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Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Dude, I'm getting a mac

Well, at least I really want a mac. A few posts back I mentioned that my computer couldn't recognize the battery and wouldn't charge. After some research, it turns out it's not worth all the time and repairs for a four year old computer and I have to buy a new one...of course. It's probably a good thing considering the virus was never fully removed from my computer, that or I didn't install Windows 7 correctly so it has the fantastic tendency to instantly shut off whenever it feels like it, despite anything you may have been working on.

I don't exactly have a couple hundred dollars just laying around to drop on a new computer (darn emergency fund has been mostly used or saved for my move down south). After looking into a few options, it turns out I will be financing my purchase. I know Dave Ramsey would be shaking his head at me and I'm not thrilled to be in this position but I can't move across the country all by myself and not have a computer. My nanny friend (I really need a nickname for her!) financed her lap top through best buy and it helped her a ton. There's no interest for 18 months so I'll easily have it paid off by then.

Now it's just a matter of what do I get?

I would really love a Mac. In addition to being a better quality computer, Macs have software that is really great for journalism. It would be great to have access to that software so I could teach myself more about it and maybe even apply those skills to my new job. I really want to make sure this company does well, at least to the extent of my control, so I'm motivated to get the mac. The only negative side is the price. Since Macs last longer (10 years compared to 4-6 on a PC) and the battery lasts longer and there's all that extra software built in, the one I'm looking at is $1200. Bummer.

When it comes to PC's though, the one I'm looking at getting is still $800 something (it's an i5 Samsung). There's more chance of a virus (plus extra costs for virus protection), and after just experiencing all the virus problems on my current computer, that's a huge turn off.

I'm taking the week to weigh my options and I will make a purchase next week before I leave. If you have any advice or input, let me know before then!

6 comments:

  1. 1) Your lifetime estimates are way off-base. 10 years for a Mac is outrageously long. Will the Mac last longer? Probably. Maybe 1-2 years longer. The average laptop PC will probably last 3-4 years, the Mac maybe 4-5.

    2) There is /NO/ extra cost for virus protection. There are lots of great free programs out there for PCs, I use Avast, but there is also AVG, Avira, etc. Also, the perception that Macs get no viruses and have no problems is completely wrong. You still need an antivirus regardless of the operating system you run, and you can get ALL of them for free. Plus, viruses are pretty to easy to not get if you play it smart in what you do on the web. Running Windows 7 should also help stem the tide of malware.

    3) If you're going to properly compare a Mac and PC for purchase, you need to actually compare the specifications of each computer. I feel like the quoted prices, the $800 PC and the $1200 Mac is a bit deceptive, especially if that $1200 Mac comes with extra software add-ons.

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  2. My mac isn't recognizing it's battery and won't charge and it's only 2 and a half years old, it's a mac book pro. The only nice thing I've found about macs is that they're shiny. They aren't easier to use, and getting used to one button after being able to right click is infuriating.

    As for the software for journalism, there are very few programs that work on macs that won't work on PCs, but there are a lot of programs that work on PCs that wont work on macs. However, if you do get a mac, and get sick of not being able to run Windows, you can always partition the hard drive and run Windows on it.

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  3. Thanks for the input both of you! I was just going off the information that I got at Best Buy last night so I'm glad I slept on it. That said are there any PCs that anyone recommends?

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  4. I like my HP Pavilion. Since installing Windows 7 I haven't had any problems.

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  5. Katie,

    We just bought a dell mini computer for $300, and Lorenzo bought snowleopard which can be somehow installed into the PC in order to give it the interface and capabilities of a Mac. If this is something that at all interests you, you should send him a fb message. I unfortunately have a limited knowledge on anything technological!

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  6. Oh and his old computer was a mac is about 5 years old and is not recognizing the battery anymore.

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