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My Father, because he is a wonderful man, has agreed to buy me a laptop for Graduation. The laptop that I want with a printer, mouse, and an extra warranty is about $1,400. Is this too much? I could go with a Dell or something and have a total closer to $900, but I really want an apple. I think my father will buy what I ask for and I just want to make sure I am not being unreasonable.
Posts: 1015 | Registered: Aug 2004
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If you have good reasons for your particular model (as good as reasons for getting a Mac can ever be ), if he's offered, and if you don't expect him to get you one, then I think it's OK and not selfish.
If you have doubts, talk to him about it. Thank him for making the offer, let him know why you want the Mac, and let him know your preference if he thinks that's too much (you could make up the difference, take the Dell, wait to get the printer, or some other compromise).
Someone who wants to buy you a gift wants to get something you like.
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That's a reasonable price for a laptop, and the current ibook is price competitive so long as speed isn't your primary criterion, which it isn't in most college students cases.
Posts: 15770 | Registered: Dec 2001
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NO DELLS!!! DELLS BAD!!! Laptops are fine, but Dell laptops suck. Everyone I know who has one has had problems with it. Especially the power cord, which you NEED.
Toshiba's been good to me, I plug them. If you're not comfortable with apples, I'd advise against it. I know I could never get used to one.
Posts: 4816 | Registered: Apr 2003
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I don't think I would have too much trouble getting used to a mac. I have used them before and I think it would just be a matter of time.
I want a mac because every person I know who has swiched to a mac would never go back. They tend to crash less often. They look cooler (ahh! the teenage girl side of me is taking over). The one I want is small and fairly light which would be nice as well.
Posts: 1015 | Registered: Aug 2004
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The only problem I've had with my Dell is when I spilled milk into the keyboard. This is why I recommend getting the extra accidental damage warranty.
Posts: 3446 | Registered: Jul 2002
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Except in certain specialized fields, there are perfectly good application substitutes for macs (in fact, often the same application is available). They're generally priced the same. Notable fields where Macs do not have good substitutes (or the field is not sufficiently generic for there to be substitutes) include gaming and CAD software.
Productivity applications, though, are readily available on the Mac.
Posts: 15770 | Registered: Dec 2001
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I use a PC at work and a mac at home... plus my work computer I have the mouse set to left handed and my home computer right-handed. Keeps the wrist strain down. Guess I'm just flexible, I have no problems switching back and forth. Although I know I don't use my mac to its full potential.
Posts: 7954 | Registered: Mar 2004
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If you're clumsy like me, you're bound to do something wrong that will cost you $600 to fix (which is what the cost would have been had the milk damaged the motherboard.)
Posts: 3446 | Registered: Jul 2002
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Yes - the complete care packages are worth it, especially if you'll be taking it to school and such.
Posts: 26071 | Registered: Oct 2003
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I highly recommend the extended applecare. Also, don't forget to purchase from the Apple Education Store online, it will save you a chunk of money.
And tell me when you're purchasing if you're not getting an ipod for yourself . . .
Posts: 15770 | Registered: Dec 2001
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As a parent, I think the fact that you're asking the question pretty much says you're not being greedy. You might ask him what his upper spending limit is, and if what you want is more than that, come up with the difference yourself and get what you really want.
Posts: 5948 | Registered: Jun 2001
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Trevor, thank you I am really looking forward to having my own laptop!
I am planning on the extra warranty. Even if I am careful other people are not always.
I don't think I will be getting an ipod so I will probably let you know. I was going to investigate the student price. I thought that I had heard that apple has good deals for students.
Jeniwren thanks. Senior year is very expensive and I have been feeling like I have been sucking money out of my father left and right. I try to show that I appreciate all that he does for me, but I am not very good with the mushy emotional stuff.
Posts: 1015 | Registered: Aug 2004
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posted
Now the real question is, will he also by you Finale 2004? And a very nifty midi setup?
Just kidding. You sound a lot more conscientious than the stereotypical teenager, so congratulations on that. Posts: 6415 | Registered: Jul 2000
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My parents did basically the same thing for me when I graduated. I got a Powerbook.
If you go to the Education store at the Apple website, you can get a couple hundred dollars off the laptops. Also, depending on when you are planning to buy the computer, you might want to check out what deals the college you end up going to has. I got my computer from my school store for less than even the Apple student discount price.
Posts: 2149 | Registered: Aug 2000
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You should really check with the college you will be attending and see if they offer support for Macs.
My college's computer lab offered free laptop support for all PCs but not Macs. All the help material and free software distributed at the lab is also geared towards helping PC users and not Mac users.
Posts: 1592 | Registered: May 2000
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My daughter threw up on my old iBook and it survived just fine. There was no damage whatsoever and the keys came off easily, making cleanup a snap (the red Tylenol tracer made it easier, too).
</gratuitous parenting detail>
I absolutely love my new Powerbook and I couldn't imagine doing without it. I've had fairly good success porting my group's analysis code from Linux. I am so happy to have access to all of the Unix-y things like Vi under the hood while still having all of the slick Mac gui apps up front. Camino is definitely the way to go browser-wise, and you will probably want to pick up Desktop Manager, too. Mac/Unix geeks will especially like this - it lets you have multiple "desktops" so that you can have a separate screen for surfing, one for mail, one for work, etc. It is especially cool to do the Quartz Cube rotation to switch from one desktop to the next. That one gets me the most "wow" points, even from other Mac users!
Reliability and usabilty definitely make it worth the extra money. When it comes right down to it, Macs just work.
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vwiggen makes a very, very good point. The availability of support at college should be animportant factor in your decision.
Posts: 26071 | Registered: Oct 2003
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I think you'll find having a printer worth the extra trouble. It's a huge pain to try and find a computer lab at 7 30 in the morning because last night at 11 when you finished your paper your dorm lab was out of paper.
I really don't think your parents will mind, they're going to be empty nesting soon, so they probably want to get you stuff so you'll remember them.
My dad gave me an ipod the other day. I didn't ask for it or anything, he just sort of handed it to me. Not that I'm complaining or anything...
Posts: 4655 | Registered: Jan 2002
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quote:When it comes right down to it, Macs just work.
...unless, of course, you're the computer lab consultant. Then, they crash constantly for no apparent reason...oh, and forget multi-tasking.
*whistles innocently, then flees the thread*
In all honesty, OSX is somewhat more stable, but there are still frequent crashing issues in the computer labs. I don't buy the whole "it's more stable" argument. But, to my mind, whatever floats yer boat. Posts: 4077 | Registered: Jun 2003
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Megan, what do you mean by forget multitasking? IME, OS X handles multitasking far better than windows (or OS 9). I routinely have ten or fifteen applications open, several of them doing moderately intensive operations, and oftentimes a good 20 browser tabs as well. I don't notice a particular slowdown in any application I have in the front, and that's on a 400 MHz G3!
Posts: 15770 | Registered: Dec 2001
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posted
First question: what are your applications?
Second question: what are your future applications going to be?
(The larger question: what OS will they need to run?)
Third question: wherever you're going to be with it, which OS will your peers have? Remember, whatever apps you don't have, they will.
Fourth question: (already asked) Will your "support crew" work with the MAC or only PC-based laptops?
You can load the iPod from PC-based laptops as well as from MACs these days; that shouldn't be an issue.
Posts: 1862 | Registered: Mar 2000
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quote:Megan, what do you mean by forget multitasking? IME, OS X handles multitasking far better than windows (or OS 9). I routinely have ten or fifteen applications open, several of them doing moderately intensive operations, and oftentimes a good 20 browser tabs as well. I don't notice a particular slowdown in any application I have in the front, and that's on a 400 MHz G3!
Windows 2000 or XP handle multi-tasking very well - I often have at least that much open with at least as positive results, going back to PIII600 w/ 256 MB RAM.
That's neither here nor there, though. If Allegra wants a Mac she should get a Mac. It doesn't sound like she's really unsure about it, and her concerns were non-technical.
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fugu, I guess the caveat would be, I only work with macs on campus. And on campus, on OSX, every time I try to multitask, there's either a major slowdown or a crash. So, I guess I should've said, in my experience, on campus, forget multitasking.
I don't mind them, but I don't find them to be nearly as useful for everyday work. For me. Personally. Look at me, NOT turning this into a Mac vs. Windows thread! lalalala!
quote:As opposed to Windows, which finds a new reason to crash every 30 seconds or so...
Again, in my experience, working in a computer lab (and in this case also on my home machines), not at all. I can't remember the last time a windows machine crashed on me, whereas the last time a Mac crashed on me was the last time I worked a shift in the computer lab.
On topic, Allegra, I would go with the best combination of what you want to work with and what your parents are willing to pay. If you're really concerned about the price, I would tell them that. I bet they'd probably appreciate that, even if they went ahead and got it for you anyway.
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I must say I'm slowly becoming a Mac addict too, although the Microsoft applications I have to use for my job kind of suck on the Mac.
The nice thing about having a Mac at work is that nobody in the whole rest of our company bothers us about our computers. Everyone else gets a new Dell every three years as part of the Company's lease program. The big downside is that installing any applications whatsoever is controlled through the IT department, which is SUPER stingy as to what you can put on your computer.
Me, if I want an application, I walk down the hallway to Paul the Mac guru and ask for it, and he gives me the CD. So I always have the latest versions of Photoshop, Flash, Illustrator, and anything else I want to play with. I downloaded the practice version of Maya and am working through the excellent tutorials they provide. I don't download willy-nilly and fill my computer with junk. But it's nice to have the freedom to play around a little.
Posts: 5957 | Registered: Oct 2001
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Keep an eye open when you get to school - students tend to get massive discounts on software applications because Microsoft and other companies want to hook you while you're young.
If you spend four years working on Windows Excel, for example, odds are you'll bring that taste to the workplace and further their marketshare.
Not unlike drug dealers, when you get right down to it.
Use and abuse that student discount - you'll be glad you did. For that matter, as already hinted, there are people willing to use and abuse the discount even if you don't want to.
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"Me, if I want an application, I walk down the hallway to Paul the Mac guru and ask for it, and he gives me the CD. So I always have the latest versions of Photoshop, Flash, Illustrator, and anything else I want to play with."
Are you actually LICENSED for that, or do you just illegally install his copy? I ask because your workplace can be fined $25,000 for each illegally installed copy in the unlikely event of an audit.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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The only time I ever have to reboot my Mac is because of a Software Update. I don't think I even know what a crash looks like on OS/X, and I've been running it since 10.0.4.
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*shrug* I've had my PowerBook crash and require a restart at least twice in the few months I've had it . But, then, you have to compare that to my Windows desktop which is like starting a lawnmower.
*pushes power button XP bootup screen appears* "Is it going to start?" ... "No." *reset* "Is it going to start?" ... "No." *reset* "Is it going to start?" ... "No." ad infinitum
I know it has to do with a progressive data corruption problem involved with faulty RAM, but it's still irritating that Windows can't work around it (LIKE LINUX CAN!!!! GAAAHH!).
EDIT: Apple Laptops are mad cool. They're still some of the smallest, slickest things around. Software hasn't been an issue since there are cross-platform solutions for most things. Failing all else there's probably a freeware Unix/Linux/BSD program that can be downloaded.
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Dang, I take that back, then. I remember getting one of those on my old iBook. I was converting a movie from .avi to .mov in the background while taking a conference call for work. Not the smartest thing to do, I know. The hard drive filled up and I got the multilingual screen of death. I had to reboot in OS/9, delete the files, and then restart before it would do anything. I suppose that was my fault, not the Mac's.
By the way, is Allegra around anymore or did she just run away while we all geek out?
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This is the laptop I want. Well, actually, I might be happier with this one, but it's a bit further out of reach.
Posts: 4534 | Registered: Jan 2003
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quote:Are you actually LICENSED for that, or do you just illegally install his copy? I ask because your workplace can be fined $25,000 for each illegally installed copy in the unlikely event of an audit.
AFAIK, our department purchases multiple licenses for each product, and that there's usually enough for me to legally install a copy. Some software in our department IS more limited in terms of licenses we buy, and is only installed on a few computers. I don't get to play with it then.
Posts: 5957 | Registered: Oct 2001
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), if he's offered, and if you don't expect him to get you one, then I think it's OK and not selfish.![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
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You might ask him what his upper spending limit is, and if what you want is more than that, come up with the difference yourself and get what you really want.
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Not that I'm complaining or anything...
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