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[Dr.Guru of Peru]

My Lenovo from 2010 is still going strong, so I don't buy that Macbooks are somehow more future proof than Windows laptops. I do appreciate the build quality and battery life of a Macbook, but there are (cheaper) alternatives out there if you don't want to switch to OSX.

 

[smokeandmirrors]

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.

ah shit that's right. I forgot when 64bit chips were introduced.

 

[MercuryLS]

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

Took me 30 seconds to find this review:

http://www.engadget.com/2014/03/11/hp-spectre-13-ultrabook-review/

SUMMARY
There's lots to like about the Spectre 13 -- especially given the low price. For the money, you can expect an attractive design, bright display, fast performance and a generous warranty. But you should also prepare yourself for middling battery life and one frustrating trackpad.

 

[MercuryLS]

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.

I gave my mom my 2009 MBP when I upgraded to the rMBP. The only issue it had was that it was slow to load things due to the spinning HDD, I installed a SSD and the thing is a beast now. I highly recommend that you swap the HDD with a SSD, it's the single best thing you could do to dramatically up performance (other than a ram upgrade). I was shocked at how well Yosemite runs on a 5 year old machine.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

My Lenovo from 2010 is still going strong, so I don't buy that Macbooks are somehow more future proof than Windows laptops. I do appreciate the build quality and battery life of a Macbook, but there are (cheaper) alternatives out there if you don't want to switch to OSX.

Nobody said they are. But usually with better materials and certain components used (like magsafe power plugs), they may last longer on average. If you want "future proof"...laptops are not the type of product you want in the first place.

 

[subrock]

I used to have trouble justifying the cost of a Mac, but then I bought one. To me, the value is justified for a few reasons.

- resale value: I can usually get about 60-70% of the purchase cost of my Apple devices on resale. I sell my iPhone every year, and I sell my Mac about every 3.

- Tightly coupled hardware: Programmers can expect a lot more things about their hardware environment when targeting Mac and iOS. This mean that spec sheets comparisons of Macs to PCs absolutely don't work. The benefit of this tight coupling is obvious when you use the software on each.

- Build quality: No creaky cases, no vestigial hardware (fingerprint readers, DVD drives), fantastic touchpad. They may not all be that mindblowing on their own, but the sum of the parts makes using a Mac extremely nice.

 

[ComputerMKII]

I used to love Apple laptops but I feel like I actually need Windows for the many obscure programs I need for time to time, which don't run on OS X. Also, as pretty as OS X's look and feel is, you do get tired of it after some time.

Also, considering how Windows seems to be improving, I might end up replacing my Macbook Air with a Windows ultrabook once Windows 10 comes out.

 

[Enco]

From the Windows and Mac laptops I've used, Macs last far far longer and are generally much higher in quality. Windows laptops are generally shit quality.

But yea prices are ridiculous. I stick with my Windows desktop for gaming and exclusive apps.

 

[MrGerbils]

Don't forget that when you're buying a Mac you also get iPhoto, imovie, garage band, pages, numbers, and keynote included.

If you have any other apple products you also get tight integration in to the ecosystem. Like FaceTime on your laptop to your kids phones. Texting built in to the OS. AirPlay to transfer files between devices or to stream content to your TV. iCloud storage space that's shared between all your devices, etc etc.

You're not just paying for the raw hardware stats you get, but also the development of all that deeply integrated software and online services.

 

[The Albatross]

So I love my macs, but I will throw it out there that ifyou ever want to play computer games on your computer, Macs just aren't for you. I mean, you can play like... Bioshock Infinite, and then a bunch of old games, and that's about it for "AAA" major releases and even most minor, indie releases. I think the Steam Mac page still advertises Bioshock Infinite as the big release for OS X. It's a bummer.

Don't forget that when you're buying a Mac you also get iPhoto, imovie, garage band, pages, numbers, and keynote included.

iPhoto, Pages, Numbers, and Keynote are generally all junk. iMovie and Garage Band are good, though.

 

[soundahfekz]

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).

dat battery life though

no windows laptop can match that.

 

[The Real Abed]

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.

There are tons of free drawing programs.

QuickLook previews any photo or file you have on your machine and can be expanded with plugins. (Press SPACE)

Window snapping can be added via the use of one of a half dozen different third-party utilities. We recommend BetterTouchTool.

The Finder does indeed suck and has since OS X. (Bring back OS 9's amazingly flawless Finder)

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

If it's not built into every PC laptop then the point is moot. Apple's trackpad is built into every Mac and is amazing. If you have to buy a third-party trackpad for Windows just to get the same feel it's not the same thing. Until PC manufacturers start using the same exact quality trackpads in all their machines then it will never be the same. And believe me, in the last month I've had to deal with two different "Magic Trackpad clones" on two different laptops and they are terrible. If they had trackpads that felt and worked the same as Apple's I'd have no qualms when I have to use Windows.

Took me 30 seconds to find this review:

http://www.engadget.com/2014/03/11/hp-spectre-13-ultrabook-review/

Aaaand it looks like that won't happen anytime soon. PC makers just don't know how to do it right it seems.

 

[jelly]

You get nice Windows laptops, Macs taking the crown isn't a certainty unless your picky. I would say Windows laptops are a bit of a lottery with touchpads and generally lack that complete niceness like magnetic power port for example. Battery life and longevity, not sure these days but it wasn't great for me before.

Surface is nice and all but that keyboard and touchpad, not quite there and considering they are just as expensive as Macs it's an easy and hard choice depending on what you want, Windows Environment, touch, pen.

 

[Aztechnology]

From the Windows and Mac laptops I've used, Macs last far far longer and are generally much higher in quality. Windows laptops are generally shit quality.

But yea prices are ridiculous. I stick with my Windows desktop for gaming and exclusive apps.

My question to people who state things like this, is, have you ever owned a PC laptop that was the price of a Mac? Because I talk to way too many people stepping up from some cheapo 400-500 dollar PC laptop to a $1500+ Macbook then saying "Wow, the quality puts my PC to shame, Apples build quality is so much better!." If you haven't had extensive usage with a high quality PC laptop (Not saying you haven't) and a high quality Macbook than you are not qualified to speak about the quality differences.

 

[Schlep]

Same thing I ran into when I was looking to upgrade back in 2011. I had been a Mac user since buying a tangerine iMac back in 1999, but the new devices just weren't right for me. Either it was the Mac mini, which was slow and expensive for what it was, or it was the iMac with a built-in monitor that I didn't need nor want and, again, bad specs given the amount of cash I'd be dishing out.

The Mac Pros are just ridiculous. I bought one back in 2000 for $1799, but now the cheapest is $2999.

I wasn't really a huge fan of Windows 7, so I decided to go with what I'd tested a couple times before, and have had Ubuntu as my main OS for the past 4 years. It's not without its hiccups, but I get a similar feel to Mac with most software being free and very good stability for $0. I built the computer for $1100 and it out-benchmarked Apple's top of the line $3500 Mac Pro at the time. I've never regretted the decision.

For disclosure, I do have a Surface Pro 3 that I use quite regularly, but the Ubuntu PC is still what I'd consider my main computer.

 

[MercuryLS]

My question to people who state things like this, is, have you ever owned a PC laptop that was the price of a Mac? Because I talk to way too many people stepping up from some cheapo 400-500 dollar PC laptop to a $1500+ Macbook then saying "Wow, the quality puts my PC to shame, Apples build quality is so much better!." If you haven't had extensive usage with a high quality PC laptop (Not saying you haven't) and a high quality Macbook than you are not qualified to speak about the quality differences.

Before I bought my MBP in 2009 I only bought $1000+ Windows laptops thinking that I would get quality at the higher prices. I had an ok Toshiba and an absolutely shitty HP laptop that was the last straw. Around the same time my mom bought a 1k+ LG laptop where the screen hinge gave up in 6 months. I'm sure windows laptops are better now but man, they were shit before, no matter the price.

 

[Zantetsuken]

Laptops: Mac


Desktop: Windows (depends)


I have a late-09 white unibody Macbook that is still going strong, but I want to start gaming. I will update my laptop w/ the Air and build a PC to play games. Can someone let me know how is gaming on a Macbook Pro that dual boots Windows? I'm looking into that as well.

 

[Dougald]

Funny you should say that they're expensive, while a lot of their stuff is overpriced, I recently bought the mbp13 because it was the best value for money in the bracket I was looking at for me (small-sized with at least a 1080p display). Apple don't really do a "low end" but if you are looking at a higher specced machine they are almost competitive

The pricing on some models is bizarre though, £200 extra for the 256gb mbp13 over the 128? They're having a laugh.

 

[whatever77]

My Lenovo from 2010 is still going strong, so I don't buy that Macbooks are somehow more future proof than Windows laptops. I do appreciate the build quality and battery life of a Macbook, but there are (cheaper) alternatives out there if you don't want to switch to OSX.

My 2009 Lenovo Thinkpad (X301) is still going strong. I just replaced its keyboard recently. It feels it can go another 5 year when I get a new battery.

You know what, I would not recommend a Thinkpad to my friends. It's more expensive than Macbook when new. Plus the material Lenovo uses for Thinkpad is very utilitarian. The soft plastic surface ages very well but the screen attact huge amount of dirt all the time. My wife's 2 year old 13" MBA doesn't have that problem.

When I am ready to buy a 11" laptop, I will get a 11" MBA and get the black case to make it look like a professional laptop. Lenovo actually has better laptop in that category, the Helix tablet/laptop. But again, its more expensive and I don't think anybody can fix or make accessories for the Helix except Lenovo.

 

[Mr.Pig]

Before I bought my MBP in 2009 I only bought $1000+ Windows laptops thinking that I would get quality at the higher prices. I had an ok Toshiba and an absolutely shitty HP laptop that was the last straw. Around the same time my mom bought a 1k+ LG laptop where the screen hinge gave up in 6 months. I'm sure windows laptops are better now but man, they were shit before, no matter the price.

He did say high quality, not expensive. ;-)

 

[Two Words]

Wait for an upgrade around March.

 

[Aztechnology]

Before I bought my MBP in 2009 I only bought $1000+ Windows laptops thinking that I would get quality at the higher prices. I had an ok Toshiba and an absolutely shitty HP laptop that was the last straw. Around the same time my mom bought a 1k+ LG laptop where the screen hinge gave up in 6 months. I'm sure windows laptops are better now but man, they were shit before, no matter the price.

They definitely are, but I know what you're saying, years ago even the 1k+ PC's were generally plastic crap. They've definitely caught up and have higher quality and performance for price nowadays. Anyways, I was just pointing out that it can be misleading when people use anecdotal evidence to support their belief one way or another.

 

[John Kowalski]

I don't understand why everyone who works in image editing uses Apple. I really don't.

 

[soundahfekz]

I don't understand why everyone who works in image editing uses Apple. I really don't.

maybe aesthetically pleasing hardware and os helps productivity for some, don't know. I'm sure a good chunk of it is marketing

 

[nullref]

I have a late-09 white unibody Macbook that is still going strong, but I want to start gaming. I will update my laptop w/ the Air and build a PC to play games. Can someone let me know how is gaming on a Macbook Pro that dual boots Windows? I'm looking into that as well.

I have a 15" MacBook Pro with the GT 750M, which is the best gaming MacBook currently available (which isn't saying much). I do game on it, and it works well enough -- but I bought it because I wanted a powerful Mac laptop, regardless of gaming capability. That I can game on it was just a bonus, as it's otherwise not a cost-effective way to get a MacBook + a gaming machine.

If you're fine with a smaller/cheaper MacBook, I'd get that + build a gaming PC. For the same price as the top-tier MacBook Pro, you can get a MacBook Air (or even 13" Pro) + a desktop that will provide a much better gaming experience than my MacBook Pro.

 

[Angelus Errare]

I don't understand why everyone who works in image editing uses Apple. I really don't.

OS workflow, you'll understand when Windows 10 is released and you realize how empty your life has been without virtual desktops that are actually integrated nicely into the OS environment.

With that stated, I find PS on Windows to be faster, but then again OSX has Sketch 3 which I swear by.

 

[rezuth]

I don't understand why everyone who works in image editing uses Apple. I really don't.

Better workflow and legacy

 

[Beerman462]

Not sure why people are surprised that a 5 year old or even 7 year old laptop still runs well. As long as you are buying laptops with a good CPU and not some pos AMD E-Series or what ever was equivalent back then. Don't be cheap and take care of your laptop and it will last.

 

[Mr.Pig]

I don't understand why everyone who works in image editing uses Apple. I really don't.

Artists care about aesthetics, and PCs haven't been up to scratch in that department. Now, modern tablet PCs are drawing many artists back.

 

[kitchenmotors]

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.

 

[Furyous]

They last that is why they're so expensive. The alleged Apple tax is weird but true during the first year. However, these devices last far longer than their bargain basement (read: cheapest spec haters use to bring down Apple's quality) counterparts. Yes, you can find a sub $1000 laptop that has better specs or offers better bang for your buck. When it comes to lasting a long time the macbook wins out in the end, in my opinion. Five-year-old devices received an update to the newest operating system so don't feel bad. If you find yourself in a situation where the newest OS isn't supported for your system then take comfort in the software vendors who will mimic those features at some point for your operating system.

My 2007 iMac died December 2013. Technically it cost more than an all-in-one at the time but it lasted. I had it running 24/7 for four years without rest. After a two month break, I kept the cycle going for another two years

 

[Kite]

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).

lol I'm typing this post on a spectre and love it to death. I paid $930 for a badass high quality ultrabook and laugh at all the people paying extra for the air. The HP logo isn't as cool at the apple but idgaf since it faces outward and I can't see it.

 

[Ingueferroque]

lol I'm typing this post on a spectre and love it to death. I paid $930 for a badass ultrabook and laugh at all the people paying extra for the air.

Are you still laughing? Geez.

I don't understand why everyone who works in image editing uses Apple. I really don't.

More stable work environment? I just boot into Windows for games.

 

[SmithnCo]

I definitely miss my Macbook trackpad, the one on my Asus laptop just doesn't even come close.

 

[Kite]

Are you still laughing? Geez.

I think it has calmed down to a quiet guffaw

 

[Forceatowulf]

You'd think with borderline slave labor they'd be able to bring the prices down on their shit.

 

[TedMilk]

What really stands out for me about macbooks vs. other laptops is the quality of the display. I'm not even talking about the 'Retina' displays, either - the display on my 6 year old macbook pro has brightness, contrast ratio and viewing angles that put every other laptop I've seen to SHAME.

Really - it's like three times better than any other laptop display I've seen. I could never downgrade from a mac based on the bloody screen alone.

Anyone else notice this?

 

[thenexus6]

For me,

- Build quality
- Amazing OS
- Apple support is best around
- Resale value holds
- Trackpad is godlike

I just got my retina 13" pro in today and its absolutely beautiful. I've never seen anything else like it. I have a 2010 pro which I am now selling which still works perfectly (aside from battery needs servicing) but its fast and runs Yosemite flawlessly.

 

[Perfect Cha0s]

Coming from someone who primarily uses Windows devices but bought a retina MacBook Pro about 3 months ago: it feels premium in every way I can think of. The display is razor sharp, everything is super responsive, all of the feature built into the trackpad are incredibly useful, the battery is godlike, the overall build quality is superb, the magsafe cable feels so brilliant it's absurd.

Stay away from the Air, IMO. It's fine for casual usage, but after using my sister's 2014 13" Air, I can tell that it's pared down for the form factor, and the screen is pretty bleh.

Yeah, it's a pricy piece of kit, but I do think that if you get a MBP you'll find yourself going "wow, this thing is pretty goddamn nice" a bit more than you anticipated.

 

[Aztechnology]

What really stands out for me about macbooks vs. other laptops is the quality of the display. I'm not even talking about the 'Retina' displays, either - the display on my 6 year old macbook pro has brightness, contrast ratio and viewing angles that put every other laptop I've seen to SHAME.

Really - it's like three times better than any other laptop display I've seen. I could never downgrade from a mac based on the bloody screen alone.

Anyone else notice this?

Many lower cost PC's have equally high quality displays nowadays. IPS, great colors, sharp images etc, some even use the same or higher quality panels than apple. The problem is with the buzzword "Retina Display" apple has managed to capitalize on the less tech savy individual who don't understand what pixel density is. Apple is great at telling people what they want.

 

[kewlmyc]

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

Which is funny considering I find Macs way more difficult to use.

 

[BIGWORM]

Just saying, installing Start8 and spending 45 minutes in regedit made 8 better than 7 for me, just sucked that I had to install Start8 and spend 45 minutes in regedit to make the OS usable (for me)

I'm curious as to what regedits you made.

 

[Angelus Errare]

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.

Which is funny considering I find Macs way more difficult to use.

Only because you've become accustomed to how Window's workflow is (it's not at all straight forward...which was the point of Windows 8 and the start screen, but people spazzed out...)

OSX is pretty simple to use to the point it's slightly detrimental to power users until they learn/get the apps that make it fun.

 

[Astral/H3X]

ITT people compare $1200+ computers to sub $300 computers.

 

[Angelus Errare]

BTW Apple....wut did you fools do to iTunes? I mean I was always meh towards it on Windows but you can't even add artwork from websites directly into iTunes now? You gotta save the images to your PC first then browse from iTunes...why? Who thought that was a good idea tho?!

 

[kitchenmotors]

BTW Apple....wut did you fools do to iTunes? I mean I was always meh towards it on Windows but you can't even add artwork from websites directly into iTunes now? You gotta save the images to your PC first then browse from iTunes...why? Who thought that was a good idea tho?!

It's a mess, sis.

 

[LoveCake]

Install Linux Mint on your Win8 PC, that's your best bet.

 

[UFO]

I recently bought a 2011 15" Macbook Pro off craigslist for $500. If you don't mind buying used you can get one for very reasonably.

 

[EternalDarko]

They may be more expensive, but they are damned worth it and make up for that in the end. My first mac device was the Unibody Macbook Pro in late 2008 - i used that thing until 2013 with some upgrades over the years (bigger hard drive and more ram). But other than this and OS upgrades, the thing is rock solid and works without fault. I have since gotten a Retina Macbook Bro (15in) last year and gave my old device to my mother who uses to date it without fault.

In this time, my father had gone through 2 windows laptops, all that had failed him in some way or another, and he's holding out hope on the last one that's still causing him plenty of problems but he doesn't want to spend any money on a new one.

The one thing I will say is that if you're a PC gamer, then this is the one area youll lose out on - for anything else, I would urge you to make the move. Having said that, you can always dual boot if you do wish to do PC gaming and run games on the Windows boot.

 

[ElectricKaibutsu]

I have an early 2008 15in MacBook Pro. It still works great, though I should really put some more ram in there.

My gaming computer is Windows 7 and I have Linux on my netbook. They all have their uses. I'll always have a Mac mainly because they last forever and their customer service is second to none. I had my guitar leaning against the couch and it fell over and cracked my MBP screen. That's not covered by warranty but they fixed it for free anyway. It would have cost me $500 or so to fix otherwise.