I wanna buy a 13" MacBook Pro, but I'm not sure..?

Question

Reasons in converting from PC to Mac:
-- Well, for one..I've always wanted a Mac, any Apple product really, but they're so expensive.
-- I love the customer support. You get One-on-One help with a MacGenius at any Apple Store (which are basically in every city) instead of doing the push-button waiting for an "agent" to help me on the phone.
-- The sleek designs are very sexy lol. and with almost every Mac Desktop or laptop, you have a built-in web cam.
-- Updates in software are always available and are so easy to update.
-- Apple Technology makes me feel so "technical" lol with all the high-end software and stuff.
-- I want the MacBook to be my laptop for life. Using it daily.
-- Sometimes, I wanna make some video montages with my HD Cam.
-- Have it be a place to store my digital photos.
-- I'm a huge music person. i need room for my 2,000+ songs on iTunes.
but I don't wanna seem like I'm only buying the MacBook Pro just for it's looks. I don't even know how to choose one. For example, what's the diff between 2.23 and 2.56GHz? What kind is a "1066MHz frontside bus. 3MB shared L2 cache" processor? What does it mean to have "NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor with 256MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory" for graphics? Is a "1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM" good? Should I upgrade to the 8GB memory instead of the retail 2GB or 4GB?

Answer 1

I will state upfront I am a current Windows user and while I'm interested in purchasing a Mac - I'm struggling with justifying the added cost. I stumbled on this thread hoping to get more clarity and information about what I'm missing by staying with Windows.
I see JE13's post and I can't help but ask a few questions - after reading this post, perhaps a Mac just isn't geared for me?
JE13 wrote:
First, they last longer than most other laptops. I still see "Clamshell" Macs in use which are eleven years old! If you buy a Mac Laptop, you can expect to use it for a good 4-5 years before you might feel the need to get another. So cut the cost in half because you're saving having to buy a new laptop in two years. Then consider that they retain their resale value. You can actually sell the old Pro and get some money for it toward a new one. So, you save money that way.
I have a 6 year old Windows desktop that works fine so I'm not forced into buying a new one. I'm just interested in some of the new technology (HDMI, webcam, bluetooth, SATA, etc).
This reasoning around why a Mac costs me less doesn't resonate with me.
JE13 wrote:
Next, you won't have to buy virus protection. So you save money that way, and you won't have to buy a lot of software that you often have to buy with PCs because Mac comes with almost all the software you need bundled in. That includes photo, video and music software. You can also run the PC programs you have on the Mac if you wish. So you have two-in-one computers. So, again, you've saved money. As you can see, if you were to add all these things together, you might well find that the Mac was a much better deal than even dirt cheap laptops, because dirt cheap laptops are no-frills laptops--they seem cheap, but after you've bought all the stuff you need for them, you've spent almost as much as you might have on a fully equipped Apple. And you get even more with the Apple then just the extras you'd have to buy if you went cheap.
If I was to buy a Windows laptop today, I leverage free A/V software (AVG) and it comes with MS Office suite. If I was to purchase a Mac, is there additional costs associated with purchasing MS Office?
This reasoning around why a Mac costs me less doesn't resonate with me (kinda sounds like it will cost more?).
JE13 wrote:
As you said, you've got great customer support and 1 year warranty (unless you buy Apple care which gives you 3 years, and constant phone support). Again, you save money because problems will get fixed without incurring repair costs (obviously, if you spill coffee on the machine, all bets are off). There's also an element here of you-get-what-you-pay-for, which means that you'll get good quality screen, aluminum body, built-in camera, illuminated keyboard, sound system, long-life battery, even the plug which pops out if you pull it so you don't bring the computer crashing to the floor. So while the computer may be pricy, you are getting your money's worth.
Don't Windows laptops comes with a 1-year warranty, too? Granted, I can pay for extended support just like I can with a Mac, too.
Aside from the plug that pops out if you pull it and the aluminum body, the other specifications come with a Windows laptop, too.
This reasoning around why a Mac costs me less doesn't resonate with me.
JE13 wrote:
And yes, the Macbook is very good for using daily. I recently had to remind a new Macbook user that she need never turn off the computer or quit programs. She only need close the lid and go. Open the lid and start up again. This is where you'll save the most money. You'll be more productive, get more done and that, again, saves you money. In short, by and large, Mac Laptops are good investments.
Don't Windows laptops have the same features? My work laptop that runs windows does this and while I can't close the lid on my desktop (haha), I can set it to hibernate and it will come back on with my programs, too.
This reasoning around why a Mac costs me less doesn't resonate with me.
JE13 wrote:
You don't have to get the most expensive machine, either. 2.23GHz is fine for you, as is 256MB. You will probably want 4-8GB RAM (memory) as that keeps things speedy and allows you to have a lot of programs running. Videos and music do take up room on a laptop and that should inform you as to how many MG of harddrive you might need. Better to have, as recommended, a back-up drive for finished videos. That will keep them from taking up room on the laptop. You may also be able to find refurbished pros and used pros at a discount if you still don't want to pay full price.
The specifications I would be buying will cost me more, but be less then that of what I would see on a Windows machine.
This reasoning around why a Mac costs me less doesn't resonate with me.
Does this help you with your decision?
Not really. Aside from being aesthetically pleasing, I'm still not certain how to justify buying a MacBook Pro which will cost me nearly double the amount of money to do the same thinks a Windows laptop can do.
What am I missing? The Mac laptops are very nice, but I can't logically conclude I should buy one since I can't grasp what I'm getting for the extra money.
Message was edited by: XtremeSki2001
Message was edited by: XtremeSki2001