satellitebeach
New Member
I am going to go ahead and apologize in advance because I'm sure you guys are bothered with questions like this all the time but I am just trying to do my homework before making a significant purchase and I appreciate you taking the time to read this.
I am in my early 30's and have a pretty good job. I have always kind of relied on my computers that have been given to me through work as my computers but I have a lot of music and companies tend to frown on you filling up their machines with your music and pictures. I have been relying on hand-me-down computers from family as my home machines for quite some time. In fact I am typing this message on a 2003 Gateway desktop that my dad gave me and it still has a floppy disk drive lol. I also have a Dell Inspiron laptop that I bought for around $1000 back in 2005 or 2006. Both of these computers take 10+ minutes to boot up and really just don't have the horsepower I need to do the types of things I need. I can't even update my GPS with them because they are so slow. I've tried cleaning the disks, defrags, etc but I think it is just time to buy a big boy computer. What I did not like about the Dell laptop is how bulky it is, the time you have to wait for it to boot up, and the number of programs that Dell loaded on it before it even left the factory, that I didn't ask for, don't want, don't use, and the amount of time it takes to get rid of them to free up space. I am constantly battling viruses and trojans with my Windows machines and if I open the processes running at any given time, I have no idea which of the 200 processes (just throwing a number out there) running need to be there and which don't. I'm not going to google each one of them to find out either. I spent over $1000 on a Dell computer that I only use for managing my music, browsing the internet, and MS Office functions and here I am 6 years later and can barely browse the internet on it because it is so slow. I know that people say that Macs are less likely to be targeted for viruses but do Mac users see the same decrease in performance over the years? I understand that Macs are more expensive but if they still function properly 6 years after you buy them and you don't have to spend $100/year on virus protection software then I could see a Mac being worth the money. I have been spoiled by the "instant on" feature of my girlfriend's iPad and I feel like I use it on the couch in many instances where I would not want to break out my bulky laptop but I wouldn't want to type anything more than a few lines on the iPad because I am not quite use to typing on it. I love the attention to detail, instant boot up of my iPhone and her iPad but would like to know more about how Mac computers hold up over the years before investing in one. As I mentioned above, I have not had good luck with PC's maintaining their speed and functionality for more than 3-4 years. I have also noticed that Mac does a good job at seemlessly integrating their devices (ipads, iphones, etc) and that is attractive. However, I have also heard that Windows 7 machines boot up over 50% faster than XP did and I know that they cost much less than Apple products. I would want at least a 13" screen and know that MacBook Airs with the 128GB SSD is around $1200 and the one with the 256GB SSD is around $1500. When I look at the Windows-based ultrabooks, some are slightly cheaper but not by much. The Samsung Series 9 ultrabook, that is supposed to be the Air's closest competitor, is over $1400 with the 128GB SSD. If a MacBook Air or Ultrabook can have the instant on capability and portability of an iPad, so I don't have to buy an iPad, then it might be worth the price to have the benefits of a laptop and a tablet in one device. If a Mac maintains the integrity of its performance over time and you are not in a constant battle with viruses, then that could also make it worth the price. I can't say that I have had amazing experiences with my Windows machines maintaining their performance over time and Dell seems to load their computers up with all these junk programs that I have no use for and have to spend time getting rid of. I want something fast, portable, and reliable for years to come. When it comes to the MacBook Air and Ultrabooks, if I am going from a 2003 Gateway desktop with 75GB of disk space and an Intel Pentium 4 processor, do I really need the 256 SSD or will I be fine with the 128 SSD? There is a big price difference. I want this computer to be able to last me for quite a while. I don't do any gaming and I have never been into video editing. I struggle with buying expensive things for myself and want to make sure that I have all my bases covered. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
I am in my early 30's and have a pretty good job. I have always kind of relied on my computers that have been given to me through work as my computers but I have a lot of music and companies tend to frown on you filling up their machines with your music and pictures. I have been relying on hand-me-down computers from family as my home machines for quite some time. In fact I am typing this message on a 2003 Gateway desktop that my dad gave me and it still has a floppy disk drive lol. I also have a Dell Inspiron laptop that I bought for around $1000 back in 2005 or 2006. Both of these computers take 10+ minutes to boot up and really just don't have the horsepower I need to do the types of things I need. I can't even update my GPS with them because they are so slow. I've tried cleaning the disks, defrags, etc but I think it is just time to buy a big boy computer. What I did not like about the Dell laptop is how bulky it is, the time you have to wait for it to boot up, and the number of programs that Dell loaded on it before it even left the factory, that I didn't ask for, don't want, don't use, and the amount of time it takes to get rid of them to free up space. I am constantly battling viruses and trojans with my Windows machines and if I open the processes running at any given time, I have no idea which of the 200 processes (just throwing a number out there) running need to be there and which don't. I'm not going to google each one of them to find out either. I spent over $1000 on a Dell computer that I only use for managing my music, browsing the internet, and MS Office functions and here I am 6 years later and can barely browse the internet on it because it is so slow. I know that people say that Macs are less likely to be targeted for viruses but do Mac users see the same decrease in performance over the years? I understand that Macs are more expensive but if they still function properly 6 years after you buy them and you don't have to spend $100/year on virus protection software then I could see a Mac being worth the money. I have been spoiled by the "instant on" feature of my girlfriend's iPad and I feel like I use it on the couch in many instances where I would not want to break out my bulky laptop but I wouldn't want to type anything more than a few lines on the iPad because I am not quite use to typing on it. I love the attention to detail, instant boot up of my iPhone and her iPad but would like to know more about how Mac computers hold up over the years before investing in one. As I mentioned above, I have not had good luck with PC's maintaining their speed and functionality for more than 3-4 years. I have also noticed that Mac does a good job at seemlessly integrating their devices (ipads, iphones, etc) and that is attractive. However, I have also heard that Windows 7 machines boot up over 50% faster than XP did and I know that they cost much less than Apple products. I would want at least a 13" screen and know that MacBook Airs with the 128GB SSD is around $1200 and the one with the 256GB SSD is around $1500. When I look at the Windows-based ultrabooks, some are slightly cheaper but not by much. The Samsung Series 9 ultrabook, that is supposed to be the Air's closest competitor, is over $1400 with the 128GB SSD. If a MacBook Air or Ultrabook can have the instant on capability and portability of an iPad, so I don't have to buy an iPad, then it might be worth the price to have the benefits of a laptop and a tablet in one device. If a Mac maintains the integrity of its performance over time and you are not in a constant battle with viruses, then that could also make it worth the price. I can't say that I have had amazing experiences with my Windows machines maintaining their performance over time and Dell seems to load their computers up with all these junk programs that I have no use for and have to spend time getting rid of. I want something fast, portable, and reliable for years to come. When it comes to the MacBook Air and Ultrabooks, if I am going from a 2003 Gateway desktop with 75GB of disk space and an Intel Pentium 4 processor, do I really need the 256 SSD or will I be fine with the 128 SSD? There is a big price difference. I want this computer to be able to last me for quite a while. I don't do any gaming and I have never been into video editing. I struggle with buying expensive things for myself and want to make sure that I have all my bases covered. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
