8 - Life beyond 1st January
It isn?t only children?s sticky fingers that will take the gloss off the shiny new MacBook you got for Christmas ? the new line-up of laptops announced at the annual MacWorld show every January will leave your cutting-edge gift looking so last year, almost immediately. Yes, consumer-friendly, cuddly-wuddly Apple decides to spring new products onto its customers just days after the peak buying period every single year, and there?s little point in trying to second-guess what the company is about to launch, because it cloaks its announcements with an iron curtain the USSR would have been proud of. Thankfully, there?s no such post-Christmas Microsoft jamboree.

9 - Superior search facilities
Our counterparts over at MacUser swear blind that the Macintosh Finder is just as good as Windows Explorer. Yet even after five major releases of Mac OS X, it lacks many features that Windows power users take for granted, such as resizing windows from any corner or edge, using cut and paste to move files around, and renaming files from within a file requester. It doesn?t even offer a working ?maximise window? button. If you just want a computer that looks pretty then the Finder might suit you, but if you actually want to manipulate files then Windows Explorer wins hands down.

10 - Safety in numbers
While having one company controlling both the hardware and operating system undoubtedly has its advantages, it also leaves Mac fans with all their eggs in one titanium-clad basket. Apple could, for example, decide to drop Mac OS X at any time ? not entirely out of the question now that Intel-based Macs are perfectly capable of running Windows. What would happen to Mac OS devotees and developers then? It also leaves Apple remarkably vulnerable when innovations go wrong ? the ill-fated Cube placed the company in deep trouble, for example, whereas international giants such as HP and Sony can tinker with experimental form factors such as smart displays and UMPCs, without worrying that commercial failure could potentially cripple the company.

11 - Sensible support costs
Macs never crash or go wrong, obviously. Which is just as well, because the standard Apple technical support offering is nothing short of scandalous. You could pay $25,664 for an absolute top-of-the-range Mac Pro or $949 for a Mac mini, and you?re still lumbered with Apple?s standard warranty, which comprises a pitiful 90-days, telephone support and just one year?s return-to-base hardware warranty. You can, naturally, pay extra for Apple?s three-year protection plan, which costs $229 for Mac minis, right through to a ridiculous $419 for the MacBook Pro. By comparison, our A-Listed Dell Latitude ultraportable laptop and Dell Optiplex desktop PC both include three-year, on-site warranties as standard.

It isn?t only manufacturer repairs you have to worry about. Take your PC down to your local computer shop and, chances are, they could replace the hard disk or slot in extra RAM without batting an eyelid, with little in the way of labour costs. That same repair shop may well blanche at the prospect of prizing open the sealed iMac casing, however.

12 - Microsoft?s on your team
Microsoft may be the company everyone loves to hate, and it doesn?t always play by the Queensbury Rules, but if there?s going to be a domineering, cash-rich mega-corporation in the industry, you definitely want it to be on your team. The PC is, of course, Microsoft?s platform of choice, and so the Windows market is the first to benefit from ground-breaking new products such as Office 2007. Mac owners will have to wait until later this year for a new version of Office, and even then it will be largely devoid of the well-received Ribbon interface that Microsoft first introduced into the PC version in January.

Similarly, PC owners with an Xbox 360 nestled under their television can turn their console into a Media Center Extender, allowing them to play music, video or photos stored on their computer through their television ? all because Microsoft has its fat fingers in so many pies.

Give it up!!

If you think any one is going to read 10 pages of BS you are an idiot.

If you can't make your point in max 2 paragraphs then don't bother.

I would never replace my pc or ibm notebook with mac... never...

There are too many reasons for 2 paragraphs if you take the time to read.

Many, many WM's have said the same but sooner or later they do it and most never look back.

They only regret they waited as long as they did.

i just got my new PC - it's a beast. the iMac is gonna be a backup computer and for movies. this PC if I keep it clean will run circles around the iMac speed wise - i may not work fast but my computer will!

jay u visit tube sites, any site that has iframe PPC ads and that is most tube sites - inevitable that you will get some malware. i know i've gotten nasty shit from Etology iframe ads twice.

old but funny

And this is where I stopped reading. The cheapest Mac Mini costs $599. Which means you're either using a very, very old article, or a very, very bad one.

You need to stop being an idiotic fanboy. All systems have their pros and cons. A computer is merely a tool. Anyone with even half a brain would realize that choosing specific tools for specific jobs is far better than continuously shouting "THE HAMMER IS THE BEST TOOL!!!" at the top of your lungs.

Mac's really fucking suck.

Oh boohoo. Yes the prices are outdated (for both btw) but the point remains the same.

I'm waiting... find me a comparable Laptop to the current Mac book Pro. I Require Firewire 800 and usb2. I also want at least a 7200 RPM HD, no smaller than 500gig. Oh, and I want to be able to run a 30 inch screen at full resolution. Better have 4 gig of memory at least, at least a 17 inch screen and I have a lot of crap open at once so I do use 2560x1600 resolution anything less will not cut it. Oh, I also use bluetooth, I want that built in not as an add on card.. and 802.11n, plus yes, I use gigabyte networking... so it's required. I also use an express port, so I'll need that. I use my laptop a lot in dark places so I need the backlit keyboard.

While we are at it, I also need a machine that can double as a full server mirroring my Mojohost server... you know, for local development.

I'm a hardcore user so I want the 8 hours of Battery life. Oh, and I video chat all the time via skype, so I want a built in camera.

Now, I also require that the memory be upgradable to at least 8 gig... No I don't by memory from apple but directly from that source much cheaper so I will be upgrading it fully.


Find me THAT machine and find it for me cheaper than 2499.00


Once you do, I'll start to listen to you.

You mean like this one I found with a 2 second search?

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....2180525 35616

If you're just going to nitpick about some simple something or other not built in on a damn machine that is made for easy interchange then don't even bother. It's stupid, Mac sucks and you are ridiculous.

No, it doesn't. Assuming similar specs, prices are usually roughly similar these days.

2 lbs heavier, 6 hours battery life less. Built to be put on your desk, and kept there.

You're an idiot.

Are you out of your damn mind? :1orglaugh

LOL your not even close...
HD.. 5200 RPM.
Processor 2.0ghz are you kidding me?
No Firewire 800
Display only 1920x1800

Oh and it can't run a 30 inch display. Take some time to learn about computers and try again.

And to top it off its 1850.00 My 4 year old Mac Book Pro has a faster processor... try again idiot.

You know something else that a requirement... the fucking Mag safe connector Seriously the best feature of any laptop out there period. Someone trips over the cord, your machine doesn't go crashing to the floor, or your connection doesn't get broken inside the laptop requiring repair... brilliant and yes, both the above have happen to me while I was still using Sony Laptops. I've personally had my cord yanked off my Mac at least 15 times in the last 4 years... never a worry.

Actually, the CPU on the HP is a core 2 quad instead of a core 2 duo, so for some applications it's a fair bit better. On the other hand, the type of RAM on the MBP is better.

Either way, it's no comparison, since the weight and battery life on the HP make it a desktop computer that's merely shaped like a laptop.

yup true. I saw that 2.0ghz and laughed..

Hi -

I've been a PC head forever and just bought my first mac about 2 months ago and I love it. I still use my PC's all the time but I use my mac now just as much.

I went to the store to buy a laptop pc. What I really wanted was long battery life and was all set to buy a Sony Vaio. As it turns out they had non in stock, so I started playing with a Macbook. 30 minutes later I was still playing with it. I had learned how to use it, the speed felt right, so why not?

What REALLY sold it to me was the 5 hour batter life. Even if it turns out to be only 3 or 4, that's still better than the 2 hour life on most PC lappys.

Anyway, even if you're a dedicated PC person, you owe it to yourself to take a look at Macs. They're pretty good.

Don't tell me you are comparing HDD speeds solely based on the RPM? :error:error

Congrats on the buy .. it will take a week or 2 to get in the groove, but once you are comfortable .. you will actually say out loud " wow .. this is pretty slick " I was a pc guy forever .. made the switch for reliability and truth be told .. I haven't turned off my 17" macbook Pro in 2 yrs, it has been totally problem free and I am on it ALL day, every day .. It rips through editing other work related tasks with out a hiccup .. you'll be happy ..

No, there are quite a few factors including cache etc. But spindle speed is a good starting point. Actually I would rather have a n ssd drive, but there are just not cost effective yet. Course I could go with this....
http://store.apple.com/us/product/G0...mco=MjE0NDk5Mw

Ditto....