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Old 06-15-2012, 08:10 AM   #71
unboggling
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WT Sharpe View Post
I also agree. I have a 32GB Wi-Fi only 1st generation iPad, and the storage is far better than I'd hoped. Of course, I don't keep movies or videos on the device after they've been watched, but I do store a lot of text documents (Pages, etc.)

One word about the Wi-Fi: I bought a Virgin Mobile 3G hotspot ($20/500 MG per month plan) for those times when I need the Internet and I'm away from my home network. While it's adequate for surfing this forum, shopping, searching, and email; I wouldn't dream of attempting to watch movies online or visit graphics-intensive sites with it, although when connected to my home network it does all those things fine. But for $20 a month, it's hard to beat.
Thanks for confirming 32GB storage option as reasonable. And the Virgin Mobile 3G Hotspot sounds like a useful way to increase access if necessary. it's nice to know there's a solution for people who buy a Wi-Fi only model and then realize later that they need more access capability.

Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT View Post
Given the basis of your comparison, your figures are of course absolutely correct, but I think you need to ask what she's going to use a laptop for. I suspect the answer is that it will be used almost exclusively for web browsing, e-mail, and word processing, and for those tasks you don't need a high-end machine; any low-spec laptop will do absolutely fine. Of course it's nice to have a top-end laptop, and if she has the money, then it would be a nice thing to have; I was simply trying to point out a potential way of saving money.

Eg, A Dell Inspiron 14R (I'm very partial to Dell myself) has a 14" screen, a dual-core Intel i3 processor, 4GB RAM, 500GB hard disk, costs $499, and I'm sure would do everything that she required.
Ah. Now I think I know what I misunderstood earlier. I was hearing "Mac vs PC" in terms of OS, while you were meaning "higher end computer vs lower end computer" in terms of hardware, regardless of OS. Generally Mac models reside toward the higher end of the hardware continuum, while PC models from various manufacturers with various qualities of chips have more variety in hardware ranging all the way from lower end to higher end. Thus with PCs there are more choices for users who don't necessarily need higher end machines. For some reason I never considered it in that particular way before. Apologies for my obtuseness.

I got some clarification on her budget, there's a little more room than I'd thought. But we also discussed which option she'd prefer: (A) having inexpensive PC laptop and an iPad, or (B) a Mac laptop alone. She was definite and unwavering, choosing (B). She's grown up with a couple of old and tired un-high-end PCs that caused a lot of frustration with storage and RAM limitations, some OS problems, security scares, and frequent crashes. So after thinking all of this over, I agree a new Dell Inspiron 14R or equivalent probably would be adequate, but she'll probably choose a Mac option anyway.

Quote:
Originally Posted by David Munch View Post
Apples displays are not of a higher resolution than the competition, apart from the new retina Macbook pro of course. You are paying for built quality, design and Apple research/branding.

Any screen will work fine with a Mac.
Thanks for clarifying. Those were bad assumptions on my part that needed to get straightened out.

Quote:
Originally Posted by David Munch View Post
When that is said, the OP should probably ask the niece if she prefers Windows over OS X on the Mac. It is quite different to use, and most people that have tried both have their own preference. For simple uses as hers, I personally would recommend OS X, but let her choose her OS before the machine.
I don't know if she ever sat down with a Mac long enough to get a feel for Mac OS X. She does have experience with Windows already. The problem is that it takes people a while to get a good feel for a different OS that they're new to. Trying Mac OS X for an hour at an Apple Store is not the same as working with Mac OS X over time. That applies to any unfamiliar operating system. So the decision to "risk it" at first has to be based on reputation, advertising, or word of mouth.
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