Walter S. Mossberg answers readers’ tech questions for The Wall Street Journal in a feature called “Mossberg’s Mailbox.” Here’s one from today:
Q: I am going to start college in the fall and I need a laptop. Uncle Jim, who is a Mac addict, is making an argument for a MacBook with Parallels 3.0 and Windows XP installed. He said that way I would have the best of both worlds. My mom is looking at the price. She said we could get a PC for less money but I want to make sure we’re making the right decision. If money is not an issue, what is your recommendation?
A: Both your mom and your uncle are correct. You can indeed get a decent laptop from Dell or Hewlett-Packard for less than the $1,099 that Apple’s least expensive Mac laptop, the MacBook, costs. But, in my view, the Mac has a better, faster operating system, better built-in software, and is far less likely to expose you to viruses and other malicious software. Plus, the MacBook itself is a sturdy piece of hardware. And there’s a very good Mac version of Microsoft Office that is fully compatible with files created on the Windows version.
Your uncle is also correct that Macs can run Windows, and Windows software, quite well. However, the solution he suggests, using the Parallels software, which enables Windows use on a Mac, will add significantly to the price. Parallels costs around $60, and you also must buy a full, boxed edition of Windows XP or Vista. While prices for Windows vary, this full version (not an upgrade version) of XP can cost nearly $200, and Vista typically costs more.
So, if money really isn’t an issue, I recommend the MacBook. But, since that is rarely the case in real life, you might want to weigh the cheaper alternatives more carefully. Or, if you do buy the MacBook, I’d hold off on the Windows installation until and unless you find you need Windows programs that have no counterpart on the Mac. The average undergraduate likely won’t.
Mossberg answers more questions in his full feature here.
Clear, concise and to the point. Nice job Walt.
More sound advice from Uncle Walt.
And, Walt fails to mention, once the young man is a student, he may be able to get Windows from his University for much cheaper, if not free!
re: rahrens
Not only will Windows be cheaper for a student, but Walt should also have pointed out the Mac’s educational discounts as well.
As the Refreshments say in their song Banditos: “the world is full of stupid people.”
Obviously this kid’s mom is one of them.
Well, Walt should also have noted that the MacBook is not capable at playing intensive PC games due to its lack of a separate graphics card. On the Mac, that would require a MacBook Pro. That said, everything else is on target.
@84 Mac Guy said: “As the Refreshments say in their song Banditos: ‘the world is full of stupid people.’ Obviously this kid’s mom is one of them.
Why don’t you ease up on the snarky insults and show a little generosity of spirit. Not everyone is a computer expert and in the real world saving money is an important consideration. If you’re looking for examples of “stupid people”, look for people who think they are superior in all ways because they have superior knowledge in one small area of expertise. A mirror might come in helpful for conducting this search.
“Why is Adobe so far behind on the Mac? Because they thought the Mac was dead.”
Gotta disagree. The time for thinking the Mac is dead was over a LONG time ago. Possibly Adobe didn’t think Apple would be gaining so much market share, but that’s a far cry from seeing Apple as “dead”. And I’d even allow they may have thought Vista would do better than it has, though even that is a shaky premise. After all, Vista was perpetually late, and everyone heard of its problems.
Anyway, Photoshop now has viable competition. Adobe has a big job ahead porting PS over to 64 bit for the Mac, but they cannot afford to lose any ground with their most famous product. So I’m not too worried about Adobe getting into gear, even if they are a bit late.
Of course, I DO wish I had the product NOW. Hmm. Maybe it’s time to experiment.
Unca Jim a smart man.
Sorry – the post above SHOULD have gone in the Adobe thread. Hey, the site asked me for a password, then sent me to a different thread for some reason.
Horrible answer. Cheaper is ALWAYS better. Get the PC and don’t look back.
MAC sheep are always going off about fluffy stuff like “quality”, “end user experience”, “security” and my favorite “it just works”. Whatever.
Your potential. Our passion.™
Jake … you are kidding, right? Running Graphics Intensive Games on a laptop intended for school? a) forget the graphics card, the screen is too small b) forget the larger screen needed, you need better input devices c) forget the childish suggestion he should be playing games when he ought to be studying!
Did I miss anything? Yeah. You are a clown. While your point is fine, for some scenarios, it is ludicrous for this guy. If he’s going away to school to play games, give him a Wii and be done with it. And a bucket of money for beer and pizza. Oh, and don’t rent out his room because he’ll be back in it by next summer. @$$tard.
ZT, excellent. I think even the occasional brain-dead Mac Fanatic will see the sarcasm there.
I thought kids went to school to drink excessively, smoke dope and laugh at YouTube. In that order, even!
Walt forgets one very salient point: nearly all universities have site licenses for both Office and Windows (paid for from student tech fee monies). If this person waits til s/he arrives at college, the windows part (and office software) will come for free, or really, really cheap (like $7).
Worth remembering for you students out there!
And he also forgot that having a Mac will increase his chances of getting laid. ALL costs and ALL benefits should be thoroughly investigated.
Anyway, Photoshop now has viable competition —Mister Snitch
I do believe your post ended up with the wrong article, but: Photoshop has viable competition from whom??? Nobody.For doing the basics, there are many less-expensive alternatives; but when you consider the whole package, there is not now, nor has there ever been, a serious Photoshop competitor. If anyone could do it, Apple could; but so far they’re sticking with Aperture, which isn’t intended to compete with Photoshop at all.
Gotta love Zune Thang. Right on the money with his advice: “Cheaper is ALWAYS better.”
That’s why his dates never take him anywhere more expensive than MacDonalds.
See you over the Dell thread Zune, gotta love Dell’s cheapness.
“And he also forgot that having a Mac will increase his chances of getting laid. ALL costs and ALL benefits should be thoroughly investigated.”
He might be heterosexual, so that won’t work.