- Joined
- Apr 15, 2007
- Messages
- 14
- Reaction score
- 2
- Points
- 3
- Location
- AZ
Howdy everyone!
I need some help... and I've not seen a group of forum folk so patient to help us potential switchers. Here it goes:
I've been a die hard windows user for the last 15 years. An apologetic MS user that realized every computer is essentially a tool to help one get the "job" done, even when that is coupled with many(many) hours of frustration. I've plodded along for the last few years thinking that frustration is just a part of "normal" PC operation and was actually a "feature" of the security and a slick XP OS.
Just in case your wondering; I haven't live in a hole for the last 15 years. I'm well aware of Mac and all things tech. I just assumed that the Mac fanboys and gals were overly zealous of their OS and system of choice. In short, I bought into the Mac myths hook, line and sinker. Silly me.
Currently, I'm a Firefighter by day and Web Design and Developer by night... so to speak. I actually spend a LOT of time designing and developing. So much so that I actually started a teeny-tiny-one-person-full-service-awesomely-friendly-radically-personal-web design and development company!
Anyway, I'm like a lot of people that are faced with a big decision right now. Here are some of the questions I asked myself to be as fair and logical as possible:
Preface these questions with: I need a new computer, so / and
... do I switch to the Mac instead of "upgrading" to Vista? I need a heck of system to run Vista. The minimum requirements for Vista ready PC put me into a system with a hefty price tag. So I compare Macbook to Dell XPS.
What we see in the comparison is "basically" the same systems with roughly the same price. Its boils down to a personal choice between Vista vs. OS X for all intents and purposes. I'm talking hardware and the software that comes pre-installed. The Get a Mac ad with the stuffed PC is so very, very true here.
Winner: Mac
... Adobe CS3 will run natively on the Mac, just as it does on the PC, should I switch? I can dual boot windows for Browser checks. I also have some really great and inexpensive web design tools built specifically for the Mac at my disposal. I.e. Cssedit2, Textmate, etc.
Winner: Mac
... I'm coding with PHP/mySQL but I want to learn Ruby on Rails, either system understands text, should I switch? The Mac has Unix with PHP and several other goodies built right in. While the PC is a GREAT tool for .net, I have very little interest in that web solution. I'm not a corporate web dude, and I'm not tied to any particular medium. So I have conversations with my clients regarding server side web technology and show them (on paper) the difference in MS and Open Source(free to use).... need I say more?
Winner: Mac
Bottom line: I'm switching! ... but I don't know which Mac to get.
I have a laptop and a desktop PC right now. The Desktop is 3 years old and has been reformatted three times. (I have to reformat every year or so) I run Avast anti-virus and use Firefox exclusively. The laptop is a Toshiba that was bought last year and its still good to go. I plan on scraping the Desktop.
I'm not a gamer period. I don't have time to play games on my computer. In fact, I've never installed a game on my PC's.
I'm a multi-tasker and I run three to five applications at once.
I think the best solution for me is to get a Mac laptop. I will run it on a 20" LCD with a wireless mouse and keyboard when I'm at home. I'm open for a discussion if you think otherwise.
I currently don't see a huge difference between these two Macs to justify a $700 price difference: 13" white MacBook vs. 15" MacBook Pro
Here is the blog post that has made me really question the difference between the MacBook and MB Pro.
So far I've noticed these differences between the MB and MB Pro:
1. 20G smaller drive (I can Upgrade this on my own, que no?)
2. Slightly smaller display (I will plug into a bigger display at home, which leaves a smaller footprint when I'm on the road)
3. Integrated graphics (Not sure what this means for me as I don't play games, and especially after reading this and this)
4. no backlit keyboard ( not a big deal to me )
5. DVI adapter not included (whats $20 dollars between friends? )
6. PCExpress slot ( Do they make anything for this slot anymore?, I have a Blackberry that I can tether if I need to. )
7. Aluminum shell (I've heard this is a bit of problem with wifi and my house is all wifi, all the time)
8. Ambient light sensor ( cool wizbang feature that is not useful to me)
9. Auto-dimming display ( read above )
10. Higher-resolution display ( really not sure what this means for me when I'm at home? )
11. Matte display option ( Not a big deal to me, as I'm in the sun enough as a Firefighter. Furthermore, I'm not going to be working on my computer in the sun during July in AZ)
What do you all think? I would really like to hear your opinions and any advice. I'm leaning in heavy favor for the White MB 2.0, but I really need help with #3 , #10 and anything else you've got that I've missed. Wow, that was a mouthful... que no? Thanks for any help!
I need some help... and I've not seen a group of forum folk so patient to help us potential switchers. Here it goes:
I've been a die hard windows user for the last 15 years. An apologetic MS user that realized every computer is essentially a tool to help one get the "job" done, even when that is coupled with many(many) hours of frustration. I've plodded along for the last few years thinking that frustration is just a part of "normal" PC operation and was actually a "feature" of the security and a slick XP OS.
Just in case your wondering; I haven't live in a hole for the last 15 years. I'm well aware of Mac and all things tech. I just assumed that the Mac fanboys and gals were overly zealous of their OS and system of choice. In short, I bought into the Mac myths hook, line and sinker. Silly me.
Currently, I'm a Firefighter by day and Web Design and Developer by night... so to speak. I actually spend a LOT of time designing and developing. So much so that I actually started a teeny-tiny-one-person-full-service-awesomely-friendly-radically-personal-web design and development company!
Anyway, I'm like a lot of people that are faced with a big decision right now. Here are some of the questions I asked myself to be as fair and logical as possible:
Preface these questions with: I need a new computer, so / and
... do I switch to the Mac instead of "upgrading" to Vista? I need a heck of system to run Vista. The minimum requirements for Vista ready PC put me into a system with a hefty price tag. So I compare Macbook to Dell XPS.
What we see in the comparison is "basically" the same systems with roughly the same price. Its boils down to a personal choice between Vista vs. OS X for all intents and purposes. I'm talking hardware and the software that comes pre-installed. The Get a Mac ad with the stuffed PC is so very, very true here.
Winner: Mac
... Adobe CS3 will run natively on the Mac, just as it does on the PC, should I switch? I can dual boot windows for Browser checks. I also have some really great and inexpensive web design tools built specifically for the Mac at my disposal. I.e. Cssedit2, Textmate, etc.
Winner: Mac
... I'm coding with PHP/mySQL but I want to learn Ruby on Rails, either system understands text, should I switch? The Mac has Unix with PHP and several other goodies built right in. While the PC is a GREAT tool for .net, I have very little interest in that web solution. I'm not a corporate web dude, and I'm not tied to any particular medium. So I have conversations with my clients regarding server side web technology and show them (on paper) the difference in MS and Open Source(free to use).... need I say more?
Winner: Mac
Bottom line: I'm switching! ... but I don't know which Mac to get.
I have a laptop and a desktop PC right now. The Desktop is 3 years old and has been reformatted three times. (I have to reformat every year or so) I run Avast anti-virus and use Firefox exclusively. The laptop is a Toshiba that was bought last year and its still good to go. I plan on scraping the Desktop.
I'm not a gamer period. I don't have time to play games on my computer. In fact, I've never installed a game on my PC's.
I'm a multi-tasker and I run three to five applications at once.
I think the best solution for me is to get a Mac laptop. I will run it on a 20" LCD with a wireless mouse and keyboard when I'm at home. I'm open for a discussion if you think otherwise.
I currently don't see a huge difference between these two Macs to justify a $700 price difference: 13" white MacBook vs. 15" MacBook Pro
Here is the blog post that has made me really question the difference between the MacBook and MB Pro.
So far I've noticed these differences between the MB and MB Pro:
1. 20G smaller drive (I can Upgrade this on my own, que no?)
2. Slightly smaller display (I will plug into a bigger display at home, which leaves a smaller footprint when I'm on the road)
3. Integrated graphics (Not sure what this means for me as I don't play games, and especially after reading this and this)
4. no backlit keyboard ( not a big deal to me )
5. DVI adapter not included (whats $20 dollars between friends? )
6. PCExpress slot ( Do they make anything for this slot anymore?, I have a Blackberry that I can tether if I need to. )
7. Aluminum shell (I've heard this is a bit of problem with wifi and my house is all wifi, all the time)
8. Ambient light sensor ( cool wizbang feature that is not useful to me)
9. Auto-dimming display ( read above )
10. Higher-resolution display ( really not sure what this means for me when I'm at home? )
11. Matte display option ( Not a big deal to me, as I'm in the sun enough as a Firefighter. Furthermore, I'm not going to be working on my computer in the sun during July in AZ)
What do you all think? I would really like to hear your opinions and any advice. I'm leaning in heavy favor for the White MB 2.0, but I really need help with #3 , #10 and anything else you've got that I've missed. Wow, that was a mouthful... que no? Thanks for any help!