Sell me on a MacBook..or not :)

[AmandaNied]

Hello! I am looking at replacing the harddrive in my 3 year old Dell, again & my husband mentioned that I look at a MacBook instead. I have looked in the refurb section and it still looks like $1,000 investment.

Does anyone have or used a MacBook? How do you like it? How has it held up?

I am usually on my computer daily as I am taking online classes.

 

[AprilRenee]

We have 3 in our house. I was a PC user until I met my DH and I will never go back. I find them much easier to use and they seem to last longer. 1 of ours is 6 years old and still running well. We have done some repair to it and some upgrades but I'm lucky in that my DH can do all the repairs (Apple charges an arm and a leg for repairs though...I'd get the Apple Care Warranty if your DH isn't quite as computer savvy). But we love our macs.
I will never buy a PC again if I can avoid it.

 

[casndan]

I never loved a computer before, I LOVE my macbook! LOVE LOVE LOVE it. There are a few small things that are different but you will get used to it really quickly and then you will hate touching a PC! I'm in grad school 100% online so I spend several hours a day on my computer, I love it!

 

[DawnM]

We got our first Mac 2 years ago and I have NEVER looked back! I am sold. I now have a MacBook Pro, a 27" imac, an ipod touch and an ipad.

The iphone is next on my list!

If I never see or use another PC again, I will be more than fine.

Better quality, easier to use, graphics and movie making are a breeze, the list goes on and on.

Dawn

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

We've had one of ours 8 years. A relative has replaced her PC three times in that period.

We've recently added the Mac Air... talk about wonderful!!!!

 

[Svhadden]

Former PC user here, whose husband has totally converted to a Mac lover. My husband has a Macbook that is easily 7 yrs old. Also has a G5, which I'm convinced could launch the Space Shuttle by itself. Most powerful home computer I've ever seen. iPhones, and a iPod Touch. Yep, we're a Mac lovin' home.

I didn't realize how used to screw-ups I was used to until I went from a PC to a Mac. With my PC, I just got used to having to download drivers when software wouldn't install properly, having to control-alt-delete when stuff just locked up for no reason, having to constantly update my antivirus software because PC's are so prone to bugs, etc etc. Macs are almost maintenance free, and so easy to use. Even installing peripherals is a breeze...you literally set the new piece of hardware (like a wireless mouse) NEXT to the computer, it finds the hardware and installs it, and you're using the hardware in seconds. Crazy-easy.

A Mac is easily worth the extra money they cost over PCs (if they cost more...get a good deal, or buy one refurb, and you won't pay more). I also totally recommend Apple Care. Great service, and you know it's fixed right if something goes wrong.

 

[jaminmd]

We have two Mac books, an iPhone, multiple ipods and getting an Ipad next. We LOVE our Apple products.

When my Dell goes, I'm replacing it with a Mac.

 

[englishteacha]

I love my Macbook. I've used a Mac since 1988, when we got them in my elementary school. I like that they're easy to use and don't get viruses like most PCs do.

 

[OKW Lover]

At the office where they pay me to use a computer, I use the supplied PC (with Windows XP). At home where I use my own money to but the computer I want to use, I have a MacBook Pro. Actually, we have three of them in the house - all bought from the Apple Refurb store. No problems.

 

[AmandaNied]

Thanks for all the replies! I have an iPhone & my dh has an iPad. I was hoping my Dell would limp along for a while.. Argh. This will be the second hard drive in less than 1 year... Well, off to shop around. I found a Nicely equipped MacBook pro in the refurb shop..

 

[Plumeria9]

Thanks for all the replies! I have an iPhone & my dh has an iPad. I was hoping my Dell would limp along for a while.. Argh. This will be the second hard drive in less than 1 year... Well, off to shop around. I found a Nicely equipped MacBook pro in the refurb shop..

Since you are an iPhone user, you would love how the MacBook works right along with it! I have a Macbook (actually we have 3 Apple computers) and just got my first iPhone. I am so in love w/ my iPhone and how it synced up my Address Book and iCal. I keep my household calendar in iCal and I have always had to print up a copy of the week to check my calendar, but now I can just look at my iPhone. I didn't have to add any contacts to the iPhone because I really use the Address Book application on my MacBook. I took an iPhone class at the Apple Store last week and was surprised but I had figured most of the iPhone out in less than a week of owning it, and that's because of my Mac use. Everything works together, so clever. Oh yeah, and like everybody else said, Macs last longer than PCs.

My current oldest Mac is 6 years old, but my first Mac was back in 1988. I bought my Macbook refurbished on the Apple Store website, basically I got 2 Gb of memory instead of 1Gb for the same price as a new one, so I bought it. I recommend getting the Apple Care also. I had an issue and they replaced a a battery and keyboard due to some glitch, which was valued at more than the cost of the Apple Care. So I got my money's worth there.

 

[DisneyCrazyX5]

I love my Mac, but we need a second computer. The boys all use Windows PCs at school. Do I need to buy a Dell or other computer so they can use the same programs they use at school.

 

[Boston Tea Party]

I love my MacBook Pro. It is amazing. I want to cry when I am forced to use PCs at work.

My MacBook has Microsoft Office for times when I need to work at home but then need to take it to work.

 

[rvchat]

I love my MacBook Pro. It is amazing. I want to cry when I am forced to use PCs at work.

My MacBook has Microsoft Office for times when I need to work at home but then need to take it to work.

Just my two cents but I was a strong holdout before switching. In fact, I was forced into it by my better half.

I will never go back after using mac. IMO, nothing comes close.

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

I'lll be the minority here. I LOATHE my MacBook Pro. Maybe I have a bad one but it locks up constantly with the SPOD (spinning pinwheel of death) and I have to Force Quit Safari or iPhoto every single time I use it. SO frustrating.

We don't have an Apple store within 100 miles of us so I have just limped along with it.

Everyone raves about Macs but mine has been nothing but trouble. Give me back my PC any day.

 

[BubMunkeyBles]

I have a MacBook Pro. It does freeze up occasionally but as soon as I reboot its fine (I'm guilty of leaving it on for days on end). I can do pretty much everything through openoffice for school etc. I love the ease of use and not having to worry about all the virus stuff all the time (I'm horrible about running that stuff and hate the expense of it). I was skeptical but I'm sold. Me and DH both have iphones, the MacBook and I just bought DH's refurbed Ipad for Christmas. Hoping to replace DH's laptop and our desktop in the next couple years.

 

[racechick8293]

I bought my first MacBook Pro in 2010, and will never go back to a PC willingly. I even take it to work and the only thing I use the Windows PC for is to print. Everyone else in my family all got to the point where they all wanted to use my laptop, so over time, we've replaced all the PC's with Macs. The ease of use, lack of crashes, etc. provide a vastly superior user experience to PC's. Not to mention the backlit keyboard on the MBP- it is the best! The initial cost is higher than a PC, but we have had no problems at all, so for me, it's been a great investment. I also love the integration with my iPad and iPhone.

 

[cjdj4]

Well into my 3rd year with my first mac. I love it. I will never ever have another PC. I do recommend buying office for mac because the rest of the world uses office and it makes life easier for you. A mac book is WAY more $ than a pc, but IMO well worth the expense. DH bought our 2nd mac book in January. He has had to bring it in to have the hard drive replaced, which the Genius in the Apple store happily did in 20 minutes. No sending it off to have it fixed, no long phone calls to India to get approval for sending it off to be fixed. I will never buy another PC again.

 

[Juliah]

My husband repairs computers, installs software and the patches, and cleans viruses off PC's. He says he would be like the Maytag repairman if everyone had a Mac.

That said, I think hard drive failures are across the board with any brand of computer. If you buy a Mac, you still need to back up your files frequently, and I agree with the person who said to buy the warranty.

BTW, I loved my last MacBook, but I did have multiple problems over the years which I blame in retrospect on buying a brand new model the first day it was announced--apparently there were some bugs they hadn't worked out of the model. Thank goodness I bought the extended warranty. But when it ran out, and something cropped up, we took it to an Apple store and politely complained that I felt I'd gotten a lemon. They looked up all the times the thing had been in for service, and presented me with a brand new laptop that's actually better than my original (because models have gotten faster and better over the years) at no cost. With a warranty, no less. You can't beat that kind of service.

 

[AprilRenee]

I'lll be the minority here. I LOATHE my MacBook Pro. Maybe I have a bad one but it locks up constantly with the SPOD (spinning pinwheel of death) and I have to Force Quit Safari or iPhoto every single time I use it. SO frustrating.

We don't have an Apple store within 100 miles of us so I have just limped along with it.

Everyone raves about Macs but mine has been nothing but trouble. Give me back my PC any day.

I kept having to do that with my newest one (which was bought used so really it was an older one) but my DH upgraded my RAM/memory. Cost us $30 and it is SOO much better!! He said it was quick and easy. Google directions and I bet you could do it too. It requires you to take out like 2 screws in the battery compartment and insert the new RAM chips.
The website he got the RAM from was www.crucial.com You are able to put in your mac model and they will tell you exactly what to buy. Just as an idea. I was ready to throw this one across the room sometimes but not anymore!

PM me if you want more specific instructions and I'll have DH explain it.