10 Reasons I Spent $3,000 on a MacBook Pro

[Tomsguiderachel]

[citation][nom]rooket[/nom]Yeah but usually people are "I love my mac, it can do graphics and video editing" so that'd make me assume that they are running better hardware than I usually purchase since everyone knows that both mac and pc can run adobe products.I thought you tom's hardware guys get the hardware for free to review too..[/citation]
Usually we do get new machines in for review, but in this case the update to the MacBook Pro 17-inch happened separately from the other new Macs, and was a relatively minor update so we didn't review the machine.

 

[BillLake]

Two fingers spaced apart allows you to right click on the mac. IT is harder with the touch pad being the button but it does work.

[citation][nom]rooket[/nom]yeah these days the mac is the same as pc, aside from aesthetics. one thing I don't like about the macbook is that it has single click but my coworker showed me how to do the double click command, I forgot how to do it already but it wasn't hard.. I usually use a usb mouse with any laptop I'm on anyways so it really doesn't matter. I think the macbooks look pretty sharp.[/citation]

 

[solymnar]

[citation][nom]TomsGuideRachel[/nom]I'm glad you picked up on the fact that this isn't a straight review, and IS listed as an Opinion piece.

/sigh yes...I understand this. Let me try to explain better.

[citation][nom]TomsGuideRachel[/nom]
That said, a good editorial doesn't just say "I like it because it is green." A good editorial explains why "green" has utility for certain users, and is more than just a pretty color. If we use this analogy, I think Bill's piece succeeded. There's no doubt that only a small percentage of the population gets "utility from the color green"

This is pretty much what I was angling at. Its better to qualify things first, THEN deliver your personal $.02. Especially when writing about your opinion. It helps the reader identify and better understand where the author is coming from when explain their rational. In this case the color green (this analogy will never die) is the lit keyboard. Bill placed utility value on this (and for very good reason) but it wasn't really qualified in advance so the general population (or at least myself) had no idea what he really meant. Another example is talking about how the aluminum case adds durability with not much to really qualify it. etc. etc.

Thus the benefit of qualifying things first and foremost, ideally with numbers and/or objective comparisons when possible. Then a reader can hopefully say "ahhh I can see why that would be useful to the author". Otherwise the reader is more prone to be annoyed and confused by the author's metric of values. Obviously its not possible to write something in a way that every gets what you are saying and it would be tedious in the extreme to try, but hopefully this makes more sense to you this time around?

[citation][nom]TomsGuideRachel[/nom]
but I wanted to expose the rest of you to a different kind of user--...(cut)....for a specific list of highly-niche, specific, and yes--logical--reasons. You said you wouldn't have published an article about why your mom's laptop is perfect for her. Well, I would. That's what we're about here at Tom's Guide--examining the gadget wants and needs of a wide swath of consumers, including, but not limited to those who only want the best *bang* for their buck, or only want a top-performing machine.
[/citation]

I wasn't clear enough again. I know that logic was employed in the decision. Its employed in nearly every decision. Its just felt that it was (in some of the reasons) not included in a way that that catered to a full understanding of where the author was coming from or missed details that would have been useful to have. Like explaining a reason to someone with incomplete context. They don't get the full benefit/impact of how you arrived at your conclusion, personal, statisticle or otherwise.

When I say "I wouldn't write an article rating the value of a laptop based on my or my mother's personal values and bias" I mean that I litterally wouldn't rate the value of the laptop itself by personal standards or someone else's personal standard. That doesn't mean that I wouldn't explain or theorize situations/occupations/personalities/etc. where aspects take on stronger than normal values or fill particular nitches very well. But it means I would add in the neccesary context and details so that someone else that doesn't know me or my mother can hopefully get a clear understanding of why that reason matters for x nitch.

To me "examining the gadget wants and needs of a wide swath of consumers" implies focusing on providing information in a way that lets a wide array get tangible information to make their own informed decisions. In that sense I feel this article could have been written better. It wasn't terrible, but it also wasn't nearly as useful to a wide audience as it could have been with a little extra detail. Some added context and actual figures and values would have gone a long way to remedy that. As I said before though it didn't deserve the level of heat it recieved I felt.

Of course we may simply agree to disagree on this one, and ultimately I have little say in the matter. 😉

But I do like to get to the root of where a misunderstanding occurs and figure out where I misspoke, or could have worded things better. The downside being long posts.

Anyway I hope this made more sense?

[citation][nom]TomsGuideRachel[/nom]
I do my best to not allow my personal preferences exclude other voices on Tom's Guide. I really do try to be as inclusive as we can be. [/citation]

That's all anyone can do.

 

[keither5150]

Now I am sure that TH is operating some underground contest to see who can stir the pot between Mac lovers and PC people. I was going to post a comment on the second page, got distracted and came back 2 hours later to see 9 pages of comments. Well, I think this article might be this week's winner. I stopped reading the comments by page 3.

I have one question, ( it was probably asked already) where is the number pad?.... most 17's have number pads. Anyone who uses their laptop for work.... like me.... likes the number pad.

 

[kigginz]

Occasionally my wife buys me a copy of PC World I find it interesting that half the articles are about Macs - I thought that’s what Mac World was for.
Anyways - out of 10 reasons to buy a $3000 laptop it may have been useful do some performance comparisons with other similarly priced Windows laptops. The question might be, Could you buy a similarly priced VooDoo or Alienware portable workstation and be as productive as the Mac in a typical graphic or publication environment?
Usually then the writer would benchmark the hec out of everything and let reader draw their own conclusions. Typically the ‘feng shu’ of the keyboard and the iPropaganda about being afraid of the internet don’t rate as high as how long does it take to run a Photoshop filter or compile a video segment.
If you are an established graphic artist with a six figure salary buy a $3000 Mac Pro – hell buy two. No need to justify it.
If you spent $3000 a Mac and the only reasons you could come up with were the ones mentioned in the article, you are probably an iTard.

 

[tipmen]

[citation][nom]billlake[/nom]I am maybe at my desk 5 hours a week, the rest of the time I am either in the field or working on my lab, I do plug in throughout the day otherwise even my quoted "consistently able to use this laptop for five hours on a charge thanks to the design." would not last me through my 10-12 hour days. The ASUS laptop is a Huge at 11+ lbs, so be my guest and tote that bad boy around.[/citation]



I really don't find carrying extra 11 lbs? not that bad actually considering i carry a 30+ lb back for school. If i could i'd put all my books on it... however the poor thing would never make it through class die in about 2 to 3 hours. You can downclock it and disable the one card in the bios might get a little over 3 then. I would still have this over a mac. If i got a mac i would soon develop this complexity i am better then you all and praise steve jobbs.

 

[Guest]

"I am also not a big fan of the multi-touch trackpad. I have found it harder to be precise with it than with a separate mouse button. Perhaps with more time I will become more accustomed to it. "

What I don't understand is why Apple can't also include a trackpoint. "Clean design" is all well and good but for the price they could include both options. Some people like trackpoints and some people like touchpads. High end laptops from HP, Dell and Lenovo certainly have both.

"Oh and for the keyboard, I've used pretty much every kind of laptop over the years (even the new mac books) and IBM/Lenovo keyboards are still hands down (pun intended) the best."

Couldn't agree more. Thinkpads have been the best for over a decade. Most other keyboards (I'm talking to you, Dell!) make my fingers ache.



"power cord ... cheap gimic .. nothing hight tech and expensive here."

So what if it's cheap? It's a neat feature and if it's cheap other manufacturers should be able to incorporate it without a hassle.

 

[BillLake]

The way I look at it, most 17" displays do have a number pad, but this causes the keyboard to be shifted off center, that means that when you type you are turned slightly off to the left to line up with the keyboard. I think Apple decided the number pad was just a check list item that did not add value in their way. This could be a mistake on their part but it does keep the keyboard centered.

[citation][nom]keither5150[/nom]Now I am sure that TH is operating some underground contest to see who can stir the pot between Mac lovers and PC people. I was going to post a comment on the second page, got distracted and came back 2 hours later to see 9 pages of comments. Well, I think this article might be this week's winner. I stopped reading the comments by page 3.I have one question, ( it was probably asked already) where is the number pad?.... most 17's have number pads. Anyone who uses their laptop for work.... like me.... likes the number pad.[/citation]

 

[BillLake]

Apple laptops are very popular now because they fit what people want. As many have said here they just work. That said, I think the main reason I picked the MacBook was that it was much lighter than the Alienware. Also, Voodoo PC only makes the Envy 133 now which really is competition for the MacBook Air.

Maybe you should read more of the comments then you would learn that people are not something you think but picking the laptop that works best for them.



[citation][nom]kigginz[/nom]Occasionally my wife buys me a copy of PC World I find it interesting that half the articles are about Macs - I thought that’s what Mac World was for. Anyways - out of 10 reasons to buy a $3000 laptop it may have been useful do some performance comparisons with other similarly priced Windows laptops. The question might be, Could you buy a similarly priced VooDoo or Alienware portable workstation and be as productive as the Mac in a typical graphic or publication environment?Usually then the writer would benchmark the hec out of everything and let reader draw their own conclusions. Typically the ‘feng shu’ of the keyboard and the iPropaganda about being afraid of the internet don’t rate as high as how long does it take to run a Photoshop filter or compile a video segment.If you are an established graphic artist with a six figure salary buy a $3000 Mac Pro – hell buy two. No need to justify it.If you spent $3000 a Mac and the only reasons you could come up with were the ones mentioned in the article, you are probably an iTard.[/citation]

 

[BillLake]

Wow so you would rather carry an extra 4-5 lbs of laptop, that does not make it through your classes than to find a product that meets your need because it might actually work better for you? If you did then it would make you feel like you were better than others? Come on, it is just a PC, does buying some basketball shoe make you better? Does buying some cloths make you better? No, they just look different, you are the same person inside. They are just tools to get you through your day. Pick the tool tha works for you and anyone who owns a make and is a tool, then they were a tool before that.



[citation][nom]tipmen[/nom]I really don't find carrying extra 11 lbs? not that bad actually considering i carry a 30+ lb back for school. If i could i'd put all my books on it... however the poor thing would never make it through class die in about 2 to 3 hours. You can downclock it and disable the one card in the bios might get a little over 3 then. I would still have this over a mac. If i got a mac i would soon develop this complexity i am better then you all and praise steve jobbs.[/citation]

 

[BillLake]

Never said Thinkpad keyboards were bad, they are pretty decent depending on which make you get. They also have the ability to do backlits but don't, they also are very expensive and no one brings that up. So I think the W700 is their entry and if I remember it starts at like $2400 with a weight of about 9 lbs, so again, comparing Apples to Big Blue is not the point. Buy what works for you.


[citation][nom]acr4865975[/nom]"I am also not a big fan of the multi-touch trackpad. I have found it harder to be precise with it than with a separate mouse button. Perhaps with more time I will become more accustomed to it. "What I don't understand is why Apple can't also include a trackpoint. "Clean design" is all well and good but for the price they could include both options. Some people like trackpoints and some people like touchpads. High end laptops from HP, Dell and Lenovo certainly have both."Oh and for the keyboard, I've used pretty much every kind of laptop over the years (even the new mac books) and IBM/Lenovo keyboards are still hands down (pun intended) the best."Couldn't agree more. Thinkpads have been the best for over a decade. Most other keyboards (I'm talking to you, Dell!) make my fingers ache."power cord ... cheap gimic .. nothing hight tech and expensive here."So what if it's cheap? It's a neat feature and if it's cheap other manufacturers should be able to incorporate it without a hassle.[/citation]

 

[Guest]

Hahaha so many jealous haters here!! Why is this? If you are so confident in your own purchasing decisions, why come onto here and berate the author for his choice? I too have a MBP and wouldn't consider any other laptop. It was more than worth it to me. Do you walk down the street and start yelling at the guy in a Mercedes, asking him why didn't buy a Honda instead?? No, it's childish and ridiculous.

 

[Guest]

You can drive a KIA minivan for 10 grand or a Honda Odyssey for 20 grand. This thing is like my Honda Odyssey. You don't notice it at first but after driving it for a bit you begin to notice the small touches that say "Wow - I can't believe they thought of that." After purchasing something you typically find that it either "grows" on you or begins to "annoys" you in small ways. I've consistently found that the Apple products "grow" on me after purchase and that is why in the last year after MANY MANY years of buying PC's and building my own that I'm sold on the Mac products. Apple did two things a short while ago that completely changed the game for them. First, they switched to the Intel mainstream with their processors. Second, they redid their OS.

I've been a PC user for years. Loved Thhinkpads before Lenovo ruined the line. Never tried a MacBook until I had to buy one to do iPhone development. Bought the next to the bottom of the line (plastic case) model. After two weeks of seeing how smoothly the OS and Hardware worked in concert and how my productivity had soared I was hooked. Mac OS X has all the advantages of Linux/Unix with the best UI for them that you can get. When you develop and get into the API's (I'm coming from long experience with OO technologies) you begin to appreciate the real genius underlying the hardware and software design and the SYNERGY between them. That's the hidden benefit. Apple is in the completely unique position of being able to marry the OS to the hardware because they control BOTH. There's a reason you get an extra hour of battery live with OSX. Microsoft has to design VISTA and it's OS's for the least common denominator hardware. That's called "compromise." It should be NO surprise that Apple can craft a superior product because it controls the entire product combination. But apart from that, as this author so ably points out, I tell folks that want to buy a laptop to go ahead and spend a few bucks extra for a MacBook or MacBook Pro (depending on their needs.) It is simply the best PC HARDWARE you can buy (IMO.) Run Windows on it if you don't want to try OS X. I found the comment above about the ease of VISTA installs on the MacBook interesting. That doesn't surprise me. One more think of importance to mobile users, my low end MacBook picks up wi-fi signals that NONE of my other wi-fi devices can see at the same range. It's the best I've ever seen and is just one more little touch of excellence and one of those unexpected pleasant "surprises" I mentioned at the outset. I plan to purchase a MacBook Pro this year (just waiting for our state's tax free weekend event in August) It will be worth every cent.

 

[Dreasconse]

I love how one of the arguments is that it runs Windows.

 

[T-Bone]

The best response was Radnor's (top of page 7.) Why didn't the author reply to that response?

Anyways, recap of the article:
Find me a laptop that is...
1...Really thin & unibody contructed
2...Really light
3...Yet has a 17" LED backlit screen
4...Has a cute backlit keyboard
5...Has an image of a bitten fruit on the lid & doesn't get viruses
6...Has non-user-serviceable batteries that last a long time
7...Can dual boot OSX & Windows

Gee, I guess that really narrows it down. Oh yeah, there are just SOOOOOOOOOOOOO many people out there that want something so general and ubiquitous as that.

 

[BillLake]

Well for all those people who said it was too expensive, try this

Dell M6400 with same hardware cost $3284

Dell M6500 (15.4" unit) with only LED backlit screen up to 1440x900 cost $1805

Dell XPS M1730 with T9500 and similar specs but it comes with dual graphics and weighs in at over 10 lbs $2669

Lenovo M700 with T9400 and no LED backlit screen cost $2679

Dell Studio 17 with similar specs $2015

Aleinware m17x with 8700GT video, T9500 and no LED backlit display $2499


I did not pick any system with BluRay or features not on the Mac, some systems did not have options available like backlit keyboard or LED backlit screen but you can figure it out. I think the lowest weight of a configured system here was about 8 lbs, one at 7.87 with 6 cell battery and I went with 9 cell batteries all around.

Some clearly had features not available on the Apple but the the Apple clearly excels at others, so again pick what works for you.

 

[BillLake]

Yes many people who work in a corporate environment have to run windows. There is no choice some of the applications just do not run anywhere else. So being able to run XP, Vista and eventually Windows 7 (although the beta is running shown running on Macs) is important enough to point out. If it could not run windows, I would not have considered it at all.

[citation][nom]Dreasconse[/nom]I love how one of the arguments is that it runs Windows.[/citation]
[citation][nom]Dreasconse[/nom]I love how one of the arguments is that it runs Windows.[/citation]

 

[BillLake]

Actually those were not my requirement, how about finding me one that does the following

Weighs under 7 lbs or close
Has a T9550 CPU
Had screen at 1920x1200 with Backlit LED
Has backlit keyboard
has dedicated graphics card

I did post some competition but maybe you have a better choice.

As for the one on page 7, look below.



[citation][nom]T-Bone[/nom]The best response was Radnor's (top of page 7.) Why didn't the author reply to that response?Anyways, recap of the article:Find me a laptop that is...1...Really thin & unibody contructed2...Really light3...Yet has a 17" LED backlit screen4...Has a cute backlit keyboard5...Has an image of a bitten fruit on the lid & doesn't get viruses6...Has non-user-serviceable batteries that last a long time7...Can dual boot OSX & WindowsGee, I guess that really narrows it down. Oh yeah, there are just SOOOOOOOOOOOOO many people out there that want something so general and ubiquitous as that.[/citation]

 

[BillLake]

Some great points, maybe people who hate Apple walk everywhere they go or ride public transportation? That way they are not wasting all that money on the car, insurance, and gas.

[citation][nom]cappilot[/nom]You can drive a KIA minivan for 10 grand or a Honda Odyssey for 20 grand. This thing is like my Honda Odyssey. You don't notice it at first but after driving it for a bit you begin to notice the small touches that say "Wow - I can't believe they thought of that." After purchasing something you typically find that it either "grows" on you or begins to "annoys" you in small ways. I've consistently found that the Apple products "grow" on me after purchase and that is why in the last year after MANY MANY years of buying PC's and building my own that I'm sold on the Mac products. Apple did two things a short while ago that completely changed the game for them. First, they switched to the Intel mainstream with their processors. Second, they redid their OS.I've been a PC user for years. Loved Thhinkpads before Lenovo ruined the line. Never tried a MacBook until I had to buy one to do iPhone development. Bought the next to the bottom of the line (plastic case) model. After two weeks of seeing how smoothly the OS and Hardware worked in concert and how my productivity had soared I was hooked. Mac OS X has all the advantages of Linux/Unix with the best UI for them that you can get. When you develop and get into the API's (I'm coming from long experience with OO technologies) you begin to appreciate the real genius underlying the hardware and software design and the SYNERGY between them. That's the hidden benefit. Apple is in the completely unique position of being able to marry the OS to the hardware because they control BOTH. There's a reason you get an extra hour of battery live with OSX. Microsoft has to design VISTA and it's OS's for the least common denominator hardware. That's called "compromise." It should be NO surprise that Apple can craft a superior product because it controls the entire product combination. But apart from that, as this author so ably points out, I tell folks that want to buy a laptop to go ahead and spend a few bucks extra for a MacBook or MacBook Pro (depending on their needs.) It is simply the best PC HARDWARE you can buy (IMO.) Run Windows on it if you don't want to try OS X. I found the comment above about the ease of VISTA installs on the MacBook interesting. That doesn't surprise me. One more think of importance to mobile users, my low end MacBook picks up wi-fi signals that NONE of my other wi-fi devices can see at the same range. It's the best I've ever seen and is just one more little touch of excellence and one of those unexpected pleasant "surprises" I mentioned at the outset. I plan to purchase a MacBook Pro this year (just waiting for our state's tax free weekend event in August) It will be worth every cent.[/citation]

 

[Guest]

I totaly agree with salymar.

And for those who like comparing computers with cars, IBM, Dell, IBM or whatever other brand is not like Hyundai/Kia and Apple is not like Mercedes or Ferrari. As we have seen the "motor" of our copmuter (CPU+GPU) are the same in both cases, so it´s more like comparing Audi vs Volkswagen. They have the same quality/motors and they do the same (tranport people), but Audi has some nice gadgets that VW don´t (led lights...) and VW has some designs that Audi hasn´t (Beetle, in the case of computers that would be a tablet).

In any case I wouldn´t say that the quality is better in one brand than the other, perhaps one fits better with what personally I need, but that doesn´t means that it´s better. And if I pay the premium of buying an Audi over a VW, I wouldn´t say the first it´s better because I prefer it´s design or it´s color. The fact is that I know that Audi is far more expensive for the same hardware more expensive than VW.
And I don´t try to justify myself by saying that Audi is the best.

In any case, your question is to justify that you have paid a premium price (35-40% more) for having a backlit keys, led display, a nice powercord and 1 or 2 lbs less weight.
Sure these are nice features, but I wouldn´t pay that premium price for the exact same hardware.