Thinking of getting an Apple...

BillScarab

Leopard wrote: »

As far as I'm aware (and I may be incorrect – but I have a vague recollection of Steve Jobs saying it in regard to the Mac mini or the MacBook) Apple put a Display Port rather than HDMI port on to its latest models because a Display Port can support the 2,560 X 1,600 native resolution of a 30" monitor but an HDMI port can't.

HD televisions use just 1,920 x 1080, don't they? :huh:

But, as I cautioned, I'm not sure about that.



Marty J,

Uncharacteristically, you forgot to mention that not only is the MacBook Pro $100 cheaper than the HP Envy but it also comes with the excellent iLife suite of Apple applications.

Whereas, the HP Envy comes with, er... a 30-day trial version of the expensive Microsoft Office suite. :rolleyes:

Somebody, maybe not MartyJ, mentioned the price difference.

The HP may come with a trial of Office but it also comes with Movie Maker, Photo Gallery, DVD Maker etc. I've no idea how they compare to the iLife suite as I've not used it but they are pretty good nowadays and do the things most people want.

You can also download the The Live versions for nothing which have extra functionality.

isofa

Firewire is massively prevalent in the professional industry, to dismiss that it's "lost to USB" is ridiculous.

Don't forget the professional applications of FW with video cameras too.

Most of my SCSI devices were replaced with FW, USB just couldn't cut the mustard.

Firewire has much higher sustained rates, only USB3 (first test here) and eSATA can better it, and in a couple of years maybe Light Peak will be with us, finally a connection for the 21st century!

USB 2 is pretty useless for mass attached storage, who wants to wait to copy masses of files? eSATA and FW are much better. USB 3 will be the killer if it catches on, before Light Peak...

USB 1 and 2 overtook connections for iPods and music players, because they have a low data transfer rate, there isn't much need for Firewire, when an iPod (or other device) can sync a reasonable small amount of data in a few seconds over USB. Apple also decided to switch to make it more attractive to PC users, who rarely have FW ports on their systems. All the PCs I own have had to have aftermarket FW cards added.

Ironically it was Apple who first started shipping systems and USB peripherals dumping their old ADB technology, just like they dumped the floppy disc years before PCs did.

asininity

Gotta love these threads. Each side over exaggerating flaws and features:rolleyes:

I dont care who invented what first, or who used what first. I just care about what I need to do on these machines.

I'll never buy a mac cos the cost is not justified and never can be.

busenbust

busenbust wrote: »

Indeed you can;). The amount of rubbish on the market is absolutely incredible. Low quality screens (they might quote a high resolution but that matters not if the panel itself is of poor quality), 'spongy' keyboards, trackpads that don't track, touchpads that don't 'touch' (unresponsive). How the hell can they sell this stuff. Oh well, they can. There are only three netbooks (out of a multitude) I have seen that display decent build quality: The Asus, the MSI Wind and, my favorite of all, the Samsung series (esp. the N510).

Interestingly, another company that charges a 'premium' (or considered to be) for their products is Lenovo (formerly IBM). But again the build quality is excellent and often considered to have the best keyboards on the market. I think recently there was some Internet chatter about a downgrade in quality of their keyboards; seems to be being disputed by others. Asus is possibly another brand that charges a premium but make high quality laptops (not just the Eee netbook).

isofa

asininity wrote: »

I'll never buy a mac cos the cost is not justified and never can be.

I spend just as much, if not more on top end PC laptops than Macs (including Lenovo as per busenbust mentions they fantastic quality), the cost can be justified if you are interested in buying quality and want the quality, features and even the investment. I'm happy to pay a premium for a better built, better featured, better quality machine. Just as I do with white goods, hi-fis, cameras, cars and anything else, because I value quality and buy things to last.

Fortunately we are all different and there are different manufacturers to cater for everyone.

asininity

isofa wrote: »

I spend just as much, if not more on top end PC laptops than Macs (including Lenovo as per busenbust mentions they fantastic quality), the cost can be justified if you are interested in buying quality and want the quality, features and even the investment. I'm happy to pay a premium for a better built, better featured, better quality machine. Just as I do with white goods, hi-fis, cameras, cars and anything else, because I value quality and buy things to last.

Fortunately we are all different and there are different manufacturers to cater for everyone.

Well theres the difference I look at what I need and want and find the cheapest price I can get it for. But cheapest price does automatically mean cheap. I can do what I need to do on computers a lot cheaper than macs and higher priced PCs so whats the point?

On the buy things to last, I have just put to bed an old tiny (remember them?) computer that was over 10yrs old, still working btw but had a better computer to do its job; was given away on freecycle where I got it.

On the quality front, I build me own PCs because I get exactly what I need with top quality components cheaper than if I bought a ready made PC that wouldn't have exactly what I want with things I dont need.

Marty_J

asininity wrote: »

Well theres the difference I look at what I need and want and find the cheapest price I can get it for. But cheapest price does automatically mean cheap. I can do what I need to do on computers a lot cheaper than macs and higher priced PCs so whats the point?

Well, some people value quality. A computer that is well built and attractive is very pleasant to use. If you use a computer a lot, such unquantifiable things as the user experience can be very important. If your computer is in a dusty spare room and you use it once a fortnight to check your emails, it's less so.

I know if I had a job that involved me driving a lot, I'd be looking for a car with comfortable seats first and foremost.

Also, they have an excellent resale value. You can buy a MacBook Pro for £1,000, and then 2 years later, turn around and sell it for £600. So, that "really expensive" computer cost £400 to own, and you now have £600 to put towards a newer model. Once you've made the initial investment, they're not really very expensive.

Leopard

Marty_J wrote: »

Exactly. The 15 inch Envy starts at $1,799, whereas the 15 inch MacBook Pro starts at $1,699.

You can go to Dell and configure their XPS laptops all day long, and they won't be any cheaper than a Mac.

Leopard wrote: »

Marty J,

Uncharacteristically, you forgot to mention that not only is the MacBook Pro $100 cheaper than the HP Envy but it also comes with the excellent iLife suite of Apple applications.

Whereas, the HP Envy comes with, er... a 30-day trial version of the expensive Microsoft Office suite. :rolleyes:

BillScarab wrote: »

Somebody, maybe not MartyJ, mentioned the price difference.

The HP may come with a trial of Office but it also comes with Movie Maker, Photo Gallery, DVD Maker etc. I've no idea how they compare to the iLife suite as I've not used it but they are pretty good nowadays and do the things most people want.

You can also download the The Live versions for nothing which have extra functionality.

BillScarab

I like and read your postings. So, I hope, genuinely, that you will not be offended by my telling you that, in future, I am going to ignore questions that you ask of me and not reply to them. The problem is that you don't read answers (nor, indeed, postings generally) properly. This makes the exercise pointless and the effort involved wasted.

Consider.

I wrote, in part of a posting about Windows and Mac OS X, "If you have any lingering concerns, ask yourself whether you wish to enrust your essential computing needs to a company run by this man or by this man. Says it all, really."

You responded. "Why do you keep doing this? Do you honestly think it helps your argument? All it does is make you look ridiculous."

I replied to your question by writing this:

"To some extent because you have expressed publicly your disappointment when I don't.

But mainly because it's a very significant point. It would scare the hell out of me to know my computer was running on software from a company that thinks Steve Ballmer is safe to manage a chicken coop, let alone a multi billion pound global corporation.

People should think about that. I draw their attention to it."

You reacted by posting this:

"I doubt if Steve Ballmer has much involvement in the development of the software. Out of interest are there any other companies which are headed by people who scare you?"

At every stage of this exchange – as with the one with which I commenced this posting – you miss the point being made (and being made with deliberate clarity).

Did I ever suggest that Steve Ballmer has enough brains to be able to develop software – or even understands what the software developed by the company he runs can actually do, let alone how it does it?

Did I ever suggest that Steve Ballmer, himself, scares me?

No.

What is the point in writing anything for somebody who fails to grasp what they are reading?

None.

One final question of yours I will answer, though.

"So you can judge the OP's character from a post on a forum?"

"Sometimes. But in this case I was judging the OP's mentality, attitude and education."

"So you can judge the OP's mentality, attitude and education from a post on a forum?"

A person who states that he (or she) is interested in trying something new indicates that they are possessed of a mentality that does not restrict them to things with which they are familiar.

A person who states that he (or she) is prepared actually to switch computer operating systems if doing so will be beneficial indicates that they are possessed of an attitude that is positive and unfettered by cowardice or prejudice.

And, whereas an educated person can spoof illiteracy, an uneducated person cannot feign literacy.

People give away many other things about themselves (usually unwittingly) by their postings.

Scrilla, for example, is clearly educated and intelligent – but s/he is careless and undisciplined (dangerous failings in one who is arrogant). That's betrayed by his/her perpetual errors in apostrophising (or not) the word "its".

espresso, for example, clearly has a precise, analytical and well-tutored mind. That couldn't be faked if it were otherwise.

You, yourself, are somebody who lacks diligence, lacks focus of thought and takes no pride in himself. If anyone pointed out to me that the grammar or spelling in my signature was defective, the first thing I would do, before making any further postings, would be to remedy that. You haven't.

Anyway, that's why – after responding to a great many of your personally challenging questions over the last couple of years – I won't be replying to any more. You've demonstrated that there's no useful purpose to be served by doing so.



asininity,

Neat new signature! But it fails the logic test of what if that's the only thing that one did know.

BillScarab

Leopard wrote: »

People give away many other things about themselves (usually unwittingly) by their postings.

That is vey true.

hells_2

*If* all goes to plan....if I get accepted for voluntary redundancy at work...if I get through UCAS to get on the graphic design degree course I meant to take 20 years ago but was talked out of it....

Then I will be buying a new i-Mac.
Industry standards STILL demand Mac so I'd have to re-learn everything anyway.
And they are so god damn sexy. Even him indoors thinks they're lovely...oh but what do we do with his Championship Manager game that is running on the PC with live updates....(how does !!!!!! off sound, the Mac will be my work!!!)

:rotfl::rotfl: