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rogermugs · Mar 16, 2008, 08:26 AM

Having just bought a new macbook pro I'm not really struggling with this question myself anymore... but I still wonder... its hard to justify a 2000$ computer when you can literally buy 6 eeepc's for the same price...

i like my mac a lot.
but again... i could live in ubuntu on eeepc if i had too... (I dont think i'd like writing emails...)

i find great joy in knowing that this is likely my last computer ever without solid state memory...

any of you own eeepcs in addition to your mac or in replacement thereof?

can you live with it? or is osx as hard to leave as I imagine it would be?

adamfishercox · Mar 16, 2008, 10:34 AM

I know I wouldn't ever want an eeepc, period.

ctt1wbw · Mar 16, 2008, 10:45 AM

Can't you buy about 500 Daewoos for the price of a Cadillac? You could, but what the hell you gonna do with that many Daewoos???

powerbook867 · Mar 16, 2008, 11:16 AM

I have an EEE PC I am getting ready to toss out on ebay. Bought it to have an ultra small laptop (which it is) but it's too small...

IMHO, the machine is way to restricted for day to day use. Limited ram, processor, display, keyboard...plus, the Linux OS on it, while functional, did not appeal to me (and I like to think I'm pretty nerdy).

I think you are better getting a full blown laptop and installing a distro of your choice on it. Just makes more sense to me.

mduell · Mar 16, 2008, 11:35 AM

If the EEE meets your needs, it's a really neat little package and a much better value than a Mac laptop. But let's be realistic, it has a lot of limitations compared to a laptop that costs 2-10x as much. The 9" (1024x600) model is coming out soon (next quarter) which is a lot more usable than the 7" IMO. I'll probably get a 9" and run Ubuntu or FreeBSD on it.

Chuckit · Mar 16, 2008, 11:42 AM

This is like asking whether you should buy a Fun Size pack of M&Ms or go to a restaurant for dinner. The restaurant food is unquestionably better and more nutritious, but if you've already eaten or otherwise just need a very light snack, the M&Ms would be better.

ajprice · Mar 16, 2008, 01:15 PM

M&M's? Awww I wanted a Mars bar!

I have a Macbook, but I can see the appeal of a really small portable computer. In that price bracket though I suppose it also competes with a PDA, UMPC or iPod touch/iPhone. Oh and it might run a bit slow (!!) but you can get XP and OS X to run on an EEE PC if you really don't like Linux that much.

Wiskedjak · Mar 16, 2008, 01:20 PM

Originally Posted by rogermugs

Having just bought a new macbook pro I'm not really struggling with this question myself anymore... but I still wonder... its hard to justify a 2000$ computer when you can literally buy 6 eeepc's for the same price...

It really comes down to your needs. If you need to outfit 6 people with limited web browsing and email capabilities, eeePC all the way. If you need to do anything more than web browsing and email, get a MacBook.

rogermugs · Mar 16, 2008, 09:13 PM

Originally Posted by ctt1wbw

Can't you buy about 500 Daewoos for the price of a Cadillac? You could, but what the hell you gonna do with that many Daewoos???

probably make some cool explosions with them, maybe drive one or two off a cliff.... see how an eeepc holds up to a daweoo driving over it

starman · Mar 16, 2008, 11:51 PM

I've played with an EEE PC. After really getting excited about them for a while, once I played with one for two minutes, I knew it was a complete waste of time. It's slow, the keys are not spaced out well enough for me, the OS blows, crappy camera (my N95 has a better cam), and I don't really know what market they're going after.

Also, your comparison of an EEE PC vs. a MacBook is kind of unfair. Why compare the most and least expensive laptops? If you're concerned about the money you spent, get a cheap Dell.

turtle777 · Mar 17, 2008, 12:09 AM

I don't see how a MBP and a eeePC would be comparable by any means.

This is not really a choice. It's like "Am I gonna buy a car, or start a family."

-t

Mastrap · Mar 17, 2008, 06:08 AM

Originally Posted by rogermugs

its hard to justify a 2000$ computer when you can literally buy 6 eeepc's for the same price...

It depends on your needs. If all you need is an ultra portable laptop with little drive space, a tiny keyboard and minimal screen resolution then the EEE might be for you.
I use my MBP for InDesign, music, image and video editing, web design and office tasks. None of this can be accomplished with an EEEPC.

The only thing both machines have in common is that they're laptop computers, but that's it. Different target markets altogether.

moonmonkey · Mar 17, 2008, 07:03 AM

Originally Posted by ajprice

M&M's? Awww I wanted a Mars bar!

Mars bars, how British!
Its all snickers here.

RobOnTheCape · Mar 17, 2008, 08:03 PM

I'm not sure exactly what an eee pc is, but I get that it's a cheap pc laptop. I recently took a job which requires that we run a pc program. Rather than throw out my old ibook, and buy a new macbook, and then the windows os I just went to Staples and bought the heapest pc laptop they had. I got a Presario F750US for $50. The internet loads much faster than my ibook ever did, the touch pad can tap to open, scroll, the speakers are stereo and much much louder than my ibook(and even moreso than the wifes macbook). The only slight was it was short on ram so I just installed 4G for about 70 bucks.

The end result is that I have quick little machine for about 520, whereas a mac would've been more than double, and I still don't think the net pages would load as quickly. No built in camera, big deal never use it anyways.

The short is I think the macs are still way overpriced. Alas, I'm still a slave to them and buying a macbook by summer. They look better.

blackstar · Mar 17, 2008, 08:05 PM

It cost $450?

turtle777 · Mar 17, 2008, 08:09 PM

Originally Posted by RobOnTheCape

I got a Presario F750US for $50.
I just installed 4G for about 70 bucks.

The end result is that I have quick little machine for about 520

Your math suxx.

-t

blackstar · Mar 17, 2008, 08:09 PM

I don't agree that Mac's are overpriced. My parents and sister have PC laptops, while me and my brother have Mac's (Powerbook and Macbook respectively). The PC laptop's keyboards feel like cookie dough, while both the Powerbook and the Macbook are a pleasure to type on. Also, my sister's PC that is the same age as my Powerbook (5years..wow) is falling apart, while my PB didn't have a single defect yet -- oh I forgot I had to switch the charger once. I don't wanna advance further on this topic because it would mean starting about the differences in the OS's which I don't want to talk about.

RobOnTheCape · Mar 17, 2008, 08:52 PM

sorry. The presario was 450, the ram 70, thus 520. I bought it at Staples.

Eug · Jul 6, 2008, 01:16 PM

I am considering an Asus Eee PC 1000H.

That's the one with 1.6 GHz Intel Atom, 9" screen, 92% sized keyboard, and sufficient RAM and 80 GB HD. And it comes with Windows. (I don't want the Linux version.)

That is if my GF's iBook can't be fixed cheaply. This Eee PC would be mainly used by my GF.

Why? Well, it seems like an interesting machine, it's much lighter, and it costs a whole lot less. The Eee PC is CAD$650, but the educational price for the MacBook is $1050, a 62% (!) price difference. Plus I already have a MacBook for myself.