Windows 7 laptop vs. Macbook Pro/Air

N918KT

N918KT

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Just wondering, is a Windows 7 laptop just as safe and secure (in safe and secure from computer malware/viruses) as a Apple Macbook Pro/Air? I have been thinking of switching to Macbook because I heard that Macs never get viruses and malware, but I am unsure if I should spend over $1,000 on a new Macbook Pro or Macbook Air.

Also another question:

I heard that I can buy refurbished Macbook Pros for less money from Amazon. What exactly is a refurbished Macbook and are they just as good and secure as a brand new Macbook Pro/Air?
 
It really depends what you need to do. You can get refurb from Apple's website. Full warranty and latest OS for that machine.

There are viruses on the Mac but not the thousands on Wintel. These days the problem is malware usurping the browser because you've landed on some site that may or may not be malicious.

Now, if you keep the firewall active, and the virus definitions up to date, and don't do stupid things with the browser, there's no reason not to get a Windows system.
 
The MacBooks are really nice solid machines and they work well, but you will get a much bigger bang for your buck with a Windows system. I have a MacBook Air, but frankly I'm a lot more productive with a Windows machine simply because I understand it better and that's what I'm used to.
 
Before you go over to the Dark Side, see if anyone in your area is a Linux guru.

Most Linux versions ("distributions") are superior to Windoze, they are FAR more stable and secure, and most productive applications which are in Windoze have a counterpart (or even a direct version) in Linux. Even better, Linux code is FREE (though you may pay for a DVD, support, etc).
 
With a Macbook you're paying a price premium for having everything put together just a little bit better and being a little bit more solid and elegant. You may find it harder to do repairs or upgrades in the future just because of the nature of how apple puts together their laptops now. It's really meant to be a use it until it breaks or becomes obsolete appliance.

Macs do not get viruses because there are practically no viruses written for them other than one-off proof of concept attacks. Speaking of things not being written for the mac, make sure any software you will need will run on it before you buy. Most common stuff will or at least has a decent equivalent but if the one application you must run for work or whatever only works on windows then you have to mess around with either dual-booting or running visualization of some kind which is a pain.

I had a macbook, passed it onto my wife when I bought a new Asus laptop. The only reasons I didn't get another Mac were cost and I wanted to play some PC only games. The Mac really is a better machine, you just have to pay for it and deal with a few limitations.
 
Use what works for you. With appropriate (and reasonably easy) measures, any computer will be secure.
 
Fwiw operating system aside nobody makes a better laptop then Apple. We've tried and tried and every PC laptop we buy or test just doesn't compare in quality. Not even close.

We're seriously thinking about buying MacBook Pros for our Windows users since we can install Windows on them.
 
Asus laptops win for me right now, and I'm an apple fan. Most virus issues are due to the user clicking into things they shouldn't in my experience.
 
The extra cost of the MacBook will be offset by the money you will save in paying someone to get the viruses off your computer every 3-4 months.

Knowing what anti virus software to run and when to do it and how to get it and making sure you have all the updates, etc, etc., is something I have no time for. When I worked for corporations that had IT departments to fix my PC problems at no charge it was great, but when you have to pay for that on your own it adds up quick. Macbook pro works as good as the day I got it 3 yrs ago.
 
Like the Mac book ,Haven't had any security issues .
 
I should be noted that most "manufacturer refurbished" equipment is actually brand new. It is usually a marketing scheme to sell surplus equipment at a discount in a white box and 90 day warranty.
 
If you have to ask "which is better" and you're not having problems with your current OS then what problem are you really trying to fix? Too much money?
 
N918KT said:
J...
I heard that I can buy refurbished Macbook Pros for less money from Amazon. What exactly is a refurbished Macbook and are they just as good and secure as a brand new Macbook Pro/Air?
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I bought my refurb Macbook Pro from the Apple Refurb store. These come with the same warranty as a new Mac.

I had to buy the Macbook because of a project that needed to run on both platforms.

I prefer Windows 7. It doesn't have the security by obscurity of the Mac, but Windows is just better for me.

Apple hates the idea that the only thing that computers really do is process files, so they try to pretend there are no files. It's irritating.

The Windows file explorer is so much better than the primitive Finder that there isn't any comparison.

The Macbooks are good quality hardware, and if you like OS-X they are a good choice.
 
I'm told that there is an Apple "tax" in the sense that a similarly spec'ed machine from another manufacturer costs less, but I have not verified this personally. I have been using MacBook Pro laptops exclusively for the last 8 years and I absolutely love them. I do a lot of work (who am I kidding, I play games) under Windows and I seem to average one BSoD every year-ish.

When I first switched, it was a bit of a shock and took a while to get used to OSX. Now I am fine with it and it doesn't bother me that the OS tends to obscure its internals. If a computer is just a means to some other end, then this won't bother you. If you love computers and love to tinker with the guts, then OSX may not be the OS for you. To me, OSX just makes computing easier.

I should also note that even if I was a pure Windows user, I would still buy a MacBook and just install Windows on it (I do that now, but I dual-boot OSX and Windows). I am that happy with the hardware, even if there is a price difference for comparable specs from another manufacturer.
 
The Lenovo laptops are equal in to a Macbook in terms of hardware quality, and cost about the same.

It think a lot of people compare $500 Windows laptops with $1500 Macbooks and then conclude that Macbooks are superior hardware. To which I say 'duh'.
 
JimNtexas said:
The Lenovo laptops are equal in to a Macbook in terms of hardware quality, and cost about the same.

It think a lot of people compare $500 Windows laptops with $1500 Macbooks and then conclude that Macbooks are superior hardware. To which I say 'duh'.
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Man there is just no way. We've bought the best Lenovo has to offer and they simply don't even come close to a Macbook. Their touchpads are absolute junk and jump all over if you bump them with your wrist (no matter how much you mess with the settings). The speakers in them sound awful. Nevermind the fact that they haven't innovated on anything with laptop design in like 15 years.

We support both Macs and PCs in our corporate environment and allow the employee to pick their platform. I've sent our help desk staff on a mission to find a PC laptop that is equal in quality to a MacBook (price no object) and they always turn up empty handed with us defaulting back to Lenovo.
 
We've been very happy with the Dell Latitude E55xx series of laptops. They seem to hold up pretty well and don't cost an arm and a leg.
 
Whatever I buy it will have to have a trackpad as good as a Macbook Pro (no Windows machine does) and a backlit keyboard.
 
Five virus free years and counting with Macbook ('08 unibody model). Great overall machine. No anti-virus program installed.
 
Having been a Windows guy since we switched over corporately back around 2000 (we were UNIX prior to that), I finally bit the mac bullet about the time the first macbook air came out after my Dell laptop died for the second time in several months.

I've subsequently gone with a 15" mac pro since I needed more disk, a better graphics device, and enough hp to run Xcode.
 
After the Asus bit the dust, I moved to a MacBook Air. I typically run multiple VM's and use it for Visual Studio development.

It's by far the most solid hardware I've had up this point, plus I'm enjoying the light weight . The smaller footprint is a plus on those airline flights, not much room to open a laptop screen.
 
RevDMV said:
After the Asus bit the dust, I moved to a MacBook Air. I typically run multiple VM's and use it for Visual Studio development.

It's by far the most solid hardware I've had up this point, plus I'm enjoying the light weight . The smaller footprint is a plus on those airline flights, not much room to open a laptop screen.
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If you mean mechanically solid, I disagree. Both the keyboard and the mickey mouse screen hinge are the cheapest ass pieces of crap I've come across in a computer in a long time. The case on my old one won't stay open properly. Apple can really make some lousy crap at times.

Further the display on my macbook pro died on me and when it returned from the depot repair (which the morons at the local apple wizard bar neglected to send out promptly) the keyboard quickly died as well. Fortunately this was covered under the warranty of the first repair, but they ended up repairing the entire top half of the case.
 
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Those of you who think Macs are immune to attack, you might want to read today's Sophos Security update.

Whatever platform you prefer, be super cautious with email attachments!
 
I switched from an hp to MacBook Air when they first came out. Have the latest 11" MacBook Air - phenomenal machine. Instant boot up, never a problem.

Apple customer service is outstanding and I use their cloud, it all just works.

It's more expensive, but you spend no time fussing with it.
 
To the OP: What applications do you want to run? Are there versions for the Mac or just Windows (spit). Are you happier with Windows (spit) or Mac OS X?

If you are fine using Windows (spit), then go ahead and keep using it.

It is possible to have safe computing with Windows (spit), but it can be a lot of work. It is also possible to screw up and get your Mac infected. Bottomline, the Mac is not immune to viruses (but can you figure out that I prefer the Mac to windows (spit)?).
 
Bob Noel said:
To the OP: What applications do you want to run? Are there versions for the Mac or just Windows (spit). Are you happier with Windows (spit) or Mac OS X?

If you are fine using Windows (spit), then go ahead and keep using it.

It is possible to have safe computing with Windows (spit), but it can be a lot of work. It is also possible to screw up and get your Mac infected. Bottomline, the Mac is not immune to viruses (but can you figure out that I prefer the Mac to windows (spit)?).
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It's not immune but I can tell you I've never had to spend a weekend trying to remove viruses from my Dad's Mac. I can't say the same about all of the previous Windows computers he had before that. That's what matters to me.
 
JimNtexas said:
Apple hates the idea that the only thing that computers really do is process files, so they try to pretend there are no files. It's irritating.
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I love OSX. The GUI is clunky though.

Last I checked, there's all sorts of files all over the place when you type "ls" in the Terminal. ;)

Seriously, the GUI is often dumbed down. If you want to really use any *nix OS for real work, you learn the command line. Heh.

Finder? a kiddie toy on the desktop that's pretending to be an easier to use Windows GUI. Hell, even Windows Server is dumping their GUI and moving to command line and PowerShell. Only took 'em two decades to figure it out. :)
 
gkainz said:
I've done the same ... one minor difference (at least when I bought) is you can't buy AppleCare on the refurb to extend the warranty.
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Greg, who did that to you? We certainly can get AppleCare on refurb Macs. I have done it several times. And you can buy it at any time before the original 1 year warranty expires.

The only exception is there is some weird consumer protection law in Florida about when you can and cannot buy/sell extended warranties. I think it has to be bought separately later. I guess too many old people were getting ripped off.
 
Interesting. I'll have to ask my son about that, as it was his MacBook in college 4 or 5 years ago.
 
MtnMarcus said:
The extra cost of the MacBook will be offset by the money you will save in paying someone to get the viruses off your computer every 3-4 months.

Knowing what anti virus software to run and when to do it and how to get it and making sure you have all the updates, etc, etc., is something I have no time for. When I worked for corporations that had IT departments to fix my PC problems at no charge it was great, but when you have to pay for that on your own it adds up quick. Macbook pro works as good as the day I got it 3 yrs ago.
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I run AVG Free and Anti Malwarebytes Free, I never get infected by anything.
 
rpadula said:
Greg, who did that to you? We certainly can get AppleCare on refurb Macs. I have done it several times. And you can buy it at any time before the original 1 year warranty expires.
Click to expand...
I have Apple Care on the MacBook Air which I bought from the refub store. The one I am typing on now...
 
jesse said:
Man there is just no way. We've bought the best Lenovo has to offer and they simply don't even come close to a Macbook. Their touchpads are absolute junk and jump all over if you bump them with your wrist (no matter how much you mess with the settings). The speakers in them sound awful. Nevermind the fact that they haven't innovated on anything with laptop design in like 15 years.

We support both Macs and PCs in our corporate environment and allow the employee to pick their platform. I've sent our help desk staff on a mission to find a PC laptop that is equal in quality to a MacBook (price no object) and they always turn up empty handed with us defaulting back to Lenovo.
Click to expand...

FYI I totally jinxed myself with this. My MacBook Pro died last night, my first MacBook hardware failure in 6 years of Macbooking.
 
Henning said:
I run AVG Free and Anti Malwarebytes Free, I never get infected by anything.
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I run the same combo with good luck and it doesn't seem to slow the system like other av software.
 
jesse said:
FYI I totally jinxed myself with this. My MacBook Pro died last night, my first MacBook hardware failure in 6 years of Macbooking.
Click to expand...

Curious, what part died?
 
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