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Miscellaneous laptop discussions : Please help: purchasing a laptop (pc or mac)
Please help: purchasing a laptop (pc or mac)
by Pearla88 - 11/13/08 8:24 AMHello,
I apologize upfront because this post is going to be long but I need to explain my situation and my needs for a laptop and I really hope I can get some very sound advice. Thank you in advance for your help.
I have been browsing everywhere and reading 'newbie' posts/ comments about buying a laptop and other posts where a PC user wants to try a MacBooks (or MBP) for the first time.....But none of these these posts seem to fit my situation (as it seems so many of these people are in college, or are in the graphics industry, gaming is important to them etc.).
I have heard Great Things about Macs in general and have been thinking about purchasing a MacBook or MacBookPro for quite some time but am not sure if, given my present situation (which I will explain in a second), purchasing any MacBook or MBP would be practical at this time.
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MY PRESENT SITUATION
Due to my unfortunate employment situation I need to make this decision rather quickly. I will be leaving my job by the end of the year and do not know where I will employed after that time. I PRESENTLY use a PC desktop & PC laptop owned by the company. I will need to return the work laptop.
So - first things first: No matter what laptop I purchase I would need to immediately:
* Easily copy ALL my files from my present PC computers (mostly made up of Office word, excel, pp, and Visio), save them to my new computer and easily open them (if saved to Mac still be able to save them back into PC format if necessary)
* Copy my (literally thousands of) emails which are on Eudora (this is the email program they use) into a zip file or something so I can save them on my new computer to access it in the future.
___________________________________________________________
WHAT I NEED MY LAPTOP FOR:
*internet browsing/reading/etc.
*Work - LOTS OF researching, saving / searching large databases, working from home using office (Word,Excel,PP in addition to Project and Visio) - or the use of comparable programs that can be easily saved in a way that PC users can easily open them.
* Since I don't know where my next workplace will be and the majority in my field are still primarily PC users (yes researchers who use PCs primarily), I need to be able to switch back and forth if I purchase a MAC
*Obviously for email, decent audio/visual (with some volume preferably :))- Listening to Music, possibly watching a movie)...
* Convenient for light traveling
*Not a big game person at all.
*Also, I'm sure there are a variety of other things I would use my laptop for that I just don't know about yet but hopefully will learn about soon (I know that sounds retarded but its true).
**Oh - Cost -- of course its a major consideration (I don't want to spend so much money on a laptop) but if one is just a bit more expensive and it would much better suit my needs AND will be sturdier and last longer - I would want to seriously consider purchasing that one because it would be a better investment for me.
If possible, please indicate what SPECS are absolutely essential/better.. Also from reading some of the negative feedback on the MacBooks, how important is the lack of a fire wire and smart card and how bad is the glossy screen on the MacBook (Pros)?
Again, thank you in advance.
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Off topic ---- Why cant Mac NAME their laptops so they actually sound DISTINCT from one another (at least to a person like me) - The names really sound so similar so it makes it more difficult for me..
Almost any laptop you get could do what
by orlbuckeye - 11/13/08 11:41 AM In reply to: Please help: purchasing a laptop (pc or mac) by Pearla88rather easily. it doesn't sound like you need to use any of the apple graphics application so most likely a non-Apple will be cheaper and fulfill your needs.
Thank you
by Pearla88 - 11/13/08 2:21 PM In reply to: Almost any laptop you get could do what by orlbuckeyeboth for your replies. I'm now certain a mac laptop is not an appropriate choice for me.
Ok - now to pick out a PC laptop - that should be easier (hopefully) and definitely cheaper.
Any suggestions?
Thanks Again!
Laptop: Windows or OS X?
by wcrutcher - 11/15/08 4:02 AM In reply to: Thank you by Pearla88You asked about transferring applications and files from your work laptop. Due to license and other factors, it is generally not possible to transfer applications in the Windows environment. You will need to reinstall and thus need to have the application DVD or CD. It is pretty easy to transfer documents, spreadsheets and database files, as long as you have the necessary applications on your PC. OpenOffice is a good cheap (free) way to be able to use files created by Microsoft Office on a PC or Mac.
I am not familiar with the E-mail application you are currently using, but most provide a way to export the files and save them in a format that can be imported on your new laptop.
I have had good luck buying "reconditioned" machines from a reliable vendor. You can usually buy a more powerful machine with more memory than if you buy new from a store. You are probably better off buying from a local store, where you can get help if you have problems. One caution buying "reconditioned" is you usually have to deal with the manufacturer rather than the store if you have a problem that needs warranty service.
Like it or not, the business world runs on Windows. If money is not a factor, you can get both worlds on a Mac. I am using an iMac with both OS X and Vista. I use Vista 95% of the time, as that is where the applications I prefer live.
I don't really agree
by jennywren1420 - 12/2/08 1:02 PM In reply to: Thank you by Pearla88that a Mac is not appropriate for you, and some other forum readers have pointed out how much easier to use and maintain a Mac is than a PC. Also, please note that in the newer Macs you get the equivalent of both the Mac OS and the capability in Boot Camp to run Windows as well. Of course, you would need to have or to buy the Windows OS software if your employer didn't supply the disks.
The transfer of your files should not be a problem. There are several ways to do that, including use of a cable that I just read about. Likewise, you won't need to buy Office for Mac (Open Office and others are well thought of and are free for the download), and some other applications also have free or inexpensive equivalents.
Files in Office for Windows usually translate easily on a Mac, as do many other applications; MacLinkPlus (which you can buy if you need it) can translate lots of others, but you may not ever want or need it. Macs have always been more talented at translating files than PCs. I think that Stuffit Expander also can do more than just open compressed files, though I'm not positive about that. The basic Stuffit is free; the paid ones have more bells and whistles.
I could go on, but my main point is that the Mac is a pleasure to use and maintain (and very rational) and that you shouldn't have any problems with a transition from PC to Mac. Loads of people have done it without grief. Do you have actual disks for the software you've been using? Especially, for the Windows OS version on your computer? If you do, you're way ahead of the game for a transition. (My daughter, a long-time PC user, is joining the fold in our family, as did my son-in-law, a few months ago. Except for poor translation of Polish diacritic accents from WordPerfect, she hasn't had a single problem.)
Good luck, whatever you decide.
Jenny
Software
by Renegade Knight - 11/13/08 11:46 AM In reply to: Please help: purchasing a laptop (pc or mac) by Pearla88Nothing in your post indicates that you need anything more than the cheapest latpop you can buy at your favorite store. In other words, you can buy anything on the market except a Linux Netbook (avoid netbooks if you plan on typing on your laptop) will work.
Macbook do not fit that catagory. You are in the higher end laptop range. That said it's obvious you want to dip your toe in the Mac waters and see if the water feels good before diving in.
It all comes down to your data files. Will your OS X word processor open your Windows Word Files? Same question for your presentation software. Your homework is to read up on the software you will use on your Macbook and see if it will open your PC files of whatever kinds you have.
A couple more points
by lar01 - 11/15/08 4:53 PM In reply to: Please help: purchasing a laptop (pc or mac) by Pearla88Although everything people answered was right, there are a few reasons some of us still prefer Macs:
1. They are more fun to use, hard to explain but usually once a person is a Mac person, s/he stays.
2. There's no question that should something go wrong, Macs are easier to troubleshoot. There's a level of knowledge required to fix PCs that isn't there for Macs. That's why companies tend to have large support staffs for PC installations but few or none for Macs. I have friends who wouldn't be capable of handling PCs at all, yet are able to figure out how to get things working again on Macs.
3. The local Apple stores provide tons of free support at their Apple Genius Bars, should you need it.
4. There's a little more spit and polish to a Mac. Any car will get you from point A to point B, but some are more refined, make life a little easier, and that's a Mac.
5. At least as of now, there are thousands of viruses and lots of spyware on PCs but almost none on Macs.
But I do agree with the others that for only doing basic things, you can certainly get a cheaper PC.
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