Is Mac right for me?

The time has come to upgrade my machine. It's at that age where you've maxed it out completely, and you know it's going to croak any day. I'm seeking advice from you guys. I'm not looking for Mac bashing; I've read my share of that. Here are my options:

1. I could build a new desktop PC.
2. I could buy an IBM/Lenovo Thinkpad.
3. I could buy a System76 laptop.
4. I could buy a Mac.

I'm 18, and I work at a fast food restaurant. I make $7.25/h, which is higher than minimum wage and pretty good for fast food. I mention this because finances are a factor in this purchase. Even though I'm doing pretty good in the situation that I'm in, money comes in at a slow pace. The cost is what scares me about Macs. Is it really as bad as it seems?

I've been dual booting various GNU/Linux distros with Windows XP Home Edition for years. I have currently settled with Ubuntu. Unfortunately, work and school have taken all of my time away. I no longer have the time to tinker. I'm aware that you can make Ubuntu "just work," but I find myself working in XP more and more due to convenience. That's where all of my school is. My school software is compatible with Mac (at least, more compatible then it is with Linux; if that makes any sense). So, I'm just wondering, is Mac right for me? Or, would I get frustrated and end up chucking it?

Macs are fabulous machines , but to be honest on your limited resources I would suggest a less expensive option, say HP , Dell etc

A Mac is right for you if you want the compatibility of Windows with the stability of Linux. But to give you meaningful advice we'll have to know what you'd like to do with your computer. What programs do you use? What websites do you go to? What devices do you have that need to sync with your computer? Will you be buying a laptop or a desktop. I can tell you that you will not get frustrated with a Mac. The interface is very polished and well done.

No the Mac is not right for you. It is not right for anyone. I can say this confidently, even though I have never really used one. Your predicament illustrates this perfectly.

Choice 1: Work extra hours at fast food job so you can afford a Mac.

Choice 2: Spend your time building a Desktop and tinkering with Ubuntu and not work as many hours at your fast food job.

The whole idea of life is to not work as many hours at the fast food job. Stay away from Mac, iphone and ipod, it only leads to fast food job. When people talk about the freedom of OSS, it is precisely this, freedom from fast food job.

I'm glad I could help take the right course in life, young lad.

Im assuming you have a decent understanding of computers and how unix-based OS's work, so i would suggest you do your homework over at InsanelyMac and find a laptop that OSx86 will run on. That way you can spend less and have whatever OS you want on your lappy. This thread should help you decide: http://forum.insanelymac.com/index.php?showtopic=20846&hl=best+laptop

laceration said: No the Mac is not right for you. It is not right for anyone. I can say this confidently, even though I have never really used one. Your predicament illustrates this perfectly.

Choice 1: Work extra hours at fast food job so you can afford a Mac.

Choice 2: Spend your time building a Desktop and tinkering with Ubuntu and not work as many hours at your fast food job.

The whole idea of life is to not work as many hours at the fast food job. Stay away from Mac, iphone and ipod, it only leads to fast food job. When people talk about the freedom of OSS, it is precisely this, freedom from fast food job.

I'm glad I could help take the right course in life, young lad.

You are funny. :)

There is no better value way than to build your own machine.

You get what you want for less, you also by having a desktop box, have the ability to repair it & upgrade it yourself. It will be far more future proof than any notebook or Apple that you can buy & if funds are short, you can also do it gradually, if your other PC is also a desktop you could use its drives, keyboard & mouse initially, even its case if it is suitable.

KiwiNZ said: Macs are fabulous machines , but to be honest on your limited resources I would suggest a less expensive option, say HP , Dell etc

THIS.

Mac's are not for people on low incomes. Mac's are great pieces of kit, yet nothing about them is cheap.

The other day I worked out how much it was cost for me to abandon my windows set up for mac. First there was the cost of the mac itself, then came the cost of the mac versions of the software I use (well, mac equivalents, there aren't really mac versions of the software I use save for Office 2007), but overall it was crazy money.

If I had a very good income i'd get a mac, but since I don't, I personally see it as a waste of time to throw that much money at a computer set up that really won't offer you that much of a benefit over cheaper options.

In your situation, you should consider building your own machine. As stated before, it costs alot less for what you want, and the experience that comes with it is really handy if you are considering a field in computers.