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The End of my Macbook Pro Experiment
wraith808:
Intrigued by the "Apple make better hardware" at the top of this thread? They use motherboards from Foxconn just like many PCs - as I understand it they are pretty much identical and quality. They use standard graphics cards (usually a generation or two behind window), standard intel cpu, RAM and hard disks and SSDs
Apart from the white box with an apple on it what is so much better than a bog standard Windows laptop?
For the price you should get gold plated keys !!!
Given the number of people using Mac these days I get about the same proportion of Mac users phoning up and saying "my Mac is very slow" as I do Windows users. In 7 years I have only had one person phone me and say can you help - I use Linux.
-Carol Haynes (June 08, 2015, 07:41 PM)
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The design. And from working on them before, it's a lot easier to work on once you get past the mandatory you're not supposed to be in here locks. The art doesn't just extend from the outside, it carries to the inside. At least, the last time I had to work in there. It's one of the things that made them so far ahead on the battery and heat dissipation for so long.
superboyac:
What a cool discussion!
The Apple thing really is basically a political thing. That is, the details of it aren't the issue, it's the superficial stuff that everyone is talking about. Even the specs people throw around are superficial specs, that ultimately either don't really matter or is a purely marketing point. These things matter to non-techies, but for power users (like most here) we don't care that much.
You can't criticize Apple's success. All this so called BS has helped them succeed in record breaking fashion. So there's your business 101 lesson. When the Apple vs PC talk was really starting to get hot, I was shocked by how little my non-computer friends knew about computers, and how passionate they were about Apples. That's when I realized that this is not about practical issues, regardless of what was being said. They would say things like easy to use, but there are no grounds to any of it.
If a poweruser uses a Mac, it's not going to be any easier than a Windows. And a lot of the complaints also have to do with what the Macs come pre-installed with vs. a Windows computer with nothing on it. Or driver installation. These are difficult things for non techies. So that took a while for me to realize. I realized my friend's complaint was simply avoiding having to go to the Epson website and downloading/installing a driver vs having to do that on Windows. This is what gets called "Macs are easier to use."
But that's like a nothing issue for someone heavily involved with computers. We don't even blink at that or think about it being easy or difficult. That's the difference.
Now Macs are more popular and much more widely used than 10 years ago. They are even being used in large corporations and for pretty hardcore enterprise activity. And the truth is it's no easier than whatever they were complaining about on windows. They still need the IT guy who knows what he's doing to fix all the problems. What's happened is that they are being used in more powerful ways and running into the same things they were complaining about with Windows.
Just politics in the end.
wraith808:
The Apple thing really is basically a political thing. That is, the details of it aren't the issue, it's the superficial stuff that everyone is talking about. Even the specs people throw around are superficial specs, that ultimately either don't really matter or is a purely marketing point. These things matter to non-techies, but for power users (like most here) we don't care that much.
-superboyac (June 08, 2015, 09:06 PM)
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How... politics? Or is that just a general term?
superboyac:
The Apple thing really is basically a political thing. That is, the details of it aren't the issue, it's the superficial stuff that everyone is talking about. Even the specs people throw around are superficial specs, that ultimately either don't really matter or is a purely marketing point. These things matter to non-techies, but for power users (like most here) we don't care that much.
-superboyac (June 08, 2015, 09:06 PM)
--- End quote ---
How... politics? Or is that just a general term?
-wraith808 (June 08, 2015, 10:16 PM)
--- End quote ---
Yes, sorry...I meant it more for the analogy, not literally. Maybe marketing is the better term, but to me it feels like politics.
Like when they say macs are safer than pc's...that feels like a political statement to me. It seems to be a ridiculous statement if it is to be taken seriously.
Why are macs safer than pcs? because it comes pre-installed with an AV program? OK, well with a pc you just go download/install whatever av you want. So the distinguishing factor here is what come pre-installed. That's makes it a stupid point to make, at least with that sort of wording. If the argument is based around what should or shouldn't be pre-installed, that's something else, and I'll argue a much more reasonable discussion. However, the discussion is better, but still such a insignificant issue in the grand scheme of things.
SO...maybe the mac OS is inherently safer than a PC. Well, that's not true. Since 80% of the world is using pc's compared to macs, the real reason is that bad stuff is targeted for pc's because it will affect more people, so the bad guys feel more successful in their efforts. It's like criminal supply/demand.
But now that more people are using macs, well, macs are becoming less safe as more things are targeted at them, or included in their schemes. So again, nothing to do with the actual technical stuff, just about relative number of people using them.
Macs are easier to use. Well, again...yes it's easier to use for the typical person who is going to be limited to web browsing, emailing, phone syncing, document writing. And why? again, mostly because the tools are pre-installed, that's it. Or the drivers are pre-installed, or easier to install. Again, rather insignificant points, but big deals to people who just don't want to deal with that stuff.
But again, macs are much more in use now than years ago. The geeks are now using macs the way they used pc's. In this context, they are no easier to use than a pc. You have to get the software like a pc, install it yourself, etc. You will still have to go into the mac file browser a lot, you have to use the command line thing a lot, etc. No different than using a pc in hardcore fashion.
the interface...whatever. basically the same. windows...close/minimize buttons in the corner...shortcut bar on bottom, taskbar on bottom for windows....menus on top. i mean, they are 90% the same thing.
Once you start using a computer beyond the standard stuff, it's all very similar.
tomos:
this kind of half-on/three-quarters-off topic :p
One of the things that make macs attractive is lovely screens:
I know this from monitors: once you've worked with a good one, it's hard to even imagine going back.
So I've been looking for a laptop with a good IPS screen.
I was looking at 13" notebooks for a while, but have moved up to 15" because the 13" ones are too expensive :-/
What is driving me crazy is this:
a laptop with a good screen will cost 100+ more than a similar model - but that similar one (without the good screen) will have: a more powerful CPU; up to double the harddrive and memory sizes. (This in EU-land - this might not be as extreme in the US or elsewhere.)
And then seeing the one I want to buy with the good screen -- but again with better specs -- for 150+ dollars less in the US.
(FWIW I've been looking mainly at DELL models lately.)
It makes buying stuff here a painful experience :(
Share the pain :-*
a pain shared is a pain halved
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