Windows vs Apple dilemma

lil_coz

lil_coz

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I need a bit of help on this one guys and girls. I'll by buying myself a new laptop by the end of Feb. Now since day one, I've always had Windows. XP to be precise and I know how it works and am quite happy with it. I've always had Dell computers and laptops, and I can't really fault them. Now I've not really played with Windows 7, so have no idea what it's like. In the ideal world, I'd be quite happy buying a new laptop with XP on it!

My complication is, I've spoken to quite a few people who used to only work on Windows, then moved over to the fruit based technology, and say that it's miles better! Now I've had a play on the odd Mac and just can't get used to the 'no right click' thing. My brain is wired to use right click on computers, and taking that away messes everything up! Now if I have to learn a new operating system whichever way I go, they're both level pegging for me at the moment, so I've got a few questions.

What's your take on Windows vs Apple? Are they really that much better? I also got told that once you buy a Mac, any help that you need regardless of what it is, you can just go to their store and it'll all be done FOC. Is that true?! How about compatibility using Microsoft Office because I'll be dealing with a lot of Word/Excel etc.

There's no point me going into Apple and ask them because understandably they'll be biased to their product.

Thanks in advance!
 
I'm a big Apple fan and have an iPhone / iPad, but I think for day to day usage i'd stick with a Windows 7 PC and Dell. Its just easier to be 100% compatible with the rest of the world, and to be using a familiar interface.

Eventually things will change, but not until Apple start to compete on price for business devices. At the moment they are just too expensive.
 
I've always been very anti-Apple. No idea why, I just always saw them as overpriced fashion statements! They probably still are to some extent, but I bit the bullet this year and bought the iPhone 4S. I can honestly say it was the best decision ever!

Everyone has been taking the p*ss out of me for being a massive hypocrite though :)

It has got me wanting more. More specifically, a MacBook Pro. But with the price tag it carries, I won't be jumping on that bandwagon anytime soon...

I've got friends that have MacBook's, iMac's, iPad's etc and since becoming a bit of an Apple-convert I've realised just how much better they are. I never gave them the time of day before as I was so "anti-Apple" and would always criticise them for the sake of it.

I've had my fair share of Dells in the past and they start of as being brilliant machines but then just slowly deteriorate and die... I'd say given the chance, I'd go for a MacBook.

Just beware though, I don't think ETKA or ElsaWin run on anything but Windows (just in case you're an avid user).
 
Jameze said:
I've always been very anti-Apple. No idea why, I just always saw them as overpriced fashion statements! They probably still are to some extent, but I bit the bullet this year and bought the iPhone 4S. I can honestly say it was the best decision ever!

Everyone has been taking the p*ss out of me for being a massive hypocrite though :)

It has got me wanting more. More specifically, a MacBook Pro. But with the price tag it carries, I won't be jumping on that bandwagon anytime soon...

I've got friends that have MacBook's, iMac's, iPad's etc and since becoming a bit of an Apple-convert I've realised just how much better they are. I never gave them the time of day before as I was so "anti-Apple" and would always criticise them for the sake of it.

I've had my fair share of Dells in the past and they start of as being brilliant machines but then just slowly deteriorate and die... I'd say given the chance, I'd go for a MacBook.

Just beware though, I don't think ETKA or ElsaWin run on anything but Windows (just in case you're an avid user).
Click to expand...

I was exactly the same... Waste of money, fashion statement, all style and no substance. I used to be a big Windows fan until I got the iPhone. I was blown away by how simple, reliable and flexible they are. I set up a lot of different phones for people and the iPhone takes some beating. Have since bought the ipad and they are both absolutely fantatic. I get frustrated with the clunkiness and error prone Windows now, but for the time being its difficult to get away from it for my work
 
Exactly, windows just is compatible with 99.999% of software out there, including vcds :) for me Mac is useless (ATM) ipad maybe of use soon though :)

But, I suspect win 8 will have some very good pads coming out, so maybe hold out for this for 100% compatibility with my work tools.
 
I have both iPhone and I pad2 but I have to aggree with consilio on this one, for day to day use I use windows 7 which I have no problems with at all, and the same as you before windows 7 I had xp and was a bit weary of changing but once I did it was great it's easy to use and like others have said apple are expensive for what you get. I'd say for on the go iPad but for everyday use windows.
 
Thanks for the replies gents!

Well I have an iPad2, and I've got to say on the whole I do love it. BUT.... it's more of a gadgety thing than anything else. I use it for browsing the web, emails, and apps that I need for work. For that, it's perfect! Small and light to carry around too. However IMO you can't replace a laptop with an iPad. Now for a phone, I've got a HTC and I'd much prefer that over the iPhone. The main thing is the browsing experience where if I want to zoom into a webpage, on the iPad/iPhone, you have to scroll to the left and right of the page. Where as on the HTC it resizes/re-arranges to whole page so you still have full width of the page, and you just scroll up and down.

As for buying a Mac, I'm ok with paying their prices if I do go down that road. But by the sounds of things the world is still geared around Windows so if I did go for a Mac, there would be the odd niggle when it comes to dealing with others who use Windows.
 
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for general office use, id say go with a windows laptop... i know there a bit crap and often have conflicts that make no sense at all, but they are half the price for similar spec, also saves having to take the crash course in learning how to use a mac. But the mac is a better machine, if your at all into music, video or photo editing, id be inclinded to go for the mac, a much smoother machine with better support, and they hold a good resale value and dont become obsolete too quickly...

im of course no expert but this is just a judgement from using both. Iv always owned a windows laptop, and every year or 2 when i get a new one, i say il get a mac, but hasnt materialised yet... next time though, im getting a macbook pro :p
 
lil_coz said:
But by the sounds of things the world is still geared around Windows so if I did go for a Mac, there would be the odd niggle when it comes to dealing with others who use Windows.
Click to expand...

but if that really was a problem, you could always get windows loaded on the mac. My brothers go a macbook pro, and on start-up hes got it so he can select whever he uses Lion or windows... although he said he never bothers with windows anymore
 
I work on a Vista machine, and I have a MacBook Pro for home, and a Win 7 machine for VCDS.

Yes I could have loaded Parallels on the Mac and run VCDS from there, but I don't want to be lugging a £2k laptop with a dentable / scratchable metal case in and out of the car, so I got an Acer which takes the kicking instead.

Win 7 is a lot better than Vista (thank ****), and on balance I prefer my MacBook Pro than either Windows machine, but it depends on what you intend to use it for.

Mac looks good, fast start up and shut down. Yes they cost more, but with higher specss they last longer without grinding to a halt so you need to spread the cost of purchase over more years of return. However I use the mac for photos / iWeb blog / video conversion (HD1080P) and its just more competent at these kind of activities in the laptop arena. If you're not a heavy media user then a Mac may not be worth the benefit.

Also I'd like to say that recently I've been less impressed by Mac. I'm an Apple man through and through (Pods / Phone / Pad / MacBook Pro / Apple TV etc.), BUT the quality of software updates / and software in general is going downhill. I've noted quite a few glitches in the last couple of years which have cost me a lot of time and effort and frustration for the premium you pay (which frankly is huge). iPhoto is my bugbear of the moment and is doing my head in. iOS updates are also hit and miss.

If you're going to be caning the processors get a MacBook Pro, but if you're a generalist user a Windows 7 PC will provide everything you need. There are comparative high end laptops to the Macs from Alienware if you want to spend big in the Windows arena.
 
OK, that's that then. Windows it is! I'm not really going to be using the Mac at what it's really good at. So I may as well settle for Windows! I'm guessing Dell are still a safe bet when it comes to laptops, because that's the route I'll probably be taking. Unless someone here says that Dell's break down every time it's a Tuesday night!

Really appreciate the input guys, thanks!
 
I would take a look at the acers... Mine is a 14" timeline 4820t which I think they have replaced with the 4830t and the battery life is nuts, around the 8 hour mark which is handy. Its also hardy, slim and very user friendly. I think the 4830t has the button surrounds like the mac to stop all the crap (crisps and sweets) going inside. The spec isn't too bad either
 
In all honesty, I've never had a laptop fail on me, they only get old and slow, and I still have most of them! lol Oldest one is a classic slimline Toshiba Satellite, was top of the range back in it's day, it still switches on, but slow as firk today.
 
Mrs Gary3306 got me an iMac for christmas. It's fantastic, but it is still a very steep learning curve for me having always been with Windows and building my previous 3 PC's myself. One of the best things I discovered on the Mac, was on the first day I plugged in my printer, switched it on and immediately a box appeared asking if I wanted to install the software and driver for my printer. Clicked yes and then nothing happened..........! So after about 10 minutes I looked in the system preferences, and there was my printer, all installed, set as default, with a little green light next to the printer icon and saying 'ready'. I didn't have to do a thing, unlike PC's where you have to follow prompts for re-starts etc throughout the install. Its just so much easier.

You don't need anti-virus with a Mac either. Not yet anyway :happy:

Just don't buy a windows phone 7, because like me, you'll just end up going out and buying an iphone.
 
I would stick with a Windows 7 Sony laptop, does everything you need it to do and it's very good value for money. They are also stylish and have high re-sale values ! I use a cheappo netbook with XP operating system as my VCDS/diagnostic machine and it ges everywhere(it's with me in the toilet now !), great battery life- 9 Hours+ and if it breaks, it only cost me 140 quid brand new !
I also played with my cousin's mac book pro and i did not find it that much better, slick- yes but not better ! Ebay browsing was much clumsier and it did not show all the search options i have in my ebay !
 
I always stick with windows and have a pet hate of apple products. They just don`t let me do what I want to do I must comply to their way .......

had a go with a iphone 4s and it didn`t impress, om sticking with the galaxy s2 but will have to get a galaxy s3 to go with the car lol
 
Apple without a doubt! If you have software which won't work on a mac, just buy Parallels for £50ish and a copy of windows, then you can run both windows and mac at the same time! It works very well now.. Otherwise the mac has built in software to run windows, so just stick in a windows install disk and then every time you boot up your computer you can choose whether you want windows or mac.

Given, macs are more expensive when comparing there spec to a windows alternative. But I'd prefer to pay more just for the operating system. After a year or two windows will start to slow down and become buggy, where as macs os means they just keep on going.. Mines now 4 or 5 years old, but I don't find myself getting annoyed at how slow it is or it freezing.

Macs also are less prone to viruses compared to windows.

As you can probably tell, I'm bit of a Mac fan boy aha!
 
bug said:
Apple without a doubt! If you have software which won't work on a mac, just buy Parallels for £50ish and a copy of windows, then you can run both windows and mac at the same time! It works very well now.. Otherwise the mac has built in software to run windows, so just stick in a windows install disk and then every time you boot up your computer you can choose whether you want windows or mac.

Given, macs are more expensive when comparing there spec to a windows alternative. But I'd prefer to pay more just for the operating system. After a year or two windows will start to slow down and become buggy, where as macs os means they just keep on going.. Mines now 4 or 5 years old, but I don't find myself getting annoyed at how slow it is or it freezing.

Macs also are less prone to viruses compared to windows.

As you can probably tell, I'm bit of a Mac fan boy aha!
Click to expand...

Wow, it's such a long time since I heard such bull****.
 
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