Are Macs worth the $$$

I would like the 13' Macbook Pro to go along with my HP Dv8t. I don't understand why these things are so damn expensive? I have never owned a Mac just a few iPods and I always hear... they're worth every penny, they're the best. Ok well I have just a few questions.

How is 2GB of ram on a Mac? Being a long time Windows user I know a lot of ram is essential? 4GB is like the standard on all PC's nowadays. Will I be able to smoothly browse the internet listen to music and MULTI TASK or is 4GB of ram a necessity?

How about iWork? Do I need that? I need some sort of photo editing software and word processing software so is it worth the $49?

Can I install like Mozilla on a Mac and photoshop?

Is the Apple 3 year policy worth it and is it recommended? These things are suppose to be the 'highest' quality right? Is it going to break after the 1st year?

Anyone have any experience financing from Apple? This is how I would pay for it. I really have wanted to learn how to use a Mac for quite some time now. So if anyone can give me any insight I would greatly appreciate it.

 

what are the specs and the price?

 

I'll try to answer what I can. First off, 2GB works just fine, however I decided to upgrade to 4GB to virtualize Windows better. I'm not a fan of iWork due to compatibility issues, especially when exporting to Office formats such as .doc and .docx (which I work with a lot). Firefox and Thunderbird work great on the Mac, no problems here with either.

 

"worth it" depends on your use of it... for some people its worth it, for others its not.

Apples seem expensive, and at times they are, because they do not follow pricing plans of other computer makers. When they release a new model, it has a fixed price that is usually a very good price. They do not change that price though, ever... until they replace the model. So if your buying a model that was put out 9 months ago, your still paying 9 month ago price. If you want a great deal for your money, its always best to buy right after a new model comes out.

depends what your doing. OSX handles ram a bit better than Windows. If multitasking to you is just the internet and listening to music... 2GB would not even be close to a problem... just depends what all you want to do.

I like it, but you only need it if you want it... you could buy MS office, or use someting free like OpenOffice or NeoOffice.... none of those including iWork are for photo editing though.

the Mac versions, yes... though i usually use GIMP over Photoshop since its free... and almost as good.

no one knows.. or they wouldn't need a warranty. You could buy one and have it run 10 years without problems, or it could last 10 minutes... for the most part its likely you'll not have issues, but just in case you do, it might be worth it... for a "just in case"

Apple finances through some 3rd party bank... I've never heard anything bad about them... but don't know much about it, i try to stay away from borrowing money for anything.

 

I'd probably go with 4GB of ram, software is just the thing. i get a lot of it free from my school but I would assume that's all for Windows. ? This laptop would mainly be used for MUSIC and light gaming and photo editing and some video decoding and I'd take it everywhere as the hp dv8t is huge.

 

Is it recommended to wait until a new Macbook pro 13' laptop comes out? Or go with the just the regular Macbook?

 

if you can wait... wait... if you have to have it now... get it now... rumors are there will be new macbook pros out sometime early next year... but no one knows for sure when exactly.

 

OH I'd wait. I don't need it now. However doesn't Apple release new products every September?

One more thing, how are the screens on the Macbooks? Do they all use the same screen? Of course different resolutions.

 

nope.... last few years its been whenever they want to do it. They used to have certain times per year that was most likely to get a certain line refreshed, but they've gotten away from that... but it never really was just 1 time a year.

Macbook Pro screens are really nice (normal Macbooks are...similar, but not quite as good, and the older model Aluminum non-Pro Macbooks had pretty poor screens overall)... but if you don't like glossy, I think the matte ones are only options on the 15 and 17s.... but its kinda hard to explain opinions about screen. Best bet is find a place locally that has some Macs you can look at.... any Apple Store or any other authorized reseller... wether Mom&Pop ones, or bigger ones like Best Buy... but not all Best Buys have Macs.

 

I've played with them at the Best Buy just never really examined them before. I actually like glossy though. OH and I'd love to get the 15" but that is just too much with the plan and tax. I couldn't do that. My overall question would be, are these things worth the high cost? Is the quality there? Will it blow me away? Nothing really major as I have my HP core i7 laptop for that. Just a portable laptop that can handle up to date multi tasking and some heavy use.

How are the graphics on the Macbook Pro 13"?

 

was it worth the cost earlier this year when they were new.... yes, even PC users were raving how cheap and good the MBP 13" was. many many months later at the same price, its not nearly as good of a deal anymore.

is it worth the cost right now? Depends on your needs/wants/likes. for me it wouldn't be worth the cost, unless all my other machines died all of a sudden, but I only buy new machines when new models are released.

 

Well the good thing is since I'm a student I can get a discount. I am gonna call Apple up and hopefully get some answers on when they plan on releasing their new mac book pros?

 

Don't waste your time calling Apple. They will never tell you when they release new products. They won't even give you an estimate. They won't even lead you into speculation of what new features they will implement in the next versions.

 

I'd definitely say Macs are worth the money. Don't get me wrong, I really like Windows and all, I'm just tired of what hardware it's installed on. I've come to the conclusion the main goal of PC manufacturers is to push as many new models out as possible to in hopes of gaining the highest market share from competitors, and many of the models turn out to be faulty or just plain poorly designed and supported.

Oh, and Macs really hold their value quite well (resale is great).

 

Lol they are definitly not worth the money. You could get the same hardware for half the price. The 13 inch models don't even have a graphic card, I wouldn't even give 100 euros for 1, I just can't use a laptop withouth a graph card, simple as that.
2nd. they are not as good in quality as they suggest. Click the link in my signature and see how far they are behind asus for example.

 

I do admit that problem with PC is they push system out with confusing specs and consumers don't like to rack their brains over it but with regards to the time of writing, in term of components in the computer,Windows OEM Laptops offer more powerful, newer components at lower value than Macs.
Macs haven't really updated the components in a very long time.

They are 2 gens behind.
9600M GT replaced by G130M replaced by GT240M.
Most new Windows OEM based laptop uses G130M at least.

 

I don't understand your rationale. So you must despise all laptops with integrated cards? Or are you simply bashing Macs because you can't afford one?

 

macintosh computers are certainly not worth the money for everyone.

in some cases, they can be.

 

I can afford more than one mac, I'm just saying they give litle in return. Integrated gpu's are nothing compared to the seperated ones you need to do some gaming.

 

Its a huge matter of opinion and its super super hard, nae impossible to get an unbiased opinion.

I try to be as logical about it as possible so that what I say tends to be more fact than opinion.

Its not worth the money to me because you can get a comparable PC with the same or better hardware for a fraction of the cost and with a better warranty.

This leaves pretty much only the brand and operating system to be the differences that you have to lever the cost against.

I do not have brand preference so that doesnt matter, and that just leaves the OS.

OSX is supposed to just work, and it does but it doesnt work with about half of the programs I make use of on a regular basis. The amount of software and hardware for a MAC is limited compared to PC so that leaves Mac with lower standing than PC to me, add this into the extra cost and its a clear cut case that its not worth the money to me.

I think for a layman who only uses basic programs and cant care for a windows installation correctly the OSX environment maybe more fitting. I find personally the the majority of people I run into with macs have them for the image and sake of the brand more than any real computer related reasons.

I actually always talk to every macbook owner I see come into the hotel just to diagnose this kind of information and due to what I do for a living I can reaad people very well and you definitely see a trend in the type of people that own the macbooks, so far none of them have been computer nerds like me that can really say they know whats in a mac and what they are paying for or how its better in any way.

That said, that leaves the answer to your question to be: "It depends"

How many people buy $1000 dollar watches, or expensive designer cloths? Lots of them, so image/brand can be all the reason one needs.

 

Anyone know if we have a name for a troll and a idiot combined? Or does that still count as a troll? This guy sure deserves what ever it is.

@OP
It's up to you if you think it is worth it for you, but if you do decide on getting one, I'd wait for the next update, witch MIGHT be in January.

 

You've obviously not bumped into me before, Vicious

 

Indeed Vicious, most people just buy them because they can afford it, and beause they like the image. When I go to the lawyer section in our library all I see is macs. The few students in my class who also have a mac (I do history) had to pay a lot of money to put acces on their macs for our archives-processing assignment.

The only reason one should but a mac is like you said, if they prefer the operating system more. Personnaly, the only thing I like about it is the battery life, I don't like the looks of it in real life.

 

I find your comment much more improper than his, and its stuff like this that leads to every thread of this type to be heavily edited by a mod and locked.

he can state an opinion of his own, but insulting is against the forum rules.

already you have to tread very lightly in the mac forum if you have anything negative to say, so flaming and insulting just make it that much harder to ever have a real conversation or debate.

 

Yeah I know your the righteous defender of the Mac world, and I fear your wrath

I do stay 100% truthful in what I say though. I used to see a very real life reason to have a Mac, for professionals like video editing and photo editing but now days I actually prefer Windows for this, heck I never boot into Photoshop anymore unless its 64bit and mac OSX cant even support it so it doesn't have it.


I am also a gamer and we know there are a lot more games on PC, the dual boot into Windows is just a side step to work around the issue because at that point your on a PC with mac Hardware where the PC could have had better hardware and cost you less.

 

I see you have a mac, I didn't mean to upset you by saying that mac is basicly a waste of money. If you think its a good product, then its not a waste of money for you and I hope you will enjoy your product for a very long time.

 

There are still a few tangible niche reasons to own a mac (things you can do only on a macintosh or are better suited for the mac). These have nothing to do with why the majority of mac users make their purchase, but they still exist and may be noted.

1. iPhone development

If you want to develop applications for the iPhone (or the mac), the the IDE you need to use is Xcode, and you will be using OS X to do it, which mandates a macintosh.

2. Cross platform development on one machine.

Since you can install windows, linux, and os x all on the same machine (and you can run them all at the same time, too, using vmware fusion) you can get some added convenience when doing cross platform work.

3. Apple Software (Final Cut)

Sure, there are excellent windows alternatives that are just as functional, but Final Cut is still the industry standard for film editing. Being able to use Final Cut will make you more desirable in the industry because it is so widely used. It may even be required of you for certain film related venues. Similarly, if you want access to Logic Studio, you are bound to apple (again, there are windows alternatives, and I don't know about the music industry's attachment to Logic)

 

OK so now we have heard the usual bashing from the PC users, can we get back to reality?

Just to explain myself a bit:

I was a hard core PC person for the first 37 years of my life. I was such a PC freak that at the age of 16 I bought a computer instead of a car (8hz in "turbo mode"). I used to love to work on them, brag about specs and bash the Apple idiots who spent too much on a system that wasn't as beefy as mine. I'm the "GO TO" guy at work and with friends when they have a computer issue or want to buy a new one. I'm more than happy to help someone find a deal on a PC or a Mac depending on their needs and price range. Now that I got the disclaimer out of the way...

Like others have said, the value of Macs depends upon the user.

Here are the 3 most popular PC user arguments as to why Macs are not worth it:

Weak graphics cards - Usual argument from the Gamers.
I can get a PC with better specs for less - Most popular rant from Mac haters who concentrate on a few specs instead of looking at the whole picture.
I can't use Windows programs on a Mac - True, unless you dual boot, buy Mac versions or use an alternative program.

While some Mac owners may be so only to show off as some say, PCs have their own club of show offs? (I don't think people buy something like an Adamo for the specs)

As for why people enjoy Macs there are USUALLY 3 reasons.

Escaping Windows Sorry its not for everyone
Its pretty and slim True for some but the design is for more than just looks. Its built better than a cheap $500 flimsy plastic PC.
The overall user experience OS X and iLife come with the system which covers most of what the common person uses a computer for much better than the standard Windows environment out of the box.

Personally, I was always willing to overlook the weaknesses or Windows because I was familiar with the system and how to work through the issues. Vista was the straw that broke the camel's back. Vista added more problems than it fixed and it didn't help when Microsoft's Vista upgrade compatibility checker said my current system could handle Aero when it couldn't. Vista not only was buggy but it also was harder to work with. MS moved everything around so you had to search to find things and then those horrible security settings. With 5 PCs in the house I was constantly working on computers, installing updates, running virus scans, defragging, fixing registry errors and quite a few fresh installs. I started experimenting with Linux and found I wasn't ready for it. I was so frustrated, I started actually talking to the dreaded Apple users to see what all the fuss was about but still couldn't justify the switch in my head.

In January of this year my wife's notebook died and she decided that she was sick of Windows and wanted a Mac. I was holding out for Windows 7 hoping MS would finally deliver what they had promised in Vista. The Beta hadn't really satisfied me but I was hoping MS would smooth things out in the final product. Since this was going to be my wife's system I obliged and got her a unibody MB. After unboxing and setting up hundreds of PCs over my lifetime I was about to open my first Mac. The packaging was very nicely done but I figured it should be for the price. The set up was a breeze and the "Welcome" video was a nice touch, I was done in less than 5 minutes and using the system.

I had tried OS X in the store and wasn't that impressed but now I had no choice but to use it while moving over pictures and other files to the new system. I started discovering that the switch to OS X was like switching from XP to Vista only better. While Vista had always given me networking issues, OS X connected to my network and installed my printer within minutes. Then I started playing with the settings on the trackpad and found that Apple had included video in the settings that explained what the settings did. I was floored by the attention Apple paid to the user experience and it made me want to try out all the finger sweeps and two button gestures. Then I played around with the iLife programs and found that here too, Apple paid particular attention to making everything easy to use.

After a few hours playing around I was hooked on OSX since it offered everything I had been waiting for MS to fix and so much more. I ordered my MBP from the Apple website that night and haven't looked back. Since January I now have 4 Macs in the house and only 1 PC left to replace. I still help out my PC friends and coworkers but look forward to using my Mac afterward. I find that instead of spending most of my time working ON my system I spending most of it working WITH my system. That alone makes a Mac worth every penny to me.

 

Jervis, very well put!! +1

I've seen numerous people voice this same thought, and this is really what it boils down to.

If you prefer Windows, great. If you prefer OS X, great. Use what works best for you and understand that bashing the other does nothing but show others how ignorant you can be.

 

I appreciate everyone's opinion, I just don't want people to start fighting or bashing someone's opinion. I want some insight thats all. Now one thing I might have left out is I already have a brand new Windows laptop. Check my sig for specs. So I really don't need a Macbook with these amazing specs. I'm sure it will be able to handle anything I throw at it.

Another thing is, the 13' Macbook Pro does come with an NVidia graphics card.

 

currently all macbooks and MBP's use nvidia graphics. 9400m integrated and in higher models switchable 9400m/9600m

 

I just called Apple and I said I never owned a Mac before and the first thing the girl said was "I'm sorry" I found her to be very rude and not knowledgeable on Macs. A lot of her responses were out of pure ignorance. I asked normal questions like why Apple offers 2Gb of ram when it was standard two and a half years ago. "Well would you like a computer that lasts for 5 years with 2GB of ram or one with 6gb of ram that lasts for 6 months" Then I asked if the computer were to break would they repair it in the US or outsource it, she responded by "WHY" I'll call again after the holidays. Maybe she was crabby because it was 8 in the morning PST.

I'm in Chicago for the holidays and I simply forgot about the time. lol

 

Its always best to do your own research of a product before purchasing, try to go to as much independent places for information as possible. I find amazon seems to have the rating of items as blatant as you are going to get it, good and bad.

Some Macs now are worth the money especially in the field of content creation. If the machine is going to make money for you, might as well ensure its something designed for it.

 

Does the Macbook pro have speakers?

 

yep, and not too bad of ones ... not your high end. but not too bad

 

Wait... Are you serious? What laptop doesn't have speakers?

A Mac is just a laptop with a different OS. It's basically the same thing as any Windows laptop except that only one manufacturer makes it.

I guess for what you're doing with it, a Macbook or MBP would be fine. Personally, I'm getting one for the style and the OS. I don't game that much and even if I did, I would probably build a PC desktop for much cheaper anyways. I think gaming laptops are a waste of money and they're heavy to lug around. I never understood the purpose of a gaming laptop. Laptops are made to be portable and having a heavy low battery one is just useless. As for the warranty, I don't tend to get warranty past what is offered because I don't really need it. And mostly I don't feel like spending the money on warranty and I just hope nothing goes wrong. Haha...

 

I don't see any like I do on other laptops. I thought for a second that maybe you just had to plug speakers into it?

Now I'm debating over the Apple Plan, these things look very well built and look like they'll last for years. The Apple Plan is only 3 years. IS it likely something will go wrong in the first 3 years if I purchase that. When I say go wrong I mean, hard drive failing, motherboard, battery, gpu, screen. My Toshiba laptop's motherboard died and that was it. Died in less than 2 years.

 

the macbook pro has some of the better speakers in its size class.

obviously, other laptops have even better speakers, but most laptops have *really* nasty speakers, and the mbp speakers are *much* better than those.

obviously, no laptop speakers compare with standalone speakers, or the high quality earbuds.

in my case, i had a gpu replacement after 1 year, which would have been like a $1000 repair, because they just replace the motherboard.

 

Are they worth the money? Well that depends solely on you. Why not go to the Apple store in Chicago to check it out? Either way you are going to get very biased opinion from owners of both sides around here no matter where you are on the forum. I recommend both Macs and PCs to friends (and to a couple of thousand other people here on the forum ) depending whether they want or intent on maintaining the computer at all and more importantly based on their need/uses.

Opinion section:

First off, keyword "opinion". Now that we got that part out the way. I almost bought a MBP (2007) myself when I was looking for a new notebook a couple of years back. Personally I still prefer the non uni body models MBP myself. I don't regret not getting a Mac as I use alot of windows based applications and there really isn't a point in buy a Mac to run windows 80% of the time. And then of course there is the burning 8600GT issues (no I am not talking about MBPs heating up). I used OSX alot in various occasions and never really got the hang of it although I'd like to give it a second go one day. At the end of the day the notebook I bought just suited my uses and needs better which is the key.

If you have the money and just want to give OSX ago why not pick up a MBP from the Apple refurbished outlet? They are much cheaper there and are usually in brand new condition covered by the same warranty.

 

considering the price of admission relative to computing gains found with a Mac...a Mac is not worth the cost for most computer users.

In fact, the only areas I've found a Mac to be potentially worth the cost of admission is for:

-Video editors (Final Cut Pro is the standard in many environments)

-Musicians (the Mac version of Pro Tools is the standard in the music field)

-People who've never used a PC or have been using Macs for extended periods of time.

- ???

that's really about it. for everyone else, I find that paying $2700 for a 17" MBP + warranty instead of $1200 for a 17" PC equipped with the same key components (HDD, CPU, GPU, screen resolution) + warranty is irrational.

MacOS is not worth a $1000-$1500 premium if your primary use is web surfing, word processing, and music playback...as it appears to be for a large cross-section of the population. HOWEVER, if you fall into the realms where you have a real need for Final Cut Pro or the Mac version of ProTools...you really have no choice. But you can feel good in knowing that you are using superior software in Final Cut Pro in particular.

Otherwise, pass. Buy yourself a quality PC, an extended battery, an SSD drive or an extra 4GB of ram and a 54" 1080p HDTV with all the money you have left over. While enjoying an environment you're familiar with in Windows, backwards comparability with all of your games and software dating back to Windows 95, and similar performance (or vastly superior performance if you pick up a nice SSD drive).

right now: you can get a 17" Windows laptop with a vastly superior CPU, GPU, Ram, and HDD setup (raid, up to 3 HDDs) for literally half of the price of a 17" MBP.

 

Best part of a Mac is OSX... I'm a major geek and Linux was my main OS for many years... OSX gives me everything I could do in Linux, without all the headaches that really tick me off with Linux. Windows doesn't really come into the equation with me, when I buy non-Macs, I look for Linux compatibility cuz I'm not going to be using Windows anyway.

 

and this system is.....? and why are the "key components" the only ones that matter? Paying twice the price for half the volume isn't that bad of a deal.

 

half the volume? what the hell are you talking about? what PCs are you using that feature only half the volume?

first of all, finding a laptop with excellent speakers is not hard. My Sony laptop's speakers are exceptional, for example. they can fill up a room, literally.

secondly, if your primary source of listening to sound is your built-in laptop speakers, you're doing it wrong.

 

not talking about sound volume, talking about physical space.

 

oh. well I can't disagree on that one.

 

The real question, is what do they fill the room with?

The speakers on my Unibody MacBook are some of the best that I personally, and many friends have ever heard. I've received many surprised looked when they realize it's only my MacBook playing music and not a larger set of speakers.

Having said that, everyone's perception of "exceptional" is different and each opinion should be taken as such, only an opinion. If you're in the market for a laptop and it's speakers are important, go listen to them for yourself and made an educated decision rather than one based upon the opinions of others.

 

no > same hardware, different operating system; more expensive...

also, the operating system works with less things (applications and hardware gadgets)

 

You'll notice that the majority of the bashers don't own a Mac.

 

From this comment, it's very evident that you don't get it and probably will never get it.

I don't fall into any of the categories that you listed above, yet I do not regret for a second buying any of the 3 Mac's I've purchased over the last 2 years, nor would I hesitate to buy another one when the time comes.

Your comments are narrow minded, extremely biased, and down right ignorant in my opinion. Not everyone wants or needs to use Windows, nor do they need to fall into your restrictive categories to make proper use of a Mac.

I used to be of a similar mindset that Macs were crap and people were stupid for buying them. Then I actually sat down with an open mind and used one. Within a week of that initial exposure, I bought my first MacBook. Since then I've also got my boyfriend to purchase one, and my parents just bought a new iMac. They all don't regret their decision, and once again, none of us fall into your categories of who should and shouldn't use one.

Seriously, open your mind to new experiences (in general). You never know what you're missing out on in life because of it.

 

Of course not......because then they'd be just another one of us iSheep who blindly follow the all-mighty Steve, never asking questions, and continually doing the bidding of all that is Apple!!