Is MacBook pro really worth buying?

Hello friends,

I have been lately asking to lots of my own friends about which brand laptop to buy
HP, Dell, Sony, MacBook pro etc.

They all told me MAcBook pro.

What is the benefit of MacBook Pro ? Please can someone tell me some important benefits than HP (they have HDMI port, Blu Ray, 1 Terra Byte HDD etc).

What is the thing i can get in MacBook pro Laptop ?

Suppose i buy MacbOok pro 17 inch lapto. am i able to upgrade it later, when Core i7 or i9 processor comes? or upgrade the HDD when they have 1 TB HDD drive?

HP currently is offering core quad i7 processor already.. which is the top specifiction i assume

However, all software
, games are mostly in windows..

So what other advantage we have in having a macbook pro ??

Why everyone is after macbook pro these days??

1) I see price is being high - price isnt factor to me, just mentioning
2) There is no HDMI port
3) HP currently gives 1 TB HDD, but MacPro has 500 GB - 7,200 Highest
4) 8 GB Ram both r giving
5) TV Tuner option in HP laptop
6) Core Quat i7 processor currently by HP

I really need to know some good advantages..




Need advise guys.

Thanks

 

Well price not being a factor, you're paying for the thinnest/lightest 17" laptop available with the best battery life. Although the battery is non-replaceable, so that arguement can go both ways. MBP are also considered to be the "best looking" laptops available, but again this is subjective.

The primary benefit is that you are getting a laptop that runs OS X obviously. No PC can do this. If you are using this laptop for work and need a Windows environment, that obviously doesn't do much for you. For personal use, having just made the "switch" myself, once you get used to OS X it really is "easier" to do common things quicker/easier IMHO.

You really have to evaluate your own needs. You mention no HDMI, for me that was a major minus as well, but I figured I could live with a dongle adapter If you're after true speed, a PC is still the way to go until Apple's next round of upgrades (maybe January if we're lucky?). Apple simply doesn't offer options as high as Dell, HP yet. Also, I don't believe the CPUs are upgradeable on any of the MBPs, they are soldered to the motherboard...in any case, the new Core i7s don't have the same socket as the current Core2Duo CPUs.

 

If what you are looking for is horsepower in hardware specs, don't get a Mac as that is not where there strengths are. It is precisely why the MBP doesn't have an i7 and a 1TB HDD that allows for a < 1" thickness.

Get a MBP if if you find the following things really valuable:

OSX
large screen but a small footprint
light weight
long battery life
large multi-touch track pad
Apple Care
holds its value well
anodized aluminum

 

Not once did you make any reference to OS X which is the main reason to own a Mac. Yes they can run Windows, but it runs OS X much much better in comparison.

Find yourself an Apple store or Apple authorized dealer to sit down and play with a Mac for a bit to become familiar with OS X. Don't make a decision based upon what others tell you, make an educated decision for yourself. If you don't, you'll end up like several other people here who are upset that Macs don't have a Windows experience like a typical PC would, and then think there is something wrong with their Mac.

 

I have no problem about MAC OSX..
the main call here utmost lots of programs run in Windows..
So window is prior as well..

 

The Macbook Pro is very pretty. And runs OS X (not some not-quite-there hacky effort). Those are the only two real reasons to buy it.

As for anything else - well as Verizon put it succinctly, do you need to "trade hairdo for can-do"? If so, look elsewhere.

 

That's not a very accurate description comparison for most OSX users. I bought a MBP for the can-do aspect of it. In my case the MBP can-do everything I need to do and provides a better overall user experience than a PC but everyone's experience is different. Its more than just hardware, its the operating system as well. I find that with the MBP I'm working WITH my computer more than ON my computer.

To the OP: Like others have mentioned, do some research and make your own decision. It all depends on what you want to do with the system. You mentioned gaming and for the newest games a properly configured PC will out perform a MBP. What exactly will you be using the system for?

 

@Jervis: Of course - it depends on the compromises you're willing to make to get what you think you want, as well as how the offerings from the Apple brand affect your judgement.

But it ultimately does boil down to just those two simple issues. If those are not your core needs / wishes, then it's worth looking elsewhere.

 

Well...duh. Isn't that stating the obvious?
That holds true with any purchase.

Anyway, I got a MBP because I felt that it would accomplish the things that I wanted to with grace. Which it does, without a doubt.
The OS is wonderful. It makes using your laptop a breeze, and navigating around the system is simple, and it's easy to teach yourself! It was nice to finally make a change after having used PC for my entire life, and I don't regret it!
The battery life is spectacular. One drawback is the non-removable battery, but that was easily overlooked for me if the price was amazing battery life.
The MBP is cosmetically stunning (in my opinion, at least). It's a joy to use, as well as look at! (Not that this should be your deciding factor! Looks aren't everything!)

I don't know if you will take my views to heart, being that I'm not a hardcore user that pushes her CPU to the extreme or an expert on anything having to do with computers, but I think that being a beginner to the Mac world, as you would be (correct me if I'm wrong), this might help! But don't forget to do your research. Don't buy on impulse!

 

It is speculative to recommend any model without more information on your needs. Some people just don't need the horse power that a PC model will provide over a MBP. Some people would rather take the MBP's superior battery performance over more horsepower.

This discussion really is so open ended I have no idea where to begin.

 

I would suggest you read this, and than post your information here to get a better idea if this is the right computer for you. MacBooks are good computers, they may or may not be right for what you need. A bit more info will help us give you a better answer.

 

Honestly, its all up to how your mind works.

-If OSX works well for you, then the macbook pro may be worth it.
There is a very real use for something that really connects with you.
Note please, there are people that should never use mac OS as it really does just frustrate them.

-If OSX is not your primary need, or you are simply as comfortable in Windows as MacOS, then quite frankly I do not think it is worth paying $1700-2400 for $700-1000 worth of PC hardware.


Note please that if you can somehow duck the "mac tax" (the $1000-ish+ extra money you pay for a mac over equivalent pc hardware) then this becomes a little less clear.
One example would be an educational discount...

Before the unibody macs, the macs were among the most durable laptops on the market.
The unibody macs fail about as much as Dells do now... so they are average at best. I have no experience with the current release however, as we have removed support entirely from unibody macs as they were so unreliable.

 

$1000??? Talk about exaggeration. Find me a brand new $199 PC notebook from a known retailer that matches the MBP's specs. I'd love to see you do it.

 

Kernal Panic was referring to his example, which compared a 1700- 2400 MBP to a 700-1000 PC.

He was not referring to a 1200 MBP.

 

My almost 2-year-old Sony SZ with a replaceable battery goes for as long in Vista as the 13-inch MBP does in OS X in the same class of use, due to better power management. And it's lighter.


"The Macbook Pro is very pretty."

You got it because it's pretty.

"And runs OS X."

You got it for OS X, having difficulty getting your head around Windows.

Maybe not?

 

Knowing first hand how often Dells fail, I really have to disagree with this comment.

 

That's not a very fair assessment of reasons to use OSX over Windows. You could read the link in my signature and replace every instance of the word "Linux" with that of "Mac OS X". It isn't a matter of being inherently superior, but a matter of doing the same task in a different manner that certain people find to be subjectively more intuitive.

Which OS is suitable for your needs in terms of functionality is perhaps another matter. I for one do not use OS X not because I scorn it's aesthetics or intuitive usability, but because I find the functionality of the OS to be too limited, particularly in the games arena. That, of course, is based on my personal needs.

 

Perhaps my point(s) got lost. There were a whole two of them after all.

I said that there are two reasons to get a Mac.

One is to run OS X - and this may be for any reason, either as you say and I alluded to, which is that some may subjectively believe it is a better choice because it relates better to how they believe they should be able to use a computer - or as another example in my case, that I need to run some OS X exclusive software.

The other is because the machines are pretty.

The poster I replied to contended that I'd said something very obvious, and put forward their reason for why they bought a Mac - which, in the end, turned out to be a reiteration of my two points.

There still are only two reasons to buy a Mac in my book.

 

I would have to agree with Vogelbung. They're pretty and they run OS X. Not much else to it.

The internal components are manufactured by Foxconn, which can also be found in Dell, Sony, and HP notebooks. Nothing special.

 

I have no gripes about people buying Macbooks if they know exactly what they are buying, not some advertising gimmick or peer influence by someone who don't know better.

 

Statistically speaking, Macs do fail about as much as Dells. In order from best to worst on the reliability scale (as reported by SquareTrade): Asus, Toshiba, Sony, Apple, Dell.... HP comes in dead last. The percentage spread is between 15% for Asus, and 25% for HP. Macs come in about 17%, Dells about 18%.

Linky to the report: http://www.squaretrade.com/htm/pdf/SquareTrade_laptop_reliability_1109.pdf

 

I'm also surprised that no one has spoken about the Mac's ability to run Windows as well as OS X. In an ideal world, the OP could have his MBP and run his Windows apps with equal ease. It depends entirely on which apps of course, but I think it's worth noting.

 

Yeah, running Windows on a Mac is usually mentioned early on.

 

very good article , i really thought that asus was not good enough ,after reading this statistics i think i ll think about asus in future purchases

 

I think he was very accurate. The MBP is not a "can-do" at all in terms of raw power, gaming, etc. For the price, the "can-do" to $ ratio is among the worst. Just because the MBP "can-do" what you need it to do, doesn't mean it can do much at all if you're not asking much from it.

But what you get with a Mac is a hot (running) sexiness in a tight body. Not alot of brains though.

I've been running a PC and a Mac side by side for nearly 2 years. I can safely say, that as a power user, OS X is not for power users.

 

Ah, I love this thread. PC user's reactions are considerably different than Mac user's.

Yeah, if you call Dell a lot, you can usually get someone who's familiar with your level of technical expertise and can bump you past all the checklists.

 

OSX in a single, dual, or triple boot set up.

that is really the only practical advantage the mac has over the pc. But even that "advantage" is a disadvantage to some folks.

Everything else, and i mean everything else, is just aesthetics.

 

I never said it was a "power user" system and the majority of users are not power users either. My MBP runs much cooler than my previous Dell did but yes it does get a bit warm at times. While you look at the cost to power ratio, I look at the cost to user experience ratio. The MBP does everything I need and then some without the headaches I was getting using Windows systems. In your eyes, Macs are worth less while in mine they are worth every penny due to our needs. In the end it comes down to user preference and needs when it comes to deciding between Mac and PC. Some prefer Mac, others PC. I think what is important here is finding out what the OPs needs are instead of squabbling over our own. Although, done correctly these discussions can be quite entertaining without getting too heated.

 

It looks nice and built well like a BMW. But really, you can buy a Dodge Charger that out performs the BMW from 0-60 and still pay less off MSRP.

The appeal of a MBP hardware is the design and looks. Small, simple, and clean packaging, which you will barely (notice I said barely) find on an IBM-compatible laptop.

 

The 13" have become "affordable" also.

 

Running Windows on OS X requires you to run some OS X stuff underneath it, so there's more overhead than running Windows on a non-Mac. So not "equal ease".

You can also run OS X on a Windows machine with no hardware modifications, although it takes more effort than just installing OS X on a Mac.

 

I agree. It is best to use the OS for the hardware it is designed to run on. For that reason, I have a MBP and a Lenovo.

 

Never the less, the advantage and capability is there.

 

running what OSX stuff underneath? Running Windows natively (installed through bootcamp) runs directly on the hardware, there is no OSX stuff under it. People mistake this a lot because people say they run Windows through Bootcamp, but that statement is just wrong. Bootcamp helps you install Windows, it doesn't run Windows. if by "on OS X" you are only referring to a virtual machine, thats a bit of a limited view when comparing it to installing OSX natively on a non-Apple machine

for what type of power user? guess it depends how you define power user... its definitely not for Windows power users.... but just "power user" is waaaay to vague to say what type of machine is good for it.

 

I use OSX and Windows 7 side by side daily. IMO they are so similar in performance and ease of use that you have to really be excited about OSX to justify the buy in. The native *nix commands are really handy and there is no Windows equivalent to the excellent iLife suite (ignoring iTunes sheer crappiness), but you must decide if that is important to you. I use my machines for work as a programmer, so once I get going all I care about is compile times. My buying decision is pretty much, how much horsepower can I get for the lowest cost? I switched to OSX when I was given the computer by my employer.
I currently own a Lenovo T61, a 2007 MBP, and a brand new Lenovo T500.
The main thing I was concerned with when choosing the T500 over another MBP was cost, since I was footing the bill. A Lenovo with a higher resolution screen and otherwise identical specs was significantly cheaper than the Apple.
People go on and on about the Apple build quality, but my experience has been pretty negative. The case is dented and bent without any particularly rough use on my part. The lid is warped enough to notice that is doesn;t really shut flat. The power adapter has failed twice ($80 a pop). The T61 is the same age and looks and performs as new without requiring any maintenance beyond expected battery replacement. The 3 Apple laptops I owned before (12" powerbook, 2006 MBP, 2007 MacBook) all suffer from similar flimsiness. Not as bad the the creaky old Dells I owned, but not much better.
I do have a 24" 2008 iMac which is a fantastic computer.

Notes on Bootcamp:
Yes you can install Windows natively on the Mac, but the driver support isn't great. You still depend on Apple for touchpad drivers and other things. I have had some annoying issues running windows 7 natively on my MBP, and the lack of a right mouse button is awful.
I also use VMWare Fusion to run Windows Vista, XP, and 7 to test my web apps. I would not recommend using a VM for anything beyond basic "I have to do this in Outlook" kind of cases. It just crushes the processor and memory.

 

I do cs3,java,adroid app development,some photoshop,illustrator, movie editing and all the regular staff(IM,browsing,converting,music,etc.) on my mac-what do you mean under power users?

I this it is mostly about new, "unibody" macs....(which is purely marking!they suck... /sarcasm)

 

Fair enough, time will tell. Apple markets beauty, and no doubt the case on a MBP is pleasant when you pull it out of the box. That's something I guess.

 

Yeap! mine is 2 month old and no scratches yet(knock on the wood)! In comparison, my old white macbook was like "sandpapered" just after 2-3 weeks!

 

I purchased my '07 MBP for more than 'pretty' reasons.
1. The Mac OS works for me. Windows XP and Vista didn't
2. Since my purchase in June of '07, my MBP has never frozen, failed or messed up. I certainly *cannot* say the same thing about the Dells and HPs I've run beside it.
3. As far as power user, it all depends. My Mac has turned out to be my workhorse, while the Windows machines have all been relegated to game machines.
4. Tech support from Apple has been far superior for me in the questions I had at the beginning. When calling Dell's tech support I had to call several times because the person answering from somewhere in the world and I couldn't communicate as we didn't speak the same language. Having to deal with HP's tech support was also a nightmare.
5. I question the definition of 'tech savvy' by some of the posts here. If what I've read and understood by some of their posts that Mac users are rather ignorant when it comes to the OS on Mac, I would disagree. For me, if the OS on my Mac allows me to not have to stop alot to tweek the OS, change settings, etc., etc., then it's better for me. It saves me time to use something that works and for me time is money.
Bottom line for the OP: go to an Apple store, try one out, play with them and see if it works for you. If it does then my viewpoint is get it. IF it doesn't, then don't buy it.
What more could you say?

 

Oh that is a terrible analogy. The Charger will handle like crap and even V8 LX vehicles have trouble doing 60 in less than 6 seconds.

 

And I do all those. Faster.

Work, check.

Play?

Macs don't play. The 9600M GT is pretty much crap packaged into nice body.

Like I said, not for power users.

 

you do them faster?

oh yeah? well i do them faster!!!

(empty argument).

and the 9600m gt is what it is. it is just as fast as any other 9600m gt w/ gddr3 memory (most have ddr2)

 

Well gaming power(or graphics power since for general consumers that what graphics power is used for) was never much of an argument towards Apple notebooks. They're gaming capable, but they won't start putting in high end GPUs to cater to the gamers; other companies have models cater to those markets.

Nah MBPs are decent Jack-Of-All-Trades notebooks, hence their popularity(well also count in Apple's marketing ). A MBP has enough juice for most tasks while still being lean and light and having that above average battery life on OSX.

 

a mac or pc is fine for things like android development. you seriously think you do android development faster because you have a pc?

i dont even know what to say to that. blatant fanboyism. you clearly don't understand android app development. android uses open source cross platform tools. you can get the job done equally well on windows, mac, and linux...

it just bothers me that you took that stance.

similarly bothered by the fact that you think you "do IM faster"... does the PC type out what you are thinking / allow you to type faster somehow?

 

I got a MBP because 1) It runs OSX. I like the Unix terminal better having used Unix extensively for the past 3 years coding for school assignments. Also having vim, javac etc all standard is pretty nice. 2) I like the looks. I lived fine on Windows machines for years but I just liked OSX better.

p.s. To the OP, if you don't see any reasons to buy a Mac then don't. Just get the HP. It is your money you spend it however you want. Who gives a **** what your friends think when you are the one using it?

 

For the same job, a Quad Core processor packing higher clocks than what MBP does would not even be close. Even Dual Cores like my T9900 can run at up to 16% faster clocks, and that is aside from the fact that a T9900 configured MBP would probably cost you a couple of Alienwares.

Yes, whatever you're doing on your Mac, they can be done faster... anywhere from 15% to 100% faster.

Macs are just not fast... enough. Period.

Of course, you don't need the kind of power I'm looking for if you're not a power user.

Edit: obviously I am not referring to the speed IM or code is written. I am talking about the CPU and GPU bound work that involve number crunching.

 

I've had macs on and off in between my ASUS machines, they're a nice contrast (literally and figuratively, the screens are top notch on MBPs). I recently traded my MBP 5,5 for an ASUS G51J. On the plus side is the whole design and feel of the thing. Then on the other side is performance and cost cutting using all kinds of integrated chipsets (bluetooth/wlan combo and pci-e/firewire integrated controller). It's impossible to really say if it's worth it without balancing your needs and weighing the options.

Of course Linux is my primary OS so that said I will get me coat and jump out of this thread.

 

I think it is arrogant of you to be saying that "Of course, you don't need the kind of power I'm looking for if you're not a power user." :S

 

Yup, that is one huge benefit. Macs almost all pack excellent screens, while they huge hit and misses on the PCs.

 

IF you did, you'd be a power user and eventually find you're working with a pretty but inadequate piece of equipment.

When a MBP arrives with an 920 QXM & a top of the line GPU card, you'll get the best of all worlds. Until then.