The first and most important question facing you as a laptop buyer is what you will be doing
with it. Are you the type of computer user who uses it (only reluctantly) to check your email
and pay the bills online? In that case you probably don’t need an expensive gaming rig with
all the add-ons and the fastest graphics card. Save your money for a budget machine that
lets you do all those things just as efficiently.
PC or Mac?
Apple is doing a better job than ever in stealing users from Microsoft Windows to their
proprietary Mac platform. Windows Vista on the other hand has received a lot of bad press
since its launch. Does that mean everyone should get a Mac? Not really, but it makes sense
to at the very least consider and compare the Mac when shopping for a new laptop.
Since Apple switched to Intel processors, Mac hardware will run Windows just as easily as it
runs Apple’s OS X. Then again, most consumers buy a MacBook for the sake of using
Apple’s operating system OS X, which is currently at version 10.5 ”Leopard.” It’s a very
stable, nice-looking, and easy to use operating system, but its software base is not as large
as the PC’s. This means that finding free program for this or that purpose is a lot harder for
Mac users than it is for Windows users.
At the same time, many of the arguments against Windows Vista are exaggerated. Vista is
not a “bad” operating system or necessarily problematic. But it does consume more
resources than its predecessor XP and requires a more powerful PC to provide a pleasant
experience.
Moreover, the fact remains that you have to pay a little bit more for equivalent hardware
when you buy a Mac. Although Apple fans would probably argue that it’s worth the premium
thanks to the excellent build quality of the Mac, and of course to get to use OS X.
With the respective companies’ new operating systems on the way – Microsoft’s Windows 7
and Apple’s OS X "Snow Leopard" – the Mac vs. PC battle won’t be over any time soon.
The choice ultimately boils down to personal preference. If you are inexperienced with both
Vista and Leopard, read up on the differences and try them both out to find out which suits
you best.
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