Heh i would rather that than apples recent 'customer service'. Wanted me to travel 200 miles to the nearest genius bar failing that i had to give them by debit or credit card the value of the item needing replaced until they received the old broken item back. Give me Rodger who will come to my home any day lol
It only took Dell's roger a year to get a relative's Dell on the internet.
CPU, chipsets and the like found in macs are the same found in any other computer so really the only thing built better maybe on a mac is the case. Personally i would never choose them for PC parts if i was to self build.
There is also the design and the assembly. Not small items, plus the software and OS.
It only took Dell's roger a year to get a relative's Dell on the internet.
No it didn't. Nothing can be that wrong with any computer that can take a year to sort.
Never think it might be the relative who was at fault? That makes more sense than a machine refusing to connect for a year.
200 miles, do you live in Greenland?
It's a 5 minute walk from my daughter's uni
Good for her. No, im in Scotland but its not exactly small and being there are only 3 apple shops in the whole of Scotland, doesnt exactly cover all areas!
Must be why Dell service is in the cellar for customer satisfaction. My Macs get fixed on the spot.
In the cellar?
I get Ireland, Scotland or the US.
Really? I got india twice then ireland when i kicked up a fuss about their shocking customer service
Apple has the high paid experienced workers whereas Dell gets the ones working for peanuts.
What's that got to do with apple macs and macbooks being made by Foxconn who are notorious for being cheap.
There is also the design and the assembly. Not small items, plus the software and OS.
The design of the case and the assembly do not make the item work any better since the component parts which do make it work are the same as any other OEM machine.
The software and OS, well that's entirely up to the individual to decide which is best for them
Spec wars are great for gamers. I know, I game on the pc.
But I also know regular hardware is good enough for most folks, and what matters is not their gpu/gzh figures, but what can they actually do with their system. Apple software suites make what many folks want to do with their computers easily possible. You can't argue with that.
What you can do with a machine productively is completely ignored much of the time. Gaming or posting on ds...not exactly things you'd list to be proud of;) You can write apps or do other work on any machine, multimedia creation with apples software suites is also productive stuff.
Is Apple software simpler to use? Windows ain't rocket science.
You are spot on about productivity being ignored. How many of us use something like Word on a regular basis and in reality perhaps only use or indeed know 5% of what it can really do. For that matter how many of us have machines that are OTT for what we need. 03:45 and I'm sitting in bed writing this using a wireless keyboard/mouse and an 'old' AMD Sempron 3000+ base unit plugged into the telly, perfect setup for surfing the net and streaming films from my main PC but with a resale value of maybe £50.
Downstairs I've got a nice quad core with 8Gb of ram and 6 TB of hard drive space and while its great and very fast/smooth for working on things like my old home videos in reality its main advantage for me over the Sempron is that Sims 3 runs better... to make matters worse I've no doubt I will upgrade again this year for no real reason:(
We can all be slaves to some form of self indulgence.
As an oldie PC user I remember games coming on disk about 300k in data, blooming games my lad plays takes gigabytes of downloads to run:eek:
If the OP hasn't been frightened off by all the usual half-witted fanboy nonsense, a simple question will help make things clearer:
Is there a specific reason why the organisation requires an Apple (i.e. less malware to worry about)? Or is it a vague reason (i.e. someone in the organisation said that a Mac would be needed for art & design use)?
It has become a little bit scary, hasn't it!
Just to confirm...
This is not a wind up. And it is not public money. My youth club runs on minimum funding and the generosity of volunteers. As a tax payer myself I would question the use of money in this way when people, including my husband, are losing their jobs!
I was offered an apple, plus a training course on how to make full use of it, as the people involved know how much art and design work I do with the young people. I am really grateful for all the advice (I had never heard of alienware!) and I will be asking if we can look at other options.
It really has to be a portable device as we use different venues. It would also be handy for me to take to the other club that I work at so that I can do the club admin.
The young people will be supervised on it but I have no worries there. They look after the clubs equipment as they know things are unlikely to be replaced. Despite it being in a deprived area I have never had anything deliberately broken or stolen.
Thank you to everyone for your help. I really appreciate it.
This is not a wind up. And it is not public money. My youth club runs on minimum funding and the generosity of volunteers. As a tax payer myself I would question the use of money in this way when people, including my husband, are losing their jobs!
I was offered an apple, plus a training course on how to make full use of it, as the people involved know how much art and design work I do with the young people. I am really grateful for all the advice (I had never heard of alienware!) and I will be asking if we can look at other options.
It really has to be a portable device as we use different venues. It would also be handy for me to take to the other club that I work at so that I can do the club admin.
The young people will be supervised on it but I have no worries there. They look after the clubs equipment as they know things are unlikely to be replaced. Despite it being in a deprived area I have never had anything deliberately broken or stolen.
Thank you to everyone for your help. I really appreciate it.
Welcome back While I have nothing against Apple laptops and have one myself. In your situation, I personally would get 2 Windows laptops (for the price of 1 Apple) and have the ability for more then one person to work at a time. Seems a better use of resources, unless there is a real compelling reason why you particularly have to have an Apple.
Anyway hope you get something that suits your club's requirements and get many years of use out of it
Welcome back While I have nothing against Apple laptops and have one myself. In your situation, I personally would get 2 Windows laptops (for the price of 1 Apple) and have the ability for more then one person to work at a time. Seems a better use of resources, unless there is a real compelling reason why you particularly have to have an Apple.
Anyway hope you get something that suits your club's requirements and get many years of use out of it
Thank you, although I'm possibly even more undecided now!
You say you want to do the club admin stuff on there as well, so what software do you currently use or are familiar with? Will buying a Mac affect this? If you're the main person who will be using the laptop or the one who has to look after it, it's important that you make the right choice for yourself. It's all well and good someone arranging a course for you, but how about ongoing support? Will you have someone to turn to if you need some simple help with the software packages, for example?
If you have no problem adapting to the Mac and it's not going to cause any issues with the kids (most likely) using Windows at home and if you can get a really good deal on it, then a Mac will be fine. Just bear in mind that you can pick up a bog-standard, but capable, Windows laptop for around £350. For an organisation with limited funding, it might make more sense.
Oh, and the arguments are going to start again soon, so ignore anyone who insists that their choice of computer is the only right one for you.
But really for your needs may be you better getting a few windows machines. so there not to many kids using/fighting over the laptop. It would also be useful as the kids may of never used max osx and might love it to much and then you have loads angry parents complaing there kids want £700-£1000 laptop
But really for your needs may be you better getting a few windows machines. so there not to many kids using/fighting over the laptop. It would also be useful as the kids may of never used max osx and might love it to much and then you have loads angry parents complaing there kids want £700-£1000 laptop
There are increasing numbers of kids these days in the other situation, that use Mac OSX daily and are unfamiliar with Windows. Things have changed quite rapidly since Apple went to Intel, although the growth in Mac use still seems limited to certain areas of the country. In London for instance Macs are now commonplace, especially when it comes to laptops. Manchester also has a much larger than average Mac using population.
Personally I would spend the money on one good laptop, whatever the brand, rather than get two lesser spec ones. If you're working with creative software things such as maximum RAM and hard disk size matter. As laptops aren't as easy to expand as desktops it's important to get one that comes with good specs from the start.
mac laptop screens, esp the MBP, are easy to see from the side so if more than 1 kid is having to look at something at the same time, this may be a factor in your choice. I have the 15"; not light but not too heavy either.
You would get education discount on not just the mac but a 3 year applecare warranty too. The education discount is normally 20% on the hardware and much more than that on the warranty.
Just ring Apple education sales and they'll give you a quote; then ask in an Apple store. Strangely they are not always the same price.
But really for your needs may be you better getting a few windows machines. so there not to many kids using/fighting over the laptop. It would also be useful as the kids may of never used max osx and might love it to much and then you have loads angry parents complaing there kids want £700-£1000 laptop
You want to think about why the MacBook Pro wins every category it is in (13",15", 17") and why Mac Laptops have a 94% approval rating while the OEM products hover around 50%.
You also might want to think about why the OEM computers are so cheap.
They skimp on panels, so what you see is inferior.
They skimp on the keyboard and touchpad interfaces, so your input is hampered.
They skimp on service and support. Dell has been found guilty of fraud in this area.
Subscribers to a "next-day" repair service sometimes waited as long as a year for support, the court found.
They skimp on configuring and testing their machines, so your Windows experience is not all it could be.
They load up their computers with "crapware" which cuts the price of their laptops by about £50 a unit, but compromises the performance of the computer.
Even Microsoft is unhappy with what the OEMs are doing and are now offering Signature Series computers which are properly specced, configured and optimised to run Windows 7. By their own surveys over 90% of customers prefer the Signature Series PCs to the bog standard OEM offerings.
I used to think that Windows was the problem with OEM machines. My experience running XP and Windows 7 on my Macs has led me to conclude that the real problem is the OEM machines themselves, not Windows.
I used to think that Windows was the problem with OEM machines. My experience running XP and Windows 7 on my Macs has led me to conclude that the real problem is the OEM machines themselves, not Windows.
So Windows really isn't to blame for every single problem that occurs? You should let the rest of the Mac fans know that, as most can't seem to be able to differentiate between Windows and a PC.
So Windows really isn't to blame for every single problem that occurs? You should let the rest of the Mac fans know that, as most can't seem to be able to differentiate between Windows and a PC.
Yes, Windows can be prone to mysterious behaviour from time to time, but when it works (which is most of the time) there is little to complain about. Other than a printing problem (it ate my driver :eek:) I have had no problems with Windows 7.
I have had notably fewer problems when I have wiped my Windows machines (95. 98SE, XP) and done a bare installation (that is without crapware) than on stock OEM machines. Mind you Windows ME was a POS anyway you put it, but that was the exception.
Other than a printing problem (it ate my driver :eek:)
To be fair I've had some quite bad printer driver issues with Tiger and subsequently Snow Leopard. Faffing around with LPR ports and CUPS nonsense is not fun and games, particularly when (on Tiger at least) they hide half the setup assistant and you need to do an obscure key combination to reveal the super-secret "advanced" options! Seriously, they couldn't just put a small button in the corner or something, they had to make a key combination and a hidden menu :sleep:
It was one of those things though were once I finally got it working I felt quite proud of myself, effectively giving HP and Apple the finger for saying it cant be done and that my printer is too old (solid as a rock)
Even then Apple Desktops (iMacs) are still considerably more expensive for the same specs as a PC equivilent. Again I state you seem to pay a premium for the Apple name. Is Apple really that special as to pay £200-500 extra?
You can't compare them to a PC, especially when you consider that there are no other all in one computers with IPS LCDs, and certainly not one running at a resolution of 2560 by 1440. Such displays from a designers perspective would certainly be valuable.
You can't compare them to a PC, especially when you consider that there are no other all in one computers with IPS LCDs, and certainly not one running at a resolution of 2560 by 1440. Such displays from a designers perspective would certainly be valuable.
The OP isn't a designer though. Its for a youth club, so in reality the system probably wont do much more than surf facebook and hotmail...
I run a youth club and have been given money to buy an Apple laptop.
It would be used for secure data storage, art & design projects and also for the young people to access the internet (via mobile internet).
No mention of facebook or hotmail (isn't that something grannies use?), but art and design and Macs are rather good at that. :rolleyes:
Comments
200 miles, do you live in Greenland?
It's a 5 minute walk from my daughter's uni.
Must be why Dell service is in the cellar for customer satisfaction. My Macs get fixed on the spot.
I get Ireland, Scotland or the US.
Apple has the high paid experienced workers whereas Dell gets the ones working for peanuts.
There is also the design and the assembly. Not small items, plus the software and OS.
No it didn't. Nothing can be that wrong with any computer that can take a year to sort.
Never think it might be the relative who was at fault? That makes more sense than a machine refusing to connect for a year.
Good for her. No, im in Scotland but its not exactly small and being there are only 3 apple shops in the whole of Scotland, doesnt exactly cover all areas!
In the cellar?
Really? I got india twice then ireland when i kicked up a fuss about their shocking customer service
What's that got to do with apple macs and macbooks being made by Foxconn who are notorious for being cheap.
The design of the case and the assembly do not make the item work any better since the component parts which do make it work are the same as any other OEM machine.
The software and OS, well that's entirely up to the individual to decide which is best for them
Is Apple software simpler to use? Windows ain't rocket science.
You are spot on about productivity being ignored. How many of us use something like Word on a regular basis and in reality perhaps only use or indeed know 5% of what it can really do. For that matter how many of us have machines that are OTT for what we need. 03:45 and I'm sitting in bed writing this using a wireless keyboard/mouse and an 'old' AMD Sempron 3000+ base unit plugged into the telly, perfect setup for surfing the net and streaming films from my main PC but with a resale value of maybe £50.
Downstairs I've got a nice quad core with 8Gb of ram and 6 TB of hard drive space and while its great and very fast/smooth for working on things like my old home videos in reality its main advantage for me over the Sempron is that Sims 3 runs better... to make matters worse I've no doubt I will upgrade again this year for no real reason:(
We can all be slaves to some form of self indulgence.
As an oldie PC user I remember games coming on disk about 300k in data, blooming games my lad plays takes gigabytes of downloads to run:eek:
It has become a little bit scary, hasn't it!
Just to confirm...
This is not a wind up. And it is not public money. My youth club runs on minimum funding and the generosity of volunteers. As a tax payer myself I would question the use of money in this way when people, including my husband, are losing their jobs!
I was offered an apple, plus a training course on how to make full use of it, as the people involved know how much art and design work I do with the young people. I am really grateful for all the advice (I had never heard of alienware!) and I will be asking if we can look at other options.
It really has to be a portable device as we use different venues. It would also be handy for me to take to the other club that I work at so that I can do the club admin.
The young people will be supervised on it but I have no worries there. They look after the clubs equipment as they know things are unlikely to be replaced. Despite it being in a deprived area I have never had anything deliberately broken or stolen.
Thank you to everyone for your help. I really appreciate it.
I didn't know this. Thank you
Anyway hope you get something that suits your club's requirements and get many years of use out of it
Thank you, although I'm possibly even more undecided now!
If you have no problem adapting to the Mac and it's not going to cause any issues with the kids (most likely) using Windows at home and if you can get a really good deal on it, then a Mac will be fine. Just bear in mind that you can pick up a bog-standard, but capable, Windows laptop for around £350. For an organisation with limited funding, it might make more sense.
Oh, and the arguments are going to start again soon, so ignore anyone who insists that their choice of computer is the only right one for you.
and I think you get Itouch for free I did.
But really for your needs may be you better getting a few windows machines. so there not to many kids using/fighting over the laptop. It would also be useful as the kids may of never used max osx and might love it to much and then you have loads angry parents complaing there kids want £700-£1000 laptop
Personally I would spend the money on one good laptop, whatever the brand, rather than get two lesser spec ones. If you're working with creative software things such as maximum RAM and hard disk size matter. As laptops aren't as easy to expand as desktops it's important to get one that comes with good specs from the start.
You would get education discount on not just the mac but a 3 year applecare warranty too. The education discount is normally 20% on the hardware and much more than that on the warranty.
Just ring Apple education sales and they'll give you a quote; then ask in an Apple store. Strangely they are not always the same price.
You want to think about why the MacBook Pro wins every category it is in (13",15", 17") and why Mac Laptops have a 94% approval rating while the OEM products hover around 50%.
You also might want to think about why the OEM computers are so cheap.
- They skimp on configuring and testing their machines, so your Windows experience is not all it could be.
- They load up their computers with "crapware" which cuts the price of their laptops by about £50 a unit, but compromises the performance of the computer.
Even Microsoft is unhappy with what the OEMs are doing and are now offering Signature Series computers which are properly specced, configured and optimised to run Windows 7. By their own surveys over 90% of customers prefer the Signature Series PCs to the bog standard OEM offerings.I used to think that Windows was the problem with OEM machines. My experience running XP and Windows 7 on my Macs has led me to conclude that the real problem is the OEM machines themselves, not Windows.
So Windows really isn't to blame for every single problem that occurs? You should let the rest of the Mac fans know that, as most can't seem to be able to differentiate between Windows and a PC.
Yes, Windows can be prone to mysterious behaviour from time to time, but when it works (which is most of the time) there is little to complain about. Other than a printing problem (it ate my driver :eek:) I have had no problems with Windows 7.
I have had notably fewer problems when I have wiped my Windows machines (95. 98SE, XP) and done a bare installation (that is without crapware) than on stock OEM machines. Mind you Windows ME was a POS anyway you put it, but that was the exception.
I'm also guilty of showing little interest in the OPs post.
It was one of those things though were once I finally got it working I felt quite proud of myself, effectively giving HP and Apple the finger for saying it cant be done and that my printer is too old (solid as a rock)
You can't compare them to a PC, especially when you consider that there are no other all in one computers with IPS LCDs, and certainly not one running at a resolution of 2560 by 1440. Such displays from a designers perspective would certainly be valuable.
Not so.
No mention of facebook or hotmail (isn't that something grannies use?), but art and design and Macs are rather good at that. :rolleyes:
Kids editing digital camera photos =/= Professional photography
That said, if a lot of photomanipulation/graphics will be going on will the internent be needed to be 'always on'.
It would be interesting to see how many stay the course if net access is controled.
Don't think so, my university uses a hotmail-based system for the student email accounts and several of my friends use it.
Quite right it would teach them a lesson. You get what you pay for.