First apple computer purchase
 

I'm looking at getting a laptop computer and am considering an Apple after having spent my computer life using MS products. The wife purchased an Apple for the stepdaughter a while back and I was impressed with what I saw. I will use it for accounting at the store and for wireless internet use at the house. I would appreciate any recommendation, etc... in regards to which one to purchase and where to purchase from. I looked at a 17" MacBook Pro at BB today and that would be the top of my price range ~$2200.

tia

Careful, PawoSD May Schedule an Intervention

You may as well get some Birkenstocks while you're at it . . .

Take the Apple store in house training. Really cuts the learning curve down. You wont look back.

You'll be cursing your muscle memory on the keyboard, scrolling buttons on the screen and the "Why won't the window fill the whole desktop?" ;)

Once you go "Mac", you'll never go back. :D

It depends what you need to use it for and how large a screen you need. The 17 inch is pretty big to carry around; my main computer is a 15-inch MacBook Pro which does everything I need. My daughter does well with a 13 inch MacBook (about $1000). If I was looking for something very portable, I would consider a MacBook Air (if I didn't need a disc drive). What are you planning on using it for?

I've got some Berkshire Hathaway stocks. I have not been able to find the symbol for Birken stocks. Do you know what it is? I'll check into it.

IMHO, 17" is wayyyy big, and is a PITA to lug around.



15" is a happy medium.

big yes, but the screen is a beaut and the Core i7 is pretty fast

It will be being used by older folks - 79/80 yrs old so I figure the bigger monitor will allow them to see it better although the 15" may be better suited to their lap. I'll probably be using it more than them though. Right now they keep all the books for the store on 8-1/2 x 11 notebook paper. I was amazed how they were keeping up with it.

Do you really need a laptop? You can get more power and a bigger screen for less money if you get a desktop, like a 27 inch iMac.

That is a thought isn't it. I'll have to look into it.

Take a look at these:

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_mac/family/imac?mco=MTM3NDk0NjU

The native resolution of the 17" is still pretty dense. So the actual "letter size" between a 15 and 17 is not much. Therefore on a 17" things may actually appear to be smaller.

Unless you NEED a laptop, then the iMac is much more bang for the buck. Only one cable also (power cord). Keyboard and mouse are wireless by default. Also the iMac have less pixel density. In other words, easier on the eyes at native resolutions.

On a side note. Apple has built-in assistive stuff. For example the screen cursor can be "blown up" to a larger version. Actually it can be made pretty ridiculously huge. There is also voice over, etc.

Psh, I support computer users as my job, and the fools buy Macs. I enjoy each day telling them "no, that will not work, because you bought a MAC!" :D

Why waste the money on a shiny system running a free-operating system turned expensive by a company? Keep in mind all the MacOS is...is a revamped distribution of Linux.

Mac hardware and PC hardware = essentially the same. Its like buying a MB with silver paint instead of black and paying twice as much for it....would you do this with a car? Then why do it with a computer?

My *intervention* is merely a recommendation to apply logic before the purchase.

Dollar for Dollar, you can buy a PC nearly twice as powerful, and with a lot more freedom to make changes to it.


Apple purposely closes off their system, and picks and chooses which things to support. The most annoying thing ever are people who buy a mac, then complain when they can't use their company's remote web workplace and other features. Then what do they end up doing? Dual booting with windows or using a Windows VM. Then why did you buy one in the first place?!