The next ad will feature a guy looking for a most impressive computer under $500. He settles on a relic HP mainframe found on Ebay, free for the shipping. It doesn't run Mac OS X or even Windoze, but it meets his hardware needs!
As I stated, it's not identical, not even close unless we close our eyes real tight and pretend really hard. I suppose that both machines have Intel processors that must be identical. (sarcasm) The CPU differences along cost more than $100 on the MBP than the XPS you list. It's faster and has double the L2 cache. Dell sells that same CPU for the XPS for an additional $125 as a BTO option. That doesn't mean much to most people so spec sheets often don't list it and with a measly measurement of Megabytes appended to it even people that call themselves "tech savvy" don't care. "Megabytes? What is this 1990?" But that doubling does make a difference when doing actually work.
Then there is your superficial listing of the XPS' LCD resolution but you didn't list the backlighting, much less the display type. I don't think I've seen any 16" IPS displays on notebook. Do you really expect a pro to do any real colour work on that XPS? You'll also need to upgrade to Windows Vista Ultimate to offer the most similar OS features to OS X across the board. There goes another $150.
You also mention the video card being better. I have no need for excessive graphics so I don't such things but I do know that 2 is more than 1 and the MBP has the 9400M and the 9600. But I must ask how much better is the 512MB ATI Mobility RADEON in the XPS over the 512MB Nvidia 9600M in the MBP? What is the price the difference between these two new graphics processors in the MBP v. the one in the XPS?
Your durability statement is only anecdotal and the MBP may be overkill to most people but you can't think that a milled piece of aluminum that doesn't flex is as comparable to plastic molded pieces glued and snapped together. Though, it does weight a pound more than the MBP and it considerably thicker so perhaps that extra weight has gone to making the plastic frame nice and tough. I wonder how much that costs?
How is the quietness of the XPS? How big is the battery in mAh? How long does it last on a full charge? How long does it take to charge? What is the quality of the keybaord for prolonged typing (that one is hard to quantify, easier to cmpare)? What is the power supply wattage? What are the operating temperatures? What types of external displays can I hook it up to? What type of networking is there? How fast are various networking types? Does it have optical audio in/out? You don't mention that you'll have to spend another $80 on a battery or $45 on a WiFI card that most resembles the MBP build, or that the size and the XPS is now even more weighty than before because of these additions.
These questions, technical concerns and all these additions that make it a better comparison you have never asked about. You just see 16" is bigger than 15" and went from there. That is fine, you are most people and need only "good enough". There is no computer that fits everyone's needs. If you 4 year old Inspirion 6000 works for you that is great, but what I don't understand is why you would come onto an internet forum, of all things, just to tell people off because they have different needs than you. Tell me, why are we all stupid for not getting a Dell just because you like yours so much? Why do you find it impossible for one product to fit your needs and one product to fit my needs. I think the both products are fine, but neither one that we have discussed suits my needs very well.
What I wrote earlier was a response to your comments about whether or not I considered the factors that you stated. My reply was a direct answer to that. All you are doing now is cherry picking on things that seems to support your argument. Common now... battery ?? Keyboards?? is that all you got? Do you honestly think that little things like that would ammount to $900? About your concern with the "superficial" resolution the display is 1080p LCD with RGB LED backlighting-if you need more info on that you can visit http://www.anandtech.com/mobile/showdoc.aspx?i=3540. There are plenty info on the LCD there for you to look at. I took the liberty to look up the MBP 15in's configuration to make my argument. Maybe you should do the same about the XPS before posting some of the stuff you post. As for your take on the video card. The standard card for MBP is the nividia 9400m gt. Since we are talking about standard hardware the 9600m gt doesn't count. The radeon hd 3670 is in another class over the 9400. In fact the 3670 performs well ahead of the 9600gt in 3dbenchmark test done by Anandtech.com(http://www.anandtech.com/mobile/showdoc.aspx?i=3540&p=7). So when it comes to graphic quality the MBP doesn't even come close. I am no graphic designer but I do know that a better video card amounts to better performance. Btw I never said that at its standard price the xps studio 16 is better than the MBP 15. If you read my other post you would see that I simply said that the xps is almost as good at considerably lower price.
"These questions, technical concerns and all these additions that make it a better you have never asked about"----Who in the world would talk about and compare every single technical details in a forum? First of all, I don't know every single technical details that you want. What I do know is the obvious differences in the hardware. I did what most people would and that was pointing the obvious and MAIN hardware issues such as display resolution, processor, video, ram, and sound cards that form the core to a notebook(something everyone who knows anything about computers look at before they buy). Once I answer a concern of your you come up with a new one. You pick out things no normal computer user really care a lot, think much about or have a significant impact on the notebook itself to support your point. I find that a bit funny.
"You just see 16" is bigger than 15" and went from there"-come now, give me a little more credit then that. I just simply sated facts, no where in any of my argument did i say that 16 is any better than 15. If your way of winning an argument is belittling the other person-it's kind of pathetic.
I am not saying that everyone should buy a Dell contrary to what you are assuming...I am saying that pc manufacture(using dell as an example) sell notebooks that have similar or better hardware to Macs at considerably lower price. The reason I am even posting on this forum is because the person who wrote this article suggested that Mac notebooks are comparable to PC in terms of price. If that is the case then Apple's computer market share will be a lot higher than the 7 or so percent it has now. If apple were to have their own hardware, things would be very different and no one will pick on the for ripping people off. Now if Mac user were to say that OS, portability, style, or anything else that is associated with apple then I wouldn't have any problem with that. But don't play the price card when it's obviously not true.
Take two computer illiterate people and give one a Mac and one a PC, in boxes, unopened. Tell them to take some videos and photos of a topic (say birds in their neighborhood). Then ask them to prepare a homepage, an educational DVD (complete with presentation, original music, slideshows and videos) and a newsletter about the birds and to call you when they are finished.
Any bets on who will finish first and have had a better experience?
In conclusion Apple is sh** they have a long road ahead of them to be reasonable software and price because being an OS nut that I am it should NOT have as many problems as it has.
You're an "OS nut"... so you bought Windows Vista Home Basic. Riiiiight.
Can you believe he said that? Chicks love macs. LOL ha ha ha. Fail.
Sure, they were chic once, a while ago when mac ape ialist made $18 an hour, not $10, geniuses Made $27, not $17.50 with years of roll your own loser trap where a mac specialist is told someday they will be a genius, do genius work and get paid $10 an nous in the"grow your own RIP OFF" program and when Pro Care also meant One to One and final cut training, not invilant specialist teaching barking dog sally and her baby boy bob how to add an attachment in an email. Dude, the elitism of Macs are shot and gone. Even with a pro theses days folks are like, dude you laid too much for that to which I reply, actually, no, I got it as an end of life product with an personal apple discount almost 30-38% off. Then maybe some drool as at that price, it IS a good deal. LOL
They think that a Mac is worth the extra 900 bucks for the OS, looks, and tech support.
Errrr correction, if it's with tech support more than one year it's up to $359 which means $1259 more. Plus if I log into gsx.apple you will see motherboards as high as 850$, wheras the $359 covers ALL THE PARTS LESS THE CPU. The parts to replace are dirt cheap from the manufacture, but the apple carr covers the "actual" cost, then, once again, consumers gets raped. Try replacing a motherboards one year later with no apple care. Go ahead, I dare you.
Microsoft is a SOFTWARE company. These ads are completely about HARDWARE specs. Apple is both a hardware and software company, something Microsoft cannot truly say. I find it telling that in the past 2 years, we haven't really seen a thing from Microsoft about their Software. Sure i have seen some kids show me how easy it is to make a slideshow on their tv.
These are HP Ads. I could care less if HP made an ad like this. They should be. But for some reason Microsoft has to put the gloves on and step in the ring for them. Seriously, attack ads from a software company about hardware differences? Its not about who has more GHz or RAM or memory speeds or anything. It never has been. Microsoft really doesn't get it.
MacBook Config: 2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor (1,066MHz front-side bus), 13.3-inch LED-backlit display with 1,280-by-800 resolution, 2GB DDR3 memory (expandable to 4GB), 256MB nVidia GeForce 9400M (DDR3) graphics, 160GB SATA hard drive (5,400 rpm), double-layer DVD burner, 802.11n wireless, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, 10/100/1000 Ethernet, two USB ports, one Mini DisplayPort and Mac OS X 10.5.
HP HDX 16-1140us Config: 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor (1,066MHz front-side bus), 16-inch LCD display with 1,366-by-768 resolution, 4GB DDR2 memory (expandable to 8GB), 512MB nVidia GeForce 9600M GT graphics, 500GB SATA hard drive (5,400 rpm), double-layer DVD burner, 802.11n wireless, Bluetooth, 10/100/1000 Ethernet, four USB ports, one HDMI port, Express Card slot and Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit with Service Pack 1.
Battery life. Apple claims up to 5 hours for the 13.3-inch MacBook versus up to 2 hours HP marketing material asserts for the HDX. In my testing, the MacBook gets up to 3 hours (usually less). Regardless, the MacBook better meets Giampaolo's criteria.
Power. The HP laptop has a faster processor, double the memory, twice the graphics memory (and it's dedicated) and a huge hard drive. The HP wins for power, and considerably so.
Battery life. Apple claims up to 5 hours for the 13.3-inch MacBook versus up to 2 hours HP marketing material asserts for the HDX. In my testing, the MacBook gets up to 3 hours (usually less). Regardless, the MacBook better meets Giampaolo's criteria.
WTF 2 Hours!!!!! That's not a laptop, that's a computer which you can unplug and move from room to room without switching off. I'm sure I could run it flat in less time it take me to have a dump.
anyway, i like Apples, i want one, i just dont think Apple will be willing to sell me one at any time soon where i only have at most a $300 premium.
thats where my only/current issue lies.
If you can get an Educational discount, check the referb store (with full Apple warrantees) or Ebay you can find some good savings upto 25% in some case.
If Apple fans are idiots, then Windows fans are much worse. At least Apple is something worth to defend. What has Microsoft got for their fans to defend so loyally?
And I'm not even sure how important DDR3 vs DDR2 is current laptops, desktops with faster RAM and lower latencies may see more of a difference, but laptops are generally slower than desktops no matter what.
DDR3 has large performance gains over DDR2 of the same bus speed.
If Apple fans are idiots, then Windows fans are much worse. At least Apple is something worth to defend. What has Microsoft got for their fans to defend so loyally?
Because Window fans are masochists.
Quote:
Originally Posted by overdue
asked the salesguy, "why does one macbook air have flash memory for storage, and the other have a hard drive?"
Its the same reason Dell sells a no screen notebook.
B]Battery life.[/B] Apple claims up to 5 hours for the 13.3-inch MacBook versus up to 2 hours HP marketing material asserts for the HDX. In my testing, the MacBook gets up to 3 hours (usually less). Regardless, the MacBook better meets Giampaolo's criteria.
The up to in both of those figures quoted are when all the wireless gubbins is turned off an the display brightness is turned down a bit. And my white MacBook is from the GMA950 generation (i.e. older battery tech). I can easily get 5 hours out it.
Can you provide any link about Apple insides? What HDD brands/models? Who is making their power supplies? Screens? Details about motherboards?
I keep hearing this, but haven't seen a relevant info so far. Apple itself is very secretive about what is inside their boxes.
HDD brand generally a seagate, Notebooks don't tecnically have a Power Supply, they have an AC Adapter going to DC Power, Screens vary on model and who won the bid for OEM, I've seen Philipps, I've Seen LG, MLB is an Apple Designed board manufactured by Intel.
HP
hard disk, whatever was cheap that week, AC Adapter, whatever was cheap that week, screens, whatever was cheap that week, Motherboard, whatever was cheap that week,(seriously, these aren't consistent) Case plastics...Fisher-Price.
Who cares about MS ads? I'm still going to continue buy Macs. I'm a Mac user and a few hundred dollars cheaper for a product that lasts for years is not enough to induce me to change brands. If I want to pinch pennies, I'll do it somewhere else. Besides, I like aesthetics. I like the fit and finish of Macs from inside out, especially the unibody notebooks and I'm willing to pay for it even if it doesn't make the machine any faster. Those ads have no effect on me and I doubt if they'll have an effect on anyone else, either. I'll never expect Macs to sell in greater quantities than Windows machines. As long as Apple continues to make money and well-built computers, then I'm more than satisfied as an Apple investor.
HDD brand generally a seagate, Notebooks don't tecnically have a Power Supply, they have an AC Adapter going to DC Power, Screens vary on model and who won the bid for OEM, I've seen Philipps, I've Seen LG, MLB is an Apple Designed board manufactured by Intel.
HP
hard disk, whatever was cheap that week, AC Adapter, whatever was cheap that week, screens, whatever was cheap that week, Motherboard, whatever was cheap that week,(seriously, these aren't consistent) Case plastics...Fisher-Price.
HP are crap, granted, but that doesn't mean Apple is the best. Other brands such as Asus are just as good if not better when it comes to reliability and quality and are a lot more affordable.
All this Microsoft vs Apple is really a moot point everywhere else in the world apart from the US and maybe Japan. Here in the UK (and Europe in general) hardly anyone buys a Mac because we are not lured in by the sexy aesthetics. We want more substance over style.
If you can get an Educational discount, check the referb store (with full Apple warrantees) or Ebay you can find some good savings upto 25% in some case.
i have, and it brings the premium down to about $700.
but then if i get a student discount on a dell, the premium is right back at nearly $1000.
HP are crap, granted, but that doesn't mean Apple is the best. Other brands such as Asus are just as good if not better when it comes to reliability and quality and are a lot more affordable.
All this Microsoft vs Apple is really a moot point everywhere else in the world apart from the US and maybe Japan. Here in the UK (and Europe in general) hardly anyone buys a Mac because we are not lured in by the sexy aesthetics. We want more substance over style.
Wait, doesn't the UK produce Aston Martins and Rolls Royce.....
Comments
As I stated, it's not identical, not even close unless we close our eyes real tight and pretend really hard. I suppose that both machines have Intel processors that must be identical. (sarcasm) The CPU differences along cost more than $100 on the MBP than the XPS you list. It's faster and has double the L2 cache. Dell sells that same CPU for the XPS for an additional $125 as a BTO option. That doesn't mean much to most people so spec sheets often don't list it and with a measly measurement of Megabytes appended to it even people that call themselves "tech savvy" don't care. "Megabytes? What is this 1990?" But that doubling does make a difference when doing actually work.
Then there is your superficial listing of the XPS' LCD resolution but you didn't list the backlighting, much less the display type. I don't think I've seen any 16" IPS displays on notebook. Do you really expect a pro to do any real colour work on that XPS? You'll also need to upgrade to Windows Vista Ultimate to offer the most similar OS features to OS X across the board. There goes another $150.
You also mention the video card being better. I have no need for excessive graphics so I don't such things but I do know that 2 is more than 1 and the MBP has the 9400M and the 9600. But I must ask how much better is the 512MB ATI Mobility RADEON in the XPS over the 512MB Nvidia 9600M in the MBP? What is the price the difference between these two new graphics processors in the MBP v. the one in the XPS?
Your durability statement is only anecdotal and the MBP may be overkill to most people but you can't think that a milled piece of aluminum that doesn't flex is as comparable to plastic molded pieces glued and snapped together. Though, it does weight a pound more than the MBP and it considerably thicker so perhaps that extra weight has gone to making the plastic frame nice and tough. I wonder how much that costs?
How is the quietness of the XPS? How big is the battery in mAh? How long does it last on a full charge? How long does it take to charge? What is the quality of the keybaord for prolonged typing (that one is hard to quantify, easier to cmpare)? What is the power supply wattage? What are the operating temperatures? What types of external displays can I hook it up to? What type of networking is there? How fast are various networking types? Does it have optical audio in/out? You don't mention that you'll have to spend another $80 on a battery or $45 on a WiFI card that most resembles the MBP build, or that the size and the XPS is now even more weighty than before because of these additions.
These questions, technical concerns and all these additions that make it a better comparison you have never asked about. You just see 16" is bigger than 15" and went from there. That is fine, you are most people and need only "good enough". There is no computer that fits everyone's needs. If you 4 year old Inspirion 6000 works for you that is great, but what I don't understand is why you would come onto an internet forum, of all things, just to tell people off because they have different needs than you. Tell me, why are we all stupid for not getting a Dell just because you like yours so much? Why do you find it impossible for one product to fit your needs and one product to fit my needs. I think the both products are fine, but neither one that we have discussed suits my needs very well.
What I wrote earlier was a response to your comments about whether or not I considered the factors that you stated. My reply was a direct answer to that. All you are doing now is cherry picking on things that seems to support your argument. Common now... battery ?? Keyboards?? is that all you got? Do you honestly think that little things like that would ammount to $900? About your concern with the "superficial" resolution the display is 1080p LCD with RGB LED backlighting-if you need more info on that you can visit http://www.anandtech.com/mobile/showdoc.aspx?i=3540. There are plenty info on the LCD there for you to look at. I took the liberty to look up the MBP 15in's configuration to make my argument. Maybe you should do the same about the XPS before posting some of the stuff you post. As for your take on the video card. The standard card for MBP is the nividia 9400m gt. Since we are talking about standard hardware the 9600m gt doesn't count. The radeon hd 3670 is in another class over the 9400. In fact the 3670 performs well ahead of the 9600gt in 3dbenchmark test done by Anandtech.com(http://www.anandtech.com/mobile/showdoc.aspx?i=3540&p=7). So when it comes to graphic quality the MBP doesn't even come close. I am no graphic designer but I do know that a better video card amounts to better performance. Btw I never said that at its standard price the xps studio 16 is better than the MBP 15. If you read my other post you would see that I simply said that the xps is almost as good at considerably lower price.
"These questions, technical concerns and all these additions that make it a better you have never asked about"----Who in the world would talk about and compare every single technical details in a forum? First of all, I don't know every single technical details that you want. What I do know is the obvious differences in the hardware. I did what most people would and that was pointing the obvious and MAIN hardware issues such as display resolution, processor, video, ram, and sound cards that form the core to a notebook(something everyone who knows anything about computers look at before they buy). Once I answer a concern of your you come up with a new one. You pick out things no normal computer user really care a lot, think much about or have a significant impact on the notebook itself to support your point. I find that a bit funny.
"You just see 16" is bigger than 15" and went from there"-come now, give me a little more credit then that. I just simply sated facts, no where in any of my argument did i say that 16 is any better than 15. If your way of winning an argument is belittling the other person-it's kind of pathetic.
I am not saying that everyone should buy a Dell contrary to what you are assuming...I am saying that pc manufacture(using dell as an example) sell notebooks that have similar or better hardware to Macs at considerably lower price. The reason I am even posting on this forum is because the person who wrote this article suggested that Mac notebooks are comparable to PC in terms of price. If that is the case then Apple's computer market share will be a lot higher than the 7 or so percent it has now. If apple were to have their own hardware, things would be very different and no one will pick on the for ripping people off. Now if Mac user were to say that OS, portability, style, or anything else that is associated with apple then I wouldn't have any problem with that. But don't play the price card when it's obviously not true.
Any bets on who will finish first and have had a better experience?
In conclusion Apple is sh** they have a long road ahead of them to be reasonable software and price because being an OS nut that I am it should NOT have as many problems as it has.
You're an "OS nut"... so you bought Windows Vista Home Basic. Riiiiight.
Son, chicks love BMWs, Ferraris...
Can you believe he said that? Chicks love macs. LOL ha ha ha. Fail.
Sure, they were chic once, a while ago when mac ape ialist made $18 an hour, not $10, geniuses Made $27, not $17.50 with years of roll your own loser trap where a mac specialist is told someday they will be a genius, do genius work and get paid $10 an nous in the"grow your own RIP OFF" program and when Pro Care also meant One to One and final cut training, not invilant specialist teaching barking dog sally and her baby boy bob how to add an attachment in an email. Dude, the elitism of Macs are shot and gone. Even with a pro theses days folks are like, dude you laid too much for that to which I reply, actually, no, I got it as an end of life product with an personal apple discount almost 30-38% off. Then maybe some drool as at that price, it IS a good deal. LOL
They think that a Mac is worth the extra 900 bucks for the OS, looks, and tech support.
Errrr correction, if it's with tech support more than one year it's up to $359 which means $1259 more. Plus if I log into gsx.apple you will see motherboards as high as 850$, wheras the $359 covers ALL THE PARTS LESS THE CPU. The parts to replace are dirt cheap from the manufacture, but the apple carr covers the "actual" cost, then, once again, consumers gets raped. Try replacing a motherboards one year later with no apple care. Go ahead, I dare you.
These are HP Ads. I could care less if HP made an ad like this. They should be. But for some reason Microsoft has to put the gloves on and step in the ring for them. Seriously, attack ads from a software company about hardware differences? Its not about who has more GHz or RAM or memory speeds or anything. It never has been. Microsoft really doesn't get it.
HP HDX 16-1140us Config: 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor (1,066MHz front-side bus), 16-inch LCD display with 1,366-by-768 resolution, 4GB DDR2 memory (expandable to 8GB), 512MB nVidia GeForce 9600M GT graphics, 500GB SATA hard drive (5,400 rpm), double-layer DVD burner, 802.11n wireless, Bluetooth, 10/100/1000 Ethernet, four USB ports, one HDMI port, Express Card slot and Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit with Service Pack 1.
Battery life. Apple claims up to 5 hours for the 13.3-inch MacBook versus up to 2 hours HP marketing material asserts for the HDX. In my testing, the MacBook gets up to 3 hours (usually less). Regardless, the MacBook better meets Giampaolo's criteria.
Power. The HP laptop has a faster processor, double the memory, twice the graphics memory (and it's dedicated) and a huge hard drive. The HP wins for power, and considerably so.
Source: http://www.microsoft-watch.com/conte...lly_picky.html
It's a fact that Apple hardware performs better even when running windoz
http://laughingsquid.com/pc-world-fa...e-macbook-pro/
Battery life. Apple claims up to 5 hours for the 13.3-inch MacBook versus up to 2 hours HP marketing material asserts for the HDX. In my testing, the MacBook gets up to 3 hours (usually less). Regardless, the MacBook better meets Giampaolo's criteria.
WTF 2 Hours!!!!! That's not a laptop, that's a computer which you can unplug and move from room to room without switching off. I'm sure I could run it flat in less time it take me to have a dump.
anyway, i like Apples, i want one, i just dont think Apple will be willing to sell me one at any time soon where i only have at most a $300 premium.
thats where my only/current issue lies.
If you can get an Educational discount, check the referb store (with full Apple warrantees) or Ebay you can find some good savings upto 25% in some case.
And I'm not even sure how important DDR3 vs DDR2 is current laptops, desktops with faster RAM and lower latencies may see more of a difference, but laptops are generally slower than desktops no matter what.
DDR3 has large performance gains over DDR2 of the same bus speed.
If Apple fans are idiots, then Windows fans are much worse. At least Apple is something worth to defend. What has Microsoft got for their fans to defend so loyally?
Because Window fans are masochists.
asked the salesguy, "why does one macbook air have flash memory for storage, and the other have a hard drive?"
Its the same reason Dell sells a no screen notebook.
B]Battery life.[/B] Apple claims up to 5 hours for the 13.3-inch MacBook versus up to 2 hours HP marketing material asserts for the HDX. In my testing, the MacBook gets up to 3 hours (usually less). Regardless, the MacBook better meets Giampaolo's criteria.
The up to in both of those figures quoted are when all the wireless gubbins is turned off an the display brightness is turned down a bit. And my white MacBook is from the GMA950 generation (i.e. older battery tech). I can easily get 5 hours out it.
Can you provide any link about Apple insides? What HDD brands/models? Who is making their power supplies? Screens? Details about motherboards?
I keep hearing this, but haven't seen a relevant info so far. Apple itself is very secretive about what is inside their boxes.
HDD brand generally a seagate, Notebooks don't tecnically have a Power Supply, they have an AC Adapter going to DC Power, Screens vary on model and who won the bid for OEM, I've seen Philipps, I've Seen LG, MLB is an Apple Designed board manufactured by Intel.
HP
hard disk, whatever was cheap that week, AC Adapter, whatever was cheap that week, screens, whatever was cheap that week, Motherboard, whatever was cheap that week,(seriously, these aren't consistent) Case plastics...Fisher-Price.
HDD brand generally a seagate, Notebooks don't tecnically have a Power Supply, they have an AC Adapter going to DC Power, Screens vary on model and who won the bid for OEM, I've seen Philipps, I've Seen LG, MLB is an Apple Designed board manufactured by Intel.
HP
hard disk, whatever was cheap that week, AC Adapter, whatever was cheap that week, screens, whatever was cheap that week, Motherboard, whatever was cheap that week,(seriously, these aren't consistent) Case plastics...Fisher-Price.
HP are crap, granted, but that doesn't mean Apple is the best. Other brands such as Asus are just as good if not better when it comes to reliability and quality and are a lot more affordable.
All this Microsoft vs Apple is really a moot point everywhere else in the world apart from the US and maybe Japan. Here in the UK (and Europe in general) hardly anyone buys a Mac because we are not lured in by the sexy aesthetics. We want more substance over style.
If you can get an Educational discount, check the referb store (with full Apple warrantees) or Ebay you can find some good savings upto 25% in some case.
i have, and it brings the premium down to about $700.
but then if i get a student discount on a dell, the premium is right back at nearly $1000.
HP are crap, granted, but that doesn't mean Apple is the best. Other brands such as Asus are just as good if not better when it comes to reliability and quality and are a lot more affordable.
All this Microsoft vs Apple is really a moot point everywhere else in the world apart from the US and maybe Japan. Here in the UK (and Europe in general) hardly anyone buys a Mac because we are not lured in by the sexy aesthetics. We want more substance over style.
Wait, doesn't the UK produce Aston Martins and Rolls Royce.....