Help convince me that Apple Computers are worth it..

Having run up this topic to 6 pages in 7 hours, nobody asked the original poster how does he want his question answered: from the hardware or software side.
Only the first has a chance to be quantified. The second - just as price difference being "worth it" - is very personal and depends largely what one uses the computer for...

Diogen.
 
I don't consider the ipad and a Macbook Pro in the same category. Nothing about the ipad reminds me of the MacbookPro.

When I bought my Macbook Pro I also bought a Dell XPS 1210. Both with the same processor, both with the same memory. The Dell was for travel and I needed something to do emergency editing too. The Macbook Pro was purchased for different reason. I needed a Mac platform to run Final Cut Pro that I could use to loan out to FCP editors I would hire for contract projects. I would have purchased another Dell for the same purpose but as stated earlier there are lots more FCP contract editors out there than Vegas editors. I never intended to use the Mac for my personal use since the hardware was so Appleesque and difficult to do things my way. In addition, I realized that the Dell and the Macbook Pro were technically similar but feature for feature, the Dell had twice the guts as the Apple. Twice the number of I/O, had Verizon EVDO built in, had a camera that swiveled rather than fixed more connections and multipleSD card access, screen was brighter in the sun. etc. The Mac had better speakers, was heavier, and clumsy. Too big to open up on an airplane tray.

With different people using it I soon had trouble with the hard drive on the Mac. It kept crashing and losing my work. On the Dell swapping out hard drives was a snap, 4 screws and the drive pulled out in a drawer style. I could swap drives in a few seconds. The Macbook Pro put me through an hour of removing a hundred tiny watch like screws, layer upon layer of stuff just to get the the drive which was glued in place. Finally installed the replacement and the reinstall of the OS went smoothly. I replaced my Windows HD on the XPS with a larger drive and then had several drives in swappable trays for Vista, XP, and Win 7. Easy to swap. The Mac ran Parallels so I could run many of my windows programs but the Dell could run several copies of Vegas to edit and render one project while I ran a second instance for editing at the same time. Mac couldn't do that without bringing it to its knees.
Today, I only get the Macbook Pro out if I really want to do something that requires a Mac OSx. That is very rare. However, I use the Dell several hours a day, it's just easier. Certainly much easier to use than my Macbook Pro.

Finally, if you're used to being in control of a windows OS, like knowing the logical order of where all your files are for a project, you'll discover the Mac is loaded with lots of surprises and will seem quite awkward. It will require a learning curve to get used to. If you like doing things in a custom way, the Windows OS is much better. Dual OS works on the Macbook but windows runs applications slower with same processor. If you would rather let the OS dictate to you how to do your projects and don't want to be in control, then the Macbook is probably your toy.

Another thing I realized with Mac video editors- their game is doing a video project on a Mac and FCP. With the PC and Vegas editing, the name of the game is completing the project on time and making a profit. FCP editors like to brag how many use FCP and how popular it is. With PC and Vegas editors the brag is how many projects they completed.
 
Don Landis said:
Finally, if you're used to being in control of a windows OS, like knowing the logical order of where all your files are for a project, you'll discover the Mac is loaded with lots of surprises and will seem quite awkward. It will require a learning curve to get used to. If you like doing things in a custom way, the Windows OS is much better. Dual OS works on the Macbook but windows runs applications slower with same processor. If you would rather let the OS dictate to you how to do your projects and don't want to be in control, then the Macbook is probably your toy.

This is exactly why I prefer Windows OS over Mac OS

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Differences in hardware between a PC and MAC?

Looking at some of the laptops I noticed that MACs get by on using less RAM (often slower RAM), smaller processor(s), ex. What is the equivalence? IOW, if I am comparing the specs of a MAC to a PC, what should I look for?
 
Your looking for a Intel i7 Processor with at least 4 GB of RAM.

The big thing I am disapointed with on my new macbook pro is the 750 GB hard drive is a 5400 RPM drive, when it should have been a 7200 RPM drive. The big bottleneck on this machine now is the hard drive.

I do plan on swapping out the drive at some point to a faster drive. :)
 
Your looking for a Intel i7 Processor with at least 4 GB of RAM.

The big thing I am disapointed with on my new macbook pro is the 750 GB hard drive is a 5400 RPM drive, when it should have been a 7200 RPM drive. The big bottleneck on this machine now is the hard drive.

I do plan on swapping out the drive at some point to a faster drive. :)
That is my question. Is 4 GB of RAM equivalent to 6 GB of RAM in a PC? Is it DDR3 as well? Does the RAM run at more or less than 1.333ghz? If less, is that equivalent, as far as performance to 1.3ghz DDR3 RAM in a PC?

Does the i7 in a MAC run at more or less than 3ghz?

I know MACs are a totally different beast and can do more with less

Why would they put such a slow HHD? Can you change hard drives like you can in a PC?
 
Apple hardware is as standard as is gets nowadays (except for the TPM processor that OS X reports to in order to be installed).
Win7 can be installed on it and it runs just as fast/slow as the same CPU/GPU/RAM from other manufacturers.
This doesn't apply to Apple casing, obviously.

It has been shown a few times that OS X needs less (than Windows) battery power on laptops.
The batteries, although not user replaceable, don't offer any miracles.

Why would they put such a slow HHD?
They will probably do a refresh with a SATAIII drive (maybe SSD) in a year or so.
Only the hard drive will need to be replaced...

Diogen.
 
Man, talk about throwing a snowball down a hill and getting a boulder at the bottom.

From what I've been reading, I do better understand now WHY people are buying Macs more often nowadays. It looks like out of the box, a Mac is very easy to pick up and has some decent hardware behind it. That said, I think that once my 6 year old computer dies (or at the end of the year, whichever comes first) I think I am going to try my hand at just building my own Windows 7 PC. As many people have mentioned, it all comes down to your level of knowledge and what you need out of a machine, and since I don't see myself doing a lot of HD video processing in the foreseeable future, I think a PC will suit my needs. I realize that Macs allow for easy dual booting, but to me the added cost associated with the Macs don't justify this and considering I won't be getting the full windows experience and I don't see myself using OS X more than Win 7, I'd be paying extra for just the added OS. I've been using Microsoft based OSes since Windows 3.1, and I haven't felt the need to learn a completely different OS. One could say I'm just being ignorant, but the little experience I have had with OS X didn't exactly leave me salivating to jump ship, and the few times I tried getting into Linux left me unimpressed as well.

At the end of the day, I want a power machine that can run the newest games beautifully as well as the future games adequately, along with basic media sharing and HTPC-like capabilities. I also want something I can easily and cheaply upgrade down the road. A Mac can probably do most of these things and do them at an acceptable level, but it also looks like a PC can do it and do it cheaper and with more versatility. Also, building my own machine is something I've wanted to do for a while, if nothing else just for the challenge, and knowing that I can point to it and say "Yeah, I MADE that" (something I often do when referencing my daughter.)
 
...I want a power machine that can run the newest games beautifully as well as the future games adequately.
That games part practically rules out Macs.
I believe in two applications - games and home theater - Macs are where Windows was 10 years ago.
You can make it work but the labor needed is enough to make Linux work as well.

If you have fast (!) internet access most places you go, consider a laptop/netbook with you RDP-ing into your desktop at home...

Diogen.
 
Your looking for a Intel i7 Processor with at least 4 GB of RAM.

The big thing I am disapointed with on my new macbook pro is the 750 GB hard drive is a 5400 RPM drive, when it should have been a 7200 RPM drive. The big bottleneck on this machine now is the hard drive.

I do plan on swapping out the drive at some point to a faster drive. :)

Paying as much money as you did on that machine, you should not have to spend even more to get a faster - standard 7200rpm drive.
 
That games part practically rules out Macs.
I believe in two applications - games and home theater - Macs are where Windows was 10 years ago.
You can make it work but the labor needed is enough to make Linux work as well.

If you have fast (!) internet access most places you go, consider a laptop/netbook with you RDP-ing into your desktop at home...

Diogen.

I agree on the games part. I never recommend Macs for those that are really into the games, just not the right box. Home theater is actually quite simple with a Mac, but is missing BD which could be an issue for some.
 
Home theater is actually quite simple with a Mac...
If you mean FrontRow, that isn't exactly home theater. And it is abandoned after 10.6.

The standard for home theater interface (that everybody is trying to mimic) was created by Kaleidescape in 2003.
The MyMovies plugin to Windows Media Center got so popular just because it looked close and was free (for a while).
Latest AppleTV does something similar.

Today Media Browser pushed it even further and that keeps the HTPC relevant.

But admittedly, the latest sub-$100 players based on Sigma Design/Marvell/Realtek chips are stealing customers from HTPCs.
As they get closer to create interfaces similar to Kaleidescape (XBMC support in Sigma chips is a big step), HTPC's role will go down...

Diogen.
 
Wasn't actually thinking about FrontRow. How about Plex?

To be honest, I fiddled around with HTPC for a bit but was very disappointed overall. Too much fiddling around to get everything working right. Now between my AppleTV (1st gen) and BD player, I get all I ever needed/wanted from an HTPC without the fiddling around.
 
It is subjective, I agree.

This is home theater in my books.
You dump a file and the rest is done (almost) automatically.
Being able to play (ripped) BD certainly helps. And handling any storage and any file type...

Diogen.
 
Interesting. I hadn't been following HTPC for some time now as I don't need what it brings to the table. Currently I use my MacBook Air to put some things on my Plasma by mirroring the screen with a mini-display port to HDMI connection. For the little I need it for it works well. Only downside to me with this is that sometimes you have to plug and replug the darned connector at the computer end to get the HDMI handshake to cooperate. Once it does it, it holds quite well and operates just like the desktop.

Note that you can rip BD and play them on a Mac, or at least I've been told I can. You just can't play the disk straight up, even if you use an external BD drive. One of these days that might change, but Jobs isn't fond of BD...
 

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