If you haven’t caught wind of Microsoft’s Laptop Hunters advertisements by now, well you’re lucky. They’re a series of (hopefully only) six ads meant to take a jab at Apple’s successful “Get A Mac” commercials. So far four of these ads are out and they are based on the premise that some person is looking for a particular computer for their needs within a certain budget. If they find what they’re looking for, Microsoft pays for the computer. True in Microsoft spirit, these commercials are all full of issues. The first ad was filled with controversy after people discovered an actress was used instead of a regular person looking to go computer shopping. Also, while the ads are supposed to be “fair” and have the regular people consider Apple products as well, it was discovered in the first ad that the actress never even went into the Apple store. Looking at the clip shows the same person walking by as she enters and exits, and that’s just the first ad.
So what’s the point of this post? Nothing really. This is just a rant. As with any diehard computer geek like myself, the errors in these advertisements are just so irksome that I must voice my opinions. For example, in the video (the fourth ad) posted above, “Sheila” is a filmmaker looking for a laptop “that’s going to be able to cut video.” She ended up with an HP HDX laptop. For one, you don’t get a laptop with the intention of doing intense video work and you certainly don’t get a PC for video work (Final Cut Pro for OS X has the majority market share for video production and is the de facto standard). You get some ridiculous dual quad-core processor Mac Pro with loads of RAM.
Sheila does briefly consider the Apple MacBook Pro but quickly ignores it saying that it only has 2GB of RAM. I’m assuming she also ignored how Macs are ever so slightly more efficient with their RAM usage than Vista. And then there’s the fact that regular Vista can’t handle more than ~3.2GB of RAM regardless of how much physical RAM is installed in the computer. Let’s not mention either that RAM is ridiculously cheap so that MacBook Pro could have 4GB for $40 and actually be able to use it unlike the Vista box.
This video criticism wouldn’t be complete without highlighting some spot-on YouTube comments:
You are a professional film maker and you are at Fry’s getting advice about video editing, really?
“it’s got a widescreen” — which laptops these days don’t have widescreens?
So, the computer she settles on is crap. I own a Mac, I’ll go ahead and throw that out there, so I am biased… But here are the specs:
She settled for this:
HP 16-inch HP HDX 16t
4 GB of DDR2 RAM (600-1066MHz)
2.13 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
GE Force 9600M GT 512 Graphics
and a 1366 x 768 max resolution display.My MacBook Pro has:
2 GB of DDR3 RAM (800-1600MHz) (Faster+lower voltage)
2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Identical discreet card+optional integrated graphics
and a 1440×900 resolution displayPWN
Idiots!
15′ macbook is better for video editing!
New macbooks haves DDR3!!
HP HDX has DDR2….. wtf??iMovie, Final Cut are best videoeditingsoft ever! And only for MAC-users! )))
Microsoft sucks!
Okay, that’s my rant for the month. Carry on.
What do you think of Microsoft’s Laptop Hunters ad series? At least they’re better than the odd Seinfeld-Gates ads..
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{ 76 comments… read them below or add one }
The whole series is crap as described in the comments earlier. I switched to a MAC a year back and have no regrets about it. It has boosted my productivity like crazy.
I have a white Macbook now and after a year I’ll switch to a MBP once I set foot in Gatech for my Masters :)
I agree. If you are professional video editor, I would assume you know something about your equipment (and that includes video editing).
In my opinion, they have to stop wasting money on useless advertisements and use that money to work on Win 7 so they don’t have to cut ‘features’
Gates got the money =P
PCs: perfect for amateur video editors who never intend to take it seriously with real, industry-standard software.
I think you forgot Avid and Premiere in your consideration there.
The mere fact that you are responding and posting about it here shows that they are effective ads. I’ve seen countless threads about them on tech websites and Microsoft should be very proud of what they’ve managed with these.
The thing I don’t understand is why the Mac fanboys are so eager to defend Apple. Microsoft have shown (in the latest advert in particular) that you can get MacBook Pro performance for much less than Apple wants for it. Okay you don’t get a flashy metal case, but if I was saving so much money I don’t think I’d be bothered. The Mac community should be pleased with what Microsoft is doing because it is forcing Apple into thinking about pricing, which could lead in future to cheaper Macs.
I especially don’t understand why people think that this is a personal attack on them. You bought a Mac, great – that doesn’t mean that you have to protect Apple from the big bad wolf, even if that wolf is showing a lot more promise in producing the next generation of OS than Apple is.
Yeah I don’t get it either. Or why people try to convert you to Mac once they get one. So you are happy with your setup, I’m happy with mine, why play a schoolyard game and try to prove that one is happier than the other?
Agreed. I also love how the woman in the 1st commercial says “I guess I’m just not cool enough to own a Mac.” Maybe meant to be sarcastic, but funny that a Microsoft commercial highlights that cool people own Macs…
Awesome observation! I never thought about it that way before!
Spot on Paul, except one small point. “Final Cut Pro for OS X has the majority market share for video production and is the de facto standard”.
In my experience the de facto standard for television and film editing is Avid which runs on Windows.
That said, if “Sheila” is genuinely an indi film maker- she’d be using Final Cut Pro.
but avid seems to have a small 22% market share (according to ‘pedia)?
Avid runs on Macs as well. A decent amount of professional post facilities offer both mac and pc based avid suites.
Great article! I switch between a MacBook and a PC multiple times a day. I do all of my professional work on my Mac.
The one thing I wish they would take into consideration is the design of the laptop as well as the performance. The MacBooks look amazing. Their OS is also much more optimized to work on the hardware that has been provided. This in contrast to the bulky junk Microsoft gives you (both design and software).
Hmmm, the commercial was probably edited on a mac.
haha i was thinking the same thing..
Paul, just to follow up on what Adam Wilcox said – can I check, you’re using Wikipedia as your source for the Final Cut Pro has the majority market share argument?
hey if it’s good enough for research papers, it’s good enough for a blog comment (i kid, i kid..)
Yeah, and Apple ads are so open and truthful. They won’t bend facts even a tiny bit while proving how lame is world of PC users comparing to chose cool ones using Mac’s. :)
It’s just an ad.
And looking at overall online reaction it’s either good ad or people are having fits over holy war issues (again).
hehe, yeah i’m sure the Apple “Get a Mac” ads get the same reaction from diehard PC fans. ;-D
The difference is PC doesn’t have diehard fans. Because PC is not a brand cult. Apple is. :)
If you don’t mind link I had a post on how cult and bulk brands matchup (more of general case but Mac/PC is good example).
Why are you odd people continuing to capitalise Mac into “MAC”?
It really irks me.
Do you really want to buy a Media Access Control (M.A.C.)? Surely an Apple Macintosh would be far better?
/rant comment
agreed, MAC annoys the hell out of me too. I have the same issue with IPhone/Iphone/i-Phone when it should be iPhone.
That is annoying, but not as annoying as “iTouch”.
seems like the apple fanboy got pissed! loool
Microsoft: To imitate poorly…long after the fact.
Vista does support more than 3.2GB, but you will need to get the 64 bit version.
yeah that’s why i specified “regular Vista”.. which is what comes on most cheap laptops these days.
Actually, I think you’d be surprised how many laptops now come with the 64-bit version. I saw multiple Vista machines, with more than 2GB of RAM, and they all had Vista 64 installed. This was at Best Buy, Radio Shack, and Fry’s, since last December.
Ah thanks Carlton – for some reason I was under the impression that 64-bit Vista was a rarity.
Yeah, I thought the same thing. I was surprised to see laptops with 3 and 4GB of RAM, and I was getting ready to make fun of the manufacturer for including an unaddressable amount for a 32-bit OS. Then I saw it wasn’t 32-bit. I guess cheap memory and the need to boost specs has driven the switch.
The thing that I don’t really understand about the ads is that there all about the PC and not about Windows. I understand that Microsoft benefits when any PC is sold because if your not getting a mac then there is a 99% chance that its going to have Windows on it.
I think that the money used for the ads would be better spent on what Microsoft makes (Windows) and not what system its running on (HP, Dell,..).
I think Microsoft should stick to what’s obvious and works. Most people just use their personal computers for web browsing, email, and photos. Almost any new PC or Mac would work fine for that, but most PC’s are far cheaper.
That said, I use Mac’s and PC’s and prefer the Mac for most tasks.
Well put Paul, i forced myself to watch them and they only thing i gained from it was a poorer view of microsoft and their marketing strategy.
If she was actually a ‘professional filmmaker’ then why is she in a large computer store, unsure of what she needs or what she wants. Surely she’d already know what she was after, rather that “a fast processor and big screen”… so she went for a 2.13GHz processor. Something doesn’t seem quite right there?
Personally, i think this is putting more chinks in microsofts amour than is doing favors for them.
I read a quite a few blogs, and every “Laptop Hunter” post I’ve seen has been pro-Mac and anti-Windows. I use Windows, Mac, and Linux, and I’m generally aware of the relative merits and weaknesses of all. Which is why it frustrates me to read posts that are as one-sided as the commercials themselves. For consumers with limited income and the unwillingness to devote a majority of it to a tech purchase, a Windows PC is going to be the only option in a “price + average consumer usability” scenario. Apple doesn’t offer a product in the $300 netbook category and that is all many people can afford with the economy the way it is. Focusing on price and variety is a short-term win for Microsoft, and variety is demonstrated by looking at hardware rather than focusing on the Windows brand.
Having said that, I think Apple offers a better value proposition for those willing to spend more to obtain it. I recommend all of my friends and family to purchase Macs, because it’s generally a better experience for them and less maintenance work for me.
A couple of nits to pick: the lady in the first commercial was not being employed as an actor, she just hopes to one day play one on TV. There was no script and she wasn’t pretending to be someone other than herself. To imply otherwise is misleading. Secondly, the upgrade from 2GB to 4GB of RAM costs $100 at Apple.com for a 15″ MacBook Pro. Self-installing your own non-Apple memory to save money is somewhat counter to the Apple philosophy and, dare I say it, somewhat PC-like.
The lady in the first commercial is employed as an actress.
And to say that a RAM upgrade is against Apple’s philosophy–really?! Upgrading RAM in a Macbook is simply one of the easiest things in the world to do and is made quite simple by Apple’s design. Apple computers are really just PCs with a better OS.
This isn’t the ’90s any more. Maybe you should actually use a Mac rather than just pretend to.
I hesitated to check back for replies but I went against my better judgment.
I fail to see anything in the linked article that shows she is being employed as an actor in the commercial. She used her real name and her own lines; actors do not. Thus reality TV stars are not members of the SAG. No one is calling Giampaolo an actor, although he “acts” like he knows a lot about computers.
I realize how simple it is for someone technically-inclined to add RAM to a computer. But I think you are underestimating how difficult it is for someone who is not to do so. Without help from a “genius”, most average consumers wouldn’t know how to remove the bottom cover, must less how to decode the memory types to find the right one (SIMM, DIMM, SODIMM, DDR, DDR2, DDR3, PC 2700, PC 3200, PC3 10666, etc.) Not to mention some brands are more compatible than others. The average consumer with no technical expertise would be better served paying Apple to just put the right memory in.
I’m not sure how I pretend to use a Mac; the application icons jump around when I click them and the letters appear on the screen when I type them. Unfortunately, I can’t exclusively use Mac OS X; it doesn’t support Blu-ray playback and it doesn’t work with AnyDVD HD. And I can tell the difference between an overly-compressed 720p Dolby Digital 5.1 iTunes download and a high bitrate 1080p True HD Blu-ray.
Actually, Carlton, she is an actor. She’s a member of SAG (the Screen Actor’s Guild), and she auditioned for the role. Now, it may be that the other folks in the commercials aren’t professional actors in the SAG sense – but Lauren is a professional actor. It’s what she does for a living.
And? That doesn’t change the facts! You cannot get a Mac in an Apple store for under $1,000 with decent hardware. The point of the ad is to underline that if you have certain budget limitations PCs could be your best option. That’s all!
The line I’m too cool to be a Mac person is just a little irony, the same kind of irony that the I’m a Mac uses all the time against PCs (or to be more precise Windows). It amuses me that some people take offense for such a little thing, they seem fanatics. And I am an Apple fan, you can tell that from what I say.
I understand that if you have the right budget and the software you need have Mac versions you should get one. Discussing the subject of the price difference between a Mac and a PC with a friend we concluded that in the case of the Mac you are charged for having a better operating system and a better user experience. And that is worth the price, if you have enough money to pay for it. If I had the money I would buy a $2000 MacBook pro without any doubt, I could get a PC laptop for $800 less if I wait for a rebate, but the operating system is far better. Vista uses about 1.5GB of RAM just to load the OS without any application open!
The other certainty we have is that some people have PC desktops with Linux or Windows if they need to, but for the people that can afford only one computer (students for example) PC may be a need. If you really need one Windows application because your major requires software that your college have license for the windows version only, you settle for the cheaper.
Anyway, I know that many students do not have any special needs (or have access to Apple compatible software on campus) and Apple offers special pricing for them to get the laptop too. So it is not a surprise that many students have Macs and are pretty happy with them.
I understand that if you have an Apple you can feel a little proud about it, but don’t think that all PC owners are morons, they simply don’t have the money (you can get a pretty decent laptop for under $600 if you wait for rebates, or a PC for under $400) or don’t care too much for the performance of the computer they use.
But if you care and have the money you get a Mac, that’s my opinion.
I think you are right on, Paul, when you say that this post is a pointless, opinionated rant.
these laptop hunters ads are really aimed to the market that doesn’t have a clue about computer specs, and what’s scary is that the majority of users have no clue about specs. unlike nerds and geeks like us.
@stammy i get your points, but i think as far as i understand the ad was that they are looking for a computer in a REASONABLE PRICE.. PCs are really cheap compared to Mac… but if the girl was looking for a video editor with limited amount of money, i think it does not matter if Apple has the best video editor in the market because the point is they are looking for a reasonable priced laptops.
*sorry if my english is somewhat weird.*
I think it is healthy to rant, especially on a blog. Except . . . a) I am unaware that three is a 15′ Mac. b) I too would avoid the Mac store, especially if I was on film. Those places are just too obnoxious for me.
I recently wanted a newer and better computer. To reduce my carbon impact I bought low-power, quiet components and replaced the guts in my existing desktop. Ubuntu supports 4GB RAM just fine, though I occasionally dual-boot into Windows 7 Beta, which is actually kinda nice, to play a game.
Happy ranting, sir!
-danny
Geh. Bring back the cute kids taking pictures of fish.
Vista 64-bit breaks half my tools, and if I’m going to make the company pay for another computer, it might as well be a Hackintosh dual boot. Pop into Vegas if I feel the need. And since Windows 7 is free until 2010, I might as well. Just gotta buy an install key. No more inconvenient than installing OSX upgrades (sans excuse to take an early lunch).
But doing any serious amount of work on a laptop feels ridiculous. I love my work MBP, but I wouldn’t trust it to run my data mining code. Come back in the room 5 hours later to find scorch marks on the desk.
Oh yeah, I hope you’re sarcastic about loving iMovie. Crashes on me on all the Macs at Tech library.
Ha. those were copypasted, not your words–my bad.
I thought the Seinfeld ads were fun. Less reality TV, more comedy. It’s what makes the PC vs Mac commercials run (besides John Hodgeman’s inexplicable ability to turn anything mundane).
a 1366 x 768 max resolution display!!!
you sure that’s right? a 16″ display with 1366 x 768 max resolution??
I myself own an Macbook unibody (not the pro version) 2.4ghz, with 4gb ddr3 and an intel x25-80gb SSD. When i look at the specs of this poor HP HDX that makes me wanna laugh seriously. And i don’t even own a Macbook Pro. I mean come on you wanna do video editing? don’t get a PC everybody knows that. The Final Cut file format truly becomes standard in the film industry so why PC??
In defense of these ads, which highlight the larger selection of hardware configurations available in PC’s at cheaper prices, I just got my Dad this HP for $710, after a coupon and Fatcash:
Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo Processor T6400 (2.0GHz)
- 3GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm) from 2GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
- 320GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
- 512MB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 4530
- 17.3″ diagonal HD+ High-Definition HP BrightView Infinity Widescreen Display (1600 x 900)
- LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support
- Webcam
- Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-card
- HP Integrated HDTV Hybrid Tuner
- 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Let’s not even mention that you can’t get anything close to a deal this good with an Apple.
The lack of any displays greater than 15″ (or any resolutions greater than 1280×800!) unless you go for a $2000+ MBP is my biggest reservation about Apple’s laptops. They don’t need to be 1920×1200 either, something like the 1600×900 above would be a very welcome upgrade from the 1280×800 you get with a plain Macbook.
Yes, the 17″ MBP is in a totally different league in terms of beautiful construction and the fact that it runs OSX. And it starts at $2800! Aside from the 17″ MBP’s better display resolution, what’s under the hood is pretty damn similar, save for the MBP’s extra 660mhz of CPU speed, and an extra Gig of RAM. You can literally buy four of the 17″ HP laptops I spec’d above for the same price!
I think Microsoft may have done Apple a favor here in identifying a product niche that it isn’t meeting: a Macbook with the 17″ unibody frame. That is something I would consider getting myself.
And since I have absolutely nothing better to do today than contribute comments to this blog post…
Final Cut Pro costs $1300, while Sony Vegas is only $319. Once again, you can literally buy four copies of Vegas for the price of one Final Cut Pro. Are we seeing a trend here? Yes, Vegas is not an “industry standard”, but who cares? In this girl’s situation, that laptop she got + Vegas is a great, inexpensive entry into digital filmmaking. Yes, she probably would have been even better off with a more powerful desktop for the same price.
For anyone who cares, here’s the top Google result for vegas vs. final cut pro, which I found pretty balanced and informative.
hehe, thanks for contributing your insight today Andrew. Been a while since you’ve commented on here. I guess I need to have more controversial posts from time to time. ;-D
Yeah, I couldn’t resist chiming in on this one! Actually, you do a really nice job of changing up your posts on the site, so I wouldn’t change anything.
The Microsoft ads are ridiculous… anyone who believes those actors are anything other than just that: actors… deserves to be fooled into purchasing a PC.
test.. can’t seem to make comments.. I submit and just get a blank page.. :-/
The ad is very childish. It reminds of jealous kids making up stories about the super toy they have at home when they see some other kids playing with a cool toy. Mac is good , but costly. But again, you get what you pay for, you get a quality product.
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9115120
Apparently these ads are made on a Mac. :)
I think the chief problem we’re seeing here is that we all “know” what the norms are, and we’re getting upset that someone else isn’t recognizing them.
We all know FCP is the standard…
We all know that “everyone” uses PCs
We all know that Macs costs more
We all know that Macs are better at Graphics, Video, Audio
We all know that Linux is only for people who know how to “configure their own kernel”
Most of us who read your site, also know that none of the above things are true, or at the very least, are not entirely true. That being the case, can we fault Microsoft for making statements of questionable veracity? We do it all the time.
This is attacking Apple at the only spot they can, price. I won’t even get into the technical specs not being the same and the bullshit statements in some of these ads. At least the Apple ads have some humor and irony to them.
In the end, you get what you pay for. And in my opinion Apple gives you a premium designed product premium OS which happens to give “most” a premium experience.
First off, she never actually says she is a “professional video editor”. She says she wants to be able to “cut video”. She also said she is a “film maker,” which is, in all likelihood, an erroneous term. Many (aspiring) “professional” video makers and/or videographers use the “film maker” moniker in an effort to try and sound… I don’t know, sophisticated? She sounds more like a video maker/artist who is trying to enter the field – and has a budget (I know I do). More common than you might realize, judging from the amount of gadgets you seem to be able to purchase. Not everyone has that kind of cash.
That said, a PC is adequate for many a “video maker,” casual or otherwise. Andrew Swihart’s link was spot on. If you were truly informed within the video industry, you would know that. Read some forums, and you will find countless Vegas users. I may be wrong, but your rant seems childish and based upon your love and devotion to a favorite brand, rather than real knowledge of the video industry. You have every right to rant, but do take into consideration that unless you are truly immersed in the industry, you likely don’t know all the standards, and “tools of the trade”.
There seems to be a surge of new “film makers” – all using iMovie and some HDD camcorder that they think is superior simply because they (wrongly) assume HDD is the way to go, it is new, so it must be the standard. I only point this out to illustrate that a true video artist can indeed use a PC – even a laptop. Case in point, my current setup includes a Toshiba laptop – 4GB RAM, 2 GHz, 64 bit, 250GB HDD, 17″ screen with 1440X900 resolution, Sony Vegas 8, a Canon HV30, and two HV20 camcorders (these use tape!). This is not top-of-the-line, for sure, but the laptop was leaps over my former HP desktop, and I paid only $498.00! I have a small video business, and all of these tools are perfectly adequate for my needs. You see, much of what I do involves art and skill, in addition to the tools. I guess I say all this to let you know that I do not find the (albeit cheesy) ad misleading; I do not see it as full of errors. I see it as a realistic scenario – someone who wants to create video and has a limited budget, and someone who knows she needs to buy the most bang for the buck.
Also, are you sure the ads are supposed to be “taking a jab” at the Mac vs. PC ads? Maybe they are simply pointing out that you CAN get a great laptop for not a lot of dough. Just saying…
PS, I really prefer your blog when you are talking tech. or showing off your new gear. The rants, not so much.
Seriously? Its his site, he can rant if he wants…..its refreshing to see someone defend their tech in a calm manner instead of the normal bs.
Lots of great comments. I think the ads are pretty bad. The first one had me dumbfounded. Did you see the haircut on that kid? I mean… what the hell… if that thing popped out of my womb I would kill it. I would be embarrassed to take it anywhere. I literally do not know what gender it was, or species for that matter. If I saw him walking out of Best Buy holding an HP laptop box I would be like “I want the exact opposite of what that small troll is buying”. Great blog, love the new larger type.
i was looking for a new laptop first of the year and had intention to get a Mac. dear lord are they expensive. i could not find one under a grand. i settled for a toshiba with 4GB ram (64bit vista), intel core 2 duo, 300gb hard drive and only paid 700. Mac would of probably cost me at least twice as much. Plus sometimes its hard to find certain programs for macs.
Why is it that it seems to me that the Mac versus P.C.(which is a misnomer as a Mac is a Personal(P.) Computer(C.)) argument seems like a my phallic object is bigger then your phallic object kind of deal? I mean to the average consumer without getting into high level video editing you can do exactly what you need to. That is browse the internet, play some games(P.C.s are better for this but macs are starting to compete fairly well.), make some text documents, print those text documents and MAYBE pirate some music.
We have 2 Macs and 2 P.C.s(misnomer) in my house and my dad works for Apple as a tier 2 tech support agent. Anytime I bring up flaws about Apple and Macintosh in general he denies it, denies it, denies it until I bring foward irrevocable proof of the fact. The most recent one was viruses he argued that macs didn’t get viruses. I pointed him to an article about a recent virus that was put in with an iLife(or iWork can’t remember which) torrent allowing a person to use the computers to be used to remotely preform DDoS attacks. He then stated that it was malware not a virus I said to put your self in an average consumers shoes and tell me whether they would see the difference between malware and virus he considered it and agreed. Then I said that this would have been detected by even the most rudimentary virus scanners it would have been like “Oh it seems you have a virus do you want us to destroy the verminous Curr. Yes, No, Imprison it.” that simple. Most Mac users have been lulled into a false sense of security that they are completely virus free, bug free, and impossible to hack.
I have had the P.C. that I am on for 4 years and have had a total of 6 major viruses that I got mainly through stupidly browsing free porn sites I’ve learned from these mistakes and have been relatively virus free for 2 years.
best wishes
Dack
http://www.macrumors.com/2009/05/12/apples-latest-ad-takes-aim-at-microsofts-laptop-hunters-campaign/
New I’m a Mac/I’m a PC ad -” I’m a Megan. “
I am PC and MAC user, but really I am very please with my MAC and PC is totally sux.
1. People who say MAC is more expensive then PC. I do not agree, if you put up the exact same spec for a PC. 100% the PC will be way more expensive then MAC.
2. None of the PC are properly build, they are just build on the fly and make people think it is cheap. for example; Most of the batt PC laptop would only last 1H or 45mins after 6 to 12 months usage. The cooling system of a PC is another issue. They are just badly design.
3. Windows operating system is badly build. Most of my friends would agree Windows is just like a box of milk. It will just just turn bad after certain period. For Mac OS, I do not even need to defrag it. I had it running for 2 years and it is still running smooth. I still have another G4 Mac Mini running as a media center just to connect to my LCD for watch movie. Runs well and it does the job. I had it running day and night and 365 days.
PC system is just like something that just glue together on the fly then ship it out to sell. And these makers do not really care cause they just have to make sure they don’t break down within one year. And whatever the problem is just blame it onto each other between the maker and Microsoft, then consumers like us will just run around in circle.
Really? This is right out of price list for main dealer we work with at work (non-USA):
Apple MacBook (MB402B)
13.3” 1280×800
Intel Core 2 Duo 2.1 GHz
RAM 1024 MB
HDD 120 GB
Intel GMA X3100
2.36 kg
$1190
Dell Vostro 1310 (1310W810D2C250DS)
13.3″ 1280×800
Intel Core 2 Duo 2.1GHz
RAM 2048 MB
HDD 250 GB
GForce 8400M
2.0 kg
$1040
I picked 1310 cause I have one, could pick something else. So PC has better specs, weights less and over $100 cheaper. So where is your 100% the PC will be way more expensive then MAC ? And don’t give me that I have wrong prices or it can be found cheaper. That’s what it would cost to me if I ordered one today.
Lately I see people pushing “Apple is not expensive” suddenly. Really wonder where that comes from.
I won’t even answer to 2 and 3, they are just wrong on so many levels. :)
i agree with ol’ rarst. PC are almost half the price. its hard to find or impossible to find a mac under 1000, but almost all PC are under 1000.
For jm #2 point, how can you generalize all PCs like that. there is many brands and different sizes. cooling problem? i never heard of any issues. all my life i had a pc and never had a cooling problem. maybe an xbox
#3 issue. windows going bad? maybe downloading a virus or having too many background apps running, but most of that is easily fix. of course you can have too many apps on a mac also. yeah, mac dont get virus easily. i got too many shady sites and never have issues with viruses. my antivirus picks them up before anything bad happens. most people will agree that defrag doesnt do anything to speed up the computer. i never had a mac, but why wouldnt it be just important for a mac as it would be for a PC?
i could go on and on with this lol. i will defend PC to my death.
Cheaper is not always better.
Having cheaper option is better than not having cheaper option.
Sometimes it is cheaper and better (see my comment above).
cheaper is better when you dont have a 1400 to spend on a computer lol
If you are going to support Macs based on price, you need to visit the limb store because you need a leg to stand on. There is absolutely zero legitimacy to that claim.
As for the overall argument of Macs vs. “PC” which is indeed a misnomer, there is so very much room for personal opinion that arguing over it is just insane. I personally find that OS X is better than windows in the sense that ‘it just works’ (to reference my old favorite multics). However, I believe I am correct in saying that windows allows for greater customization.
All of that said, if you are very knowledgeable about computers and are looking for a superior computer, the CORRECT choice is to build a PC from scratch (best hardware to suit your needs for your money) and install your favorite linux distribution. There are so many options out there in the open source world that it’s silly to not take advantage of them. Even if you can’t find what you’re looking for, with Linux you can write it yourself.
I know this is more than a little bit technical, but the file system makes a huge difference. Ever since moving to NTFS with XP, and EFS3 with Linux, I’ve seen none of the ’slow downs’ that happened on Windows 98 with FAT32. FAT’s variates just had a fundemental fragmentation issue.
Oh, and there are a few laptops and small-form-factor desktops by Dell that have the (over)heating issue. Search for the Dell 5150 laptop and the SFF version of the GX280. I’m sure Apple, HP and all others have this one – it’s caused by Intel’s chips, so while the higher speed Mac my stepmom owns doesn’t get as hot as the Dell 5150, it still gets uncomfortable enough to notice. The laptops are just plain too small for the CPUs!
It turns out that people don’t clean their vents, by the way. Also, leaving the laptop on while the screen is down is bad as well. Oddly, for some reason the metal-cased laptop my stepmom has doesn’t do that as bad. Something about a natural heatsink. ;) A bad sign is when after owning a laptop for about 6 months to 2 years, it starts shutting itself off. Pets and people with long, thin hair tend to have this vent problem more often. I never leave my laptop on when on top of any fabric (say, a couch). It’s a Dell Latitude C400 and it never overheats unlike the newer laptops.
Hmm I searched for these terms and got about the same number of results in Google:
Mac laptop overheating (160k)
Dell laptop overheating (145k)
HP laptop overheating (309k)
Toshiba laptop overheating (116k)
This indicates that about the same number of people talked about it on the web, no matter what brand. Not exactly scientific, but it proves my point a lot better than my experience with only about a dozen Macintoshes over the years including 4 laptops. The newer laptop is the ONLY Mac I ever saw do that!
I believe, like anything Microsoft, that these ads are intellectually dishonest and trying to bilk people into buying crappy computers pre-loaded with a really crappy operating system. I am a Mac fan, I admit it but I became so after being frustrated for years being chained to Windows. I got my first MacBook Pro back in October 2006 (early in the month so when the 2nd generation MBPs were released later in the month, I’d be pissed).
Most cases that is true about ram size, but only on systems that are running 32bit version(MAX:4G) and not the 64bit version(MAX: “Most 64-bit microprocessors on the market today have an artificial limit on the amount of memory they can address, because physical constraints make it impossible to support the full 16.8 million terabyte capacity.” Per Wiki). Max bus speed on DDR2/DDR3 depends on the MOTHERBOARDS FRONT SIDE BUS SPEED or OVERCLOCKING THE RAM, so the motherboard might support DDR3 but the maker of the laptop went with cheaper DDR2. Plus I like you to know there is a way to for the MAC software to run on some windows based laptops. It is called Hackintosh, where Mac OS X is run on x86 hardware.
rant: microsoft’s laptop hunter ads, when will they stop? http://bit.ly/Jac6Z
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@stammy Echoes my feelings on the Microsoft Laptop Hunter commercials. http://bit.ly/5UalH
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I love this blog post by @stammy! http://bit.ly/17wuWz
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