[ale] Macbook Pro 15" or Thinkpad W500?

[Forsaken]

On Jan 1, 2009, at 3:01 PM, Doctor Who wrote:
> * I like the MobileMe synching capiblity to keep calendars and such  
> together

Most folks have addressed your other questions, but I'll toss some  
input in on this one.

Apple's MobileMe service is... not something I'd count in the mac's  
favor, to be honest.

Depending on what you're trying to keep synced up, there are better  
solutions.

My main goal was getting my Mac calendar in two way sync with my  
Blackberry, and Google provided what I feel is the best option. Now  
that Google allows CalDav access to Google Calendar, you can just set  
it up as a CalDav account in iCal and it'll update that way. Then  
install the Gsync app for the Blackberry, and I have perfect two way  
sync between the MBP and Crackberry.

Of course, there is the issue of giving Google access to more  
information, but it's either Google or Apple if you use MobileMe,  
which is a wash as far as I'm concerned. At least Google doesn't  
charge me anything.

> So what are the thoughts on the list?  How do the Mac laptop owners
> like theirs?  If you considered a Mac and didn't get one, why not?

I'd wanted a Mac laptop for a very long time, used to have to support  
mac and windows clients back in the MacOS 8 days and I'd always been  
struck by how much easier a Mac was to deal with for normal day to day  
stuff. When OS X hit, I was ecstatic. I got a pretty GUI and the  
majority of my Unix tools. The price tag was always a gotcha for me,  
though.

Last year, though, when I decided I wanted a new laptop, I went ahead  
and bit the bullet. Now, I use it for pretty much everything... to the  
point where I converted the beefy windows box I had in the house  
pretty much only for gaming to another lenny server. Since I pretty  
much only play Blizzard games these days, and they've been putting out  
Mac clients for their releases for years, I don't really feel like I'm  
missing anything there either. I wish I'd bought one years ago and  
when it's time to retire this one, I'll pick up a new one, unless  
there's some drastic change at Apple that makes me reconsider.

That's the good.

I did have to take it in for service after three months. One of the  
sets of fans was making an absolutely horrible noise, and I was afraid  
it would go out, and the heat I was generating while playing WoW would  
melt something if so. I went to the Apple Store out in Mall of  
Georgia, they didn't have the parts in stock, ordered them, and told  
me to come back in two days. I did so, turned over my laptop, and they  
replaced the fan assembly and had it back to me in less than an hour.  
So for my experience, they are very good in supporting their warranty.  
And I realize that it was probably just a fluke, but given the price  
tag on the MBP and the fact I had to take it in for service after  
three months convinced me it'd be safer for me to go ahead and buy the  
AppleCare warranty extension.