Macbook vs Netbooks

[DaemonSeid]

Apple has been facing a serious challenge to its energetic growth for the first time in several years. First the recession sent consumers running from its pricey products. Then a reinvigorated Microsoft launched an ad campaign, further cementing the price difference in consumers' minds, leaving Apple begging for them to relent.

Now the major firms are announcing their sales predictions for Apple's Q2 2009, and no matter how you cut it, sales are starting to cool for the company.

Despite the launch of new 13" and 15" MacBook Pros priced $200 below their predecessors and its October price cut of its entry level MacBook to $999, Apple failed to gain traction in the second quarter of 2009. According to market research firm Gartner, it recovered with a mere 0.3 percent gain in shipments market share, clinging to fourth place. Meanwhile Toshiba, in fifth place, charged ahead with a 1.3 percent market share gain.

Acer showed an incredible 6.2 percent rise in market share, thanks to the popularity of its netbooks, as it moves to challenge HP and Dell for the top spot. Dell saw a drop, but remains just a hair ahead

Link

Although it doesn't directly state it here, I think that part of the loss of momentum for Apple would have to be that netbooks are gaining ground and not only are they 1/2 the size of the Macbook and most Windows based laptops but also sell for 1/3 of what the lowest end Macbook costs.

Combine those with the recession that we are in and most people would apt to buy soemthign that costs about the same or less than their cellphone.

I think Apple's way out will be to release a netbook or tablet at a competitive price.

[sigmadiva]

I brought up a similar concern here: http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/sh...light=netbooks

I really wanted a new Mac. My current one is ~ 6 years old, and in lap top time, that is ancient!

I did end up getting the Acer Aspire One 10 inch screen and I love it. It took a while to get used to the smaller keyboard, and it does not have a built in CD drive, it is external. I bought the Acer for the price mainly. To set up my whole system (lap top, purchase of external CD drive, mouse and carrying case, Word 2007 - Home Version) cost ~ 750.00. Still cheaper than a Mac.

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by DaemonSeid

Although it doesn't directly state it here, I think that part of the loss of momentum for Apple would have to be that netbooks are gaining ground and not only are they 1/2 the size of the Macbook and most Windows based laptops but also sell for 1/3 of what the lowest end Macbook costs.

Combine those with the recession that we are in and most people would apt to buy soemthign that costs about the same or less than their cellphone.

I think Apple's way out will be to release a netbook or tablet at a competitive price.

Do you think they're going to do that?

One thing that I love about Macs, but could come back to bite them, is the fact that very rarely do you HAVE HAVE HAVE to replace your Mac, even if it's old. My Mac is 6 years old next month and working like a charm (knock on wood). If I had purchased a similar PC laptop back in 2003, it definitely wouldn't have lasted 6years and I would have needed to replace it and its replacement too.

Right now, since people are stretching out things and not replacing unless absolutely necessary, the typical Mac user whose older computer is doing well isn't going to replace it when a new one comes out. PCs fall apart more often and owners are typically forced to get a new system. I think once the economy gets better, people who held off on getting a new Mac, or even the first Mac, will make their purchases.

[nikki1920]

I'm struggling with this right now. My old laptop died on me, (HUSH DS!!) and I've been eyeing a Mac for a while now. While I like the $1199 price, there are several comparable PCs for $300-$400 less. What I DONT like is the various crashes that my desktop has had in the past 4 years, averaging one a year. So I am in the market.

[RU OX Alum]

I will always be a "mac person" because the two non-macs I had both went to hell in a matter of months.

I'd rather spend a few hundred up front than that same few hundred getting it repaired 6 months down the road.

[Little32]

Originally Posted by Munchkin03

Do you think they're going to do that?

One thing that I love about Macs, but could come back to bite them, is the fact that very rarely do you HAVE HAVE HAVE to replace your Mac, even if it's old. My Mac is 6 years old next month and working like a charm (knock on wood). If I had purchased a similar PC laptop back in 2003, it definitely wouldn't have lasted 6years and I would have needed to replace it and its replacement too.

Right now, since people are stretching out things and not replacing unless absolutely necessary, the typical Mac user whose older computer is doing well isn't going to replace it when a new one comes out. PCs fall apart more often and owners are typically forced to get a new system. I think once the economy gets better, people who held off on getting a new Mac, or even the first Mac, will make their purchases.

Hmmm.... This is not necessarily always the case. I have a Sony Vaio right now that I got in about 2003 and it is still working well. I am thinking about a new one (a pc), but just because I would like something more portable not because I need it.

Before that, I had a Toshiba that lasted from 1997 to 2003, so unless my two computers have been the exception...pcs must not be as fragile as all this.

Plus, I do hear some rumblings of dissatisfaction from some of the Mac owners I know, with at least two of them saying that they are going back to pcs with their next purchase--though I could not give you their reasons why.

[DaemonSeid]

I really would be curious to hear why anyone would go back to PC.

I guess for me, with my Mac, I do love having the Boot Camp option which allows one to run Windows on a Mac. I think the biggest issue with Windows is not necessarily the OS altho that tends to have its issues, but the hardware.

There are 1000s of hardware configurations that any one person can have to run any Windows OS on their system and that's why you have the 1000s of problems that keeps Geek Squad and etc in business. Not that Mac doesn't have the same kinds of failures but the rate is considerably less.

As far as the question as to mac building something cheaper...it's entirely possible and I still caution that you get what you paid for. There have been times i have spent under $500 bucks and the PC in question was a mixed bag. The Macbook I have had since November...so far...no problems. We have a G5 in the house that we have had for 4 years...ZERO problems.

Yeah it gets redundant...but I am saying all of this to say, let's be careful of what we ask for...when products start getting cheaper in price, the reliability becomes suspect.

That's why even in the used market, most Macs can still command a fair price...so Nikki if you still are pondering. in all seriousness there is craigslist.

That reminds me, one of my frat brothers called me last week angry because he can't find a used Macbook Pro 15" on craigslist for under a G. I laughed and told him...that's the sign of a good product. Take a Dell with the same specs that was $700 dollars last year and you will be lucky if you can get 1/2 for it right now.

Lastly, if you ever want to see what kind of rip off people are trying to pull, go to the computer shows. Note how much the vendors try to sell their laptops for. Take note of the specs (hard drive, CPU, memory) and then look at what you see in Best Buy or on TigerDirect.

[sigmadiva]

Originally Posted by Little32

Plus, I do hear some rumblings of dissatisfaction from some of the Mac owners I know, with at least two of them saying that they are going back to pcs with their next purchase--though I could not give you their reasons why.

One reason that I've heard is that you can not 'right click' on a Mac mouse.

I think that one thing people may want to keep in mind is that I don't think netbooks are great if it is your only computer. Netbooks are good, as someone mentioned, for portability. I mainly use mine to type Word documents and surf the 'net. I still use my Mac and consider it to be my 'main' computer.

As for the lifespan of a Mac vs. PC, I think it comes down to quality of PC and how you took care of it. My school gave teachers a Gateway lap top to use in the classroom. I had mine for about 2 years before the screen started going bad. I mentioned this to our department IT guy and he suggested that I just don't use the Gateway anymore as it is not worth getting repaired.

[Elephant Walk]

I just bought a Netbook and love it.

But you need to own a regular computer too, because netbooks really are just for being on the run. They're kind of worthless otherwise.

[DaemonSeid]

Originally Posted by sigmadiva

One reason that I've heard is that you can not 'right click' on a Mac mouse.

I think that one thing people may want to keep in mind is that I don't think netbooks are great if it is your only computer. Netbooks are good, as someone mentioned, for portability. I mainly use mine to type Word documents and surf the 'net. I still use my Mac and consider it to be my 'main' computer.

As for the lifespan of a Mac vs. PC, I think it comes down to quality of PC and how you took care of it. My school gave teachers a Gateway lap top to use in the classroom. I had mine for about 2 years before the screen started going bad. I mentioned this to our department IT guy and he suggested that I just don't use the Gateway anymore as it is not worth getting repaired.

You CAN right click on a Mac.

That's the problem with most Windows users is that they don't want to 'unlearn' Windows thinking long enough to simply put 2 fingers on the touchpad and click the button.

ETA: sigmadiva...why did your screen go bad?

[sigmadiva]

Originally Posted by DaemonSeid

I really would be curious to hear why anyone would go back to PC.

A few of the 'hard-core' programmers (LINUX, UNIX) that I know would rather use a PC over a Mac.

For me it was simply the physical weight of the netbook, combined with the price. My Acer weighs ~ 3 lbs and my MacBook Titanium weighs ~ 7 lbs. That may not seem like much until you have to haul it around all day!!

As far as the question as to mac building something cheaper...it's entirely possible and I still caution that you get what you paid for. There have been times i have spent under $500 bucks and the PC in question was a mixed bag. The Macbook I have had since November...so far...no problems. We have a G5 in the house that we have had for 4 years...ZERO problems.

From my research about netbooks is that the reason they are cheaper is because of the smaller screen and they don't have an internal CD drive. I never read that their lower price is due to quality. It is just stripped down a bit more, which then lowered the overall price. The way it was explained to me by a BestBuy sales person is "Netbooks are just a bigger palm pilot".

[PeppyGPhiB]

I've only owned two computers in my adult life. They both lasted more than six years. I've had to add more RAM to them once or twice so they can keep up with today's Web technology, but after that they're just fine. My experience has been that most issues people have with PCs is that they don't know how to use computers...period. They go to problem Web sites that are filled with malicious code, they download stuff they shouldn't, they click on links in emails that they shouldn't, or they try to game on a computer that doesn't have the memory for it. Macs are just as vulnerable to viruses as PCs...it's just that in the past the virus creators haven't bothered creating versions for Macs because they didn't have a big enough share of the market. As more and more people start buying Macs, you'll see a lot more viruses for them. And as any Mac owner - or company that has Macs - will tell you, once something goes wrong with a Mac, it REALLY GOES WRONG.

[sigmadiva]

Originally Posted by DaemonSeid

You CAN right click on a Mac.

That's the problem with most Windows users is that they don't want to 'unlearn' Windows thinking long enough to simply put 2 fingers on the touchpad and click the button.

okay, okay....I'll try to learn something new.

ETA: sigmadiva...why did your screen go bad?

I really don't know why my screen went bad. One day it started getting fuzzy / color lines across the whole screen and it would freeze up. I'd turn off the computer, restart it, and it would be fine for a while.

[DaemonSeid]

Originally Posted by sigmadiva

A few of the 'hard-core' programmers (LINUX, UNIX) that I know would rather use a PC over a Mac.

For me it was simply the physical weight of the netbook, combined with the price. My Acer weighs ~ 3 lbs and my MacBook Titanium weighs ~ 7 lbs. That may not seem like much until you have to haul it around all day!!



From my research about netbooks is that the reason they are cheaper is because of the smaller screen and they don't have an internal CD drive. I never read that their lower price is due to quality. It is just stripped down a bit more, which then lowered the overall price. The way it was explained to me by a BestBuy sales person is "Netbooks are just a bigger palm pilot".

But see, you just in a way, reiterated what i just said...you get what you paid for.

You buy a netbook that's missing 'pieces' and a smaller screen...LOL

I see your point too but something else to consider, netbooks are just starting to catch on, I would be curious to see what consumer reports will say about them within the next 2 years.

And Elepahnt walk just pointed out something else...to a degree, you still need to 'tether' your netbook with a PC in order to get some use out of it...

..interesting.

[sigmadiva]

Originally Posted by DaemonSeid

But see, you just in a way, reiterated what i just said...you get what you paid for.

You buy a netbook that's missing 'pieces' and a smaller screen...LOL

If that is all you want, then there is no problem. You 'get what you pay for' in terms of complexity of the computer, not necessarily in terms of quality.

And Elepahnt walk just pointed out something else...to a degree, you still need to 'tether' your netbook with a PC in order to get some use out of it...

..interesting.

I don't think this is what he meant, or, at least I did not read it that way. You have a netbook for 'quick convenience', not because it will be you main computer.