Re: Suggestions for New Laptop.

Re: The Macintoshes other people mentioned, a few suggestions:

1. As a general rule, don't bother buying hard disk and memory upgrades
from Apple. Buy Apple's smallest RAM and hard disk configurations, then
buy those upgrades separately elsewhere. Usually the price works out
better that way, although some comparison shopping is obviously worthwhile.
You can also buy a USB hard drive case and put the original Apple-supplied
hard disk in that case to use for backup and other purposes.

Currently you can get a 250 GB 5400 RPM notebook hard disk for well under
$200 on the open market, for example.

2. Apple offers refurbished Macintoshes at their online store. The
warranty is the same, and I think they're a better value. You have to
check back from time to time since stock varies.

3. The original Core Duo MacBooks run a bit hotter (though they're still
perfectly safe). I would advise going with the Core 2 Duo processor
instead. The Core 2 Duo MacBooks will expand up to 3 GB of RAM (4 GB
maximum for the newest MacBook Pros) versus 2 GB for the original Core Duo
models. RAM expansion is probably the first limiting factor in any
notebook's useful design longevity. I wouldn't worry about processor speed
at all. The differences are quite minor in the real world, and faster
means hotter and shorter battery life, ceteris paribus.

4. VirtualBox for Mac OS X is one of several ways to run Windows and/or
Linux on the Macintosh. That and Apple's Boot Camp are no extra charge.
VirtualBox's features are more limited than Parallels Desktop and VMware,
but it's adequate for many people.

5. You don't have to buy the AppleCare extended warranty until just before
the standard one year warranty expires, and you don't have to buy it
directly from Apple. Shop around. Some credit cards also offer extended
warranties. The whole question of whether to get an extended warranty or
not is an interesting one.

6. Apple's notebooks do not have a built-in modem. If you need one Apple
sells a slick USB modem. Also, if you plan to use the Mac for
presentations or with an external monitor, it's a good idea to buy the
VGA-style cable adapter.

7. Apple.com's expedited shipping probably doesn't do any good, so don't
bother.

8. There are various Web sites, like dealmac.com and lowendmac.com, which
chronicle getting the best deals on Macintoshes.

Re: Lenovo, the ThinkPads are still very nice indeed, though I tend to
prefer the T and X models specifically.

- - - - -
Timothy Sipples
IBM Consulting Enterprise Software Architect
Specializing in Software Architectures Related to System z
Based in Tokyo, Serving IBM Japan and IBM Asia-Pacific
E-Mail: timothy.sipples@xxxxxxxxxx
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