If you google for apple buying guide, there is a site that tracks apple's regular release cycles and gives suggestions on when to buy. Sometimes new models debut with a lower or higher price, but apple almost never lowers prices without a new release.

If you can find a student (or are one) you can get a 10% or so discount and a free iPod touch too during their back to school campaigns. I already had one when I bought this machine so I resold it through craigslist, effectively further discounting the machine.

Another thing to keep in mind is that macs retain their resale value. I sold my 3yr old MacBook pro that had dents from being dropped for 50% of the original price. A pc would have gotten me 25% back tops.

Thanks to both of you!! That really helps

Out of interest, and I know it's MY decision, but if you were to decide between a Lenovo/IBM ThinkPad and a Macbook Pro (with ALMOST the same specs) which one would YOU take and why?

I'd take the mac obviously since I prefer osx, but the mac is also lighter and has a nicer design and small details like the backlit keyboard etc.

I have to admit that all the people that tell me they'd never go back to Windows after trying a Mac really, REALLY made me curious!
Also, I'm REALLY afraid that I will be too stupid to use a completely different OS. I suck at using computers anyways ;o;
It will take some time to get to know the new OS, right?

Oh well, I know that I can use my 2 beloved programs on a Mac as well: Photoshop and Anki, so that should be enough, I guess
And I don't have to worry about the OS language anymore, as you can easily change that, right? Anybody knows if the language pack includes German? Well, as long as there's English I'm fine and I might switch to Japanese ocassionally if it's really so easy to switch?!

And if worse comes to worse I read somewhere that you can run 2 OS (Mac and Windows) on your Mac anyways?

A completely different question. As I don't have a w-lan router I use my laptop as w-lan router for my ipod (need it for software updates and to synchronize iAnki etc.).
It's EXTREMELY difficult for me (or rather impossible) to set up the "network bridge" (hope that's the correct word in English for it). I always need help.

Is that easier with newer laptops?
Is it easier with a Mac?

The OSX system will of course, like all new products, take some time to get used to. Fortunately it is a *lot* more intuitive than Windows products, so it wont be that hard
To give you a head start, forget about the control key, it is now called the command (cmd) key. That's about 80% of the adapting you'll need to do

And yea, it is really easy to switch languages. In fact, you have a simple list where you can move languages up and down, which acts as a priority list. So for instance you can move Japanese on the top, and every program that has been translated to 日本語 will be in Japanese. If you set German to 2nd, every program that doesn't have a Japanese translation will be in German, etc.
Switching just takes a logout to take effect, so its easy to mess around with and revert if you had enough of it.

And you can indeed install Windows on it through bootcamp, in the (unlikely) case you don't like OSX

Actually you don't even need to logout, just restart your apps and they'll be in Japanese.

When I first switched to mac I installed bootcamp, but I never actually used it and its been 4 years now. Now and then there is an obscure windows only util I need to run, but I just use Wine for that.

Stockholm syndrome? Locked down?

Look, Mac users are typically pretty emotional about their computers because they're really nice. I had a Thinkpad before my MBP and it was a really nice computer, but I wasn't emotionally attached to it. All of my Apple products? They're so nice that I name them, and I couldn't live without my iPhone. I just got an iPad the other day and it's amazing. Nobody else makes computers (or OSs) that are as emotionally engaging as Apple's. Call me a fanboy, sure. I'll be the first to say that I've had problems with a lot of Mac hardware I've purchased, (bad iMacs, this MBP had a bad power adapter which killed the mainboard and the original battery, etc.) but in Japan Apple has an English line and a Japanese line, both of which are nice and their warranty service is top notch. When I first got this machine, my screen had a yellow-tint issue and I emailed Steve Jobs after sending it in for repair and having it come back with the same screen. Two days later an Apple executive in Japan called my mobile phone and was like, "Hey, we're going to get this resolved for you, so just sit tight." It took a while and was frustrating sending it back and forth, but this guy got me a perfect screen and the whole transaction was satisfying.

As far as the locked down comment, you're confused. Macs aren't locked down AT ALL. You can install whatever you want on them, the OS doesn't even have a product key or any kind of DRM at all.

Here it is, I'm saying it again: Buy a mac. You'll be happier.

No matter which one I take, both let me choose between a Japanese and an English/American keyboard.
Both are different from the German keyboard (no QWERTZ ;o; ....), so which one would you take and why?
I've never used an English keyboard before, I use a Japanese keyboard at work almost every day and always confuse the "Z" and "Y" keys as well as all the special characters such as <> / () &%$ .:,;-*+ etc.
Also, I wonder if it's possible to teach Windows 7 the special German characters ä,ü,ö and ß ... hmm.

I think unless you're planning to go into Japanese journalism or bookwriting, there's no good reason to have a Japanese keyboard. The spacebar and a few other keys are smaller than they would be on an English keyboard, and several of the punctuation symbols are rearranged. And as a special bonus, for some reason the Japanese MacBook keyboards have the Control key where the caps lock key would normally be. The one single benefit is being able to turn the IME on and off with one key instead of a key combination.

Like I said, both offer the US keyboard option for free.

I decided to go with the ThinkPad after all. It's a custom order, thus it will take 1-2 weeks until it'll arrive here. I hope my old laptop will survive that long.
I'll go with the English keyboard then.

I can teach Windows 7 to switch the keys on the keyboard and buy stickers to stick on the keyboard anyways, right?

Thanks so much for your support and advice everybody!!

I think for now the ThinkPad is safter for me. I don't know much about comptuers and whenever there's a software problem I could at least ask a friend of mine, but he doesn't know Mac OS at all and being in Japan where it's still difficult to communicate sometimes, it's just better if I go with the "safter option". I always can buy a Macbook later on.
Maybe the next generation (which will hopefully come up with a solution for some of the previous mentioned problems).

Wow...*facepalm*

After 4 pages of extremely useful information and helpful people, OP didn't changed her first opinion at all. Well, at least you guys helped me a lot. I'll still research a little more but I'm pretty I'll get a macbook after all. Thanks you all.

OP specifically requested that he didn't want a Mac. The incessant amount of Apple advertising in this thread is ridiculous.

If you're looking for a computer that only listens to music, can write word documents, and watch movies, I suggest a netbook. Google Netbook to find out more. It's like a light-weight computer and they are generally quite cheap. They can do all the basics like internet, music, word, movies.

If you plan on playing video games or using hardcore programs like photoshop, I don't suggest it, but if you aren't planning on those you'll be perfectly fine.

Brands:

-Sony
-HP

Sony is your best bet for netbooks. Go for a 400 dollar or so Sony Netbook and you'll be set.

speedking Wrote:Wow...*facepalm*

After 4 pages of extremely useful information and helpful people, OP didn't changed her first opinion at all. Well, at least you guys helped me a lot. I'll still research a little more but I'm pretty I'll get a macbook after all. Thanks you all.

*lol*
Just to let you know.
I got myself a Thinkpad which was cheaper than the Macbook and I'm happy with my decision!!!
If I had more money I might have bought the Macbook, I played around with one a while ago, but really the difference between Windows 7 and Mac OS is not sooo big anymore

Haha. Sorry if looked like an ass, but I thought it was kinda funny. I was expecting to hear you shouting "JESUS...OK, I'LL BUY A MAC, NOW SHUT UP" at the end. I never used a mac too and I'm still browsing around the net looking around for info.

@zachandhobbes
I'm considering buying a netbook for a while too. I'll ponder a little more about the pros and cons of each option.

Netbooks are generally cheap, effective, and very very portable which is why I suggest them.

I'm thinking of trying out the Pogo iPod/iPhone/etc. stylus for my Asus/Synaptics touchpad setup. I figure with that RLC scribble pad for Anki it'd be nice to replace pen/paper while deciding on touch devices.

Anyone tried a stylus/laptop touchpad combo?

Having to tap-tap+hold to click and drag is annoying though, wish it had pressure-sensitive (or area-of-contact sensitive I think is technically more accurate) options.

It might not work depending on if it is a traditional resistive touchpad or a capacitive one.

Jarvik7 Wrote:It might not work depending on if it is a traditional resistive touchpad or a capacitive one.

The stylus should work -- it works for capacitive, which most modern touchpads--Synaptics at least, seem to be. The one I'm using is. The biggest problem is the lack of pressure/area of contact support for any Windows apps I can find. Inklet (which comes with the Pogo capacitive stylus) adds that functionality so you can use it with various programs. Till then I'd be stuck having to tap/tap-drag or use the buttons w/ my off hand... Not really worth it, so I'll stick with touch devices or even procure a tablet. ;p

FutureBlues Wrote:Here it is, I'm saying it again: Buy a mac. You'll be happier.

I love Apple in all respects; I own an iMac (which I won, I didn't actually buy it), an iPhone 3G and so many different iPods it's ridiculous. However, I don't see the point in forking out 500 extra dollars or so for a laptop with extremely average specs.

Last week I bought an ASUS UL30A-A2, which is a very nice computer. It's the mid way point between a netbook and notebook; extremely thin and light, with a battery that lasts 8 - 10 hours of use (literally, not just ASUS's claims). Additionally, it has a core-2 duo, not an atom or any other downgraded CPU you'd expect of a netbook.

The Samsung-N210 is another netbook which I hear a lot of praise for.

The biggest advantages of a Mac for a Japanese learner are the IME and Dictionary app. Apple's Japanese IME kicks the crap out of Windows', and looks far nicer. Additionally, it can be pretty hard to find a decent offline dictionary app for windows. I solved this by installing ATOK + a bundled dic, and downloading Koujien from demonoid and using it in an EPWING program.

If I'm really desperate for handwriting support on my computer (which I almost never am) I just use 'Finger' through my iPhone.

Oh and for the record, looks like Targus/Boxwave/Griffin or Dagi have the best in the way of a capacitive stylus. The former seem easier to procure, the latter looks cooler to me, with the transparent tip w/ a red dot for centering contact. I'll buy the former (apparently their tips are all similar and the barrels are different in heft/logo), and see how it works with my notebook touchpad, hehe.

Apparently the Pogo is considered kind of a cheapo that requires you to hold it at an uncomfortable angle and apply more pressure.

zachandhobbes Wrote:Sony is your best bet for netbooks. Go for a 400 dollar or so Sony Netbook and you'll be set.

$400 Sony Netbook? I don't think they exist in Japan.

Sony is the definition of overpriced low quality goods in a fancy package. They are everything that haters claim Apple to be. If it wasn't for Playstation (etc) I'd swear off the brand altogether.

Avoid Toshiba too (they rarely last more than a year without major HW malfunctions).

Asus is still (one of) the best manufacturers of PC laptops and netbooks last I looked, and pretty cheap relative to the bigger Japanese or American PC brands who are just coasting along on name recognition while the quality slides.

Lenovo is THE best in terms of reliability but they are pretty far behind on features (primarily business machines).

Jarvik7 Wrote:Lenovo is THE best in terms of reliability but they are pretty far behind on features (primarily business machines).

Can't be said enough. Thinkpads are the only laptops I'll use. Even cheap used ones are a lot more reliable than most new laptops.

Just a followup to the capacitive stylus thing, I haven't tried it, but apparently it's real simple to make your own, you just need a pen/pencil/whatever, some aluminium foil, and some tape if you want. Plenty of videos showing how to make them in a few seconds, and here's on of many articles: http://artofjoe.blogspot.com/2009/09/diy...tylus.html

Apparently anything conductive and at least 1/4" will work, plus ideally you want the end smooth to avoid scratches. I'll test out the tin foil version tomorrow.

I don't have a 'bic' pen, ha.