MacBook Pros: Convince me that they're worth it.

[GoldenI]

I am starting university in September, and I need a laptop for taking notes (I really don't feel like carrying binders around). I am concerned as to whether or not I should get a MacBook. From what I hear, they are...

- Durable
- Exceptional with their displays.
- Great with battery life
- Designed by a brand that has excellent customer service (from what I hear, anyway)

What will I be using my laptop for?

- Note taking
- Occasional gaming (Counter Strike: Global Offensive)
- Programming (I have been teaching myself C over the past couple of weeks).
- Potential media production.
- Web browsing
- Watching movies

Price is somewhat of an issue for me, but I will be willing to shell out the extra cash for a company that I -KNOW- will not completely screw me over. I know that being screwed over occurs within any company, however, I would prefer to be with a company that is highly reputable, and takes customer service very seriously. I saw that Apple was rated EXTREMELY high in terms of their customer service, so I am leaning towards a MacBook. The only deterrent is the price tag.

Here is another laptop that I have been eye-balling...

HP Pavilion 15.6" AMD Quad-Core A10-4600M Accelerated Laptop

http/www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/product/hewlett-packard-hp-pavilion-15-6-amd-quad-core-a10-4600m-accelerated-laptop-m6-1084ca-black-m6-1084ca/10208017.aspx?path=9d7981a9dcd0ae36e2d557187246fd5fen02

 

[raytseng]

you didn't once mention the biggest difference which is OS which is usually the big choices when one chooses between Apple and Windows.

So you want help deciding just based on the hardware or do you want opinions on Mac OS vs Windows.

 

[GoldenI]

you didn't once mention the biggest difference which is OS which is usually the big choices when one chooses between Apple and Windows.

So you want help deciding just based on the hardware or do you want opinions on Mac OS vs Windows.

Well, considering I can merely install the Mac OS onto a VM, or do a dual boot... the OS is irrelevant.

 

[cadder]

This is up to the individual purchaser of course but in my opinion any person to which price is a matter cannot justify purchasing an apple computer.

I own a mac mini that I bought a couple of years ago, I hardly use it. To me the OS is so much more difficult to use than Windows that I won't use it for anything that I don't have to use it for. My main home computer is a desktop computer that I built myself. I spent about as much on it as I did on the mac mini. The mac mini has a 2.0ghz dual core processor and 320GB hard drive, my pc has a 3.8ghz quad core processor and 750GB hard drive, and again they cost the same amount of money.

I am not saying that apple hardware is not nice hardware because it really is nice hardware. You can buy an equivalent really nice pc for about the same amount of money. I have a Dell Latitude E6500 that on paper stacks up almost equal to the macpro of the same time period, and my Latitude cost almost as much as the macpro. I think for the most part my hardware is equivalent in quality. My latitude has a metal case, the macpro has a metal case. My latitude uses the identical LCD screen model that apple buys for the macpro. And of course the hard drives and cpu's are made by the same company. But I could have bought a consumer level laptop with similar performance specs to the Latitude or macpro for about half the price. If cost had been an object to me this is what I would have bought.

 

[blazorthon]

MacBooks are generally more expensive than comparable Windows computers. If you don't care which OS is the base OS, then I'd recommend getting a Windows computer, but it should be a well-researched purchase, especially in the high end. Some Macs are slightly more prone to motherboard failures than most Windows computers are, especially if you build your own Windows computer (you can even do this with a laptop, granted that your choices are much more limited).

I have my own Macbook and it's fairly old and hasn't had a hardware failure except for problems with its WiFi (also common with Macbooks, but newer models and especially higher end models probably don't have this issue, at least not as bad as I have had it), but I hear of many more severe Macbook problems than I hear about most Windows laptops and when there are problems, Apple oftens does everything that they can to ensure that the problems are dropped on their customers rather than themselves (IE trying to void warranties over every little thing and often having huge costs for repairs when your warranty isn't active anymore).

 

[vegettonox]

I will say this much, you would have a much larger array of hardware and software you can use on your pc than you would on a mac and if you come to a situation you require mac you can simply run it in a virtual machine and use it for the specialized software and then shut it off.

I always generally tend to recommend pcs but if you watch the tech community you can see how much apple seems to be pushing their devices away from user serviceability vs a pc. I actually just read an article from ifixit.com about the macbook pro and they rated it the single worst item they have ever taken apart on their repair scale. Hell they even glued the battery into the unit so you couldn't change it out as well as not being able to access it anyway without dismantling the unit. I have to admit, when someone deliberately designs something so i cant swap out a part, that is known to go bad, and are rather cheap to replace, that irks me to no end. Hell the god damn memory is soldered into the motherboard, how cheap and frigging anal is that, go with the pc man its better all around, i have yet to see a reason to own a mac.

The more time that goes on only shows me more reasons to despise macs' and completely avoid them, as each new iteration seems to add more petty annoyances and non-serviceable parts.

 

[jaguarskx]

Mac OS is the bomb!!!

Just having the privilege to use it is worth paying $10 per minute.

 

[Pinhedd]

Well, considering I can merely install the Mac OS onto a VM, or do a dual boot... the OS is irrelevant.

Virtualizing OSX is against the OSX terms of service. Also, it doesn't virtualize well at all due to a lack of virtual driver support; it's barely even usable.

I have a lot of friends who ditched Windows in the Vista era for OSX 10.5 and almost all of them have come back to Windows or Linux. They're all web developers too.

Personally I run Windows Server 2008 R2 on the metal. As a university student you will be able to get a lot of Microsoft software for free under academic licences (PM me if you want to know more) so I highly advise that you take advantage of this. If you are in a STEM field then you will be able to get Windows 7/8 Professional for free as well. For all your development needs you can use VMWare Workstation and simply fire up a linux box like I do.

 

[runswindows95]

Con of the new Macbook Pro: Everything is soldered into place, including the RAM and SSD.

That right there will make me stay away from any PC manufacture.

 

[hella-d]

Id like to convince you NOT to buy a "crapbook blow" i can only say one thing; LENOVO!

Apples are for pies, not computing....

i have used many laptops, and none have ever given me the ease of servisability (i build, and repair PCs and laptops, and thinkpads are some of the easiest to dissasseble), toughness and "Open PC" standard of my lenovo thinkpad x61.

ive chucked mine to the floor several times for purposes of demonstarting the toughness and durability of the thinkpad line, never a crash, refused bootup or even a scratch. AND YOU CAN ACTUALLY WORK ON IT! not a single torx screw.

 

[leandrodafontoura]

Does the following toughts occur in your mind?

"I want the Macbook design, this HP is freaking ugly"

"It will be nice to get an understanding of a diferent OS, alongside Windows. This will improve my computer knowledge"

If so, get the Macbook. Regarding price, the OS experience is worth it, it will bring you iCloud, Multi-touch, Dashboard, and also a REAL custumer service, wich destorys HP's

 

[computernewb]

Con of the new Macbook Pro: Everything is soldered into place, including the RAM and SSD.

That right there will make me stay away from any PC manufacture.

what year macbooks are the parts actually replaceable? is it just 2012 macbooks that have all soldered parts?

 

[runswindows95]

This year far as I know. Previous year allow you to at least allow to upgrade the RAM and hard drive.

 

[hpfreak]

You don't want to invest in a laptop manufacturer that will screw you over and yet you are eye balling a laptop from HP... Oh the irony....

Let me repeat what others have already said, you will get MUCH more for your money if you go with PC. That includes quality- if you are willing to spend well over 1500 dollars on a laptop, then you should at least be willing to spend 60-70% of that on a decent PC if you want to compare. I don't get it when people spend $400 on a PC and complain that it slow, works bad etc.. and when they spend $2000 on a Mac they blame Windows, or PCs in general for being inferior to the "mighty" Apple. Look at Sager, Eurocom, Asus, MSI, etc.. etc.. those brands are pretty good. They don't have any problems that an Apple product wouldn't have, and they don't cost an arm and a leg unless you buy the flagship model of current gen PCs. Besides, Apple is dealing with it's own design issues on the new Macbook pro at the moment.. Macbook Pro (retina) owners don't really appreciate Apple's free egg frying feature...
Let me say.. I'm not anti-apple, I'm just thinking that unless you absolutely need to use a Macintosh for some obscure reason.. preference being one of them, you should get a product that is dependable, speedy, and price effective.

 

[naama]

Go and buy APPLE. they are the best

 

[Spicy_benie]

Go and buy APPLE. they are the best

say this with me ok? F A N : B O Y

all togeather now fanboy

 

[naama]

say this with me ok? F A N : B O Y

all togeather now fanboy

 

[Spicy_benie]

, surprised no1 has said : macs don't get viruses yet lol well stupid maybe you should download microsoft security essentials and not download viruses

 

[COLGeek]

I am starting university in September, and I need a laptop for taking notes (I really don't feel like carrying binders around). I am concerned as to whether or not I should get a MacBook. From what I hear, they are...

- Durable
- Exceptional with their displays.
- Great with battery life
- Designed by a brand that has excellent customer service (from what I hear, anyway)

What will I be using my laptop for?

- Note taking
- Occasional gaming (Counter Strike: Global Offensive)
- Programming (I have been teaching myself C over the past couple of weeks).
- Potential media production.
- Web browsing
- Watching movies

Price is somewhat of an issue for me, but I will be willing to shell out the extra cash for a company that I -KNOW- will not completely screw me over. I know that being screwed over occurs within any company, however, I would prefer to be with a company that is highly reputable, and takes customer service very seriously. I saw that Apple was rated EXTREMELY high in terms of their customer service, so I am leaning towards a MacBook. The only deterrent is the price tag.

Here is another laptop that I have been eye-balling...

HP Pavilion 15.6" AMD Quad-Core A10-4600M Accelerated Laptop

http/www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/product/hewlett-packard-hp-pavilion-15-6-amd-quad-core-a10-4600m-accelerated-laptop-m6-1084ca-black-m6-1084ca/10208017.aspx?path=9d7981a9dcd0ae36e2d557187246fd5fen02

Coming to an anti-Apple forum like Tom's for Apple purchasing advice will get you very predictable feedback (mostly bad). So, if you need something OS X based then an Apple product can meet your needs (and do Windows as well via Boot Camp). If you don't need OS X (or very rarely) you have VM options from any Windows notebook (that will let you take your money farther).

So, is your budget the primary driver? If so, don't buy the Apple. If not and you need OS X, then the answer is maybe.

 

[naf]

One thing to note is that Apple laptops retain weirdly high resale value. My late 2008 model Macbook Pro with Core 2 Duo and 8 gigs of RAM could almost get $900, and I bought it for $2000 4 years ago.

With Apple laptops you don't have to worry about:
- *** PC OEM bloatware
- *** trackpads
- *** displays
- customer service
- flimsy hardware
but you pay for it.

Just make sure you don't buy a MacBook Air or a retina Macbook Pro, as they're basically all one big part, making minor damages catastrophic - my wife's keyboard died and it required a whole new logic board.

That said, Lenovo ThinkPads are also awesome. My wife now has the X1 and it's a great machine.

TL;DR
- A regular 13 or 15 inch macbook pro, with the HDD where the optical drive is and an SSD as a boot drive is a really solid machine.