I would say they're probably in the top 5, but they're certainly not the best. That's the thing, it isn't. Something can be overall "better" without being so hugely advantageous as to warrant the upgrade That's another thing i've found. I considered macs for both my new notebook and my new desktop but in the end, neither of them would cut it. The deciding factor was that I wanted something I could use without being tied to a single company for everything and I also wanted an ultraportable notebook. In the end I went with a Dell Latitude D420 for the ultraportable and a Dell Dimension for the desktop.
Dell has high market share but crap laptops. It's not about being "tied to a single company for everything", it's about using the kickass operating system that is OS X. A slim Macbook is in the works anyway.
Why do you say their laptops are crap? What basis do you have for that arguament? You've completely missed the point, having a good OS doesn't change the fact that you are tied to a single company for everything. Is the slim macbook 12", 1.3kg (3.3 pounds) and with a magnesium alloy casing, shock protected hard drive and next-day business support by standard?
Dell does sell crap hard ware, but they also sell high quality stuff. That is why some of there stuff is so cheap and so expensive. You get what you pay for. I still prefer to build my own system. Nobody can build the machine I want like I can.
Yes, but can you build your own Laptop to the quality of a Dell Precision or a High-End Alienware machine? Everyone says Dell makes a crap machine because their experience is with low-end Inspiron units; their expensive units are very nice, very reliable and Dell's service is matched by nobody.
I remember my horrific experience with using PowerPC's in high school. What a horrible experience that was. Never understood why anyone would sad that macs are for graphics. At that time the PC's were years ahead in performance. Using Photoshop on Mac was nightmare. Windows All the way. Easy to upgrade. No problem with the endless software that is available. Saying that macs are more reliable is a myth. It all depends on the components that your system is build from. I have used HP that crashed all the time and I have used DELL that never crashed once. Now I use custom build machine that has everything overclocked and it is solid!
I have only used mac os 9 which was terrible and I have vista which is slow and aweful. I think i'll just stay with xp. Fast and mostly reliable.
I agree with that. My Grandmother has one and it is giving her hell. In fact I was talking to this guy who works for GeekSquad (for those of you not from the US GeekSquad is the computer repair division of the technological giant retail store BestBuy) and basically he said that if there were no Dell's he would be out of a job. I always wondered why they so heavily advertised their 24/7 customer support.....I think I might know why now.
You really have to take things into context. I have a feeling Dell sells multiples of times more computers to the non corporate consumer (corporate systems are typically fixed on site or in house). For example, if Dell sold 10 times more systems to consumers and had the same failure rate then you're going to see 10 times more Dells in for service than any other brand. It would be easy for someone who didn't think about that to think Dell must suck compared to others. I'm not sticking up for or knocking them, just trying to keep things straight by addressing your post.
That's perfectly true and also exactly my point. If you buy the high-end business models then they are great: extremely reliable, reasonably powerful and with first-rate support. That's the thing, you can build your own desktops but can you build your own business laptops, offer next-day business support and damage cover? It depends what you buy, as I have already said. Is she using a consumer Inspiron laptop? That's another point, Dell sell a lot of computers. So you will, of course, hear about a lot more problems. Remember, you very rarely hear from happy customers unless you ask.
Everyone I know that has bought a high quality Dell unit has been very happy with it; its those $999 Inspirons that give everyone issues. You get what you pay for, and this is true in the case of HP especially, who has the worst reputation ever in terms of customer service.
Its an Inspiron series. Personally I have not had to deal too much with HP customer support but from what I have had to do with them they were not exceptional but neither were they the worst. The worst customer support I have gotten from a computer manufacturer is none other than Toshiba....and sadly I own one of their systems....but I think they are the best in the market.
Dell is not alone in selling cheap hardware. I think all companies sell cheap stuff. I had very bad experience with HP Laptops. I usually run away from them.
HP used to seel cheap worthless software. Not anymore. Toshiba sells one of the best entry level notebook pc's on the market.
Well, there's your problem. I would got for a Latitude next time. Exactly, if you want cheap laptops then of course you have to expect cheap hardware. Maybe, but it doesn't run on a pc.
What makes an OS great? Compatibility right? OSX lacks that 1 million times and 1. Most games ae not even supported on Mac.