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dlb · February 26th, 2008, 07:35 PM

I was a PC guy for years. I had used Mac's while working in some of my clients' offices and thought they were just a tad better, but not nearly enough to justify their higher price.

Then, last year, one of my clients started producing his presentations with Keynote, which is only available on Macs. It was time to replace my laptop anyway, so I bought the cheapest Macbook.

I love it. Objectively, I can still only say that it's just a little bit better than the PC, but everything about it is just a little bit better. With everything you do, you experience the delight produced by good design. It looks better. The operating system is easier to use. There is nothing on it that feels cheap and / or flimsy (as almost everything on comparably priced PC laptops does.

Perhaps best of all, though, is that there are no virus worries. I used to spend about 3 hours per week on scan-related maintenance. Now, I spend no time at all.

Finally, when you consider how you actually use your personal computer, the price difference is fully justified. On the Mac, all of the superior features are part and parcel of the tasks you perform regularly. On a PC, you get a few more gigabytes of disk space that you'll never use. You get some extra memory that has no discernible effect on the function of the machine as you use it. Likewise with the extra processing power. If, like most folks, you keep your schedule, do your word processing, spreadsheets and internet surfing on your laptop, the Mac will deliver a better experience than a comparably priced PC. Of course, there are no $499 Mac laptops; so if all you want is the cheapest possible low-function box, get a PC. But if this is something you're going to use for quite a few hours every day - and will depend on to earn your living, get the Mac.

February 26th, 2008, 07:35 PM	#6 (permalink)
dlb Hall of Famer Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 5,544	I was a PC guy for years. I had used Mac's while working in some of my clients' offices and thought they were just a tad better, but not nearly enough to justify their higher price. Then, last year, one of my clients started producing his presentations with Keynote, which is only available on Macs. It was time to replace my laptop anyway, so I bought the cheapest Macbook. I love it. Objectively, I can still only say that it's just a little bit better than the PC, but everything about it is just a little bit better. With everything you do, you experience the delight produced by good design. It looks better. The operating system is easier to use. There is nothing on it that feels cheap and / or flimsy (as almost everything on comparably priced PC laptops does. Perhaps best of all, though, is that there are no virus worries. I used to spend about 3 hours per week on scan-related maintenance. Now, I spend no time at all. Finally, when you consider how you actually use your personal computer, the price difference is fully justified. On the Mac, all of the superior features are part and parcel of the tasks you perform regularly. On a PC, you get a few more gigabytes of disk space that you'll never use. You get some extra memory that has no discernible effect on the function of the machine as you use it. Likewise with the extra processing power. If, like most folks, you keep your schedule, do your word processing, spreadsheets and internet surfing on your laptop, the Mac will deliver a better experience than a comparably priced PC. Of course, there are no $499 Mac laptops; so if all you want is the cheapest possible low-function box, get a PC. But if this is something you're going to use for quite a few hours every day - and will depend on to earn your living, get the Mac.