Windows notebook or Macbook?

[WhiteD3]

SWMBO wants a laptop for her birthday. My preference is for a windows notebook, nothing too flash and < $1000 all up.

But she love her iPad so maybe a Macbook would be the go. I know nothing about these machines but have done some research on the Apple site (that is, when IE isn't freezing. Only does it on the Apple site?????).

She won't be a heavy file user so HDD space shouldn't be a problem, but I've no idea how much HDD space is actually spare on a Macbook.

Q: The base Macbook comes with a 250GB HDD. How much room does the OS and basic Mac files take up?

Q: Is 2GB RAM sufficient? She's not a "gamer".

Q: Take the MS Office 2008 option or is there Apple alternative? She wants Word and Excel (or an equivalent) and email.

Cheers.

[cartm58]

if she not a gamer than a mac book fine

personally l would install open office and not Microsoft office suite for starters its a free download and does everything office does and in some cases l think it does it better

Personal viewpoint is always buy largest hard drive you can afford as an option at the time of purchase as you'll always filling the dam thing up, l remember in the 1980's they said a 40 meg hard drive would be the largest hard drive you would ever need l now have 140 gig of digital photos on my usb drive

[alittlebitconcerned]

Macbook all the way. Drama free computing. They work.

[dmdigital]

X2 - the MacBookPro is even nicer.

Mac OS X only uses about 30-35GB and that's with Office 2008 installed. Just checked on my wife's MBP as it's fairly clean of other files at present.

2GB is fine, 4GB is better though.

Office for Mac is OK, I use iWorks and as mentioned you can download a Open Office (I think its Neo Office or something for the Mac)

[shining]

If files will be swapped between computers consider what they are using. "Like" packages always work better than file converters.
PC laptops are way cheaper for the same specs.
Consider what other software you may require....ensure it is available in your chosen format.
Apple has very user friendly OS. Windows 7 is appraoching the same standard.
Apple is marketed well and much better at gaining product placement in movies and TV shows.

[richard4u2]

i have the asus k52f and very happy with it , google it

[keith73]

ive got an old macbook which i bought new and love it never had a drama with it.

[LoveMyV8County]

if she not a gamer than a mac book fine

personally l would install open office and not Microsoft office suite for starters its a free download and does everything office does and in some cases l think it does it better


Agree with all the above. Unless you're a gamer I believe Apple make the more usable home / family computers because of the good stability of the operating system, fairly straightforward system management, the limited need for antivirus programs, and the iLife software that comes with it. It is usable immediately out of the box.

The useful life of the MacBook will in my experience be a couple of years longer than a Windows laptop, and you'll still find someone wanting to buy it in 4 years time.

I am a heavy / power Excel user at work (under Windows) but on my MacBookPro I always use OpenOffice in preference to MS Office for Mac any day. I have both. Having said that there is a new version of Office for Mac due out very soon now which may be an improvement.

*However* why not buy her the keyboard base for iPad and she can use that for most of what a low-end laptop would be used for?? Apple offers word processing and spreadsheet apps for it.

[Scallops]

I often read (here) that you can get a "same" spec PC for less than the Mac. The longer I have my Mac though - the more I find. For example - I have recently discovered my Mac has a built in WiFi router - so I can generate a WiFi setup at home without the need for anything extra - does your "same spec" PC do this too - out of the box? Maybe they do - I don't know - but as I say - I'm still finding useful additions to my Mac after a year of having it! Perhaps "spec" isn't just bus speed, RAM and Disc capacity. ;)

In regard to your choice Mark - I would say to you - if your wife enjoys the iPad experience - get her the Macbook. Personally, after using both, I'll never buy another PC again.

[mowog]

Wild Card Option...

By a MacBook and setup it up as dual boot.

I brought a secondhand MacBook Pro and I have Win 7 Ultimate on one side and the Mac OS on the other. I Have a 1TB USB HDD drive to cover space issues.

My MacBook Pro cost $650.

[ozgaz]

macbook all the way. yep, you can a cheaper laptop, but the macs are just so user friendly. forget all the technical comparisons, the really important thing is that the macs operating system is rock steady, and its is so far more efficient for memory use and not to mention far less of a security threat.

if you want fancy get a macbook pro, if not the basic macbooks are great.

[LoveMyV8County]

This MacBook review might be worth read while you are thinking about the decision

Apple MacBook mid-2010 ? reghardware (http://www.reghardware.com/2010/07/13/review_notebook_apple_macbook_mid_2010/)

Chris

[dale]

I bought a Macbook in July and love it and have found the CPU and 2GB of RAM to be more than enough running my Virtual Machine lab for server testing.

And the fact you can go to 4GB of RAM makes it more than capable if the user is a non gamer.

Also the LED backlit screen is amazing and I was so impressed by it especially on a notebook < $1500.

Could use a couple more USB ports, but a USB hub fixes that issue.

[flagg]

Another vote for MB.

My Girl used to hate computers. She had a windows laptop and found it hard to use. it took about a year but I got her to buy a 12" MBP. She loves it, uses it all the time and never has problems with things not working.

It may cost 30% more, but you will use it twice and much for twice as long so its cheaper in the long run. Just keep the software up to date.

[WhiteD3]

Thanks for all the feedback:D

How well, if at all, do Macbooks run Windows apps and programs?

SWMBO and I have a myriad of small apps (podcasters, torrent engines, tools, images manipulators, etc), freeware (Legacy7 family tree thingo, card and stamping apps, etc) and programs (Office, Photoshop, etc).

[dmdigital]

Can't say about Windows as I don't run it on any of my MBP's or the iMac. But you can run a Windows on them easily. A friend in WA who is useless with computers managed to get Windows to run using Parallels so it can't be to hard.

podcasters, torrent engines, tools (:confused:), images manipulators, are all within Mac OSX and iLife 10 or are easy enough to find. Transmission is a nice small torrent engine.
MS Office, there's a Mac OS X version.
Photoshop, can't speak for Windows 7 but it flies on Mac OS X and works a lot better than it did on XP or Vista.

[stuee]

A far out suggestion here but maybe ask your missus what she would prefer to use. If she's used Mac before she might only want that, if she's used windows before she might only want that. In saying that if you've only used XP before then going to Windows 7 will require a small learning curve anyway so may be an opportune moment to switch OS's.

Using a ipad is not like using a computer with a mac os.

[WhiteD3]

A far out suggestion here but maybe ask your missus what she would prefer to use. If she's used Mac before she might only want that, if she's used windows before she might only want that. In saying that if you've only used XP before then going to Windows 7 will require a small learning curve anyway so may be an opportune moment to switch OS's.

Using a ipad is not like using a computer with a mac os.

SWMBO's always been a Windows user and we have here at home a Vista desktop, 2 XP desktops and a beaten up Dell laptop (Consigned to the bin by my service techs but resurrected with some TLC for my kids) running XP.

She loves the Ipad so I think I'll go counter-intuitive (for me, anyway) and go the Mac.

[mowog]

I run a MacBook Pro with a dual boot Win7 and Mac OS.

On the Windows side it is pure windows PC and it runs perfectly.

[Scallops]

If you do get her the Mac, she'll probably discover and use the installed Mac utilities that will do many of the things she used to do with other software on the former PC. As Derek says - there are exact software equivalents for the Mac too - such as Word, Excel etc.

Whilst the iPad and Mac notebooks are indeed different beasts - if she enjoys the way the iPad works, I think she'll enjoy using Snow Leopard on the Mac.

Looking forward to the reports here Mark - you might get "converted" too. :p

[d@rk51d3]

Using a ipad is not like using a computer with a mac os.

Exactly.

While I love my iPhone, MacBooks just crap me off.

To each his/her own.

[mowog]

The Microsoft Office apps are not fully compatible between Mac and Windows versions.

Only basic documents will work on both versions. Any advanced features on either side will have comparability issues.

[discomuzz]

I moved from PC to Mac last year after 30 years playing with computers.

Macs are what you move to after you are sick of playing with PCs.

Determine where you are on the sliding scale.

So far, I couldn't be happier with my iMac 20.

[simonmelb]

Also consider when to buy your Mac laptop:

Mac Buyer's Guide: Know When to Buy Your Mac, iPod or iPhone (http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#Portable_Macs)

eg The MacBook (plastic case) is a good buy right now, but the 13" MacPro isn't.

[WhiteD3]

..................The MacBook (plastic case) is a good buy right now, but the 13" MacPro isn't.

Yes and no. While there is no real diff in the specs, for $200 more at DSE the pro has 4GB RAM, an aluminium case, is lighter and has a backlit keyboard.

[LoveMyV8County]

Yes and no. While there is no real diff in the specs, for $200 more at DSE the pro has 4GB RAM, an aluminium case, is lighter and has a backlit keyboard.

The backlit keyboard swung it for me to MacPro. I was fed up of tilting my previous laptop's screen down so I could see the keys in dim light. This makes a massive difference in daily use.

I think the Pro also has higher end graphics capability.

[Hoges]

Got my first "laptop" in 1985.... got my first Mac (book pro) earlier this year. Very nice piece of kit...BUT compatibility issues reigned supreme... easily fixed ...dual partition, Mac OS on one and XP pro on other. Remembering "which is which" keeps Altzheimers at bay...

Then for travelling I bought a ($350) HPmini with a 10" very clear hi res screen, 2GB and 160GBHDD, built in webcam, AND buit in NextG compatible modem...just add SIM...

I loaded a free Linux (Ubuntu) OS . Goes like a cut snake, totally stable, full suite of free apps which mimic "Office" etc etc etc . I thrash it esp talking to my far flung kids on video skype...indeed I seem to use it more than the Mac!...

[jdea]

What ever you choose you might consider a solid state drive..........Very Fast boot time.........
If you go with windows get the 64 bit version and and 8 gig of ram

[HangOver]

IMO get the one the missus thinks "looks nice", you'll be right :D


Seriously though, if the missus is used to windows stick with it, W7 is a fantastic OS. 64bit W7 beats the crap out of vista or xp even with lower amounts of ram but ram is so cheap at the moment you should be getting minimum of 4GB, not because it needs it but because its cheap and its the best upgrade for any pc windows or apple, or get 2GB, what ever is cheap and throw in an extra 2-4GB afterwards, I have W7 running happily on several 2GB pcs at work.

If she's used to apple's stick with it at least she wont harras you every 2 mins.

If its mostly for internet/email get one of those netbooks for $300, not exactly speed demons but $300 !!!! :D as with cars, get her a red one she will love it ;)

[WhiteD3]

Got the Macbook Pro 13" today, powered up, internet was easy, email not so but got there eventually.

Thanks for all the advice folks.