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Interesting Quote from a Mac-Forums Member

pigoo3

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I know that we've had a couple "Mac vs. PC" threads lately where longtime Windows users were thinking about buying a Mac...and wanted/needed "convincing" to help with the decision.

I was helping another Mac-Forums member with an iMac G4 "slowness" question...and the conclusion we came to was that maybe it was time for a newer computer. Now the issue of buying a Windows vs. Mac really never came up...but the Mac-Forums member "jimshady" said something which I thought was VERY interesting...and I wanted to mention it here & see what folks thought.

Jim said...

"i will be looking for an older intel macbook maybe around 500.00 I know I can get a new dell for less but I had my Imac for 8 years now while a friend went through 3 or four pc's during the same time period, so in my opinion a used mac is better then a new pc ..."

I thought that this was a really awesome statement!:)

- Nick

p.s. Thanks Jim for the very "witty" thought!:)
 
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Maybe. I'd probably prefer a used Mac less than a year old (from the Apple refurbished store) vs. a used Mac 2 yrs or older.

I just couldn't see myself EVER buying a Windows machine again for the rest of my life.
 
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pigoo3

pigoo3

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Maybe. I'd probably prefer a used Mac less than a year old (from the Apple refurbished store) vs. a used Mac 2 yrs or older.

Yes...that statement is open to some "fine-tuning" depending on an individuals comfort level with used computers. But overall I found it a very interesting statement...that sometimes we don't think of when "Windows" folks are considering switching to a Mac.

Another "theoretical" way of looking at this statement is..."What If"...you had a choice between ONLY...a used Macintosh or a new Windows computer...and you only had $500 to spend. Which would be chosen?

This is sort of the situation "Jim" (the person I'm quoting) is in...and the decision he has made (obviously by his statement)...is to buy the used Mac. That would DEFINITELY be my choice as well.:)

- Nick

p.s. Remember that "Jim" is currently using an 8 year-old G4 iMac...so a used 3 year-old MacBook is a BIG improvement!
 

RavingMac

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I bought my MBP used from a friend when it was a year old. In Nov last year it passed the three year mark and still it is faster and less trouble prone than my Dell work station (Laptop w/docking station). I probably get a new system about every 3-4 years and by the time we replace them they are definitely showing their age.
Admittedly, after three years of patches and upgrades to whatever the current version of Windows (we just recently switched to Vista) its a wonder anything works.
I see no reason whatsoever that my MBP will not be still kicking and as useful as ever five years from today (though by then I will probably have succumbed to temptation and upgraded anyway). I would be shocked if the same was true of my Dell.
 

RavingMac

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Another "theoretical" way of looking at this statement is..."What If"...you had a choice between ONLY...a used Macintosh or a new Windows computer...and you only had $500 to spend. Which would be chosen?
Nick,
I would also add to that: How much am I going to have to pay over the life of either computer for Antivirus, system tools etc to keep it healthy and useable?
If you only project a yearly subscription/upgrade cost of $30 and 5 years life expectency, it still adds $150 to the cost of the new PC. ($120 if you assume the AV that came with your machine is good for the first year).
Mike
 
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Well actually since a new Mac is technically also a new PC you could be saying a used Mac is better then a new Mac. He does not specify Mac or windows/linux box.
 
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pigoo3

pigoo3

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Well actually since a new Mac is technically also a new PC you could be saying a used Mac is better then a new Mac. He does not specify Mac or windows/linux box.

Yes...a new Mac would qualify as a new "PC" (since "PC" stands for "Personal Computer")...but I'm 99% sure "Jim" meant a new "Windows" computer when he said "New PC".;)

- Nick
 
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"i will be looking for an older intel macbook maybe around 500.00 I know I can get a new dell for less but I had my Imac for 8 years now while a friend went through 3 or four pc's during the same time period, so in my opinion a used mac is better then a new pc ..."
seems like his friend didnt know how to take care of his computer, or decided to buy a new one instead of just upgrading.
 
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Also if you look at it objectively based on performance vs. price, a new pc will likely be a better buy. What Mac can you get for $500 used? What processor?

I think it would be hard to do a comparison unless you're looking at laptops. I did sell a C2D 2.4ghz 15" MBP for $1100. I'm pretty sure you could at least find an i5 wintel notebook with a better gpu and more ram for $1100

Edit: A Dell XPS 15, straight off their site with no customization, is $949 with a 2.53 i5 that runs 4 threads, has 6gb of RAM and a 1GB gpu. Specs that definitely rival the performance of the 15" MBP that I just sold for $150 more (not including the shipping and or tax that Dell charges).
 
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pigoo3

pigoo3

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Also if you look at it objectively based on performance vs. price, a new pc will likely be a better buy. What Mac can you get for $500 used? What processor?

I think it would be hard to do a comparison unless you're looking at laptops. I did sell a C2D 2.4ghz 15" MBP for $1100. I'm pretty sure you could at least find an i5 wintel notebook with a better gpu and more ram for $1100

I think that you're looking at this a little too quantitatively or logically.;) The person I was quoting was sort of "tongue 'n cheek" saying "...a used mac is better then a new pc ...".

Give me a choice...and I personally would rather have a used Mac than a new Windows computer as well.:) I'm of course saying this as a longtime dedicated Mac-User...and of course I prefer the Mac OS & ease of use of a Macintosh computer.

- Nick
 
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From a Long time windows PC tech perspective(since '81). I agree with the original quote. I to would take the used mac over a new windows PC any day. I do believe the quality of the hardware is much better, and that is why I chose an iMac instead this time around.
 

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