Computer differences

I have been asked a question by Rocio, and I am going to answer it here so that maybe everyone can benefit from it.

I was asked whether I would choose a laptop from Dell, HP, or Apple:

I would NEVER choose Apple, and here is why. (keep in mind that I am in no way a PC fanboy, these are just facts I've run across in my tech support work over the years.)

Reason 1: The sad-face.

Apple computers are not troubleshoot-friendly. There is no tech outside of an Apple store that can take an apple that has an error and decode it. The most common error screen that comes up is the sad-face, or the sad-face-and-a-bomb. What the HELL do those mean? I've worked on a ton of Apples, and it can mean any one of dozens of problems. THIS MEANS: that you have to, have to, have to send your laptop or ipod or iphone OFF TO APPLE. this is bad because not only do they have access to your personal data (you are not allowed to open Apple products without voiding your warranty) but it takes WEEKS. When I worked at a major tech support company (think Nerd Crew, only said differently) we sent off 12-14 ipods per week to apple. some of them took 5 weeks to come back, and all they needed was a battery replacement. Not Acceptable.

Reason 2: Cost.

Apple computers are INCREDIBLY overpriced considering how low the specs are. Sure, MacOS is smooth and doesn't take long to load and can run a bunch of crap... So can Windows 7. Apple's nice operating system is no longer king of the roost. Vista was not a good operating system by any means, but 7 is poised to blow Apple's OS out of the water. Especially when you take into account the increased power and the sheer number of graphics cards you can get in a PC. On top of that, Apple computers can run very few games. As a gamer this is a huge detriment. You can also do anything that an Apple can do using a PC if you find the right programs.

In this point is the fact that everything Apple does, and I mean EVERYTHING, is proprietary. The ipod is a great point here. You used to be able to only use them with iTunes, which costs a buck per song. I am an avid supporter of Rhapsody, where you can have an unlimited number of songs to transfer to your portable mp3 player and you can switch them out all you want for only 15 bucks a month. I'd rather pay a 15 dollar monthly fee than a dollar per song. ipods can be hooked up to Rhapsody now too though, so that's less of a problem.

3. Elitism:

Apple computer users buy their machines because they're pretty. They also have a very elitist attitude of "my computer is better than yours" when it clearly isn't. This isn't a fight about who's comp is better though. Just because the computer is a nice white plastic with some clear resin around it, doesn't mean it's actually a better product. I prefer dark colors anyway. Also there are thousands of different looks you can achieve with a PC, especially a desktop. I'll take pictures of my desktop some time. Thing looks like a tank.

Now to move on to HP.

HP used to be only a printer company. What most people have forgotten is the fact that HP actually bought a bankrupt computer manufacturer called Compaq. They then promptly closed the BEST plants Compaq had (not saying much) and left open the crappy ones to start making HP computers. HP computers use low quality components just like Compaq used to. There's a reason Compaq went under. Don't let the quality of HP printers fool you into thinking their computers are good. They simply aren't.

So my choice would end up being Dell. I build my own computers, even laptops, but I do like Dell a lot for two reasons.

Dell uses market standard quality products. This is good and something few computer builders do (especially locally owned ones).

Dell has the best tech support I've ever seen.

I recently purchased a 27" Dell monitor and it had a problem. I called them and 3 days later there was a brand new 27" Dell monitor on my doorstep (it's widescreen of course).

Also their monitors are amazing. From their desktop monitors to their laptop monitors, they are kings of the LCD. My monitor, the Dell Ultrasharp WFP 2709 is brigher and clearer than the 30" Apple cinema display and my monitor only cost around 800 dollars, the cinema display, only 3 inches more screen space, can cost up to 3,000. I'd say that's a big discrepancy when you take into account the fact that Dell's 30" version of my monitor is only 1200.

So for me, someone who has done a lot of tech support and really knows what he's talking about, I would say avoid Apples unless you simply MUST have the sleek look, and go for a beautiful Dell. They come in lots of neat colors and patterns. The one I bought for my fiancee is a very pretty pink with a purple flower-stem pattern. I think it looks better than some plain white MacBook. Bleah.