Should I get a MacBook Pro?

I realize that I'm posting this in the Apple forum so I might get some biased answers, but I'd like to hear your opinions anyway

I'm going to college and I need a laptop. For awhile, I was Mac obsessed. Literally. Every other word out of my mouth was about the Mac and how I'd so-definitely-without-a-doubt buy it for college, no matter the price.

The time has come for me to purchase one, but I'm having doubts. I keep reading reviews for Macs and Sony Vaios (which is what I'll get if I don't get a Mac) and so many people say that Macs are overpriced and you get better specs on PCs for less than a Mac.

I love Macs but...are they worth it? I kind of feel like I've hyped it up in my mind so much that if I actually do get it, I'll be disappointed. At the moment, I'm leaning towards the Sony Vaio Y Series (I know that it's not that much cheaper than a Mac) because it has a faster processor and larger HD.

I'm only going to be using my laptop for writing papers, maybe creating some powerpoints, watching dvds and videos on Hulu/Youtube, listening to music, some picture editing, and some very light video editing.

 

Sony Vaio's are almost as over-priced as Macs. But yes, you don't get as much power in a Mac as you do a PC.

DVD's and YouTube (so watching media), you will want a large, good screen. For music, good speakers, and for the occasional editing, a fair GPU. A Mac would be fine for all these but honestly, I can't justify the price. A 15" MacBook would be alright for those things but the price is ridiculously high.
You pay a premium for portability and battery life on a Mac. If you value those things a lot, and you have the money, go Mac. But I see no reason to buy a Mac over a PC for simple stuff like what you listed (Heck, anything for that matter).
Ultimately, it's up to you- do you have the money to spend on lower specs but higher battery life and portability, or do you want to save money and get a more powerful machine?

 

I would recommend using one (a mac) before buying one. I borrowed a friend's MBP 13 for a day and bought one shortly thereafter.

 

Buy an MBP if you're all about build quality and battery life. Otherwise, look elsewhere.

 

I can give you my own experience as an example.

I went to Best Buy with the hopes that they would have the Toshiba Qosmio X505 on the floor so I could see it first hand. I was open to the possibility of a Mac since a lot of people had told me I should get one- the usual selling points, battery life, portability, durability. I had already used OSX for months so I knew how to use it, and I honestly wasn't that impressed and prefer Windows 7 to OSX. I went to the Mac booth that Best Buy had after I realized the x505 wasn't there. I played around with the 13" and 15" since they were, for the most part, within my price range. The salesman came by and of course tried to sell it. I asked him why a Mac and he said the same thing I've heard parroted a million times (He also told me he owns a Mac and paid about $700 more for his Mac than the price of the G73, and it still wasn't near as powerful, though he seemed like he likes his Mac). I asked him what makes the hardware worth the price and he seemed to ignore me. After about 10 minutes of using the Macs there, I went over to the PC's and noticed the G73 (it stands out ). The salesman followed me over and I pointed out that for the same price as the 13" MBP, I could get this which blew even the top-level MBP 17" out of the water. Then I asked him about whether or not it would be any good for what I do (web design and development) and he said sure, and then proceed to try to sell me the G73. Overall, I saw no logical reason to spend more on a 15" MBP than a 17" beast. Portability and battery life are completely unimportant to me, and seeing as those are the only remote reasons I would buy a MBP, I decided on the G73. Here's how I see it- You can pay $5000 for a specific breed of dog, or you can get a Golden Retriever from the pound for like $200.
That's my experience. And I'm sticking to it. xP

 

Yeah, I know. That's why I can't really decide since the prices are so similar. I calculated everything (after the price of extended warranties and word processing systems) and the Vaio is only $173 cheaper than the Mac. Do Macs last longer than PCs generally? I know people say if you take care of your PC they can last for a really long time, but I'm not that tech savvy. Actually, I'm really not tech savvy at all.

I do have the money. But if I don't have to spend all that money, I kind of don't want to, hah. I'm mainly paranoid that I'll end up getting a lower end laptop that'll die in like two years, and then I'll have to go out and buy a new one. I like the Mac cause it's reliable.

 

If you like Macs and you like OS X get a Mac. If you prefer Windows there are alternatives at a lower price.

*caresses Envy 14*

But honestly, for your tasks mentioned above I think a Macbook Pro would work out just fine for you.

 

Since I'm using it for college, I do want something with a good battery life. I've seen a lot of potentially good PCs, but their battery life sucks (only 3-4 hours). And from what I've seen (I've been researching laptops for a few months) the actual battery life of a laptop is usually lower than the advertised battery life.

 

You shouldn't expect 3-4 hours on a battery at most colleges and universities anyways. Should at least in that time period be able to plug in.

You could buy a PC for less than a MBP and with the money you saved buy a few extra batteries if you have to.

 

MBP offer amazing portability without sacrificing too much on horsepower. You won't find the seamless integration of hardware/software on the PC side. The touchpad is godly.

 

If only Apple could sacrifice the price some, I'd be fine with a MBP. The problem is the price. The sum of the components does NOT equal what you're paying for the machine. The battery, the processor, the motherboard, shell, screen, GPU, ect. As far as seamless integration of hardware and software, not sure what you're talking about. And yes, the touchpad is nice but shouldn't be that big on the selling point list.

 

This would be a valid concern if any other manufacturer would step up to the plate and offer a superior product for cheaper if this were the case. No one has though, so I am perfectly fine with paying the extra money for the MBP.

I am willing to pay a price premium on this laptop because of the problems that I had with my previous laptop, a Dell Vostro 1500. I went through two batteries over the course of a year on that thing because of bad battery bay/power pin design and the body panels creaked like crazy after a month of use. Besides that, the AC adapter and port were so poorly designed that I went through three of the adapters in a year.

Things like Magsafe and the glass multitouch trackpad are what really set MBPs apart from the "crowd." There really is no alternative to those two basic hardware features.

 

I just checked out the Envy 14. The computer itself is less than a MacBook Pro, but the extended warranty for only 2 years is $300 (at least I think so. I was so shocked and frustrated that I closed the window pretty quickly)!! That brought the price up to around $1400, though I do admit it's a great machine. You should caress that Envy 14

True. But I don't want something with only 2 hours and have to worry that I won't be able to charge it up in time. My friend's Toshiba died on us when we really needed it. And I'm just pretty paranoid, so I usually look for stuff beyond my needs

And that is exactly what I'm afraid is going to happen to me should I go the PC route. But, imo, Dell sucks anyway so if I had a Dell laptop, I would've expected something like that to happen.

Ah, completely agree. I checked out a bunch of laptops today and none of the trackpads compared to the Mac's!

 

You have to look at the total picture and try not to focus on the usual spec tunnel vision. I used to buy the most advanced PC I could afford in case I ever needed it but the need never really arose.

If you look you can find reviews of Mac systems and it shows that the battery last much longer when it runs on OS X as Compared to W7. One of the major reasons is that Apple writes OS X to work with the Mac as compared to MS who writes Windows to run on a slew of different things. I find that the Mac needs less upkeep and runs smoother than any PC I owned over the 20+ years before I switched. If you use a touch pad, nothing beats the one on a MBP. Then there are the iLife programs iMovie, iPhoto, iWeb and garage band) included with every Mac that are great for your uses. Apple puts a lot of effort into the overall experience and triesto make the system as easy to use as possible.

The Sony does have better specs, costs less, works better with MS Office and has Windows which you are already familiar with. You really need to think about what you really need and will use the system for. Write out a list and see which system would be better for each task and go from there. Good luck.

 

Wait, so the touchpad being a pretty major source of user input which you use the control the entire laptop (2nd only to the keyboard) is not a major component? I'd gladly give up hardware specs elsewhere (which are going to be outdated in a year anyway) to not have to deal with a crappy touchpad. E.g. my work laptop, a Thinkpad, even though its touchpad is 1/3 the size of the touchpad on the MBP, has some major issues with accidental input while typing. This can really lower my productivity. Apple is typically pretty good in ensuring their products have good usability. You can have the most awesome hardware on the market but it's worthless if usability is put to the wayside. Usability trumps paper specs.

To the OP, try playing around with a MBP either at Bestbuy or an Apple store if you have one near you. I would be hesitant to invest a lot of money into a laptop without trying it out in person first.

 

True, but some people are willing to sacrifice things like big touchpads for better hardware. Besides, not all PCs have crappy touchpads, ya know?

But to be honest, the Mac's touchpad is the best I've seen!

Trust me, I've tried it out. Many times, my friends and I would go to the mall to go shopping and we'd always end up in the Apple Store to take fun pictures or just play around with the MBPs and iMacs

Honestly, I've tried out both the MBP and Sony Vaio, and I like them both. I think it might be time for a pro and con list.

 

This is pretty much what I do, hah.

Ah, you read my mind. Time for a list of pros and cons!

 

It's very simple, and this is to everyone else that's posted here, especially Chris.

It comes down to personal preference. Would you rather pay for the hardware you are getting, or would you rather pay for better creature comforts?

As far as Dells are concerned, my experiences with them are as bad as the experiences I had with our old Macs at my school. But discrediting thousands of other machines based on one or even two personal experiences is jumping the gun. That's like buying a white MB and not using another Apple product after your new white MB started cracking everywhere.

It comes down to logic and finance. If you have the money for the extra creature comforts that you may find useful sometimes, but other times useless, go for it. Pay the extra hundreds of dollars. There are hundreds of excellent PC's out there with better specs, better price, good build quality, and perfect usability. If you base your experience on budget level PC's, your doing it wrong.

If the main buying point for you is some magical trackpad, portability, and durability, go ahead. The only advice any of us can give you is our opinions.

 

Asus - Laptop / Intel® Core™ i3 Processor / 15.6" Display / 4GB Memory / 500GB Hard Drive - Dark Navy - U52F-BBL5

This appears to be a pretty well-rounded PC for $679, and just fine for what you need. Note the price difference.

 

Did I claim otherwise?

Well if you like both equally then flip a coin . No one here can tell you which to like better. How much interest do you have in trying out OS X?

 

Yeah, this is chock full of win right here.

+1

 

Yes. Ignore the hardware and stare into the pretty spinning beach ball of death.

 

I honestly flipping despise that beach ball with all my heart. And the light blue screen of death.

 

I don't know anyone that does like them. I don't know if I'd wanna know people that liked them.

 

As opposed to the blue screen of death on Windows? Really though, that's a pretty poor argument for specs. Better specs aren't going to magically protect any system from problems (PC or Mac).

 

You guys should see Date Night.. COME ON RAINBOW WHEEL.

 

I haven't seen a BSOD on any Windows PC since my HP Pavilion ZE2000 (which I loved) with Windows XP. That was about 5 years ago.

I really don't see where some people get off with the idea that all PC's are flawed and have issues. My Acer was excellent, never gave me any problems. As the Mac fans would say, "It just works". And I haven't had any issues with my G73 either (aside from 10.6 Cata instability. 10.1 ftw).

 

yea, I was just about to tell you to come clean. I've read over the G73 forums. lots of driver issues.

 

^Yeah. I tried the Cata 10.6 driver and I was like "lolwthisthis".
Fortunately, 10.1 is stable and performs better than stock, so I'm fine with it.
Admittedly, it seems like other people have issues that I haven't experienced. I guess I just know how to pick em'.

 

That's the thing though. You get upset at the blue screen of death reference but infer all Macs have the beach ball issue. While I never had a BSOD on a Windows PC I had plenty of driver issues, update issues(won't install or crash the system), system slow downs(fresh install anyone), bloatware issues, registry issues and such that I don't have with a Mac. Both systems have a program lock up once in a while but that is an issue with the program itself usually. You say you USED OSX for a few months but don't really say how. Depending on how you used it (hackintosh or a system not belonging to you) might have affected your experience as well. How about a little more background on you OS X experience?

BTW you forgot to mention your keyboard issue after 1 week of use and the flex when opening the screen.

 

^See the other thread. I explained it.
Seems like you had a lot of issues, but thinking that every computer has that issue is ignorant. And I wasn't poking fun at the BBOD, I was making a remark that ignoring the importance of hardware is like being brainwashed to think your Toyota Camry has more horsepower than a Dodge Viper. You make it sound like I actually care about these issues. I'm not bothered or upset with BSOD's. I'm not a fanboi of Macs or PC's and I don't drink either flavor cool-aid. I am however someone that will offer an opinion on a subject in the hopes that it would be helpful, and I think from a more "power:money" ratio.

I don't have any keyboard issues after a week of use (some people have reported this though, and most issues are resolved with a BIOS update) and the flex when opening the screen doesn't bother me. It doesn't hurt anyone, so why would it be an issue? I'm anal but I'm not that anal. I knew about the screen before I bought the computer. The only reason you would possibly have to be concerned with it is if you plan on beating yourself over the head with the top of your computer any time soon.

This is my point- other people have issues with some PC's but not every PC has the same issue. If you want, I can point out a ton of issues with Macs, especially the white MBP's. Just because some people have issues sometimes does not mean everyone does.

 

Like I said in the other thread, now that I know what I'm dealing with its a bit useless to continue. I will leave you with a few final thoughts that may or may not matter here.

1. YOU made the comment that inferred all Macs get the beach ball then take offense to someone mentioning the BSOD on a PC.

2. Its Kool-Aid not cool aid.

3. You mentioned in a review of you system you posted that your keys were "balding" after the first week.

4. Nobody argued that a Mac has the same of better specs than a comparably priced PC just that a system's value is based on more than specs alone.

5. There is no such thing as a perfect system (Mac or PC).

Have a nice night.

 

1. I didn't infer that at all. Seems like you take a lot of offense to it for some reason. That's NOT what I said and you're putting words in my mouth (or hands). And for the last time, I didn't take offense to the BSOD comment. What the heck is with you and this inferring nonsense? Why do I care about BSOD's? I MAKE FUN OF BSOD'S! Why would I give a crap about it? I simply stated that I haven't seen one in 5 years. I didn't say that all Macs get the BBOD, but you seem to have blown that way out of proportion.

2. I knew I was doin' it rong.

3. That's not an issue. That's a nitpick. Was it you that said I seem trollish? Because you seem to be pretty trollish right now.

4. I didn't argue that other people argued that they DIDN'T have the same specs as a similarly priced PC. Again, you're taking my opinions to heights I would have never imagined someone would take them. I said, and a million times before (apparently) simply that you will get more power out of a PC for less money. That's it. That's all. I haven't "bashed" Apple, I haven't ran over your MacBook with a van, but you seem to attack me like I have. If it's any consolation, all of my posts had a very indifferent tone when I thought them up in my head.

5. I'm glad you agree.

Honestly, you've taken some opinions that you disagree with and taken a whole thread off topic (I'm not helping though). You don't like my opinions on Macs? Fine. They weren't made for you. This isn't your thread.
I'm done here. I stated my opinions that are relevant to this thread back on page one.

 

Like I said, useless.

 

Don't consider the Sony, the MBP is perfect for your purposes. You don't need the better hardware offered by the Vaio.

Personally, I prefer the build of the Vaio. And the name's pretty cool too: Vaio, Vaio, Vaio!

EDIT

Better an irrational teenager than an irrational adult.

 

I think everyone knows why the thread is now closed.