Well, from the people I know, the Thinkpad (http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/na/LenovoPortal/en_US/catalog.workflow:expandcategory?current-catalog-id=12F0696583E04D86B9B79B0FEC01C087¤t-category-id=8FA114A7D9FF4F38AE8E19B36EC665A7") series of laptops is REALLY FREAKING NICE. They're durable, lightweight, look decent enough, and they are reasonably priced as far as I can tell, especially for their quality.They look pretty cool (and hey look, the display moves!) but the list of features on the comparison section of the site seems to be all over the place with different models. I'll see if they have them in a local store, though, so I can take a look.
Wow, for $2,000, you should be able to buy an incredibly nice laptop.Ugh, but I've had too many bad experiences with them. Both of my sisters have Dells, which constantly fail on them and whatnot. We've had a Dell computer that's failed after only a few years. And the vents are at the bottom so that they can't even put them on their laps because it'll burn them. I'm not sure if most of them come like this, but what's the point of a laptop if you can't put it on your lap?
get a dell laptop. They're well-priced, have good battery life, and are fucking indestructable, which is an often overlooked quality in a flimsy piece of expensive hardware.
And the vents are at the bottom so that they can't even put them on their laps because it'll burn them. I'm not sure if most of them come like this, but what's the point of a laptop if you can't put it on your lap?
Well, my brother had a Dell for a while (I don't remember the name, but it was like the first 12.1" one they put out), but about a year or so ago he bought a MacBook Pro, and he says he infinitely prefers the Mac. Dells are sort of well-priced if you can find the deals they seem to constantly have going on, but my experience with looking into buying them is a lot of the time they come with lackluster base settings, and the upgrades are ridiculously overpriced. With stuff like RAM you can do it yourself, but that's not always the case. I don't know much about the current line of Dells, but MacBook Pros have pretty speedy processors, GPUs that are significantly better than what you typically find in a notebook (maybe the XPS laptops are like this too, idk), they by default come with a pretty good amount of RAM, and obviously large hard drives is a given. I'm positive you can get one under $2000, especially if you can work a student discount in there.
Plus, it's really nice to have the screen size of a 15.4" without having to deal with the weight that usually comes with it, as the MBP's surprisingly light, and even though it's bigger than a 12 or 13" laptop, its dimensions aren't substantially larger, especially its thickness or depth or whatever. Also MAYBE of note is the fact that it's easily got the best keyboard I've ever used on a notebook and the keys light up in the dark, which is actually pretty handy sometimes, and it's one of those things you don't realize you appreciate so much until you've had it. The screen's pretty nice, too. His old Dell and some other ones I've seen have that reflective coating shit on them, and idk if they're still doing that, but it's really annoying outside or in bright rooms. We're both fans of OSX, and in fact I'd probably opt for it over Windows if I had the cash around to buy a decent Mac, and I'm pretty sure it can easily do all of the things you're talking about doing (there's Bootcamp or whatever it's called for partitioning your drive and running Windows on one of the partitions, if gaming is really your thing. From what I saw just playing a few, it worked at what seemed to be full speed, and it was definitely better than whatever inter-OSX Windows emulation people had to use before).
So yeah, maybe consider one of those.
i hope by "music managing" you don't mean itunes because itunes is one the biggest loads of bullshit i've ever touchedwrong kind of music managing :P i wasn't talking about itunes, theres software that helps to manage your tracks and addeffects when your making music like say for a band.
I'm not sure if you can really say that OSX is better for art and movie stuff, but based from the proprietary stuff, it is more inclined towards it than windows is
wrong kind of music managing :P i wasn't talking about itunes, theres software that helps to manage your tracks and addeffects when your making music like say for a band.
i wasn't talking about Adobe stuff, i was talking about in genreral, like say for example the 3D software i use would infact run way better in a MAC os enviroment.
i wasn't talking about Adobe stuff, i was talking about in genreral, like say for example the 3D software i use would infact run way better in a MAC os enviroment.Proof?
good hardware, pretty good default software, osx is good and stable and less buggy than windows, they're well made, good battery life, great keyboards (this is a p. big deal actually as far as PRODUCTIVITY goes), less susceptible to VIRUSES or w/e if you actually have trouble with that kind of thing, and honestly they're fairly affordable (mpb is lightweight overpriced but considering what you get and the longevity of them, not by much, especially after the student discounts, and macbooks are pretty economic compared to pcs as well)
, , , they're well made, good battery life, great keyboards (this is a p. big deal actually as far as PRODUCTIVITY goes), less susceptible to VIRUSES or w/e if you actually have trouble with that kind of thing, and honestly they're fairly affordable (mpb is lightweight overpriced but considering what you get and the longevity of them, not by much, especially after the student discounts, and macbooks are pretty economic compared to pcs as well)I hate to contribute to another fruitless mac vs pc debate (really the world has way too many of these) but I'll add my input.
good hardwareYes, Macbooks are pretty well built.
pretty good default softwareDepends on what you do, but mostly, yes. You're kind of screwed if you need a word processor out of the box as textedit is like notepad on steroids. I guess there's Mellel (which is free but kind of shitty)...
osx is good and stable and less buggy than windowsTotally subjective and I would say that Vista and OSX Tiger (don't have much experience with Leopard) are about the same stability-wise. 3rd party programs seem to be the main culprit of lockups and glitches on both OSes. Don't think that discludes popular software though - while I was in class last semester I must have had Firefox crash/lock up on me daily on the Mac.
they're well madeComing back to the hardware thing, yeah, they're pretty well made. The lack of right mouse button on the touchpad is really annoying though (maybe not to some but to me it is).
great keyboards (this is a p. big deal actually as far as PRODUCTIVITY goes)Not a fan (their desktop keyboards are fine though). And... com'on. The keyboard isn't going to magically make you more productive.
less susceptible to VIRUSES or w/e if you actually have trouble with that kind of thingThis used to be SO true in the late XP era. Vista really turned things around with UAC and a more unified security system which doesn't really make this such a good point anymore as neither OS really has much problem with viruses or spyware. If you turn UAC off in Vista (which many people do because it annoys them to no end when they're installing software) then yes, you'll probably get bugs and shit.
and honestly they're fairly affordable (mpb is lightweight overpriced but considering what you get and the longevity of them, not by much, especially after the student discounts, and macbooks are pretty economic compared to pcs as well)Yes, the gap has definitely narrowed. The Macbook Pro is often cheaper than equivalent PC notebooks for what you're getting! However, there's always a PC with slightly better specs for the same price (example) (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220284). With the student discout, a MBP is a pretty good deal.
If you turn UAC off in Vista (which many people do because it annoys them to no end when they're installing software) then yes, you'll probably get bugs and shit.
Totally subjective and I would say that Vista and OSX Tiger (don't have much experience with Leopard) are about the same stability-wise. 3rd party programs seem to be the main culprit of lockups and glitches on both OSes. Don't think that discludes popular software though - while I was in class last semester I must have had Firefox crash/lock up on me daily on the Mac.no i don't think this is totally subjective! mac users aren't the most objective bunch but i've used both systems quite a bit and comparing as long as you go ONE VERSION BACK osx is quite a bit more stable than vista in most cases. that's the thing; if you don't like the stability of the vista, you're forced to use xp, a six or seven year old os. if you don't like TIGER or whatever the fuck, you don't have to lose nearly as many features because they update their operating system more than once every five or six years.
Coming back to the hardware thing, yeah, they're pretty well made. The lack of right mouse button on the touchpad is really annoying though (maybe not to some but to me it is).i meant that they are STURDY COMPUTERS, not so much the hardware. like, i don't know what treg is talking about at all, because in my experience they haven't been fragile at all. i've used an old ibook for a while, and it's the same as what my brother says about his macbook: they're sturdy as hell and don't break very easily even if you drop them (as opposed to a toshiba i once had that broke severely the second i dropped it). one of the things i've always heard about mac laptops is that they're solidly built, so idk where you got this from!
Not a fan (their desktop keyboards are fine though). And... com'on. The keyboard isn't going to magically make you more productive.what's not to be a fan of? have you spent any amount of time typing on a mbp? also if you don't understand how having a keyboard that ISN'T CRAMPED/POORLY MADE helps when you type a lot then i don't really know what to tell you; this is kind of common sense, dude. the ones they put on their normal macbooks are fine, but the ones on the pros really make the type toshiba, dell et al use look flimsy by comparison.
also what the hell are you talking about prices, I got a 14 inch dell with pretty good performance and a quasi-decent video card that might have a slightly slower processor than a mac but was more than a few hundreds of dollars cheaper if i was looking for the same price!!yeah but how much does it weigh, what's the battery life like, how does the video card REALLY compare with the one in the mpb, etc etc? these are probably all little things where your computer falls a bit behind and they definitely start adding up, so it's not really accurate to act as if you're not getting anything for $300. battery life alone is worth paying more for a lot of people. you can always skimp and get a little less FOR a little less, but i think sometimes it's a decent idea to just invest in something that has a bit more longevity. you'll probably be replacing that dell notebook before you would have if you'd bought a macbook pro, so yeah.
i meant that they are STURDY COMPUTERS, not so much the hardware. like, i don't know what treg is talking about at all, because in my experience they haven't been fragile at all. i've used an old ibook for a while, and it's the same as what my brother says about his macbook: they're sturdy as hell and don't break very easily even if you drop them (as opposed to a toshiba i once had that broke severely the second i dropped it). one of the things i've always heard about mac laptops is that they're solidly built, so idk where you got this from!
what's not to be a fan of? have you spent any amount of time typing on a mbp? also if you don't understand how having a keyboard that ISN'T CRAMPED/POORLY MADE helps when you type a lot then i don't really know what to tell you; this is kind of common sense, dude. the ones they put on their normal macbooks are fine, but the ones on the pros really make the type toshiba, dell et al use look flimsy by comparison.
and i sort of understand the argument because osx is clearly TONED DOWN and i sort of miss the customization and options that windows has and that it's omitted to be user-friendly, but most people aren't that into COMPUTER shit i imagine and probably won't miss having to worry about that type of stuff at all.
yeah but how much does it weigh, what's the battery life like, how does the video card REALLY compare with the one in the mpb, etc etc? these are probably all little things where your computer falls a bit behind and they definitely start adding up, so it's not really accurate to act as if you're not getting anything for $300. battery life alone is worth paying more for a lot of people. you can always skimp and get a little less FOR a little less, but i think sometimes it's a decent idea to just invest in something that has a bit more longevity. you'll probably be replacing that dell notebook before you would have if you'd bought a macbook pro, so yeah.
also that is a ridiculous example of an alternative pc because it's 17" and probably weighs about twice as much as a macbook. also, i very much doubt the battery life is as good which is a huge factor! does the idea of portability mean nothing to you?Better graphics, 15.4" screen, more RAM, blu-ray drive, and a hundred cheaper. (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220280)
this is under 2000 and PERFECTYeah the Thinkpad X series is absolutely amazing, a good friend of mine has one and it works BEAUTIFULLY.
http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/na/LenovoPortal/en_US/catalog.workflow:category.details?current-catalog-id=12F0696583E04D86B9B79B0FEC01C087¤t-category-id=329576204C9E42289967E79E0E7C9A2D
did I mention its a tablet as well :D
Yeah the Thinkpad X series is absolutely amazing, a good friend of mine has one and it works BEAUTIFULLY.
I can't help but feel that it might be kind of flimsy by the "180 degree" motion thing. Just how durable is this?My friend regularly lifts it up by a little nub on the top of the screen and he's dropped it several times. The things are damn durable.
Well, Thinkpads are business class notebooks I think, and I've always heard they're very durable! That thing doesn't have a trackpad though which is pretty annoying, and also I sort of question the usefulness of a tablet to begin with.Wunderbread's planning on using it for digital art and so the tablet, while obviously not a full featured tablet, is still a very nice addition.
hey you're not too bright are you!hey now