Mac Book or Windows laptop?

Moneymaker

Don't overlook the fact that Macs hold their value for many years.
In Feb 2014 I bought an early 2011 MacBook Pro (i.e. 3 years old) via eBay and it cost a whopping £550 plus £20 delivery.

Nearly a year later (nearly 4 years old) and its battery still lasts for several hours, it hasn't slowed down, it's connected to the Internet 24/7 and I haven't had to install any so-called "Anti Virus" software. It just works.

Do a search for one on ebay and you'll find that the end price is still over £500 !
Apple MacBook Pro 13” Core i7 2.7 GHz 4GB, Early 2011

Quite apart from nice styling, simple integration with other devices and reliability, Macs are recognised as being user-friendly.

In contrast, Windows 8 is not. (Try playing a DVD on a Windows 8 PC. It won't! You have to download and install additional software. This is not easy or intuitive for a beginner.)

BTW there's an excellent (free) email help group for Macs. Email your question and get a reply within minutes (or a few hours, dependent on the time/day).
Join it here: http://www.listmoms.net/mac-l/

grayme-m

I had a MacBook Pro and contrary to the 'Once you go Mac, you never go back', I have done.

I really liked the power connector, the build of the machine, the fact that I was able to get it to boot into Windows, and that it really kept it's value to that when it was dropped and smashed up to pieces, I still got over £200 for it on eBay.

I didn't like OSX, Finder was nowhere near as easy to use as Windows Explorer, and I didn't see the benefits that people claim there are over PCs. It slowed down with use (needing reformatting), I spent a lot of time viewing the spinning shell type thing, hence put XP on it.

Most people I know that love their Macbooks don't use anything other than Safari and iTunes. Office on OSX was awful.

Can't say I am enamoured with my £400 PC either (I really need to reformat it after I sort out the power cable), it's just a necessary evil.

Big_Graeme

Moneymaker wrote: »

In contrast, Windows 8 is not. (Try playing a DVD on a Windows 8 PC. It won't! You have to download and install additional software. This is not easy or intuitive for a beginner.)

As apposed to buying an external DVD drive with a new Mac?

Moneymaker

Windows users do seem to struggle with OSX. I guess it's what you are used to. I find it intuitive.

grayme-m wrote: »

Most people I know that love their Macbooks don't use anything other than Safari and iTunes. Office on OSX was awful.

I use Safari, Firefox, Maxthon and Google Chrome browsers.

I use iTunes, WireTap Studio, Fission, Garage Band, Piezo and other software for audio recording and editing.

Office is bloated and expensive so I use Apple "Pages", Apple TextEdit and "Scrivener" as well as Open Office, Libre Office and other software for test editing/writing. (Scrivener lets me create Amazon Kindle eBooks very easily.)

I could continue but I have 230 Apps in my Applications folder so it would take some time! Suffice to say that I can do an awful lot on my Mac and I didn't pay much (if anything) for most of the software.

Big_Graeme wrote: »

As apposed to buying an external DVD drive with a new Mac?

Sorry, I'm not familiar with new Macs. I always buy second-hand. I was trying to illustrate the unfriendliness of Windows 8. A DVD slot is provided but no software to play DVDs. Very confusing for the beginner.

grayme-m

Moneymaker wrote: »

Windows users do seem to struggle with OSX. I guess it's what you are used to. I find it intuitive.....
I was trying to illustrate the unfriendliness of Windows 8.

Agreed, I found OSX far from intuitive and avoid using my daughter's Windows 8 laptop in preference for Windows 7.

I think it is as they try to make things easier to use, I don't know how they are working. I'd be on XP if I could.

libra10

I had owned four Sony Vaio laptops before buying a Macbook Pro 18 months ago. The main reason I decided to change to Apple was that I had heard lots of negative comments about Windows 8, and my son encouraged me to go for a Mac.

These days I feel more comfortable using the Mac, but Safari is quite different to Internet Explorer. The laptop came with Mountain Lion operating system, changed to Maverick, and now upgraded to Yosemite - all free of charge, unlike Microsoft who charge for new OPs.

On the positive side - the battery still lasts around 7 or 8 hours before needing recharging. The screen is clear as a bell and there are many 'finger' functions you can use, i.e. pinching the screen, etc to perform different functions.

Am also impressed that when any of my contacts texts me, my Mac's Messages centre keeps me informed, and I can text back without picking up my mobile.

On the negative side, I had to alter some settings to enable the backspace to work as it does on a PC. Safari Mail is quite similar to Windows Live, but in several ways, Windows Live is more efficient.

Following a recent upgrade, Safari users can no longer delete History without also deleting website data, unless you take further steps to do this. Very arrogant of Apple, also annoying!

would I go back to using a Sony?

Maybe!

After using PCs for 12 or so years, I felt like I knew their quirks and problems better.

But it would be a very difficult decision.

PenguinJim

Moneymaker wrote: »

Sorry, I'm not familiar with new Macs. I always buy second-hand. I was trying to illustrate the unfriendliness of Windows 8. A DVD slot is provided but no software to play DVDs. Very confusing for the beginner.

Confusing to me, too. Exactly where does a piece of software contain a "DVD slot"?

I'd think that Windows 8 including a free DVD drive (?) is a positive, not a negative.

lukerichardson40

Thanks everyone for their input.

So far I have gathered that both apple and windows laptops have their pros and cons which is obvious.

For the cost of an apple product, you could get a windows laptop with better spec, but perhaps not that much better.

Apple stuff holds more value than windows.

Both the new version of windows and apple OS will take some getting used to. I am used to using windows 7 at work.

Windows often have CD drive, apples dont... but do you get much software on disk these days? Is it not mostly available to download?

Really, there isnt much in it, just personal choice... would that be right to say?

suicidebob

shortchanged wrote: »

Which one is essential for life and which one is an unnecessary luxury?

We're talking about laptops.

I think you're struggling with this whole analogy thing, aren't you.

almillar

But Windows based ones have a significant slow down after 6 months - unless all you do is Word, Email and internet browsing.

Out of date. Windows XP era stuff!

Did you see the thread just after Xmas where the OP's new Windows laptop was completely useless after 24 hours due to malware and viruses?

That's a user problem. You can click the same links to fake websites on your Apple, as you can on Windows, and enter your details, and you're still in trouble. Malware, yes, more is written for Windows, but the USER has still permitted it to be installed.

Why do you think Apple has fans, yet Windows doesn't? There's a reason.

I'm a fan of both. OP doesn't need a Mac by a long way.
BUT if you're deciding between the MacBook Air and Pro, the Pro wins it for me easily. You've always paid a premium for the tinyness of the air. That goes back to when the Macbooks had DVD drives. Now that they've dropped the DVD drive (and please don't buy one with a DVD NEW!), you're paying a HUGE price for a TINY difference in size, weight. Unless you carry it all the time and have a bad back (and poor eyesight - low res screen) avoid the Air.