Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
form said:
I'd get a dell (laptop only), not just to appease her, but because it's better, faster, etc.

Speed isn't always everything

My Dad has just been given a Dell Laptop for work, soft as hell, you rest your palm on it and it feels like its going to break

I'm sure it will last but its ugly too :rolleyes:
 
revenuee said:
wife maybe ... g/f? common, thats a compromise of a few thousands dollars.

i agree on picking your battle but as far as what she needs the computer to do, the mac can do it, and it can do it better ---

i hate using windows because when i browse the net i have to run one of those stupid anti-spyware software packages every little while because the computer slows down ... on my mac i see this stuff downloading to my desktop but it can't run since it's always .exe

i need a computer that i don't have to spend time maintaining since i have better things to do on it ... the a spyware free environment is reason enough for me to stay with mac

as far as "using this to win a more important battle" --- wow that's one healthy relationship you have there if you throw things back in your wife or g/f face like that

First, I've never had an .exe download to my windows, os x, or linux desktop. You may want to check that out.

Second, its not throwing things back in her face. Its a form of compromising. My girlfriend loves my ibook and now wants one. She didn't want the powermac I was going to buy. Instead I got a ibook and I built a low end pc combined for the same price of the powermac. We each got almost what we wanted. After two years of having my ibook, she now loves os x. Our next computer will probably be a powermac in the next year or so. If I just got the powermac, she probably would have not liked it just because I didn't listen to her input. But because I did take her into consideration she was more willing to accept the mac.

I know that building an laptop is out of the question, and not everyone has the money to get two computers (I spet about 1,800 on the two computer about two years ago).
 
Re-Read original post

Having gotten new info, I've edited this:

It's a JOINT computer (BOTH using it), and it's HIS money. She is, however, his long-time girlfriend/fiance (they're getting married).

This means:
1) HE has to use it, too. And if he WANTS a mac, why should her wanting a Dell take precidence? I'm not saying she shouldn't have any imput, but he's not buying it for her. He's buying it for THEM. If he was buying it for her and her alone, then let her have what she wants. If it's for both their use, then they MUST examine both, test out both, and not just blindly go for one or the other.

As for the "pick your battles" argument--that works if you're talking about where to go for dinner or a movie or buying a blanket for the bed. But for a computer? No. That's a lot of money and something they'll both use a lot. I would be furious if my significant other made me spend MY money on a computer that crashes, is vulnerable to viruses and impedes MY work and uses an OS I can't stand JUST because they're too scared to try something new. That is NOT an acceptable sacrifice for an acceptable reason.

2) As written in the original post, it would seem to be HIS money. But they're going to marry so I'm a bit fuzzy on this. If they both work and earn about equal money, then she should buy her own Dell. If he works and supports them, then they need to jointly decide. If they both work but he makes more money, again, they need to jointly decide.

I would still urge him to take her shopping with him, show her both Dell and Mac and how they work, show her how cute and slim and pretty the iBook is and that it can handle everything THEY want it to handle. He should NOT disregard her opinion in this joint decision, nor make her fear that he made a stupid mistake they both have to live with. In the end, however, I strongly feel that no good can come out of letting her, alone, make this decision. Not if he's really, really, really wants a Mac and will regret the money he spent if he doesn't get one.

I suspect that he's going to feel sick to his stomach every day he looks at that Dell if he buys one, regretting and kicking himself for not getting an iBook. I seriously doubt that she's going to feel the same if they buy an iBook instead of a Dell.
 
dell laptop, part 2

This is kind of a continuation of a post I made earlier. Someone mentioned that regardless of how much cheaper/faster my dell laptop is, it can't run OS X. Well, that may be true. But can a mac laptop run all of the programs I need in college, including Electronics Workbench, TopSPICE, Altera, and Scientific Workplace? The best operating system in the world is worthless if I can't use it for anything.

Someone else mentioned that placing their hands on a dell laptop made them feel like they were going to break it. My dell inspiron is one sturdy sonofabitch. It's been stepped on, dropped, beat to hell and it's still working like a trooper. Can't say the same thing about my titanium powerbook g4. My powerbook got all kinds of cracks in the case from normal wear (because titanium, contrary to popular belief, is actually a very brittle metal... what makes it strong is when it's alloyed. Apple touted "99% titanium content" in the powerbook g4 because people fall for gimics. a 90% titanium powerbook would have been MUCH stronger and would have resisted cracking). It was so thin that I couldn't put it in a backpack because it would be crushed. However I can slam my inspiron into backpack with a few huge college textbooks and don't have to worry about the thing snapping in two.

Anyway, I'll reiterate my previous point. I'm not blindly loyal to apple. If something better comes along, I'm there. I use my MDD G4 for day-to-day tasks because OS X makes me feel good. I use my inspiron for all of the electronic circuit simulation that is required for my degree, because none of these programs are available for Mac. If all of the programs you need to run are available for Mac, and you are willing to pay twice as much for the priveledge of running Mac OS X, then knock yourself out. Otherwise, considering a PC should not be out of the quesiton.
 
Do not buy a Dell!!!

I owned a Dell laptop just a year ago and it was nothing but trouble. It completely failed twice, and on the second failure, it went up in a blaze of flames and smoke.

There is no such thing as tech support. You call and wait on hold for an hour, get connected to someone who does not know the answers, get transfered, wait for another period of time, and then get disconnected.

Read the following site before buying a Dell:

http://grohol.com/computers/dell.htm

Dell had gone way down to just about zero in tech support. If you have to buy a PC laptop, buy from someone other than Dell, please!
 
BrianKonarsMac said:
who wants to date a girl who prefers Dell's anyway?

My girlfriend owns a compaq(even worse) ....

I wish I could post pictures to show the 2 reasons I stay with her :p
 
cebritt said:
...the next version of Windows, code named Longhorn, when it ships in two years. Dell's dirty little secret is that they don't provide drivers for PCs that are more than six months old. They want you to buy a new PC every three years. Think Bic pen.

I'm running Panther just fine on my 450MHz iMac with 512MB of RAM. Think Monteblanc pen.

If you're going to be stuck with a PC notebook, at least get a Sony or Toshiba.


I recently got an ancient (7 or 8 year old ) dell lappy for $25. It came w/win95 and I had no problem getting 98SE up and running or d/ling the Win98 related drivers for it off of Dell's website. I woulda liked to install Win2k but the hardware just isn't fast enough to keep it above a slide show.


Lethal
 
anubis said:
Someone else mentioned that placing their hands on a dell laptop made them feel like they were going to break it. My dell inspiron is one sturdy sonofabitch. It's been stepped on, dropped, beat to hell and it's still working like a trooper. Can't say the same thing about my titanium powerbook g4. My powerbook got all kinds of cracks in the case from normal wear (because titanium, contrary to popular belief, is actually a very brittle metal... what makes it strong is when it's alloyed. Apple touted "99% titanium content" in the powerbook g4 because people fall for gimics. a 90% titanium powerbook would have been MUCH stronger and would have resisted cracking). It was so thin that I couldn't put it in a backpack because it would be crushed. However I can slam my inspiron into backpack with a few huge college textbooks and don't have to worry about the thing snapping in two.


Just out of curiousity what is the size and weight of your Dell?


Lethal
 
If you must get a Pc get a HP computer

If she musts have a pc computer but, you want a mac get a hp. The reason is HP is in a partnership with apple, so you can feel in a way that you can own an mac. Post pics of her so we can decide to for you to dump her or to give in and get a pc( also to keep her).
 
If shes hot! then tatoo a dell logo on your stomach.serious i though all girls liked the cute ibook.
 
quagmire said:
If she musts have a pc computer but, you want a mac get a hp. The reason is HP is in a partnership with apple, so you can feel in a way that you can own an mac. Post pics of her so we can decide to for you to dump her or to give in and get a pc( also to keep her).

No way!

Check out Averatec!

www.averatec.com

The 12 inch laptop is just plain bad ass and very cheap.
 
The solution

Wow. 60+ replies, what can I say? Well, I just finished reading through them, and I came uå with a solution:

1) I get the iBook and she gets a Dell - it'll cost a bit extra, but it's still fairly reasonably priced.
2) We're getting married - we'we been together for 8 years, so I guess it's a stretch to call her my "girlfriend"

Is she hot? Well, to me she is! :) Guess it's love, eh?

Thank you all!
 
LethalWolfe said:
Just out of curiousity what is the size and weight of your Dell?


Lethal

you bring up a good point. the dell is only slightly lighter than a cinder block, weighing in at over 7 pounds. it's probably 2 inches thick. true, the powerbook is only 1 inch thick and weighs less. however, i always feel like i'm going to snap the powerbook in two because it's so thin and small whenever it comes time to carry it in my backpack. i'd rather have a laptop that i can bang around and i know it won't get busted up than a laptop that i have to treat like a baby to avoid getting any scratches/breaks in it.
 
anubis said:
you bring up a good point. the dell is only slightly lighter than a cinder block, weighing in at over 7 pounds. it's probably 2 inches thick. true, the powerbook is only 1 inch thick and weighs less. however, i always feel like i'm going to snap the powerbook in two because it's so thin and small whenever it comes time to carry it in my backpack. i'd rather have a laptop that i can bang around and i know it won't get busted up than a laptop that i have to treat like a baby to avoid getting any scratches/breaks in it.

It's a trade off. Size and weight against abuse absorbtion :). I think one reason why most people recommend iBooks for students is because they are more suited for a rough and tumble lifestyle.

I'm looking to get an iBook for a similar reason. I've never owned a laptop before so I know it's going to get abused (kinda like your first car) and I have a desktop so I don't need the faster, and more expensive, Powerbooks.


Lethal
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.