My long-term thoughts on my second anniversary with my 13" MBP

[Ns1]

Also, I think many will agree: TrackPoint>Trackpad.

When you can 2 finger scroll and 4 finger swipe on a trackpoint maybe that argument will make sense

Many users have replaced their desktop mice with trackpads. Never heard of a desktop user replacing their mouse with a trackpoint.

 

[LOL_Wut_Axel]

When you can 2 finger scroll and 4 finger swipe on a trackpoint maybe that argument will make sense

Many users have replaced their desktop mice with trackpads. Never heard of a desktop user replacing their mouse with a trackpoint.

Whatever. You clearly have no good arguments.

 

[Ns1]

Whatever. You clearly have no good arguments.

uh, my argument was substantially better than yours.

Also, I think many will agree: TrackPoint>Trackpad.

statement with no supporting facts or opinions as to why trackpoint > trackpad. Merely a blanket statement that "many will agree".

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

More recycled arguments, again. Your bad experience with Lenovo's customer service doesn't hold a candle to what studies have found. Apple is still the best in customer service, but Lenovo comes a close second. We're not talking about HP here.

Also, I think many will agree: TrackPoint>Trackpad. Personal preference is mostly due to your own bias and doesn't translate into anything objective or concrete, which is what I was asking for.

But again, Macs are very good overall machines. They're just overpriced.

I had TrackPoint on my NEC. Never cared for it - perhaps that's why most vendors have abandoned it. Obviously that's subjective, but TrackPoint certainly can't offer the versatility of Apple's Multi-Touch gestures. As far as I'm concerned the giant Apple touchpad is by far the most evolved and ergonomic mouse control device ever installed on a laptop.

Lenovo sucks ass as far as I'm concerned. Worst customer service I've ever experienced. I'd have to be insane to go back to Lenovo after the experience I had. I have bought snow cones with better vendor support. Apple, on the other hand, made a costly repair to my white MacBook three years after it went out of warranty. Even if I didn't prefer OS X (which I do), I'd never buy another ThinkPad.

 

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

What's a trackpoint?

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

What's a trackpoint?

It's the little pencil-eraser mouse control device in the middle of the keyboard on Thinkpads. It works like a tiny joystick. Thinkpads also have a very small touchpad with its own mouse buttons as an alternative mouse control.

 

[Ns1]

As far as I'm concerned the giant Apple touchpad is by far the most evolved and ergonomic mouse control device ever installed on a laptop.

Something many can agree on.

 

[wantedSpidy]

More recycled arguments, again. Your bad experience with Lenovo's customer service doesn't hold a candle to what studies have found. Apple is still the best in customer service, but Lenovo comes a close second. We're not talking about HP here.

Also, I think many will agree: TrackPoint>Trackpad. Personal preference is mostly due to your own bias and doesn't translate into anything objective or concrete, which is what I was asking for.

But again, Macs are very good overall machines. They're just overpriced.

So you counter with your own biased statement (also with no backing)?

Trackpad is used by more than 90% of the users on mac AND windows laptops. Get your facts straight (I'm estimating because I think less than 90% of the laptops built today even have a trackpoint). There is a reason, very few laptops even offer the trackpoint as an option.

Facts stated:
- You can sell your used mbp for a higher % of the original price paid when compared to any windows laptop, which helps offset the original discrepancy in price.
- Apple CS is better than Lenovo, that you admitted yourself
- The apple trackpad is a revolutionary input device. It is personal preference (granted), but there is a reason why heavy laptop users and laptop enthusiasts think highly of it.

 

[HaukSwe]

I have the follow-up C2D speed bump and it's in pretty good condition. Only complaint I really have is the 3GB RAM ceiling is low for my usage; and I made the unfortunate decision to install an OEM'd Seagate Momentus 7200.4 drive a while back. When SSDs become commoditized parts (say 50 cents/GB), I'd upgrade in a heartbeat. I'm planning on hanging onto my MBP until the arrival of a quad-core 13" or iPad even.

One notable aspect of the "reality distortion field" or whatever you want to call it is the high resale value. Besides time, you probably don't lose too much if you upgrade about every 18 months; I think on Ars it's been termed the Jade effect after one of its main proponents.

I've got the same one as you and it's still awesome, taken several falls and I've dented the chassi here and there but otherwise powers on like a boss..!!

The RAM is my only problem, otherwise I could be using this for 1 or 2 more years.

I'm retiring my MBP as a HTPC, extending it with USB external drives and swapping the optical for BluRay.


How anyone can buy a laptop that isn't Apple is beyond me. Other than cost, what is the real advantage? Unless you're looking for gaming performance...

 

[silverpig]

What's a trackpoint?

 

[wantedSpidy]

Interesting I didn't know that quicktime is better than VLC for resource usage. The scenario was, my MBP with 320m was connected to a U3011: both monitors on, so total resolution of 1280x800 + 2560x1600, and there definitely was major lag.

I guess MBP > MBA for me is for a bunch o personal preferences. Better processor/RAM at a better price point, bigger HDD (the MBP is my only machine now), firewire port, backlit keyboard.

Don't feel like paying the premium for the extra thin casing, I'm happy with the MBP casing

lol and a few weeks later, I get a 11" MBA on craigslist

 

[HaukSwe]

It only ever comes down to price when someone prefers a laptop that isn't a Mac.

I use my laptops everyday and rely on them for work, it means absolutely NOTHING for a professional pay 500, 1000 or 2000 more over 3-4 years in that context.

But if you're buying just a toy I can see your point.

 

[Pliablemoose]

I gat a MBA 11" a few months ago, it by far has the best build quality of any notebook I've ever owned.

 

[suklee]

^^ LOL :thumbsup:

I had a Thinkpad T43 back in the day - loved it at the time but the screen died after 3 years of use. Rest of the laptop still works, however. I once tripped on the power cord and sent the thing flying... made a nice crack in the corner of the TP and the floor. Now with my MBP's magsafe I don't have to worry about this as much if at all.

I liked the Trackpoint, but ergonomically it wasn't very good. You can't use it all day and not feel strain in your forearm. My T43 had the dual Trackpoint/Trackpad but I would never, ever give up the MBP's smoooooth, large glass trackpad now.

PS. I have the mid-2009 13" MBP w/ 8GB RAM. A bright white spot recently appeared in the LCD but I'm under Apple Care so they should be able to fix it for me.

 

[BarneyFife]

Bought a 13" MBP about 8 months ago and I agree. Best laptop ever. Would never consider buying anything else again. Just feel like Apple has the best quality. I still have my 2006 Imac and it runs good. Also love that this computer runs pretty damn fast. I know if I was on windows it would be getting to the point where I would be about due for a re-image.

 

[amdhunter]

Heh, I turned on my MacBook Pro 13" the other day after leaving it unplugged since I broke the screen. The battery still had a full charge. Poor things rotting away...lol

Definitely a good laptop.

 

[postaled]

My least favorite part of the MBP when I had it was the lack of trackpoint

Not saying that the trackpad isn't neat, but I just really dig the eraser.

 

[umrigar]

Heh, I turned on my MacBook Pro 13" the other day after leaving it unplugged since I broke the screen. The battery still had a full charge. Poor things rotting away...lol

Definitely a good laptop.

you should sell it as a headless Mac - someone could use it as a desktop with built-in battery backup.

 

[secretanchitman]

Heh, I turned on my MacBook Pro 13" the other day after leaving it unplugged since I broke the screen. The battery still had a full charge. Poor things rotting away...lol

Definitely a good laptop.

i would totally buy it! lol

 

[bteeter]

More recycled arguments, again. Your bad experience with Lenovo's customer service doesn't hold a candle to what studies have found. Apple is still the best in customer service, but Lenovo comes a close second. We're not talking about HP here.

Also, I think many will agree: TrackPoint>Trackpad. Personal preference is mostly due to your own bias and doesn't translate into anything objective or concrete, which is what I was asking for.

But again, Macs are very good overall machines. They're just overpriced.

Just because his arguments are recycled does not make them wrong. They are absolutely correct.

Also, massive LOL at TrackPoint > Trackpad. If that were true every laptop would have TrackPoints. Maybe you personally like them better but there is absolutely no way that is a common sentiment. Hell, I'm sitting next to someone in my office with a Thinkpad that wishes she could rip out the TrackPoint.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

I didn't think it justified a whole new thread, but I did want to append this one to celebrate my MBP's third anniversary!

In the last year I have made a few upgrades to my machine, including an 8GB RAM upgrade (really couldn't detect any difference), and swapping out my 500 GB Momentus XT for a 512 GB Crucial M4 (again, not much of a discernible difference). I also recently got a new battery installed, not because the old one had failed but because it had lost a discernible amount of battery life. The Apple store charged me half the retail price (I think I paid $65) for the upgrade, because my original battery was barely within specs and I still had AppleCare. I have also installed Lion, and moved from using Boot Camp to using VMWare Fusion for my Windows installation. Oh, and I got a new charger (the newer, aluminum kind) under warranty after my original one frayed a bit.

I am far into uncharted territory for a laptop and me. As I wrote a year ago, I use my laptop for hours almost every day, so historically my computers conk out pretty quickly. Three years is almost unbelievable.

I have in no way babied my MBP since my prior thread. I have taken it on several trips but mostly used it around the house. The computer still looks near-new. The only obvious evidence of age is that the bottom is somewhat scratched up, and all the writing on the bottom, other than the serial number, is worn off. As I wrote a year ago, the keyboard is a little shiny but otherwise perfect, and the touchpad still looks exactly the way it did three years ago.

I continue to be pleased with the experience of using my computer, and thrilled with its quality and longevity. Although I am impressed with the new Retina screen MBP, I am not convinced that any of the latest MBA or MBP models is sufficiently superior to my machine to justify the cost of an upgrade. Actually I think what I would ideally want would be a Retina 13" MBA with 512 GB SSD, but since that doesn't exist, I will cheerfully soldier on with my MBP.

I recently built a fairly high-end Hackintosh desktop, but my MBP remains my primary machine. I am thinking of investing in a Cinema Display that I can use with both my desktop and laptop.

All of this is a long way of saying that, for me, three years in, the 13" MBP remains my all-time favorite laptop. This may be my most satisfying purchase of any consumer item, ever.

 

[notposting]

Nice writeup (and update). This cheapo Acer laptop I'm writing on is 18 months old and doing okay (the previous one was replaced after 16 months) though it's still evident where the milk got poured into it. And the exterior doesn't look too good (not worn or scratched) but with the doofy textured like surface (kind of like inverse steel playground equipment) it has *stuff* mashed into the surface.

Would love to buy a MBA but the wife thinks no optical drive is a dealbreaker. The refurbished deals on Apple's site are pretty tempting...

 

[N4n45h1]

Looks good to me. I'm probably going to buy a mac for my next laptop as a result of your positive experiences with them.

I would go dell again, if they offered a laptop that I actually wanted to buy. I feel as if all of their latest latitude offerings are extremely ugly. My E6400 actually has fairly similar specs to your mbp13 and has also lasted me a long time. Dell customer support has been fantastic. They have pretty much replaced every part on my laptop short of the processor, just because I asked or complained about keys getting shiny >__>

I've heard very good things about AppleCare as well. Would you say that they're willing to repair/replace any parts short of actual user error?

 

[Puddle Jumper]

I'd blame Apple for the lack of improvement with the SSD as some of the older MBPs had SATA 3.0 artificially disabled. I noticed a big improvement when I upgraded my Thinkpad x220 with a Intel SSD however it has SATA 6.0 support.

I considered getting a MBP 13 when I bought the Thinkpad but the MBP's battery life, screen and keyboard weren't as good and I could get the x220 with a 120gb SSD for the same price as the base MBP.

Looks good to me. I'm probably going to buy a mac for my next laptop as a result of your positive experiences with them.

I would go dell again, if they offered a laptop that I actually wanted to buy. I feel as if all of their latest latitude offerings are extremely ugly. My E6400 actually has fairly similar specs to your mbp13 and has also lasted me a long time. Dell customer support has been fantastic. They have pretty much replaced every part on my laptop short of the processor, just because I asked or complained about keys getting shiny >__>

I've heard very good things about AppleCare as well. Would you say that they're willing to repair/replace any parts short of actual user error?

If you like Dell but want something nice looking give the XPS 13 a try. I wasn't expecting much but it's actually an incredibly impressive laptop and the carbon fiber exterior looks and feels great.

 

[Sid59]

2009 mid 13" MBP, best computer i've ever owned. Waiting for it to die, which may be never, or pass it to a family member. If that day comes, I'm moving to a MBA but i dont see that happening for a long time.