Do You Realise/That Everyone You Know Someday Will Die

[liadnan]

Well, given that's a sample lyric it's perhaps slightly bizarre that this is my cheer-up album of choice. But that's the Flaming Lips for you.

As expected, the laptop screen is uneconomic to replace. I am so furious about the 200 quid I spent on repairs last week I can't bring myself to think about it.

Eventually decided tospend up to 850 on a brand new machine. Which means the choices are narrowed down to a 12" screen G4 iBook (the plan *had* been that when I bought a new machine a year from now it would be a top end power book) at 799; a 15" Fujitsu Siemens thing at 860, or a fairly well-specified 14" Asus (?) at750. It'll probably be the ast of those, but if anyone has any observations to make now would be the time to make them.

Comments

[susumu.livejournal.com]

I love my G4 iBook, but then I am bias. Have you used Macs much before?

[liadnan]

A bit, and I quite like them. But I think the pissy little screen on the bottom spec ibook isn't really going to cut it for my main machine. Am thinking about the refurb thing Dan suggested below.

[susumu.livejournal.com]

Could be a good plan. Avoid 14" iBooks and 12" Powerbooks in that case - the screen is the same resolution.

Screen on mine is fine for me, but then we have different eyes, innit.

[ninebelow.livejournal.com]

I'm probably going to get a laptop around Christmas/New Year and have been thing about Macs. Never used one before and hate Mac bores but what do you reckon? I mostly want to use it for media stuff - Photoshop, Acid, Cubase, maybe video editing - all things Macs have a good rep for.

[susumu.livejournal.com]

To be honest, pretty much all of that stuff runs just as well on Windows these days, and you will get more "bang" for your "buck" with a PC laptop. I would still recommend a Mac for video editing though, simply because they comes with iMovie for free - which is a good start (and iDVD if you get one with a Superdrive), but you'd need to give it a hefty RAM upgrade to help it along. I've just put an extra 512 in mine and now it feels like the machine it always should have been when I bought it.

[anarcha.livejournal.com]

I have a Fujitsu laptop, and I'm quite happy with it. Mine is a P Series Lifebook.

I tend to be very rough on my stuff, and so far, this one has survived the abuse.

[sshi.livejournal.com]

Me, too, a 15" Amilo. It's pretty heavy duty (lots of lugging around the place here). The only thing is that the 15" screen makes it not exactly the lightest one in the world in a shoulder bag, although buying a backpack sorted that one right out. Don't know if backpacks go well with lawyering gear, though :>

[rparvaaz.livejournal.com]

Now I am going to particularly unhelpful as I don't remember the name of the company or any details, but there has been an advertisment during the ICC Champions trophy telecasts which mentions a laptop which doesn't go bust even if you drop it. That is the kind I'd want if I ever get over my distaste for the device...

if you do decide to get an apple...

[(Anonymous)]

... the UK apple refurb store is open until the 25th. you might be able to get a better deal there:

http://promo.euro.apple.com/promo/refurb/uk/

--danhon

save the cash

[red11.livejournal.com]

why not buy a lower spec older one for a fraction of that on eBay and simply cash it in when it gives trouble and buy another ? I recently bid on <a href="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=6706542772&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT>this one</a> for Fred. they have plenty more.

Re: save the cash

[red11.livejournal.com]

can't even write manual links any more... come back Notepad, all is forgiven

sorry about the screen

[nikandra.livejournal.com]

that sucks (although it could always have been worse).

Mine is a Fujitsu Siemens and I have had several problems with it (all of which discovered right after the expiry of the guarantee). A friend of mine has one and he's had no problems, but I am still biased against them after eveyrthing I've gone through with SoulRipper (as I've named the laptop).

From what I've seen iBooks are more reliable (and so much lighter and sexier!)