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[Kleegamefan]

To be clear, I am not balking at the price at all, I am just curious what the price premium with net me, and judging by the responses, quite a lot.

I have friends who own a macbook air, but I don't know anyone who owns a MBP.

Last week I went to an apple store to get a logitech iPad air2 cover/keyboard for my sister in law....while there, I took 60 sec. to look over a MBP with retina display and it was sick as FUCK....so sexy.

Looked at the pricetag and was like WTF?

Doesn't rule me out, but I want to know what I would be buying for that price premium...that's all

 

[Ahasverus]

Buy a mac and run windows on it. Success.

 

[Ganhyun]

My opinion on it.

OSX is made by Apple who also completely controls the hardware specs and devices allowed for their machines. Windows is made by Microsoft, who has to program to allow a large variety of hardware made by different vendors who also tend to add their own flavor of programs on top of it. Prior to Jobs locking things down, Apple used to do the same thing in the mid nineties and it was horrible.

Also, for those who hate Windows 8/8.1 metro interface ClassicShell fixes that issue.

I feel that Windows 8/8.1 works well with touchscreen devices since that's what it was designed for. Microsoft felt that touchscreen pcs were going to take off, but most places don't want/need that. Most users don't have touchscreen capable pcs either. Thus the frustration of trying to deal with a touchscreen based OS interface using a mouse and keyboard.

 

[whatever77]

Fair market priced Apple: Macbook Air and some MB Pro

Kind of overpriced but retain its value very well for their lifespan: iPhone

Overpriced: iPad

Ridiculously overpriced: iTouch

 

[bionic77]

First of all, thank you for the replies

The MCP is not for me, but for my wife. I will be getting a mac book air since I like the long battery life and portability.....it should fit on the tray of an airplay nicely

The MCP is similar is size to our other laptops so I don't want for her to downsize. I can afford a $2000 laptop no problem, but I want to make sure they represent good value at that price point.

Is there a good and easy to learn online article about the pros/cons of iOS X....I know nothing about it.....I have used the MS OS since Windows 98 (yes, that long).....I put up with Millennium.....I put up with Vista.....but, seriously....I LOATHE Windows 8......I have tried and tried to tolerate it but I am done.

The Air is my favorite computer ever. Its only weakness is the display, but for me the portability, speed and battery life make up for it.

As for how to use OS X. I switched in 2004 or 2005 and the biggest thing for me was installing and deleting apps. You either drag the app into the application folder or drag it to the trash icon. Also learn the trackpad gestures and experiment with each of the function keys. The thing you will miss from Windows is the snap feature, but there are apps that emulate that.

 

[Garrett Hawke]

They really do last. My wife and I got our laptops at the same time. Her windows machine is a slow piece of shit. Mine is still purring along nice and fast. But I did pay 4x the price. But then again I can sell it today and get at least 50%

Ikr, it's crazy. I've had friends who've had Macbooks for 4-5+ years. When I used Windows, I had to change laptop every 2 years because they either fell apart from daily use, slowed to a crawl, or had other issues. I'm an incredibly heavy user (only computer, probably upwards of 7 hours a day) and unless a laptop is built incredibly solidly (like my Macbook), I just shred them.

I switched from Windows to a Macbook and would agree with you on every point except the last one. Windows outclasses OS X in every conceivable way.

I disagree. Having been a Windows user for 10+ years (XP, then 7) I have to say that I have experienced so few crashes on my Macbook in 2 years that I can't even remember them. I can't say the same about Windows. It's really, really buggy and slow.

 

[LeleSocho]

You spend roughly 500$ on a laptop roughly every 18-24 months? I've got two things to say to you:
1) You can't expect cheap-o hardware to run smoothly forever
2) Your computer would probably run way better if you don't fill it with crapware and clean it every once in a while.

It's insane to throw away a computer after only 18 months.

Btw i had a plastic MacBook for 4-5 years and i'm actually using a MBP bought exactly 3 years ago, it runs like a champ.... it only needs a nice SSD.

 

[MercuryLS]

In one word. Absolutely.

For one, they will last you a lot longer than two years, my mother is still using her 2009 MBP every single day and it's running as fast as the day she got it. No upgrade necessary.

But there are other aspects that make the price hike worth it.

The touchpad is the best touchpad in the business. Period.
The resale value is ridiculous. You could use one for two years and recoup 75% of the cost.
The build quality is very high. Premium materials and workmanship.
Battery life is unmatched.
Retina displays are unmatched.
OS X is unmatched.

There simply isn't going back to Windows laptops after having owned one of these, except if you're desperate to game on the go. Which I am not, personally.

All of this. Been usinng macs since 2009 and I'll never go back. Worth every penny, although I never buy them retail. Always look for a deal.

 

[Owari]

If you're buying a Mac, be sure to factor in a nice Warranty from a company like SauareTrade, as Apple's warranty (AppleCare) is pure shit.

 

[alatif113]

First of all, thank you for the replies

The MCP is not for me, but for my wife. I will be getting a mac book air since I like the long battery life and portability.....it should fit on the tray of an airplay nicely

The MCP is similar is size to our other laptops so I don't want for her to downsize. I can afford a $2000 laptop no problem, but I want to make sure they represent good value at that price point.

Is there a good and easy to learn online article about the pros/cons of iOS X....I know nothing about it.....I have used the MS OS since Windows 98 (yes, that long).....I put up with Millennium.....I put up with Vista.....but, seriously....I LOATHE Windows 8......I have tried and tried to tolerate it but I am done.

The difference between OS X and Windows (imo) is the ease of use. Compared to Windows, there are no wonky settings or endless steps needed to do a simple task. You want to uninstall an app? Simply drag the icon to the trash bin and boom, uninstalled. The biggest thing you'll probably have to get used to is using command instead of control (your muscle memory will have to adjust).

Also, the mac office apps are completely different from that of MS Office so you'll have to adjust to those as well. At first you might find that they are lacking in capability (as I have too when transitioning over from a Windows machine) but soon you'll realize that is false. The most prominent problem here is compatibility. The option to export to the MS equivalent is available but in my experience this slightly alters the formatting of your document. Alternatively you can download the mac version of MS Office but the apps are not optimized and can be really buggy (speaking from experience).

 

[Kleegamefan]

You spend roughly 500$ on a laptop roughly every 18-24 months? I've got two things to say to you:
1) You can't expect cheap-o hardware to run smoothly forever
2) Your computer would probably run way better if you don't fill it with crapware and clean it every once in a while.

It's insane to throw away a computer after only 18 months.

The screen on my sister in law's Dell is fuxxored and my kids are going to get my comp.


To be clear; I am not saying; wow, why is this Mercedes S500 so much more durable than my Kia Optima?

What I am saying is: Wow, its easy to see the quality and workmanship of the S500 is a massive jump over my Kia. I wouldn't mind one, and best of all, I could proabably actually afford an S500. But before I *do* spend that kind of money, I want to research the pros and cons first....

 

[Pifje]

13" 2560x1440 IPS panel
256 GB SSD
Aluminium build
Glass trackpad
Keyboard with backlight
i5 or i7 Intel processor

And this is a Windows laptop called HP Spectre, an ultrabook. It is basically a Windows version of a Macbook. Not all Windows laptops are the same.

It is also cheaper than Macbooks. Might be worth looking into, if you really care about pricing that much (looking at how you are buying iPhones for the whole god damn family really tells me otherwise, though).

 

[Cro-Magnon]

If you don't wanna put up with Windows' bullshit anymore (which is comprehensible), and if you think Macs are hard on the wallet (which is comprehensible), you should definitely give a good look in the Linux area.

There some excellent Linux distros nowadays (I'm thinking mainly of Mint), which are super-easy to install, and come right out of the box with lots of useful software. All of it free of charge.

There are also pretty decent notebooks which are sold without any OS installed (well, sort of), that are good for saving some extra money (keyword: freeDOS). Because what's the point of paying for Windows, if you're only going to wipe it down and put Linux in its stead?

 

[threetri333]

I love Macbooks, but I wish they support more games.

How are their game selection?

 

[gcubed]

Ikr, it's crazy. I've had friends who've had Macbooks for 4-5+ years. When I used Windows, I had to change laptop every 2 years because they either fell apart from daily use, slowed to a crawl, or had other issues. I'm an incredibly heavy user (only computer, probably upwards of 7 hours a day) and unless a laptop is built incredibly solidly (like my Macbook), I just shred them.

I disagree. Having been a Windows user for 10+ years (XP, then 7) I have to say that I have experienced so few crashes on my Macbook in 2 years that I can't even remember them. I can't say the same about Windows. It's really, really buggy and slow.

I have had more issues in my year with a mac then I have had since windows 7 released

 

[Chance Hale]

I disagree. Having been a Windows user for 10+ years (XP, then 7) I have to say that I have experienced so few crashes on my Macbook in 2 years that I can't even remember them. I can't say the same about Windows. It's really, really buggy and slow.

How is Windows slow? It's amazing how people buy cheap laptops with 2 GBs of ram and expect things to go smoothly. Ram and SSDs have the same, wonderful effect on OSX and Windows. On my SP2 with 8GBs of ram(which boots up in less than 10 seconds) general usage(as in not gaming/video editing) is incredibly smooth and without delay.

 

[Renzoku]

Try quality.

I have a MacBook Pro from 2007 that has been through hell and back that still functions like a champ, and has outlasted 3 family PCs to date. Sure, it's more expensive, but you get what you pay for. I feel dualbooting with ease adds a huge value to it aswell, and was hugely helpful for many of my projects.

My favorite part about Macs is the part where eventually you can no longer update the OS on them for bullshit reasons.

They last such a long time though, the RAM and Mobos and CPUs are clearly built out of apple magic.

Oh, hey there five year old PC laptop that still works flawlessly and can run Win 8.1.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

I love Macbooks, but I wish they support more games.

How are their game selection?

Open up Steam and filter to look at only Mac games or PC+Mac games.

Games --> Browse By Platform

My favorite part about Macs is the part where eventually you can no longer update the OS on them for bullshit reasons.

They last such a long time though, the RAM and Mobos and CPUs are clearly built out of apple magic.

Oh, hey there five year old PC laptop that still works flawlessly and can run Win 8.1.

Cool story.

But oh hey there 8 year old Macs can run the latest version of OSX (Yosemite) flawlessly.

...but you knew that, right? You wouldn't have made such a smartass remark without knowing that first.

2007 and up.

 

[Yaboosh]

Is the current baseline macbook air a good buy right now or is there a refresh coming soon?

I kind of did poorly on gifts for my wife this year and think she would be thrilled with one.

And 13" Air or 13" Pro? She will mostly use it for internet and managing her blog.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

Is the current baseline macbook air a good buy right now?

It's not a good time to buy any laptops right now. Systems with the new Intel chipset should be arriving in the next few months.

 

[gcubed]

Is the current baseline macbook air a good buy right now or is there a refresh coming soon?

I kind of did poorly on gifts for my wife this year and think she would be thrilled with one.

And 13" Air or 13" Pro? She will mostly use it for internet and managing her blog.

Air should be fine for that. The 13" mbp though IMO isn't that much larger

 

[TheExodu5]

I love my MacBook as far as build and quality of the hardware goes...but I really regret getting only a 128GB drive in it. I find OS X pretty terrible as it doesn't do basic things I'm used to in Windows (e.g. Paint, Photo Preview, Window Snapping, Finder is awful compared to Explorer). Can't really justify the space needed to dual-boot, though.

 

[Chris R]

Is the current baseline macbook air a good buy right now or is there a refresh coming soon?

I kind of did poorly on gifts for my wife this year and think she would be thrilled with one.

And 13" Air or 13" Pro? She will mostly use it for internet and managing her blog.

13" Air, but maaaaaaan... http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#MacBook_Air

Would she balk at a coupon to be used as soon as the new models come out sometime this year? The Broadwell models are going to be slick, and there are rumors of a "pro/retina" styled MBA complete with your choice of colored aluminium.

 

[The Albatross]

The market decided it was worth paying an upcharge for style and ease of use.

And build quality, and software quality, and longevity.

So, yes, the market decided it is worth paying more for a better product.

Is the current baseline macbook air a good buy right now or is there a refresh coming soon?

I kind of did poorly on gifts for my wife this year and think she would be thrilled with one.

And 13" Air or 13" Pro? She will mostly use it for internet and managing her blog.

The Air is a great computer, and that 12+ hour battery life is the real deal. For 13" displays, I think the Air is better than the 13" Pro.

 

[Mecha]

I'm not sure how you can break a laptop as fast as some people have in this thread.

 

[Swarna]

I'm seeing a lot of remarks about durability here. There's nothing intrinsically more durable about a Macbook. Any old manufacturer could have the same or similar parts in a laptop and the only difference would be the OS, outside casing, and the fact that it's a few hundred dollars less...

 

[Yoda]

While the following list doesn't apply to ALL windows laptops they do to most.

-Superior battery
-Better design
-Simplified OS which is many cases still has the same power as Windows (but not all)
-They retain their value much much better. If you don't believe me go look on eBay.
-You will receive almost all major OSX updates for free. They won't be as sweeping as a new Windows, but in many cases that's a positive.
-Software library has done nothing but improve. There is still more 3rd party development for Windows-only but the gap has done nothing but shrink in the last 5 years.

 

[Yaboosh]

13" Air, but maaaaaaan... http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#MacBook_Air

Would she balk at a coupon to be used as soon as the new models come out sometime this year? The Broadwell models are going to be slick, and there are rumors of a "pro/retina" styled MBA complete with your choice of colored aluminium.

I mean she would have no idea that she is getting one at all.

So of it makes sense to wait she wouldn't know any difference.

Her shitty windows laptop is just crapping right now.

Does the current baseline retina pro handle the resolution fine?

 

[smokeandmirrors]

Cool story.

But oh hey there 8 year old Macs can run the latest version of OSX (Yosemite) flawlessly.

...but you knew that, right? You wouldn't have made such a smartass remark without knowing that first.

2007 and up.

I think the only limiting factor is the older apple computers weren't using intel chip, which then explains the somewhat artificial "2007 and up" thing.

Is the current baseline macbook air a good buy right now or is there a refresh coming soon?

I kind of did poorly on gifts for my wife this year and think she would be thrilled with one.

And 13" Air or 13" Pro? She will mostly use it for internet and managing her blog.

Probably Air. A refresh is coming soonish so you can wait if you want. If not, bump it up to 8gb of ram. Seriously. It's worth it.

 

[uncleniccius]

What's so bad about windows 8? Just install classic shell or windows 7.



Stop buying shit $500 laptops then, if you spent as much on a windows laptop as your about to on a mac it would be just as good if not better. Of course a mac is better than the current shit you've got, like you said it costs 5X as much. Even a $500 laptop shouldn't be useless after 18 months if you take good care of it, CCleaner, disk de-fragmentation, anitvirus etc.



What on earth did you do? I built a new PC last month and all I did was update to 8.1 then install classic shell, took under two minutes.


Edit: Not saying Windows 8 is good, its not, however it really doesn't take long to get it working as good if not better than 7.

I have a £900 Samsung laptop and windows 8 runs like shit. I'm getting Macbook Pro because while I don't mind the design windows 8 runs like shit.

 

[Mammoth Jones]

Open up Steam and filter to look at only Mac games or PC+Mac games.

Games --> Browse By Platform


.

Most graphically intense games run like shit on my 2012 rMBP. Borderlands 2 for example is a slide show.

 

[msv]

I have a £900 Samsung laptop and windows 8 runs like shit. I'm getting Macbook Pro because while I don't mind the design windows 8 runs like shit.

How does it run like shit? Windows 8 has a lower profile than Windows 7, it runs smoother and better comparatively. I'm wondering what the people complaining about Windows 8 performance are doing wrong.

 

[MercuryLS]

13" 2560x1440 IPS panel
256 GB SSD
Aluminium build
Glass trackpad
Keyboard with backlight
i5 or i7 Intel processor

And this is a Windows laptop called HP Spectre, an ultrabook. It is basically a Windows version of a Macbook. Not all Windows laptops are the same.

It is also cheaper than Macbooks. Might be worth looking into, if you really care about pricing that much (looking at how you are buying iPhones for the whole god damn family really tells me otherwise, though).

There isn't a single windows laptop with a trackpad like the ones on MacBooks. It's the #1 reason I'll never switch back. Gas trackpad in your specs list means shit if it doesn't respond anywhere near as good as it should.

 

[grmlin]

If you buy a MBP retina, things just work, and most apps support the high resolution. The biggest problem is: everything else without high resolution looks like shit afterwards.

My experience with a 13" Samsung Ultrabook and a 1080p screen running Windows 8.0 was terrible. Especially with a monitor connected, things got weird. Best idea was to run it at native resolution (tiny tiny everythin) because that scaling of Windows just didn't work properly. (not to mention the missing support for high resolution in apps. Blurry text, pixelated icons etc.)

We were really interested in developing apps for Win 8 (modern) but hated this OS so much, that we returned to our MacBooks...


Recently I got a new MPB 15 for work. It replaced a mid 2009 or 2010 15" (I don't remember exactly) that's still running strong. That thing was running 8h a day minimum without hiccups.
To be fair, Thinkpads and other premium business Notebooks will do so, too.


EDIT: that trackpad, yes! Until MS fixes scrolling in Windows at a fundamental level, I seriously can't go back.

 

[threetri333]

Open up Steam and filter to look at only Mac games or PC+Mac games.

Games --> Browse By Platform



Cool story.

But oh hey there 8 year old Macs can run the latest version of OSX (Yosemite) flawlessly.

...but you knew that, right? You wouldn't have made such a smartass remark without knowing that first.

2007 and up.

I mean has the selection of games gotten a lot better compared to Windows in recent years?

 

[Cro-Magnon]

I mean has the selection of games gotten a lot better compared to Windows in recent years?

The gap is still there, but it's getting thinner and thinner. Linux too.

At least for the not-so-high-specs-demanding games.

 

[AyaisMUsikWhore]

I just bought one as well. Refurbished 16gb Ram edition. I love it, it's better than Windows by a huge landslide. Things are much easier to do on it, and despite its price I feel like it's here to last versus my other laptop.

I paid around $1500 for mine and it's future proof. Go to the refurb section and get some cheaper ones there. As an added note, the refubs are literally brand new.

 

[grumble]

You buy macs for a few reasons:

1. You like the premium finish and build materials
2. Having maximum functionality is not important to you
3. You like the integrated system
4. Money is not important

Honesty there is no 'best' computer. Windows people talk about the Mac being less capable and having bad value, while Mac talks about windows being clunky and made cheaply. It depends on your needs.

 

[FinKL]

Has anyone tried dual booting windows on a MacBook Pro? Looks like Bootcamp comes with the option to just install windows so you could play games natively through Windows vs Parallels/VMWare etc. Is that right?

In the same predicament, looking for a desktop replacement to play some Steam games. Air is out of the question as I feel the HD 5000 is kind of weak.

 

[LeleSocho]

My favorite part about Macs is the part where eventually you can no longer update the OS on them for bullshit reasons.

They last such a long time though, the RAM and Mobos and CPUs are clearly built out of apple magic.

Oh, hey there five year old PC laptop that still works flawlessly and can run Win 8.1.

Oh yes such bullshit reasons like ditching all the 32bit processors to actually take advantage of the new hardware... they really should be ashamed.
also what the hell why a super young 8 years old iMac can run Yosemite but my 11 years old can't? I WANT NEW OS RELEASES ON MY G5 GRRRRR.
In sign of protest i will switch to a Pentium 2 running Windows 8.1

 

[Pifje]

There isn't a single windows laptop with a trackpad like the ones on MacBooks. It's the #1 reason I'll never switch back. Gas trackpad in your specs list means shit if it doesn't respond anywhere near as good as it should.

Have you tried the Spectre's trackpad? Your rant means shit if you haven't.

 

[BocoDragon]

Has anyone tried dual booting windows on a MacBook Pro? Looks like Bootcamp comes with the option to just install windows so you could play games natively through Windows vs Parallels/VMWare etc. Is that right?

Yup. I was doing that as far back as 2007. A MacBook is the best Windows laptop around haha.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

Most graphically intense games run like shit on my 2012 rMBP. Borderlands 2 for example is a slide show.

I dual-boot Windows for gaming. My games run quite well on my 2011 in Windows, but very mediocre/poor in OSX. Not sure if the drivers or OpenGL is to blame.

Try bootcamping Windows 8.1.

Has anyone tried dual booting windows on a MacBook Pro? Looks like Bootcamp comes with the option to just install windows so you could play games natively through Windows vs Parallels/VMWare etc. Is that right?

I do it every day. It becomes a Windows PC, basically. With far better gaming performance than when you're booted into OSX. Highly recommend for gaming. It's not a small difference; it's like a 100% framerate boost. (literally going from sub 30fps in some games to 60+fps with higher settings).

 

[threetri333]

How is running Windows on Macbook? The last I heard was that drivers support aren't good..

 

[Dreams-Visions]

How is running Windows on Macbook? The last I heard was that drivers support aren't good..

It's great. Drivers are perfect. Who told you driver support wasn't good? Everything works as expected and you can update graphics drivers as you would any GPU driver that wasn't provided by the manufacturer.

My MBP is the Windows 8 machine I have the least trouble with in my house.

 

[uncleniccius]

How does it run like shit? Windows 8 has a lower profile than Windows 7, it runs smoother and better comparatively. I'm wondering what the people complaining about Windows 8 performance are doing wrong.

It isn't bloat as I've hardly filled it up, I haven't got a virus either. I really don't know what it is, it's strange.

Apps keep not responding and it frequently doesn't respond, it is crap and is annoying.

 

[MercuryLS]

IMO what it really comes down to is that Apple owns the whole widget. It's the reason why their trackpads are so good, why their scaling on the retina displays are great. They control the hardware and software, and it's why using a MB is far less frustrating than using a Windows laptop (for me). When you have a million different OEM's making hardware of varying quality and various parts, it's impossible to have that tight integration between hardware and software (that's why MS even made the surface). To this day the trackpads are rubbish on Windows laptops, the actual hardware might be great but the drivers might not be good enough to bring out the full potential of the hardware. This issue is not prevalent in vertically integrated hardware like MB. When you buy a MB you get a very stable, reliable, well built product through and through that will run really well for years and hold up to some abuse due to the rigid aluminium unibody.

The only way that I would consider a Windows laptop is if MS went all in making a MB competitor like a Surface Laptop where they could built the whole thing and make sure the software is properly tuned to the hardware.

 

[FinKL]

I dual-boot Windows for gaming. My games run quite well on my 2011 in Windows, but very mediocre/poor in OSX. Not sure if the drivers or OpenGL is to blame.

Try bootcamping Windows 8.1.



I do it every day. It becomes a Windows PC, basically. With far better gaming performance than when you're booted into OSX. Highly recommend for gaming. It's not a small difference; it's like a 100% framerate boost. (literally going from sub 30fps in some games to 60+fps with higher settings).

That's great to hear, much appreciated

 

[CrudeDiatribe]

To be clear, I am not balking at the price at all, I am just curious what the price premium with net me, and judging by the responses, quite a lot.

Build quality is pretty amazing. You have to get similarly priced PCs to get a similar feeling of quality (try bending/twisting closed laptops of various makes and price points).

You're absolutely not getting GPU performance though, and don't buy any of the "cheap" desktop Macs with spinning HDDs instead of SSDs.

The difference between OS X and Windows (imo) is the ease of use. Compared to Windows, there are no wonky settings or endless steps needed to do a simple task.

Mostly I agree, but some things are pretty broken in OS X right now; my biggest complaint is how badly the Disk Utility doesn't work, forcing me to use the command line 'diskutil' to do what the GUI app purports to do. I have no problem using the CLI, but not everyone uses it all day everyday like I do.

I think the only limiting factor is the older apple computers weren't using intel chip, which then explains the somewhat artificial "2007 and up" thing.

64-bit EFI is the deciding factor. Macs since 2006 had Intel chips, many even had 64-bit CPUs, but the Mid-2007 iMac was the first to have 64-bit EFI, the other lines getting it in 2008 and 2009.

 

[ReduxMachine]

Try quality.

I have a MacBook Pro from 2007 that has been through hell and back that still functions like a champ, and has outlasted 3 family PCs to date. Sure, it's more expensive, but you get what you pay for. I feel dualbooting with ease adds a huge value to it aswell, and was hugely helpful for many of my projects.

Would not say that for all Macs, I have a MacBook Pro from 2007 that has gone through two batteries, a power adapter and after a couple of osx upgrades it was horribly slow, so I would not say they are all built to last.