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Old 01-08-2014, 04:27 PM  
KevB KevB is offline
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MacBook Pro or PC for work?
I need to choose between a Mac (Air, 13" Pro or 15" Pro) or a PC as my next work computer. Company will subsidize the cost to me, and I'll own it at the end. I'm likely considering the MacBook Pro 15" vs. an X1 Carbon ultrabook.

My question is : I've never had a Mac, for various reasons. #1 was the premium you have to pay for a Mac. However, I can get the Mac for roughly the same amount I'd normally pay for a mid-tier PC given my circumstances in paragraph 1. What should I take into consideration before making a decision, and which would you choose?

Key points : I live in Office (primarily Excel) for work, but also the typical other functions of a laptop. It's not going to be used as a heavy video processing device. I spend what seems most of my waking hours on my laptop (an exaggeration, but not by much). I have an Android phone, not an iPhone. In 3 years, the computer will likely be passed on to one of my kids, perhaps one that will be close to going to college. I'm certainly used to all things windows and comfortable with a pc keyboard/shortcuts (but willing to learn new OS and keyboard). Appreciate any feedback.
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Old 01-08-2014, 05:38 PM   #2
AustinChief AustinChief is offline
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If you set up the Mac to dual boot to Windows (you'll need to buy a copy of Windows) then you will have the best of all worlds. If you aren't willing to do that then be prepared for some serious drawbacks to the Mac with business software. Of course if you can, you REALLY should get away from MS Office anyway. Move to Google Docs and you can work from anywhere on any machine.
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Old 01-08-2014, 05:45 PM   #3
Pitt Gorilla Pitt Gorilla is offline
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I really wish I could quit Office, but I just haven't been able to yet. I've used Google Docs for some things and Pages etc. for others, but I'm still a slave to habit I suppose.
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Old 01-08-2014, 06:08 PM   #4
AustinChief AustinChief is offline
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I really wish I could quit Office, but I just haven't been able to yet. I've used Google Docs for some things and Pages etc. for others, but I'm still a slave to habit I suppose.
Yeah, I say "Quit Office! Use Google Docs!" but it really isn't as easy as that...
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Old 01-08-2014, 06:17 PM   #5
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The Mac OS itself is easy to familiarize yourself with. Go to the dreaded Apple store and poke around on one for a bit.

And you can always run Windows on it if you want. You can run Windows 2 ways, via Bootcamp or virtual machine. With Bootcamp, Windows has its own partition and runs independently, and it works really well. Using VM software like VMWare or Parallels lets you run Windows within OS X. But it's very resource heavy since you're running 2 OSes at once.

Mac Office works fine. Office has come a long way on the Mac from some of its earlier version. You shouldn't have any problems going from Win Office to Mac Office.

Note that you'll probably need to buy some Thunderbolt dongles for the Mac Air/Pro. Firewire/NIC/DVI/HDMI output stuff. Factor that in. You can consider 3rd party Dongles, but the performance really varies with them. Note that the Air and Retina model Macbook Pros don't have an optical drive.

If you rely on any specific software you're using now, I would check OS availability ahead of time. Go to Control Panel, open up your list of Programs and scroll through just to make sure you're not forgetting anything.

If you're wanting to migrate from an existing Windows computer, there's a transfer utility in OS X you can use that will make it very easy to migrate your account and data to a new Mac. In several different ways, like over the network or using an external drive.

Honestly if you have a chance to get a nice Mac laptop like your situation, I'd jump on it. My Macbook Pro 13" is hand down the best laptop I've ever used. And Macs tend to retain value well. I know many people that get Macbook Pros/Air and just run Windows on it rarely if ever booting to OS X. Whatever works for you.
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Old 01-08-2014, 07:42 PM   #6
AustinChief AustinChief is offline
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Oh and if at all possible get 8 (or even 16) GB of RAM. RAM is BY FAR the easiest way to "future proof" whatever laptop you get.
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Old 01-08-2014, 07:50 PM   #7
Mojo Jojo Mojo Jojo is offline
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Get the Mac and get Windows for Mac if you want. Works fine.
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Old 01-08-2014, 08:16 PM   #8
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If you set up the Mac to dual boot to Windows (you'll need to buy a copy of Windows) then you will have the best of all worlds. If you aren't willing to do that then be prepared for some serious drawbacks to the Mac with business software. Of course if you can, you REALLY should get away from MS Office anyway. Move to Google Docs and you can work from anywhere on any machine.
Google docs/drive has changed my entire workflow. Sharing of folders, real time chatting, forms that populate to spreadsheets, all easily shared between various workgroups that I supervise. It's been huge. Trying to get a bunch of veteran educators to buy in was a bitch, but they're starting to actually utilize and take ownership this year.
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Old 01-08-2014, 08:17 PM   #9
Gravedigger Gravedigger is offline
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If you got the dough, get the Mac.
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Old 01-08-2014, 08:30 PM   #10
lcarus lcarus is offline
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This is old and outdated as hell, but still pretty funny.
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Old 01-09-2014, 12:02 AM   #11
KevB KevB is offline
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I work for a relatively big company that's locked into MS Office, it's not going anywhere anytime soon. I don't know that I'd need Windows, and I don't have a lot of control given the IT administration, so I'd be working in OSX.
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Old 01-09-2014, 02:06 AM   #12
AustinChief AustinChief is offline
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I work for a relatively big company that's locked into MS Office, it's not going anywhere anytime soon. I don't know that I'd need Windows, and I don't have a lot of control given the IT administration, so I'd be working in OSX.
So long as it is JUST Office and not any other business apps.... especially obscure ones... you should be fine. Of course if your IT people are offering to get you a Mac then I'd say it's a safe bet you won't need any software that won't run on it.

I wouldn't be afraid of OSX. To me it's less of a jump to learn it than it is to go from XP to Windows 8.

You WILL be super annoyed with the change in keyboard shortcuts at first but after a short time it won't be an issue.

There is nothing wrong with Mac hardware especially if someone else is paying for it. (Except the dumb ass new Mac Pro "server", that's an abortion)
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Old 01-09-2014, 06:27 AM   #13
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So long as it is JUST Office and not any other business apps.... especially obscure ones... you should be fine. Of course if your IT people are offering to get you a Mac then I'd say it's a safe bet you won't need any software that won't run on it.
Absolutely this. If your IT guys are OFFERING to get you a Mac, then there's no decision. The ONLY reason to get a Windows machine, outside of just plain not wanting to experience something new and different, is when your IT guys say "you have to get Windows".

Quote:
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I wouldn't be afraid of OSX. To me it's less of a jump to learn it than it is to go from XP to Windows 8.
Agree with this too. Moving from Windows 7 to OS X, for me, was a snap. It took me a couple of weeks to get the system tweaked to my liking. And in the process, I learned all kinds of stuff about the inner workings of the OS, how to use Automater, and lots more.

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You WILL be super annoyed with the change in keyboard shortcuts at first but after a short time it won't be an issue.
And you will be the opposite of "super annoyed" when you realize that there's no registry. Drag an app to the trash and it's GONE. There's some prefs and saved state files left behind that you can delete if you want but there's no residue in the OS itself that can (or WILL in the case of Windows) cause issues later.
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Old 01-09-2014, 08:31 AM   #14
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Old 01-09-2014, 08:33 AM   #15
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