So should I buy a Mac?
Submitted by terveen on Wed, 2007-11-07 18:30.
I've been thinking about buying a new computer, and after some Mac-koolaid-dispensation from Barry Smyth, I started to consider getting a Mac. Here's an article that claims Macs aren't just better but cheaper than PCs, too. So, should I buy a Mac?
Macs are not cheaper
The linked article basically claims that Macs are cheaper than PCs because they have higher resale value. That's a terrible argument for the 99% of the market that does not sell their laptops on ebay, but uses the machine until it's horribly outdated. In addition, for most people, buying a Mac means discarding and repurchasing a bunch of expensive software (e.g. video games, photoshop, or office).
Note that I completely agree with the argument that Macs are better. I am just not convinced that they are better per dollar.
Loren: yes, you should buy a Mac.
Max
the right questions
I think the right approach is: for the X dollars I want to spend, is it better to get a Mac? I think that in your case you can probably afford a nice computer, and Mac OS X seems to be continuing to get better, while the next gen of Windows (Vista) is crap.
FWIW: 1. The Thinkpads we have are OK, but they are complete garbage compared to my g/f's Macbook. 2. You can get Office and some other stuff really cheap from the University.
yup
Yes absolutely. It's unix in all the ways you want and in none of the ways you don't. I ran linux as my primary os for 12 years before I got a mac. 12 years of futzing with drivers and kernels and all of that. In that time I became a unix guy. Command lines, scripts, symlinks, all of that. That's how I thought, and that's what I needed to do my work. I eventually got a mac since it was BSD with X11, install fink or OpenDarwin and you've got xemacs, ddd, and all the other unix apps you need, and yet you don't have to worry about hardware incompatibilities.
Macs are the way and the light man. Now shut up and drink the kool-aid. ;)