This is very off-topic but I need your advice because I don't know anything about it and I will need a laptop when I go to Türkiye in Sept/October.

My parents seemed to have suggest a bit that they are willing to give me a laptop and a printer because I passed my exams. But they are aware of the fact that I'd rather buy one in Türkiye so that I will have a turkish keyboard and a Turkish windows/driver.

But I've always had a weakness for Apple-laptops. I think they look so compact and stylish and I've heard that their system is faster than the regular Windows. Can somebody tell me a bit more about these and is there any disadvantage in connection to other pc's if you have an Apple instead of normal Microsoft?

Are tehre pc-programmes that don't work on Apple-systems, or are most programmes designed in different kinds so that they are also compatible with Apples?

I know this is VERY off-topic (not general ), but I need to know because if i get positive answers, I will ask if I can get the money they are willing to spend on the laptop and printer.. and then top it up with my own saved money so that I can buy somethign i really like and which will be up to date and working for a loooong time

Thanks in advance.

A PC is a very different thing to a MAC - the first can be made by a number of manafacturers although they were all originally made by IBM. A MAC is always made by Apple I think.

A PC can have a number of different operating systems installed but Windows in the most popular for home users. A MAC can only have Apple's operating system installed.

Very little software can be run on both although some programs (like Internet Explorer for example) have a MAC version available. In reality, most readily available software will only run on a PC running the Windows operating system. Alternatively you might consider getting a PC running Linux which has lots of (legal) free software
available for it but it is also quite a learning curve!

Traditionally MAC's were preferred for intensive graphical design work - and I think this is probably the only reason why they have survived at all. However, with the recent increases in PC performance this is no longer an issue.

In my opinion, you would need to have a very good reason to buy an Apple machine over a PC! And the very fact that you needed to ask the question shows that you would be better off with a PC based laptop.......

Hope that helps!

I have used Mac for the past 15 years (with graphic design just as Bod mentioned) and I can tell you that although I think that Mac still is more user-friendly than is pc I would still recommend a pc for you.
As Bod were saying not all programmes are made for Mac and where there are Mac-versions they are way behind the pc-version since the market is totally - and I do mean totally - dominated by pc. Also it is so much easier to find free versions of pc-programmes compared to Mac. And last but not least...I doubt you would find any Mac-users in Turkey besides some very exclusive designers...which means that it would be really difficult to find support if something goes wrong with your computer in Turkey.
And for the price of a Mac...you can get a really good pc...

...jiiiiz...I never thought I would recommend pc over Mac...really...I am in shock! :-S

...we think different on this one, bod! I think that pc has changed - and improved - a lot and actually "borrowed" many things from Mac...but still I find Mac to be more user-friendly...pc produces extra temp files and confusing stuff on your harddisk that you just don´t find in a Mac.
And another thing I am grateful for is the lack of virus! ...15 years with Mac...most of them without any anti-virus programme...and I have never had any problems with virus...isnt that user-friendly or what? ...show me one
pc user that did not have problems with virus and you will surprise me... ...anyway...I surrender...I still think that deli_kizin should buy a pc... :-S

Thank you both. I was waiting to catch you online Aslan, but as I was out to celebrate I passed (and then got locked outside the house last night ) I didn't have so much time to catch you.

So we can say it's not possible to run Windows on an Apple? There's an Apple-centre in my town, I might pop-in there some day. But from what I've heard I'd better go for a 'normal' laptop then. Though I do love graphical design stuff and used to do it a lot about 3 years ago, I'm afraid it's too much of an amateur hobby to justify an Apple
I was also thinking that if I'm ever gonna be a journalist, I'm gonna need a good lappie. But I guess by that time I can buy a new one

So what kind of systems of normal pcs do you recommend then? I have no idea what things are good. I'd like to have it run fast and a lot of space on the harddisk (without having to have an extra harddisk, maybe only just a small one for important back-ups). It should have bright colors on the screen. And what is a good anti-virus programme?

I just read on the Apple website that it can run Windows. Does this actually mean one can buy an Apple for its design, but have the Windows for the fact that you're used to it?

I'll stick with my 20Gb Sony Walkman MP3 player thanks