scarlet_vr6 0 Posted March 30, 2013 Now that I've left my job and returned my company laptop, I need to buy my own. I'm wondering whether a MacBook is worth the extra money or whether to go for something cheaper without the Apple price tag attached to it. My friend is happy with her chromebook for example. I was even wondering if I could make do with just a tablet since I'll mostly be using it for tinterwebs, email, photos etc but I think I'd rather a laptop. Anyway, I know you lot have a good taste in cars so I'm hoping it extends to laptops too and you can give me some expert tried and tested advice. Please? :) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Portent 0 Posted March 31, 2013 First off a chromebook is great for anything Web based like browsing but not useful for more intensive work. I have a MacBook pro 13 and love it. The build quality is far above other laptops and the quality of the screen, keyboard and especially the trackpad, is also far superior to most laptops although since of the higher end ones are catching upin this respect. They are also inherently less susceptible to viruses... Although not totally immune as most people thing they are (they address still vulnerable to browser trojans and other security bugs such as in java). Another downside for some is osx itself. I use windows a lot for work so switching to osx sometimes leaves mess a little frustrated with the slight differences... E.g. different keys for some functions and menus always at the too of the screen rather than on the application itself. However overall I think they are superb and generally one of the best laptops you can get. The major downside of course is the price. But they hold their value when reselling then and you can minimise the initial cost by either buying used, our via the HE scheme (higher education) if you apply, or simply buying from apples refurbished outlet: http://store.apple.com/uk/browse/home/specialdeals/mac Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bristolbaron 10 Posted March 31, 2013 Ive always used a desktop and not been a fan of laptops at all.. Christmas before last i bought the mrs an HP (older version of this) and have hardly turned the desktop on at all since. The only thing i dont like about it is the clickers (are they called clickers?) seem a bit cheap/flimsy. Except for that its very quick and does what it needs to! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jim 2 Posted March 31, 2013 I think think you might find a chromebook too restrictive like if there are any specific applications you need to run,band ordinarily I would say a MacBook is rather expensive for just a machine for web and email surfing.. But Windows 8 is so terrible its hard not to suggest trying a Mac laptop instead! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bullfinch 0 Posted March 31, 2013 I've used an HP laptop for the last 4 years and it's been good. The problem as always seems to be it goes slower as time goes on and all the anti-virus stuff doesn't help. Hence it's a MacBook for me next time. The question I have though is how easy is it to transfer i-tunes accounts? Also can I just back my photos up on to a hard drive and just re-load onto a Mac. Final point I probably now use my i-Pad for 80% of my web needs know and just use the laptop for the more complex stuff or times when I need to use MS Office. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
krishen 2 Posted March 31, 2013 I've had a mac book pro for 3 years now and its never let me down, hasn't got slower (not that i can tell) and i hardly ever shut it down (just close the lid). Plus it survived in the back of the car i wrote off last year so is obviously well made. IMO it is worth the extra ££'s as it just works. Before this i had a toshiba that i had to keep formatting every 6 months or so as it got so slow. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
daves16v 1 Posted March 31, 2013 I think think you might find a chromebook too restrictive like if there are any specific applications you need to run,band ordinarily I would say a MacBook is rather expensive for just a machine for web and email surfing.. But Windows 8 is so terrible its hard not to suggest trying a Mac laptop instead! Jim, what don't you like about Win 8? I bought a HP laptop around Xmas time with Win 8 installed and immediately took a dislike to the new front end so installed a third party Win 7 front end which is working well. I will say Win 8 is much quicker than 7 at least that's what I'm finding. The HP laptop is running an Intel i5 processor which is pretty quick and even runs my CAD software very well too. The only downside to the laptop is the cheapish build quality but I did only pay £400 for it but in saying this it lives at home 99% of the time so doesn't need to be so robust. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ozowen 2 Posted March 31, 2013 Buy a kindle fire HD for surfing etc, cheaper than I-Pad, ok not so many apps but how many do you need. Then buy a cheapish laptop for the stuff that tablets aren't great for. An acer, asus are good value and as both are providers of the internals cheaper but with same spec of samsung Sony vaio etc. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
davidwort 0 Posted March 31, 2013 (edited) Just as an altenative view, at the bottom end of the laptop scale, I bought my son an entry level dell for Christmas, win7 but i think the current equivalent is win8. It was only 250 quid from asda (of all places), a dual core celeron, so I wasn't expecting much, but I have to say that it's fantastic. i've always been of the attitude that most people way overbuy spec on new computers and this little dell proves my point in my mind anyway! 500Gb hard drive, 4Gb ram, hdmi out (if he wants to plug it into the telly) and the most important thing is it is plenty powerful enough for everything but the latest top end games. It's even pretty well made. if you're really only web browsing and watching YouTube on on demand tv then an iPad or decent spec android tablet is great, but as a primary computer for doing just about anything on I'd seriously try out a new cheap laptop, MacBooks are lovely, but at 3 or 4 times the price you really have to want or need one or just have money to burn. edit: and like oz above, buy a kindle fire or nexus 7 if you want a cheap tablet too, for the best of both worlds. Edited March 31, 2013 by davidwort Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dr_mat 0 Posted March 31, 2013 Like all things Apple, you are paying way over the odds for admittedly well-chosen but otherwise commonplace hardware that you could get anywhere else for less. For the Windows users on the thread.. well yeah Windows rots over the years. If you were really bothered about it you'd create and log in with a new account, or do a reinstall every so often .. or run Linux, which doesn't..! You do this to yourself.. ;) Windows 8 is a monumental mess. It's taking PCs down to the level of functionality of tablets instead of the other way around. As a touchscreen desktop/tablet/laptop front end for a bit of casual web browsing and maybe running a game or two it makes some sense, but for a PC you are actually expecting to do work on, it's a mighty dumb idea. YES you can still run the old Windows 7 desktop interface but NO you cannot make it the default, you have to run it as an app on the Metro UI front end each time you login. (Imagine doing this on a server over RDP.) Me, I have a couple of three year old, cheap, high-end HP Elitebook laptops running Ubuntu Linux as the compromise that provides performance, security (without bolt-on system grind-to-a-halt anti-virus crap) and low price.. Maybe it's not for everyone, but if you're not frightened of getting your hands dirty so to speak, it's really not that difficult to get most of what you want done, done. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
daves16v 1 Posted March 31, 2013 YES you can still run the old Windows 7 desktop interface but NO you cannot make it the default, you have to run it as an app on the Metro UI front end each time you login. Not true, I run Win 7 interface on my Win 8 Laptop and you don't see the Metro UI at all. Yes there are some that this applies to but not the one I'm running, I tried a few Win 7 apps before deciding. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jim 2 Posted March 31, 2013 I think there are some decent improvements under the hood on Windows 8 but that Start Screen and a lot of things that are hooked into it, are a total mess. The lack of consistency in the UI, the split locations for configuring things (control panel or the 'charms bar', etc) drive me up the wall. Thing is Dave as you say there are 3rd party tools that can fix this but I don't want to really reward Microsoft with my custom for something I think they screwed up.. I'm trying to vote with my feet - if that makes sense. Anyway - sorry for taking this WAY off topic Fay! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
scarlet_vr6 0 Posted March 31, 2013 No, it's all interesting stuff. Keep the opinions and debate coming! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Craig 0 Posted March 31, 2013 To add to this, I've never had a laptop but I have an old dell desktop pc. I also have a new ipad and i use it for everything. I use my desktop every now and again only to add some films to my ipad or music off of my hdd and download the odd film. But I use my ipad everyday for browsing the web, you tube etc and the games to pass the time. IMO it really is the best tablet experience what with the extensive App Store and crystal clear retina display. It is well made and very fast and the os is great. I bought my girlfriend an ipad mini and that's equally brilliant although if you were looking for a smaller tablet I bought my mum a google nexus 7 which is also fantastic. The google play store isn't quite as good as the App Store but it still offers a wide variety. It depends on what your needs are? If its just browsing the web and such then a tablet would be my choice, it's easy to use, pick up and put down and does the job perfectly. If you need something more for business power points and writing essays etc then a laptop is a must :) You can pick up iPads second hand cheap enough to try out, or a cheap laptop as mentioned before should do the job fine, I'd only go for a MacBook if you need the processing power such as image and video editing or graphic design. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
robrado974 1 Posted March 31, 2013 Macbook every time for me , love mine ,very quick and made to last . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MarkFoster 0 Posted March 31, 2013 I bought a macbook air when my acer died and haven't regretted it once. Ok, i've always been a mac fan so am admittedly biased, but they just do what they say on the tin. It's true that if you know how to extract it then a PC will perform as well at virtually half the price, but I like to just get in and drive! For me that makes up the value right there, also after 3 years my acer was worth literally 50 quid; the same age macbook will go for £5-600 on ebay.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
maff 10 Posted April 1, 2013 If you want bang for buck go pc, but i've always been apple purely cause of a graphic design background, but i have just changed my old trusty powerbook g4, (cause it won't sync with my iphone 5 and wont play flash vids) which i purchased in 2004 and has stood like a trooper for a macbook pro which is an awesome machine but at the end of the day they are a tool for a job and whatever you do most of you should choose mac/pc Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tonedef 9 Posted April 4, 2013 I work between Win Xp and Win 7 but have an iMac for my home computer. The Mac wins hands down! Bought a MacBook Air yesterday for my daughter who is starting university this September. If you know a student there are some good savings to be had; 11" MBA with 128 Gb SSD, 8Gb Ram upgrade, 3 years Apple Care contract reduced from £1206 to £915 when bought on line through the Apple Store as a student.....seemed like a decent deal to me Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
scarlet_vr6 0 Posted April 13, 2013 Thanks for all the above advice. I've been thinking about this for quite some time now and have decided not to buy a MacBook. Much as I'd like one for the speed and convenience, I've decided to be sensible and not spend so much. I don't have any income at the moment so I think it's wise. I can always buy a MacBook in a year or two... I've looked at so many different laptops now, comparing specs, pro reviews and user reviews that I'm finding it difficult to make a decision. I'm just wasting time now I think, so it's time to make a purchase. Think I'm going to buy an Acer Aspire as they seem to have a good spec and reviews for the price, and I don't mind that they are a bit bulkier than others. Thanks again for all your comments :) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Portent 0 Posted April 13, 2013 It's worth keeping an eye on the refurb sites for a line-new machine at a slight discount: http://store.apple.com/uk/browse/home/specialdeals/mac http://outlet.uk.lenovo.com/store/lenovooe/en_GB/list/categoryID.56794100 https://outlet.sony.co.uk/shop/VAIO-Notebooks/ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
