I don't understand how these ads are still airing. There is absolutely nothing factual in them, they are just making BS up and some of its sticking because people are too ignorant to actually do some research.
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And I am actually currently taking boundary layers and heat transfer thank you very much.
Oh. I get it. You're in college, and think you know everything. You're bright enough, I'm sure, but just because you're taking a mechanical engineering class (I'm assuming) doesn't make you a mechanical engineer.
Just because you're able to build a computer from components does not make you a hardware engineer, and just because you're able to install and operating system does not make you a systems administrator.
For the record, I *am* a Systems Administrator, as well as Software Engineer, with 20 years of experience, and a Masters Degrees in both Software Systems Engineering and Information Systems from a top-rated school, and graduated top of my class with a perfect 4.0, for the record, since you're in college and such things probably still mean something to you. FTR, they're *really* important until about a year after you graduate...then they're fairly meaningless, once you have some real experience.
I'm an operating systems expert by anyone's definition of the term (I wrote my own at one point), and I've used everything from a TRS-80 and an Atari 800 (made long before you were born) to the latest and greatest, and damn near everything in-between including MS-DOS, Windows 2, 3.1, 95, 98, 98SE, NT, 2000, XP, and 7, as well as Mac OS 4-9, and Mac OS X versions 10.2 through the current Snow Leopard, Sun OS starting from before it was called "Solaris," HP/UX, AIX, NeXTStep, Digital Unix, VMS, VAX, a dozen Linux variants, and probably others I've forgotten.
If you'll note, I listed the operating systems, not the hardware. Why? Because that's what really matters. As long as the hardware is fast enough and has the needed peripherals, it's otherwise irrelevant in 99% of cases. Windows 7 is a vast improvement, but Mac OS X is still superior in virtually every respect.
As a Software Engineer, my area of expertise is End User Experience (I double-majored in psychology for my B.S., so it was a natural specialty), and I can tell you that Apple has *forgotten* more about that topic than Microsoft has ever known.
Have you noticed that the "Find" command across the various MS Office applications (at least as of Office 2003) lives in FIVE different locations? It's sold as a "productivity SUITE" and yet such a basic command is in a different menu in Word, PowerPoint, and Excel, and Outlook actually has TWO locations for it, depending on whether you're in the scrolling window, or have double-clicked a message and its in its own window. The Windows Explorer, BTW, DOES NOT HAVE A FIND FUNCTION IN THE MENU as of Windows XP, but if you hit Control-F (or maybe it's F2...I forget), it DOES bring up the window to do a search.
So, I have one question:
What MORON designs their user interfaces?!?!?!?
BTW, this is all from memory (I'm not on Windows at the moment), so I might have a minor detail or two wrong, but I know the gist of Microsoft's inconsistency is correct. And appalling.
As a Systems Administrator, Windows is a royal pain in the rear. Windows 7 is a VAST improvement over Vista and XP in virtually every respect. I'll grant that. But it's still no OS X. I'm not going to bother getting into the details, because (a) you're in college, think you know everything and won't listen anyway, and (b) I have better things to do. I'll leave that to others, except to say that you haven't had Windows 7 long enough for it to degrade like Windows always does. The common term is "Windows rot," as I'm sure you know. Microsoft is still using the same registry they've been using for years, so Windows 7 ***WILL*** have the same "rot" issues that it's had for years. Just give it time. You'll be re-installing it within 12-18 months.
BTW, my brother is using a 9-year-old 1GHz PowerMac G4 (and the G4 was a *dog* compared to the newer Intel chips, clock speed held equal), it has *NEVER* been re-imaged from scratch, though the OS has been upgraded 4 times (Jaguar to Panther to Tiger to Leopard), still runs flawlessly to this day, and is actually *faster* than when it was new, because unlike Microsoft, Apple has spent time making their OS both more efficient and smaller, while Windows simply gets larger and slower with each release.
As far as your hardware price comparison, I haven't bothered to run the numbers to compare, because I honestly don't care and your comparison doesn't hold water. Your numbers for the Mac Pro do sound a bit high, though, but whatever.
First off, you *BUILT* your machine, so OF COURSE it's way cheaper. Duh. Companies DO want to be paid for DESIGNING and BUILDING the machine, as well as make some little thing called "profit."
I would suggest an economics course for you next semester.
Second, you compared it to the Mac Pro, which I'll be the first to admit is over-priced, (though it's one HELL of a machine), and the only model for which I would actually agree that Apple has it priced too high...gorgeous, snazzy aluminum case notwithstanding, it's too high. Agreed. The new 27" iMac, however, is an absolute and complete *STEAL* (particularly the $1699 model). The screen ALONE on the iMac is such high resolution and view quality as to probably be worth upwards of $1200 (and it's not just a 27" vs 27" comparison....the other specs and quality matter TREMENDOUSLY), and the actual computer in it is virtually free. Apple's laptops are also VERY well priced, and you DO get what you pay for.
But again, it's really all about the OS, and while Windows 7 is an improvement, but it's still Windows. I will NEVER consider Windows as my daily computer until they ditch the registry and come up with something completely different and better. And fix their horrible user interface....you'll never know how awful it really is until you use a Mac for a year, THEN go back to using Windows. Seriously. It's not even close.
Now, go back to class and come back when you actually know what you're talking about (that'll be about 10-15 years, BTW).
