Mac vs PC (split)

#228
#228
volmanbill said:
Mac users pay more than PC users, says Orbitz | Internet & Media - CNET News
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My guess is that there are so many more windows users that it would distort the averages a bit. I don't think a Mac user would pay $30 more for the exact same room at the same hotel as a Windows user (unless that is all that is presented to them and they don't know it is cheaper when browsing on a Windows machine). I can see the average Mac user, which is a much smaller pool, having a higher standard for a hotel than the average of WIndows user.
 
#232
#232
g8terh8ter_eric said:
What does that have to do with the average?? What it tells me is that people with lower incomes buy PC, and people with higher incomes buy Mac. That's all that was illustrating.
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don't forget that it isn't cost effective to build your own Mac (a true mac, not a pc machine running an emulator)

there are millions of DIY folks out there who can build a better PC for a fraction of what a Mac costs
 
#233
#233
People with a higher income buy PCs at a much higher rate than lower income people buy Macs. Given that PCs still dominate the market 10 to 1 the overall average is going to be skewed.

Of course people with a higher income are more likely to buy a $1200 Mac where as people with a low income would buy a $600 acer. That should be obvious.

As far as the orbitz study goes they need to compare Mac users of a certain income to those of PC users in the same range. When you throw in all the low income PC users it skews the data for this "Mac users spend more on hotel rooms" statement.
 
#234
#234
Alright, who has a laptop to recommend? My wife's laptop is starting to go, well, it's kinda gone and just barely hanging on.

We don't have the money for a Mac and I've had good success with Dell in the past, some 6 years ago. Not sure what they are like these days.

Probably not looking to spend more than $500 and I don't have to first clue what to look for or where to look for one.

Any help would be appreciated. :hi:
 
#235
#235
MSUDuo said:
Alright, who has a laptop to recommend? My wife's laptop is starting to go, well, it's kinda gone and just barely hanging on.

We don't have the money for a Mac and I've had good success with Dell in the past, some 6 years ago. Not sure what they are like these days.

Probably not looking to spend more than $500 and I don't have to first clue what to look for or where to look for one.

Any help would be appreciated. :hi:
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What do you use your computer for? Do you need it for work or is it primarily just to browse the Internet? Do you store a lot of media on it like pictures, music, video?
 
#236
#236
MSUDuo said:
Alright, who has a laptop to recommend? My wife's laptop is starting to go, well, it's kinda gone and just barely hanging on.

We don't have the money for a Mac and I've had good success with Dell in the past, some 6 years ago. Not sure what they are like these days.

Probably not looking to spend more than $500 and I don't have to first clue what to look for or where to look for one.

Any help would be appreciated. :hi:
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If it's just for everyday use, one with an Intel i3, 4GB RAM, and 320GB hard drive, will get you through. Your probably looking in the neighborhood of $550 for that. Watch the limited warranties as well.
 
#237
#237
burntorangeVOLffle said:
What do you use your computer for? Do you need it for work or is it primarily just to browse the Internet? Do you store a lot of media on it like pictures, music, video?
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Yeah, mainly home and school work. Pictures and music but not a lot of any personalizing.
 
#238
#238
MSUDuo said:
Yeah, mainly home and school work. Pictures and music but not a lot of any personalizing.
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I was going to suggest making the move to a tablet if you are mostlyjust a browser and don't store tons of media. You can do some basic word processing and such on them if needed. (Getting a blutooth keyboard is handy if you need to do a lot).

You can get a refurbed iPad2 with 32GB for under $400 at the Apple online store. Comes with same warranty as brand new.

There are some Driod ones for comparable prices.
 
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#239
#239
burntorangeVOLffle said:
I was going to suggest making the move to a tablet if you are mostlyjust a browser and don't store tons of media. You can do some basic word processing and such on them if needed. (Getting a blutooth keyboard is handy if you need to do a lot).

You can get a refurbed iPad2 with 32GB for under $400 at the Apple online store. Comes with same warranty as brand new.

There are some Driod ones for comparable prices.
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Wife wants something a little bigger than a 10-11 inch screen. I think I would as well after playing with my parents iPad this weekend.

Is there much of a difference between the Intel i3 and i5 processors? Been 6 years since I've bought a new computer

How easy is it to build your own? I've seen a buddy build a desktop in no time flat but I know that's fairly easy...
 
#240
#240
MSUDuo said:
Wife wants something a little bigger than a 10-11 inch screen. I think I would as well after playing with my parents iPad this weekend.

Is there much of a difference between the Intel i3 and i5 processors? Been 6 years since I've bought a new computer

How easy is it to build your own? I've seen a buddy build a desktop in no time flat but I know that's fairly easy...
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The difference in an i3 and an i5, is the i3 is a dual-core processor, and an i5 is a quad core processor.

As far as building your own desktop, if you get quality parts, your looking at around $750 for an i3, and about $850 for an i5, and that's tower only. You can get 23" LCD/LED screens for about $160.

Remember when building one, or buying one for that matter, is you will average about $200 a year for the projected length of a computer. So, a $1,000 tower will get you about 5 years total use, on the average.
 
#241
#241
g8terh8ter_eric said:
Remember when building one, or buying one for that matter, is you will average about $200 a year for the projected length of a computer. So, a $1,000 tower will get you about 5 years total use, on the average.
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Is this common knowledge? Ive had my HP desktop for about 4 years and paid $400 for it. Played Madden, TW PGA Tour, FIFA, and used it for school. Windows 7, 4GB, AMD 2.4 dual-core, 320GB...

Wife has had her laptop for 5 years and she paid $500. Windows Vista, 4GB, 2.0 Intel dual-core, 250GB...

I realize we'll have different outcomes with technology but $200 per year seems high. Not trying to discount you; just had never heard that.

I think we might hold off because my brother showed me a bunch about Windows 8 and we both really liked it and he's a huge Mac guy thru and thru.
 
#242
#242
MSUDuo said:
Is this common knowledge? Ive had my HP desktop for about 4 years and paid $400 for it. Played Madden, TW PGA Tour, FIFA, and used it for school. Windows 7, 4GB, AMD 2.4 dual-core, 320GB...

Wife has had her laptop for 5 years and she paid $500. Windows Vista, 4GB, 2.0 Intel dual-core, 250GB...

I realize we'll have different outcomes with technology but $200 per year seems high. Not trying to discount you; just had never heard that.

I think we might hold off because my brother showed me a bunch about Windows 8 and we both really liked it and he's a huge Mac guy thru and thru.
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I've seen the $500, and even the $1000 computers die after 1 year of use, and all the way up to 5-8 years, thus the average. One thing you have to remember, the higher amount of money you pay for the hardware only, the more likely you are to get more reliable parts, but there are always exceptions in electronics. We had a guy come in that paid $2200 for a laptop a little over 10 years ago, and he hit the average dead on. I've used this average for many years, and it's never steered me wrong.
 
#243
#243
MSUDuo said:
Wife wants something a little bigger than a 10-11 inch screen. I think I would as well after playing with my parents iPad this weekend.

Is there much of a difference between the Intel i3 and i5 processors? Been 6 years since I've bought a new computer

How easy is it to build your own? I've seen a buddy build a desktop in no time flat but I know that's fairly easy...
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Fair enough. You are a prime example of why the laptop market will not be completely replaced. FWIW, I rarely open my laptop since getting an iPad. Of course I have a desktop I use for heavy programs and media storage but for just chillin and browsing I use my iPad.

I saw best by had an HP pavilion for $450. I have a buddy that had one last for 5 years before the power supply port melted randomly.
 
#244
#244
Interesting graph.

Screen-Shot-2012-07-04-at-7-4-2.12.03-PM.png
 
#245
#245
Velo Vol said:
Interesting graph.
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Windows will have to compete not only for users, but for developer talent, investment by enterprises and the implicit goodwill it has had for more than a decade.
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I think Windows used up a lot of the goodwill with releases like ME and Vista. Most people I know would like to switch to something other than Windows but don't know what the options are other than dropping $1000 on a Mac. Its understandably hard to make that leap. My brother-in-law is a DIY computer geek that has a certificate in Windows. He won't touch a Mac but even he says Windows is a bloated, inefficient OS. He prefers Linux a based OS.
 
#248
#248
burntorangeVOLffle said:
I think Windows used up a lot of the goodwill with releases like ME and Vista. Most people I know would like to switch to something other than Windows but don't know what the options are other than dropping $1000 on a Mac. Its understandably hard to make that leap. My brother-in-law is a DIY computer geek that has a certificate in Windows. He won't touch a Mac but even he says Windows is a bloated, inefficient OS. He prefers Linux a based OS.
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Windows and Mac OS are the only two options for 99.9% of the computer buying public. Customer support is the name of the game, fellow geeks have no problem scouring message boards to find DIY fixes for issues, but nearly everybody who purchases a computer these days wants somebody in person or on the phone to hold their hand through just about every task.

Windows is constructed fairly poorly but offers this, and Mac is very expensive for what you get but it is a million times easier to use for many people than any linux system will ever be, and has some of the best service to boot.

Long story short, Windows doesn't have to worry about good will because they are the only name for people who don't want to spend more than a grand on a new computer.
 
#249
#249
This whole $200 per year thing is silly. A $600 computer can last 6 years with very little maintenance. Jut don't download a bunch of stupid ****, and it'll be fine.
 
#250
#250
milohimself said:
Windows and Mac OS are the only two options for 99.9% of the computer buying public. Customer support is the name of the game, fellow geeks have no problem scouring message boards to find DIY fixes for issues, but nearly everybody who purchases a computer these days wants somebody in person or on the phone to hold their hand through just about every task.

Windows is constructed fairly poorly but offers this, and Mac is very expensive for what you get but it is a million times easier to use for many people than any linux system will ever be, and has some of the best service to boot.

Long story short, Windows doesn't have to worry about good will because they are the only name for people who don't want to spend more than a grand on a new computer.
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I totally agree with you but I think there is a distinct shift moving away from Windows based laptops (which is what the average user wants) to tablets. As people become more comfortable with cloud storage and streaming media the laptop market will decline. Right now iOS is dominating that market and that's where the good will Microsoft has lost will come into play when Windows 8 is released.

Also, from what I can tell, windows 8 is a radical change from what we have been using since Windows 95. How that goes over with consumers will be interesting.
 
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