Manic Mouse said:
You guys must all have diabetes from the amount of koolaid you seem to be drinking. I love Apple, OSX and their laptops however a $1,000 premium for their products is utterly unacceptable.
You all bang on about how bad the guy's HP laptop is because it runs windows and completely ignore the fact that it is a grand cheaper than the equivalent Mac.
And, get this, Vista is actually quite nice (I'm using it right now). So while OSX is indeed a big leap ahead of XP it's much more comparable to Vista. And this is coming from someone who's used both, not some Apple/Windows fanboy.
OSX isn't worth a $1,000 over XP, and most certainly isn't worth $1,000 over Vista. If you think paying $1,000 for an OS is worth it you're pretty insane.
Look, the bottom line here is this...
First, you CAN run an effective Windows machine if you know what you're doing and can troubleshoot day-to-day problems. There's no secret there. Many of us are even forced to run both because in reality Windows still has a stranglehold on the computer world. That said, the beauty of the Intel Macs is that you can run both. Windows PCs can't do that.
Second, yea, maybe Vista will be a big step up from XP, and maybe it will be in many ways comparable to OSX in features. But you're conveniently forgetting that it's still built on Windows architecture which means it's unstable, relies on registry files and drivers that are constantly in conflict. Not to mention that Vista is the "new" Windows. OSX is the "old" Mac OS. Leopard will be a giant leap for OSX and will most assuredly have Vista putting along in the distance again very soon.
But MUCH more importantly, there is something intangible about OSX and the Apple machines. It's not "the koolaid" or anything like that. I can't speak for other people in this forum, but I still still use both PC and Macs out of necessity, and I don't always just go buy the latest and greatest. In my opinion, as a pro user of both machines, OSX has an intangible quality of useability, reliability, and that unspoken "cool" factor that really make it stand out far beyond what any of the "numbers" will point to.
n00bst3r said:
First of all, HP and Apple get the same parts (sure the motherboard is different but all the logic on it is the same) so the FSB and memory will both be the same (****** 667mhz FSB and CL4 RAM). I would like to see the evidence you have to make this statement.
They get SOME of the same parts. They do not have the same case, they do not use the same architecture. A computer is about MUCH more than simple plug and play parts... it's about how you use those parts, how they're arranged and put together.
More importantly, the motherboard, which you've pleasantly glossed over, is potentially one of the most important items in your computer. You can put the best chipset and memory in the world in your computer, but if you have a crappy motherboard (which HP, Dell, and the like all use), you will be highly proned to cracks, gaps, and other consistency issues. It's a verifiable fact - not the koolaid talking.
Then there's that hairly little fact you're missing which is that you're comparing a BRAND new, right out of the gate HP laptop which "competes" with the MBP, and the MBP (as has been discussed ad nauseum here) is nearly a year old! So I don't think having a brand new line of HPs that compete with a year-old line of Macs is anything to be praised.
n00bst3r said:
Also the machine is planned to be shipped Nov 1st.
Planned to ship, and actual shipment, are two VERY different things.
n00bst3r said:
My advice to potential switchers: if you are not computer illiterate and can use Windows without hassle (as I have for years), steer away from the Apple badwagon. You will just turn into Steve's retirement fund like all the others. (No offense to those that are)
As I mentioned above, that "extra" $1000 you have such a problem with comes in handy here. If the computers are indeed the same as you claim they are, then the extra $1000 should be WELL worthwhile in that you'll have a computer that's both a Mac and a PC. You can choose to be a switcher or not, but having both machines at the same time is ideal for anyone.
We love Macs for the software and simplicity, looks are a nice plus but, not always needed. Just part of the Apple charm 
