I use both as well drisump - and I have to disagree -

Everything from taking it out of the box to interacting with customer service ticks the boxes in the Mac column. And, one of the very best things - no finger pointing with Mac. If the OS is giving you problems when you call AppleCare and ask them questions, they won't be pointing fingers at the hardware manufacturer. I just ran into this with a brand new Alienware I purchased (Mac comparable in pricing I might add - it was a very expensive machine, bought for gaming). Dell quickly pointed the finger at Windows when I called up with a problem, call Microsoft - why, no, that is a known hardware problem... the circle of frustration began.

I guess the old adage is true - you get what you pay for. With Apple you get a superior machine with incomparable customer service.

They point as many fingers as anyone else, look up the Nvidia class suit from this year. Plenty of finger pointing when you called in about that issue.

So, you have called Apple Care and gotten fingerpointing when you asked for help Scott? I have had to only call a few times (I have been on apples/macs since the 80s), but not once did the people at Apples' customer centers 'blame' something/someone else. When you called about the Nvidia recall did Applecare not take care of it, or did they make you call Nvidia?

From what I can see from Dell - they would have made you call Nvidia, and washed their hands of the problem.

I gotta admit, at the Apple store they treat you like a king.

Windows customer gets treated like a wet dog.

rjp

Mac at home, PC at work. The funny thing is, all the upper echelon of people at work now operate with iPads and "Go To My PC.com". Maybe they wil switch to all Apple soon. l prefer the Apple OS hands down, Reading the Jobs bio the groundwork for an exceptional product was laid early on. As far as Apple clones go, it's like trying to pass off your Chrysler 300 as being "just like a Bentley, only cheaper".

With VMWare Fusion you don't need bootcamp. Just run your WinXP/7 OS as a virtual machine. Drag and drop from the VM to Mac desktop, sharing devices, etc...easy. You can create snapshots (or copies) of your virtual machine so if something goes wrong, you get a Win virus, or something get's corrupted, you can go back to the a starting point.

Oh yes I have. And yes they deferred to Nvidia and Western before for RMA's. Just like anyone else, all tech companies are essentially the same in the end. Whether it's a shiny Apple on the case or glowing alien eyes.

Scott - Apple just had me drop my machine off at the store for the Nvidia problem, 2 days later - all better. No hassle at all. And they set in a new keyboard - they said that the old one was sort of sticky (it was, my fault ;) ) - no charge, big smiles.

The Alienware is an interesting machine - screaming fast - but, it just isn't 'nice'.

When I was at CA they issued me some Dell POS. I did the bulk of my work on my personal 17" Mac but there were certain things locked to the corporate infrastructure that I just could not get around. Hated having to carry two machines.

The day the Intel boxes release I ordered one and as soon as it showed up slapped Parralells on it.

Migrated my Dell to it, stuck the Dell in a drawer and never looked back.

IT never picked up on it.

I can run Debian Linux on 'em all, so I go for the commodity hardware :)

My travel computer (windows tablet) weighs 1.5 lbs, has an SSD and is on it's original battery from 2006. It has been dropped, thoroughly used - used pretty much daily, since 2006. ...but it was not a cheap buy.

The thing that I see is that so many compare the high build quality, of one of the better mac's, to that of an inexpensive PC. Yeah, then it's like comparing a Mercedes to a Fiesta.

There are a lot of high build quality PC's out there with high design, magnesium, etc...

But why look at those when you know that mac's are almost always high design? . . .tho, come to think of it, I don't see a lot of really old mac's in use. ... seems they are kind of like designer purses, I suppose. If you don't have the latest mac, you aint sheet. ;)

Have you completed your investigtion of all the Mac-owners' "designer purses" already Glenn? Where does mine stand in your "study?"

Well, I'm no expert on designer purses, but I'm guessing that yours is not high on the -in- list. ....unless purses made from recycled snow tires are up and coming.

I will note that your purse does however sound studly. ...B'Dummm CHiiinnnggg ;)

I prefer not spending the big bucks on many things including a personal computer. My Mac is a then top-of-the-line 2005 model I purchased used about 5 years ago. New: $3500. Used from ebay: $1200. With some hard drive, RAM and OS upgrades over the years, I'm still on it.

Sherwood

Apple Sets a High Bar
One year after climbing 4% to a record-high score of 78 on ACSI’s 0 to 100-point scale, customer satisfaction with personal computers flattens out. The industry itself is in a state of rapid change, with technology advances accelerating amid shifts in consumer preference. As the demand for traditional desktop PCs weakens, the tablet computer market is skyrocketing—led by Apple’s iPad. Apple’s record of customer satisfaction preeminence in the personal computer industry continues unabated in 2011, as the company adds another point to its already exceptional score. At 87 (+1%), Apple outdistances its nearest competitor by 9 points.

“In the eight years that Apple has led the PC industry in customer satisfaction, its stock price has increased by 2,300%,” remarks Claes Fornell, founder of the ACSI and author of The Satisfied Customer: Winners and Losers in the Battle for Buyer Preference. “Apple’s winning combination of innovation and product diversification—including spinning off technologies into entirely new directions—has kept the company consistently at the leading edge.”

Not to keep banging the Mac drum, but my mom is using a 7 year old iBook and my dad a 5 year old Macbook pro. This summer my moms iBook wouldn't start up, so my dad (not a computer person) scheduled an appointment at the Genius Bar. Comes in with his 7 year old computer, they do some vudooo to it and it start up again. All for the cost of $0. That is customer service.

Honestly I don't know any other company that stands behind their products like Apple does. Maybe high end autos like Mercedes/Lexus/Volvo, but no other consumer product for sure.

+ 1

they all have the same chips for CPU memory video and most of the other stuff

you can pick a windoz machine with mac like chips
for the sound and network [the picky ones]
and load the 29.95 mac O/S as a dual boot with a free installer program
and save about 1/2 the macbook price 500 vs 1000 on the low end
and save thousands on a desk top by doing a hackintosh


OSx86 Installation - InsanelyMac Forum