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MacBooks will take 50% of notebook market within a year

livedigitally.com — Consumers are turning increasingly to their peers, friends, and family for recommendations of products. Then consider: 1) Virtually all MacBook owners will recommend most MacBook models when asked. 2) Virtually no Vista notebook owners will recommend most models from any given manufacturer when asked.

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  • jim51109, on 05/15/2008, -31/+23I have been in the IT field for over 10 years and used all flavors of Mac, Linux, Unix and Windows and i can say even though i started out as a MAC guy i have converted to Windows and Windows by far outperforms Mac. That stupid pinwheel of death happens 10 times more than any system crashes on a PC. Mac is the little clickish hippie OS that has no business in the workplace. Of our 100 clients with thousands of computers we have a whopping amount of 10 macs and every one of those guys have a PC at their work area for networking purposes.
    • rickcarson, on 05/15/2008, -10/+20Your inability to spell Mac excites me physically.
      Are you gonna finish me off? Who starts it finishes it!
    • Marinium, on 05/15/2008, -2/+15You posted this same exact comment on another Mac article. You do know that posting it over and over again does not make it true right?
      • MacParrot, on 05/15/2008, -0/+4Actually he's posted the same thing on several articles. I like to think of it as just a really looooong stutter.
      • jbenson2, on 05/15/2008, -1/+1Sounds like the truth.
    • pauldy, on 05/15/2008, -3/+9Pinwheel of death what are you using 10.3 on an imac rev a with 256MB of ram.
    • kipmartin, on 05/15/2008, -6/+5you are just a clerk at Barnes and Noble, live in your mom's basement, and you figured out how to put a wireless network in your house.

      you are full of crap. worst ***** ever.
      • jbenson2, on 05/15/2008, -3/+4You Apple fanboys are rather sensitive to any sort of Apple critique.
        • aarin, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1Critique? Is that what that was?

          Thanks, I had that filed under 'Rant, spittle included' folder.
    • threemagic, on 05/15/2008, -3/+6"Mac is the little clickish hippie OS that has no business in the workplace."

      It works fine in a business environment and integrates just fine. I'm think you are the one who has no business in the IT workplace.
  • Urkel, on 05/15/2008, -5/+66Every Macbook owner would recommend a Macbook? Even if it was true (and it isn't) then a recommendation for a notebook isn't a sale. I may PREFER my mac but it's not easy to force my $1500 Macbook down someones throat when all they need is a $600 PC.

    Secondly, Vista on the right hardware isn't nearly as bad as people say. The problem in the past is that it was hard to find the "right" hardware but nowadays it's pretty easy.
    • rickcarson, on 05/15/2008, -3/+7Well, if they want a desktop then yeah, why recommend a laptop?
      But if they want a laptop, the Apple line up is okay, unless the only thing they care about is price, in which case try to persuade them to give Linux a go. Especially once you realise that to get the really low prices, the other laptops massively compromise on things like CPU.

      I'd have to question the intellectual honesty of someone suggesting anything other than a Core 2 Duo for a laptop CPU, especially if their victim is going to be running "that other OS"... why would you use crippled hardware to run it on? And once you start looking at the C2D and a decent minimum spec (even if it doesn't have _all_ the bells and whistles of the Mac), you should see that the price difference is a lot closer than you'd think.
      • pauldy, on 05/15/2008, -6/+4I find posts like Urkel's suspect, first he says his macbook and quotes the price of an entry level macbook pro. Then he says vista isn't all that bad on the right hardware. PC is that you in there???

        I never recommend a generic PC anymore I always recommend a mac. The risk of moving over to the mac right now is negligible because the worse case scenario you would be out the money for a new copy of XP or Vista. The upside is the interface is as intuitive for you as it is for the millions of other users and they aren't calling me for support issues as much as they used to. It's a no-brainer move and thats why so many are taking the plunge. I have been a Mac convert for over 2 years now and I couldn't imagine using anything else.
        • pauldy, on 05/15/2008, -0/+2I must have been looking at the refurb page to long cause the entry level macbook pro is 1999. The refurb page has a macbook for 949 which seem more than reasonable for the performace of the machine.
          • gudnbluts, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1The thing is, for $500 US you can get a new 15.5" screen laptop. Screen size is more important than performance to most people, as it'll still run all the stuff they use day to day perfectly well. The cheapest Mac laptop with a screen that size costs 3 times as much. That's one of the places they don't compete (which is a shame).
      • JerodSlay, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1Even if this article is 100% true (which it's not, it's mostly speculation), why does it matter? Why not just report it, and digg it, when it actually happens.

        This is more lame than a rumor.
    • yutewa00, on 05/15/2008, -7/+1I have Vista on Quad core Q6600 @2.8ghz, 4gigz of ram and GeForce 8800GT Extreme for two months now and I will go back to XP ASAP!!
    • TheWorm, on 05/15/2008, -3/+3To be fair you chose just about the cheapest PC you can buy and the most expensive black Macbook. To get a decent PC laptop comparable to the 1100 dollar Macbook you're going to spend something much closer to the same price.
    • paradigm1220, on 05/15/2008, -7/+6Let me know when you get Vista running on a $600 PC.
      • aimhelix, on 05/15/2008, -0/+6After a slickdeals.net sale, I got me a Q6600 + 3GB Dell system with Vista Home 32-bit. So far, so good. It cost me $519, shipped.
      • herrshuster, on 05/15/2008, -1/+2Ok. 4gb ram, 4400+ brisbane, 3870, vista x64
      • threemagic, on 05/15/2008, -0/+3I'm sure you meant: run Vista well...
        • herrshuster, on 05/15/2008, -2/+1yeah...I run it well...I run everything except crysis maxed and crysis on med/high
    • unorthodoxor, on 05/15/2008, -3/+21.) Apparently Jeremy Toeman has totally forgot about the fact that we are living in "Reality".
      2.) Also his personal successful referrals does not represent the majority of laptop users.
      3.) Don't believe him.
    • desuexmachina, on 05/15/2008, -0/+6I have been recommending Macbooks to everybody who asks me. Telling them to buy a Macbook is an excellent way to never have to support them again. I will never buy one again but I certainly don't want to be supporting anybody getting 3d animated emoticon spyware and a trillion popups all the time. Recommending Macbooks is my way of getting my evenings back so I can play Portal all night.
    • redwallhp, on 05/15/2008, -3/+1If all they need is a $600 desktop, recommend a Mac Mini.
    • brundlefly76, on 05/15/2008, -1/+1There is a common misconception that once a Mac owner, always a Mac owner.
      I have owned both a Mac and a Macbook, and now have a PC, and always recommend Dell notebooks.
      There just isn't any other brand of notebook that is more customizable, has the newest parts, and is always available on an great deal.
  • rickcarson, on 05/15/2008, -2/+17I own and would _never_ recommend the bottom end MacBook. Combo drives suck.

    The middle MacBook seems like the best deal, 1300 vs 2000 for the MacBook Pro, of which the differences are size, colour, and a tepid video card.
    • MacParrot, on 05/15/2008, -2/+9Or no video card at all as every MacBook comes standard (with no way to upgrade) with Intel integrated graphics. As far as the combo-drive goes, I sort of agree. Not many people really bother burning DVDs anymore (or even CDs) in the age of digital content. The low-end MacBook is quite a servicable little machine that will fit the needs of most people.
      If you need more and the price of a new MacBook Pro is too much, go refurb. After the last round of MBP upgrades, there were 2.16 C2D MacBook Pros for sale for $1299 at the US Store. I picked up a 2.33 GHz model for $1499 and after 4 years with a G4 iBook it was a breath of fresh air.
      • doctorcaligari, on 05/15/2008, -1/+4I can second your comment. All of the Mac refurbs I (and my friends) have purchased have performed wonderfully, and recommend those to friends over buying new Macs.
    • modusop, on 05/15/2008, -0/+2I haven't burnt many discs all year - I don't miss it. I'd do away with optical drives altogether if all content distro was online..
  • ninja0, on 05/15/2008, -6/+14I want one, but just cuz of the physical look and size. Probably install linux on it or something
    • MacParrot, on 05/15/2008, -2/+14While I would applaud another Mac sale, why would you do this? If all you plan on doing is running Linux, there are far more machines just as capable as a MacBook for a lower price with similar form factors.
      • ninja0, on 05/15/2008, -1/+8Thats not the point. I like the look feel and size of it, and I think apple did a good job on that. I don't really like OSX that much as I am a customization whore and all i was able to find in the few hours I played with one was stupid modifications such as changing the bar color to 1 of 2 colors, etc.... pretty lame if you ask me.
        • DaffyDuck, on 05/15/2008, -3/+7Take a look at Shapeshifter.
          • Nossie, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1unless you want to run leopard.... not trying to diss apple I own two macs... but I own shapeshifter and a good number of unsanitys apps and most of them dont support leopard yet http://www.unsanity.com/products/compatibility

            thanks for making me check though, seems I can get fruitmenu back atleast in beta... but bleh, got so used to quicksilver recently
          • Jambi, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1Shapeshifter doesn't work with the latest version of OS X (Leopard), but as of about two weeks ago, the guys over on the Macthemes forums figured out where Leopard stores all of its theme resources, and people are working on a lot of new themes and ports as a result. A couple have already been uploaded; here's an example: http://www.grabup.com/uploads/03b74d391808032d3054 ...
            MacThemes forum link: http://macthemes2.net/forum/
          • Nossie, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1I see where you are going but what's that?

            desktop background change... check
            icon change ... check..
            dock texture change ... check..
            turn off transparency ... check..

            all that has been worked out since 10.5 came out... where is this 'theme' you speak of?

            edit: oooooh http://macthemes2.net/forum/viewtopic.php?id=16785 ... I'll give you kudos for the forum link :) bookmarked
        • sbluetruck, on 05/15/2008, -0/+2OS X has a huge third party developer base for these kinds of things...
    • bubbadoo989, on 05/15/2008, -0/+3Dude, I'm running Fusion on my entry-level (2.16 core 2) mbp. I run Suse server, ubuntu and windows xp with incredible performance with each os.. The core Mac OS is an incredible os, with Mach OS underpinnings.

      I have nothing but good things to say about my MBP, and this comes from years of Dell, IBM, HP and Toshiba laptops. They all stop working at some future date. But the MBP takes a licking and keeps on ticking.
    • kipmartin, on 05/15/2008, -0/+3nothing wrong with a mac running a dual boot of OS X with Fedora, Ubuntu, whatever.

      i love my macbook and find the OS configurable enough for my tastes. i spend too much time working to want to mess with colors and other customizations.
  • CryRightardCry, on 05/15/2008, -11/+36LOL
    Yeah, right.
    Maybe if they drop prices significantly.
    This is the work of a fanboy, anyone who pays attention can see that the low end laptop market is what's taking off right now, not over priced Macs.
    • SurRea1, on 05/15/2008, -8/+6If you could point out exactly HOW macbook and macbook pros are overpriced, I would agree. Compare similar specifications, and I'm talking monitor size, resolution, video card, ram, processor, etc and you will see that any Apple model is AT MOST $50 more expensive.
      • sbluetruck, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1mmmmhmmmmm brotha, praise the steve!!!
        /sarcasm
        but seriously, that ploy to put down macs has been around longer than windows...
      • gudnbluts, on 05/15/2008, -2/+2HP's 15.4" laptops start at $500. Compare like with like, and show me apple's equivalent 15.4" lappy, then we can talk.

        You guys never like doing it that way round, do you?
    • JerodSlay, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1I agree, look at the EeePCs. They're flying off the shelves. I just bought a 900 today from NewEgg!!!!!
    • raindogmx, on 05/15/2008, -1/+4I also LOL @ MacFanboy. That figure is absolutely ridiculous. In fact I don't believe their factories can even produce that amount of computers.

      Also if that were true, wouldn't be looking at a new monopolic evil empire? I wonder where we can replace a leter in 'Apple' for a dollar sign. '$Apple'? 'Mac$ook'?
    • bernandoo, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1your right... 30% growth is definitely NOT where all the action is.
  • cave, on 05/15/2008, -8/+6I don't know about 50% in a year but yea, this is pretty much the trend that's been happening lately, Macbooks are just flying off the shelves.
    • redwallhp, on 05/15/2008, -0/+2I got my MacBook this year, and it's great. I do think 50% is a little ridiculous though. I think it's one of those 76% of statistics that were made up on the spot.
  • BlackJackJester, on 05/15/2008, -9/+4and my stupid campus is going to still require all windows users to fill their computers with proprietary ***** to get on the internet even if macs were 95% of the market, and nobody was targeting windows anymore :P.
    • RevJonathan, on 05/15/2008, -0/+2Just change firefox's OS ID to Ubuntu and login.
  • digitallysick, on 05/15/2008, -8/+6I would recommend hackintosh on a cheaper latop that gives almost the same, or better performance than a macbook. And if that doesn't work out for you, you could always use linux./xp/vista
    • Nossie, on 05/15/2008, -2/+2I wouldnt recommend any hackintosh to anyone if they can never update their OS :P I do consider myself a smidgen mac fanboy and I'd love to hack this linux box... but whats the point with 10.5.x around the corner? :-|
  • BossKey, on 05/15/2008, -19/+450% of the market and still 0% of the viruses...
  • legoalert33, on 05/15/2008, -4/+14I call shenanigans.
  • cayqel, on 05/15/2008, -5/+7Maybe then Apple will be willing to lower the price

    Love my MB, but it hurt my wallet
    • redwallhp, on 05/15/2008, -0/+2"Love my MB, but it hurt my wallet"
      Same here.
  • ganoo, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1another server bites the digg dust
  • FDL1, on 05/15/2008, -7/+26Enjoy your trendyness while it lasts, soon it'll be nothing more than another Motorola Razr.
    • rolf, on 05/15/2008, -3/+5I enjoy not having to deal with *****, which I why I bought a Mac for my parents (I run Ubuntu mostly). And yes, it's worth every last penny to visit the folks and not have to spend it fixing a computer.

      I did not buy it for trendyness (the Razr is a horrible phone in terms of ease of use, but then most are).
      • raindogmx, on 05/15/2008, -4/+2I enjoy not having to deal with *****, that's why I don't want you for tech support.
        - "My PC doesn't work"
        - "Why? Buy a Mac"
        • rolf, on 05/15/2008, -0/+3I'm crying, really.

          Buy what you want, I don't care. Unless I have to pamper your computer for you.
    • Nossie, on 05/15/2008, -2/+2I'm sure Motorola would love the fad of the ipod....
    • redwallhp, on 05/15/2008, -1/+2Who cares about trendyness? You buy a computer because of the specs, and available OS. You buy an iPod because every other MP3 player you've tried has sucked (my current Sandisk player is only half-bad, but it's not great either. Can't beat $40 though...). You buy an iPhone because it's the only phone that has descent web and music capabilities. Who &#@% cares about trendyness?
    • Lemon, on 05/15/2008, -1/+1Yeah except the Razr always sucked, and macbooks don't...
  • unreg, on 05/15/2008, -4/+23Yeah, yeah, yeah.

    And this is the year of the Linux Desktop too.

  • sockpuppets, on 05/15/2008, -7/+17Could you please add a second mouse button already?
    • cayqel, on 05/15/2008, -2/+8two fingers on the track pad switches the button to "right-click"
      • raindogmx, on 05/15/2008, -2/+2One finger in the right button switches to, well, "right-click".
        One finger!
        • redwallhp, on 05/15/2008, -1/+2Macs come with four-button mice now, and you can use any two+ button mouse you want, okay? Will you uninformed noobs stop with that lame argument already? I've corrected it thrice today on Digg alone!
          • sockpuppets, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1Guess which finger I'm holding up right now?
    • TheWorm, on 05/15/2008, -2/+5They have one...Two fingers on the trackpad. Easier than reaching for the right click button anyway.
    • dlsspy, on 05/15/2008, -2/+4Would a second mouse button be significantly more convenient than two fingers on the touch pad and a click like I do now? I mean, my fingers are already there, and with that I've got an awfully large right mouse button.
    • boxybrzown, on 05/15/2008, -4/+2Not one person in the Apple QA and Testing departments right clicks. Ever.
    • richard2, on 05/15/2008, -1/+3The interfaces of Mac OS applications are designed so that contextual menus are not required, which is better for most applications because the available functions aren't hidden from the user.
    • redwallhp, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1[See previous comment] http://digg.com/apple/MacBooks_will_take_50_of_not ... I do sort of wish that the MacBooks had a second button, but normally I have my mouse plugged-in (and it has four buttons plus a scroll-wheel, for the record).
  • mattus, on 05/15/2008, -2/+5They're definitely increasingly popular at my university. I'm not sure about 50% of the market, but when I go to the library half of the laptops there seem to be MacBooks, with the next most common being Sony Vaios.
    • hartley, on 05/15/2008, -0/+2As opposed to 20 years ago, when they had like 95% of the college/education market?
  • kamikazekeety, on 05/15/2008, -4/+1199% of statistics are made up on the spot. BURIED AS INACCURATE.
  • da5id, on 05/15/2008, -9/+3Gotta go. Calling my broker. Gonna get rich on Apple stock.
  • TexasShiv, on 05/15/2008, -0/+12This is the most absurd headline I've ever seen. I don't know what's most disturbing, that people are digging this as an accurate story or that the person who wrote this actually believes in it.
  • phrenzy, on 05/15/2008, -10/+5To the snivelers who came into this thread just to bash Macs. Have you ever asked yourself why you feel the burning desired to hurl insults at people who are happy with their computers?
    • phrenzy, on 05/15/2008, -2/+3answer: for the same reason you dugg down that question. You are angry nerds.
      • redwallhp, on 05/15/2008, -2/+1Don't look at me, I Dugg the comment.
    • DrunkenMick, on 05/15/2008, -1/+2Speaking of snivelers, why is it the "people who are happy with their computers" turn up their noses to anyone that doesn't run a mac? Fan-boy hypocrisy at its best.
    • bjornski, on 05/15/2008, -0/+2Ever ask yourself that in a "bash Windows" thread?
    • phrenzy, on 05/15/2008, -1/+2That wouldn't be me, my friend. I love my macbook and I get plenty of work done on my work PC. I find I enjoy working with my mac more in general, but I happily use my work PC as well.
  • SLockhart, on 05/15/2008, -0/+13Haven't read the article yet but that claim is absolutely ridiculous.
  • Dumbledorito, on 05/15/2008, -0/+3Since the site is down, I'll have to ask those who read it:

    Is 50% figure something the author is pulling out of his ass, or does he "show the math?" If the latter, is it one of those things that's figured by model? That is, the C-64 is still one of the single best-selling computers of all time, because there was only one model at the time, while total PC and/or Mac sales combined far outweigh C-64 sales figures.
    • KevinO, on 05/15/2008, -0/+2Out of the ass numbers - the math must be invisible.
  • TheOther1, on 05/15/2008, -0/+13One word: *****
  • hernyman, on 05/15/2008, -1/+9Something I always see when Mac fanboys do this predictions is that they only see the usual markets: USA, Europe and Japan.
    Outside those places, nobody gives a f**k for a Mac. I live in Argentina, in South America, and, if you think Macs are overpriced in USA is because you don't live here :D The cheapest Macbook in the official Apple distributor costs 5999 argentine peso, which is at today currency rate 1875 US dollars!!!!
    http://www.macstation.com.ar/store/index.php?secci ...
    I know we are a small, very small market, but remember: the rest of the world doesn't give a f**k for a Mac.
    • RevJonathan, on 05/15/2008, -3/+3Yeah, but no one cares about Argentina. You guys are the Paulie Shore of Nations.
    • tian2992, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1Yeah, distributors suck at other countries, They ultra-inflate the prices… yet I am typing this on my mac, Bought in US and brought to Guatemala, ~400$ cheaper that buying it here!
      Still, some a$$holes buy them here, If you think you have seen a smug, see one of this guys, and talk again…(Disclaimer: not all Apple users are dicks, I am one myself (Mac user, not ***** ;) ))
    • kurejibitch, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1Don't cry for me, Argentina.
    • raindogmx, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1Not Mac related but in Mexico a DELL XPS 1550 laptop costs 700 USD more than the same configuration in the US.
  • TheKorn2, on 05/15/2008, -5/+5If you're going to be such a transparent apple fag, at least take the dick out of your mouth before posting!
  • samcrut, on 05/15/2008, -0/+7I'm a big Mac supporter and have been using Apple computers since the 70's, but that article is, well, that's BS and piled on pretty thick. The numbers are random generated hyperbole.
  • pintomp3, on 05/15/2008, -0/+4i work in IT so people often ask me what computer they should buy. i try to remain neutral and suggest everything from HP and Dell, to Apple. i explain that for almost everything they will do, a mac work well and they can take it to a genius bar for easy servicing. but most of the people want a laptop under 1000, often closer to the 500 range. it's hard to suggest paying 1300 to someone who just needs to use the internet and use office.
  • BradMajors, on 05/15/2008, -1/+1On a related note: the stock market capitalization of Apple is now 58% of the stock market capitalization of Microsoft.
  • JasonCox, on 05/15/2008, -1/+5Vista Notebook? Wow, Microsoft is an OEM in your country?

    On a serious note, stats show that Mac owners are the #1 buying for boxed copies of Vista. So yeah, you can take your smugness and shove it.
    • kurejibitch, on 05/15/2008, -1/+1Yeah, because if you got a new laptop today that WASN'T a Mac, you WOULDN'T be buying a boxed copy of Vista, would you? Irrelevant.
    • Lemon, on 05/15/2008, -1/+1If anything you're helping to prove his point dumbass... they're still buying a mac right?
  • oppokaze, on 05/15/2008, -0/+3No factual basis, faulty logic. Buried as inaccurate.

    Nothing against apple or macs, I think the hardware is excellent, this story is BS though.
  • zenerdiode, on 05/15/2008, -0/+3Regardless of anyone's recommendation, my $600 Tax "Rebate" only affords me an Acer :( I'll be that one weird guy in the room.
  • krnldmp, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1Get outta town.
  • 68024, on 05/15/2008, -1/+3Typed from my own macbook: *****.
  • aimhelix, on 05/15/2008, -0/+2No it won't.
  • KevinO, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1This person offers no foundation to his theories other than a blanket assumption that people will want macs when in fact most people probably don't. The average consumer would probably just as soon stick with windows than move to a mac - they don't care. They want whatever works at the most reasonable price - unfortunately macs don't offer that. Plus Apple isn't known for their support, something many customers will be concerned with.

    50% of the market share in a a year....I say no way - and I've got just about as much reasoning and fact as the article has.
  • cctoronto05, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1Mirror please?
  • kurejibitch, on 05/15/2008, -1/+3Jesus, I'm sick of the PC/Mac debate. This is even worse than PS3/XBOX/Wii/what-the-***** ever. I have a desktop PC and have had desktop PCs since I was 5, Windows all the way (excluding Macintosh in grade school for Oregon Trail on computer lab days!) Three weeks ago I asked for a Macbook as my grad present. Beautiful interface, easy to use, it works with me. I love it. I think other people I know would like it, too.

    Does my Macbook being pretty mean Windows sucks? NO. Windows was ***** fine for 12 years. But I'm not rich, my desktop was clunky and tired, I've never had a laptop before -- ANY new computer would have seemed shiny, easy to use, intuitive. (Don't even play that Vista card on me.) Point is? Shut up, Mac guys. I love (our) computer as much as you, but I am so un-inclined to even compare PCs and Macs comfortably that it's hard for me to understand where you get your goddamn elitism, your Windows User/Computer hate, your seething disgust. Where does it come from? Why does it drive you? Can you be any pettier? Off the high horse, you self-obsessed, haughty dbags. You're nothing better than that kid from Toy Story comparing Woody and Buzz Lightyear (oh, *****, lame reference. Excuse me.)
  • aserer511, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1" 2) Virtually no Vista notebook owners will recommend most models from any given manufacturer when asked. "
    Out of a sample size of 10 users, maybe :rolleyes:
    on college campuses, the marketshare that mac has is only going up, THAT I will admit. but when you leave the ***** campus, PC is here to stay
  • raydeen, on 05/15/2008, -1/+3Not unless they either a.) drop the price by $200 and/or b.) add a better video card. To whit: 2 years ago, I purchased a Dell Inspiron e1505 with a 40% discount which brought an $1800 laptop down to $1100. It's still going strong (except for the battery but oh well, I can replace that for about $60). I got a MacBook Pro for the price of a MacBook (or the equivalent for that time). I really, really, really wanted to get a MacBook when I heard they would have the Intel chip inside, but Apple killed the deal by making it incredibly underpowered and overpriced for what it was. I use a MacBook from that era because that's whats required for where I work and while it has some nice features (form factor, battery life, mag-safe, Target Disk mode-wish PC's had that) it can't compete with the Dell I bought for the exact same price. It runs way too hot (horrible ventilation), makes horrible use of both memory and disk usage, locks up constantly, and had one complete disk failure in less than a year of use. My Dell runs much faster and cooler (same processor and less memory) and only gave me a slight amount of trouble until I wiped it clean of all the OEM crap and installed a nice clean Windows installation. Apple needs to get over themselves with all the 'industrial design' and find a position closer to functionality and further away from form. There's certain things I love about Apple, but so far, not enough to get me to actually buy one. At least get a second mouse button on your systems. Your OS supports it. And simplify your explorer interface for gods sakes. Apple's supposed to be about being easier right? Right?
    • namredips, on 05/15/2008, -0/+2Strange... up unto about a 2 years ago (maybe 1.8 years), I used nothing but linux, windows or dos. All my software development, video, what have you (so thats a had toshiba, dell and gateway laptops (maybe an acer as well) I got a macbook, pulled it ouf the box in and in like 20 minutes I was up and running, writing papers and coding. Its only gotten better. No crashng, I never turn the thing off... just open up the lid and go. I don't understand where all this fanboy stuff comes from, its just a better machine. Hands down its the best computing device I have ever owned. I sometimes laugh at myself for having put up with all the crap I used to put up with while running windows. At this point I don't even own a windows machine, mac pro and a macbook. I have never been so happy... I can just get the work done that I want to get done, without having to screw with the machine. I don't know that the marketshare will go up quite to 50%, much more to such things than what people like better. but as far as these other laptops being better... I just dont' see it. I literally feel like have been living under a rock for the past 20 years, telling myself that windows based machines were the better way to go... Just one man's opinion..
      • mrBitch, on 05/22/2008, -0/+1That's exactly my story. My macbook pro is nearly 2 years old and I can't believe I have put up with so much crap over the last 15 years of developing for Microsoft DOS & Windows based environments.

        You said it so well :
        " ... up until about a 2 years ago (maybe 1.8 years), I used nothing but linux, windows or dos. All my software development, video, what have you (so thats a had toshiba, dell and gateway laptops (maybe an acer as well)

        I got a macbook, pulled it ouf the box in and in like 20 minutes I was up and running, writing papers and coding. Its only gotten better. No crashng, I never turn the thing off... just open up the lid and go.

        I don't understand where all this fanboy stuff comes from, its just a better machine. Hands down its the best computing device I have ever owned.

        I sometimes laugh at myself for having put up with all the crap I used to put up with while running windows. At this point I don't even own a windows machine, mac pro and a macbook.

        I have never been so happy... I can just get the work done that I want to get done, without having to screw with the machine.

        ... I literally feel like have been living under a rock for the past 20 years, telling myself that windows based machines were the better way to go... "
    • richard2, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1Why are you sharing your experience? Are you suggesting it was typical?

      It seems you bought a faulty a computer with widely known issues and foolishly chose not to have it replaced.

      You didn't even mention any of the hundreds of advanced features which Mac OS X has. You don't even understand how modern operating systems manage memory.
    • raydeen, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1@ richard2. I'm sharing my experience because for me, that's how things have panned out. I didn't buy the MacBook,, it was provided for me. Yes I do understand how modern OS's work. I use Linux on a daily basis alongside and in conjunction with Windows and OS X. My experience has been that Windows and LInux installs have performed better and lasted longer than an OS X install. I work in an IT dept. that uses mostly OS X so I'm quite familiar with it's in's and out's and am learning more all the time. I'm glad you guys have had great experiences. I have yet to have an epiphany with these machines, and maybe that's just my personal way of working. I don't hate them, I just don't see them gaining that much marketshare that quickly. My beef is more with the company and it's decisions rather than the machine itself. It's crippled in ways it shouldn't be. That's my dealbreaker. YMMV.

      And I'm digging you guys up as your opinions and expressions are valid.
  • helliottlaw, on 05/15/2008, -6/+5The blatant Apple fanboy-ism on Digg sickens me: every time a story like this gets dugg the floodgates are unleashed and the Apple trolls spew their *****...
  • Xboxster, on 05/15/2008, -1/+4" 2) Virtually no Vista notebook owners will recommend most models from any given manufacturer when asked. "

    I wouldn't recommend a laptop with Vista. Especially if you're looking for something sub-$1000. I actually would recommend a MacBook, although I never really used one.
  • dmadzak, on 05/15/2008, -0/+2and linux will have 1/2 of the desktop market. So, just so I understand this means that Microsoft is screwed. When did the average user stop buying the cheapest possible computer? I'm especially shocked by this news because of the current economy.
  • dagamer34, on 05/15/2008, -0/+2The best Mac laptop is a refurb MacBook Pro (2.16Ghz C2D). Good performance, decent video card, good battery life at under $1400 with tax.
  • matriculated, on 05/15/2008, -0/+4I own a Macbook and I'd recommend getting one to anyone but this story is silly. Half the market is going to pay a premium to own an Apple product, learn a new OS and ditch everything they learned on Windows? Please.
  • kreatre2007, on 05/15/2008, -1/+2I certainly would recommend my MacBook Pro to anyone looking to buy a new laptop. Sure, a Mac costs more in the short run but its capabilities far exceed those of a Windows laptop. Macs come preloaded with a lot of USEFUL free software. The iLife suite allows you to make movies, burn them onto DVDs, catalog all of your music and photos, make your own music, build your own website, etc... What's more, the software is actually easy enough for a novice to use and full featured enough to satisfy a computer geek like me. I've used Vista and I've supported it. Vista is a nice upgrade over XP -- especially when it comes to fixing networking issues. Mac OS X is just better in every way. When you buy a Mac, you get a complete and useful product instead of a box full of crapware that you'll just want to get rid of or never use in the end. In addition to talking to current Mac users, I recommend going to an Apple store if you have one nearby and test drive a Mac, ask questions, and gather information. The Mac can take some getting used to but, once you master it, you'll never want to go back to a Windows PC again. When you buy a Mac, you'll get a very stable machine that is much more secure.

    Yes... I am an Apple fanboy but, I have also been a Windows user for many years. You don't become a fanboy without the Mac being an awesome product.
    • mrBitch, on 05/22/2008, -0/+1Well put. Most "rabid apple fan boys" are those who previously used apps ( or developed within ) the Windows environment for years. Using OS X is a revelation. It's just that good.
  • steveoa3d, on 05/15/2008, -0/+2I just bought a refurbed macbook for my wife ($800 from applestore) and after using it for a weekend I bought another for myself. Second one has a superdrive and was 999 also refurbed. My wife was a WinXP user and I a Ubuntu user.

    She took to the Mac OS really easily and was able to do everything she did in XP almost instantly. Being a little more tech savy I also found it easy to use and after a bit of learning how to install programs and alike, I find it fun to learn about the mac versions of programs. Kismac, usenet downloaders, Handbrake and alike.

    I could install Linux in a VM or boot camp but that is a cop out, I'm learning how to do what I need to do OSX and so far every tool and program is as good or better than the windows or linux counterpart.

    I have used Vista on new laptops and it SUCKS, I would certainly recommend a sub $1000 refurbed macbook to anyone at any tech level. Oh and the thing is really fast !
    • mrBitch, on 05/22/2008, -0/+1That's the wierd thing about using OS X. Using a computer becomes a fun and enjoyable process ( again ). I almost forgot that the reason I got into the development business was because it used to be so much fun. OS X brought back the fun & joy of using (and developing) computer software.
  • TravisOwens, on 05/15/2008, -1/+0Umm 50% you've got to be joking right? Apple only has 3%-4% of the desktop market, anybody who seriously thinks Apple even has 10% of the notebook market is a damn fool.
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