Computers

[ides]

What's your favorite laptop computer? We are going to get a second laptop and I want everyone's feedback. We have a Lenovo Thinkpad, which I like but I have the option of getting another or something different. Thinking about Apple but not sure.

[Deebs]

Apple, Apple, Apple, Apple!!!!!

I have an air and love it, DH has a pro and loves it more. There's truth to the saying - once you go Mac, you never go back.

[GreyhoundsRUs]

We're an Apple family - iMac, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, MacBook, 2 iPads, 2 iPhones, and an iPod Touch. My MB is the oldest (white, crappy display, almost 6 years old), but it does the job. The Air is the newest "baby". We love our Macs. DH has a desktop PC, but it's only for using some high-powered 3D designing software that he got a major student discount on (the Mac version wasn't available for the discount, and it takes too much processing power to run via Parallels). DH's parents, brothers, and grandparents are also all Mac users (Grandma never had/used a computer and does just fine with her iPad). Parallels is great for things that need a PC (like Epic).

So, my vote is Apple

[reciprocity]

What are you going to be doing on it? We are also an apple family (MBP & iMac maybe with an Air on the way) but I use a PC laptop at work and it seems fine I guess (kidding it sucks get a mac)

[diggitydot]

There are much better machines out there than the Thinkpad.

[ides]

The only drawback with a Mac is that we don't have windows office software for it and I'd need that. So I'd have to buy that as well. I mostly use the computer for Internet, word/excel, evernote and pictures. Nothing heavy.

[GreyhoundsRUs]

I would check what type of discount your DH gets through work - it should be a hefty one for Office

[MsSassyBaskets]

I get that everybody loves macs and all, but here's my 2 cents:

- You pay about 3-5x more for the same hardware with a mac logo on it as opposed to a pc. My last 2 laptops have had the consumer market best in processor speed and RAM, and I paid less than $1k for each of them (I skimp a little on graphics processing since I'm not a gamer, and hard drive size is basically irrelevant these days). If I'd wanted the same thing in a Mac, a) I wouldn't have been able to get it because they didn't have the fastest processors and higher levels of RAM out in larger-sized laptops (15+ inches) at the time, and b) I would've paid over $2.5k for it when it did come out. I would just feel like an idiot if I spent that kind of money for a brand name. Sorry.
- I use a Lenovo Thinkpad for work and I kind of hate it. Totally clunky. I loved my last laptop, a Sony Vaio, because of the gorgeous display (and previously mentioned tech specs and price) until it died from overheating from a cat-hair clogged fan. Yes, that made me feel like the blogger woman from SNL.
- I like my current Toshiba Satellite but I feel like it's less solid than the Sony -- more plastic I guess? And the display is just not quite as amazing as the Sony. If I were to choose again I would probably get another Vaio.
- Don't judge, I'm not a total PC devotee -- I used macs at work and school for many years and am totally proficient with them but honestly, just never understood what all the fuss was about. Meh.
- I think the biggest problem with PCs is the lack of a well-organized and credible repair shop. If you have a mac, it's always the apple store and I hear they're great for fixing things. PC repair people are generally a bunch of rip-off artists. Which is why I always get a warranty, and when it's expired I fix the damn thing myself or have DH or my brother do it.
- Check NewEgg and MicroCenter for good deals.

[spotty_dog]

Mac family here. My parents bought me a Macbook in 2007, I dropped it and cracked the screen irreparably in 2010 and we replaced it with the same model, just a few months newer, from eBay (Office software and OS upgrade included). The hard drive died at the end of last year and we bought a new hard drive, popped it in and went. Some day we might get an Air but for our purposes (dinking around on Internet, making the occasional word processing document or spreadsheet, syncing our iCal and iTunes info) we're good for now.

[peggyfromwastate]

but I use a PC laptop at work and it seems fine I guess (kidding it sucks get a mac)

Lol!!

[OrionGrad]

Mac family. DH just got a new iMac for his birthday, and he was able to download Microsoft Office for only $9.99 using a code he got from the hospital's HR dept.

[ides]

What I like about the Thinkpad is its sturdiness. It feels solid - the keypad, shell, etc. I don't really like large glossy screens either. I had a Vaio in the past and it was a total headache.

[ides]

I'll have to have dh ask about the software.

[ladymoreta]

Going against the crowd and sticking with my PC. I've never had a bad experience with an HP. Don't even think about getting a Dell. But then, I'm a gamer... What are you primarily going to be using it for?

[alotofyarn]

We're a split family. My husband loves his Macbook Pro. I use PCs, although I'm not a huge fan. As someone who is in a computer profession, I use them pretty hard, between programming, lots of paper writing, remote access, and more. I'd prefer a Linux machine, but I'm mostly too lazy to make it work. I had Dell laptops for a while, and while they had really good customer service in terms of getting repairs, I know that because I needed a LOT of repairs. I'm on my 3rd Lenovo Thinkpad now, and this is the first that's given me major problems, with overheating. Service has not been great, but I think it's more related to having to go through work to get it done, and not contacting Lenovo myself. I was looking into getting a new laptop, and I was pretty much in love with the Lenovo X1 Carbon. For me, screen resolution is really important, and for some reason computers are trending toward less resolution, which drives me crazy.