Rick OBanion Photo wrote:

Forgot those...amazing computers!!

They were before Dell purchased them.  Alienware built desktops, fast ones, but outsourced their laptops to Sager (linked above a few times).

Tony Lawrence wrote:
Amanda, I was always a Windows user.   Then I used a Macbook and wow....   http://store.apple.com/us/configure/ME664LL/A   I looked at your work and you deserve a Macbook.   I'm not a Apple fan boy but photographers in my view who can afford a Mac should get one.   I used to go to the Apple store.   Free classes.   I've met some well known photographers there.   Their One to One class for $100.00 is fantastic.   OSX is so simple to use.   I've never been able to afford a Macbook Pro but they are the bomb.   Buy one and if you don't like it sell it on Ebay.   They hold their value very well.

Their is a very large community built around Macbooks and photographers.   I know you said you were a PC girl and the site I sent you too has great prices but you owe it to yourself to enter the world of Apple.   I say this and I use Linux.

There's an Apple Store in my local mall, so I'll definitely go look at the Macbooks. I think my parents might actually be buying one soon, which would be great because then I could play with it before investing. I am reluctant to switch... but as you said, a lot of photographers use Macbooks and rave about them. It's something to think about.

Rick OBanion Photo wrote:
Forgot those...amazing computers!!

Preime Photography wrote:
try Razer gaming laptops. top specs and portable: http://www.razerzone.com/store/razer-blade-pro and then upgrade the ram to 16GB

AJScalzitti wrote:

They were before Dell purchased them.  Alienware built desktops, fast ones, but outsourced their laptops to Sager (linked above a few times).

I have heard a lot of great things about both Alienware and Razer! I didn't know that about Alienware. Interesting. I have bookmarked the Sager website.

Amanda Lynn Jurie wrote:
There's an Apple Store in my local mall, so I'll definitely go look at the Macbooks. I think my parents might actually be buying one soon, which would be great because then I could play with it before investing. I am reluctant to switch... but as you said, a lot of photographers use Macbooks and rave about them. It's something to think about.

Amanda, I urge you to please reject Apple's computer products. I have two friends who work for Apple -- one in Marketing and one in the iTunes department -- and even they (privately) criticize Apple's nasty, user-subjugating practices.

Here are some reasons to avoid Apple computer products: http://stallman.org/apple.html

Joann Empson wrote:
Amanda, I urge you to please reject Apple's computer products. I have two friends who work for Apple -- one in Marketing and one in the iTunes department -- and even they (privately) criticize Apple's nasty, user-subjugating practices.

Here are some reasons to avoid Apple computer products: http://stallman.org/apple.html

This is not the forum to promote your political cause against Apple Computer or Microsoft for that matter. Knock it off.

Joann Empson wrote:
Amanda, I urge you to please reject Apple's computer products. I have two friends who work for Apple -- one in Marketing and one in the iTunes department -- and even they (privately) criticize Apple's nasty, user-subjugating practices.

Here are some reasons to avoid Apple computer products: http://stallman.org/apple.html

J O H N  A L L A N wrote:
This is not the forum to promote your political cause against Apple Computer or Microsoft for that matter. Knock it off.

Joann... while I appreciate your concern for my privacy and I recognize that there is a lot of truth in what you say, you are not being helpful. I am going to encounter issues with internet privacy regardless of which operating system I get. Apple is just as bad as the other companies out there.

John is right. This isn't the place.

J O H N  A L L A N wrote:
This is not the forum to promote your political cause against Apple Computer or Microsoft for that matter. Knock it off.

I'm only helping Amanda to make an informed choice. Most of this thread is strongly biased toward proprietary software, but there's a whole world of libre software out there.

Amanda Lynn Jurie wrote:
Joann... while I appreciate your concern for my privacy and I recognize that there is a lot of truth in what you say, you are not being helpful. I am going to encounter issues with internet privacy regardless of which operating system I get. Apple is just as bad as the other companies out there.

John is right. This isn't the place.

That's precisely what I've been trying to talk about -- you have significantly better Internet privacy when you use libre software.

At your implied request, I will now stop pestering everybody in this thread.

Amanda Lynn Jurie wrote:

Tony Lawrence wrote:
Amanda, I was always a Windows user.   Then I used a Macbook and wow....   http://store.apple.com/us/configure/ME664LL/A   I looked at your work and you deserve a Macbook.   I'm not a Apple fan boy but photographers in my view who can afford a Mac should get one.   I used to go to the Apple store.   Free classes.   I've met some well known photographers there.   Their One to One class for $100.00 is fantastic.   OSX is so simple to use.   I've never been able to afford a Macbook Pro but they are the bomb.   Buy one and if you don't like it sell it on Ebay.   They hold their value very well.

Their is a very large community built around Macbooks and photographers.   I know you said you were a PC girl and the site I sent you too has great prices but you owe it to yourself to enter the world of Apple.   I say this and I use Linux.

There's an Apple Store in my local mall, so I'll definitely go look at the Macbooks. I think my parents might actually be buying one soon, which would be great because then I could play with it before investing. I am reluctant to switch... but as you said, a lot of photographers use Macbooks and rave about them. It's something to think about.

Rick OBanion Photo wrote:
Forgot those...amazing computers!!

Preime Photography wrote:
try Razer gaming laptops. top specs and portable: http://www.razerzone.com/store/razer-blade-pro and then upgrade the ram to 16GB

I have heard a lot of great things about both Alienware and Razer! I didn't know that about Alienware. Interesting. I have bookmarked the Sager website.

Joann has made some excellent points about privacy but I don't think this is the thread to do them in.   One of the best things about Apple is its community.   The One to One classes feature a Apple trainer to answer questions.   Even without that their is FREE help in the stores and users are so cool.   The stores are often filled with photographers, musicians, writers and other creativities.    None of that exists in the Windows world at big box stores.   Try asking questions at Best Buy with the Geek Squad.   Alienware, Lenovo, ASUS, Toshiba, Sony and others all make premium products and lower level ones as well.   Budget models.   Apple never did that.   Here's a Apple story.   I had a battery go bad in a Macbook after two years.   No Applecare.   I pop in a store.   The kid tells me my problem.   Grabs another battery and puts it in.   How much I ask, trembling because nothing is cheap there.   FREE he says.   

I had loaded a older version of OSX and he even upgraded me while I waited.   That kind of customer service doesn't exist in the Windows world.   While there is a world wide community of Linux users those who know their stuff tend to be pricks.   Apple stores feature free hour long classes to get new users up to speed on its OS.   Microsoft doesn't offer that at stores, yet.   Apple will stand behind their products.   I'm not convinced OSX is all that much better then Windows 7.   Easier to use then Windows 8, sure.   Forget the few virus strength of OSX and consider when you have concerns or questions or problems where will you get help and how much will that help cost.

Joann Empson wrote:

If someone demonstrates to me that he doesn't understand, I have a responsibility to respond and to bridge the gap.

The world is now a better place, what would everyone do without you?

Rick OBanion Photo wrote:

Forgot those...amazing computers!!

If I had a budget up to $4,000- I'd be getting one of those in a heartbeat.

But my 18" screen 6+yr old Sony Vaio is still chugging along.

Joann Empson wrote:
I'm only helping Amanda to make an informed choice. Most of this thread is strongly biased toward proprietary software, but there's a whole world of libre software out there.

Just because someone chooses to buy from a major manufacturer doesn't not preclude them running almost any software they like.  I have Lenovo and Mac's running Linux just fine.  This has nothing to do with helping the OP find a new laptop.

GRMACK wrote:
You can build a laptop to your specs with the Sager notebook lineup ( http://www.sagernotebook.com ).  ....

+1

Hank West 1 wrote:
Watch your specs!  Adobe publishes hardware requirements for Photoshop software, so be sure to reference them.  Make absolutely sure that the computer components and especially your graphics card meets or exceeds their requirements.  I can't express to you how important this is.

I will definitely be sure to do this! Thank you.

Moon Pix Photography wrote:

+1

Marin Photography NYC wrote:
Build your own this way you buy what you want and not what they are offering.

Mhm, I think that's the way I'm going to go. Definitely seems like the better option.