new laptop -- i need recs

[devohoneybee]

My thinkpad is starting to make "I'm old and creaky" noises, so I'm thinking it may be time for a new one. Also, my service agreement runs out in September. Several people have suggested getting a Mac, for, among other reasons, Vista avoidance. Here's my questions

-- If you were buying a new laptop now, what would you get?

For the Mac users, how hard is it to switch between Macs and pcs (which I would continue to use at work)?

Thanks in advance!

Comments

[elimloth.livejournal.com]

Which computer and OS to use depends a lot on what you need to do with that technology. I am fairly agnostic about these things having worked at Apple and Microsoft, so your choice should consider your needs: compatibility with existing file formats if you use your laptop at work (OS X based Office is pretty good but not perfect), compatibility with the company's email if that matters. Do you mostly do email, WEB access? Both work equally well. Do you have need for video editing? Macs excel at that. Do you use specialized business software? Windows excels at that.

[devohoneybee.livejournal.com]

I mostly use email, web browsing, and a few *mumbledy mumbledy* other uses. :)

I am mostly wanting a more reliable piece of hardware than what I've been using -- an IBM thinkpad barely on its second year, that has had to be sent in for servicing about 5 times since purchase.

[elimloth.livejournal.com]

Laptops are just delicate compared to desktop units. I love their form factor and I really need the portability, so I put up with their care and feeding. Still, having talked to many laptop toting people at work (Microsoft) and other friends, we all pretty much agree that thinkpads, though quite lovely machines are more delicate than Dell laptops. The worst are Toshiba laptops. Mac laptops seem to be better than all of them, though having worked at Apple I know their quality across models has never been consistent. When they hit a sweet spot in their design, it is a wonderful thing to behold. For example, I have a G3 bronze prototype laptop that is over 7 years old and it works well. I even dropped it once, parts flew out in all directions: the battery, CD drive module, etc., and it works fine to date. On the other hand, my TiBook and my wife's TiBook each had to go in twice to repair a backlight, a bad video connector, and a bad power controller ASIC. So far, I've heard the MacBooks have been reliable. Are they more reliable than a Dell, not certain yet.

The slipstream update mechanism to get Windows running on a Mac (aka Bootcamp), works well for Windows XP. I don't whether Vista can be booted.

Finally, trying to do work on two different operating systems is a real pain. You end up having to move or convert files, and you need to buy software twice over. Whichever OS you pick, pick one.