As far as the mac vs windows debate, at this point it really does not matter. Here are the Pros and cons as I see them:
Mac has very well configured and thought out hardware, their designs tend to focus on having one really well put together hardware package then make variants that will bump the price up. As an example the Macbook Pro line chassis has been basically the same since late 2008 with revisions coming at least every 10-12 months. From apples standpoint they would rather spend the money up front designing something that will last a long time (design wise) and do it once than redesign every 2 months and have to reengineer the entire system like most Windows laptops.
Have you ever noticed that most windows laptops tend to chase the latest and greatest competitors? This is great if you are looking for cutting edge features like USB 3.0 and such but the thing that can happen with that is the drivers are usually not up to par. I have had more issues with drivers on laptops than I care to think about!
So think what you may,but Apple has the design chops to win design awards and not many windows laptops can say that.
Now having said all this great stuff about apple you may think me a fanboy, I'm not. Apple has some glaring short sightedness in thinking that they are the center of the tech universe. I am starting to think of apple in the same way that Sony used to behave, in the betamax vs VHS and the Memory stick VS SD card arenas. The thing that I see is that Apple seems to want to keep a closed environment as far as tech goes, for instance they have yet to release any products with Blu-Ray drives, why is that? They are busy pushing their own movie service... iTunes. I hate to say it but iTunes experience sucks; sure the design is pretty, but the search is terrible for anything online, and getting accurate info on apps and what they do is a joke. As for the new ThunderBolt interface I think it will go the same way as Apples previous iteration FireWire, sure it was neat for video and such but not much good for anything else. Plus they just released a new cable that will cost $50, for that I could buy some really "Special" Monster Cables, LOL.
The nice part about Apple and windows using the same underlying hardware is that Operating systems are easily replaced or run simultaneously. So if you decide that you don't like OS X (apples Operating system) Blast it off of there and throw whatever suits your fancy. I will say that I bought my macbook with that caveat in mind and I have yet to need to blast OS X off. Though in fairness I have had to put a windows partition on to run my engineering software (Solidworks, Pro-Engineer/Mechanica, Inventor) but I find when I finish doing whatever projects in those programs I am reloading into OS X. I find it simpler, and truthfully most of the stuff that goes on these days is done through the web anyways.
My vote is that Apple has the advantage of being able to compete with no one on quality for their design of the systems goes. There simply is no one making stuff in their ballpark and as people have said they are willing to not let the accountants get in the way and tell them how to make their product substantially cheaper because that would directly affect their reputation. For all of these people thinking I'd rather have a dell, or a HP or whatever just remember that in todays computer market the underlying hardware is all the same no one makes it in house anymore. So you are really paying for the way that the hardware is assembled and the support that is offered when you choose what company to buy from.
If you really think about it dell and HP and every other manufacturer really could care less what kind of service they offer, just as long as they are not last on the service rankings list... If they are first that means that the accountants need to tighten the screws and wring some more profits from the company to pay for the important stuff like private planes and political donations, lol.
As for the made in China thing, are you serious? I know some people that will refuse to buy things made over there and in my mind that is just odd. Jobs have been being outsourced from the developed nations to the developing for a very long time. Taiwan, Japan, India as far as I can see there are jobs going over that are not the most desirable (call center, manufacturing, etc.) I say let them have them. Once some of the technologies in the pipeline develop a bit more those jobs will be obsolete anyways then they will have to worry about losing those jobs to someone willing to do it cheaper. I remember one of my design profs talking about how in the 1980's products from Japan were thought of as crap; would you say the same today? I sure wouldn't! I feel that the same till be true of China in another 10-15 years. The trouble with high quality is that it costs substantially more to design and produce which is why china who is focused on the mass production of cheap goods will have to stop relying on producing for export and try to get their internal consumption up to remain competitive. The market for high quality is already pretty saturated between US, UK, Germany, Japan, Sweden, and many others. China will have to adapt but with their cheap workforce that will be tough and when the income inequality becomes great enough there will be trouble.
So I say take the time that this Global recession is providing to invest in your lifelong education even if it just means get a book and read it (or surf Wikipedia).
this has been the 2 cents of a Mechanical Design Engineer, as well as having 10 years in IT.
So, I am looking to buy Win7. How much? $220?
