Windows 7

[The_Worlds_finest]

Vista was kick ass(dont know why half of you bitched and moaned about it not running on your 5 year old machine while still holding on to your beloved 9 year old xp)

windows 7 blows away vista and burns xp to ashes....

W7 has reinvented the computer. It is EXTREMLY FAST and BEAUTIFUL!

[spursncowboys]

Vista was kick ass(dont know why half of you bitched and moaned about it not running on your 5 year old machine while still holding on to your beloved 9 year old xp)

windows 7 blows away vista and burns xp to ashes....

W7 has reinvented the computer. It is EXTREMLY FAST and BEAUTIFUL!
Wasn't it developed to be like ubuntu.

[clambake]

its for tedious, worker bee shit that has to be done.....daily.

imac for everything else.

[Cry Havoc]

imac for everything else.

Except gaming
Or getting a decent computer for under $1000
Or getting more for your money, power/performance
Or being able to use every peripheral under the sun
Or having a dozen+ different brands to choose from so you can decide what it looks like
Or being able to customize the computer to get exactly the specs you want on it

Just a few points.

[The_Worlds_finest]

ha ha yeah the new imac i7 27" is $2000, if you want 16gig ram be ready to throw in $1,400. Dont worry though windows 7 will get back that "huge" market share from apple...snicker snicker. I built this system for 300 bucks....oh and google leopard system issues

[Shastafarian]

Maybe if you were using a Mac you would've realized this is the POLITICAL forum.

[AussieFanKurt]

Macs are overpriced pieces of shit who are bought only by people who want a fashion item rather than a good computer. I mean macs are higher priced and you get less on a cheaper PC

[The_Worlds_finest]

Maybe if you were using a Mac you would've realized this is the POLITICAL forum.

"Political Forum (16 Viewing)
Post about politics, news, government, religion and business."


:lmao

[AussieFanKurt]

So Macs control the person?

[cherylsteele]

So Macs control the person?
No, but it is a BUSINESS issue.

[Shastafarian]

The Geek Zone (15 Viewing)
Technology questions, computers, graphics, video games and anything else that geeks are interested in.


The OP has nothing to do with "business". It's an ad for an operating system. An ad that a person with down's could do better on.


W7 has reinvented the computer. It is EXTREMLY FAST and BEAUTIFUL!

:lol


Macs are overpriced pieces of shitThey're pricey yeah. But they'll last 10X longer than your Dell.

who are bought only by people who want a fashion item rather than a good computer.Let's say this was true (which it's not). Does it matter in the least if they are good computers (which they are)?

I mean macs are higher priced and you get less on a cheaper PCShow us. Price out two with identical specs.

[clambake]

i have both, and i prefer the imac.

no contest.

[Shastafarian]

i have both, and i prefer the imac.

no contest.

You must be a rich hippie who only knows his computer looks good.

[spursncowboys]

i have both, and i prefer the imac.

no contest.
So does Rush Limbaugh. You have something in common with the great El Rushbo.

[spursncowboys]

Ubuntu/Windows is the way to go.

[EmptyMan]

macs are for 19 yr old college freshman girls who have daddy buy them a nice shiny computer to boost their confidence.

[clambake]

macs are for 19 yr old college freshman girls who have daddy buy them a nice shiny computer to boost their confidence.

lucky girl.

[starboy]

macs are for 19 yr old college freshman girls who have daddy buy them a nice shiny computer to boost their confidence.

PCs are for broke ass poor people who need a computer to steal internet from their neighbor to check the status of their welfare check on the 30th.

[Shastafarian]

macs are for 19 yr old college freshman girls who have daddy buy them a nice shiny computer to boost their confidence.

And any industry that deals with image or video editing. But yeah, you're right.

[Cry Havoc]

Show us. Price out two with identical specs.

Laptop or desktop? Because I can do either, easily.


They're pricey yeah. But they'll last 10X longer than your Dell.

My dell laptop has now lasted for 3+ years. I'm not sure what good a 30 year old laptop is, but hey, more power to you. :toast

[Shastafarian]

Laptop or desktop? Because I can do either, easily.

If you can do either easily why didn't you just do both instead of announcing your awesomeness?

[clambake]

there appears to be some mac hate.

whats that about?

[Bukefal]

macs are for 19 yr old college freshman girls who have daddy buy them a nice shiny computer to boost their confidence.

:lol your comment sucks

[Cry Havoc]

If you can do either easily why didn't you just do both instead of announcing your awesomeness?

:lmao I was trying to simplify things.

But yeah, that's easy. The prices for Apple's laptops:

* 13-inch. Starts at $1199.
* 15-inch. Starts at $1699.
* 17-inch. Starts at $2499.

:lmao This discussion is over already, but I'll humor you.

The 13 inch Apple has TWO options.


Intel Core 2 Duo 2.26 Ghz
2GB Memory
160GB hard drive1
SD card slot
Built-in 7-hour battery
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics
Ships: Within 24hrs
Free Shipping
$1,199.00

A similarly speced laptop from dell is $700. Just over half the price. The only trade off is a slower video card.

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=dncwwa1&c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&kc=laptop-inspiron-13

Best Buy (who is notable for being overpriced themselves) has an entire PAGE of 13-14" laptops with superior specs to the above Apple laptop.

http://tinyurl.com/yh6sxoo

The most expensive laptop on the page is $400 cheaper than the Apple, and it includes a Blu-Ray drive, a superior processor (the T6600), TWO GIGS of video memory, a larger hard drive, and double the RAM of the Apple laptop.

Would you like me to continue with desktops? The disparity in price/performance is even more pronounced there, I assure you.

[Shastafarian]

My dell laptop has now lasted for 3+ years. I'm not sure what good a 30 year old laptop is, but hey, more power to you. :toast

:lol You own a dell

[Cry Havoc]

:lol You own a dell

Yep. I bought this laptop in the fall of 2006 with a 4 year full coverage complete care warranty.

1.83 Ghz Core Duo 2 processor.
2 GB of DDR2 RAM
100 GB 7200 RPM Hard Drive
256 MB Nvidia Geforce Go 7900 GPU
17" WUXGA Display @ 1920x1200
DVDRW+- Superdrive
Bluetooth, wifi, 6 USB ports, DVI, S-video out

My laptop is over 3 years old. It will run Crysis. Most Apple laptops that are being built NOW won't run Crysis (and adding the video card that WILL handle it will cost you several hundred dollars). This Dell is comparably nearly as fast as many laptops that are being produced today. It still runs perfectly and handles everything I throw at it. Again, a 3 year old laptop that is still very respectable from a system spec standpoint.

But yeah, don't let a little thing like facts and price/performance get in the way of thinking Apple is god's gift to computers. Laughing at someone because of the brand of computer they own. You're really doing your part to further the image of people who own Apple computers. :tu

[Shastafarian]

:lmao I was trying to simplify things.

But yeah, that's easy. The prices for Apple's laptops:

* 13-inch. Starts at $1199.
* 15-inch. Starts at $1699.
* 17-inch. Starts at $2499.

:lmao This discussion is over already, but I'll humor you.Those are for MacBook Pros. The base price for a MacBook is $999. But I guess I should just stop trying since the discussion is over already.


The 13 inch Apple has TWO options.I assume you're talking about chip options



Intel Core 2 Duo 2.26 Ghz
2GB Memory
160GB hard drive1
SD card slot
Built-in 7-hour battery
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics
Ships: Within 24hrs
Free Shipping
$1,199.00Or:

2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
2GB DDR3 memory
250GB hard drive1
8x double-layer SuperDrive
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics
Built-in 7-hour battery
Polycarbonate unibody enclosure
$999.00


A similarly speced laptop from dell is $700. Just over half the price. The only trade off is a slower video card.

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=dncwwa1&c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&kc=laptop-inspiron-13Thanks for linking to the generic Dell configure site.
I'll customize with the 2.1 GHz chip since it's closer to the 2.26 Mac offers. Dell doesn't even offer a DDR3 option and it's 800 MHz front side bus versus the Mac's standard 1066 MHz FSB. But hey, that's almost the same right?


Best Buy (who is notable for being overpriced themselves) has an entire PAGE of 13-14" laptops with superior specs to the above Apple laptop.

http://tinyurl.com/yh6sxooLike DDR2 and processors that aren't as good?


The most expensive laptop on the page is $400 cheaper than the Apple,$200

and it includes a Blu-Ray drive, a superior processor (the T6600), How is the T6600 superior?

TWO GIGS of video memory, a larger hard drive, and double the RAM of the Apple laptop.That's all well and good. Here's a complaint from someone who has that Sony at the bottom of the page:


Most annoying things for me are the USB ports. They are very loose and the slightest movement causes my hardware to become disconnected. I will upload a video sometime.

Battery doesn't fit snug and you can feel it move a little bit. Also battery life is about 2hours. Webcam quality isn't great. Sounds like a quality built machine.


Would you like me to continue with desktops? The disparity in price/performance is even more pronounced there, I assure you.
Yeah go for it.

[Shastafarian]

Yep. I bought this laptop in the fall of 2006 with a 4 year full coverage complete care warranty.Why would you need such an extravagant warranty for quality machines like Dell?


1.83 Ghz Core Duo 2 processor.
2 GB of DDR2 RAM
100 GB 7200 RPM Hard Drive
256 MB Nvidia Geforce Go 7900 GPU
17" WUXGA Display @ 1920x1200
DVDRW+- Superdrive
Bluetooth, wifi, 6 USB ports, S-video outSounds like a good computer. Too bad it's a Dell.


My laptop is over 3 years old.Oh so the day something breaks is fast approaching then. Good luck.

It will run Crysis. What the fuck is Crysis?

Most Apple laptops that are being built NOW won't run Crysis (and adding the video card that WILL handle it will cost you several hundred dollars). Ohhhh you're talking about a computer game aren't you?
This Dell is comparably nearly as fast as many laptops that are being produced today. Not really.

It still runs perfectly and handles everything I throw at it. I'm sure it loves all that porn.

Again, a 3 year old laptop that is still very respectable from a system spec standpoint. Are you saying Macs that are three years old don't work?


But yeah, don't let a little thing like facts and pricewhich you got wrong

performancewhich is debatable no matter how much jizz you got on your dell

get in the way of thinking Apple is god's gift to computers.
They're not. They're just overall better than most PCs being produced.

[MaNuMaNiAc]

I'm not as obsessed with this issue as Havoc seems to be, but Shasta, the overpriced issue is non debatable. Macs cost a lot more money for less powerful equipment. I spent $1500 building my machine and it would have cost me upwards of about $2500 to buy a similar iMac.

Now, I'm not in the "Mac's are just for show" camp. I'm studying Cinematography and Apple is pretty much the norm when it comes to video editing. Mac's are good products, but to try and argue that they don't charge you up the ass for them is beyond homerism.

[ElNono]

My laptop is over 3 years old. It will run Crysis. Most Apple laptops that are being built NOW won't run Crysis (and adding the video card that WILL handle it will cost you several hundred dollars). This Dell is comparably nearly as fast as many laptops that are being produced today. It still runs perfectly and handles everything I throw at it. Again, a 3 year old laptop that is still very respectable from a system spec standpoint.

I have a XBox 360 for games and a Mac Mini for anything else...
I used to have a PC with XP up until about 6 months ago, but I simply grew tired of fixing it instead of actually using it.
Typical example: New game comes up, requires new DirectX 10.2 video card. Go buy Radeon/GeForce for $200, plug it in, power supply is not good enough. Go buy new power supply that's noisy as shit and you have to clean up every 6 months because it's a dust black hole. Finally computer turns on, have to go get new drivers, which in turn force you to reinstall DirectX. Make note to check for new video drivers every 6 months, because odds are next game is going to be incompatible with older drivers.

The Mini I have I paid $600 brand new, and I bought and installed 4 gig of ram myself for dirt cheap. I also added an external USB2 drive for cheap too.
I get to reuse my 26" monitor, Microsoft mouse, and keyboard of my choice.
I turn it on, and it works. The external drive doubles a backup volume, which is seamless with Time Machine.

I love it. I get shit done. The system doesn't get in my way. And that really is the bottom line. When I want to play games, I turn on the XBox and play.

[Shastafarian]

I'm not as obsessed with this issue as Havoc seems to be, but Shasta, the overpriced issue is non debatable.Them being overpriced is debatable. Them being costly is not.

Macs cost a lot more money for less powerful equipment.I'd like to see these examples of more powerful computers.

I spent $1500 building my machine and it would have cost me upwards of about $2500 to buy a similar iMac.Are you sure the components were the same or even close?

[ElNono]

I'm not as obsessed with this issue as Havoc seems to be, but Shasta, the overpriced issue is non debatable. Macs cost a lot more money for less powerful equipment. I spent $1500 building my machine and it would have cost me upwards of about $2500 to buy a similar iMac.

Now, I'm not in the "Mac's are just for show" camp. I'm studying Cinematography and Apple is pretty much the norm when it comes to video editing. Mac's are good products, but to try and argue that they don't charge you up the ass for them is beyond homerism.

You have another problem, and that is that Mac products are severely overpriced in Argentina.
Apple equipment is a lot cheaper in the US.

[Shastafarian]

Ah that is something. Mac software is overpriced. Finally something everyone can agree on.

[Shastafarian]

I was gonna post something about enjoying not talking to someone in India when I need to call service. But then I realized I've never had to call service with my Mac.

[MaNuMaNiAc]

You have another problem, and that is that Mac products are severely overpriced in Argentina.
Apple equipment is a lot cheaper in the US.

I bought my entire computer in the states. I'm talking US prices. Fuck Argentina prices, my computer would cost around $2600 here.

[MaNuMaNiAc]

Them being overpriced is debatable. Them being costly is not.
I'd like to see these examples of more powerful computers.
Are you sure the components were the same or even close?

Yes, I'm sure. I spent a lot of time researching whether I should buy a PC or a Mac. Like I said, I study Cinematography, video editing is key for me. In the end, I decided an iMac wasn't worth the extra money it would cost me. I'm telling you, an iMac with similar specs as my comp cost $2500 at the time I was buying. Macs are overpriced, its NOT debatable. Whether you think its worth it to pay more for them is your prerogative.

By the way, the whole reliability angle is bullshit. I built my own computer and havent had any hardware issues so far. Mac hardware isn't necessarily more reliable.

EDIT: Actually, the Mac I was thinking of buying was a Mac Pro, not an iMac. My bad, not entirely well versed on the names of the apple models.

[ElNono]

Yes, I'm sure. I spent a lot of time researching whether I should buy a PC or a Mac. Like I said, I study Cinematography, video editing is key for me. In the end, I decided an iMac wasn't worth the extra money it would cost me. I'm telling you, an iMac with similar specs as my comp cost $2500 at the time I was buying. Macs are overpriced, its NOT debatable. Whether you think its worth it to pay more for them is your prerogative.

By the way, the whole reliability angle is bullshit. I built my own computer and havent had any hardware issues so far. Mac hardware isn't necessarily more reliable.

EDIT: Actually, the Mac I was thinking of buying was a Mac Pro, not an iMac. My bad, not entirely well versed on the names of the apple models.

A Mac Pro uses at the very least Quad Core Xeon Nehalem (Xeon 5500 series) processors... The CPU alone costs upwards of $1000. You're not comparing apples to apples (pun intended).
A brand new 21" iMac costs $1200. It's probably about a couple of hundred bucks more expensive than a similarly configured PC (if it's a cheap brand like Dell, or you put it together yourself) and competitive with other brands, like Sony.
I've used Macs and PC's for the past 20+ years, and I'll give you that Apple used to charge a lot more for hardware than other brands, but that's no longer the case since they switched to Intel chips. Prices are pretty competitive right now.

[clambake]

is this pc vs mac thing like crips vs bloods?

[PixelPusher]

is this pc vs mac thing like crips vs bloods?
Don't bring Limbaugh into this.

[clambake]

Don't bring Limbaugh into this.

i have to. apparently he owns both.......like me.

this is not good news.

[Drachen]

I have a XBox 360 for games and a Mac Mini for anything else...
I used to have a PC with XP up until about 6 months ago, but I simply grew tired of fixing it instead of actually using it.
Typical example: New game comes up, requires new DirectX 10.2 video card. Go buy Radeon/GeForce for $200, plug it in, power supply is not good enough. Go buy new power supply that's noisy as shit and you have to clean up every 6 months because it's a dust black hole. Finally computer turns on, have to go get new drivers, which in turn force you to reinstall DirectX. Make note to check for new video drivers every 6 months, because odds are next game is going to be incompatible with older drivers.

The Mini I have I paid $600 brand new, and I bought and installed 4 gig of ram myself for dirt cheap. I also added an external USB2 drive for cheap too.
I get to reuse my 26" monitor, Microsoft mouse, and keyboard of my choice.
I turn it on, and it works. The external drive doubles a backup volume, which is seamless with Time Machine.

I love it. I get shit done. The system doesn't get in my way. And that really is the bottom line. When I want to play games, I turn on the XBox and play.

Apples to Oranges, you compared a situation in which you power up your PC in order to play games, but when you try to compare a mac, you say that you don't need your mini to play games due to your xbox. Would you need to go through all the process of upgrading installing, etc with your PC laptop if you used your xbox to play games in that scenario? Or do you realize that using your PC to play games is superior to the xbox (and by the sounds of your scenario, your mac mini), but you don't want to go through the process of updating your system and therefore settle for lower overall quality of usage in your second scenario?

[ElNono]

Apples to Oranges, you compared a situation in which you power up your PC in order to play games, but when you try to compare a mac, you say that you don't need your mini to play games due to your xbox. Would you need to go through all the process of upgrading installing, etc with your PC laptop if you used your xbox to play games in that scenario? Or do you realize that using your PC to play games is superior to the xbox (and by the sounds of your scenario, your mac mini), but you don't want to go through the process of updating your system and therefore settle for lower overall quality of usage in your second scenario?

Actually, I ended up switching when my PC decided that it will only POST 1 out of 3 times. Antivirus, Firewall, Windows updates... They just get in the way of doing things...

The game example was merely to point out you don't need a PC to play games, and I would argue a modern console is actually more convenient...

[starboy]

Yes, I'm sure. I spent a lot of time researching whether I should buy a PC or a Mac. Like I said, I study Cinematography, video editing is key for me. In the end, I decided an iMac wasn't worth the extra money it would cost me. I'm telling you, an iMac with similar specs as my comp cost $2500 at the time I was buying. Macs are overpriced, its NOT debatable. Whether you think its worth it to pay more for them is your prerogative.

The problem with your argument is you assume the value of a computer should be based solely on it's internal components/specs.

This is false, of course, as there are other things that add/take away value to a computer:

Build Quality
Looks
Software
Ratings
Customer Service Ratings
...
I could go on and on.

The point is, just because a Computer A(Mac) costs more than Computer B(PC), with the same internal specs(CPU, HDD, Vid. Card etc), doesn't mean Computer A is overpriced since other factors tie into the value of a computer.

-For instance-

If
Computer A has better Software
Computer A looks better
Computer A has better technical and customer support
Computer A has historically lasted longer
Computer A has better build quality
Computer A will easily strike up a conversation with a girl with tight jeans in a metro coffee shop cafe
etc...

Doesn't it make sense computer A(Mac) would cost more?

[The_Worlds_finest]

Glad to see I got a little something started....

While at best buy looking for

World wide mega band Taintstick; First and last Album "6 pounds of sound". I thought to myself why not look at the new 27" imac. I will admit using the new heat sensing mouse was pretty nice, hopefully they dont own the patent on it, overall though wasnt impressed with the computer.

Sure it has its a very slick unibody design but is it worth the extra cash? I build my own computers. My current system; 4500 dual core, 4 gig ram, 9400GS 512 ram, 160 gig rom, decent Gigabyte MOBO cost me $300 dollars. (shame on me for not sending in the 50 dollars of rebates!). And yes if I did have the money to buy the $3,400 imac I want I probably would....BUT only to see what the hype is about and only after I built a windows based system of equal cost, which would ultimatly destory anything the mac community could throw at it

As for "virius, crashes, driver issues, hacking,....blah blah balh" I ran vista over a year with not ONE problem.

Win7 is amazing and for you mac people glad you found something you like aswell.

[The_Worlds_finest]

Computer A will easily strike up a conversation with a girl with tight jeans in a metro coffee shop cafe


you serious??? my god apple is clever with thier marketing...let me guess you deserve a mac right?

[starboy]

you serious??? my god apple is clever with thier marketing...let me guess you deserve a mac right?

It was obviously a joke.
But good job not catching it, that's pretty fantastic of you.


-business/economic question-

So does anyone think this is going to help Windows regain the Market-share it lost during the Vista Era?

[The_Worlds_finest]

I highly doubt it. But on the same token what did MS give up 2-3%

[ChumpDumper]

How much market share did Windows lose?

[The_Worlds_finest]

http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=5897

[ChumpDumper]

Macs definitely have their niche. I just like building my own machines too much to care about them. Low power consumption HTPCs are my favorite now. Thanks for that link if nothing else, TWF -- those new AMD CPUs look cool.

[The_Worlds_finest]

"According to netmarketshare.com, Windows XP has 71.51 percent of the operating system market, followed by Windows Vista at 18.62 percent. Lumping versions together, Windows has 92.77 percent, followed by Mac at 5.12 percent, with Linux coming in third at just under one percent. Judging by those numbers, the market share winner is easily Windows, or more specifically Windows XP."

http://tech.yahoo.com/news/pcworld/20091026/tc_pcworld/iswindows7thegreatestoseverletmecounttheways_1

[DarrinS]

I like Mac's and PC's, but I dislike the pompous asshats that constantly tout the superiority of Apple-branded products. They constantly bitch about how Gates ripped off some brilliant idea that was on the Mac "years ago" and pretend that Jobs and Wozniak didn't steal their OS ideas directly from the Xerox R&D dept.

[The_Worlds_finest]

is it 630 yet?

[koriwhat]

Macs are overpriced pieces of shit who are bought only by people who want a fashion item rather than a good computer. I mean macs are higher priced and you get less on a cheaper PC

you obviously know jack shit... next!

[ElNono]

I used to build my own PCs too until I got old, married and lazy. :lol
To me, if you know enough to put a PC together then you know enough about computers to know what you like or don't like (Mac, Windoze, Unix, etc). Whatever feels comfortable for you it's probably ok.

Anyways, back to Borderlands until the games start...

[EmptyMan]

PCs are for broke ass poor people who need a computer to steal internet from their neighbor to check the status of their welfare check on the 30th.

Broke ass people lol. You don't build wealth by paying 2-3x for overpriced technology. :wakeup

Apple has a monopoly on the Macbook pro.

I can piece together my desktop/laptop with ease from multiple sources for 50% cheaper and get twice the performance for my needs (non video editing). Not only that, but BECAUSE there is so much competition for PCs, I work a little magic and end up getting another 30-40% off my purchases :lmao

Walking into an Apple store is like walking into douchebag city.

Apple makes good LCDs and portable devices. Props to them for that. :toast

[starboy]

macs are for 19 yr old college freshman girls who have daddy buy them a nice shiny computer to boost their confidence.
PCs are for broke ass poor people who need a computer to steal internet from their neighbor to check the status of their welfare check on the 30th.

Broke ass people lol.

See it sounds stupid when you generalize, doesn't it?


Back on topic.

Agreeing with ChumpDumper, I believe Apple products are very Niche. Since in order to run OSX, you have to own an Apple, Mac OSX will never threaten windows until a. prices on apples come down, or b. mac osx can be ran on PCs.

I do however think the 2-3% marketshare windows lost during the vista age is gone for a long while, if not forever. Mainly because Macs last a while, and for a dumbass average consumer, I do believe Mac OSX is a better product than Windows(only using vista/XP as my basis, I've yet to give 7 a try). Most people who take the plunge and spend 1k on an apple laptop coming from XP/Vista are coming for a reason - the number one reason? They want something that isn't virus/spyware prone and is easier to use.* I'm sure windows 7 solves this problem, but it'll be a while until the people who converted will get a chance to see this. In fact, if you look at apple's new ad(you've said that before PC), it's already trying to pre-empt anyone trying to reason themselves into going back to windows for windows 7 for that specific reason(virus protection/ease of use)

*Note, I said General User, I will agree anyone who knows anything about computers won't be stupid enough to click on a popup that says "are you sure you want to download spywarezomfg.dll and spywarezoomfg.exe", but most people will.

[DarkReign]

Nerd Alert!

This conversation has been done before.

Argue semantics but the bottom line...

PCs cost less. PCs play games.

For my needs, these are my two selling points.

[Cry Havoc]

I do however think the 2-3% marketshare windows lost during the vista age is gone for a long while, if not forever. Mainly because Macs last a while, and for a dumbass average consumer, I do believe Mac OSX is a better product than Windows(only using vista/XP as my basis, I've yet to give 7 a try). Most people who take the plunge and spend 1k on an apple laptop coming from XP/Vista are coming for a reason - the number one reason? They want something that isn't virus/spyware prone and is easier to use.* I'm sure windows 7 solves this problem, but it'll be a while until the people who converted will get a chance to see this. In fact, if you look at apple's new ad(you've said that before PC), it's already trying to pre-empt anyone trying to reason themselves into going back to windows for windows 7 for that specific reason(virus protection/ease of use)

Actually, I'm of almost completely the opposite opinion. I would say that right now we are in the most perilous time for Apple branded computers. Note that this does not please me, in fact I would like nothing more than to see Apple grow a bit more in the market. Competition is always better for the consumer, even if you have to put up with people who laugh at you for your own personal preferences.

However, the emergence of the netbook has completely changed the way computers are being sold. You can debate whatever side of the issue you'd like that PCs > Apple or Apple > PCs. Customers are going to look at a $300 netbook and a $999 Apple, and do a little math. It's usually not going to work out in Apple's favor, especially considering how small and lightweight netbooks are.

The netbook has already begun to depress the price of laptops as well. You can now buy a fully equipped laptop for $400. That's incredible. As little as 5 years ago, a decent laptop was easily $1500, just to start out. Apple will not die out, because they have an established userbase, but they remind me very much of Nintendo -- slow to embrace new markets and formats (in Nintendos case, it took them 3 generations too long to finally figure out that DVDs are cheap to make) and reluctant to change their business model in a market that is increasingly competitive. It hurt Nintendo for a long time, and I think Apple's inability to foresee the emergence of the netbook as an amazingly perfect took for portability and usability could do serious damage to their long term computer sales. They will be fine, if for no other reason than the iPhone (which I'm using for internet on my laptop at this moment -- awesome) and iPod Touch, which probably saved the company.

For what it's worth, here is a picture of my Dell laptop, which is now about ~39 months old, not counting construction and shipping. I think it looks essentially like a brand new computer, and I take this thing everywhere with me.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v116/whisperingstorm/DellE1705.jpg

[Shastafarian]

Why did you take a picture of your laptop?

[Cry Havoc]

Why did you take a picture of your laptop?

Because "LOL I own a Dell."

39 months old, and still looks new. Runs like new. Will handle ANY game you can buy today. Runs Windows 7 absolutely flawlessly.

[Shastafarian]

Because "LOL I own a Dell."

39 months old, and still looks new. Runs like new. Will handle ANY game you can buy today. Runs Windows 7 absolutely flawlessly.

What does a still picture of a laptop tell us more than that the screen works?

[koriwhat]

netbooks are not going to kill apple at all!

netbooks are fuckin' lame unless you just want to check your email and in that case any phone to date can do that and more. netbooks can't run shit, are slow, and pretty damn useless imo. my mother owns a netbook and i hate that pos!

anyhow, back to the convo. you own a dell and laugh at me for owning a mac.... hahaha!

"should'a bought a dell dude!"
http://media.collegepublisher.com/media/paper949/stills/3db765db637c3-43-2.jpg

[koriwhat]

Walking into an Apple store is like walking into douchebag city.

the only thing i agree with here... i fuckin' hate the apple store, their employees, and the people who don't buy shit but act like they are going to.

fuckin' genius bar my ass! the dude couldn't even get my student discount right twice when i bought my mac. fuckin' loser!

[Shastafarian]

Something else we can all agree on. Mac stores are for d-bags.

[baseline bum]

the only thing i agree with here... i fuckin' hate the apple store, their employees, and the people who don't buy shit but act like they are going to.

fuckin' genius bar my ass! the dude couldn't even get my student discount right twice when i bought my mac. fuckin' loser!

I gotta disagree with that. When I bought my iPod a few years ago from the Apple Store it was the same price for a brand new 80GB video (I think it had been out about a week) as BestBuy, CircuitCity, and CompUSA (lol) were charging for 60GB videos.