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Find the PC guy and threaten to kill him. Or just take wifey to an Apple store and let her play with a mac. Tell her if she's not sure about switching to a new OS, that she can install Windows on it.
 
I have been telling the Misses that I want a Macbook (or MBP) for sometime now. We have always used PCs but I am sick of Windows. I have tried to explain to her all the cool things Macs can do, etc. etc.

All I want it for is iLife 08, word processing, internet, and video/podcast watching while at work. I am not a "PC Gamer." I will likely also get the .Mac service. I want A MACBOOK (or MBP). Not a Vista PC.

He tells her all sorts of stuff and now she is kinda against the Mac idea. (She will be using the computer at college soon.

Any advice?

I'm in university now, and if she wants to be "cool and hip" and fit in on campus she should get a Mac :p

On the more serious side; I switched from Windows a year ago just to try it out and I must say I love not having to worry about 100 different drivers, settings randomly changing when you uninstall a program etc.

Also, I'm majoring in information systems, and that field has a tendency to luuuuv Microsoft products like Access and Project which is not available for Mac, but a friend of mine who was stupid enough to get Vista gave me his XP disc so when I need Windows it's right there. (Fortunately that's only like once a semester).

In addition, I've only gotten A's on my presentations after Keynote. The lack of the obvious Powerpoint-ness blow the profs away. I ended up having to create the first version of a newsletter going out to 300 people, and Pages made my life sooo much easier. And everyone absolutely loved the layout and it made me look like a pro. Same goes for school reports where you're allowed to play a bit around with the layout.


Now I'm never going back, even if my Windows-loving management friends hand me a free work laptop if I were to get hired at some point in time when I graduate.

Edit: Ignore any weird sentence structures and typos. Too late for this!
 
:)After you have shown the Lady the new Mac with Leopard or even with Tiger She will be convinced
 
Equivelant job in mac world ?

WHOA there people.... can we leave the poor "peecee" techs out as a group... please don't stereotype, it's wrong. I am a Network Administrator with multiple microsoft certifications. This is what I do at work.... at home, I use my MBP, unfortunately there aren't very many corporate Apple networks. So please, stop bashing us "innocents".
I'm not joining the bashing but how do these things go wrong with networks etc ? Is it like preventive medicine or do you just fix the symptoms ? Remove network and re-establish it ? I know microsoft runs the market share particulary in the business world but i wonder how many technicians keep their jobs because of windows instability. Or perhaps this guys just being clever and will give you a special rate to come and fix your home computers ! Plus he is hardly going to advertise especially in a work enviroment that if the world switched he would be jobless. I wonder how much down time is acceptable and profitable from a support view ?
Finally i would just be grown up about it
plan a: if she buys it don't open it don't even look at it.
plan b: stalk and sniper the technical support guy before tearing out his heart while it still beats thus wiping his seed from the earth forever.
 
Or you can tell her this: Which group knows most about computers? Not the IT guys. It's the software developers. And guess what software developers buy for their own use at home? Macs. Guess what software developers recommend to everyone because they hate having to fix everyone's computers? Macs.

Guess what software developers complain about because Apple makes their lives difficult with changed APIs in every new OSX release?
 
My girlfriend recently told me she was considering getting a pc next time for herself because they are cheaper. However, she doesn't like and want to spend time trying to figure out how to connect to the wireless network, how to set up the printer or what to do if something doesn't work as expected. Since I know my way around Mac OS quite well, I've always done these things for her. But I haven't had a pc since the windows 98 days and know not much about setting one up. So I told her fine, get it, but you'll have to set everything up then, since I don't know much about windows and don't want to spend hours on it. Guess who quickly changed her mind.;)
 
I'm not joining the bashing but how do these things go wrong with networks etc ? Is it like preventive medicine or do you just fix the symptoms ? Remove network and re-establish it ? I know microsoft runs the market share particulary in the business world but i wonder how many technicians keep their jobs because of windows instability. Or perhaps this guys just being clever and will give you a special rate to come and fix your home computers ! Plus he is hardly going to advertise especially in a work enviroment that if the world switched he would be jobless. I wonder how much down time is acceptable and profitable from a support view ?
Finally i would just be grown up about it
plan a: if she buys it don't open it don't even look at it.
plan b: stalk and sniper the technical support guy before tearing out his heart while it still beats thus wiping his seed from the earth forever.

I'll just say there are definitely some IT guys out there that make the rest of us look bad. Usually there's not too much an issue with stability as there is an issue with untrained users that aren't really willing to learn. Also there are a lot of third-party applications that just aren't coded correctly and ONLY work with IE 7. There are times that some things out of my control will happen, like loss of internet due to a line being cut, and where I come in is to get those things back up and running; behind the scenes. For example, how long in the corporate world is an acceptable downtime for email? There really isn't any, it's just not acceptable, but there needs to be someone there that can restore those services. Anyways, I'm not going to rant, but not all IT guys are Apple bashers, and I actually find this thread quite humorous, I see the guys that you're talking about.
 
I have been using various windows OS for the past 20 years, as a developer and tech support and now a DBA. But i have just started borrowing a 17" Mac Book pro, to see how i get on with it before i buy one. and I have to say i would buy a Mac everytime over a PC, it just feels easier to use, more stable

Even if you are used to XP, W2k, vista it wont take long to convert to OSX.
 
This post was just too funny. I tried to resist. Can't.

I have been telling the Misses that I want a Macbook (or MBP) for sometime now. We have always used PCs but I am sick of Windows. I have tried to explain to her all the cool things Macs can do, etc. etc.

<snipped whining>

I want A MACBOOK (or MBP). Not a Vista PC.

He tells her all sorts of stuff and now she is kinda against the Mac idea. (She will be using the computer at college soon.

Any advice?

LOL,

It is funny. She works in a law firm.

<snipped complaining>

At first I was on your side, but now I don't know. It sounds like money is an issue since you are only buying one computer for the two of you. Because of that, she has to use it. As she works in a law firm and will be going to school, she will likely be the primary user. And while she has to use it for school and work (productive, moneymaking, and future investing uses), you want iLife '08. Further, if she's working in a law firm while you want to play on your mac, it sounds like she's the one footing the bill. If she pays for it, and will be the primary user (assumptions), it's not really your computer at all.

I'm starting to think that she knows what's best for you.

You better start learning how to cook a fantastic Thanksgiving dinner.

;)

Seriously, who is the tech savvy person in this relationship?
If you're it, just buy it. My gf would never dare to tell me what tech stuff I should or shouldn't buy. That would be like us telling them which pan to buy. :D

This was funny. But, I get the impression that the OP buys the pans.

Are you a man or a mouse?

But the damn MacBook!
:rolleyes:

Seriously. If you can afford your own Macbook and still really want it, go get one for yourself and let her buy a PC. A Macbook and a cheap PC are still less expensive than a Macbook Pro. Don't be a mouse.

<snip>
Seriously, if (and only if) ...

- You will be the primary user
- You will be responsible for your own maintenance / upkeep of your computer
- You will not need to integrate this computer with her work resources
- There are no things you do jointly that are game killers because you can't use the same system on her PC and your Mac
- Money is not an issue

<snipped>

This was the best advice here. This is about a joint decision, and what her needs are as well as yours.

-Ado
 
Adokimus,

ha ha you are really funny. :rolleyes:

It will be primarily my computer. She will use it WHEN she goes to college next year.

Money isn't an issue, we just don't want to buy 2 laptops. There is no need.
 
Adokimus,

ha ha you are really funny. :rolleyes:

It will be primarily my computer. She will use it WHEN she goes to college next year.

Money isn't an issue, we just don't want to buy 2 laptops. There is no need.

Take her to the college campus so she can see in person how many people use Macs (at my school there are people with macbooks everywhere, especially in the science areas).

Then take her to the Apple store to play with the OS herself.

As a last resort, show her some of the youtube videos with Windows, for example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gQmGwkLWNE
 
Thanks to those of you who were polite.

She is a paralegal now, but wants to be a teacher. She has already been to college so she knows the crowd. We are both near 30.
 
The PC guy is right, but his environment is the office.

A generalized analogy that illustrates a point:

If I wandered onto a commercial construction job site and mentioned to one of the guys that I was interested in getting a, say Volkswagen Toureg, it's quite likely that they would scoff and say the vehicle's not up to scratch. It's not tough and durable enough, they might say. It would be a completely personal statement, but it would be biased due to his profession. Sure, that's a viewpoint, but is it valid for you?

If you walked onto a chef's show on TV, and told him you were going to buy a 8-knife set from Henkels, he might have the same reaction. But they're good knives for the money and they're right for you. The chef will use fancy knives at work, but most likely use fancy knives at home, but that doesn't mean his perspective is absolute.

Yes, I realize these analogies are not perfect, but there's no need to attack them. Analogies are rarely perfect, and are for illustrating a perspective, not laying down an absolute truth.
 
Adokimus,

ha ha you are really funny. :rolleyes:

It will be primarily my computer. She will use it WHEN she goes to college next year.

Money isn't an issue, we just don't want to buy 2 laptops. There is no need.

Thanks to those of you who were polite.

She is a paralegal now, but wants to be a teacher. She has already been to college so she knows the crowd. We are both near 30.

Ok, my apologies. Some of this was just too funny to resist... you have to admit. With this new information, being that it will primarily be your computer, that money is not an issue (which I take to mean that you can buy it on your own), and that you are near 30, I have to change my advice. Maybe she doesn't know what's best for you. But, this computer will still be both of yours, and when she starts college, she will probably be the primary user whether you like it or not. This is still a joint decision, so you should make sure that she is comfortable with the choice. Bring her to an Apple store, have her try one out, and check her feelings on things. Also inform her about bootcamp, which will basically make a MBP a PC, if her concern is with compatibility. If she is still against Apple, you might want to consider respecting her on that point. But, if you will really be the primary user and you are paying for it, then you get to make the choice. I still think two laptops is the way to go, even if you buy a used G4 just to try out the Apple experience, and I wouldn't consider it to be excessive.

Just my take.

-Ado
 
Showing her the bootcamp feature is obviously what to do in the situation. Anyone talking about what they would do and refers to their girlfriend. heh yeah, totally different situation when you're married to her.

I see a big problem when she goes to school. She's going to be using it most of that time and you're the one that wants a mac. Once she gets ahold of it you may never get it back. :( My wife, who didn't really think I should get a MBP and kept showing me the cheap $400 laptops in the sales paper, loves my MBP and constantly uses it. (And just for the record, I didn't just buy something that big without discussing it with her or going against her wishes etc. I sold my guitar to pay for it. So it wasn't an issue.) I think you're doing the right thing and making the decision with her. I don't think you should "just buy it" like some have suggested. Just ask what was the Pc guy doing? That's right, fixing a PC. Point out the lack of viruses, no need to find all those drivers etc... And then show her bootcamp that let's you put XP or Vista on it. Take her to an apple store and tell the salespeople what a PC guy said to her. Let them take care of it.
 
I (mmm, we) will be ordering a Macbook Pro 15" 2.2 tomorrow. I was going to place the order today, but my crappy bank only allows for a $500 purchase on our check cards (this is a bank wide rule, not just on us) and to have a higher purchase you have to call and tell them the amount and have it "pre-approved."

:mad:

I was hoping to have it on Friday with the speedy shipping, but I guess I can hold out til Monday. :D

I told her I would put Windows XP on it. I will likely buy VMWare to go with it. Any suggestions on where to buy XP Home Full Version SP2 and VMWare for good prices?

Thanks guys!
 
I was going to suggest newegg as well. Careful though if you guy the OEM. You can only use it on bootcamp or the VMWare. It won't let you install it on both from what I've been told. Which may not bother you. I plan on buying an OEM and just using the bootcamp.
 
The IT guy is only recommending her buy a Windows PC because without Windows, he would be without a job :D

But seriously. I talked one of my friends into buying a MacBook, who in turn talked her cousin into buying one. Then someone told her cousin that "Macs sucked" and she decided to go with a Windows PC. I then made the argument that if Macs did suck, which they don't, then how would that be different from any other computer she had owned in the past?! People assume because Macs are "different" that they suck, which just shows how stupid they are.

The only "positive" thing Windows users can come up with is that their OS is better for gaming, but if you buy a Mac and need it for that purpose, you can install Windows in Boot Camp (which is unbelievably easy) and use it for gaming and use OS X for everything else! The IT guy has obviously not even used a Mac or he would know this.

I wanna punch people in the face who say crap like that, because they clearly don't know what the heck they're talking about.
 
Seriously, who is the tech savvy person in this relationship?
If you're it, just buy it. My gf would never dare to tell me what tech stuff I should or shouldn't buy. That would be like us telling them which pan to buy. :D

LOL! That's messed up man.
 
The IT guy is only recommending her buy a Windows PC because without Windows, he would be without a job :D

The sad reality is, he wouldn't be out of a job without Windows, if he'd just not be so lazy. In fact, if he was so inlcined to brush up on his *NIX skills, he might even be more in demand.

Where I work, there's an interesting illustration of this. There are two major departments, each with their own IT staff.

In one department, the head of the IT group is staunchly pro-Windows. He runs Windows IIS servers, the place has been running a Windows network since NT 4.0, and loudly decries the few people who "insist" on using Macs and have pulled some strings to allow it. The staff at that department constantly complain to us that the IT staff there cannot keep up with the problems they're having, and there is a backlog trouble tickets that have been pending for over 100 (!) days. Their budget is stretched thin and staff is tight because they spend the majority of their budget outsourcing web and software development while the in-house staff "takes care" of all the problems. The admin actually expressed that he felt "betrayed" when a member of his staff suggested setting up a linux server for a project. Everyone speaks of this I department derisively. And they are up to their eyeballs in work.

The other department - the one I work at - has SuSE linux servers, some Solaris machines, a growing fleet of Macs and a couple of legacy Windows 2003 servers that we don't depend on for much (but admittedly, do give us some big headaches from time to time). Trouble tickets are few and far between, and we can take care of them quickly. We have the same budget but our staff is larger and better compensated, and we don't outsource ANY development because we do it in house, and we do it fast and well. We also get recognized for doing a good job. And, we're up to our eyeballs in work.

I really wasn't much of a Windows-basher until this year when my eyes really were opened (actually I switched departments and bought a MBP, heh). It's a lot more rewarding creating usable solutions than just fixing the same old problems. And I think it really is just a laziness issue. IT admins who are vested in Windows aren't interested in thinking, they're only interested in fixing repetitive, idiotic issues that shouldn't occur.
 
I was going to suggest newegg as well. Careful though if you guy the OEM. You can only use it on bootcamp or the VMWare. It won't let you install it on both from what I've been told. Which may not bother you. I plan on buying an OEM and just using the bootcamp.
Technically, you can. Bootcamp XP first. Activate the OS. Install VMWare Fusion and run the bootcamp disc image as a VM. Install VMWare tools in Windows - I cannot stress that one enough. Then Activate the OS a second time. You'll have no more problems.

However, legally, I think the EULA prohibits or restricts this - or specifies that they cannot run concurrently (which would be okay in this regard), but either way, it's technically possible and supported by VMWare Fusion through the Tools you install into Win XP when you run it as a VM.
 
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