Best laptop for around £800-£1000

Bowling_4_Gold

Leopard wrote: »

Bowling_for_Gold

Thanks for spelling my user-name wrongly (how did you manage that?!)

Thank you for illustrating so comprehensively the points I was making.

None of which (if you read what I actually wrote) condoned dishonesty.

Well, I don't really think in my latest reply to you, that i suggested that YOU were dishonest in obtaining your Apple gear, so there goes that point. Unless you are suggesting you 'overlook' dishonesty in obtaining goods??

I strongly suspect that I shall find Windows 7 a lot more buggy and a lot less agreeable to use than Mac OS 10.3 Panther. But I shall keep an open mind and assess it fairly.

It has been in Beta for quite a few months, in which I'm sure many Beta-users have found and reported the majority of bugs, so hopefully it will be almost perfect and flawless upon release.

cymrugirl

If OP doesn't want a mac then fair enough - I switched recently and to be honest, the macbook pro is pretty but I don't see the big whoop. It does what I need it to do and am fairly happy with it. But it really irks me to see comments defending apple and microsoft - makes posters appear to be total zealots (do you people work for either company? Is that why you need to turn threads into apple vs microsoft and make insults onto people who use either?).

If you don't want to spend time learning mac os x then I don't see the need for people to try and convince the OP otherwise.

Moving along, considering I had the same budget before I got my macbook pro - the other laptop I was considering was the thinkpad t400. If you want to go up to 15" screen then I'd recommend the thinkpad t500 (but you'd be hard pressed to get it for £1000 I think). A 14" screen is a pretty decent size and something to consider.

8GB of memory is probably overkill. It comes with 2GB as standard but is easily upgradeable as is the hard drive. There is also a hot swappable ultrabay drive so you could swap out the cd/dvd drive for another hard drive if you wanted. If you've really got money to burn, you also have the option of a blu-ray recordable drive.

It also comes with a 7 in 1 card reader and express card slot and pc card slot. You have the option of a smart card reader. Bluetooth is optional on some models.

The keyboard, trackpoint and touchpad are just a pleasure to use. It doesn't get very warm and is very quiet. Battery is good also.

It's boring but it is functional, reliable and fast. There's a reason why it's a popular business laptop but it will hurt your wallet! You could obviously get something cheaper like a toshiba or dell but I've tried both and they really don't compare to the thinkpad. HTH

Leopard

I agree with you.

Anyone who through prejudice deprives themselves of the hardware and software that is best suited to their own personal computing requirements is a fool.

But a little harmless banter livens debate and brightens the day. :rotfl:

Someone here has a signature that reads "If Microsoft ever sells something that doesn't suck it will be a vacuum cleaner." That would be just as witty if the butt of it was Apple.

You need to be aware that "Marty J" is actually Steve "Marty" Jobs.

cymrugirl

oh - I know it's all harmless....just everytime I go searching for stuff if it's in regards to apple or microsoft...it always inevitably ends in a slanging match. Just infuriates me sometimes when you have got to wade thru the insults to get to the info you want.
Although I'm surprised the token linux person hasn't turned up yet!
Or anyone that posts 'apple/microsoft/linux FTW!'. eeejits

ISIOTB - forgot to mention that the guys at the uni where I work suggested I look into the samsung laptops when I was figuring out what to buy. They highly recommended them so might be worth considering. In particular, the x460, x22 and R560.

DCodd

Marty_J wrote: »

So you think my mother abuses her staff discount by purchasing food that other people will eat?

She has been known to buy the odd birthday present too.

Actually some employees of large retail chains have been dismissed for using their discount scheme for buying "presents". The employement tribunals found in favour of the employer and the employees claim of unfair dismissal were thrown out! Just a point!!

Leopard

cymrugirl wrote: »

Although I'm surprised the token linux person hasn't turned up yet!

The token Linux person is still trying to work out how to connect to the Internet.

Marty_J

Bowling_4_Gold wrote: »

So that is your overall comparison between console and PC gaming?! Oh, wow.

For me, yes, it is.

I enjoy lounging around on the sofa playing my XBox 360 too much to want to sit in our computer room playing games.

Well, I think the examples I gave were quite commendable alternatives to the (normally overpriced) software you suggested, and, well seeing as this is a Money Saving site, I thought for basic requirements it is sufficient (editing, cropping etc etc).

Well some of them were, and some of them weren't so much. But my point was, that there is exclusive software for the Mac too, some of which could certainly be said to be industry standard.

Do you really, Marty?

Of course!

I thought, seeing as you can get that on a mac, and it is quite popular on that platform, I won't start up another debate. Anyway, Bibble is a fresh, new alternative, don't you think?

Yes, Bibble looks quite nice, and it's cross-platform, which is always welcome.

It is $3 more expensive than Apple's Aperture though.

cymrugirl wrote: »

If OP doesn't want a mac then fair enough - I switched recently and to be honest, the macbook pro is pretty but I don't see the big whoop. It does what I need it to do and am fairly happy with it. But it really irks me to see comments defending apple and microsoft - makes posters appear to be total zealots (do you people work for either company? Is that why you need to turn threads into apple vs microsoft and make insults onto people who use either?).

You'll find such arguments in any polarised market. Try going to a photography forum and looking at the endless Canon vs Nikon debates.

It's pretty silly, especially as everyone knows Nikon are the best.

Leopard wrote: »

You need to be aware that "Marty J" is actually Steve "Marty" Jobs.

lol....I wish!

Have you seen this guy yet?

cymrugirl wrote: »

oh - I know it's all harmless....just everytime I go searching for stuff if it's in regards to apple or microsoft...it always inevitably ends in a slanging match. Just infuriates me sometimes when you have got to wade thru the insults to get to the info you want.
Although I'm surprised the token linux person hasn't turned up yet!
Or anyone that posts 'apple/microsoft/linux FTW!'. eeejits

Well at the end of the day, I think we can all agree that Apple are the best, and that's the main thing, right?

DCodd wrote: »

Actually some employees of large retail chains have been dismissed for using their discount scheme for buying "presents". The employement tribunals found in favour of the employer and the employees claim of unfair dismissal were thrown out! Just a point!!

Wow, I don't remember hearing about that. I don't think she's too worried about it, but I'll pass it along. :beer:

[Deleted User]

Am I missing something? Pro Tools, Avid and Lightroom are all all available on both PC and Mac platforms.

Marty_J

anewhope wrote: »

Am I missing something? Pro Tools, Avid and Lightroom are all all available on both PC and Mac platforms.

I don't think you're missing anything; have you checked?

[Deleted User]

Marty_J wrote: »

I don't think you're missing anything; have you checked?

It was in relation to the point you raised below, and wondering what Mac exclusive software you considered to be industry standard?

Marty_J wrote: »

Well some of them were, and some of them weren't so much. But my point was, that there is exclusive software for the Mac too, some of which could certainly be said to be industry standard.