I feel so dirty...

[Shooty*]

So my dad's laptop broke. I decided he should get a mac, as they're apparently quite hard to break.

So we went to the apple store.

And now, after years of building my own PCs and defending microsoft against detractors, I really really really want a macbook.

Oh god i feel like a traitor to something. but I'm not sure what.

They're just so... lovely.

[TAKTAK]

Please hand in your keys at reception and vacate the area by 12am













I do know what you mean though, but is it really worth the price premium?, If it was the same price for the same hardware then sure, but as it is? No chance Mr Jobs...

[Shooty*]

I know, and no proper Steam games as far as I know, and no tinkering, and my addiction to MediaBrowser would not have a comparable equivalent.

Deep breath. it's going to be OK...

[TAKTAK]

I know, and no proper Steam games as far as I know

Portal, and it's free

for PC too

[dave87]

...don't they run Windows too these days?



....problem solved

[peterb]

<---snip.

Oh god i feel like a traitor to something. but I'm not sure what.

They're just so... lovely.

Not a traitor - follow your dreams! (and you can tinker with MacOS - under the bonnet it's open BSD - so once you have a terminal session open

[matty-hodgson]

I got a Macbook Pro about a month ago and I love it!
It's a totally different experience to a PC, but when you're doing the right things it's much better.

If you can justify paying the extra, go for it.

[scaryjim]

...don't they run Windows too these days?



....problem solved

Apart from you're then paying about 50% extra for a Windows Laptop with no discernable advantage apart from the logo. It'd be even worse than buying a Vaio

I think the only good reason to buy an Apple is if you like OS X... in which case, get an Apple. If you just want one because it looks pretty but you'll put Windows on it as soon as you get it home, you either need your head examining or you need to hand your wallet in to me for... erm... safe-keeping (yeah, that's the one ).

Oh, and:

I decided he should get a mac, as they're apparently quite hard to break.

I have a friend who's macbook has spent about as much time in the Mac shop being repaired as it has in her house. You can break them, and when you do, they aren't easy (or, I should imagine, cheap) to fix...

[b0redom]

I know, and no proper Steam games as far as I know, and no tinkering, and my addiction to MediaBrowser would not have a comparable equivalent.

www.plexapp.com

[Shooty*]

Boredom, you've just killed my wallet, you bastard.

[b0redom]

It works with Logitech universal remotes too. Even my wife who hates gadgets can use and likes it - if you have a whole TV series ripped, it'll even keep a note of which bits you've watched, and if you want, hide the plot lines for episodes you've not seen yet etc.

IMO You'll get the money back in terms of productivity. I know you can do all the stuff with Windows and Linux, but the stuff which ships with it is very tightly integrated (iPhoto and iWeb etc), and as it's always shipped with the OS, other applications tend to build on top of it.

Eg in iWeb - you want to add a photo it automatically opens your iPhoto library in case you want one from there.

[Shooty*]

Ah, good point. Will my gyration remote work... have to look see...

[b0redom]

The Logitech works by mimicking the Apple one. There's something called 'Remote Buddy' which might help if you want make it work. The Plex forums are pretty good though - you might find someone who is already using it.

Sorry about the bank balance.

[lazer]

I pondered about getting a Mac but decided against as what are you really paying for at the end of the day? A different OS!!

[TooNice]

It'd be even worse than buying a Vaio

Umm, AFAIK, Sony do rule in the power + (light) weight department with their Z-series. 1.41kg for a 13.3" laptop? I've seen no equal without the exception of the Macbook Air (though the yet to be released Acer TimelineX might be one to watch for). It comes with GT330M which is probably in the top 80% percentile of all mobile graphic card (even higher if you exclude SLI setup). Dell's attempt on the same market segment come close in terms of weight but way off in terms of specs.

That said, I -am- put off simply because the fan on my VAIO is dying after a little more than 2 years of use, and Googling around it appears that it's not a rare situation. So I'll probably check out the Acer when it comes out, and revise the VAIO's reputation in 3 years time. They tend to be great portables.

[Shooty*]

I've just been given a vaio to fix. The fan was broken, and it appeared to be the power header as I ordered a new fan.

It's a lovely doorstop, though. Or you could use it to toast marhsmallows. They get HOT.