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Adhesive wrote:My Japanese father-in-law needs a laptop.
Kuang_Grade wrote:I never had good luck even just upgrading OS on laptops let alone installing a new one...it always struck me that laptops often had funky drivers that made making big changes an 'adventure'...
gboothe wrote:I would really, really, recommend you get him a Mac. The set up, connections and everything is so much simpler for a beginner on a Mac than a windoze outfit,
FG Lurker wrote:It may be true that if someone knows nothing about either system then the Mac is easier to learn. However since Adhesive is likely going to have to support this machine it makes sense for him to buy what he knows and can support easily over the phone.
Adhesive wrote:Can I get a decent Mac for under $400?
Charles wrote:Sure. A used G4 MacBook or a Mac Mini can be had for about that price, it won't be the fastest Mac around, but it will still run the latest OS versions (even the upcoming 10.5) and have all the necessary features (like WiFi). Your in-law won't notice it's slow if he's never used a computer before.
Just make sure you get a Mac with Airport and extra RAM. Fortunately RAM is cheap for the older models.
Adhesive wrote:He's already crapping his pants that I'm about to buy a used car for the family, I don't think I would be able to slip a used laptop past him. Besides, I've always assumed laptops were one of the worst possible things to buy used, considering the likelyhood of them being abused and all.
Charles wrote:Well, it depends of course, but I wouldn't be surprised if you could find a used MacBook in almost new condition, lots of people use them as desktops and they never go anywhere and never get beat up.
Looks like new Minis start at $599, although you might find new old stock of the previous generation Mini for less. Of course you still need to add a display, mouse and keyboard. Personally, I think you'd be better off getting a computer newbie relative a Mac, since you will end up being their tech support, and will be responsible for cleaning up all their PC viruses and malware. Macs don't have those problems, it would be worth the extra cost just for YOUR peace of mind. Another thing to note: you can remotely administer Macs with freeware apps like VNC, even from a PC, so you don't have to run over to fix things all the time.
Charles wrote:will be responsible for cleaning up all their PC viruses and malware. Macs don't have those problems, it would be worth the extra cost just for YOUR peace of mind.
Charles wrote:Another thing to note: you can remotely administer Macs with freeware apps like VNC, even from a PC, so you don't have to run over to fix things all the time.
Adhesive wrote:Can I get a decent Mac for under $400?
Adhesive wrote:I hear you on the virus clean-up. My parents already have me on-call 24/7, I'd hate to imagine the mess my father-in-law would get himself into with a PC.
However, as much as I would like to eventually switch over to the Mac OS, I just don't feel comfortable having my first venture into Macworld be with my father-in-law's computer. A PC may be problem-prone, but I have never ran into one that I couldn't fix myself. My wife's Japanese friend came to visit recently with a powerbook and when it failed to power on I was clueless as to what the problem could be. I had to call friends who eventually told me that the powerbooks had a problem with the wires within the hinge of the unit getting pinched. I'm not sure I want to invest that much time into learning the Mac in order to adequately support the FIL. Although, I admit it's tempting.
IkemenTommy wrote:Mac is way overrated. I am assuming that your father-in-law has almost no computer knowledge or not going to be doing any hardcore 3D/animation/music/video/photo editing with this. I would just stick with something more practical like Windows.
gboothe wrote:Tommy! You kid me not! I can bring my Macbook pro or Macbook to your place, setting it on automatic, plug into the wall and your cable hook up and go. What could be simpler?
Can you do that with a windows machine? Don't do the old soft shoe on me now, you would not have to make any sette or adjustments on a windows machine coming to your place to plug in for the first time?
This from me who has family that are major players for Microsoft! I'm just saying what I think Mac is easier for a beginner!
IkemenTommy wrote:Apple Corp is no longer a company that makes computers. They are mostly about music and phones. Wait, the phone is also a music player spin-off. When will people start realizing that?
Charles wrote:Microsoft is totally clueless about this, and Vista is already a notorious failure.
gboothe wrote:I can bring my Macbook pro or Macbook to your place, setting it on automatic, plug into the wall and your cable hook up and go. What could be simpler?
Can you do that with a windows machine? Don't do the old soft shoe on me now, you would not have to make any sette or adjustments on a windows machine coming to your place to plug in for the first time?
Charles wrote:Apple is a software company that makes its money by selling it on their own hardware. This goes for iPods as well as iPhones. The iPhone runs MacOS X and the iPods are rumored to also be converting to MacOS X.
If Apple no longer makes computers, they sure do a good job at operating systems. The future is not Vista/MSOffice, it is ubiquitous computing devices in a rich media environment. Microsoft is totally clueless about this, and Vista is already a notorious failure.
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