Complete newbie lookin for a Mac

[Giaguara]

Okay. I have a 12" as well and I don't have an external monitor but maybe one day will get one.
Which one do you think that you like more?

[Arden]

Ok, several things.

1) What can Macs do for me that Windoze can't do?
I think this was covered pretty extensively already...

2) Why are Apple computers generally more expensive that PC based computers?
Macs aren't actually much more expensive than PC's. Think about it: you can get a PC for, what, $800? But what do you get for that? A boatload of crap, that's what. For all the high-end goodies, you have to pay more. And for Mac-like quality and devotion, you have to pay more than most Macs for a computer like Falcon. Also, factor in the cost of troubleshooting: for most Macs, it is very low, but for most PC's troubleshooting costs can soar. The initial price of a computer is not all that you pay for; in the long run, Macs are much cheaper than their wannabes.

3) Is MAC OS X similar to UNIX? I believe so but tell me if I'm wrong. Does it have less functionality/features?
Mac OS X is UNIX, just with a (beautiful, stunning, highly functional) graphic user interface. This has been ground into dev/null...

4) Is there a significant increase in performance between the G3 (high end) and the G4 (low end)?
This has also been pretty well covered... But I do want to say that if you want to compare hardware on the Powerbooks, go to http://www.apple.com/powerbook/specs.html and check out the specs. Each of the PB's has a video out option, and all Macs I believe can output to a VGA monitor (which is all a PC monitor is, after all). As long as you're looking for a PB, look here.

5) Why are Mac computers performance rated lower than PCs yet cost more? Is it because of the software bundles that come with the computer?
The (relatively-see above) high cost of Macs has to do with the (I'll be frank) monopoly Apple has on the Mac market, the quality that goes into each and every computer, the generous software that comes with each computer, and the fact that Apple tends to overcharge stuff a bit. The only places that Macs are rated lower than PC's is in half-assed PC magazines.

[KrinkleCut]

Originally posted by gnubie
I have a PC desktop with a monitor but none for Macs. I do not plan on getting a monitor unless I am either rich or I really have to. =)

Well, you can always cannibalize the PC and use the monitor as a second display for the PB. Nothing like monitor spanning.

[gnubie]

Originally posted by Giaguara
Okay. I have a 12" as well and I don't have an external monitor but maybe one day will get one.
Which one do you think that you like more?

I really like the 12" powerbook. Its small and cute! If it weren't so warm I'd get it right away. Now I'm divided between the 12" and the 15"

[gnubie]

Does any one know if you can swap the Airport card in the 15" Powerbook to the Airport extreme card?

[ronn]

Originally posted by boi
3: mac os X is unix. don't let its user friendliness fool you. a trip in the terminal will bring back all the scary memories of unix you have ^_^. the developer tools give you everything you need to create applications/a server/etc. if that's your thing. there's nothing in Mandrake you won't find in X, i'm quite certain.

This is something I'm not so sure. I haven't used OSX for any longer than 10 mins yet but I've heard that OSX is only licence for single user? Is that true? Can you create user account like other unices and allow user to login remotely to your machine

What is the main differences between OSX and OSX Server?

[symphonix]

Ronn,

Mac OS X is a true multi-user Unix with home directories and Unix file system security and permissions. This is effected through the GUI, as well as through shell commands such as chmod, chown, etc.
It allows remote login through SSH, FTP, Web (Apache) server, A Windows (Samba) server, and so on.
The main difference with OS X server is that it is set up with utilities for managing networks of users.
The license is a single-machine license, though site licenses are available. It is a commercial OS, and though it is Open Source at it's core, it is copyrighted. That's something you CAN do with Mandrake that you can't do with Mac OS X: Copy it legally.

[ronn]

Originally posted by symphonix
Ronn,

Mac OS X is a true multi-user Unix with home directories and Unix file system security and permissions. This is effected through the GUI, as well as through shell commands such as chmod, chown, etc.
It allows remote login through SSH, FTP, Web (Apache) server, A Windows (Samba) server, and so on.
The main difference with OS X server is that it is set up with utilities for managing networks of users.
The license is a single-machine license, though site licenses are available. It is a commercial OS, and though it is Open Source at it's core, it is copyrighted. That's something you CAN do with Mandrake that you can't do with Mac OS X: Copy it legally.

Ahh.. I see. that's cool! now I feel much more comfortable in getting one