I'm 13 years old, and i need a new laptop.. Mac or PC?

Question

I have to save the money myself. but if it takes awhile to save for it, that's alright as long as it is a good laptop.
If you know which pc or mac i should get please tell me.
Thanks!

Answer 1

I would get a PC and save your money, read below..

PC=Variety of specs, options, quality, prices, vendors, support

Mac=One vendor, limited options, still more expensive. Look below for more information..



Today, Macs use a subset of PC hardware. Why spend extra to get the same CPU chips, graphics cards and OS X isn't as secure as you think..



Don't believe the lies that Macs are better than PCs at graphics/animation.. Dreamworks Animation http://www.dreamworksanimation.com/ under studio click on Technology of Animation, an independent film maker I know uses PCs, a graphic artist I used to know uses PCs also.



A number of PCs can also run OS X (Mac OS) http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=os+x+on+pc&btnG=Google+Search&aq=0&oq=os+x+on+ as well just that Apple makes it illegal in order to get Market share.. The reason why Mac can run native Windows is because it is using a subset of PC hardware,



If you decide to buy a Mac for running Windows, you will still have to get the same virus/spyware protection, and run into the same issues as a regular PC.



Now is a Mac worth buying for OS X?



I say: NO... for the following reasons...



ADVANTAGES WINDOWS :

Aprox 90% of the market is Windows and most PCs have windows already pre-installed.

1) Some websites require Internet Explorer, to run IE on Mac you really get ies4osx which is the Windows version of IE running really buggy and illegal if you don't have a legitimate copy of Windows.

2) Supports more devices (printers and other things you hook into the computer).

3) More business software/games

4) Want the dock on OS X (Mac)? google/yahoo rocketdock, objectdoc.

5) Used by businesses.



ADVANTAGES LINUX :

1) FREE (most versions are)

2) Install software by either 1) Synaptic Package Manager, 2) Add/Remove 3) Opening a .deb or .rpm file (depending on distribution)

2) Like the Mac OS X effects? go yahoo/google COMPIZ FUSION which can do any cool effect a Mac can do and many ore....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4Fbk52Mk1w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3gkX9HDfEE (there is no flickering when you use it like on the video, not sure why the person has the flicker)

3) Mac OS X Doc? google/yahoo Avant Window Navigator.Cairo Dock, http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3rf5q_cairo-dock-mac-os-x-leopard-dock-on_tech

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0hzi22g2DE

4) It is FASTER/MORE SECURE to surf on the internet

5) Some Windows programs work with Wnehq/Crossover (also avail on Mac, but why pay $$$)



Instructions how to download, burn and boot http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/use-ubuntu-live-cd-to-backup-files-from-your-dead-windows-computer/

Dual Boot Instructions http://apcmag.com/how_to_dual_boot_windows_xp_and_linux_xp_installed_first.htm



SECURITY

Mac OS X was hacked in 2006 less than 30 minutes, and within 2 minutes in a contest in 2008, and within 10 seconds in 2009. In 2008, Linux and Vista were not hacked until another day when restrictions were lowered. Vista was next, and then Linux. In 2009 Windows 7 fell shortly after the Mac but Linux was unscathed.

Macs are standardized with Cameras, if your Mac gets hacked, the hacker can turn on your camera with more ease.

Please Note: All OS's have vulnerabilities.

http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/security/soa/Mac-OS-X-hacked-under-30-minutes/0,130061744,139241748,00.htm

http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/03/27/Gone-in-2-minutes-Mac-gets-hacked-first-in-contest_1.html

http://www.infoworld.com/article/09/03/19/Researcher_cracks_Mac_in_10_seconds_1.html

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-Finds-Irony-in-Mac-OS-X-Getting-Hacked-Before-Vista-SP1-82135.shtml





VIRUSES

Mac OS X has viruses (and significantly on the rise), a friend of mine has a virused Mac. As more users use Macs, more viruses will come out for it. Especially when users think "they are safe".

http://infosecurity.us/?p=4005

http://blogs.chron.com/techblog/archives/2008/07/malware_authors_take_aim_at_growing_number_of_1.html

http://www.macsimumnews.com/index.php/archive/poll_have_you_noticed_an_increase_in_malware_viruses_etc_on_your_mac/



QUALITY/PROBLEMS

Contrary to belief, Macs are not better quality. Apple also has been changing suppliers to try to "lower the price" and thus lowering quality. Even with the lower prices, Macs still cost more, they spend a higher percent of budget trying to make it look pretty, and marketing.



Sample of problems: Overheating Macbooks, OS X- not responding to keyboard, some units with 16bit screens, etc. Apple statistics are misleading since Mac users with problem machines are more likely to go out and buy a new computer than PC users. Apple is lowering prices which means you can expect lower quality than in the past. Apple had switched the manufacturers producing parts. OS X also has problems slowing down.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-10020263-17.html

http://www.tuaw.com/2008/08/01/apples-quality-dwindling-my-macbook-pro-sob-story/

http://www.appledefects.com/

http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/os-x-operating-system/107748-mac-os-leopard-running-slow.html



Repairs are more expensive than PCs since the IMac, Mac Mini are compact units, and Apple charges a premium for their services. Some repairs can be done by another repair service but the compact design of the computer causes problems.

With an IMac, if the problem is with the monitor, the whole computer would have to be brought in.

IMac and Mac mini lack expansion.



PRICE (snapshot taken 1-2 years ago but still holds true today)

A similar equipped PC is much cheaper to purchase than Mac. Lets use Dell (but you can compare with another PC Brand if you like)



**(LAPTOP)

Dell Inspiron Laptop $849 dropped to $799

15" Screen

CPU: (upgrade to) 2.1GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

Graphics: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100

Memory: 3GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM

Hard Drive: 320GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm

Optical Drive: Blu-ray Disc Combo (DVD+/-RW + BD-ROM) - WRITES DVDS,CDS, READS Blue-Ray Disks



Macbook $1349 just dropped to $1224

13" Screen (SMALLER)

CPU: 2.1GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (SAME)

Graphics: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 (SAME)

Memory: (upgrade to) 2GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (LESS RAM)

Hard Drive (upgrade to) 250GBSerial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm (SMALLER HARD DRIVE)

Optical Drive: (DVD-ROM/CD-RW) - (Writes CDs, DVDs, cannot read Blue-Ray) (WORSE AND 1/2 SPEED)

http://www.dell.com/content/products/results.aspx/notebooks?c=us&cs=19&dt=SmallGrid&l=en&s=dhs&~ck=mn#subcats=&navla=55103~0~857204&navidc=Processor&navValc=Intel%20Core%202%20Duo&a=55103~0~857204

http://store.apple.com/us/configure/MB402LL/B?mco=MTkzOTI0Nw



**(DESKTOP)



PLEASE NOTE: I compare Apple Mac's vs Dells best deal. If you really want an all-in one the Dell all-in-one has more ram, wireless keyboard and mouse and equivalent to $400 for free making the Imac still more expensive when you matching specs. Personally I don't think the All-in-Ones are a good choice, and consider them overpriced, lack expandability and repairs both more expensive and require the entire computer.



PS: Apple knows that they need to make Macintosh look different than PC so all Macs except the Mac Pro will not have a tower option. Apple's low end lacks expandability but it makes the Mac "look different", if Mac had a tower for low-end, more people would realize the similarities between the two.



Dell: (At The Moment) Specs Below costs $809

CPU: 2.4 GHZ Dell Inspiron QUAD (4 Processor) CORE

SCREEN: 20inch Screen

MEMORY: 3GB Ram

HARD DRIVE: 500 GB hard Drive

OPTICAL DRIVE: 16x DVD/CD Read/Writer

GRAPHICS: (upgrade to ) ATI Radeon HD 2400 PRO 128MB



The Mac Mini since it has no monitor, keyboard, mouse, very skimpy on options and setup and is not the best deal... The IMac is better price than the Mac Mini.



IMac ($1400)

CPU: 2.4 GHZ DUAL (2 Processor) CORE (SLOWER CPU)

SCREEN: 20inch Screen

MEMORY: (upgrade to) 2GB Ram (LESS RAM)

HARD DRIVE: (upgrade to ) 500 GB hard Drive

OPTICAL DRIVE: 8x DVD Reader/Writer (1/2 speed)

GRAPHICS: ATI Radeon HD 2400 PRO 128MB

http://www.dell.com/content/products/results.aspx/desktops?c=us&cs=19&dt=SmallGrid&l=en&s=dhs&~ck=mn#subcats=&navla=55103~0~861680&navidc=Processor&navValc=Intel%20Core%202%20Extreme&a=55103~0~861680,55103~0~861681,55103~0~857204&page=1

http://store.apple.com/us/configure/MB323LL/A?mco=NzMyNjMy



Equivalents to ILife

http://www.jakeludington.com/ask_jake/20070830_ilife_for_windows.html

http://www.xsellize.com/showthread.php?t=20518



LINUX INFO:

http://distrowatch.com/

http://polishlinux.org/

http://www.desktoplinux.com/

http://polishlinux.org/

http://www.ubuntu.com/



http://www.kubuntu.org/

http://www.freespire.org/

http://www.pclinuxos.com/

http://xwinman.org/gnome.php

http://xwinman.org/kde.php

http://www.linuxalt.com/

http://screencasts.ubuntu.com/

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SwitchingToUbuntu/FromMacOSX

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SwitchingToUbuntu/FromWindows

http://www.linuxfoundation.org/en/OpenPrinting/

Answer 2

Even though a Mac is more money, it will last you longer and it wont get slow over time like PCs. My mac im using is about 3 years old and is still just as fast as the day i bought , still faster than most PC laptops today. Now that is Value for money!



- They Come with loads of free software that PCs don't. (iPhoto, iMovie, Garage Band, iDVD, iWork etc)



- Doesn't get PC viruses.



- Very reliable (my mac hasn't crashed in 2 years).



- Far better operating system - easier to use, more features (Microsoft always copies apples ideas)



- 3 months of free phone support.



- Although people say you can get a better spec PC for less, a mac will still run faster than a PC with higher specs because the Mac OS is far more efficient, and this means better battery life too. (I get 5 hours battery life running Mac OSX, 2 hours running Windows on the same machine).



They also look very stylish, very light, long battery life



You will find this link very useful in your decision:

http://www.apple.com/getamac/whymac/



Please don't listen to the people who tell you that Windows is better, they are probably too poor to ever experience a Mac, and/or they are jealous of the people that own them! I have a 17" Macbook Pro and all my friends at University are very jealous!



This is the one I would recomend for you:

http://www.apple.com/macbook

Answer 3

Pc, definitely.

I'm 14 and I recently got myself a laptop.



I don't know what your budget is, but I got mine for about $1100.

You can go to Dell and look at the Inspiron 15.

With the following specifications, it's about $1150, and I can tell you it'll be fast.



(If you want to stay in the same boat as the next block of text, you might want to go to the Dell website and start customizing an Inspiron 15.)



Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 or higher, if available. But that's the one I got.



Operating System: If you're looking for playing a lot of games from disks, you'll want to stick with Vista Home Premium 32-bit. NOT 64-bit.



Persoanlly, for mostly school purposes, I think you'll want Microsoft Office 2007 Home and Student Edition. If you already have that on another computer in the same house, you may not want to get it. It adds about $150 to the total, more than most of the other components.



The default color is black, but you can pick a lot of other colors for $40.



There's two options for the display; I don't know a difference, but I went with the second one. It only added $25 anyway.



Memory: Right now, I only see the option of 4 gigs.



Hard Drive: You can get either 320 gigs or 500 gigs.

I got the 320 gigs; it should last a while. But if you store several movies or hundreds of pictures, you might want to get the 500 gigs.



Video Card: When I bought it, the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator was the only option. But now another one is available. If you're looking to play brand-new, graphic intensive games you might want to get the ATI Radaeon video card.



Internal Optical Drive: Stick with the default.



You might want to get the 9-cell battery. I haven't personally tested the limits of the batttery, but it's probably not more than 2 hours. You'll probably want the 9-cell.



If there's an internet connection device in your house, you can stick with the default option for the Wireless Card.



Bluetooth: If you have a cell phone with Bluetooth, you should get Bluetooth.



Integrated Webcam: Get the webcam, but not the facial recognition software. It can disrupt other processes that use the webcam, plus it's slow-loading.



Sound Options: The default works just fine.



If you have any printer in your house, you can save big bucks by not getting another one.



Security Software: It comes by default with McAfee,but you can switch to Norton for free. I use Avast Antivirus Free, and it seems to do everything you really need from antivirus protection....



Top Selling Software and Datasafe online backup are for you to worry about, because I didn't.



If you're keeping it in your house, you can skip the carrying case.



Mouse: Just don't get the Logitech V470 mouse if you didn't get Bluetooth.



External monitors are expensive, so you can skip them...



I personally skipped to....



Power Protection: You should get the Belkin 2-Outlet surge protector. The last thing you want is your laptop irreparably damaged from a power surge.



Skip some more...



Storage: You may or may not want to use an 8 gigabyte Flash drive.



The next tab is entertainment. I personally didn't get anything for here. Keep in mind that any movies you get with it are not on separate disks; they are saved right on the computer.



And there you have it. For me that came to $1078. (If you get it, make sure you get it when one of those deals are active, preferably one that subtracts $200 or more.) (Okay, I just noticed that the $1078 is from a deal active RIGHT NOW that subtracts $219. So don't buy it when there's no sale.)



Hope that helps...

Answer 4

PC. Macs are RIDICULOUSLY overpriced. I read a good comment elsewhere on Yahoo Answers the other day about this debate...



"People who buy Macs pay more than they would for PCs and do so just to show off, but in reality they are getting an inferior computer."



In short, you can get a PC with MUCH better components for far less money.

Answer 5

PC. I suggest a Dell. Yes slightly more expensive but they have a great warrenty plan and I have always been satisfied by their customer service.



HP has always dissappointed me. in the 7 years I have gone through a lexmark printer, a HP printer, a HP scanner, a HP 3in1 Scanner, printer, and photocopier, a HP hardrive, and a lexmark 4 in 1 printer, photo copier, scanner and fax machine. The lexmark product are still working, HP isnt. dont buy an HP computer.



If you don't go for a Dell, I suggest IBM. It was my first computer and still works almost 9 years later and one of my buddies works for them and suggested it to my cousin and hes happy with it.



Finally DON'T buy a Mac. They were on the verge of bankrupcty. They bought software off Windows for 30,000$ and created the Ipod and thats what saved their butt. their computer is good for media and thats bout it. add the time it takes to learn how to use a Mac and its not worth it.



I have a diploma in computer programming and analyst just for stability.

Answer 6

a mac defiantly!



im using my mac now btw!



macs dont get viruses and its way more secure than a pc..



it comes down to the price every time someone is looking for a laptop...



when you get a mac i promise you, you wont return to a pc....



steve jobs>bill gates

Answer 7

pc

Answer 8

PC because they cost less.

Answer 9

well the computer I am on is a MAAAAAC.

MAC>PC



BUY A MAC! You will not regret it.