Apple Mac Book Vs Dell XPS - Help Me Decide!

Gary, I just bought a MacBook and for me it was WELL worth the money. Everything is so much easier on this thing I love it. I saved some money and upgraded the RAM on my own, which I recommend you do too if you get the MacBook. Also, I ordered via Amazon and got it cheaper than direct from Apple. (go figure) I posted about it here. Go Mac!

Gary, I’m going to suggest the Apple. First, I’ve recently bought a mini mac for testing, and it’s exceeded my hopes. With only two exceptions, I’ve found programs that meet or exceed what I was doing on a PC. It’s faster in operation, and much easier. The Time Machine function is absolutely flawless. Am I raving, you bet. I have a Mac, and am not going back.

Those two exceptions I mentioned, are programs we use online a bit. My wife won’t give them up, and she just bought a quad core gateway to run vista. I spent the better part of a week getting the Vista up and running to meet her needs. I spent about an hour getting the mac fully configured. It ran perfectly out of the box, no trial nonsense to deal with except for the iWork program which I bought.

The apples cost more, but they work better in my opinion. I hope this helps you decide.

I bought the mini mac to test more than anything, to satisfy my own curiosity, and I haven’t fired up my laptop, a gateway, in over a month.

Hi Gary, some people have a hard time with no right button on their mouse…but….I’m using a two button mouse just fine! And, the new Apple mighty mouse allows you to right click, but I don’t like that mouse. There are lots of shortcuts you can use on a Mac that make the right click less important too. (i right click less already)

For me, switching from a PC to a Mac is sort of like going from an old crappy car to a new car…a lot things are just different but once you learn how to use them most of the stuff is better.

If you need a larger screen and don’t want an external monitor, your only option (i think) is the 17″ MacBook Pro, which is totally overpriced in my opinion. Personally, I love plugging my MacBook into my monitor and using my wireless keyboard/mouse.

I have 4GB of Ram and my MacBook is super fast. Honestly 2GB would have been enough but 4GB was only 50 bucks (aftermarket)

You might try Ubuntu as an alternative to Vista? http://www.ubuntu.com

If I was you, I would sit at an Apple store for several hours with a MacBook in my lap and try it out! (they will let you do that!) See if you like it and see if the 13″ screen is large enough for you. I think the MacBook Pro’s are overkill for most people, and a big premium to pay for a slightly larger screen. I’ve been surprised how big the 13″ screen feels, but I’m on my monitor 90%+ of the time.

Hey Garry,

I would definitely go the Mac without looking back. I have been a PC man for over 10 years now and am in the exact same position as you. The PC’s may be cheap but damn they cost you more in the long run. I have upgraded my PC’s every 18mths to 2 yrs ever since I started using them. I have been really bugging a Mac mate and he has a desktop system that is about 4yrs old running current software with no hassles at all. This is the original system he bought when he changed from PC. He has only just bumped up his memory recently because his image files are now so much bigger.

Mac’s cost less in the longrun too in terms of lost data with the stable operating environment(not saying they dont crash but they do it waaaay less than PC’s) as well as in terms of time saved due to the more logical operation of them. They may take a little while to get your head around but once youve had mac you’ll never go back.

I have been using a mates mac book that is about 3 yrs old on and off, which he leaves running for weeks without having to be rebooted. The graphics engine is so much smooother, it utilises its resources way better than PC and the whole system integration works together so much better.

My biggest problem now is getting annoyed at my PC while I wait to buy my Mac. I am looking at buying the Mac Book Pro, as I need the extra power and screen real estate for my photography work.

In terms of security there are way less attacks on mac’s as well. Hackers dont seem to target them as mostly only graphic designers really used them in the past. PC’s are more the home gullible market so they target them. In terms of system reinstallation, you can pretty well say goodbye to having to do that on a regular basis. That is the big one for me, like you I hate the solid days work of removing the old data, reinstalling the OS and loading programs and data again.

I think you will be more than happy with the Mac. Its just a matter now of deciding on screen size. Of yeah, they do have a right click funtion too. The mouse that I used was pressure sensitive and you just touched where a right button would be. Bizzarre but you get the hang of it pretty quick.

What about using Microsoft Office with a Mac. I need Access and Excel for my work. Anybody use those with a Mac?

One way a Mac will save you money is that you’ll spend less time trying to make stuff work. It’s hard to explain until you own a Mac, but stuff just works! I plugged in my Brother laser printer expecting that I would have to search around looking for drivers and other nonsense, but not on my Mac. I plugged in my printer and it printed right away. There was NO set-up. And that is just one example.

I am not sure Garry about the browser stuff. I was mainly trialling for photo work.

I will send my mate Matt on over who is a Mac nut and theres not much he doesnt know about them.

Safari is a solid and fast browser as far as I can tell, but I still prefer Firefox because it has more bells and whistles and doodads to add-on.

Get a mac, they just work and work and work. I’ve had macs for the last 4 years and never had an issue hardware or os related…

Browser wise, mate it doesn’t matter.. Firefox, Safari and Camino are all equally fast, unless you have a something that will measure nano seconds I doubt you will notice any difference.. I pretty well rock Safari all the time, though I have been playing with Firefox 3 the last couple of days and it’s pretty nice..

Hey Garry,

I made the switch a few weeks ago and I am so happy with my MacBook!.

Wow, so many Mac lovers, but I’m afraid I’m a PC man… I have no plans to go to Vista, more than happy with XP. There’s still a lot of software that only runs on Windows, although it’s getting better.

But if you want away from Windows, you should check out the Linux options as well. I haven’t personally used it, but I’ve heard lots of very good things about Ubuntu.

Anyway good luck with the decision… By the way, this is a great title if you want more people to leave comments!

The Mac reviews here are awesome. I want a new Laptop too, but I have already decided against M$ and Apple.

I want a Linux Laptop.

The mac is the way to go. I switched a little over a year ago. When vista came out I loaded it on my mac also… via bootcamp just to see. Mac OS Rocks. Don’t get caught up in price. The OS alone is worth the price of the Macbook Pro. I would choose the mac and never look back.

Since Macs now use Intel Core 2 Duo processors, you can run Windows XP on them just fine, either in BootCamp, which is built into MacOS X but requires dual-booting, or in third-party virtualisation managers such as Parallels Desktop or VMWare Fusion, which let you simultaneously use Windows-only applications (e.g. MS Access, MS Visual Studio, MS Expression) alongside MacOS X applications and copy and paste between the two environments; if you upgrade your Mac to 4GB of RAM using inexpensive third-party modules, you can even simultaneously run a Linux distro alongside MacOS X and Windows XP, assigning 1GB RAM to each hosted virtual machine and still leaving 2GB for MacOS X. In other words, the Mac gives you access to the widest software library on the planet. PC World Magazine late last year even declared that the MacBook Pro was the fastest notebook they had tested running Windows Vista. It’s like getting three machines in one: an (officially) certified UNIX workstation, a fast Windows PC, and a beefy Linux platform.

Ok.. first off.. just let go of the the “no right mouse / click button” all desktop macs ship with a mighty mouse, a four button, scroll ball mouse with a right click. All laptop models work with a “two fingers on the trackpad for a right click” So the two button mouse / trackpad, is just an old myth hanging on.

Secondly.. all intel macs can run all OSes, including Vista / XP natively, and apparently make the fastest Vista portable box available.

Enough of the old news and wives tales already!

Garry

Great artice. I am a lifelong Mac User and PC user.

1. You said that the main issue you have with Apple is price. Well contrary to popular belief Apples are priced very competitively. If you match up a Apple to a PC laptop from a higher end vendor such as Sony or Dell you will come to about the same. Apple includes things as standard not as optional that others don’t. Some examples is 802.11n card, Firewire, Analog/Optical in and out jacks.

Theres of course other things that add to the price that PC Vendors don’t have to deal with such as a Slot Loader vice a tray Optical Drive. The power adapter which is tiny compared to PC systems has a magnetic plug that breaks away if its tripped over. All those add to the cost but offer a all around much better system experience. Kinda like I own a Acura which sure I don’t need but overall its a much better car then a 10k no frills car.

2. Vista after all the hype added nothing really new. Mac OS 10.5 is like using something outta the future. Its fun, fresh and does some amazing things that are normal for Mac users that PC users can’t even begin to think about. Like being able to open and preview a multide of file formats like Word, Excel, Mp3s, jpegs without ever opening up the associated application. You click on the document and hit space bar and it comes up instantly. Thats not boring, its like amazing.

3. Mac OS 10.5 is rock solid. Sure there are flaws but its considerably more secure then a PC system. Since Mac OS X has come out I have owned about 6 different Macs, and never once have reformatted a hard drive. Never once experienced a system melt down. I never have had on a Mac any sort of Virus protection software, nor any crazy programs to maintain my system.

As to what to buy thats a personal choice, but I would give a Mac a try. You can use Apples Boot Camp to install a Windows on it. PC World said in December that something is terribly wrong with the universe when the fastest Vista machine they ever benchmarked outside of gaming machines is a Macintosh running Windows.

@DayJobNuker: if you really need to use MS Access on a Mac, you can use one of the Windows approaches I cited in my previous msg. Otherwise, you can port your database over to FileMaker 9 or MySQL. Out in a couple of weeks is the new MS Office 2008 for Macintosh, which in some ways leapfrogs over Office 2007, but there’s no Access for the Mac, or Outlook (MS Entourage is not fully equivalent to Outlook).

One of the biggest arguments against the ‘Macs cost more’ perception is (apart from the fact comparably specced PCs actually cost the same or more) the fact that Macs actually retain a lot of value when you sell them second hand. You should factor this into your calculations, and I think you’ll find a Mac is actually quite a lot cheaper than a comparable Dell.

I usually eBay my old machine after 2 years, and normally get back about 50% of what I paid for it. I don’t think you could do that with a PC, no matter what brand it was. Just go and check out the prices on eBay for proof.

As for Office (someone asked above), yes Office runs fine and is fully compatible with the PC version. A new version of Office is due very soon - but you could be better off saving some money and checking out Apple’s iWork first, as it covers most bases for most people, and is also able to read & export Office file formats.

@StephenCronin: the Mac IS a PC, it uses PC hardware, but comes with an officially certified UNIX as standard. As I’ve pointed out however, there’s nothing preventing you or anyone from running Windows XP (or even Vista) and Linux on it. In fact, some people (not many) buy Mac hardware for its industrial design with the intention of primarily running Windows on it, only to discover that MacOS X is even better for their needs than Windows OR Linux. Just read reviews on blogs such as Chris Pirillo’s. Better yet, consider the fact that these people all run Macs for their personal use:

Paul Otellini, CEO, Intel
Les Vadasz, co-founder and Employee#3, Intel
Pat Gelsinger, VP and GM of Enterprise Systems, Intel

I would also advise getting a Mac, and not just because of your Vista issues. After all, you can run XP or Vista on the Mac via Boot Camp, Parallels, or VM. In essence, your Mac could run any OS you wished.

I can’t really recommend blowing money on MS Office when iWork and NeoOffice are available. I can’t recommend Windows Media Player, etc., over Apple’s iLife applications. And you will save money on anti-virus/spyware products too.

I would make two suggestions: never buy additional RAM from Apple and go for the extended AppleCare plan. I have done this for years and have saved some serious cash.

It may sound like a marketing catch-phrase, but it’s true. Macs just work. The OS stays out of your way. It looks better than Vista. It provides a lot of useful stuff and a minimum of crapware.

The touch of the keyboard is better. (Type on a PC laptop after a Mac and it makes you think you’re clunking away on an old Selectric.) The fit and finish of Macs is leaps and bounds above PCs.

If you have an Apple Store nearby, visit it and play. The machines on the floor are loaded with just about any app you could think of to play with. If you have a friend with a Mac, ask to sit down with it for a while unattended and see what you think.

@Tim Christie: Go to http://www.robgalbraith.com and read their review of the MacBook Pro, which in their testing has the best laptop screen for working with photographs (hint: it’s LED backlit and looks gorgeous especially when compared with Sony VAIO’s running Vista). Oh, and there may be a showstopper in Vista for photographers and colour graphics folks: I have read that when you switch out of a colour-managed application such as Photoshop, Vista unloads the colour lookup table for the screen, which basically negates your monitor calibration. By comparison, onscreen colour management is a system-level service in MacOS X, so the entire workspace is fully colour-managed at all times, not just specific applications. I don’t have firsthand confirmation of this, since I work primarily in MacOS X (by preference) and Windows XP (because that’s what my employer uses).

@David Cooley: You can run the Linux distro of your choice on a MacBook or MacBook Pro using Parallels or Fusion. Be warned, however — the “it just works” wireless performance of MacOS X compared to everything else can be addictive especially if you travel to multiple locations and switch among multiple WiFi networks.

I switched to Mac a few years ago and would never go back, as many folks have noted,things just work. My job also requires that I use some Windows program-no problem-I just fire up XP in a Parallels VM and voilà, I run them at native speed. As for M$ Office, also not a problem, the MacBU has done a fine job on the Mac version of Office, I prefer it to the Windows version and the files are compatible. Lastly, having a full Unix underbelly in Mac OS X allows me to download, compile and install Unix program when the need arises. It is the best of all worlds.

I use Apple computers. I have paid “too much” each time I have bought an Apple computer. I have been aware that there were less expensive options available. Yet I have always been enormously satisfied with my purchases.

The biggest plus is the operating system. It is hard to quantify this. You have to use it. I have far less problems with the basic day-to-day operation of the machine than my Windows buddies. And Macs are fun to use!

Some context for my comments: I’ve worked for IBM, Compaq, and Fujitsu, but nowadays at home I run MacOS X 10.4 (I have yet to upgrade to OS X 10.5, but will soon) on multiple Macs, and Windows 2003 Server Enterprise Edition on a Dell PowerEDGE server. While Macs are by no means perfect, in general they do “just work” and are a pleasure to use compared with most Windows PCs, and I’ve used PCs longer than I’ve used Macs.

Yo, First time reader, first time commenter …

To the gentleman who uses Microsoft Access. The Mac version of Msoft Office does not come with Access nor does it come with an Access equivalent.

A Mac is at least two computers in one, rebooting into Windows or virtualizing a Windows environment on a Mac can be accomplished in a number of easy ways.

Also, MacWorld is less than two weeks away which means the Apple Computer product lineup is about to change. Avoid buying a new Mac until after MacWorld.

Don’t forget: don’t buy a Mac before the January 15th MacWorld show. New products and upgrades to existing lines are often (but not always) announced!

@Gary: Right-click is easy on a Mac portable. Go to MacOS X System Preferences, enable two-finger trackpad tap, and presto, you have right-click (and scrolling, if you also enable it) whenever you use two fingers to tap on the trackpad.

@Gary: “Do Apple computers really last longer than PC? Meaning, it seems like the minute you buy a PC and walk out of the store, its already outdated. Do Apple computers have a longer shelf life?”

Yes, if you subscribe to the idea that you buy a computer for more than what you currently need, and then grow into its capabilities over time, using it until you run into its limitations. I’m typing this on a base-level Apple iBook G4 that’s more than 4 years old, and even with its puny 32MB VRAM and 800MHz processor it can do UI effects such as minimizing a video to the Dock while it’s playing; to do this in Vista Aero, you need a killer graphics card.

“with a PC, it is almost a regular routine for me now, I have to invest a weekend towards backing up all my data and reformatting the hard drive and getting a fresh install of the Windows OS as it seems to deteriorate through time. Does Mac OS X last longer, does it get fragmented like XP and Vista commonly do?”

Mac OS X auto-defrags on the fly. There’s no Registry to get clogged up with junk. I have an 8 year old PowerMac G4 that’s had its OS reinstalled only once, and that’s only because I didn’t follow best practices when upgrading it. The latest version of MacOS X has a built-in Time Machine backup feature that’s basically set-it and forget it until you need to recover a file.

Get a Mac.
Heck, if you don’t like OSX, you can turn it completely into a PC and run Vista better than the fastest PC laptops out there. You really can’t go wrong with a Mac.

I have MBP and loving it. I run Windows on it to play Call of Duty 4 and it rocks.

Using a Mac really means more productivity, fun, intuitive… go see why MS tried so hard to copy OSX into Vista.

This is a no brainer, go with the Mac, according to PC world’s tests the fastest notebook computer running Vista is the MacBook Pro. Sure, you can buy a 500 buck Dell which will be a piece of junk. In terms of cost compare the Macs spec to spec with other laptops and they are almost identical price wise, plus you have the advantage of running every OS there is on the market along with all the applications. What is there to think about!!

Hi Garry, I think you’ll be happy with a Mac. Regarding the MacBook vs the MacBook Pro, it does cost more, but there are a lot of nice differences. Besides being bigger, the screen is also better, with LED backlighting, and you end up with the same battery life, and only ounces heavier. The auto-dimming screen and backlit keyboard are great in dim/dark rooms. The graphics card is MUCH better. I also use the FireWire 800 port for an external hard drive from time to time and for Time Machine backups.

For both laptops, the trackpad can do both “right-click” and “scroll-wheel” functions. And my wife is still quite happy with her 3-year-old PowerBook G4. For browsers, I use Safari and OmniWeb mainly, firing up Camino or FireFox if necessary. (All but FireFox as Mac-specific, and integrate better with some cool features Mac users expect.)

I’ve rambled long enough. Good luck with whatever path you choose!

Garry - You are asking the correct questions, facing the same dilemma many Microsoft WIndows users face; deal with more complex issues as M$ adds more bloat to it’s software, or look for an alternative. Mac OSX and Linux are the popular alternatives, and there are some PC’s that come sans WIndows with Linux installed (Asus eeEPc laptop).

Just to qualify, I am a working Apple Consultant, part of the Apple Consultants Network. For years I had a hard time recommending Macs, unless the client had a specific use such as Graphics, photography or video. That was way before Apple started using Intel microprocessors. The other issue; “Macs cost so much more than PC’s…” is now moot when you compare like feature for feature. The upper level Sony’s, Dells and Fujitsu laptops are within the range of Macbook Pros and Macbooks.

The answer to your question about browsers is: Firefox is the same for Windows as it is for MacOSX. If you are used to Firefox, you should enjoy a better experience on the Mac. Heck, if you really NEED to run some Windows software, you can install XP (forget Vista for now) under the “free” Bootcamp included with Leopard (OSX 10.5), as long as you have a full copy of Windows XP. Or you can install virtual emulation software like Parallels or VMware, and have both the Mac and Windows running simultaneously.

There are a couple different web tools far better than “Front Page”