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RE: I want to join the dark side.
When you stack things up, the Macbook is worth it, I did a quick comparison of a Macbook and a Dell XPS M1330. IMHO, the Macbook wins.
Example:
Macbook 2.4ghz - $1599
Dell XPS M1330 - Near Identical specs, $1523
It always bugs me when people go "Oh why pay so much extra for a Mac when you can get a nice dell for $800". It's BS. Granted, you have pretty limited options as far as customizing the hardware, but the Macs are very nice machines. And if you can get it with a student discount, they are that much cheaper.
The really nice features of the new macbook that are worth the extra $76? Illuminated Keyboard, Magsafe power adapter (this is worth it's weight in gold), Great base software package, Multi-touch trackpad (you'd think it's kind of gimmicky, but it's very useful), solid metal case (very solid build quality), Generally better battery life (This has been true with every mac I've owned, from my old iBook to my latest Macbook, they smoke the battery life of comparable PC's without the need for a giant battery bulge).
On top of that, all the components are easy to access and it performs very well. And any system that does virtualization that well is a big plus in my book (I usually run three OSs at once. OS X, Windows 7, and Server 2008)
(edit)
The other thing to keep in mind, If you look at a laptop like the M1530 or alike, most have an almost identical screen resolution to their 13" counter parts (1280x800). So all you are gaining with a 15" model is larger pixels and usually a keyboard with a few extra keys, though usually the same size as the 13". Oh, and they tend to weigh a few extra pounds.
(/edit)
btw, My major gripe about the XPS 1330/1530 is the fact the battery bulges out at the bottom to fit in extra battery cells. This is also true with many other laptops these days, They bulge out the battery pack to fit more cells, but it makes the laptops a little bit of an odd shape. And yes, I am aware that you can get them with a smaller battery, but the smaller batteries run time is practically useless in my opinion compared to a Macbook which acomplishes usually a better runtime then a PC with a extended life battery without the bulge.
This post was edited on 02-23-2009 at 11:41 PM by wj.
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