You see, I don’t have a computer. Jeremy has a work laptop. I have a work laptop. And I have a big ole fattie computer at work. But I am quitting work in mid-February. And I am not allowed to use Jeremy’s work laptop for personal use. So I will be a blogger with no way to blog.
Stop cheering.
Anyhoo…so Jeremy spoiled the surprise of an upcoming birthday present. He wants to buy me a laptop. And he asked me what I wanted.
Here was my laptop wish list –
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I want it to be white.
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I want it to make me look hot.
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I want a webcam built in (no – not for that!)
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I want a mouse.
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I want the ability to download photoshop.
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I want to play blue-ray movies.
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I want to burn cds.
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I want to be able to hook up a bigger screen.
That’s all I could think of. This is his suggestion:
Let’s be honest. I don’t know anything about computers (if that wasn’t apparent enough with my wishlist). So I thought I would put it out there….do you guys have a computer or are you at the library right now? What should I look for? What do you have? What is the one feature you can’t live without? HELP!
I have owned two Sony Vaios and I love them! They’re quite stylish for the power they have. A big screen is an absolute must for me, and it needs to be rather fast so that I can watch TV online whenever I want 🙂 These are the ways of the cable-less folk.
Yay for new laptops!
Josh and I each have a laptop, and we have another computer in our basement that is our server, so we have a two-computer network. The computer downstairs also runs our tv, and has a blue-ray player in it (cheaper than a regular b.r. player). My laptop is pretty large, and over 5 years old now. It was a wedding present from his dad. A couple years ago, Josh got another laptop when he was deployed, and it’s small and light. That’s how we now have two. But he’s a computer nerd (it’s his job!) so we will always have a bunch of hardware all over the place. Cool thing was, he was able with the server downstairs to make our ugly, old, non-wireless printer print wirelessly, so we don’t have to have it upstairs! Yeah!
I have a Vaio, and I love mine. It is silver, doesn’t have a webcam, and I must have my mouse, because I hate the touchpad thingie! My friends that are art majors swear by Macs, but since I don’t have to do anything graphic design-ish, I will stick to my Viao.
I have a lenovo (former ibm) and could not be happier. I had to get it serviced in September and their turnaround is incredible (if though I had to mail it in, they sent me a free overnight box and sent me the laptop back overnight as well). I don’t know about the blu-ray feature, but other than that, it has everything else!
My husband has a Vaio and is very happy with it. When my desktop dies I will probably buy the Vaio laptop as a replacement.
I have a MacBook Pro laptop from 2 years ago. I work from home, but travel, so a laptop is great. But I really REALLY wish I had an iMac just so I had more storage and screen real estate. I know absolutely nothing about Vaio, but I do know a fair amount about computers. If you’re going to be using photoshop, make sure you have extra hard drive space and a significant amount of RAM. In an ideal world, you’d want probably 3 or 4 GB of Ram. Not all laptops you see for sale in best buy make it obvious what the specs are on RAM and processor speed, so make sure you check. You’re going to also want to make sure the processor speed isn’t that of a snail. 🙂 I guess all this is to say – make sure you also look at the specs of the computer, not just the looks and apparent functionality. A lot of people by cheap laptops and then are endlessly frustrated by how slow they are at running programs like PS.
Oohh…good to know about the Ram for PS. Thanks Jen.
XO – KB
I’m a Mac person through and through- the annoying kind who talks about the days before they were popular. 🙂 Truthfully though, I use CS both at home and on my Dell at work. CS 4 is amazing and certainly easier to use on the Dell than any previous version. However, using is on a Mac is a completly different experience. I think the Mac is much more intuitive, and that’s great for someone who’s not a total computer genius. It’s also much less likely to get viruses. And, the Time Machine feature (automatic back-up) is brilliant for someone like me. I highly recommend. You probably would only need a MacBook, not a MacBook Pro. Macbook is plenty powerful for running CS. (FYI – the Pro is – obviously – a professional level computer and so does not come with software like a word processor.)
I have this same computer just in silver and I love it. I did a lot of research before I purchased it and the “computer people” at my job highly recommend it. I was thinking about getting a Mac, but since I have free tech support at work for windows based machines i went with the sony vaio.
just make sure you get enough memory i think that is most important – i saw a bunch of reasonably priced laptops on Costco website and many had 4 gigs which is plenty.
get a mac!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! that’s all i can say! i love mine.
I have a Dell Inspiron at home and a Mac at both work and school. I prefer my Mac. The man of the house prefers a PC and since he was buying, I let him win. As long as I can run Adobe(Creative Suite), I’m happy! The web cam is fun though – We use it to chat with family.
My only suggestion (coming from my brother in law programmer when I was looking): make sure the comp has 4GB of RAM when running Adobe programs. They [Adobe programs] are ‘very processor and overall system intensive’…
Good luck and happy hunting!
Well my hubby is a computer guy. He has a mac and I have a pc. Every time he does something on my computer he swears at it. Yes, my next laptop will be a mac. From his experience they tend to have a lot less problems.
Mac. I’m sorry but there are two types of people in the world. Those that own macs and those that own pcs…it’s my personal experience that Mac people are both smarter, prettier, and well funnier than pc people ( all said in jest). But I love mac and will most likely never own a pc again, I love it that much! It’s great for editing and would be fantastic for blogging, and get this, there are no known viruses for macs! Yay!
I have a VAIO and my only complaint is that the battery life is terrible. My laptop is 2 years old and can’t be unplugged for more than 20 minutes without dying. Replacement batteries aren’t that expensive, but I don’t know if I’d go with another VAIO based on that.
I bought a Vaio for law school and it survived being hauled back and forth from house to school to library to coffee shop for three solid years and hours upon hours of use each day. In fact, I still have it 5 years later and it still works great. I especially love how light it is, which is great if you’ll be blogging from the couch or that great chair in Will’s room at 2 in the morning.
I just got a new Vaio in August and I love it so far…plus I think it meets all of your requirements (although I didn’t get the white one) so I would go with it!
I would totally go with a Mac over a PC. My father owns a networking and computer company and growing up we always had PCs. PCs that crashed, got viruses, etc. etc. but once I went to art school and had the Macs pushed upon me I fell in love. I’ll never go back. My husband has the new iMac, I have his old Powerbook G4 for work and a Mac mini at home. These things are work horses….I love them. They cost more – but in the end they will outlive a PC no doubt.
I do have 2 Pc’s at work simply because some of my specific work programs for picture framing won’t run on a mac but I have endless problems with them.
Just my two cents… 🙂
Make it a Mac, baby! They are super sleek and sexy and will do all that you want it to do. Oh, and ComicLife is wicked fun ( and I’d love to see your sense of humor come through with that program).
Hi KB – Here’s my food for thought.
I have owned 4 laptops in the past 9 years and my husband has had 2, so I might be able to offer something useful from my experience.
Laptop 1 – Sony VAIO purchased spring 2001, lasted all 4 years of college with CONSTANT use, it actually still runs but is so slow, doesn’t have wireless, is very heavy for my work now, etcetcetc and after 4 years it was starting to spaz which led to….
Laptop 2 – Sony VAIO, purchased fall 2005. I would only purchase a Sony because of how great my first one was. WRONG. This one had many, many, many problems. We had friends with this same computer that had the same problems. It basically completely fried after 13 mos of use and means I won’t buy another Sony ever again even if it was a fluke. That led to…
Laptop 3 – HP entertainment laptop w/ integrated webcam which was important to me bc we were moving abroad. Purchased fall 2007 and it is now fried after about 1.5 yr of hard use. Granted, I spilled tea on it twice (eek) and it did work fine but eventually I think it has fried my motherboard or something else important. Up until then I had no problems and carried it traveling a lot. Also, it has an AMD processor which I was later told often fries much faster in a laptop than an Intel (no idea if this is true, but salesman told me this). Led to…
Laptop 4 – purchased another HP due to liking the first one and feeling it was pretty dependable until the tea incidents. My requirements are built in webcam (you will love to chat with family and show them baby!), Intel processor as high speed as possible, and as much RAM as possible for as little $$ possible. If you shop around you will find one salesman likes one brand, one likes another, etc. Go with the best specs you can afford and the one that has the best “feel” for you.
Husband has had a Dell for 4 years, great performance, customer service, no problems. I recently heard a few complaints about lower quality in Dell though.
FINALLY….we just bought a Macbook Pro (thanks hubby job) and we LOVE it. I didn’t think I would care that much, but it is SO much easier to manipulate photos, etc. Just a thought. It is more cash upfront but I have never met a person that has regretted buying a Mac. Sorry so long, hope it helps at all!
Vaios are great! I own 2 and have had no problem with them at all!
uhh YES…computer run rampid in my house. Go for the MAC’s seriously–they last FOREVERRRRRRRRRRR and get no viruses! they do awesome things, and have great programs on them!
I would absolutely recommend the MacBook – if you buy the MacBook as opposed to the MacBook Pro you can buy a white one, too!! (And it’s cheaper, yay!!)
I switched over to apple two years ago and I haven’t regretted the move once. I run Windows through it so I can still interact with PC people, but I find the operating system runs more smoothly and firewalls against internet issues that tend to arise.
Good luck!!
i’ve read for a while, but never comment… however, the computer debate pulled me out of my lurker position.
we’re a total mac family! i have a macbook, husband has an airmac and our iphones are the best gadget known to man. we also have had an imac which we loved, but i love the portability of our laptops.
most nights you find us side by side, on the couch, laptops open blogging! the couple that blogs together stay together, right? 🙂
You have to go with the mac- they last longer, no spyware needed and they are just superior. end of story.
If your gonna go for a pc, then a Sony vaios is definitely your best bet. Dell’s are notorious for having constant issues and HP’s, I have one, are good but get really hot for some reason.. both the battery in the unit and the power pack on the power cord get hot which can cause issues… like frying your hard drive… which happened to me 20 min before a big exam and I lost all my spreadsheets in excell… ahh!
But if your willing to throw down the big bucks than I would root for a Mac. At least Im rootin for one as my college grad gift in may!
But really, Mac and Photo Shop were made for each other. Macs are an artists friend. They have lots of cool abilities that I just dont think pc’s can match.
And what Jen said is really true, specs are more important than outer prettiness! And make sure you get a good warranty, you can get extended warranties through your credit provider like Visa or Mastercard that are usually cheaper and better than the ones Best Buy sells you. Plus they cover warranty through the maker like apple or sony instead of the seller like Best Buy.
So yes to Sony but bigger yes to getting a Mac!
Yeah, I DEFINITELY think you would love a MacBook or iMac. The specs (technical stuff) are fabulous. They’re very neat and easy to run.
Head to the Apple store and talk with one of their apple guys! I’ve switched over and will NEVER go back to PC
Go with a mac! I have a MacBook Pro at home and one at work (I’m a designer) and they are great with Photoshop. Plus they have built-in cameras, can easily hook up with a larger monitor (of any brand), and I’ve had way less technical issues with macs than with the other kind.
Hey Katie!
I have had my fair share of computers (PCs and Macs) and from my experience, the Macs last longer and have less problems. They are more pricey, but you get a bigger bang for your buck based off what I have experienced. You can customize them too if you buy one to include the appropriate amount of space and RAM. I’d never go back to a PC though again (and everyone I know who has one has said the same) so I hope you check them out!
I have a Dell Studio 17 and love it. It is blue.
The one feature I didn’t really think a lot of when I got it but now can’t live without is a back lit keyboard. I tend to work on my laptop in the evening when we have the lights low in the house and I love the lighted keyboard!
Buy an Apple…. you WON’t be disappointed!!!
Eh, I work for a tech department and we support around 300+ computers. I really hate the Sony Vaios we used to have. We actually phased them out completely and now just have Macs and Dells. I just don’t think they are made well. We’ve had tons of problems with their cd/dvd drives going out. I know some people love them, and maybe we just have heavier users. But anyway, just wanted to throw in my two cents.
Regarding Photoshop, almost any new laptop these days will run PS just fine, but more ram will be a lot smoother and worth the upgrade. You can look into dedicated video memory if you want to get really fancy, but I personally don’t think it’s too big of a deal. Good luck!
I love my Vaio! I just got a new one with Windows 7 and it’s great! I say go Sony if you’e doing a PC!
WOW. You guys really love your Macs!
The only concern I have with switching from PCs is…well…me. My learning curve is gonna be super-slow because I ain’t so good with the learning….and plus with a new baby on the way I will have less time to learn how to use it. Plus I am scared to put that much money into an item that might result in me just giving up all together. Does any of this make sense?
Did anyone NOT make the switch easily?
XO – k to the Brainless.
Of course you can’t put a question like that out there and not get into the whole Mac vs PC thing. I am a Mac person through and through. We had my brother’s hand-me-down mac and finally just retired it . . . and it was thirteen years old!! seriously! We have replaced it with a mac mini and I’m still in love. My husband has an HP for his work . . . brand new . . . and that thing is always crashing and is nearly as user friendly. I love iphoto, idvd, and ilife. Highly endorse it.
The switch was SUPER easy for me to make (and my family is a PC family). If you run windows you won’t notice any major software differences.
The other good thing is that apple support is incredible. I frequent the apple store at Lenox Mall (I think there is also one at Perimeter) and they answer all of my questions and beyond. If you just want to go and wander around the store, they will definitely be willing to talk to you through your options as well.
I have a macbook and LOVE it! If you are afraid of using the mac operating system, you can also install and run windows on the computer. The nicest thing for people who wouldn’t call themselves computer geeks is that apple has so many fabulous services to help you. From classes to fixing things, etc. You won’t be let down with one of them. Plus if you get or have an iPhone…well, they make a cute little family together! 🙂
KB – I was in a PC family before I got a mac and had the SAME concerns. And i made the switch in the middle of college too. There’s a bit of a learning curve, but honestly, it’s not that bad. Besides, even if you do buy a mac, you can install Boot Camp on it and install your own version of windows – so you’ve got the best of both worlds. 🙂 (But honestly, why would you not use the Mac OS? It’s beautiful just to LOOK at!) Seriously though, it’s not that bad. And compared to the mess that Windows Vista is, using a mac will be super easy. Photoshop is different (I’ve used both) and I far prefer the mac version. If you’re concerned about the switch, you can always go to an Apple store before you buy and just test out the computers there. Some of them even have PS installed, so you can see the difference.
I had a tough time switching to my Mac back in the day. They’re pretty intuitive, though, and well worth the effort. Most graphic design-y and Photoshop-y people seem to prefer Macs.
Whatever you do, make sure you have MORE than the reccommended amount of RAM to run PS. When work first got me the software they updated my computer to fit the bare minimums. . and PS ran on it – at a SNAILS pace. We had to upgrade to a better computer in order to run it well.
Also. . . avoid Dell. All my computer friends hate Dell because it’s like the Walmart of computers. Not in a good way. And just ask Sarah at A Beach Cottage…she’s been blogging about her Dell complaints for 2 weeks now.
I definitely wouldn’t worry about the learning curve. The MAC is 10x’s easier to use than the PC will ever be.
I had been a 19 year PC user when I switched and believe me the most difficult thing to get used to was the the X’s to close a browser window are on the left instead of the right. More muscle memory than anything.
There really is nothing to “learn” on a Mac – they make everything so easy. even PS is easier. I am by NO MEANS a computer expert- I know nothing about them. And I still have trouble working the PC at work, but the MAC is a piece of cake.
Totally a mac! I got my DH a MacBook pro for our anniversary a few years ago, and I love and use it more than him! It is super easy to use – very little learning curve. Now when I use a pc I get so frustrated! I also second the comiclife software suggestion – hysterical! You can get a 30 day free trial too 🙂
I vote no on Sony, they are overpriced for what you get. I have this laptop from HP and it is white, has a 17 inch screen, and the customer service has been fabulous. I will NEVER go back to Dell after the horrible experiences I had with them and my laptop that burned out after a year. http://www.shopping.hp.com/series/category/notebooks/dv6t_series/3/computer_store
I have that same exact laptop, but in a slightly different color (I bought it during the GA tax free weekent so couldnt buy it online). It is great (except for that it crashed this week…but we are going to blame that on it being still set up on Vista. We upgraded to Windows 7 last night so hopefully it will become my best friend again!
It’s a great one! You will love it 🙂
You need a mac. Macs are amazing for photography. You will not be sorry.
How exciting! I would love to get a new personal laptop (mine is the one my mom got me for college in 2001). I can recommend my work laptop, a Dell Latitude E5500, although it’s a bit heavy if you plan on carrying it around a lot. Personally, I hate those tiny little laptops (netbooks) that they are hawking now – too hard to type on.
Be sure to check out http://www.newegg.com/ they run great deals on technology. I got my Bluetooth headset from there for Xmas and it was 50% off from the retail price!
Macs are worth EVERY SINGLE PENNY….We have had four, and my laptop is still going strong five years later…no updates, no slowing down, it JUST WORKS. Seriously…I was a PC person before I got married, and one of the best things my husband ever did for me was make me a mac girl. 🙂
also, when I was shopping, I went to Best Buy where they have many kinds, and told the guy in the department exactly what I wanted, a laptop that could withstand heavy use, I’m talking 12-18 hours a day of use, plus Lost marathons without overheating, and lots of memory for all my pictures. I said no way in hell would I own another Dell and Macs were out of our price range. That left HPs and Sonys, and after talking with him at length and comparing features and prices, HP won out. 6 months later and I have had zero problems and it NEVER overheats. It was about 2/3rds the price of the Sony with more features.
I have a Dell laptop that lasted me all through college and still have it. It is simply amazing, I love my Dell. As long as you order a dell through the company and don’t buy one at a retail store, they are not the same. Dell has tons of great specials online at different times and no one can really beat their extended warranty. I had to have the dell guy come out for various problems of wear and tear and it was such a easy process. Yes I had to spend time on the phone to get them to come out but in the end it was well worth it.
I have used macs a couple of times and while it was nice, it wasn’t something that I would really want. It seemed really awkward for me.
I’m a reformed Mac girl. I did not make the switch easily. There are still things that I don’t understand about my Mac. But you can purchase one-on-one service for one year when you purchase a mac. I know you may not have time to go to your Mac store and sit down and learn, but it is an option for you. I’ve bought tutorial books and I just don’t understand them. I do love my Mac and would really recommend it, but if you want to do the safe thing, go with the PC.
I LOVE my Vaio. They are kinda pricy, but I haven’t had a single problem with mine in the 4 years I’ve had it. I used to work in IT repair and spent a lot of time working out problems on Dells and Gateways, so I’m glad I spent the extra to save me the frustration of bringing work home!
I always though Mac users were snobs…until I become one. Now I know that we are just plain awesome! 😉
Really, though, I am head-over-heels in love with our Macbook. We’ve never had a single virus, it is VERY user friendly, and tech support is amazing.
Once, due to negligence on my hubbie’s part {letting the battery die without turning off the computer, and then letting it “sleep” like that for days and days} the battery completely died. He called tech support at 5pm on a weekday, who told him to send the old battery back and they’d they’d ship us a new one ASAP. The VERY NEXT DAY, there was a brand new battery waiting on our doorstep! That just doesn’t happen with PCs…
Plus, Macs are so gosh darn beautiful, they brings tears to your eyes!
Just a thought but I, like you, am an aspiring photographer and I have found that after I added my programs and documents, I really didn’t have much room to store my pictures. I had to buy a heckuva external hard drive for them. So, you might want to think of a computer that has a boat load of storage or even consider an external hard drive for photos. Hope that helps.
Go Mac, you’ll never go back. It’s so worth it. It’s so easy to use, so you’ll be able to pick it up right away. Macs are a million times better at running programs like Photoshop and you’ll never regret spending the extra cash. They last (my PowerBook is 6 years old..they don’t even make them any more and it’s working great) and the Mac store/supports are unmatched. They’re happy to help with even the dumb questions (like what just happened to all my music?) and the hard ones (like my CD drive no longer works). Plus, they are pretty much 100% virus-free. It’s absolutely the way to go.
And they’re white. And they definitely make you look hot.
get a mac for the love of god! ive had this macbook for about 4 years and it has not slowed down or bogged up at all!!!! i dont think macs have blueray playback (maybe soon) and macbooks/pros have small screens (13in; unless u get upper pros 15in/17in), but its definitely worth the compromise!
Mac!!!!!! There is nothing better. And they have a white one. It’s the best computer out there for anything fun and for working photoshop. I’m a designer, I wouldn’t have anything else. And you don’t have to worry about crazy virus!
My vote is for a Macbook. They have all the accessories you want and are way easier to use than a PC! It does take some adjustment, but once you Mac you never go back!
Get a MAC for sure. I have a MacBook and love it. I have had no problems with viruses or anything and I’ve had it almost a year and a half. Before that I had a second hand PowerBook and had no problems with that either. Like others have said, it’s more money up front but they last long and are great computers.
Yes, get the Sony Vaio… its what I have now and I love it. Plus it DOES make you look hot!
I cant imagine a girl as cool as you, not using a MAC.You should really go play with one before selling out to sony. Also if you have an apple store in your town they have free classes to teach you the transition
I love my dell studio laptop, I think you can get it in white. I love the backlit keyboard!
IMO, Macs are the way to go. This is from a girl whose father and grandfather BOTH worked for IBM in its PC heyday and whose husband had to drag her, screaming, down the path of Apple enlightenment. But they say converts are the loudest advocates! In addition to its easy interface, speed, lack of bugs, and pure classy hotness in the looks category, the biggest reason is Apple Care, which will answer all your questions, fix all your problems, and teach you everything you need to know. It is worth the few hundred extra to get it. The biggest reason is selfish – Macs don’t go down like PCs, and I need my fix of Bower Power!
oooh fun, a new laptop! my recommendation is to get a mac. i’ve had mine for about 7 months and it’s true, once you go mac you never go back 😉
Macs are better. It won’t take you that long to get used to it. All the graphics programs like Photoshop are better on a Mac too. They don’t crash nearly as often and they are the best! I do lots of graphics and photos and a Mac is really the way to go for artistic types!
TOTALLY get a Mac! We just bought our second Macbook Pro last night. You will LOVE it. And even though they’re more expensive up front, you will save money in the long run. They’re built really well and will last. I am practically evangelistic about Macs; I love them so much. 🙂
I’m just going to join the bandwagon and say…GET A MAC. You won’t be sorry.
I have a toshiba(its nothing too exciting) but has a larger screen and the one thing I find important is the scrolling feature, some laptops dont scroll down very well. But if your getting a mouse you wont need to worry about that!
I currently have a Toshiba, which I totally loved when I first bought it. I have only had it for a couple of years, and I am already saving for a new laptop. I will most definately be going for a MAC. My boyfriend has one, and I use his computer more than my own now. Apple’s interface is so easy, and beats Windows anyday!!
my husband and I have that laptop and we haven’t had any problems with it! I love it! and it looks really nice!
VAIOs have a tendency to overheat and burn out. I know three people who’ve had to get their computers repaired because of a faulty cooling fan.
Good question. We have a pc desktop at home. Where I worked for the last four years I had a supped up Mac, my last was a G4 w/ the Adobe Creative Suite. Sigh. I still wouldn’t trade it for being at home and w/ our soon to be born baby. We also purchased a refurbished laptop for less.
I would recommend querying your closest Staples or Best Buy worker, if they are at all as helpful as ours. Or if you know someone who eats up computer anything like my brothers. If you let them know your needs, they can advise you on a good processor speed, space amount, given the price you want to spend.
I also recommend getting an external hard drive to store your photos on. Maybe even another for backup. It will free up space on your computer, or if you do store your large size pics on your computer, you can use the external for backup in case something happens to your computer. Which brings up the point of using a good anti-virus software to mostly prevent the likelihood.
I was reading your list and I thought in my head, he’s going to suggest a mac… and then I scrolled down.
After having my dell laptop die at less than 1 year old and a dell desktop die at a year and a half.. I bought a mac and I’ll never go back.
Get a Mac and you’ll never go back!
While we have PCs at work, we are a Mac only household at home. We each have our iBooks and then we have a “house” iMac. The iMac is great because it’s got a HUGE screen. I usually prefer to do my larger photoshopping projects there {ones where I’m compiling pieces of several different images into 1 piece} just because of the screen size. I do everything else on my macbook pro. It’s the perfect size to go with me places – whether it’s the couch or away for the weekend. I love iPhoto for organizing my photos and the facial recognition software it has built in is pretty freakin awesome!
If you go with a Mac, you might want to wait until after Apple’s big event on Jan. 27th in case any new versions are released.
Go mac!
KB…sweetie…listen. I am computer illiterate. Mac’s take hardly ANY getting used to (if you ask me)….there is no learning curve. You’ll be FINE. It’s simple. Honestly…! I promise! I wouldn’t sway you in the wrong direction I totally promise. You’ll learn a few tricks and badabing-badaboom-you know how to work a mac. PS: I can come over there with my pretty little baby of mine (who will be in competition with ms. petersik), and she can entertain Will while I teach you the way of the Mac world? k? cool..
haha 🙂 seriously. go play with them in the store or something. there is NOT a better computer out there. promise.
Go with a MAC!!! Once you go MAC you never go back! Its the best switch I’ve E-V-E-R made!! DO IT!
I don’t think you could convince me (ever!) to spend actual hard (or easy! ;)) earned cash on anything but a Mac. They are incredibly intuitive, so you would learn SUPER quick, I assure you. Best of all, if you have any questions – they have the best customer service support in. the. world. I love my macBook. Love, love, love it.
I love the fact that you are blogging about this subject right now. I am right in the middle of my PC vs Mac decision right now. So Im reading through all of these great comments getting info for myself. Thanks a million and good luck deciding!
if you are going to do serious work at home, i suggest you invest in a desktop with a large hard drive. and then supplement that with a laptop.
MAC or PC either OS – but you will enjoy a better ROI with a desktop that can handle and store large files and also can act as a main server for a mini home network. (you can both link to it and share photos, music, etc. )
be sure and add a wireless component to the desktop when you purchase it.
Desktop packages are very reasonable now and actually cheaper than laptops – so you could get that first and then later add the laptop for you for more portability (blogging in the nursery?)
Let me say that 3 years ago I was a life-long mac-hater because of psychic damage from learning “computer skills” on 1980s macs in the 1990s… my school wasn’t down with the new tech. That said, I am now a SERIOUS Mac aficionado. They have everything on your wishlist (that I can tell), and the customer service ROCKS THE SOCKS! After 3 years of owning mine the battery died (which seemed like a minor issue for a 3-year-old computer that has sustained many drops and one fall from the top of my car going 35mph). It was out of warranty, and I was bummed that I was going to be buying a new battery. I took it to the store, spoke with a guy behind the counter (and showed him the laptop), he looked at it, disappeared behind a door, reappeared with a working battery, checked that it worked properly, and said “there you go.” “Did you need my credit card?,” I asked. “Nope, have an awesome day!”
Then the charger got damaged on a road trip due to inefficient packing. “Damnit! $80 charger!!” I took it in, and the same magic act happened… FREE. No warranty, no hassle, no calls to India or Taiwan for tech support! I really love talking to someone in person when I have computer woes, so that I know I am not getting the run-around… and really, is there anything more charming that computer geeks who gift you with awesome, smiling, free service?! UH-MAZING.
And the thing still runs like a champ because of the no virus thing! Most accessories are “plug-and-play” meaning you don’t have to install anything for your printer to work, or for your camera to work, or for your cell phone to connect, or for your internet to be set up! WOW… talk about easy for the non-techies! I feel like a used car saleswoman, but seriously… I am almost bummed that it is so great because the new ones are 100x sweeter than my 3-year-old macbook. The money saving rocks, and the learning curve (for someone who is NOT tech savvy and HATED macs) was minimal, within 1 or 2 weeks I had nearly forgotten how to navigate a pc! It might be worth a test-drive at the local Apple store and a chat with one of the charming Apple geeks for a guided tour!
I have to throw out another vote for the MAC! I had a Dell all throughout law school – worst computer EVER. I had the “blue screen of death” on a regular basis, spent hours on the phone w/tech support, even had the tech support people at my house multiple times. I have loved my MacBook!! It’s easy to use, meets your white laptop criteria & the best part – no blue screen of death!
I just bought my first MacBook Pro and LOVE LOVE LOVE it
I’m a Mac user, I have a MacBook and love it… we are saving up to get an iMac, but I will never go back to anything else.
I have one word for you: MAC!!!!!
I switched from PCs to Mac ‘a few years ago and it was the best decision of my life!!
My husband and I will never buy another PC…
Just saying is all…you surely won’t regret it!
GET A MACbook!!
Once you go Mac, you will never go back!! Seriously, you would love it. It is an easy switch, and so fun to learn the programs like Pages (word processing that’s amazing) and iMovie. It is a gazillion times easier to do the creative stuff on Mac programs (but you can still use Word on a Mac if you really want to… although you won’t, I promise). I had PCs for a long time, but I truly will never buy one again.
I’m kind of a Mac snob now (own an iMac and a MacBook Pro), but I thought you might be interested to know that the reason I switched to Mac is that I’m a professional photographer, and once I started taking serious photography and graphic design courses I realized that almost everyone is using Macs (for good reason). They’re just so intuitive (and I’m not a computer or tech savvy person).
With CS4 you’ll want to have plenty of RAM, because that beast uses a ton of space. Off-topic, but I was wondering if you’ve ever looked into using Lightroom? I’ve been using Photoshop every day for about 4 years now, but I purchased Lightroom about a year ago and now do 98% of my personal and business photo editing (not design…it’ll only edit your photos) in Lightroom…really easy to use and a lot more intuitive than CS4.
Oh, I forgot to add that Macs make backups (which are so important for photographers) super easy. Just hook up an external hard drive (you can even buy wireless ones), set up Time Machine (it’s easy, I swear) to backup your Mac every hour, and then forget about it – you never have to worry about losing anything again. It’s really that simple.
I was worried about the PC to Mac conversion (like I said, I’m not tech savvy) so I bought a really simple Mac book by Scott Kelby (love his photography stuff…check him out if you haven’t already) and it helped me learn the basics quickly and easily (seriously, you could even do it with 1-week postpartum crazy brain). I recommend buying a Mac so much I’ll even mail you my copy if you want – seriously.
Hey Katie, I think you’d be happy with a mac, but the real advantage is for people who do a lot of graphics work. With the blog you’re doing some photoshoping, so it might be to your advantage, but they are also significantly more expensive and that’s a lot to pay to be cool.
I have owned a VAIO and it was good. I saw someone complained about the battery and I had a similar issue, but I believe it was because I didn’t know you should let the battery fully drain before recharging it. Since I’ve done that, I have had great battery success with laptops and cell phones… Good luck with the baby! I’m due in a week. Time flies!
I have an HP laptop with blu-ray and I love it! The only problem so far has been with the blu-ray player playing all of my movies, but I learned (after about 6 hours on the phone to HP), that it was only their software causing the issue.
One suggestion- if you plan on transporting it a lot, don’t get the 17 inch screen. It makes it heavier, bulkier and they don’t make hardly any cute bags to fit a 17 inch laptop!
ps: (wow, 3rd comment…holy crap)…whatever you do, DO NOT get a DELL. Seriously…I spent many-a-college-day on the phone in tears with some indian dude who couldnt understand my problem, telling me the issue was gonna cost another $250 just to ANALYZE and me be without a computer for weeeeeeeeks. Seriously. Don’t do it. Their customer service S–UUUU-CKS, and ya know…once you have a baby here, you will NOT have time to deal with that.
Macs are great. It’s all I’ve ever owned, even back in the day before everyone started to get them. I have a laptop for work & one for at home. Love them both like a fat kid loves cake.
I’ve had a Vaio desktop for almost 8 years and never had a single problem with it. It’s ancient, but I just can’t replace it becuase it works perfectly!
I used to hate Macs (we had to use them in grade school for computer class). Then I went to college.
The majority of kids at my university used Macs so I was really intimidated to start on one being that the last memory I had of using one was with a manila folder over my fingers covering the keyboard so I didn’t cheat while learning to type properly.
I was SO impressed at how easy it was to learn on one and how much better (ie faster) programs seem to run on Macs. I retired my old laptop PC (an IBM Think Pad from 2003 – which, I have to say, I am impressed at how long that guy lasted) and bought my MacBook Pro last February. Now, I went to school for TV & Film production so the Pro lets me make movies so easily (I have Final Cut Studio on my Mac).
For someone who wants to use their laptop for photography, movies (I assume you’ll be making some of Will when he comes along!) and the web, I’d definitely recommend a Mac. Not necessarily a Pro, though, for just personal use you can get away with a regular MacBook.
Also, Jerry is a PC (he has a beast of a Dell in his home office) but he is always sneaking on my Mac for quick downloads and faster connections.
Other than that, I don’t know anything about computers. Hope that helps!
-Emily
Don’t worry too much about the switch to macs; as my good friend says, “Macs are ‘too’ user-friendly”, which can only be a good thing, right? That said, I’m completely biased, as I have (literally) grown up on macs. I do use windows vista at work, and HP on my hub’s laptop, but I still prefer my macbook. To get a better feel for it, I would definitely go to the apple store and play around!
Oh, P.S. I have never had any battery problems with my mac. After about a year of use, mostly all of my friends at college had to keep their laptops (hp/windows/dell,etc.) plugged in constantly, because the batteries did not hold any power. My mac could last for hours on battery power. Sure, it makes less of a difference if you are mainly using your computer at home, working at a desk (rather than traveling or working at librarys/coffeeshops/airports/cartrips), but I figure that part of the point of a laptop is so that it is mobile. If a laptop can’t last more than a few minutes without being plugged into the wall, it doesn’t seem very mobile to me! I’m not sure about sonys.
Isn’t it funny how people come out of the woodwork for these kinds of questions?
I’m a tech person, so I’ve gone through many laptops in the last 10 years or so. Unfortunately, I’ve found that my PCs, regardless of brand, last 3-4 years. So, if you go for a PC, resist the urge to go for every bell and whistle. Invest in an external hard drive so you aren’t beholden to the laptop if it dies.
That being said, I’ve had the Vaio, an HP, and a bunch of Dells. The Vaio was a great toy when it was new, but by year 2-3, it aged incredibly. It slowed down, the battery life was diminished, and there were new pieces of software it just couldn’t handle. It’s a very expensive computer, which makes the early decline all the more distressing.
The HP was the laptop I had for the shortest amount of time. It was a fine computer, but I don’t remember ever being impressed by it.
The Dells have been the best of the PCs. The ability to customize is great, they aren’t gimmicky, they are workhorses. They have great support and they don’t really decline…they just die. This may sound silly, but if you’re the type of person who backs everything up on an external hard drive, the decline of a computer is more frustrating than the actual death. You don’t want months and months of bugginess and hicccuping that require you to coax and tweak constantly. When the thing is ready to go, you just want it to die. Period. Then, you can go out and get your next one.
If you are getting a PC, do not spend a crazy amount of money. Remember, it is a short term investment. It is going to die. If you aren’t giving it the workout that I do, it’ll probably last 5 years, but by then, there will be better technology out there and you’ll want to upgrade.
Trust me. Remind yourself when you’re shopping. These are short term computers.
That all being said, Macs last. They last forever. I have a G4 that sits in a public kiosk in my office that has been humming away for 6-7 years and it’s just fine. If I switched out the mouse for a newer one, no one would know the machine was old if they didn’t look at how thick it is.
I do most of my work on a Dell Inspiron and have an iMac at home. Right now, they’re side by side on my desk. 🙂 Though there is some transition time to get used to the Mac, it’s not as hard as some people would have you think. I think some Mac people want you to think their world is reserved for special people, but Macs are actually very intuitive.
By iMac is on its third year and it still feels new. It was expensive, but it’s in far better shape than the Inspiron, which is about the same age. The Inspiron is already protesting when I want to do complex tasks.
Design wise, Apple has a great thing going, too.
Okay, that was the longest blog comment I’ve ever written. Sorry. Bottom line, PCs are short term buys and Macs are longer term buys. Invest in an external hard drive.
Oh, and Acer (“cheap” brand) is the company that makes laptops for some of the big, big names. Don’t get stuck on the brand. Look at the processor (I personally like AMD, but the processor inside is more important than the brand on the outside).
Psst…I have the best 17 inch laptop bag. It’s called the Tarrytown Ashley by Kate Spade. If you have a Kate Spade outlet near you, hit it up on Saturday, when they usually have 50% off sales.
I get so many compliments on my kelly green bag. I also like that it’s not obviously a laptop bag and I can use it as a regular tote.
katie… macs are so easy to use! there’s basically no learning curve and i promise you’ll be so grateful for the recommendations you might even change your first born’s name from will to mac… ya never know! 🙂
I have a white Mac and I LOVE IT!! I can take all of the laugh lines off of my face and every freckle off of my arms! 🙂 I never get pop ups and no virus’s. And yes it makes me look good!
I couldn’t live without my macbook. And they come in white. =)
my only advice is to get an external hard drive! you can save some moolah on memory and not worry about losing all your pics of Baby Bower (and other important stuff, too).
Hi Katie. I just wanted to share that I was also trying to figure out what laptop to buy, so this post was sooo helpful! Well, I just bought myself a white macbook today and am super excited! With all mac owners raving like they did on this post, how could I get anything else?! Best of luck on your laptop hunt! xoxo
I didn’t read the others’ advice, but I 100% recommend a Sony Vaio (we have a desktop one that is 6 yrs old & is FLAWLESS; my brother has the laptop & it has never failed him in the 3 yrs he’s had it).
Do not get a Dell! Customer service is awful and we had to send our laptop in to get serviced 4 times in the year we had it.