new laptop questions advice needed

[jonnyboy666]

first of all let me tell you that i am crap with computers so if you're gonna explain something to me use ENGLISH not TECHNOBABBLE!!!!

basically my laptop (that i am using now) is dying, it's 3 or 4 years old and just keeps clapping out, crashing, slow, memory is full up even though i have deleted loads, i don't think constant updates from windows/safari/itunes/adobe etc help

so i have decided i want a new laptop but i don't really know what i am looking at. i am leaning towards an apple laptop because i am gonna get an iphone in the next few months as my phone is due for renewal etc. that way all my stuff, phone/ipod/computer will all be easily compatible. for the record i want the iphone above any other phone for it's entertainment possibilities, it's not a work phone and i like all the apps that seem to be available.

the questions i have are:-

if i get an apple laptop will i beable to use my ipod to transfer the contents of my music library across to the new laptop bearing in mind my current laptop uses vista?

or should i buy a big hard drive and stick the music on there, i'm sure a friend has his music (and pics for that matter) on a separate drive so that the program is on the laptop but not the library meaning if he changes his computer all his files are separate and movable. is this possible/worthwhile?

also, having no experience of apple laptops, are they worth it? is there a better alternative? being honest i haven't even looked into prices etc yet, and also is there a particularly good place to get them? i was assuming the best place is the "apple" shops as opposed to a general computer shop like pc world or whoever. i should say also that it's for general home use, internet, email, music and pics and hours of sitting on the retrobike forum!!

good and bad points would be helpful if anyone here is using one of these machines.

cheers for any help.

 

[FluffyChicken]

Out of interest what computer do you have now.. make and model ?

 

[perry]

I'm no help whatsoever but in the back of my mind am considering similar , need a new phone and the iphone seems to make sense for what I need , my netbook doesn't stream very quick so would consider something in the apple line up that could make things easier . My reservations are joining the apple hoards and being limited to apple stuff , oh and the price , I too haven't looked too hard but the apple stuff isn't cheap is it .

What can normal people who use this stuff tell us ?

Jonny , You can give your current laptop a new lease of life as a 2nd machine by going for linux .

 

[jonnyboy666]

packard bell something or other!!

when we signed up for PC worlds broadband deal you got a free laptop or you could pay more to get a better one like i did. i can't cpmplain, it has been fine and done all i have asked of it but it's got a 60gig memory and it's full now, everytime i upload pics from my camera i have to delete some to fit the new ones in!

i have thought about just getting a external hard drive for this laptop but when i checked how much memory the pics i have on here take up it was only (as a result of deleting) 500mb, when i looked deeper it was full of updates some of which i don't even know if i need!! but it seems the programs and updates were taking up the guts of the memory and those i think are the issues.

 

[jonnyboy666]

@perry

linux? :?

 

[FluffyChicken]

By memory you mean harddrive and you can buy newer bigger capacity drives for not a lot.
The computer for what you seem to do is probably still overpowered.

If there is nobody near you who can swap the drive and copy your files across I'm sure PC world will do it for a fee.

Much cheaper than a new computer.
Also just hit help and uninstall then see how to remove any junk you do not need.

Apple mac books start at around £850 seems a big waste of money to me.

 

[jonnyboy666]

yeah i suppose i mean hard drive but last time i tried to uninstall some stuff it had a full on eppy!! :shock: but how do you know what would be junk?

 

[perry]

I'm sure that if you asked either chris or lgf very nicely they will copy the stuff you need to a new external drive and do a dual boot of your current windows and a linux distribution . That way you get the quickness of the windows back but as xp should have died off by now you can get used to and see if you like the way linux works without having to commit to it .

 

[mattbrown]

have you wiped it and tried again, could be a good laptop, but just needs a complete wipe

 

[jonnyboy666]

so linux is just a different running program then like windows/vista etc but not microsoft?