New Notebook Purchase HP Vs. Apple

[richland]

I gave you the chance to show you had something productive to add to the discussion - a chance you've yet to take advantage of.

I'm not here to prove anything to you.

I was simply disagreeing with the fact that most PC's can only be stretched to 3 years worth of use. I still have 5 PCs, 3 of which are older than 3 years and can still be used productively.

There is just no way you can prove that a Mac can be used longer than a PC unless you base it solely on your personal experiences, which I do on the PC side.

 

[Rower_CPU]

I'm not here to prove anything to you.

I was simply disagreeing with the fact that most PC's can only be stretched to 3 years worth of use. I still have 5 PCs, 3 of which are older than 3 years and can still be used productively.

There is just no way you can prove that a Mac can be used longer than a PC unless you base it solely on your personal experiences, which I do on the PC side.

Then say that your experience tells you different, not that it's a "myth". Like I said in my second reply to you, what zamyatin said is in line with what the majority of this site has noticed in personal experience - Macs tend to have a longer useful lifetime than PCs.

 

[me_94501]

If software is not a problem then go with the HP -- Apple laptops are grossly outdated, will be for the foreseeable future.

The only part of Mac laptops I see as "grossly outdated" is the processor. The G4 is a respectable chip, but by no means is it a PC killer.
I could be wrong, though.

As for Centrinos, I wasn't doing any Photoshop tests or benchmarks or anything like that, but my sister's Centrino laptop (1.3 GHz) didn't really feel any faster than my meager 900 MHz iBook G3. This doesn't mean the Centrino wouldn't kick my iBook around in Photoshop, though. My sister's PC is a solid machine, however (though the trackpad was acting up).

Anyway, it all comes down to what you value. If you require pure power, go with the PC. If you want a little more finesse, the PowerBook is for you.

 

[jiggie2g]

Thank You iJon you made some really good Points , I have Decided to stay a Machead. I will wait for the Next PowerBook Update , but if a G5 PowerBook comes out like in Sept-Nov i am gonna go F**king nuts. any idea of when we should expect a G5 PB. Now is a Very tricky time to get a mac cuz of the Transition Period we are all in with Apple going 2 G5's I really hope we don't get another G4 update I am so fed up of Motorola and their Incompetence, not only with their CPU's but cell phones. I have been waiting for the V600 for almost a year and it's still gets pushed back even further. Thank god for SonyEricsson.

Back to the PowerBook , while he HP may Mop the Floor with it in the Performance Dept. but you're all right it's the software that cannot be beat and ultimatley it's the software that makes the machine. I hear the next PB will feature the Mobility Radeon 9700. GOD I hate having 2 wait for updates Apple takes 4 ever. and according 2 appleinsider we won't get them till late April. they better Be G5's since the last update was in Sept. and Since the Xserve's have the 970FX chips since Jan i guess it is also safe to assume Apple has had these chips for quiet sometime and maybe figured a way to put them in a PB.

Once Again Thank u everyone it has been a long day. I just can't live without my iLife.

 

[ebeitzuri]

Lower price

Price difference may not be as great as you are calculating. After doing TONS of research before buying my Powerbook, I stumbled across a place in New York that is an Apple Authorized Reseller with the 1.25 GHz 'book at $200 below MSRP. They also allow custom configured orders on powerbooks over the phone or via email. If you're outside of NY, then you also avoid sales tax which would be another $200 or so. Check out jumpsystems.com.

There are lots of little things with the Powerbook that will start to add up -- details that Apple pays attention to that the big PC manufacturers ignore. The power adapter on the Powerbook is sensational. It's small and light with built-in cable management for easy transporting. The plug on the power brick can easily be swapped out for international plugs if you but the international travel kit. You can keep it small and light, or add an extention with grounding if you need more cord. The power adapter on the HP is cheap and klunky. The new Powerbooks have keys that light up in low lighting. Not sure if this is relevant for your uses, but I think it's great. Adjusting volume and brightness is a single key press on the Powerbook, whereas on the HP it will require a key combination. There's no ugly latch hook that protrudes from the lid on the Powerbook, whereas the HP has this big fat plastic hook . A friend who experienced my Powerbook next to his Toshiba said it's like he has a Hyundai and I have a Porche. The design, quality materials, and attention to small details makes the Powerbook a standout.

Unless you really NEED to do Windows, I would recommend the Powerbook. Your everyday interaction with it will be bliss.

 

[aswitcher]

Thank You iJon you made some really good Points , I have Decided to stay a Machead. I will wait for the Next PowerBook Update , but if a G5 PowerBook comes out like in Sept-Nov i am gonna go F**king nuts. any idea of when we should expect a G5 PB. Now is a Very tricky time to get a mac cuz of the Transition Period we are all in with Apple going 2 G5's I really hope we don't get another G4 update I am so fed up of Motorola and their Incompetence, not only with their CPU's but cell phones. I have been waiting for the V600 for almost a year and it's still gets pushed back even further. Thank god for SonyEricsson.

SNIP

Ditto. And off we all go in our ship of despair waiting for Apple to come good.

 

[superbovine]

Don't know much about that Centrino, but I would guess it is not faster than the G4, despite clock speed differences. While I do like HP (would be my top choice for an x86 box)

P4 M will benchmark faster. p4 m have a lot more cache than g4 do which renders a big advantage. the only different will be in photoshop and video encoding. photoshop should not be used in a benmark because mac ppl will use benchmark scripts that favor apple and pc people will use photoshop scripts that favor pc's. both result will be biased and should be disgarded

 

[me_94501]

GOD I hate having 2 wait for updates Apple takes 4 ever.

No kidding. What was it, 9 months between the intro of the AlBooks and the new Al 15" was released? Product updates should happen every 6 months at the most.

 

[aswitcher]

No kidding. What was it, 9 months between the intro of the AlBooks and the new Al 15" was released? Product updates should happen every 6 months at the most.

Well G5 is clearly a reason for delay. What sort of delay was there between G3 and G4 - was it much longer?

 

[ibookin']

Who buys a PC and cares if it holds value? lol

Here's my plan for laptops:

Sell it when it's a year old and buy a new one. I certainly care about resale value. From what I've seen, my laptop will only be worth a few hundred dollars less than I paid for it at most (more like $200 less) at the end of a year. Could I say the same for a PC? Some PCs, yes, but not an HP.

 

[Westside guy]

My 0.02, freely and regularly spent

It's funny. I was a x86 guy (DOS, then Windows, then Linux), coding on the platform since the late 80s. I used to be one of those folks who baited Apple users. You know, such as back when Apple folks said "Windows 95 = Mac 84" I usually responded with "the real problem is Mac 95 = Mac 84". But I bought a Powerbook last September after thinking about it, studying it and discussing it ad nauseum with other folks on all sides of the fence.

I just love this thing. I don't see the performance issues that the x86 diehards said would drive me nuts. I really don't know how fast the Centrino chips are - anyone have actual benchmarks comparing them to P4s rather than hearsay? But I sometimes work on a 2.4GHz desktop P4 and don't feel like things have slowed down when I sit back down at this Powerbook. Perhaps it's just because CPU speed increases have significantly outpaced almost everyone's actual needs.

I dunno. If you do decide to get the HP, consider repartitioning the drive and putting Linux on part of it. XP may drive you nuts; it sure does me at times. But whatever you feel about the chips, I think OS X is the thing that really sells Apples. It's like desktop Linux will be 10 years from now. You generally don't have to think about how to do stuff on OS X - I can't say anything close to that about Windows, even with XP.

 

[richland]

I really don't know how fast the Centrino chips are - anyone have actual benchmarks comparing them to P4s rather than hearsay?

http://www.anandtech.com/mobile/showdoc.html?i=1800

There is a nice review by www.anandtech.com

Benchmarks look good.

 

[JFreak]

But I sometimes work on a 2.4GHz desktop P4 and don't feel like things have slowed down when I sit back down at this Powerbook.

you're absolutely right, and that's my situaton also. at work they have given me a compaq P4@2.4G with 768 megs of memory. and at home i have an G4@1.25G albook with a full gig of memory, and a 7200rpm hitachi hard drive. i'd say the powerbook is snappier and it takes me forever of wasted time when windows constantly gets in the way.

a mac is a mac is a mac and you know, there will always be some kind of transition going on, the target for change only changes over time. buy when you need one and have no regrets afterwards. the G4@1.25G will continue being just as powerful after a G5PB release as it is now.

 

[jade]

the g4 and the centrino match up pretty well clock for clock. So yes the H{P would be a little faster, but the key question for every user is what are you using it for. Will you see a speed difference in Word performance? Probablly, but do you care?

Actually clock speed is becoming irrevalent. Just an excuse to make you buy a new computer. In fact the only reason people are thinking about new computers is because they want to edit video and burn DVDs (things hyped by the computer makers). Otherwise we would be cranking along with web browsing, email and word processing on 500mhz machines!

 

[JFreak]

people are thinking about new computers is because they want to edit video and burn DVDs

one more great reason to think about mac platform. multimedia things are just million times easier with apple software and so much pain in windows.

 

[aswitcher]

SNIP

But whatever you feel about the chips, I think OS X is the thing that really sells Apples. It's like desktop Linux will be 10 years from now. You generally don't have to think about how to do stuff on OS X - I can't say anything close to that about Windows, even with XP.

I agree, as much as I want a shinny powerbook (G5 I would seriously consider a cheaper other brand laptop with similiar features IF it could run on OSX.

 

[MillieWales]

......I am so fed up of Motorola and their Incompetence, not only with their CPU's but cell phones. I have been waiting for the V600 for almost a year and it's still gets pushed back even further. Thank god for SonyEricsson.

Sorry, a bit off topic of me, but what's up with the V600? We have had it in the UK for a while, I got 2 last week for staff, both free of charge. Is it not a network provider problem? Or is it Motorola working with the different Networks and standards?

Sorry, just curious.

Marc

 

[mckeek]

The HP probably is faster in everyday usage but then you're stuck with XP, and the PB is definitely a nicer design.. Life is full of tradeoffs, eh?

 

[hulugu]

Well I do.

Who buys a PC and cares if it holds value? lol

Well it becomes important when you want to move up from an older machine to a new one. A PC loses its value in a few months, just take a look on eBay, last year's Dell laptop is selling for less than $500 dollars, my TiBook from 2001 will get around $900. I get a better value for my trade-in so to speak.

jiggie2g - the Powerbook is a great machine, well-designed and fast. You have a zillion connectivity options (wireless, firewire, BT, USB 2.0, PCI) you get a great battery life (C|Net's numbers are flawed) you get the Superdrive and you get OSX which is much better than WinXP. Remember to include the use of iLife and all the other free software you get in comparison to the HP, and finally go to the store and work on one, feel the keyboard out, see if you're comfortable on it. Look at screen brightness, etc. And finaly, consider the weight. A HP appears to be 1lb more and 1/4 thicker, not much but that pound will start to weigh on you when it's in a bag. Also, HPs powerbrick is rather large and heavy while the Powerbook is small and cleverly designed.
Just buy the damn Powerbook.