please convince me not to buy a macbook (update: MISSION FAILED)

brianmanahan

Lifer
Sep 2, 2006
24,302
5,731
136
they are super overpriced and i know its stupid to buy one, but dang it, i want one. 15" macbook pro looks sweet.

first world problems amirite?
 
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lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
57,682
7,906
126
You get the compatibility of GNU/Linux, with less freedom than Windows.
 

mmntech

Lifer
Sep 20, 2007
17,504
12
0
iFixit gave them a repairability score of 1, which I believe is their lowest score they've ever handed out. So if it brakes, you've got a $2000 paperweight.

I love my MacBook but Apple's current design philosophy of disposable electronics really sours me off them. Especially at that price. Last thing the world needs is more e-waste. Speaking of which, look who's on their board of directors.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Gore
 

Obsy

Senior member
Apr 28, 2009
389
0
0
Keep them in good condition and they'll resell for so much that you'll get the Apple premium refunded.
 

dighn

Lifer
Aug 12, 2001
22,820
4
81
your premise is incorrect. they are not overpriced. spec a quality laptop from other vendors and the prices will be on par. btw i'm not even a fanboy.
 
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ultimatebob

Lifer
Jul 1, 2001
25,135
2,445
126
your premise is incorrect. they are not overpriced. spec a quality laptop from other vendors and the prices will be on par.

Yeah, that's the funny thing. If you spec out a high end Dell XPS or Lenovo Thinkpad T series with the same options, it will come out around the same price.

Just do us a favor and don't become one of those self important douchebags who goes to your local Starbucks to show off your new Macbook Pro and sponge off their WiFi. I've always wanted to spill a Latte on their laps.
 

dighn

Lifer
Aug 12, 2001
22,820
4
81
Yeah, that's the funny thing. If you spec out a high end Dell XPS or Lenovo Thinkpad T series with the same options, it will come out around the same price.

the apple tax has really come down in recent years. only reason they are still perceived as expensive is because they don't sell junk, unlikely most PC manufacturers.
 

destrekor

Lifer
Nov 18, 2005
28,799
359
126
I'm actually heavily, heavily leaning in that direction too, and am curious if there will be sort of a surprise announcement of new MBPr models next week at Apple's event. For the past two years the October event has seen a release party for refreshed MBPs.
Intel may just have the standard-power mobile Broadwell out, perhaps enough to satisfy one major vendor like Apple. They've been shy about discussing Broadwell, and have really only talked about the low-wattage units. I think their was separate word once regarding "other units", back in August, that basically suggested some units may debut with hardware vendors "in the coming months."

Regardless, there's your Facebook-using, classroom note taking MacBook users who simply want it because... whatever random reason. If you fall into that class - get what you want.

I still actually really like Windows, and am excited for Windows 10... I have the tech preview dual-booting alongside Xubuntu on an ancient laptop that I think gets about 45 minutes to a charge at this point - old battery plus, perhaps, OS's that aren't friendly toward a $500 Acer laptop from ~2006

But in some respects, Apple and NEXT really focused on the creative arts of all kinds, and the platform has blossomed for such activities. The entire window server was originally coded with PostScript, iirc, and the system handles color profiles for displays and printers far better than Windows. I don't know if other Unix-derived systems are that way, but to be fair, while development focus for OS X pales in comparison to Windows, it blows away other Unix-derived systems.

That's not to say you can't get the same tasks done in Windows or other platforms, but... it's not really the same.
I noticed it rather simply after having completely dismissing OS X for all my life. Working with Lightroom and Photoshop in Windows is easy, sure, but getting into display calibrations and hearing that OS X handles things differently, I gave that a try. That was really all it took, because I'm typing this on my hackintosh that I dual boot with Windows 8.1 and prefer this for general day-to-day, even when I don't touch my photos for weeks on end.

I'll never fully abandon Windows, especially when it comes to simply making things easy when interacting with the corporate world (and I don't think I'll ever give up PC gaming, so I'll continue my build and upgrade cycles) but for what OS X offers, the prices on current MBPr's aren't actually that out of line. They have phenomenal battery life, and while they rarely compete in terms of discrete GPUs, the rest of the hardware is leveraged perfectly. Look at comparable laptops with Windows and check out the performance metrics and benchmarks.


You get the compatibility of GNU/Linux, with less freedom than Windows.

What's that even supposed to mean?
In relative terms, I'd argue it's not even close: in the general world, compatibility with OS X is far greater than GNU/anything, be it Linux, *BSD, etc.
Microsoft is the largest OS X developer - they wouldn't even bother if the world didn't actively use Mac systems. Note that they don't actively develop on any other desktop OS. You can basically skate through standard corporate career using nothing but Mac's if you utilize the right software. You might have to pay for MS Office for Mac to ensure document compatibility, since MS Office will likely always dominate the document software business, but that would depend on how you need to use productivity software. In many ways you can use FOSS document software, but file compatibility sharing with MS Office users can get iffy real quick.
 

blinblue

Senior member
Jul 7, 2006
889
0
76
the apple tax has really come down in recent years. only reason they are still perceived as expensive is because they don't sell junk, unlikely most PC manufacturers.

While it is true that if you go to a PC manufacturer's website (Dell, Lenovo, etc) and spec out a laptop similar to a Macbook Pro you do get a somewhat similar price, it is important to remember that you are looking a the regular retail prices there. With Apple you might be lucky to get maybe 15% off on a deal, with a PC you are looking at 50% off.

For example (and granted this isn't really the same type of laptop as the 15" macbook, but it illustrates the price differential), the Yoga 2 Pro, i5 256GB SSD, 3200x1800 Touch screen for $779 brand new

Now if you need the exact features of a Macbook Pro 15", and you need it right now and don't have the ability to shop around a bit, then go for it. But if you are willing to consider a wider range of options (especially refurbished), you can save a crap ton of money. It is all down to what your priorities are.
 

AyashiKaibutsu

Diamond Member
Jan 24, 2004
9,306
3
81
I wish the worst for you, and therefore think you should buy one. If not one then two so you don't have to carry it from your desk to your crapper.
 

Ruptga

Lifer
Aug 3, 2006
10,247
207
106
It really does depend what you want it for, and your budget. They're competitive with their nicer ones, but trying to go Apple on a budget doesn't work for shit. Also some people will hate you since Apple is the brand of choice for douchebags and pedants; you may need to write a few extra pomes to make up for that bad image.
 

destrekor

Lifer
Nov 18, 2005
28,799
359
126
Yeah, that's the funny thing. If you spec out a high end Dell XPS or Lenovo Thinkpad T series with the same options, it will come out around the same price.

Just do us a favor and don't become one of those self important douchebags who goes to your local Starbucks to show off your new Macbook Pro and sponge off their WiFi. I've always wanted to spill a Latte on their laps.

You don't get the same reaction with XPS owners who do that same thing?

Are they showing off, or simply working from somewhere else.
I always hated that too, and there are plenty of douchy "oh I'm in the IN crowd... look at me!" - but some also just work.

When I do get my MBP, I don't know if I'll utilize coffee shops any more than I currently do (which is not at all), but something like a 15" MBPr would be far more productive on the go than my Surface Pro (first gen). Even the SP3, while superior, would pale due to the screen size.

But I also am strongly, strongly preparing to get started writing... one of these days. And getting away and just typing could be beneficial, though I don't expect coffee shops to be the place that would be most conducive for me (getting away would be to avoid internet and avoid all my ADHD triggers). If I was in college again, I'd work like that, and when I was I did just that; with that $500 Acer I mentioned in my other post. I typed, I studied, I wasted time between classes... then again, it was on a major (some might say the best) college campus, so that was to be expected. The MBP sightings at the time were far more aggravating than at your average urban coffee shop, because half of the time you instantly thought, "oh, that's a nice laptop mommy and daddy bought you!"

I'd have no urge to suddenly show off my shiny new toy, but... considering the upgrade in both performance and utility, I'd probably seek more ways to use it. A dining room table might suffice, or it might be a park bench or, gasp, a coffee shop.



The Apple Tax has indeed dropped significantly, but there's also that other factor mentioned: they simply don't make low-end products. And for the majority of people, affordable "low-end" products are perfectly capable of satisfying their daily need, and then some. Some of those people seek out Apple products for status and who knows why, because quite a few never seem to utilize more tasking applications than browser, mail, and productivity apps.
Many simply see what they feel is ludicrous pricing for Apple laptops, and appear to completely ignore similar pricing for top end Windows laptops. They don't need that level of hardware in the first place, so they rightfully ignored the various Windows-based hardware; they may have wanted Apple because it's cool, but are immediately disgusted by the minimum price of entry, not even aware those products were also more than they need.
 

CZroe

Lifer
Jun 24, 2001
24,195
856
126
Haven't owned a Mac since someone gave me an old black and white Mac+ back in 1994 (could only type and paint). Now I want the rumored 12.1" MacBook Air for my motorcycle tank bag. I have an Alienware M11x r3 in there now but this should give me better performance in an even more portable package.

You get the compatibility of GNU/Linux, with less freedom than Windows.
Except that they also get Windows. Apple still supports Boot Camp, right?>
 

purbeast0

No Lifer
Sep 13, 2001
52,931
5,803
126
i'm on my hackintosh dell probook 4540s right now. i paid $450 for this laptop like a year or so ago. had i gotten a macbook at the time, it would have ran me about $1500 for a comparable mac. i just couldn't justify the price difference at the time. i run osx because i do ios development on the side for fun and some spare cash.

that said, once this laptop goes or it simply cannot run the latest osx needed for the latest xcode, i will be getting a macbook. it is just easier to upgrade and maintain than a hackintosh when you need to upgrade osx. the touchpad and screens on the macbooks are also much better, although this touchpad is good enough. but the battery on this thing sucks ass.

but still ... i just couldnt justify the extra $1k at the time for all that, but i will whenever i have to upgrade.
 

Leros

Lifer
Jul 11, 2004
21,867
7
81
Last year, I bought a System76 Galago UltraPro instead of a Macbook Pro. At the time a maxed out Macbook Pro was $2000 and a $1400 System76 Galago was twice as powerful. The only thing I don't like about the Galago is that the trackpad is awful.

I might get a Macbook Pro for my next laptop. Seems like an awful waste of money for running Linux, but I don't want to compromise on physical quality again.
 
Feb 25, 2011
16,823
1,493
126
They're nice.

The lack of repairability bothers me; I think the extended warranty is a must now, whereas the older models had enough easily replaced moving parts that I felt secure in my ability to replace the most likely failure points.
 
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