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Sheep-Goats
Joined: 16 Apr 2004
Posts: 527
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 Posted: Mon May 30, 2005 6:57 pm Post subject: |
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| ls650 wrote: |
| From what I've seen, hardware prices are better in the USA than most of the world. |
The warranty, however, doesn't tend to travel very well.
Even Dell's top of the line "we fix it even if you backed over it with your truck on purpose" warranty doesn't cover overseas freight, nor will they ship overseas if you cover it.
Plus, if you buy your laptop in a place like China or Thailand, the software is often free. And plentiful. And illegal. But you can't have your cake and eat it too, you know.
Overall I'd say it's always a better idea to buy your new laptop in a reputable store in your destination country simply for the warranty and service that almost always are bundled with a new machine. Less luggage to cart with you that way, too. Computers overseas are just as good as those in the states once you waltz into a Sony shop, or whatever.
Anyone who doesn't have a CDR or DVDR on their machine is a fool. And if you plan on "making movies" on your laptop you're looking at a pretty expensive machine that certainly won't be light...
As for the apple/windows machine debate, you always pay more for an apple of comparable power to a pc machine. But if you think it's worth it, it's your decision, isn't it? |
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Alitas
Joined: 19 May 2003
Posts: 187
Location: Maine
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| Posted: Mon May 30, 2005 10:19 pm Post subject: |
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| I can make clips on the apple right now. Making "movies" is not a big deal. feature-length films, maybe.... |
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MyNewWork
Joined: 06 Feb 2005
Posts: 6
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| Posted: Mon May 30, 2005 10:38 pm Post subject: |
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iBook, continued...
Yes, it costs more. But you get what you pay for. Everything you'd want on it comes standard, so there are no additional charges for modems, etc. -- unlike PC laptops (if you didn't already know).
But more important, with Apple the support issue is a non-issue. If you buy crappy Dell (sorry, but I'm biased), the you-get-what-you-pay-for issue will really come back to haunt you, usually at the worst possible time. I live in Austin, Dell's headquarters, and we hear horror stories about their junky crap equipment all the time. If it were just an issue of cheap crap equipment, it'd be bad enough, but the support (or lack of it) is where you'll really be sorry you bought their stuff. Good luck.
I am on my fourth Apple laptop. Have never -- repeat NEVER -- had support issues. Apple equipment works, all the time, just like they said it would.
If I were going to be living overseas (which, hopefully, I will), I would under no circumstances use anything but Apple equipment.
For what it's worth.... |
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Stephen Jones
Joined: 21 Feb 2003
Posts: 4124
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| Posted: Tue May 31, 2005 6:07 pm Post subject: |
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| so there are no additional charges for modems, etc. -- unlike PC laptops (if you didn't already know). |
When did you last look at a PC laptop? Sometime in the last century I presume.
The only hardware you are likely to find on an Apple you won't find on a PC is Firewire, and with USB 2.0 standard on all new machines it is no great loss.
I second the idea of buying in the host country. In many countries, you can find that service is crap or non-existent for some major manufacturers (Apple being the first that springs to mind in this respect actually!) |
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dmb
Joined: 12 Feb 2003
Posts: 8397
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| Posted: Tue May 31, 2005 11:43 pm Post subject: |
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| In the Gulf I did not require a seperate modem but here in Turkey I do. Why is that? In the Gulf I had slow dial up but here I have cable. Is that that the answer? ( I use the same laptop-toshiba sat.) |
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WYSIWYG
Joined: 17 Oct 2004
Posts: 149
Location: It's good to be in my own little world. We all know each other here!
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| Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2005 11:32 am Post subject: |
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| dmb wrote: |
| In the Gulf I did not require a seperate modem but here in Turkey I do. Why is that? In the Gulf I had slow dial up but here I have cable. Is that that the answer? ( I use the same laptop-toshiba sat.) |
Yep. A phone modem and cable modem are two different pieces of equipment.
My PC laptop came loaded up with everything. Internal phone modem, built-in wireless, firewire, DVD-burner, etc. There is one PCMCIA slot, but I can't think of a use for it. It does not have bluetooth however, which I would have liked for syncing my phone. Instead I had to buy a little bluetooth USB dongle.
I did go with a friend to an Apple shop in Shanghai. He had his DVD drive and screen replaced under warranty. His machine was purchased in the USA. The Sony shop in Shanghai claimed that they would honor my warranty as well, but I haven't had any problems with the machine yet.
In my opinion, the Mac/PC debate really boils down to personal preference and budget. |
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ls650
Joined: 10 May 2003
Posts: 3484
Location: British Columbia
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| Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2005 2:14 pm Post subject: |
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| MyNewWork wrote: |
| Apple equipment works, all the time, just like they said it would. |
In my previous career I worked as a computer support analyst for a large government organization. We had a mix of various first-tier brand name PCs and Macintosh.
I never noticed any difference in hardware reliability between the two platforms; both had similar failure rates.
As for software support, Apple tries to keep everything locked up and tinker-proof. Software would tend to screw up a lot more on a PC platform - but when things went haywire, it was a lot easier to "get under the hood" and fix a Windows machine than an Apple computer.
If you're a tech geek, go with the PC. If you're all thumbs with computers, the Apple is probably the better solution. |
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Stephen Jones
Joined: 21 Feb 2003
Posts: 4124
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| Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2005 10:14 pm Post subject: |
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| A cable modem isn't a modem (which is short for modulator-demodulator and converts analogue signals to digital and vice-versa) but a type of router. Don't come standard with any PC or Apple, either laptop or desktop, and nor do ADSL 'modems'. |
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nolefan
Joined: 14 Jan 2004
Posts: 1458
Location: on the run
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| Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2005 4:32 am Post subject: |
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as i mentioned before, Apple support tends to be better than that of other companies. They have service centers in most countries and it's a breeze to deal with them.
I've used their repair centers in Morocco, China, and France for various little issues and had no problems at all.
B. |
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dmb
Joined: 12 Feb 2003
Posts: 8397
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| Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2005 8:54 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| a little bluetooth USB dongle |
What's a dongle? |
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