex must be GREAT, huh? Buy what you want and quit the whining. If your love can't survive a computer purchase, then why bother? I mean, it's so damn trivial.
 
Mitthrawnuruodo said:
Your iBook should be able to do all that, the only thing I'm a bit concerned about is divx-viewing. DVDs are no problem, but my 800MHz G4 iBook struggles a bit with larger divx files...
Click to expand...

My iBook G3 900 has not problem with DivX. You may want to to try playing them with Mplayer as an alternative to VLC.

Mplayer can be found here: http://mplayerosx.sourceforge.net/
 
quagmire said:
Get her drunk, then have her sign a contract saying it is okay to buy the ibook. Then you have her approval and get the ibook. 😀
Click to expand...

alas, it doesn't quite work that way. even if you sign something, they have some silly rule that if you were coerced or otherwise unable to really think for yourself (ie: not sober) it doesn't count. oh well... 😀

Les Kern said:
If your love can't survive a computer purchase, then why bother? I mean, it's so damn trivial.
Click to expand...

i think you're missing the point. his girl has some legitimate concerns about whether a mac would suit their needs (since all the computers in their life run windows), so he wants to be able to reassure her that whatever computer they get will suit their needs adequately. yes he could just go out and get whatever he wants, and yes it would probably be just fine in the end, but wanting to make sure his girlfriend is on board with this purchase is just a nice thing to do.
 
If you buy the Dell, you'll forever regret it. If you buy the Apple, she'll soon see the light and be forever grateful. If she doubts you, just ask her how many people she knows who blather on endlessly about how much they love their Dell PC and spend their free time searching for the latest scoop on what's happening at Dell's Corporate HQ. Then, direct her to this site. Either we're all nutcases, or the Mac is something special. I vote for the latter.
 
If you were taking her out for dinner what would she enjoy more?

-An inexpensive meal from mcdonalds that she'll probably enjoy and will fill her up so she's not hungry anymore.....she'll be comfortable eating there and you'll be in and out in 10 minutes......no fuss
or
-A more expensive meal from a nice restaurant that takes its time preparing it....it will take longer to cook....you'll have to sit down and enjoy each others company while you wait......but she will enjoy it a lot more and remember the experience.

Sorry.....but my PC experiences remind me of fast food.....put together fast and cheap.
 
baby duck monge said:
his girl has some legitimate concerns about whether a mac would suit their needs (since all the computers in their life run windows)
Click to expand...

Actually, he's listed the things they will be doing with the Mac, and none of the incompatibility concerns are legitimate. In fact, for some items on the list (like editing video) the Mac will run circles around the Dell.
 
baby duck monge said:
alas, it doesn't quite work that way. even if you sign something, they have some silly rule that if you were coerced or otherwise unable to really think for yourself (ie: not sober) it doesn't count. oh well... 😀



i think you're missing the point. his girl has some legitimate concerns about whether a mac would suit their needs (since all the computers in their life run windows), so he wants to be able to reassure her that whatever computer they get will suit their needs adequately. yes he could just go out and get whatever he wants, and yes it would probably be just fine in the end, but wanting to make sure his girlfriend is on board with this purchase is just a nice thing to do.
Click to expand...

Who says that you have to tell her that she was drunk. You can just say that she was to busy doing something and she signed it without reading it. It is still valid.
 
My GF received a PC as a college gift from her family. I convinced her to return it and upgrade to an iMac. 5 years later, she's on her third Mac (iMac --> iBook --> Powerbook) and she probably knows more about OS X than I do.

Unlike anything else available on a Dell (or any other PC for that matter) Apple's iLife suite quickly becomes an extension of you. Switching is not just a computing change...It's a whole lifestyle change.
 
blue&whiteman said:
found this text here

"S-Video and Composite Video Output

Displaying your multimedia projects on a big-screen TV is easy. Simply connect your TV to the Video output port via the optional Apple Video Adapter, and you’re on television."

so its an optional part but I would assume its only 20-30$
Click to expand...

My iBook had the composite and audio connectors in the box. I hook it up to my TV to watch DVDs, show slideshows, console gaming, and as a WebTV device since it's wireless.
 
SuperChuck said:
Actually, he's listed the things they will be doing with the Mac, and none of the incompatibility concerns are legitimate. In fact, for some items on the list (like editing video) the Mac will run circles around the Dell.
Click to expand...

🙄

yes, but if neither he nor his girlfriend knew that ahead of time, their concerns were still valid. this is actually one of the biggest problems in getting people to switch: they think that macs will have these problems, and never take the time to ask.
 
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