[Phat Bastard]

A friend of mine is on the fence about buying a computer. He's a super indecisive guy in the first place (he needs to research his purchases for like a year before he buys them), and when it comes to computers, he isn't exactly sure what he needs/wants. I'm trying to convince him to buy a Mac, because OS X can do everything he needs to do.

Let me give you some background. He's a graduate student in biophysics and almost everything he does is computer based, command line UNIX stuff. He has had PC's in the past but for the past two years he hasn't had his own computer. He is looking at buying a PC laptop and installing Linux on it (he's looking at some Dells, it made me sick watching him). He says that it'll be good for him to learn Linux and that a PC laptop will be better suited for it (more powerful). He loves Macs as well, at least the way they look, but he constantly complains about how much they cost.

He believes that Powerbooks are too expensive, and iBooks have screens that are too small.

How should I
1) convince him that OS X is better than Linux, or that Macs can handle Linux well, and
2) figure out what Mac laptop to convince him to get?

Thanks in advance to everyone who replies.

[Musti]

Originally posted by Phat Bastard:
A friend of mine is ...[snip snip snip]

Thanks in advance to everyone who replies.

Since you have multiple machines, why don't you lend your PB G4 to your friend, after putting some LaTex stuff on it so he'll be able to edit some documents (and see how easy it is to create outstanding academic papers like the stuff he does). And when he falls in love with it after one week, upon his return of the machine, tell him that current PBs are at least twice as fast, and with much better screens.

Tell him that with OS X, he doesn't have to "learn" anything to get started, unless he's a techie kind of person who loves to tweak here and there, and explore.

I think this is the best way, given your type of friend and the financial weight of his decision. Lend your PB, let him try, and wait until he loves it. If he doesn't, at least he will not bug you during the life of the machine, that you made him buy it. If he does, and goes ahead and buys one, send him here so we can help him to the best of our ability

[Justin W. Williams]

Take him to CompUSA or an Apple Store and let him play. If that doesnt work, nothing will.

[snerdini]

I think the new PB's are pretty damn good deals. My boss just bought one and got 512MB of RAM free (which puts it at 768, plus a free (decent) printer, and a free Targus carrying case. He got all that with the 667 for about $2400.

To be honest, I haven't priced any laptops lately, and I never really liked laptops anyway. They always felt cheap, and were slow compared to their desktop counterparts. Until I saw my boss's PB. It's the coolest thing since sliced bread. No other laptop I've seen even comes close.

[nigeljedi]

Tell him he will go to hell if he doesn't convert.

If that doesn't work, then just tell him the pros of using the Mac OS on an app by app basis and show him first hand what he can do with iPhoto, iMovie, etc. Just like Mr. Williams said, if he plays with a Mac and still doesn't want to switch, then nothing will work. That's what made me switch a few years back...just messing around with a Mac.

[Mr. Blur]

tell him you'll set him up for a date with ellen feiss...

[Thinine]

You can show him all the cool bio apps ported to OS X and X's UNIX layer. Also, tell him about AltiVec and how it really accelerates some bioinformatics functions. Send him to Apple's web page. www.apple.com/scitech

[mrmister]

This is easy:

Just non-confrontationally ask him if he thinks Linux is ready for prime-time, full use on a laptop computer, and can handle proprietary formats, audio/visual apps and the whole mess of things folks want to do with their computer.

if he says, yes, it can then tell him to go ahead...and then watch his work (and it will be work) over the next few years.

[kmkkid]

Originally posted by Justin W. Williams:
Take him to CompUSA or an Apple Store and let him play. If that doesnt work, nothing will.

Evereytime I go near a mac in a store the sales people are all over me, and wont let me touch the thing! But I can mess around with a PC till it's almost destroyed. I can never get a good amount of playtime on a mac, it's sad really. I hate sales people. So I wish you all good luck if you try this plan.

Chris

[SupahCoolX]

I'd say to Wow him with iApps and eye candy, then seal the deal by showing him the Command Line.
Also, he does know that iBooks with 14" screens are available if he finds the 12-incher too small, right?

[k2director]

Point him to Cnet.com. They just gave the Ti "Editors' Choice" out of a laptop roundup.

Then find that thread on Slashdot where everyone was gushing about Apple laptops (it started when Commander Taco said he wanted to get a Powerbook). There were tons of UNIX/Linux users with plenty of glowing things to say...

[El Pre$idente]

Sounds like a Jehovah's Witness convention.

[CharlesS]

Originally posted by El Pre$idente:
Sounds like a Jehovah's Witness convention.

I guess you'd know...

[jimsmac]

If your dare, lend him your PB for a week and let it sell itself. I always think this is much better than trying to do a salesmans pitch on the machine. Afterall, he is your friend and you want him to be able to identify any disadvantages of going for the Mac.

[El Pre$idente]

Originally posted by CharlesS:

I guess you'd know...

Oops! I mean, I heard they sound like that...

[Appleman]

In my opinion it's not enough to lend your Ti, because he might have difficulties to get things done. After all, as I understood, he's a Windows man.
Macs may be easy to use and stuff, but the fact these forums exists really does mean it isn't always that easy.

If you have the time and energy, I think you should give the Ti for a week or so, and be his true buddy in that week. Furthermore tell him he can always call you whenever he might have a problem in the future with his Mac.

Just playing around with Macs in shops isn't working: there hardly is any software installed on these machines, salesmen think they are nice build but lack Windows , and they often laugh at you: I was at Fnac in Madrid some weeks ago, looking for some software, asked the man who was surrounded with Macs, and the man smiled and said that software really is a problem for the Mac.
I mean, this man is supposed to sell Macs. This shop is listed on Apple's webpage!
So the idea to send him to a shop? No.

You have two Macs, let him come over and get the feel & touch, that's the way it works.

And do not forget the most important thing: enthusiasm. Pure, genuine enthusiasm.

[clebin]

Next time you go on holiday, ask them to look after it for you (doesn't work if you have a PowerMac!) and say they can use it as much as they like..... as long as they can turn it on and open an app, they'll be hooked!

Chris

[jimsmac]

Originally posted by Appleman:
In my opinion it's not enough to lend your Ti, because he might have difficulties to get things done. After all, as I understood, he's a Windows man.
Macs may be easy to use and stuff, but the fact these forums exists really does mean it isn't always that easy.

He may be amazed how much he can actually get done without help on a Mac. He may find that he just gets things done far more efficiently with the Mac.

Your point on shops is correct though. He will find it difficult to get a good feel for the OS and the hardware in a shop. (Here in the UK anyway.)

[Zadian]

Guerilla tactics:
Don't convince him that Macs are better than PCs.
Just talk about how much you enjoy using your Mac. What you do with that Mac and how you do it (and how easy it is).
Most people know PC users and know how bad they about their PCs and how they talk about all the troubles they have.

Talk about the things you do with your Mac and not how cool Mac OS X is or some geek stuff. (Unless he is a UnixGeek, then just show him Office and the terminal side by side)

I noticed most people i showed my Mac were impressed by the ease of use. Importing digital photos or movies by just plugging the camera in.

[Appleman]

Originally posted by Zadian:
Guerilla tactics:
Don't convince him that Macs are better than PCs.
Just talk about how much you enjoy using your Mac. What you do with that Mac and how you do it (and how easy it is).
Most people know PC users and know how bad they about their PCs and how they talk about all the troubles they have.

Talk about the things you do with your Mac and not how cool Mac OS X is or some geek stuff. (Unless he is a UnixGeek, then just show him Office and the terminal side by side)

I noticed most people i showed my Mac were impressed by the ease of use. Importing digital photos or movies by just plugging the camera in.

That's what I meant by enthusiasm: be honestly happy.
It's funny anyway how good an Intel invention works on a Mac compared with usb on a peecee.
It's the ease of use, the normally good implementation of hardware into software.

It's the plug & play what still makes a Mac a joy to work with.

Besides that, you have the robustness of OS X and the look.

You also have the slowlyness when scrolling, the price, the incompatibility, the availability of software, drivers, etc...

[mrmister]

Also, remember that it is not your JOB to convince him--give him the facts he wants, be happy and let him make an informed decision. The LAST thing you want is someone using a Mac who felt strongarmed into it, because when problems arise (and there are inevitably problems with ANY computer) they blame the platform instantly, and YOU.

[ervier]

Don't push him! If he needs a year to decide, then pushing him won't work. Just let him see the advantages of OSX over Linux.

Lending him your powerbook is a great idea, like the first poster said. And be realistic; it's not perfect yet, so just tell him. But the possibilities are growing, and the possibility to have a normal laptop with all graphical and office apps available, and the unix power at the same time underneath, is a real bonus.

[Phat Bastard]

My buddy's been taking home his lab's Powerbook G3 stuck in OS 9, so I'm afraid his opinion of the speed of Macs might be tainted a bit by that. As for lending him my Ti, that sounds like a great idea...and surely mine is way slow compared to the new ones.

Here in Canada though the Ti's start at $3999, which is WAY out of his budget.

The 14" iBook has the same resolution as the 12", only 1024, and I've heard the 14 inch-ers' screen isn't as crisp as the 12", so I'm afraid buying one of those is not terribly smart.

I like the idea of selling the advantage of using iApps, but I don't think he's use many of them beyond iTunes, he doesn't have a digital still or video camera. So probably this is why he is considering Linux, because he doesn't have pressing multimedia needs.

I told him about this thread and I'm going to get him involved, I'd love to have you guys talk to him directly. I need to see a new Mac and I want him to get one!

[eno]

Why hasn't this **** been moved to the lounge?

Moderators? Hello!!!?????

[Phat Bastard]

Because we're having a General Discussion about Mac OS X.

Thanks for the completely useless message.

Originally posted by eno:
Why hasn't this **** been moved to the lounge?

Moderators? Hello!!!?????

[gorgonzola]

Don't try to convince him that Linux runs well on Macs. It's really a bad idea to spend extra money on a Mac and then put Linux on it. PC laptops are simply less hassle for Linux, and unless he's using OS X, don't put him through that kind of annoyance.