Bassem Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 (edited) EDITED I'm a college student, faculty of engineering, digital media (yes, that's a major). I'll be working with Visual Basic and SQL server a lot this semester. The thing is, I'll be working on different projects each semester, especially graphics design and 3D. And yes, I can always buy a laptop with better specs, maybe even install Snow Leopard if the hardware is compatible, which is not the same as running Mac OS X on a Windows machine. I'm not trying to convince myself with anything, I actually like the new line of laptops that came with the launch of Windows 7, the i7 processors, DDR3 RAM, better graphics cards, it just makes sense, I was actually waiting for those. The reason I posted this here is because I need to know if it's worth switching. Apple hardware is overpriced, people still buy it. Not all Mac owners care about their social status. Everybody wants one, but not everyone can afford one. I don't need a high-end laptop, just a decent graphics card. And no, it's not the same as running Mac OS X on a Windows machine (OSX86). Edited October 27, 2009 by Bassem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b1kshad0w Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 I think I'm in a minority, but the OSX really annoyed me. I would try borrowing, reading up on, and messing around with it before you put money into buying one. Plus it doesn't sound like it's going to suit your needs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakem1 Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 Apple won't provide official support for Windows 7 in Bootcamp until the end of the year although users are reporting varying levels of success without the need for official support. Personally, I wouldn't waste my money on a Mac if you're only buying one because of the lure of Apple's brand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+jamesyfx Subscriber² Posted October 25, 2009 Subscriber² Share Posted October 25, 2009 I loved OS X, the hardware is good and the system is great. But if you like to play games, and you often rely on archivers and other programs - OS X is a nightmare. All of the archivers suck (Unrarx, the unarchiver, stuffit expander etc), and games are a no-go. Plus there isnt much in the way of free software. Every app will cost you something, no matter how small. That's why I use my Dell PC with Vista on it more than my MacBook Pro. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuudJacobs.NET Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 As far as I know, bootcamp doesn't support Windows 7 yet, but will be supporting it in the near future. VMWare does work for sure (running it right now) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alladaskill17 Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 I bought a Macbook Pro when I was going to college, still use it, still love it. It makes multitasking great, not only because of their performance, but also with apps like expose & spaces. It really comes down to preference but everything for everyday use in included, and so much more (iLife) as well reliability. I hope to not sound like a fanboy, but I do really enjoy my experience on a mac. Yes, is the answer to your bootcamp question. Windows 7 will be supported via BootCamp by the end of 2009 calendar year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+InsaneNutter MVC Posted October 25, 2009 MVC Share Posted October 25, 2009 I'm considering switching to Macs, need a new laptop for college, so I can work on projects and stuff. I'll be using Visual Basic/SQL Server a lot so, does Bootcamp support Windows 7 yet? I'll also be using it for casual gaming, so it should have a decent graphics card, which I can also use with OpenCL.I know I can just go to their website and look around but the question is, is switching to Mac really worth it? I mean, I know that most of the stuff I'll be working with require Windows and that Apple hardware is really overpriced but let's face it, they know how to make people want to buy their stuff; the little details that make their laptops stand out. Any recommendations? I think you have answered you own question to be honest, if you got a Mac it sounds like you would need to run Windows on it most of the time. You might as well buy a laptop and either save a lot of money or get a better machine for the same price. Windows 7 does work perfectly in boot camp using the Vista drivers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+jamesyfx Subscriber² Posted October 25, 2009 Subscriber² Share Posted October 25, 2009 You can get a much higher spec laptop for less than half the price of the equivalent Mac. I know, because I did it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Binary Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 I loved OS X, the hardware is good and the system is great.But if you like to play games, and you often rely on archivers and other programs - OS X is a nightmare. All of the archivers suck (Unrarx, the unarchiver, stuffit expander etc), and games are a no-go. Plus there isnt much in the way of free software. Every app will cost you something, no matter how small. That's why I use my Dell PC with Vista on it more than my MacBook Pro. Betterzip is a winzip like program that might fit your needs. Also, there are plenty of free alternatives to most any application (sure some of the free ones aren't as good as their paid alts. but that's the same with windows). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cold Blood Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 If it were me I would get a higher spec'ed non apple laptop for the simple reason that the higher specs with help you a lot with visual basic and sql. And apple laptops don't have the necessary gpu power to decently run modern games at decent settings. But that's up to you in the end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fix-this! Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 I'm considering switching to Macs, need a new laptop for college, so I can work on projects and stuff. I'll be using Visual Basic/SQL Server a lot so, does Bootcamp support Windows 7 yet? I'll also be using it for casual gaming, so it should have a decent graphics card, which I can also use with OpenCL.I know I can just go to their website and look around but the question is, is switching to Mac really worth it? I mean, I know that most of the stuff I'll be working with require Windows and that Apple hardware is really overpriced but let's face it, they know how to make people want to buy their stuff; the little details that make their laptops stand out. Any recommendations? id recommend you try osx86 or a hackintosh install to get the real feel of it before spending a ton of $$ on a real macbook or whatever. IMO apple charges too much and the specs are inferior to other laptops and desktops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vice Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 Based on what you want to do with your computer you should just get a PC. I'd recommend a Dell Studio Notebook. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stetson Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 I really like my 13" Aluminum Macbook as a college laptop and I run Windows 7 on it without any issues. If you doubt that you will use OSX very much then I would probably recommend something like a ThinkPad, you will probably want something in the 13" range and very sturdy if you're going to be carrying it around with you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
null_ Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 Personally, I don't see the switch to the Mac worth it, especially for what you would be using it for. I used two MacBook Pro's between 2008 and the beginning of 2009 (a mid-2007 model and a late-2008 model which was the introduction of the "unibody" style) and had a lot of issues with Apple support... it would seem that their support for customers outside of large metropolitan areas in countries such as Canada is lackluster at best. Let me explain (I'll wrap this in quote tags because it's overly long): My MacBook Pro had a failing NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics card (which was apparent by the graphical glitches and corruption that I was experiencing), so I called AppleCare and they informed me that because they do not offer mail-in service within Canada and that because there was no Apple store in my area that I would need to drive into the city to drop the system off at an Apple Authorized Service Provider - this, to me, was unexpectable because I needed the system for my studies and I had no transportation to-or-from the city (which from where I lived at the time was an hour and a half drive just to get there), therefore I wound up saying to hell with it up until the point that the machine was almost unusable. Luckily, an Apple Authorized Service Provider had set up shop about 20 minutes from where I lived, so I dropped the system off there on a Wednesday and was promised that the system would be ready to go by Friday; I didn't get the system back until the following Tuesday. Much to my dismay when I took the system home that I noticed that the trackpad was not functioning properly. Not only that, the casing was bent along with several scratches on the machine. Now, I'm not overly nit-picky over these things but when you take a $2,200 laptop that was never mishandled and was very well cared for in for a simple repair you sort of expect it not to come back looking like it was beat around and you expect it to work correctly. I wound up calling AppleCare and explaining the situation, to which the agent seemed concerned about. I asked if there was any way to set up mail-in service instead either directly with Apple or through another service provider in the province and they went through the process of setting up a mail-in repair by collecting my details, etc... up until the point where they had hit a "snag" in the system and would e-mail me with further information... roughly 30 minutes later, I get an e-mail from the representative stating that I would need to take the system back to the same service provider I had dealt with and that they could not set up mail-in service. I wasn't too happy about it, but I took it back to the service provider anyways, who accused me of doing the damage myself but agreed to have it fixed within a few days. I also contacted Apple Customer Relations and informed them that I was not overly impressed with the level of service I had received, and they collected some details such as what AASP the system was taken to, the damage that was done, etc. and promised to get back to me. They never did. When I went to pick the system up from the AASP the following week, I was verbally attacked for contacting Apple over the issue and had several threats made against me that I would never be able to have this particular unit serviced anywhere within the province and that my name, phone number, and e-mail address along with my laptop's serial number had been forwarded to all service providers. The person who did the repair asked me to check the system over to make sure it worked, I booted it up and checked that the keyboard and trackpad worked by typing a simple note into TextEdit, moved the mouse around, then shut it down and checked over the physical state of the machine -- it was missing a screw on the back, which was put in place before I left. I was told to never come back and to "go to hell". By the time I got home, I couldn't believe what had transpired. I went ahead and booted the system up, and went to adjust the brightness of the display which triggered the volume to go down. It turned out that the AASP had placed an Early 2008 MacBook Pro model keyboard on my system which was a Mid 2007, so the keyboard mappings were all wrong. I made an attempt to contact the Apple Customer Relations person I had spoken to before, however received no response. As I asked around on what could be done about the situation, I was told that I could try e-mailing the sjobs@apple.com alias which Executive Customer Relations monitors... so I decided to give it a shot, I had nothing to lose. Over the course of the following two weeks, there was an investigation launched as to what exactly happened with my machine and it was confirmed after providing pictures of the system before it was sent in for repair and after it was received from being repaired that there was damage done, and finally I was offered the option of mailing the system in for repair in Ontario or I could have the system replaced with a new one... I chose the latter option as I believed it would be the best choice and easiest overall route. The moral of the story is this - you shouldn't have to climb as far up the ladder as possible to get a simple repair taken care of. When you purchase a product that is over $2,000 you expect that it would be supported properly... PC OEMs have provided basic mail-in service (and even in-home next business day service) for years, including Dell or Hewlett-Packard and their machines typically have better specifications at a fraction of the cost of a Mac. I wound up selling my MacBook Pro in February 2009 because I was left with such a sour experience that I didn't want to deal with them anymore. I didn't want to have to deal with the possibility of having to send the system into an AASP should anything ever happen and get that sort of treatment again. For the needs that you have specified I feel that you would be better suited by a laptop from HP, Dell, or another PC manufacturer... you could buy it with better specifications and still save several hundred dollars that you could invest in accessories, software, or take yourself out for a nice dinner somewhere. Just my 2 cents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassem Posted October 25, 2009 Author Share Posted October 25, 2009 Yes, I do realize buying a laptop with better specs is the obvious choice since I'll be using Windows most of the time, mainly because I have to. I've never actually owned a Mac but I have used them before, switching to Mac OS X is definitely not a problem for me. That's why I got my iPhone, the user experience. I forgot to mention that I'll be working with graphics during the coming semesters, if that makes any difference. Apple hardware is overpriced, that's why I'm using a Windows PC. It's not the lure of the Apple brand, although I do appreciate the quality of their products, their attention to detail. I'll have to agree with the majority here, the new line of laptops with i7 processors and DDR3 RAM does look tempting though. I'm considering a Dell or HP. P.S, there are no official Apple centers where I live, so I won't have to deal with them. I'll be getting support from the official reseller. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TogaForComfort Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 Bootcamp does not officially support Windows 7, but I'm typing this on a MacBook Pro running Windows 7. I have been running it since the RC came out with no issues Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justlooking Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 I mean, I know that most of the stuff I'll be working with require Windows and that Apple hardware is really overpriced If you know that, why on earth would you even consider a Mac? It's like saying I know that college binge drinking is bad and will harm me and will ruin my life, but still... ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mega Goatlord Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 Yes, I do realize buying a laptop with better specs is the obvious choice since I'll be using Windows most of the time, mainly because I have to. I've never actually owned a Mac but I have used them before, switching to Mac OS X is definitely not a problem for me. That's why I got my iPhone, the user experience. I forgot to mention that I'll be working with graphics during the coming semesters, if that makes any difference.Apple hardware is overpriced, that's why I'm using a Windows PC. It's not the lure of the Apple brand, although I do appreciate the quality of their products, their attention to detail. I'll have to agree with the majority here, the new line of laptops with i7 processors and DDR3 RAM does look tempting though. I'm considering a Dell or HP. P.S, there are no official Apple centers where I live, so I won't have to deal with them. I'll be getting support from the official reseller. Sounds like you've already made up your mind, and just came here to get some reassurance on your choice. For your needs, a PC would be better. Period. But if you're dead-set on getting an Apple, then do it. Just make sure you get at least a Macbook Pro. The Macbooks are, quite frankly, ****. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+jamesyfx Subscriber² Posted October 25, 2009 Subscriber² Share Posted October 25, 2009 The white ones are awful, yeah. Plastic toys that look like crap and are too expensive. They discolour very easily as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xero Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 I'm not going to get into an argument about overpriced hardware but you get the full package with Apple. Their laptops are leading, not only with good specs inside but the way they are designed and built. Sure you can get equally great specs with a Dell, HP, whatever, but I can't stand their cheap plastic, two-tone cases, cheap latches, hinges, ect. They are built to cut costs and save money. Apple's are strong and durable and whether you hate Apple or not, they are quite nice to look at. My main reason for suggesting an Apple is because you get the best of both worlds. Run windows side by side mac or boot it solo. While you can try running osx on a regular pc, support is crap and it doesn't run nearly as nice. Windows on the other hand, runs incredible on a mac, no issues there. The screens are also really nice with exceptional resolution which not often found in laptops. Hardware aside, I'd do it just for OSX, I love everything about the OS. Sure it has its faults but the pros far outweigh the cons. Same reason you wanted the iPhone, it's about the user experience. If you're going to use a computer every day, shouldn't you enjoy it? As for Windows 7, it runs fine. I have it installed on my iMac. Apple hasn't officially released drivers for it but you can get away with Vista one's. One last thing is resale value. Mac's have a significantly higher resale value than your average pc. If you don't like it. Sell it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mega Goatlord Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 I'm not going to get into an argument about overpriced hardware but you get the full package with Apple. Their laptops are leading, not only with good specs inside but the way they are designed and built. Sure you can get equally great specs with a Dell, HP, whatever, but I can't stand their cheap plastic, two-tone cases, cheap latches, hinges, ect. They are built to cut costs and save money. Apple's are strong and durable and whether you hate Apple or not, they are quite nice to look at. http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=macboo...&FORM=BIFD# Yeah. Just beautiful. Sure is a good thing not all Apple laptops are this high-quality plastic, right? And so great to look at. :rolleyes: Like I said before OP, get a Pro if you get a Mac, since the base MacBooks are garbage, and make sure you get Applecare. Otherwise you'll get raped on repairs on these "high-quality" pieces of kit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giga Veteran Posted October 26, 2009 Veteran Share Posted October 26, 2009 [mg]http://www.mac-essentials.de/bilder2006/macbook-discoloration.jpg[/img]url="http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=macbook+discoloration&FORM=BIFD#"]http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=macboo...&FORM=BIFD#[/url] Yeah. Just beautiful. Sure is a good thing not all Apple laptops are this high-quality plastic, right? And so great to look at. :rolleyes: Like I said before OP, get a Pro if you get a Mac, since the base MacBooks are garbage, and make sure you get Applecare. Otherwise you'll get raped on repairs on these "high-quality" pieces of kit. This was resolved in the later revisions and isn't a problem anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kizzaaa Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 I'm considering switching to Macs, need a new laptop for college, so I can work on projects and stuff. I'll be using Visual Basic/SQL Server a lot so, does Bootcamp support Windows 7 yet? I'll also be using it for casual gaming, so it should have a decent graphics card, which I can also use with OpenCL.I know I can just go to their website and look around but the question is, is switching to Mac really worth it? I mean, I know that most of the stuff I'll be working with require Windows and that Apple hardware is really overpriced but let's face it, they know how to make people want to buy their stuff; the little details that make their laptops stand out. Any recommendations? Don't recommend it in your case. I switched to a Mac in 2006 and it was great - fast and versitle OS, asthetically pleasing hardware etc. However if you're a student (on a budget), working mainly with Windows applications and need decent hardware specs then you should go for a PC. Recently I switched back to a PC because it's difficult being an MCP and keeping up with the latest Windows technologies when using a Mac (w/ OS X) at home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crawling_nanny Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 (edited) I'm considering switching to Macs, need a new laptop for college, so I can work on projects and stuff. I'll be using Visual Basic/SQL Server a lot so, does Bootcamp support Windows 7 yet? I'll also be using it for casual gaming, so it should have a decent graphics card, which I can also use with OpenCL.I know I can just go to their website and look around but the question is, is switching to Mac really worth it? I mean, I know that most of the stuff I'll be working with require Windows and that Apple hardware is really overpriced but let's face it, they know how to make people want to buy their stuff; the little details that make their laptops stand out. Any recommendations? Been running Windows 7 Beta, Rc100 and all were running good with Bootcamp. Both virtualbox and vmware fusion support Windows 7. The snow leopard bootcamp now allows you to see your Mac drive from Windows (including windows 7). And your Bootcamp drive is loaded as a read only drive in Mac OS. That finally made everything click. I switched to a mac about 2 years and really enjoyed it. A lot of technologies - Java, SVN, Mercurial, Perl, Python were cross platform so wasn't too affected. Mostly because the machine takes about 30s to 1 min to boot so you can quickly check mail, news. It shutdowns in 5-10 secs... Also I put in 4GB of Ram and started Snow Leopard in 64 bit. No issues with any software whatsoever. I also like the ecosystem of an application in a Mac. Installing an app is drag-drop into applications. If it needs to write preferences, its in the Library Folder. If it installs an extension for the "Control Panel". Its in the Library folder too. So very easy to clean up. The annoying thing for Windows was that an application may p**p everywhere. Registry, Program Files/Common, Application Data, too many things.. But if I needed to install some very experimental technology or work with Visual Studio, I would start VMWare Fusion, take a snapshot of Windows XP and then develop away. Once code has been backed up or committed, just restored the snapshot. The issue is as a developer one installs many softwares or makes so many changes that 6 months down the line the OS slows down, so I like the Virtualization approach :) .Easy to destroy and easy to recover. The annoying thing was in Windows you use ctrl-c, ctrl-v, ctrl-a. In Mac its cmd-c, cmd-v,cmd-a. The inability to maximise windows was frustrating for about a month. Including the font smoothing that appeared crisp in Windows and a bit fuzzy on the Mac. Edited October 26, 2009 by crawling_nanny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazebee_ Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 I really like my 13" Aluminum Macbook as a college laptop and I run Windows 7 on it without any issues. If you doubt that you will use OSX very much then I would probably recommend something like a ThinkPad, you will probably want something in the 13" range and very sturdy if you're going to be carrying it around with you. I agree. Your primary uses are gonna require Windows, so just go with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts