A 2006 Mac Pro doesn't cost $2200, are you sure you're not looking at a current model refurb which shares the same clock speed as the 2006 model (despite being much faster)?
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Are you happy with Apple's current selection of computers?
- Thread starter nick9191
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See the issue with that is that would go backwards; people want a smaller footprint, not a bigger one
Not really. I'm looking for a low end mini laptop.(netbook) Sadly the MacBook Air is just to much for what I'm looking for.
The Mini is close to what I'd buy, but the specs aren't that much stronger then my current Mac Mini(minus the graphic card)...so I'll wait. Although I could go for a G4 cube like intel Mac.
The Mini is close to what I'd buy, but the specs aren't that much stronger then my current Mac Mini(minus the graphic card)...so I'll wait. Although I could go for a G4 cube like intel Mac.
Right. But the problem with Apple is that you cannot have the software without their hardware - at least not without ignoring Apple's EULA. (Just to say it again: Apple's EULA is NOT a law, and it is not even clear if the EULA itself is legal or enforceable by law.)
What I want is Dell's excellent support and Dell hardware with Apple's OS X operating system - and, in all honesty, the latter only because I have a ton of software licenses for the Apple platform that I don't want to waste.
I don't care much for Apple anymore. In my book and experience, Apple (the company and its attitude) is worse than Microsoft ever was even in its darkest hours.
Compared to Dell - which I know through my jobs longer than Apple - Apple's products and support just suck and cannot compete. Apple sells shiny and beautiful designs, but the design's the only attractive thing about their products - especially once the initial brainwashing has worn off.
My Mac Pro is still good for quite a while, but after that, I'm almost certain that my next computer will have a Dell logo again.
I hope you are only joking.
But in case you are not: This is no longer an Apple-labeled computer, because everything that was the COMPUTER in this Apple-labeled CASE is gone when you've done that and you will still be violating Apple's holy (but probably not even legal) EULA.
Most people that do not NEED or have in the past invested in OS X-specific software are better off with Windows, FreeBSD or GNU/Linux and the enormous ecosystems around them than with OS X and Apple's tiny and fully controlled by Apple ecosystem.
Yes, I just through that in to make sure people didn't make arguments based only on hardware.
The only way in which Dell support beats AppleCare is next day on site support for businesses. It would not be financially viable for Apple to run such a service. Apple's consumer support and build quality however, trumps Dell and every other OEM hands down as pretty much any consumer report on the planet will tell you.
I would disagree. I had a bad temp sensor in one of my Dell towers. I called them and they said they have to order the parts and they will call me when they come in. 2 Days later i got a call that the parts are in and i set up an appointment to get it fixed. The next day the tech came to my house and fixed it for me. All i had to do is make one phone call and wait 3 days. If it were an apple i would have to make an appointment, wait for that time, drive 30 minutes to the closest apple store, find that they need to order the parts, go home, wait for a call then set up another appointment and drive another 30 minutes there and back.
Much easier working with Dell in my case.
That is completely untrue. My consumer support I used to get from Apple sucked. Once I even had to correct the representative, that iChat was not part of iLife. They can never help me with anything and so I don't even bother to call anymore. The only thing you want the overpriced AppleCare for is to avoid even more overpriced fees if anything ever happens to your computer that you need to repair.
2 personal incidents vs. independent consumer reports based on hundreds of thousands of people. Hmm, which to believe.
"No, but I get by"
I want a bleeding edge machine. With more than two cores. Minimum 6 gigs of RAM. And Blu-ray. And I don't want it to cost 4 grand.
Why isn't Apple an industry leader anymore?
2.66GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon ~ $600 (or buy two for 1200)
LG Blu-ray 6x BD-ROM ~ $100
Western Digital 750gig HD ~ $70
12GB Ram ~ $300
So Apple wants to charge triple what the parts are worth?
I might as well build my own Hackintosh HTPC...
I say this and I feel this, but alas, I may end up with the Whitebook... ho hum.
I want a bleeding edge machine. With more than two cores. Minimum 6 gigs of RAM. And Blu-ray. And I don't want it to cost 4 grand.
Why isn't Apple an industry leader anymore?
2.66GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon ~ $600 (or buy two for 1200)
LG Blu-ray 6x BD-ROM ~ $100
Western Digital 750gig HD ~ $70
12GB Ram ~ $300
So Apple wants to charge triple what the parts are worth?
I might as well build my own Hackintosh HTPC...
I say this and I feel this, but alas, I may end up with the Whitebook... ho hum.
For what Apple sells, I'm happy with their lineup, it's an appropriate lineup and I'd say about 90% (if not more) of my friends and other people who want to go out and shop for a Mac are able to find something within the 5 different laptops they offer, two iMacs, the mac mini and if they hardcore need that much computational power, the Mac Pro.
The rest of them are hardcore technical users who need or want things that, well, demand a workstation or a different class of notebook computer.
I personally really love Mac OS and their desktop computers, but I'm not at home nearly often enough to justify owning a desktop computer -- the closest to a desktop I have is the fact that my laptop, which is not a Mac for a few reasons, has a docking station.
When I went laptop shopping, I went out with a fairly generous budget, I thought, of $2500, for the machine that would be my main computer for the next few years. I wanted a 2.53GHz processor, 4gb of ram and >300gb of storage, plus the ability to flip over to discrete graphics would've been a plus.
Apple will sell you that machine for $2499. And Lenovo will sell it to you for $1399, and you can use the remaining money on a docking station, second battery, bigger main battery, WWAN, carrier for a second hard disk, 1440x900 resolution on a machine smaller than 15-inches, and an external keyboard/mouse plus a spare power supply to use with the docking station.
Lenovo (And Dell, but I bought the Lenovo) had what I wanted at a far better price, and much of the software I use runs better on Windows (Office'07 vs Office'08) or needed to be upgraded anyway (AdobeCS3 vs AdobeCS4)
Not that I can't get a second battery for the MBP15, or just use USB peripherals (wwan/second-hdd) or use the new 24-inch cinema display as a docking station, but it the base machine itself was inexpensive enough that I was able to get those upgrades within my original budget.
The other important thing to me is that Apple's laptops tend to feel slightly poorly built compared to a Lenovo ThinkPad or Dell Latitude. The MacBook Pro may be sold as though it's a professional machine, but I have problems believing that it's actually professional-level hardware.
The rest of them are hardcore technical users who need or want things that, well, demand a workstation or a different class of notebook computer.
I personally really love Mac OS and their desktop computers, but I'm not at home nearly often enough to justify owning a desktop computer -- the closest to a desktop I have is the fact that my laptop, which is not a Mac for a few reasons, has a docking station.
When I went laptop shopping, I went out with a fairly generous budget, I thought, of $2500, for the machine that would be my main computer for the next few years. I wanted a 2.53GHz processor, 4gb of ram and >300gb of storage, plus the ability to flip over to discrete graphics would've been a plus.
Apple will sell you that machine for $2499. And Lenovo will sell it to you for $1399, and you can use the remaining money on a docking station, second battery, bigger main battery, WWAN, carrier for a second hard disk, 1440x900 resolution on a machine smaller than 15-inches, and an external keyboard/mouse plus a spare power supply to use with the docking station.
Lenovo (And Dell, but I bought the Lenovo) had what I wanted at a far better price, and much of the software I use runs better on Windows (Office'07 vs Office'08) or needed to be upgraded anyway (AdobeCS3 vs AdobeCS4)
Not that I can't get a second battery for the MBP15, or just use USB peripherals (wwan/second-hdd) or use the new 24-inch cinema display as a docking station, but it the base machine itself was inexpensive enough that I was able to get those upgrades within my original budget.
The other important thing to me is that Apple's laptops tend to feel slightly poorly built compared to a Lenovo ThinkPad or Dell Latitude. The MacBook Pro may be sold as though it's a professional machine, but I have problems believing that it's actually professional-level hardware.
You guys realize that the latest G5 is probably the mysterious xMac that y'all always wanted?
I mean, it's comparable to something higher than a Mac Mini, it has 4 cores (At least the quad-core one does), it's fairly upgradable (PCI/PCIe slots, 2 hard drive bays), and it doesn't usually cost more than a entry level iMac- Used. So yeah, if you guys want a mid/consumer level desktop that is fairly upgradable, get a G5/G4 tower.
I mean, it's comparable to something higher than a Mac Mini, it has 4 cores (At least the quad-core one does), it's fairly upgradable (PCI/PCIe slots, 2 hard drive bays), and it doesn't usually cost more than a entry level iMac- Used. So yeah, if you guys want a mid/consumer level desktop that is fairly upgradable, get a G5/G4 tower.
There's on site for consumers too, and then there's Dell Complete Care.
As for Apple's build quality being better or different than Dell's? Hogwash. It's a myth.
Because, if you need a desktop that is faster than a Mac Mini, and not an all-in-one, but don't need something professional (In today's terms- Mac Pro), then what will you buy? The latest revision of the G5 fits that exactly, and you're not paying loads of money for it. You can easily get a Quad-Core G5 for less than $1,000. So yeah, that's why.
I hope this post was tongue in cheek.
Sort of.
"no, but i get by"
I'm only buying notebooks.
i want a macbook pro 15" with a great matte screen, firewire 400/800, usb ports, expresscard, user repacable HD, good sound.
I can almost get that.
i also want a 13" macbook with a great matte screen, firewire, optical drive, usb ports, user replacable HD, great battery life and G3 option.
i almost can get that. however without FW and with a mid range quality screen it's just not good enough.
if they fix the screen i might buy one. they say the screens got updated but it's still too glossy and not good enough.
so apple is loosing out on ~2000 bucks because i only bought a MBP (2008).
I'm only buying notebooks.
i want a macbook pro 15" with a great matte screen, firewire 400/800, usb ports, expresscard, user repacable HD, good sound.
I can almost get that.
i also want a 13" macbook with a great matte screen, firewire, optical drive, usb ports, user replacable HD, great battery life and G3 option.
i almost can get that. however without FW and with a mid range quality screen it's just not good enough.
if they fix the screen i might buy one. they say the screens got updated but it's still too glossy and not good enough.
so apple is loosing out on ~2000 bucks because i only bought a MBP (2008).
No, it isn't.
I have a G4 tower. The G5 is three-year old technology. The xMac I want has a Core i7 in it.
Not a fan of the current selection. If I'm buying an "all in one" computer it's going to be a notebook. So that rules out the iMac. The current Macbooks and Macbook Pros have little appeal. Chiclet keyboard and no firewire 400 are two things to point out. Glossy screens are not my favorite and I would like to see Blu Ray in future Apple products. The Mac Mini is underpowered and the Mac Pro is too expensive.
Not really. For the price, and function I would get out of it, I am in no hurry to buy a current mac.
My '06 macbook is still holding out, but I'll be buying a windows notebook in the coming months.
Unless Apple decides to drastically drop their prices in the next 3 weeks or so, it will probably be a few years before I pick up another one. Or if my macbook dies within that time.
My '06 macbook is still holding out, but I'll be buying a windows notebook in the coming months.
Unless Apple decides to drastically drop their prices in the next 3 weeks or so, it will probably be a few years before I pick up another one. Or if my macbook dies within that time.