I'm a mac fan, my gf doesn't like to use mac

I use emac and i love it. (I'd like to use faster ones but i'm poor)

Now my gf's 4yr old NEC laptop(on xp) just broke, she said she plugged in
her external speaker to the wrong hole and the computer just went blank and never work again.
Anyways she wants a new PC laptop, I could try to convince her getting a
mac but she's poor too, paying out of state tuition etc. etc.
Mac mini is cheap but she must get a reliable laptop. around $750
Plus she likes using PC, (in fact, I sort of like her using PC because she then periodically needs my help to fix something on her computer, I do feel more useful in this world)
I know they always have good deals on dell from
fatwallet.com or sleekdeals.net, but seriously dell is the opposite of apple and
I don't like dell.
Any suggestions?
Should i try to find a cheap&reliable pc laptop(hardware-wise) like
thinkpad ? buy.com has thinkpad z60t for like $825, no tax.
I've never bought a laptop before so I don't know which ones are reliable.
Plus all my friends have dell and they break all the time, so i only know that dells are not reliable, but that's it.

I was also thinking:
First spend long hours explaining why mac is better and then after she's convinced Buy a macbook with educational discount and ipod rebate, then
sell the ipod so then my macbook alone will be like $1000(apple charge tax here in ks) or something, but
that's lots of work. I could have use that time for working on my part-time job.




I know we're all mac fan here and I shouldn't be asking for PC laptop suggestions here, but this is the only forum i read daily so I feel like home asking you guys.

For me if I could in no way convince someone to get a Mac Laptop I would try to suggest a Thinkpad. I have had the best luck with the Thinkpads. Very good build quality.

Yeah, i think so too.
No wonder it's the business standard.

dtravis7 said:

For me if I could in no way convince someone to get a Mac Laptop I would try to suggest a Thinkpad. I have had the best luck with the Thinkpads. Very good build quality.

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Quashu said:

Yeah, i think so too.
No wonder it's the business standard.

Click to expand...

Are you kidding me? Most companies switched to el-cheapo Dells some years ago. Thinkpads are no longer the business standard by any means...

^I think you should encourage your GF to buy a Mac. You can find a good used iBook for a reasonable price.

I agree. Have you checked out used macs? You should be able to get a great ibook or powerbook G4 for $400-$800.

^You can have my iBook for $800.

If you want to keep the relationship going, let her get what she wants, otherwise you'll hear about it every-time she finds a problem or discovers something she doesn't like. It took me 3 years of trouble free Mac using for my wife to realize that my Mac never had problems like her PC did before she decided she wanted a Mac. Now she hates her POS Dell desktop at work....

I have a thinkpad and its really reliable. I also use a powerbook g4 and a powermac, but I am currently typing on a thinkpad because my powerbook is in for repairs, and i am away from my house. I really like the thinkpad, although my school provided it for me so I don't know how much it costs. It is the T60 model and its really nice, and really reliable if you tweak certain options of the os to make it faster and more reliable. I wrote a thread on these forums for you if you are interested on how to make windows xp more stable and secure.

baggss said:

If you want to keep the relationship going, let her get what she wants, otherwise you'll hear about it every-time she finds a problem or discovers something she doesn't like. It took me 3 years of trouble free Mac using for my wife to realize that my Mac never had problems like her PC did before she decided she wanted a Mac. Now she hates her POS Dell desktop at work....

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Very good advice, keeping a relationships going by letting them decide what they want is always the best way to keep them going.

^^^^LOL an experinenced Veteran?

Quashu said:

I use emac and i love it. (I'd like to use faster ones but i'm poor)

Now my gf's 4yr old NEC laptop(on xp) just broke, she said she plugged in
her external speaker to the wrong hole and the computer just went blank and never work again.
Anyways she wants a new PC laptop, I could try to convince her getting a
mac but she's poor too, paying out of state tuition etc. etc.
Mac mini is cheap but she must get a reliable laptop. around $750
Plus she likes using PC, (in fact, I sort of like her using PC because she then periodically needs my help to fix something on her computer, I do feel more useful in this world)
I know they always have good deals on dell from
fatwallet.com or sleekdeals.net, but seriously dell is the opposite of apple and
I don't like dell.
Any suggestions?
Should i try to find a cheap&reliable pc laptop(hardware-wise) like
thinkpad ? buy.com has thinkpad z60t for like $825, no tax.
I've never bought a laptop before so I don't know which ones are reliable.
Plus all my friends have dell and they break all the time, so i only know that dells are not reliable, but that's it.

I was also thinking:
First spend long hours explaining why mac is better and then after she's convinced Buy a macbook with educational discount and ipod rebate, then
sell the ipod so then my macbook alone will be like $1000(apple charge tax here in ks) or something, but
that's lots of work. I could have use that time for working on my part-time job.

I know we're all mac fan here and I shouldn't be asking for PC laptop suggestions here, but this is the only forum i read daily so I feel like home asking you guys.

Click to expand...

Both of you...get out there and make more money!

If it's a money thing, el-cheapo PC's will win every time. Apple/Mac doesn't do that. They only do what they do. Their product, their OS, their price-point, buy-it-or-don't. If you took price off the table, Mac would win every time. Price-on-price they'll win most of the time anyway. If you can get just a little further along so that you can withstand the extra bump in price, Mac will win every time -- unless you have some windows-only software consideration that went unmentioned.

You can solve the problem in one afternoon if you have an Apple Store within driving distance. What they showed me there (multiple visits because I couldn't really believe it) -- after 15 years with PC -- was sufficiently impressive for me take the plunge. I'm only two months in. Different world. I'll never go back.

I agree with the thinkpad idea. These computers are most likely some of the best pcs available.

Plus, if its her computer and it breaks thats great. I am sure you find her cute when she is angry and you get to be her hero when you fix it. Plus, its what she wants. This is a win-win situation all around.

And regardless of where you buy remember all prices are always negotiable.

climbguy said:

Plus, if its her computer and it breaks thats great. I am sure you find her cute when she is angry and you get to be her hero when you fix it. Plus, its what she wants. This is a win-win situation all around.

And regardless of where you buy remember all prices are always negotiable.

Click to expand...

well...

if she shorted her last computer, perhaps a Dell with the complete care package would be the way to go.

Let her buy what she wants. There is nothing wrong with Dell.

Okay I solved the problem

Thx for all the advice guys.
I just came back from visiting her apt. this weekend.
And it turned out-
the reason her computer wouldn't work was because she
plugged it on a defect power outlet in her room.
So it now works. Well, not 100%
because there are like 10 keys in the keyboard that wouldn't
work for some reason, like typing "m" will result in "0" etc. etc.
and the battery is completely dead, like it lasts 5 seconds without
plugging in the wall. And it overheats, but that was happening
since she bought it in 2002 already. (it was $2200 USD, bought in japan)

So since we had some $ to spare, we went to buy a full size bed. like $500.
and she rather get a new bed than a new computer. so it was a happy ending.

For me, i'm saving up $ (i have 2 jobs now) so I don't need to use this emac in my office. My office doesn't have AC during night time and it's like in the sauna everytime I'm here using emac. Yeah it's pleasant to use a mac, but not so pleasant to stay in this 85 degree room.
Is it wise buy it(macbook) or it is better to wait until leopard comes out?
(oh btw i went to a zoo in salina, ks and really saw a leopard.)

and anyone knows if apple has any sales event before christmas? if that's so I can wait.