Job Discussion Forums

markle · Joined: 17 Jan 2003 Posts: 1316 Location: Out of Japan

I'm in the process of getting one and I just want to make sure.

PAULH · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 4672 Location: Western Japan

Sherri · Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2005 5:21 pm Post subject:

I love mine. I can't understand why anyone would bother with anything else.
Sherri

wintersweet · Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2005 7:01 pm Post subject:

a) You can't spend the extra cash
b) There's some program you need that ONLY works on Windows

Otherwise, go for it. Smile

I had a really bad experience with Apple warranty repairs and lack thereof, but after I survived that, I've been much happier with my iBook, and I plan to bring it with me to Japan in September. Smile

(MacOS handles Japanese really well, which is a bonus)

Sweetsee · Joined: 11 Jun 2004 Posts: 2302 Location: ) is everything

We love ours.

JimDunlop2 · Joined: 31 Jan 2003 Posts: 2286 Location: Japan

happyhiker · Joined: 22 May 2005 Posts: 7 Location: vancouver

I just bought a Toshiba laptop and it is bad news all around...keyboard crapped out after a couple months.

Anyway, whenever I see my friends with their Apple Laptops, happy as can be, I will for sure buy an apple for my next computer.

Go for it! I hear far fewer complaints about Apples than any of the other brands.

ionix- · Joined: 25 May 2005 Posts: 37 Location: Miyakonojo, Japan

I would never buy apple because of the compatibility thing. Sure they will tell you that they can run all the program a PC can. Not quite true, they can run different programs that will achieve the same result (dvd player, photo organizer, web browser) but the fact is that only major softwares are ported from PC to mac (Photoshop, iTunes...). Many programs are windows only and sooner or later you will regret that decision. Of course, if you learned on a mac it's a different story but I found that switching from Windows to OS X was a pain. I like the way the OS X is built on unix; while the OS is superior in my humble opinion, the compatibility thing is a killer. For instance, let say you want to download a software to practice kana, you will find about 50 softwares for Windows. As for people reporting that their PC died, it is important to make a difference between an architecture (x86 for PC and PowerPC for mac) and a vendor. Maybe toshiba computers are crap but Dell's laptop are very good (Not sure if sold in Japan). Overall, I think both hardware solutions are good, the operating system for the mac is better HOWEVER the compatibility issue is a deal breaker for me... Don't hesitate to PM me, I am a computer engineer and I own both platform.

JimDunlop2 · Joined: 31 Jan 2003 Posts: 2286 Location: Japan

Gordon · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 5309 Location: Japan

Are Apples really worth the added cost? I see they are about 25-30% more than PC laptops. I will be buying a new laptop next summer probably in Canada and have been thinking about the same thing. I now have a Toshiba Satellite and I hate it. The cursor keeps moving around when I type and then the text shifts over in that direction.

bearcat · Joined: 08 May 2004 Posts: 367

I hate laptops period. But I'd never use apple due to my gaming habits(apple is always late on versions or none at all in some cases).

With laptops, one part goes wrong and you gotta service the whole thing. If the key board goes on my desk top, I just replace that in a day no problem. Wife's laptop keyboard went poof and it took her a week to get it repaired and she was out 20,000 yen... thus an expensive repair.

I imagine repairs on an apple laptop would be even more than a pc one as well.

Upgrading on lappy's is generally pretty hard to do since the laptops are pretty model specific in parts. Thus you can extend the longevity of your Windows desktop.

Not to mention replacement/upgrades tend to be cheaper due to being more mass produced than that of apple ones.

markle · Joined: 17 Jan 2003 Posts: 1316 Location: Out of Japan

Too late
already got it.

All in all we've been pretty happy with what we got. We got the laptop due ultimately to the fact you can put it in ashoulder bag and take it where you want it.

And I paid the extra money for the apple for the peace of mind since we are fairly novice users and can't be bothered with the security / software issues that come along with a PC running windows.

lajzar · Joined: 09 Feb 2003 Posts: 647 Location: Saitama-ken, Japan

Pros and cons...

repairs: the real issue here is desktop vs laptop, not pc vs mac. Although i suspect that macs will be more expensive to service due to lower emand and relative scarcity of skilled engineers.

Games: PC all the way here.

Japanization: Both platforms are equally good now. I understand windows has issues if you want to run *legacy* Japanese apps AND legacy [random other east asian language] apps.

Price: Macs are more expensive. Lots of places in Japan will however double teh price of everything if you want it in English. Shop around.

Familiarity: unless you have a pressing reason otherwise, stick with the OS you know.

Software compatibility: You'll always be able to find something that does the job you wnat in each OS. However, you'll often find that the files used in [random app for Mac] are not readable in the windows equivalent app, and vice versa. If you need to be compatible with whatever your office uses, it is far simpler to get the same OS. You'll save a ton of headaches.

I think that's everything.

abyssiniangrl · Joined: 28 Jul 2004 Posts: 29 Location: barcelona

i like pears

preferably poached

Jon Taylor · Joined: 09 Mar 2005 Posts: 238 Location: Tokyo

My 'Acer' laptop is fantastic and all in English (keyboard, windows) and the best thing is....you pay nothing for the name.......

I cannot reccomend this company highly enough.

www.primepc.jp