Mac Envy versus Tablet Envy

Mar 26

Mac Envy versus Tablet Envy

I’ve been pretty lucky. I’ve owned just about every gadget that I’ve ever coveted at one time or another. By making good use of eBay, there are very few pieces of technology that I havent’ gotten my hands on at least for a little while. However, I think I’m now in a rather uncomfortable position.

I have to admit, I’ve had incredible Tablet Envy. Will has written a ton about how much he loves the table PC and how he and his teachers would never go back. Kathy Shrock also swears by her tablet and she certainly seemed to be making good use of it at PETE&C.

So I’ve been seriously considering selling my home XP laptop and replacing it with a tablet. After all, it’s my wife’s main machine and we really need to keep a windows machine handy around the house. Let’s face, there’s millions of goofy windows programs that are quite simply never released on the mac. The software I use to hack my cell phone doesn’t have a Mac version. So ’nuff said, a new tablet PC is in my future.

Not so fast though. I just found out from a friend that there has been some interesting developments in the race to get XP booted on the new Intel Macs. In fact, somebody has actually won the race. At OnMac.net, they have a CD image and instructions for turning your Intel Mac into a true dual boot machine. So I could have Mac OS X, my favorite operating system right now, with Unix in the background, and still be able to switch to full native Windows whenever I want? Hang on a second while I wipe my drool off the keyboard. Yes, I know about Virtual PC. I’ve used just about every version that has ever been released. While it may work, it’s torture to use on a regular basis. It slows the computer down to a crawl and is a royal pain to use. Besides, there’s just something incredibly cool in a very geeky way about seeing the XP intervace surrounded by ultrachic Mac hardware.

So the question now becomes, which envy wins out? i’m leaning towards Mac envy. I’d love to get back to using iPhoto and iLive 06 looks really tasty. Plus it seems like it owuld be the best of both worlds. But tablets do look way cool and the ultraportability thing does sound appealing.

What do you think, dual boot MacBook Pro or Tablet PC?

Author: Steve

3 Comments

Aaron Smith
3/26/2006

I’d go with the Intel iBook, even though it hasn’t come out yet. Either that, or wait for Apple to make good on the patent it filed for a tablet Mac. http://www.engadget.com/2005/05/10/apples-patented-the-tablet-mac/

John Blake
3/26/2006

Well guys, I hate to break your hearts, but the new MacBook Pros are out. We got our first one in a week ago and have XP running on it. It actually runs Excel and Word faster than our Lenovo (IBM) tablet PCs. I have had them sitting side-by-side and I would take the new Mac any day! We installed a program that allows our tech guys to create ghost images of harddrives. The CDs are used to reformat corrupted harddrive on our district’s desktop PC. No problems yet. There are still a couple of drivers missing, but it will only be a matter of time before it is all worked out. The IBM tablet PCs we have (can not remember the model number) have a very limited battery life. I tried using it in our 90 minute teaching block for instruction but it dies before the end of the period. Maybe the tablets that Will uses (Toshiba?) have a larger battery. The cool features of iPhoto 6, iWeb and podcasting in Garageband are nice, but I can run that on my old PB. The neatest features to me is the updates to to physical parts. Steve, you remember how I could not get a signal at the PodcastersCon in Chapel Hill? Well, the new MacBook Pro has a much improved antenna design. The carved out the aluminum at the base of the monitor hendge and replaced the metal with some type of plastic–no signal loss! In our building where my old PB losses its signal every time, the new MacBook is still receiving a strong wireless signal. The lid on my PB has never locked since it was a week old. I sent it back to Apple, they replaced the lid under warranty, and the latch broke the next day I had it back. The new on has a dual-latch system! It actually works. Best of all, the new AC adaptor cable has a new design that is awsome for Road Warriors and classroom teacher with clumbsy middle school kids. When plugged in, and the cable is on the floor, if a foot or waiving arm hits the cable, its magnetic connection breaks free without hurling the laptop to the floor. Does the Table PC have that feature? NO! Hum…this really is not a fair comparison. The MacBook Pro with XP and OSX is a real road warrior’s dream machine. I know the Table PC has a way to annotate text on the fly, but does it work with WordPress- No, does it work with a wiki- no.

Since I do not have any vested interest in the Apple or Table PC product and like you have fellow educators that one or the other, IMHO, you need one of each! Oh well, you get what you paid for (free advice– haha).

Casey Hales
3/27/2006

I have talked my “peeps” into getting me a tablet. They at first thought I meant a Big Chief tablet, you know, the ones with wide lines and pieces of bark chips in the paper.
Anyway, I thought it would give my Special students another avenue to input data. That is, if that can get it away from me.
I would like input on any PC Tablets you guys and gals might have.
I have only begun to hunt, and this is where I have started.

http://www.gateway.com/products/gconfig/proddetails.asp?seg=ed&system_id=m280eb&cmpid=index*convertible_overview*rightnav*education*PROD_DETAILS:WORK:GATEWAY_M280EB

I’ll refrain from any Apple Comments, least I be banned for yapping here. I know I’m in MacLand, but in my application I need a PC.
Any input?

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