[dosequis]

Hi-
This is my first time posting here but I have been on other notebook forums. I have been doing a lot of research and seem to be stuck. I am going to be in college next year and am looking for a laptop. I have never owned one before and also never used a Mac before. I want to use the laptop to do basic school work like type papers and stuff but also download music, use Photoshop 7, watch DVD's, have wireless networking, multitask, and be fast enough that I am not frustrated. Also affordable (1000 - 1500). I do not plan on doing much gaming either. I have been doing research for a while and narrowed it down to the Fajitsu s6231 or the Apple ibook (not sure of 12 in or 14 in). Like I said I have never used a Mac so I am a little hesitant on making the switch. My question is which one should I go with and why. Any advice would be great. Thanks.

P.S. also good battery life. and try not to be too baised.

[nbn22385]

Try and play with OS X and see if you like it. Most people make the transition very quickly. For a laptop to do basic tasks, i would not hesitate for a second before going with Apple. The only way i would possibly every buy another windows laptop is if my major/business relied on a certain software available only to windows. Everything you listed is easily done with the ibook, without the everyday headaches of spyware/viruses. If you every have any questions in the future, this is the best place to find a quick answer.

[damosan]

My g3 iBook has been able to do everything I needed it to do during my (soon to be finished) graduate stuff.

Basically papers, some coding, research stuff, etc.

It's been the most stable and reliable computer I've ever used.

[sminch]

i switched to apple about two months ago (ibook 12") and after a week or so of totally minor transition issues i am completely happy with the change. for me the biggest difference has been all the little niggles that i was hardly aware of which have now gone away - i only notice them on my work computer (windows xp).

the kinda thing i'm thinking of is the way that my music jitters when i load a new program, or the updating of virus definitions / the eight billionth windows patch this month, or just the way that i have to restart my machine every day or two because it all turns to custard and everything grinds to a halt or starts crashing. this was stuff i took for granted until i swtched, and now i wonder why people put up with it when it simply doesn't happen with os x.

i'm sure the alternatives to the apple are good machines, but in my experience windows is a dog and it has a hell of a lot of problems. there'll be nothing wrong with buying a new, windows using laptop, but i honestly think you'd be stoked with an apple. the only thing that'd stop me using apple is if an application i absolutely needed to use was no available.

sminch

[iDaver]

The Fujitsu has a bigger hard drive, DVD-RW and is a bit lighter, but it's also a lot more money than a 12" iBook. They both have the same screen resolution. If I were you, I'd consider the iBook with a build-to-order hard drive upgrade (since you plan to collect music). DVD burners are useful, but for most people, only occasionally. The advantages of OS X are mentioned over and over but you should try it out before deciding. I think you'll like it.

Good luck with the decision.

[strepidus]

I have a 12" iBook G4 1.2GHz and it really is quite wonderful. The battery lasts me anywhere from 4.5 to 5 hours (compared to the 3.5 to 4 that this review of the Fujitsu got. The iBook 12" is definitely preferable to the 14" if you value mobility, since it's a full pound lighter and has the same resolution.

I know that you said you don't plan on doing much gaming, but even if you do a little bit (or have an app/screensaver/itunes plug-in that uses 3D or OpenGL), the iBook will be much better than the Fujitsu since the iBook graphics isn't a shared memory system like on the Fujitsu.

If you're getting the iBook, make sure to order it through www.apple.com/education/store (or buy from an Apple retail store) to get the educational discount. I would also wait a few months, since the iBook line is due for an update soon, and when they are updated, they will come with Apple's new MacOS X 10.4, which is also coming out soon.

Good luck with your purchase!

[Dr.Michael]

I once owned a Fujitsu Lifebook E6560. That was one of the best notebooks I ever used. Now I have a Thinkpad T40 with the same centrino Pentium m that your Lifebook has. Compared to the performance of my Powerbook the Thinkpad is noticibly faster. So it will be compared to an iBook.

I use a Mac because of the superior operating system and only because of this. The Apple hardware feels slower than comparable pc hardware. But as soon as you have worked with mac os you will notice how much windows sucks (don't talk about linux). The workflow on a mac is much better.

Macs are nice little machines. If you don't need the edge of performance you will have a lot of fun with an iBook. And thats the main difference: I never really had fun doing my work with windows or linux. But using Mac os IS fun.

[dosequis]

thank you guys. I will go to an apple store and try one out. Thanks.