What are kids usin' these days for class laptops?

[caa337]

I've always had a PC, including my laptop now. Macs are pretty cool but they aren't for me, I got my ailenware so I can run anything without question unlike the crappy high school laptops we had. The macbook pro seem to be built well.

[Evan]

Most Windows laptops just come across as massive piles of shit.

I think that is usually a function of the low-cost windows laptops that most people buy. All of the business class laptops Ive had have been tanks.

[G.Irish]

I don't think resale value has anything to do with being leased, it has to do with people wanting something they otherwise can't afford.

Residual value determines what the lease rates will be. So if a car has poor residual value the lease payment will be so high that it wouldn't be worth it to lease. Sure, the allure of leases is that someone can buy a car they might not be able to afford to buy, but what makes a lease affordable is the residual value.

At any rate, all I'm saying is that if your old PC hardware isn't worth much anyway, you're much less likely to try to trade it in and upgrade. Not to mention the fact that with commoditized Windows hardware there's not as much reason to upgrade to a whole new machine. Apple tries to throw in a new hardware or design feature or design every few years to get people upgrading (e.g. multitouch, super slim case, aluminum body, etc.). And of course they make a big deal out of it so to some extent, I think the marketing does induce more people to upgrade.

[NTIman]

I think the mac vs pc argument always boils down to the experience. If you prefer the mac user experience and are willing to pay the premium for it, then you do. If you prefer the pc experience or are not willing to pay for the mac experience then you buy a pc. (edit: oh, and the upgradability and stuff)
since they both run on the same hardware now and most applications are ported to both, that seems to be about the only major difference.

no religious debates necessary!

I think this sums up my opinion. And I own the Macbook and a HP desktop running Vista, and both are fantastic computers. I use my desktop at home and my Macbook at school. I'd buy either of them again, but as I said, I'll never get a plastic case mac again because the case blows.

[Mike]

I don't want a Mac 'cause then I have to steal twice as much software! :lol:

Far fewer safeguards on Mac software. JOIN US.

[Evan]

[WRXtranceformed]

[Apoc]

Gateway AMD Athlon 64 X2, 1.2GHz, 2GB DDR3, 250GB HD, Radeon HD Radeon X127

She's had it for a few weeks and loves it... although I'm sure there's some shiny new thing playing into that.

Comments I've heard:
-The size (11.2") is perfect for taking to school and in class.
-The battery life makes it really portable.
-Any all-day interneting should be on a different computer because of the screen height.
-The 17" Inspiron is much more of a home laptop.
-Windows 7 is awesome. Things just work with no forcing.

[Mike]

11" is too small. I'd wager there's a fair bit of "shiny new thing" at play there.

[Apoc]

Perhaps... but apparently the desks are monumentally small at school (small table 3 people share) and 11" barely fits.

I was wrong before, it's 11.6". Not that 0.4" makes any real difference.

[Mike]

It does... 12" is not so bad. There's a magic point at which a laptop becomes too small and it may be different for everyone, but there's a reason netbooks have died and I'm not convinced the iPad is it.

[Apoc]

I think it's a combination of being saddled with the horrible Atom processor and smartphones offering 70-80% of what netbooks do.

I couldn't use it on a regular basis, it's just too small for me. I didn't have a problem using a 15" when I was in grad school, but all my classes were in the same room, with plenty of space and we sat there for 8 hours at a time.

[Evan]

resolution makes a bigger difference than screen size (until you get way too high resolution)
the 11.6 has a much higher res than netbooks.

[Apoc]

I agree. What I meant to say is I feel myself wanting to turn the resolution up so I can see more of a page. Hers is 1366 x 768 and while the 1366 is more than enough, it's the 768 that gets to me. I feel like if I could turn it on it's side (which W7 actually allows) then it'd be perfect.

[Apoc]

Update:

The hard drive developed an intermittent clicking a few weeks ago so my wife called support. They told her to ship it back and they'd look at it. Of course it wasn't clicking for the few days prior to shipping it back, so I expected them to say there was nothing wrong with it. We heard back from Gateway and they replaced the hard drive, wifi card and updated the BIOS free of charge. The turnaround time from when they received to when it showed back up (scheduled) was 8 calendar days. Color me impressed.

[WRXtranceformed]

So you tech geeks...what is a good tablet to get that's not an iPad?

My brother just got a Xoom and he loves it. I played around with a wifi version at the Sprint store and it was pretty slick. Is there something better coming out that I should wait for?

[G.Irish]

So you tech geeks...what is a good tablet to get that's not an iPad?

My brother just got a Xoom and he loves it. I played around with a wifi version at the Sprint store and it was pretty slick. Is there something better coming out that I should wait for?

I actually just got my Eeepad Transformer in today, which I bought from the money I got from selling the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 I got at Google I/O.

Here's my take on the Android tablets I've used. I had the Samsung for about 3 or 4 days.

Xoom (32GB Wi-fi: $600)
+Has hdmi, microSD, and USB slots
+Had nice aluminum body
-SD slot doesn't work yet
-heaviest of the 3 I've used
-seemed a little choppy at times at Best Buy, but that could just be the display model

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 (32GB: $600, 16GB: $500)
+Very thin, thinner than iPad 2
+Light
+Snappy performance
-no additional ports built-in, you'd have to buy adapters

Asus Eee Pad Transformer (16GB Wifi: $400, $32GB Wifi: $500)
+Best price
+Good build quality
+Has Hdmi and microSD slots built in
+Has am optional keyboard dock that almost doubles battery life ($150)
-Software keyboard doesn't vibrate like the Galaxy Tab (and I think the Xoom does too)
-A bit wider than the other two

The Galaxy Tab 10.1 will go on sale to the public in early June. The other two are available now. I'd say go for the Samsung or the Asus. For me, the Asus was such a killer value I couldn't pass it up. For the money I got from selling the Samsung I got the EeePad and an iPad 2 (hasn't come in yet).

[Mike]

So you tech geeks...what is a good tablet to get that's not an iPad?

My brother just got a Xoom and he loves it. I played around with a wifi version at the Sprint store and it was pretty slick. Is there something better coming out that I should wait for?

the xoom sucks.
the galaxy sucks more.
the nook color is a pretty awesome bang for the buck.
the ipad is far better than all.

yes, i use them all regularly.
yes, you're a moron for dismissing the ipad due to your anti-fanboy sentiments. there's a reason apple owns the market and it's not because everyone and their mother is a fanboy.

[WRXtranceformed]

There is nothing I like about any Apple product I've ever owned. In fact, I gave away my iPod touch to my buddy's 8 year old daughter for her birthday.

Care to expand on what you don't like about the other tablets since you've had experience with all of them? Keep in mind I am not a developer, I don't need crazy apps like the one where you plug your guitar into it, and I absolutely hate iTunes with a passion. I'm just going to be surfing the web and want Flash capability, will be listening to music, etc. It will replace my laptop for around-the-house internet browsing, especially during fantasy football season.

[Apoc]

I'm just going to be surfing the web and want Flash capability

Pretty much decides it.

there's a reason apple owns the market and it's not because everyone and their mother is a fanboy.

A couple year head start doesn't hurt.

The one time I saw an ipad used in earnest, it bogged down with weather radar. If it's the "best tablet out there" than tablets and me aren't ready to get along.