Just ordered a 13 inch late2011 MBP!

So I finally decided to just take the plunge and buy it. I did alot of research. Seems to me like, spec-wise alone MBP is overpriced by ~$350ish. But I decided the following advantages of the MBP make up for it:

1. Better trackpad/keyboard
2. Less viruses, slightly better design and durability than other laptops
3. Lion. Now, mac's OS may not be "better" than windows, but I'm willing to pay a tad more for Lion simply because it's different and I'd like something new. I've been using windows for years.

I hope these are all real advantages because if not, I think MBPs are a true ripoff. Also, one question. Is the glossy display only a problem when black is shown on the screen?

 

The trackpad, the OS, and the availability of quality in-store tech support are the three main differentiating features that may justify the price premium, I'd say. Apple trackpads are the best on the market, bar none. And we're not talking a bit better, we're talking a LOT better. As for OS, that's highly personal...I'm pretty ambivalent about Win 7 versus OSX (actually prefer the former a bit), but my wife would pay a hefty premium for OSX over Win 7.

Number 2 is harder to sell, so I hope that wasn't your main motivation in getting a Mac. Viruses aren't as common as they used to be (phishing has replaced viruses as the main form of cybercrime), and antivirus protection in Windows is now free, unobtrusive, and effective (Microsoft Security Essentials). As for case design, a MBP 13 is going to be more durable than an inexpensive consumer laptop (your run-of-the-mill Toshiba Satellite or HP Pavilion), but not necessarily business-class machines. A Lenovo T420 with an i5 and a 900p screen costs $850, and I suspect it handles abuse better than a MBP 13 does. Of course, it's not as fashionable aesthetically, but in terms of durability, I'd side with the Thinkpad. Of course, if fashion is your thing, there's always stuff like the Envy 14 Beats, one of the slickest-looking laptops since the Apple "BlackBook," which undercuts a MBP 13 price-wise while offering a 6630M, more memory, and more HDD space.

 

Compared to the workstation I have in my sig,

the Macbook Air has the following advantages :

1. Superb trackpad / User Interface like Mission Control, Chrome "Back"

2. Very good looks - Thin, light

3. OS X - Always fun to learn something new, learning about softwares, dmgs and mounting system, simple drag-and-drop deletion and installations..

 

It all depends on how much direct light there is in the room that would reflect off it. If you have an incandescent bulb right behind you it can reflect it and be a problem.

I've used it a few different locations and have not problems.

 

Uhh.....you can buy a 14" i5-2430M HP DM4 at Staples for $399 this week? Does that mean that a 13" MBP is "overpriced" by a factor of 3? Nope. He who buys cheap buys twice.....uhh....or maybe three times?

Well yes. Some people might enjoy keyboard bounce and a lousy touchpad that pops out the palmrest. Of course, you can buy a very cheap or a very expensive HP with exactly those qualities.

Well, yes, Unix-based operating systems are safer. OS X isn't perfect when it comes to security, but it's miles ahead of Windows.

Linux offers similar security, depending on the distro and user habits, but it's more of a DIY proposition and while it generally works on older hardware, you can have major support headaches on the bleeding edge.

So, OS X is probably the best out of the box desktop OS.

Down the road, will you really be paying more? People will pay stupid prices for used Apple hardware, and Apple's policies regarding OS upgrades make me want to cry? Only $30 to upgrade up to 5 Mac from Snow Leopard to Lion? That's cheap in my book - about the same price as an annual anti-virus subscription on a Windows PC.

So I guess sometimes you have to spend money to save money.

Well, yeah, it is a ripoff. Duh. Apple has never been price competitive, but at least since the Intel switchover they've been keeping up with the hardware cycle.

I also don't like glossy screens, but at least you Macbook has great brightness and viewing angles. In contrast, there are now a lot of business notebooks that sell for similar prices but have displays that are half as bright and less than 10 degree vertical viewing angle, poor contrast and poor color reproduction - basically garbage quality displays.

With any Macbook, you're getting a decent quality screen, and with the Windows PC market, it's getting harder and harder to find a notebook that has a decent display.

 

You know, the lighting is wickedly bright in Apple stores and not very kind to any backlit display, let alone a glossy one with an added layer of glass.

I wouldn't buy a 13" Macbook Pro if I thought I'd be working outdoors, but there again, how many notebook users do that?

 

If you are going to ever watch movies (darker scenes), then you are in big trouble. This is one of the chief reasons that I moved to a non-glare display, though I think that option is not available in the 13 inch market.

Now, a lot of people can say that you can watch in a dark room but how practical is that? I am not going to screw up my sleep at night by watching at 3 am in the morning.

 

Once you go matte, you never go back.

 

So true

Honestly, the trackpad is so good on my MacBook Air that I never use a mouse with it at all. I wish other laptops had trackpads this good. Others try, but scrolling is jumpy, inconsistent, and unresponsive, buttons are hard to press, multi-touch features are essentially non-functional, etc. Eh...

 

Linux is not user friendly, especially for a noob who switches to Macs. If you b**** about drivers and updating on windows, then you are going to have a heart attack with Linux.

Btw, what is with the archaic arguments about anti virues? You have plenty of free and good options like Avira, Avast, AVG and not to mention Mcafee and Norton also run promotions where you get mail in rebates, so in the end you get a license for $2-$3 (with all taxes). But that is even moot considering Microsoft offers MSE through windows update or from their website. I also run the free malware bytes and have set it up to run every week or so in task manager as a secondary program, so no more virus problems.

 

really? i just bought one today too!

http://forum.notebookreview.com/apple-mac-os-x/642200-just-ordered-my-first-mac.html

 

matte is, simply, better.

unfortunate truth

 

No, I've actually found that in the last year, things like wireless and graphics drivers are working right out of the box. As far as updates, it all goes through a GUI update manager, so it's easier and safer than windows. No "update" popups in Ubuntu.

Shriek11, have you actually tried a modern distro in the last couple of years, and if so, what's your hardware?

Well sure, you can get plenty of anti-virus suites for FREE after rebate, but it involves a significant effort in some cases and you have to pay the price upfront and wait....some are better than others. Free anti-virus programs are a mixed bag. With a modern system, something like Norton can run in the background without any resource issues, assuming your PC isn't old or underpowered.

Basically, anti-virus and anti-malware suites are just a band-aid for a horribly vulnerable OS architecture. That's not to say I wouldn't occasionally run CLAM on OS X or Linux, just that it isn't a major worry unless you do something really, really stupid.

 

no it, simply, isn't better.

unfortunate truth does not equate to personal opinion

Seriously though, the argument for and against glossy displays has come up way too many times. It all has to do with personal preference, that is the only real truth. Back in 2005, I actually paid more for a glossy display with my Dell as matte was the standard option (not to mention that the 1920X1200 display was glossy only). The edge-to-edge glass display that Apple offers on the MacBook Pros really does look a lot nicer than most other glossy displays. However, some people prefer the matte look. I don't like the way matte displays look so I don't buy them. That doesn't mean that glossy is better, period, truth, end, me = fact! It just means that I like them better and the best thing anyone can do is go see a notebook (or display) in person, especially under the bright fluorescent lighting of a store, and determine what works for them.

 

For the record, I was just joking with the "one you go matte, you never go back." It's DEFINITELY a question of personal preference. That's why there's no one standard in the industry.

 

Somehow your username always gets me thinking "Meat loaf!"

Anyhow, back on topic, I do love the E2E glossy, but I wish there were screen choices even for the 13" as well. More choice is better for the consumer..

 

I never use a mouse anymore,the track pad is just that good.

 

Yeah the only reason why I went with a 15 inch macbook was for the Anti-Glare Screen Matte. It depends on what you're doing but as a programmer who constantly stares at the PC screen Matte Screens have proven to be much lighter/easier on the eyes. Gloss Screens give a slight glare and the impression or maybe illusion of being brighter or at least having a higher contrast level with it's added shine thus alot of people prefer the gloss look as compared to the Matte Anti-Glare look. Whatever Floats your Boat though, .

 

Yup, but let's not derail this thread any more.. As much as I love a matte vs. glossy discussion, we should try to help the OP.

@OP

As you can see the trackpad and the gestures are something you will love on the OS X, and something I have begun to highly appreciate in the few weeks of using Apple products. The trackpad is that good. And also Lion has some very comprehensive gesture customizations so you can enable, disable, or switch certain gestures to different triggers so be sure to customize to your own liking.

Definitely look in the "Ever growing free software for OS X thread", because if you can get an app you need for free, why pay money?

What I did found however, was that AppZapper has become a commercial app and now after 5 "zaps" you have to pay to delete more. I would say try other app-erasing solutions to conveniently erase your apps. And also download iStat, it is very handy and it will help you keep track of the temps.

 

@Semiexpert: I have tried ubuntu and fedora on my lenovo (dual boot) with windows 7. The UI is like apple but OS X is much more user friendly (the big bucks apple spends shows here), and it is not because I have used Macs on and off since my school days in the lab 5-6 years ago. In fact, those macs (power pcs) would have kept me away from Macs considering how much they froze up in middle of safari. I guess it might have been the hype that you have to do everything in user support yourself, but I still had trouble visiting websites as there were flash plug in problems. I believe ubuntu is easier to start with but fedora is updated more.

@Kornchild: It depends on what you do. Someone mentioned programming and while you may not use your dvd drive, I do watch movies on my Mac and it was so bad that it felt like I was standing in front of a mirror even with over head white lights. I think the only similar LCD screen that I have seen is on alienware M14x'es.

 

My last mbp was matte, this one is glossy.
I couldnt really work on matte under direct sun-light anyway so not a huge difference. Glossy on the other hand give you better colors. Matte lacked in this department.

All in all i cant say its worse, its just different and depends on how you use it. I am using native screen at home when hanging around on a couch so i dont have any issues with screen, since i can easily control amount of light. In my case glossy is better.

 

did you get it from Cowboom?

 

Was your last mbp a unibody matte? Or the older version with worse screens?

 

good point -) yes it was 2.4 Core 2 duo late 2007/2008 i guess.

 

Ah... Yeah, the matt unibody are very nice.... I have seen a few but I really want to find someone that has them both side by side when I make my purchase this year.