PC notebook or macbook?

[athenaesword]

looking to get a lappie within the next month or so for college. was debating between sticking with pc or changing to mac.

some of my concerns.
1) software compatibility. (would i be able to use most of the stuff i do on PC on a mac). ie. acquiring the software shouldn't be an issue since.. ya know, we're on this forum
2) time to buy a macbook. it says on wiki that the montevina platform will release on july14. would macbooks with the new platform come immediately or would i have to wait a few more months? and based on previous trends, would it be at an affordable pricepoint compared to current gen macbooks? (if it's going to be alot more expensive than the current range of macbooks then there really isn't a point is there) I'm really not sure on this since I've previously never followed mac products.
3) overall "worth it" factor.

I know it's highly subjective, so don't bother bashing me on that point. I'll take what I can and then make a decision. I'm sick of mods on proper hardware forums dissing threads/posts cus of anti-piracy stands on software and such, which is why I decided to ask on here as well, even though it's not a dedicated hardware forum.

let the comments roll in.

[clocker]

Have you ever used a Mac before?
If not, is going to school and relearning computers something you want to do?

[athenaesword]

Have you ever used a Mac before?
If not, is going to school and relearning computers something you want to do?

yeah in 2000. It can't be THAT hard really. I'm not an IT idiot, and while relearning the OS might take awhile, I don't expect to get overloaded on first day of college

[clocker]

Just asking, like.
I've never tried a Mac so I have no clue how weird it might seem.

You might want to check what your school recommends.
My niece (just graduated) and nephew (third year) went to schools where they were issued laptops preloaded with the software the schools wanted them to use. This ensured that they had what they needed and there were no conflicts/incompatibilities.

Worth looking into anyway.

[Detale]

NO MAC NO MAC NO MAC. In case you missed it go with a PC you can get the same quality for WAY WAY less on the price, if you want to upgrade parts PC parts are way cheaper as well. Dude the only thing macs have going for them is that some of em are pretty but otherwise they are crap by comparison

[crackerjack]

I've tried a mac out, and I went back to PC. I felt like the Mac limited what I could do with it, even though it was faster in rendering graphics.

[tusks]

I'll break it down fairly simply -
Hardware: PC > Mac (in terms of price and durability)
Software/OS: If you buy a PC, you can't install OSX with 100% compatibility but you can have Windows or Linux distributions. If you buy a Mac, you can have OSX, Windows, and Linux.

In my opinion, OSX is a nice operating system but when you buy a mac book, you are really getting ripped off for the hardware you're buying. So unless you have some strong desire to use OSX, go with a PC so that you can save money and upgrade in the future.

[athenaesword]

did you guys miss the part where i said laptop? that more less reduces the chances of an internal upgrade of components to zilch. hmm the general consensus i'm getting from most users out there is to just get a windows lappie though.. hmm.

[Detale]

You may well want to upgrade the Ram or the HDD in the future but in general, Price is the biggest difference here

[athenaesword]

You may well want to upgrade the Ram or the HDD in the future but in general, Price is the biggest difference here

this's what i got from a moderator on a hardware forum:

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Being overpriced is a myth. Take a look at the specs and compare it.

The consumer grade Macs (iMac, MacBook - Nothing with the "Pro" moniker) are equally priced with the other counterpart. Add the fact that the comparisons isn't equal - OS X with iLife (bundled with new purchases) is equivalent to the Vista Ultimate (Home Premium comes close, but still loses out on many other corporate networking-related functionalities) package. So add in the cost of upgrading the OS on a Windows desktop.

Most people who accuse macs of being overpriced are living in the era of the 90s. It's no longer true, especially with the shift to the intel platform. IMO, these are the same people I won't bother to take advice from, since their knowledge is obviously dated.

When the Intel Mac Pros were released, spec-for-spec, they cost 50% cheaper than the then-cheapest in the market - the Dell PowerEdge servers... I think that says a lot.
***********
anyway, ram and hdd on the macs are upgradeable as well. @ detale, may i inquire if u're refering to specific prices? cus generalyl what i see online, the macs are only slightly more expensive than the windows laptops, for reputable brands that is. maybe you can direct me to some proper comparison?