OSX and Windows

Far easier and more stable IMO to install Windows on a Mac than to install OS X on a Windows PC

On a Mac you have the option of BootCamp and/or virtualization (Fusion/Parallels)

 

Which will you use more often? Lion or Windows?

I haven't fiddled with installing a Mac operating system on a PC for years, but it used to be such a pain. It may have gotten a little bit easier, but imaginably it's still an annoying process (especially keeping it updated). As ^MacDawg said, installing Windows on a Mac is easy as cake (I use VirtualBox for virtualizing; it's free).

$1500 is a pretty decent budget, but you're limited to either the 13in MacBook Pro or 13in Macbook Air. What else will you be doing with the laptop?

I love the the MacBook Air, so I'd recommend that (SSD, higher resolution screen, ultraportable). But depending on what you need it for, you may need the expansion aspects of the MacBook Pro (have more than 4GB RAM, need more than 256GB hard drive space, desire for extra ports, etc.)

 

My MBA is extremely quick and runs Windows 7 very well through VMware Fusion

You will never virtualization to install Linux as well

 

What will you need Windows for exactly? You may be pleasantly surprised to see that nearly all you think you need Windows for can be done in the Mac environment. For example, all MS Office documents can be opened with Mac versions of Office or within the Apple iWork program suite.

I just say this to add to the votes for getting a Mac...and to say that many who made the jump to Mac from Windows barely, if ever, use Windows on their machines now, despite thinking they absolutely needed Windows.

 

You can run Linux in a virtualbox. Why would you want Linux outside a VM? I suppose you could. You could partition the HDD such that there was a swap, boot and data partition for Linux, leaving a big partition for Macintosh HD and possibly a partition for Windows/bootcamp but that is so 10 years ago. The way to go is really virtualization so you can move files between the 3 OS's seamlessly and never have to reboot just to change OS.

I am a long time Linux user. Since Slackware 2 something. Once I got OS X, my Linux use waned dramatically. The bash shell on OS X is almost identical to the bash shell on any modern Linux distro. I wouldn't jump to the conclusion you need to be rebooting all the time if I were you, nor would I jump to the conclusion Windows would be the OS you use most. Wait until you taste OS X and you might find yourself belt-sanding those other 2 OSs away.

 

You can get refurb. Looks like new and has same warranty as new.

Quad Core is not heavier.

Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.2GHz quad-core Intel i7, $1,699
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac

 

Wouldn't it be twice as heavy as a dual core?

 

definitely get a mac and run windows on it, a lot better software to help you do it

 

I'd highly suggest buying a Mac, install a VM application like VMware for Windows 7 & Linux. The reason I'd choose a 15" MacBook Pro is it's ability to easily upgrade both hd & ram.

Once you get it setup you may find it far exceeds your expectations & decide to keep it longer than you initially planned. That's the same reason I'd choose a 15" hi-res anti-glare display.

I have both MBA's & MBP's. The gorgeous hi-res MBP display is stunning. The display on my 13" MBA is OK, but nothing in comparison to MBP.

The more you use it, the more you'll experience just how great OS X is. At just under 1" thick, the MBP is far more portable than your average Windows Laptop.

 

OS X and Windows

Weight goes up in proportion to the cube of the linear dimensions, so it would be 8 times as heavy.

And yes, get a Mac and run Windows in a VM. You won't be sorry.