January 5, 2006...9:27 pm
Get an iBook!
People around me are buying laptops like sweets, it seems. Until last week, my advice was a balanced enumeration of pros and cons of both Windows and Mac systems, with a disclaimer that I am a happy switcher and I love my iBook.
After spending two hours last week with a client battling with anti-virus programs, anti-spyware programs, problematic wifi connections (things I wouldn’t even have had to start doing on a Mac), my advice is now “get yourself that iBook you’re dreaming about, even if it’s a bit more expensive!”
These two hours (on my client’s money, so I’m not sure her PC laptop really ended up cheaper than an iBook would have) are not an isolated incident. I built myself a Windows computer recently (my “winbox”) so that I could dictate in French using Dragon NaturallySpeaking, and it’s been a very frustrating experience. (I still can’t get it to connect to my wifi network. Add that and my client’s network to my brother’s new Dell which also has wifi complaints, and I give up.) My brother’s Dell was packed with about 30 processes that launched at startup and had a nasty effect on the way the computer functioned. And we had to download and install iTunes at least twice in the process.
So, if you want to pay less for a computer with software which is full of security holes that are obviously not a priority for the vendor (have you heard that Microsoft are planning to launch their own anti-spyware program?), and spend hours battling with spyware, adware, malware and virus stuff, wifi connections that don’t behave as they should, Plug-and-Pray, and system crashes, all the best.
I’m just done telling my friends “you can choose” when they ask my opinion. Be warned.
Disclaimer: I know Apple products have their faults. They’re just less of a pain in the neck to deal with when they crop up — and surprisingly, it seems to be “less often”.
technorati tags: apple, microsoft, dell, osx, computer, os, platform, comparison, recommendation, rant, wifi, ibook, laptop, pc, xp
25 Comments
January 5, 2006 at 9:36 pm
The Mac works so well most of the time that it’s usually a rather nasty surprise when something doesn’t quite work as you expect it to.
January 5, 2006 at 9:59 pm
There’s hope for those on Win boxes, though: throw Ubuntu Linux on the computer, and everything will go back to just working. (Okay, okay, … let’s say in most cases I’ve seen it did just that.)
January 9, 2006 at 9:40 am
Chryss beat me to it, I was going to day exactly that…
January 9, 2006 at 9:38 pm
Ibooks are well built, stylish and very reliable but they also have one of the least intuitive operating systems. That so many people opt for Windows, even though they may not like buying into the ‘Bill Gates coporation’, must surely be a sign that they got something right. A computer is a means to an end, no matter how embellished you make it, and as such it must be fool-proof (for people like me) and fully functional (for people like me). Without this simple logic there is no chance of market domination for Apple.
January 9, 2006 at 9:49 pm
I’d say this much that for the lack or right gear or faulty equipment, you can’t blame windows for not connecting to WiFi or anything else!! I’ve seen idiots logging on to WiFi in their homes & cafes without any problems just because their equipment was right & preconfigured!! If those people can do it, so can anyone else!!
January 9, 2006 at 9:57 pm
Well, I’ve heard a lot that the OSX interface was more intuitive, and after nearly two years use, I must say I’m more at ease in it. Of course, after 10 + years in Win interfaces, people are bound to find OSX “not intuitive”! Change is disruptive.
As for wifi, well, I’ve had three wifi problems with the three Win computers I touched recently… and none with the ibooks that have been around. (Oh, and add to the Win wifi problems my collegue who keeps getting booted from the school network.)
Not to turn this into a war. I’m not trying to convince anybody, just state what my preference and subjective recommendation is. If you have constructive information to give or enlightening stories to share, do so — but let’s try to fly higher than “Apple is better” or “Windows is better” comments.
*Turning troll detector on*
January 9, 2006 at 11:33 pm
*Turning Troll detector cloaking device on*
Sorry if I lowered the standards around here, I must have missed the ‘disclaimer’ somewhere along the line, but point taken nontheless. Like my mother always used to say, “if you haven’t got anything nice to say then don’t say it”.
‘Flying high’ on a subject about Apple Mac computers…va’falloir se payer 2 ou 3 bedos pour faciliter la tache!
Go easy
January 10, 2006 at 12:55 am
I just have one word to type on my little 12.1″ screen iBook…
AMEN!
January 10, 2006 at 1:56 am
I think that you’re either a mac person or a pc person. I have one iMac and 8 PCs. OSX for me is like a second language. I am much more comfortable and fluent with windows, but that does not mean that macs are any worse. And I certainly love my iPod (with video).
P.S. Nice blog.
January 10, 2006 at 2:59 am
Hello,
Your blog is great, just saw it in my Dashboard.
Mac’s definitely rock and so does apple. The Most Innovative Company, they have lesser problems than Windows and if you wanna buy a laptop, apple gives you the best options. BTW, I just love that Apple Icon on all their products, don’t you?
~ CC
January 10, 2006 at 3:21 pm
I have been debating Mac or Windows! Thanks for this!
January 10, 2006 at 5:53 pm
Well, you’re welcome — but don’t forget this is just my very subjective opinion. Your mileage may vary!
January 11, 2006 at 3:58 am
I have pretty much converted everyone in my family and some of my friends. Finally, after using Mac since forever, I feel like people are starting to take them more seriously…thanks to OSX.
Oh, and I love my iBook too
January 11, 2006 at 9:33 am
Welcome into the mac world. It is true that Mac OS is far more intuitive than Windows. Although I must say that Windows dit a lot of progress with security and stability I still love macs. And will probably go for a new one (with intel inside and iWeb to publish blogs)
January 11, 2006 at 9:44 am
I must say I am in love with by iBook too. OSX is such a pleasure to use. I was the odd convert from Linux to OSX and I love it. All the power of unix and all the beauty of OSX. Although I plan on shelving my iBook soon for a new MacBook Pro. Now those are sexy!
January 11, 2006 at 11:20 am
I’ve been thinking of getting a powerbook for a while but I just can’t bring myself to do it… however the new intel MacBook Pro’s are very tempting!
Out of interest, do you embedd your technorati tags manually or did you manage to get the .js in the template somehow?
January 11, 2006 at 1:16 pm
I use Flock, which has a blogging interface with space for tags. Flock adds the tags.
January 11, 2006 at 5:20 pm
No need to add Technorati tags manually, WordPress does it automatically for you, that’s one of the better things about WP.
January 11, 2006 at 5:38 pm
lol - I switched to Mac a month ago for the very same reasons - got a nice shiny white iBook! Apart from being arguably more reliable, it’s filled with so many ‘cool’ features. Like Dashboard. And an apple logo that lights up when you turn it on!!
But it’s still useful to have a PC around… there are somethings it’s better at. And I miss the start bar!
January 11, 2006 at 5:55 pm
Grown with Microsoft, because of, schools and teachers ho did’nt know more and thinking that everything on PC (Win) is so fabulous.
Once you seen, learn, tuch, feel on an iBook, you’ll never love a PC again. thanks for this article.
Jan
January 12, 2006 at 12:19 am
kill your tv: WP encodes categories as tags, correct. But if you want to tag more freely, as I’m doing, without creating thousands of categories on your blog, you either need to write them in your posts manually or use a blog editor (like the one on Flock) which helps you add them.
January 12, 2006 at 7:57 pm
that really IS an good advice
January 14, 2006 at 9:13 am
I switched in August or so, and I love it. Although, I really wouldn’t buy right now. I’d wait until the end of the year when the entire Apple line has transitioned to Intel processors. Those 12 inch MacBooks (non-pro, I’m guessing will replace the iBook) are going to be mighty tempting… as they’ll probably offer more processing power than you get with a top of the line G4 PowerBook today.
February 5, 2006 at 5:07 pm
[...] This was because the post Get an iBook! had for some reason or another made it to the “Fastest growing weblogs” list which appears in every WordPress.com dashboard. And it stayed stuck there. I think there was a bug or something and it got stuck there, but it might also have been a little feedback loop: what is popular becomes more popular because it is popular — I’ve discussed this briefly regarding a photograph of mine which suddenly became ‘interesting’ in Flickr. [...]
July 26, 2006 at 3:34 pm
[...] I told you again more than six months ago how much I loved my ibook. Ever since my ibook moved in with me, I’ve become such an enthusiastic Apple user that my dad makes fun of me. I’ve turned my back on over a decade of faithful Windows use and even started recommending you to my friends. Over the last two years, a whole bunch of them have bought ibooks — or are now buying MacBooks. [...]
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