Need laptop suggestions

kojackJKU

Autism Family Travellers!
VMWARE ******! Makes running windows stuff super easy.



I've seen also seen dozens of articles that prove that Windows often runds better and faster on a Mackbook.



In he the end, there three great reasons to run a Mackbook.

1. Choice. Can run anything apple or windows! Can't run apple stuff with a windows only machine.
2. Build quality. They simply last!!
3. Resale. You can often sell an old (even 5-6 years)Mackbook for half or more of new. An old windows laptop often needs to be sent to the recycler or sold off for parts for the price of a cup of coffee.


I tried vm and bootcamp, both could not run our software. I love the fact that the apple stuff can be sold for so much more. shows how unknowledgeable the apple camp is when I comes to hardware. its the exact same as a PC under the hood....only it "looks" better. gotta love it.
 

kojackJKU

Autism Family Travellers!
Kojack, if you dont mind my asking, which tablet?...and do you like it?..Overall impressions?...I was considering a VivoTab Smart, but went with the Lynx instead...And now I'd like to dump the Lynx, and need a replacement...You can PM if you like, so not to clutter up this thread...Thanx!

I just bought 2 vivotab RTs. They were our first windows tablets. We wanted to make sure we would like the whole system. They have been flawless and work great. The included keyboard gives me two days of heavy use and much more comfortable typing on forums.
 

kojackJKU

Autism Family Travellers!
VMWARE ******! Makes running windows stuff super easy.



I've seen also seen dozens of articles that prove that Windows often runds better and faster on a Mackbook.



In he the end, there three great reasons to run a Mackbook.

1. Choice. Can run anything apple or windows! Can't run apple stuff with a windows only machine.
2. Build quality. They simply last!!
3. Resale. You can often sell an old (even 5-6 years)Mackbook for half or more of new. An old windows laptop often needs to be sent to the recycler or sold off for parts for the price of a cup of coffee.

oh, also, I bought my timeline, 7720 and my vivotab for less than a MacBook cost. GOT to love that, and they run faster than a comparable ipad/MacBook as well.
 

nwoods

Expedition Leader
I tried vm and bootcamp, both could not run our software. I love the fact that the apple stuff can be sold for so much more. shows how unknowledgeable the apple camp is when I comes to hardware. its the exact same as a PC under the hood....only it "looks" better. gotta love it.

You are obviously a bitter Apple, and that's fine. What's important is that you have what works for you, and you've convinced yourself that your rationale is faultless, and that is also fine and may even be true... for you. However, your comment above that the Mac is the exact same as a PC under the hood is startlingly ignorant. One of the "weaknesses" of MacOSX is that is a somewhat "closed system" in comparison to the Windows IBM/PC environment. However, this is also one of its strengths. You can compare hardware specs on a Winbox and a Macbox and they will list out as identical, and the Winbox will be cheaper. So why is the Mac more expensive? Why do they typically last longer, with fewer issues? Why do they have such a persistent reputation for being faster than a similar Winbox?

The answer is pretty simple. The standards of being "Windows Compatible" are far lower than being Mac compatible. Hardware made to spec for a typical PC based motherboard has a wide ranging quality level, where the components available for Mac are much more tightly controlled and generally of a higher quality. Same thing for software. There is a LOT of crap software out there for Windows. I am talking about drivers and machine assembly level programming here, not software like your browser or word processor. In the Mac environment this is also under much tighter control.

The bottom line is that Window IBM/PC boxes represent the lowest common denominator in their core operating parameters, whereas the Mac represents an optimized configuration. On paper, they may share the same hardware specs, but the Mac is optimized for stability and performance and it is evident when you use them.

I use both Windows boxes and a Mac laptop on a daily basis, running significant programs like Revit, Photoshop, Bluebeam, etc.... I am pretty agnostic when it comes to the operating system. I actually prefer Windows 7's handling of file browsing and document manipulation over OSX's Finder, though I prefer the features of the MacOSX with its integration into core apps like Messenger and so forth. My point in this is that the generally handling of the Mac laptop is tangibly superior to my Windows experience. Even when I am running Windows on the Mac!
 

nwoods

Expedition Leader
Looks like I am getting a macbook air 8 g ram 256 g hard drive in 13inch screen. Looking forward to learning something new, still not sure I want an iphone since i am also shopping for a phone too, but maybe the new iphone 6 will be something to think about. will update as a get the new computer. should arrive in 5 days .

Sooooo... ? Did you get it? First thoughts?
 

robgendreau

Explorer
I agree with nwoods; I use an older Macbook Pro, Acer Windows 8.1 netbook and laptop (i5), and even a hackintosh. I agree with the statement that the hardware is often the same, but it's the system software that makes the difference.

I loved used virtualization software on both Macs and PC, with either system and with Linux. But it's especially nice to run a Windows virtual machine IMHO because of security issues and such. I could easily just start over with a new machine. And I still use it for XP stuff; there are some older ham and GPS applications that are useful to me that run best in that system. And although it's aging, overall I prefer to hang in the Mac OS. Some stuff is better in Windows (I like File Explorer better than the Finder) but overall it rocks. For mapping, GPS, and communications, however, I'd say that Windows still has an advantage. Still using serial ports for crying out loud. So it all depends on what tools, i.e. applications, you need to use. PC laptops are insanely cheap right now and although one wouldn't be my only computer for travel use they're great.

I sorta agree with what kojackJKU said about the hardware too. You do pay an Apple premium for that hardware. But same is true of the vehicles and other gear people here talk about; odds are maybe he paid a bit extra for some of those rides in the sig line :wings: You just gotta cut some guys some slack here for getting to camp in a Porsche Cayenne when the same wetware driving could have arrived in a old VW van.
 

kojackJKU

Autism Family Travellers!
Sort of. What I'm saying is that the hardware now is the same, no difference. So why pay twice as much.
Sent from my SGH-T899M using Tapatalk
 

Joe917

Explorer
Not wanting to fan the Mac vs Windows fire...
A windows based laptop will do everything the OP wanted for the least amount of money. It is not about what is best, it is about what is best for the OP.
 

Cole

Expedition Leader
Not wanting to fan the Mac vs Windows fire...
A windows based laptop will do everything the OP wanted for the least amount of money. It is not about what is best, it is about what is best for the OP.

Maybe.

Many of the cheaper windows laptops simply don't last very long when actually used as a portable device. Not saying they are all that way. But the build quality varies so much its often hard to pick a good one.

Apple seems to build some very robust devices. Which means that they typically last a lot longer and have better resale. Ultimately saving you money in the long run. 1 quality laptop is often cheaper than 2-3-4 cheap ones and the time to switch between them.
 

nwoods

Expedition Leader
Hardware is pointless. It's how it works.

With respect to internal hardware like CPU, GPU, RAM, SSD, maybe, though there are certainly speed and quality differences between brands.

But when it comes to external hardware, no one comes close to Apple except Azus and Samsung. Apples touchpad, magnetic power cord, and even the power brick are just way superior to traditional laptop features. Even the fans in my Retina are in a class of their own
 

Darwin

Explorer
Just got it today, trying to learn how to use this thing. I am sure I will figure it out in no time though.
 

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