On the Justin Long to John Hodgman continuum, I'm very much a Mac, but I must admit that several PC's have been catching my eye as of late. Basically, I like small things, and right now Dell and Sony—among other brands—make laptops that are both lighter and more compact than any of the current MacBooks. It's all very adorable.
But I mean, size isn't everything.
About a month ago, my current laptop—a white MacBook circa 2006—swallowed one of my Stars' CDs and refused to spit it out. I put off dealing with the problem because I was afraid I'd have to pay a lot to fix it, or, worse, that those Apple geniuses would hold my computer hostage for days while they fixed it.
Finally, though, I dragged myself to the Apple Store, and that's when I remembered why I love my Mac. It's not the dashboard or dock, the inherent smoothness of OS X or its imperviousness to viruses, or even Apple products' propensity to be
turned into a fishtank—although all those things are nice—it's the
customer service.
Here's what happened:
After making an appointment online, I arrived at the Genius Bar, where a rather bearded and pleasant gentleman genius saw the problem immediately and took my laptop in back to repair it. He returned about fifteen minutes later, in which time he fixed my computer
and cleaned the keyboard and screen. For free.
Seriously, it didn't cost me anything—even though my warranty was totally expired. The experience completely restored my faith in Apple, and I'm no longer craving an itty-bitty PC.
Now, my boyfriend just got a new Dell, and within two days the touchpad stopped working. We looked up some solutions online, but I know if the problem proves more difficult than that, he'll have to either mail his computer back to the manufacturer or spend hours on the phone with tech support. In short, no bearded geniuses.
That being said, you could argue that the $500 or more you save when you buy a PC is worth the extra hassle it takes to diagnose and solve most problems. After all, time is money.
What's important to you—price, quality, or customer service?Image Source
Comments (23)
All of the above! The Apple people really are quite great at customer service.
Definitely all of the above, a business that values and trains its customer service dept. well is pretty hard to come by!
I think it's more that PC users are a bigger target than Macs are impervious to viruses.
I do have good experiences at the Apple Store. I wish I didn't have to go there so often, though (it's usually for iPod issues).
Yep. I've been saved by Apple economically multiple times. All hail.
I think Apple has great customer service at their apple stores but what if you didn't have one near by. Lucky I live in Miami and I have 2 stores nearby but my roommate lives in Cleveland and dreads if her ipod stops working b/c apparently their aren't any stores near her.
Also I feel like effort to switch to a mac would be a pain... all my Sims games would be useless.
@Delphiki@xanga - i totally agree. PCs have a commanding lead in the computer sector, and the fact that it allows open source markets etc makes PCs more vulnerable to viruses and malware.
Given the speed of technological advancements, especially in the computer/laptop fields, i'd choose relatively low cost "PCs". $500 for probably 2-3 years worth of computing, then you can upgrade to another $500-600, and so forth. Whereas, MACs ($1100+), you have to pay the premium first, and disregard upgrading for a while longer, at the same time, "sacrificing" technological advancements.
However, it is all relative. Those that prefer/familiar with the windows OS will naturally gravitate towards pcs (window based machines). vice versa. i also understand that customer service is a big factor for most consumers, and it can be very daunting to overcome ALL the problems with PCs (ahem, Dell and Vista!!) But if you are careful with your downloads, sites you visit, and keep your maintenance up to date on your pc, its just as reliable as a mac---therefore, customer service is not needed (this is from personal experience. i have been a pc user all my life and have never called customer service, from Windows 3.1 to XP)
Watch yourself Mac users.. the more popular it becomes the more viruses you will encounter.
I build my own Desktop so I know how to fix any problem that comes along. I've never had to replace anything because I buy quality parts. As for my laptop I have a Dell xps 1330. I bought it refurbished so I saved $600. I haven't had any problems with it. I chose to get it without video card because my last laptop fried because of the video card.
@Pcgecko85@xanga - What's the difference between getting a video card and not getting one? (besides the danger of the comp frying)
@KiraWuzHerexD@xanga - All laptops/desktop have some sort of video card. Most laptops have an onboard video card which is built into the motherboard. You can choose to get a discrete video card which has its' own memory. Discrete vid cards are great for games, watching hd video, editing and overall make your system faster. Having a discrete video card does drain your laptop battery faster. I would recommend always getting a discrete video card for desktops. For a laptop, it's dependent on what u want to do with it.
@Delphiki@xanga - @Pcgecko85@xanga - Yeah this is true, the virus thing is not so much a PC weakness as it is that most viruses target PCs.
I recently became a Mac user. I'm now the proud owner of a MacBook Pro. :] . But I don't hold any hostility toward Windows. I loved my old computer. I really only made the switch because my school practically shoves Macs down your throat. <_< . That said, I love my Mac. I love its design and OS is pretty nice, too. ^_^
All those things are needed. I have a HP laptop and it seems to be working fine, but I just got it, so maybe my response is somewhat useless.
I heard that T-------- works really bad. My roommate keeps having viruses that would pop up on her screen for no reason even if she has anti-virsus installed on her computer! That sucks.
I'm a total Mac and I would always pay extra, their customer service is unbeatable as you said.
@HachiR0ku@xanga - For stuff for the PC is so expensive. A $100 some dollar operating system (minimal) when it's new? Vs. Mac's $25 brand new Snow Leopard.
Mac's pay for themselves. I love Mac's. And this is coming from someone who has 3 desktop PC's, a laptop PC, and a laptop Mac. I'd take the mac over any of them.
as soon as you said dell, i already knew there was a problem. its the exact opposite of what you portrayed apple's customer service is like
I gotta give it up for my Macbook. Here are some pitfalls though:
1. I have iMovie08 and it is the most annoying video editor ever! Very few effects compared to Microsoft Moviemaker. (Such as double-speed)
2. In MSN instant messenger, you cannot do video chats.
3. You cannot view pictures like a slide show like you do on windows. When you click on a picture, it'll open only on it's own window as opposed to windows, you can click on a photo press the right arrow key to view the next picture.
4. Itunes is annoying as well. If the music file has been removed, it should no longer be in the playlist. There should be a "DELETE ALL MISSING SONGS/FILES" on the playlist option.
What else?
Other than that my macbook has served me well. It still meets my needs for a one year old laptop. There are pros and cons to using a macbook.
Dell is your problem - not PCs vs Macs. Dell is a very poor and cheap producer of computers, therein lies your problem. Not really impressed that you tried to link PC < Mac by the touchpad of a Dell.
Those itty-bitty PC laptops are netbooks, right? I predict they won't hold for too long. They're just too small. I'd rather spend more on an expensive actual laptop from Apple, because the laptop will last longer and the customer service has been great.
@raedium@xanga - this is very true, however, this isn't always the case. The reason why PC's are so popular is because of the free market and open source communities (and negatively the hackers). For instance, when Vista first came out, i had a true "copy" of it for $3!!!! why? Crackwarez is a HUGE problem for PC's (windows based os). That is because Microsoft isn't private like Apple is. Therefore, you can get basically any program (hacked) for cheap. Everywhere outside of USA the piracy laws are not as strong (which is where most cracked software comes from). But i do understand that a majority of computer users are law abiding citizens and do not have enough knowledge to attain or use these products. But i have seen an increase in cracked programs for MACs.. so there is a market for them.
I do agree, for the average american user, MACS are probably more "simple" and straight forward to use. However, Windows gives more flexibility of customization and changing settings that is "above the normal user" (which is why i prefer windows based computers).
@SeeBeeWrite@xanga - the statistics for the rise of sales of netbooks is growing rapidly! and many technology analysts insist it will not slow down yet. netbooks weren't designed to replace laptops or desktops, they were designed for a specific niche. I own the very first generation of them (before they were known as netbooks). The Asus EEE pc 701. Once again, these small machines are linux based which are geared for Open Source Communities. Many have hacked the netbooks, put touchscreens, bluetooth and other fun stuff in them. On the one hand, they are "toys for nerds" and on the other hand, they are for those that just need to do quick emails and type a few notes.
These are GREAT for college. The desks at lecture halls are TINY and lugging around a $2000 mac isn't the greatest of ideas. Imagine if it accidently dropped off the desk? someone steals it? It wouldn't hurt as much as a $300 netbook. If you haven't tried a netbook yet for a week or so, you can't really compare.
@HachiR0ku@xanga - the sales are up because they're cheap... Only a small portion of the people buying netbooks won't ever need to buy another machine with more power. A netbook is nice for bare basic functions, but what about when a person needs more that? For everyone else, why not spend more money up front on something that will last longer?
If I worried about what would happen to every expensive thing I bought, I would own a lot of shitty stuff. LoJack for laptops, warranties, insurance, Kensington locks are available to assuage those fears.
@SeeBeeWrite@xanga - and i agree that netbooks are for basic functions. But your assertion that netbook sales are up mainly due to price is not 100% accurate. Basic economics dictates whatever the market demands, it will supply. And right now, netbooks are "all the rage". Not only are they cheap, they are convenient, huge aftermarket and customization options. Many people who have netbooks also have laptops (i'm on my laptop right now) because a netbook will never replace a desktop or laptop, ever. However, laptops are slowly and surely replacing desktops.
But you are trying to make a direct connection between Price and Quality. (ie: i pay for the expensive Apple because it will outlast the lower priced toshiba). However, data just released suggests that the malfunction rate between Apple (17.4%) compared to Dell (18.3) is barely 1% after 3 years (graph: http://www.lockergnome.com/blade/files/2009/11/squaretradenov2009-lg3.jpg )
My orginal belief was and still is, i would pay $500-650 for an "ok" laptop and wait till it craps out in 2-3 years (which seems to be when most laptops die anyway) then buy a new laptop (with its new technology and advancements) for another $600-700. But it all depends on the person. I personally like brand new technology (yes this sounds like an oxymoronic statement bc cheap laptops tend to not have the best hardware, some do) But, shelling out nearly $2000 for one laptop while a year or two down the line, you're machine is outdated (Yet totally capable). That was my main argument for cheaper computers.
I didn't mean that owning anything expensive would lead to it being stolen. Theft (airports, schools, etc) and accidents are among the top problems with laptops. You suggest taking out insurance, locks, and lojacks; these are all add-ons that cost extra money on top of the "expensive" investment in your laptop already. I was just saying hypothetically, if your laptop broke or got stolen (after warranty) it wouldn't hurt as bad because its nearly 3x more money.
@HachiR0ku@xanga - actually, the cheapest Apple laptops are only about a grand. 2 grand is just frivolous.