Face it, both sides have "cult" like members and arguing over it is ratarded.

To answer the OP's question (which hasn't been touched in in the past two pages), someone else said it right on the education discount. If you call them and tell them you're a teacher/student/whatever they'll knock the price down/throw in stuff for free.

It ALMOST makes it a "good" deal. Just almost though.

justincredible wrote:

Keebler wrote: Honestly, I'd love it if Mac could produce a product for an affordable price. It would be must more appealing to the general population.

Mac Mini is a nice little machine. It is likely the next computer my mom will be buying to replace their piece of shit eMachines. I think the base model is only $599 and they can keep and use all of their current peripherals with it.

I have an eMachine that has lasted me since 2004!!! Works like a charm also!

Mac mini isn't a bad machine.

justincredible wrote:

sleeper wrote: Actually Apple is the one that started it with its campaign of "it just works" and its anti-PC commercials. Trying to create an air of superiority against a competitor has empowered MAC users to think they are better, and its no longer just about the computer. The facts remain, 10% market share LOL If they're so great, why only 10%? Because they're not, and you can take that to the bank.

What company doesn't say they are better than their competition?

I'm sure most do, but Apple's entire marketing campaign is trying to blast PC's.

It's is an inferior computer platform, meant for people who don't know how to harness the full power of a real computer, a PC. It's okay, not all of us can be smart.

Automatik wrote: I don't get the constant Mac/PC debate.

Do you honestly think Apple gives a shit about how their computers are doing vs. PCs?

Best phone=Apple
Best mp3 player=Apple

Steve Jobs is doin' ok.

What are you basing this on?

justincredible wrote: Both sides do their fair share of not shutting the fuck up. And it is fucking retarded. Arguing over a computer. SMH.

I think we've argued over about 6,000 dumber topics on this site over time.

That's what message boards are for!

sleeper wrote:

Automatik wrote: I don't get the constant Mac/PC debate.

Do you honestly think Apple gives a shit about how their computers are doing vs. PCs?

Best phone=Apple
Best mp3 player=Apple

Steve Jobs is doin' ok.

What are you basing this on?

The same place your factual info from OSU comes from (your ass) .

sleeper wrote:

Automatik wrote: I don't get the constant Mac/PC debate.

Do you honestly think Apple gives a shit about how their computers are doing vs. PCs?

Best phone=Apple
Best mp3 player=Apple

Steve Jobs is doin' ok.

What are you basing this on?

Reviews and personal experience. Don't take my posts as a coming from a Mac "fanboi." I'm not into getting into pissing arguments about tech stuff, but I do know a good product when I come across one.

sleeper wrote: I'm sure most do, but Apple's entire marketing campaign is trying to blast PC's.

It's is an inferior computer platform, meant for people who don't know how to harness the full power of a real computer, a PC. It's okay, not all of us can be smart.

Yep, and Mac people have a superiority complex. SMH.

I wouldn't say that the average Mac or PC user has an superiority complex. They don't know enough to assert that.

I am annoyed by the culture that comes out of Cupertino (where the Apple headquarters is) though. This stems from their annoying commercials (PC vs Mac was funny the first maybe five commercials they made. Now it just seems ridiculously arrogant) and the insistence that Steve Jobs and his teams know better than you. If there is a feature that you think is missing from their product it's missing because you don't need/want it. They want to tell people how they like to use products.

But any person who insists that one platform is definitely better than the other is an idiot. We all like different things, which is probably the main reason that PCs sell better. They have a bigger variety in both product designs, features, and price points. Apple has limitations on their products that automatically means they won't be the product for some people (these don't make the Apple product bad it just means that it might not be suitable for certain situations). Take for example if I wanted a powerful desktop computer but wanted to spend less than say $1500, I couldn't do that with an Apple product.

I Wear Pants wrote: But any person who insists that one platform is definitely better than the other is an idiot.

+ Eleventythreeve.

Apple as a company, has passed Microsoft on the NYSE in terms of company worth.

A lot of people forget how big Apple is and think of it as a little competitor to Microsoft, when it's really the exact opposite.

Apples make money on both the hardware AND software, where as Microsoft makes money on just Software.. HP/Sony/Dell, etc make the money from the hardware.

This is part in the reason why Apple computers are damn near flawless when running. The hardware and software are made for eachother.

As for the iPad, it's a GREAT device. I myself was skeptical about it, but once you get one in your hands and mess around with it, it completely changes your mind. It is what it is, and what it is, is a GREAT portable entertainment device.

As for me, I don't really get into the Mac vs PC argument.. It's kind of pointless really. I owned PC's up until 2007 when I bought my first MacBook (the same one I'm using now) and it runs just as good as it did when I bought it. I've upgraded my OS from 10.4 to 10.5 and upgraded both the HDD and the RAM and that's the only money I've had to put into this machine aside from software.

The whole "Buy a Mac, you're part of a cult" thing is pretty fucking stupid, but I guess I have to consider the sources of that argument.

That's the thing, the hardware isn't made by Apple, it's the same stuff that's in any PC. It's just that Apple only has to worry about having drivers and support for a very specific number of motherboards, video cards, ram, etc, etc.

But yeah, they aren't a small company by any means.

The only thing I don't like is when people insist that Apple products are so amazing because they never break. They do. For the most part they break for the same reasons that PCs have problems...people that don't know what they're doing.

Hell, I haven't had a crash with my Windows install for about three years (started with XP, moved to Vista RC, then 7 Beta and 7 RTM) and my sister has recently been having tons of problems with her Macbook. Doesn't mean the Mac is inferior though. It's probably because I'm more of a geek so I keep things running squeaky clean on my system (defragging, completely uninstalling things,deleting temp files, etc) while she's very unlikely to do that so the machine starts to perform sluggishly.

It's similar to cars. If you don't take care of it it's going to perform poorly whether it's a Porsche 911 or a Ford Tempo.

Look at what I've created... all b/c I asked about the Mac+iPod deal. SMH. You douche bags.

Apple is also a big supporter in html 5, which blows flash away in every aspect.. Youtube has/is switching to html 5 and so are a lot of other sites..(CNN, ESPN, etc..)

This is the reason flash isn't on the iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch.. That and Flash is a big security risk for websites/platforms.

justincredible wrote: Face it, both sides have "cult" like members and arguing over it is ratarded.

In the words of MTdouche... if you don't like it, then GTFO! lol

ernest_t_bass wrote: Look at what I've created... all b/c I asked about the Mac+iPod deal. SMH. You douche bags.

If you're a teacher/student, check out this link--

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/campaigns/education_pricing?aid=AIC-AOS-Edu-EdMktng-EP

I don't believe they're doing the free iPod right now, that's usually in late summer/early fall I believe..

Yep, I'm familiar with education pricing.

LTrain23 wrote: Apple is also a big supporter in html 5, which blows flash away in every aspect.. Youtube has/is switching to html 5 and so are a lot of other sites..(CNN, ESPN, etc..)

This is the reason flash isn't on the iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch.. That and Flash is a big security risk for websites/platforms.

HTML 5 is the future although it won't be replacing Flash/Silverlight anytime soon for most web video anytime soon. Also there's the whole codec fiasco going on with h.264 and their patent fees.

The reason Flash isn't on the iPhone is because then people could use webapps built in flash and many of the apps built with things like Adobe Air and other cross platform solutions. Apple would rather them have to build apps natively instead of cross platform. It's getting to the point where Apple is under investigation from the DOJ for antitrust violations.

I Wear Pants wrote:

LTrain23 wrote: Apple is also a big supporter in html 5, which blows flash away in every aspect.. Youtube has/is switching to html 5 and so are a lot of other sites..(CNN, ESPN, etc..)

This is the reason flash isn't on the iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch.. That and Flash is a big security risk for websites/platforms.

HTML 5 is the future although it won't be replacing Flash/Silverlight anytime soon for most web video anytime soon. Also there's the whole codec fiasco going on with h.264 and their patent fees.

The reason Flash isn't on the iPhone is because then people could use webapps built in flash and many of the apps built with things like Adobe Air and other cross platform solutions. Apple would rather them have to build apps natively instead of cross platform. It's getting to the point where Apple is under investigation from the DOJ for antitrust violations.

Apple and Adobe have had a huge fallout recently, so flash on those formats are pretty much over.

Steve Jobs asked Adobe to create a more stable flash for Apple, but they've refused, so Steve has went a different direction.

I still think it has more to do with Steve wanting his perfect walled off garden of Apps that are only for iPhone/iPad rather than a problem with the Flash codec as a whole.

Which by the way, the Flash codec is pretty shitty IMO as I've found things built on Silverlight to be better performing. Neither is ideal but HTML 5 won't be the answer. It's a step in the right direction but HTML 5 doesn't do all the things that Flash and Silverlight can do.

LTrain23 wrote: Apple as a company, has passed Microsoft on the NYSE in terms of company worth.

A lot of people forget how big Apple is and think of it as a little competitor to Microsoft, when it's really the exact opposite.

Apples make money on both the hardware AND software, where as Microsoft makes money on just Software.. HP/Sony/Dell, etc make the money from the hardware.

This is part in the reason why Apple computers are damn near flawless when running. The hardware and software are made for eachother.

As for the iPad, it's a GREAT device. I myself was skeptical about it, but once you get one in your hands and mess around with it, it completely changes your mind. It is what it is, and what it is, is a GREAT portable entertainment device.

As for me, I don't really get into the Mac vs PC argument.. It's kind of pointless really. I owned PC's up until 2007 when I bought my first MacBook (the same one I'm using now) and it runs just as good as it did when I bought it. I've upgraded my OS from 10.4 to 10.5 and upgraded both the HDD and the RAM and that's the only money I've had to put into this machine aside from software.

The whole "Buy a Mac, you're part of a cult" thing is pretty fucking stupid, but I guess I have to consider the sources of that argument.

Apple market capitalization = 232.92 Billion

Microsoft market capitalization = 261.69 Billion

Your credibility = ruined

The latest market capitalization figures I've seen have had Exxon, Microsoft, Apple, and Berkshire Hathaway in that order in the top five. I can't remember what the fifth company was or it's position on the list. I believe it was second but I'm not sure.

I Wear Pants wrote: The latest market capitalization figures I've seen have had Exxon, Microsoft, Apple, and Berkshire Hathaway in that order in the top five. I can't remember what the fifth company was or it's position on the list. I believe it was second but I'm not sure.

sleeper wrote:

LTrain23 wrote: Apple as a company, has passed Microsoft on the NYSE in terms of company worth.

A lot of people forget how big Apple is and think of it as a little competitor to Microsoft, when it's really the exact opposite.

Apples make money on both the hardware AND software, where as Microsoft makes money on just Software.. HP/Sony/Dell, etc make the money from the hardware.

This is part in the reason why Apple computers are damn near flawless when running. The hardware and software are made for eachother.

As for the iPad, it's a GREAT device. I myself was skeptical about it, but once you get one in your hands and mess around with it, it completely changes your mind. It is what it is, and what it is, is a GREAT portable entertainment device.

As for me, I don't really get into the Mac vs PC argument.. It's kind of pointless really. I owned PC's up until 2007 when I bought my first MacBook (the same one I'm using now) and it runs just as good as it did when I bought it. I've upgraded my OS from 10.4 to 10.5 and upgraded both the HDD and the RAM and that's the only money I've had to put into this machine aside from software.

The whole "Buy a Mac, you're part of a cult" thing is pretty fucking stupid, but I guess I have to consider the sources of that argument.

Apple market capitalization = 232.92 Billion

Microsoft market capitalization = 261.69 Billion

Your credibility = ruined

Not sure when those figures are from, but the last time I looked was during April 22nd, which was when this article was posted as well...

http://www.news.com.au/technology/microsoft-cries-foul-as-sp-500-lists-apple-as-new-tech-frontrunner/story-e6frfro0-1225857293121

Marketwatch reports that according to the S&P, Apple is now worth $US241.5 billion ($261.3 billion), passing Microsoft's $US239.5 billion ($259.1 billion) market capitalisation for the first time.

So in short, suck a dick.