Lately I’ve been forced to rely on my laptop a lot. A/V glitches during presentations, videos freezing and sluggishness led me on a hunt for a new laptop. Yesterday I went out to get a Mac. But I succumbed to a PC. Here’s why.
I wanted a laptop that:
- Could smoothly play videos etc. on projectors for events
- Could be used to take notes in class – I take notes extensively in class using Microsoft OneNote
- Could run Windows, for programming purposes – Visual Studio only runs on Windows.
I was willing to compromise for a Macbook because it’s made by Apple – it should theoretically work flawlessly, and could dual boot Windows. I wouldn’t be able to use it to take notes in class, but I could compromise and go back to physical notes – Apple had me sold. Almost. I walked into an Apple store, played around with the 13″ Macbook Pro I wanted to buy, did some performance testing, and then made a decision. I couldn’t do it.
The Macbook was twice as expensive as its PC counter-parts, and did not impress me enough to warrant the price. I settled for a HP tx2 because it features:
- 2x the ram of the macbook
- 3x the Hard-Drive space
- Multi-touch and a tablet surface: I can continue to take digital notes in-class
- A smaller price tag compared to the Macbook pro.
Apple Tablet:
I could wait for the rumored Apple Tablet, but I needed a portable that was also powerful and could be used in a performance setting – the Apple tablet seems geared to be a secondary device. Being a student, I can’t afford to get 2 devices, especially when a convertible such as the tx2 exists.
I have a strong appreciation for all things Apple (The iPod touch I own totally pwns) and do hope to get an Apple computer someday… just not yet.
Question: Are you a Mac or a PC? What’s your #1 reason?
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YESS! Score one for the Windows-based machine! That's the main reason I don't like the Mac alternative. Because it's just too expensive. But like I mentioned on your Facebook note import, I do think that the one hardware advantage that Mac's have that might justify the price is the insanely long battery life with most Macbooks.
My recent post CBC News – “Prince William spends cold night in alley”
Oh, I forgot one other important thing. I think a lot of Macbook Pro's have high quality LCD screens, too. Maybe even IPS panels? Anyways, that's another overlooked feature on computers, I think. And another one that might justify the higher price.
My recent post CBC News – “Prince William spends cold night in alley”