Guest Editorial: Apple "MehBooks" and the Future of Macs

I know they do because I own one

I guess I have higher standards than you?

My HP that was $500 less than my MacBook is built significantly better than my MacBook. Theres no "soft spots" on it anywhere, theres no plastic that can crack from heat or use or both. Theres nothing on it that can discolor from heat. I don't have to worry about setting it down too hard and cracking it. It's amazing how much better the build quality is on my HP.

I can type much faster on my HP keyboard because the keys actually register presses! I can't tell you how often I have to go back and edit things I type out on my Mac because the keys are so insensitive.

Plus Apple must have thought HP keyboards looked nice to steal the color scheme

I've had English speakers and non-native English speakers when I've called either company.

58c IS too hot. Why? Again, it makes the outer casing hot. You know, I'd like to have children some day and using any Mac portable as a portable jeopardizes because of the high heat.

My HP is about half an inch thicker than my MacBook at the back (obviously wide and longer but not by much, thanks to the bigger 15.4" screen), and it only weighs a pound more than the beast of a 13.3" notebook the MacBook is.

I'd rather be able to hear the fan softly on a PC notebook and know that the components aren't going to affect my fertility when used on my lap as opposed to having a whisper quiet MacBook that gets hot enough to heat a room on its own.

HAH! You are SADLY mistaken if you think one DVD player is as good as another. Unlike DVD Player in OS X, Windows DVD players (WinDVD, PowerDVD, etc) can take full advantage of the GPU. If you're playing a DVD or a blu-ray disc, they will hand ALL of the video work (called "bitstream decoding") off to the GPU. This means video looks better, can play in an even more reduced power state, can be properly upscaled in hardware, and can take advantage of all of the neat features the GPU has, such as cleaning up compression artifacting. Windows DVD players also properly decode the sound, so you don't lose the LFE channel in the decoding process like in OS X. WinDVD also has neat features like their "All2HD" feature, which will upscale DVDs and make them look ALMOST as good as true high definition content.

Well, unlike OS X, I don't have Windows constantly locking up my computer requiring hard restarts and OS reinstallations.

How about my own experience owning a Mac and a PC?

Well thats where you and I are different. You see, with a PC company.. lets say HP for now. You can call at 9PM and set up a repair. You'll get the box that next day and ship it out. With Apple you have to wait until the following day to call and then another day for the box to arrive. With Dell? If you paid for the extended warranty you can have someone AT YOUR HOME that next day.

Apple Stores might be open on the weekend. But if you live in southern California like me, you have to make an appointment to see a so-called "Genius". Even then, they still have to send it out for repair. So all you did was set up that appointment and make the drive to skip the shipping part. Even better, Apple Stores aren't everywhere. The closest Apple Store to me is a good 75 mile round trip. Not a casual drive, even with gas finally below $3.

Your argument is flawed in that the MB is more like a V6 Mustang Coupe painted to look like the Cobra slightly less. The MacBook Pro is more like The V8 Mustang GT painted to look like a Corvette, priced twice as much as the Vette, but obviously fails at being or competing with the Vette.

Why would anyone use Logic Pro when M-Audio and Digidesign make their entire suites available for and even better on Windows?

As I said, I have to run Onyx in OS X as often as I have to defrag.

You DO NOT need anti-virus software. The ONLY way you can get a virus or any form of malware these days is to ignore the multiple warnings by the browser that you're about to download malicious software and then ignore the warnings from Vista itself that you're about to execute the malicious software.

So please don't try to bring up things that were true in the 90s.

The fact that you canNOT update your drivers in OS X is a bad thing.

When was the last time your nvidia drivers were updated? You see, the good thing about driver updates is that they add functionality and increase performance. My lowly GeForce 8400M GS, thanks to driver updates, now runs games better in Vista than that it couldn't run without frame-rate issues a year ago.

In the past I had a soundcard that had entirely new functionality brought to it thanks to drivers. The chipset manufacturer released drivers that allowed you to take full advantage of the fact that the card was capable of bit-perfect audio output or to take advantage of its high resolution output without special tweaking and hacking like was required prior to that update.

I also had a TV tuner that, thanks to driver updates, could record 480p video at higher bitrates than DVDs.

Somehow my MacBook with 5275mAh remaining capacity (more than 100% of the original design capacity) is bad? It doesn't qualify as a benchmark for battery life?

You people seem to be forgetting or deliberately ignoring the fact that I own a MacBook and have stated so several times.

Because driving 75 miles round trip to the closest Apple Store in southern California only to have them ship it out to the same repair facility that has a notoriously bad reputation for returning systems in worse shape than they went out is somehow good. So is the fact that when you call Apple you're just as likely to speak to someone who took ESL courses in high school as you are when you call HP or Dell.

Most business machines from HP and Dell come with 3 year warranties with 24/7 support as standard. The extended warranty you're referring to would generally add in accidental damage coverage, on-site support, and things like that.

Also, all Dells, HPs, Gateway, etc. come with a full year of phone support. Not 90 days like Apple.

Again, for idle, yes it is. That makes your external case run upwards of 35c up to 40c.

You mean it's built for people with more money than sense? Those who don't realize they could get an equal or better machine for half the cost

As I said, the standard warranty on business machines from Dell and HP and others is 3 years with 24/7 support. You pay extra for accidental damage, on-site support, etc.

Consumer warranties.. well, again, HP and Dell allow you to set up repairs in the middle of the night and you get a full year worth of phone support.

Those are "ultra-portables" with a much thinner chassis. How can you even compare the two? Thats silly.

A MacBook is considerably thicker than those Sony systems. Plus the MacBook has an "active" cooling system.

PCs with faster processors in only slightly thicker cases (not even a full half inch in most cases) keep their temperatures anywhere between 20-30c cooler. Thats NOT a good sign for Apple. That is BAD.

A MacBook is not even a full half-inch thicker than the average 13.3" notebook (and still weighs more!). You find another 13.3" notebook out there that runs as hot as the MacBook. I dare you. Even one that runs within 10c of the MacBook.

58c is room temperature? On what planet? 58c is 136.4F. Room temperature is generally considered to be 70f, or 21c.

And a bigger screen

Let's see.. similar functionality plus a bigger screen and user serviceable parts for half the price. Hmmmmm..

I certainly don't enjoy my MacBook. Hell, I can't enjoy it. I've owned it 20 months and 2 out of those 20 it has been with Apple for repairs! Build quality! Plastic cracking and discoloring and nothing else.

My HP dv6500t with the "Imprint" finish looks way better than a white or a black MacBook. Apparently Apple agreed that the HP dv6x00 line and dv5 line look better because they ripped the design off for the new units

No, you should buy from companies that give you what you pay for. At around $1300, an HP with a 1680x1050 screen with blu-ray, 3GB of RAM, 250GB HDD, 512MB GeForce 9600M GT, etc. is a much better value than a MacBook Pro with half the video memory, less RAM, fewer user serviceable parts, fewer ports (why no HDMI? why that displayport that requires adapters for EVERYTHING?), etc.

Except for the fact that PC users have their heads on straight

I realized my MacBook was a mistake and made the switch back to Windows. Glad I did. I just wish I didn't have to keep sending my MacBook in for repair due to the shoddy build quality even though I barely use the thing.

 

I think toyota prius is a stupid invention and totally pointless, that doesn't mean that people who design that are stupid. What, what do u want me to prove!?? I ve been posting here for a while to get rid of the pc-bots attacks. I m not gonna be rewriting all that so u can have another article to read and so u start taking my post seriously. seriously how about u start thinking about your posts and realize that people will different opinions than u. It doesnt matter if its apple or not. Why dont u go to alienware forum and start bashing their prices and what u get for it. The only reason u re here is because Apple is so popular. But being popular and costing more doesnt mean its a bad product and that i cant enjoy one.

 

More correctly, all fanboys in general, Han Bao Quan?

 

Like I said before, it's not so much Macs, but the people who use them.

 

I might be waltzing into a stampede here, but I feel there's a point to be made:

A couple months ago I started looking for a laptop. I was trying to find something that had good build quality, was thin and light, and was powerful enough to run new mainstream games decently at mid to high settings. I narrowed down "thin and light" to around five pounds, less than an inch and half thick, and around five hours battery life.

I started going on NBR and I saw many posters had the same basic questions. A few notebooks fit the bill. Of the ones that did two constantly ranked in the top 5 most popular laptops over the past 2 months: The Lenovo T400 and the Dell E6400. The Vaio Z has been one of the most lusted after laptops in the forum, it's in the top 5 right now. The HP 6930 and the Sony SR have been often mentioned, but haven't been as highly regarded as the other three.

The MacBook checks all the marks as well. It fits almost as well as the other three. Well, the processor isn't as good, the hard drive is only 5400 RPM, and it only sports two gigs. Otherwise, however, I've found few arguments against it.

Yet among the most common arguments I hear in NBR forums lie: the CPU is rarely the bottleneck; install your own RAM, its always cheaper; a 5400 RPM drive is just fine for most people; buy your own HD anyways because its both cheaper and better; and DDR3 RAM rocks (well, I made that last one up). The point is the MacBook is a very good alternative for a lot of notebook seekers, and if you don't like the business casual look and have a grudge against Sony it just might be your only option.

What's more the MacBook Pro also fits the bill. Yeah, its a 15 incher, but at 5.5 pounds its lighter than some 14 inch laptops (Inspiron 1420, Asus F8). Even still, its the king of the hill when it comes to media performance, as it's the only laptop out there that should be able to play any game at mid to high settings at five dot five pounds.

Of course, many sensible people would rather go with, say, a T400 with slightly better specs at a $300 discount than a MacBook, or an ASUS F8 and a grand over a not too different (on the inside) MacBook Pro.

But the main point sticks. If you spec out an Ideapad U330 or a Sony SR like a MacBook the price difference won't be much. Similarly, good luck finding something other than an ASUS at 5.5 pounds with a better card than a 9600. Add the premium many people are apparently willing to bear for the spotted monochrome feline and you've got reasonably competitive laptops.

As my final answer, I would like to say, therefore, accordingly, however, that I personally believe that US Americans should convince el Jobs to get someone to look into different coatings for the displays. A minor detail, to some; an improvement, to others; a candy man nightmare to a sizable lot.

 

FYI, I bashed other manufacturers as well, many times, even Lenovo with their Ideapad line and HP with the Crapvilion.
And I'm here just because I'm bored...
Did you read my post above??? I said MB Pro is a decent product, but Macbook is nowhere near that.

Sam, where have you been all day ?? These threads are never fun without you, ya know that right?
Well, you're in a different class of fanboys. So I'm not gonna pull you in
Ok, I should stop now before Sam bans me

 

I don't care, Sauron. Steve Jobs clearly had an issue with you and decide to deploy the "self-destruct" algorithm against your macbook. Sucks for you that you don't like it. I'm glad you enjoy your HP. You think you have your head on straight... but in reality, I'll take a look at your HP and think "what a cheapo piece of windows junk" and turn back to my macbook pro and smile. Head on straight? Clearly not. You're just vengeful.

Good day.

 

Not to start another fight, but my HP business-class notebook is better than your Macbook Pro...in any terms.

and of course, your MBP is alot better than the HP Pavilions.

The story continues....

 

Thats fine, I honestly don't care. I can work twice as fast on my research using a macbook pro than using any kind of laptop with Windows on it. You like your HP, I like my macbook... what the hell don't you people understand about that? Do you all honestly think you're going to make me realize that I should switch back to windows?

 

Truer words cannot be spoken. Look at the sheer amount of growth this article has generated. Remember when Dell was going through it's made shipping delays two summers ago? Not even that issue generated the heat this article creates.

Apple forum dwellers are a different creature. I remember a new user a while back posted two threads. One asked "Why should I buy a Inspiron 1520 instead of a MBP" in the Dell forum. The other asked "Why should I buy a MBP instead of a Dell Inspiron 1520." Comparing the two threads showed the contrasting communities that dwell on each side. The Dell thread pretty much was filled with objective and neutral stanced posts with a few flames.

The Apple thread grew out of control and was eventually closed by a Mod. Enough said.

 

Obviously, you're taking my review out of context. Have you not heard of an attention getter before?
If you would actually read my entire review, you'll know that I didn't just point out the good in the new macbook, but also the cons.

 

Your Macbook Pro is good, I like it too. Wanna trade???
No one is trying to convince you. At least I'm not. And of course if you love the Mac OS X (SOFTWARE!) then there is no reason to switch back to Microsoft.

Careful with the gun pointing here...

 

Sorry. I have an antsy trigger finger!

I'll let you know about the trade later.





No. Haha

 

Ok, calling apple users a different creatures is a bit off, but hey if u pc-bots can insult anyone u want to lets get this party started. The thread grow so much because pc=bots like yourself come and tell apple users, who some of them happen to be a mac user for almost 10 years now, that they cant buy mac anymore because $599 dells have the same hard drive space and that in some cases u do get to speak with an fluent English speaking assistant. *** are u all to tell me that I should be buying dells instead of mac. I made more money with my mac that u could have with any other PC. FinalCutPro is one of the best editing software out there and because mac is a closed environment product it never failed on me. Do I care that someone with a $599 dell doesnt like that idea .... uuuhhh no, I couldn;t care less. But telling me that a thinkpad or acer or whatever u guys do enjoy is better because its cheaper and has the same hard drive is plainly stupid

 

As someone who's frequented both mac and pc forums, I'll have to agree that pc users - who feel it is their God-given right (i.e. Sauron) to steer mac-users towards the right path (vista) - start these fights by telling mac users that they are wrong. We are not wrong for buying macs. You are not wrong for liking PCs. But flaming mac users is just plain retarded. I have enough disposable income to afford a mac, and if thats what you're really getting upset about then get a better job.

Let's do a test: if you could have any laptop for free, would you pick a macbook pro? or would you pick a plasticky "power packed" pc laptop? (This is an open question)

 

I m a PC and Mac user. I get most of my money form the mac though. I could not live just with one laptop. Macs are more expensive and i can totally see why some people would pay the premium. What I can not understand is why pc-bots have to yell and call a mac user a hyped up person and tell them that they can only buy Dells or thinkpads, my god dont forget those thinkpads. Either u have one or u re stupid or if u have a mac the u deserve to die. Or in the end u can convert to $599 dells and be respected by other users.

 

I would get a Thinkpad x200T. Screw the Lexus. Gimme the Bentley, with 3 years warranty standard.

They are a different creature. Come on, look at the ads. Durrr.

And you finally see the whole point of the article. That people who are looking for the most bang for their buck should NOT buy a Mac.

 

Same here. I really, really like my Vista media center pc, but I would hate myself if I had to do my research and analysis on it. PC users need to stop the hating.

Don't make it seem like I'm an idiot. I mentioned this many pages earlier, and I've mentioned it plenty of times throughout this discussion.

 

Actually lexus is Japanese and they love their plastics so the thinkpad would rather be the lexus with a 3 year warranty and Apple is the Bentley here with an absolute high price and superb build quality.

Great .... again who doesnt know that not everyone will afford a Bentley!?? so I cant really see the point of this article rather then mess with apple users.

 

When it comes to media performance?

Really?

So now theres a blu-ray option?

Apple put HDMI in at the last moment and didn't tell anyone?

Apple finally brought system wide hardware acceleration with full support for full bitstream decoding for video to OS X?

The 9600M GT might be able to play any game out there, but theres no way its going to play modern games at high settings. Well, maybe if you bump the resolution down to 640x480.

And I'll look at your MacBook Pro and think "what a piece of junk ripoff of my computer" and then laugh at the thought of how I have more money in my pocket and a better machine with better software and better support

No. Its just that us PC users state facts (such as Macs costing twice as much, not being built as well as PCs costing half as much, no modern video playback, etc.) and the Mac users heads explode and they go off on a rampage throwing out all kinds of inaccurate things, ignoring facts, and basically making fools out of themselves. Then at the last moment they ignore all the posts that proved them wrong and try to pull this holier than thou attitude of being better than the PC users by saying "well I'm not trying to convert anyone", doing a complete 180 of what they were doing a few posts before.

I would take a loaded HP dv5t with blu-ray. I like modern hardware and modern software with modern video playback

And thats another reason why people don't want to buy Macs. They don't want to be associated with this sort of snobby crowd.

For most people who buy notebooks, its not a matter of being able to afford anything. It's a matter of getting the most value for your money.

You think people get rich or retire in good conditions by buying $2,000 computers that don't offer as much as $1,000 computers?

Truly intelligent and truly financially sound people buy what they need and don't throw money away on "luxury" items don't even offer half as much as what their needed, and cheaper, item does

 

see heres the fact. U can get everything in live that fits the "king" of the price vs. performance ratio crap. But I d rather die knowing how good of time I had with Apple and enjoy my life rather then look at that x200 every day and throw up. I ll also bet ya that u re a winner with ladies if only in your life u purchase something that has a "deal" written all over it. Its sad, but I m not gonna bash u for that. I m not a PC-bot, I m not u

 

Here's a friendly reminder for everyone....

While debating and discussion is fine, we will not tolerate rudeness, insulting posts, personal attacks or purposeless inflammatory posts. Our decision is final in these matters.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=109941

 

Geez, 33 pages in one day... there's no way I can keep up.

 

I agree with your half post but hey Thinkpad is in a different league here . It's a business-line laptop and clearly better than the Mac (HARDWARE and BUILD QUALITY wise) in every way

 

I'm not going to quote your post Sauron cuz its long and rambling... yet again, and stocked with opinions, yet again. I don't know who you're trying to convince, perhaps yourself?

I'm not rich by any means. In fact, I only paid a net of $800 for my macbook pro. It's all about being savvy, isn't it? Thats what you insinuate anyway... that's how people become rich and retire, right? By saving 1k on a laptop once in a few years, I'm sure that will be the difference between a retirement in the bahamas vs. being stuck in a home. Yeah, right. Rich people don't get rich by saving on laptops.

Btw, you'll be in the minority when you think Apple copied off HP. When did the DV series come out? June 2008. When did the new iMac refresh occur (the current mac style)? April 2008. Apple was earlier than HP, buddy. But good call in saying that I'm a fool who has no facts. Good call indeed.

I hope you enjoy your blu-ray dvds on your HP DV5. I never watch DVDs on my laptop, and I can even live without an optical drive. But be sure to be near an outlet when you do so, because your laptop won't even get through an entire movie on a single charge.

Finally, I can assure you that people want Macs. Just look at the trends on your average college campus. You saying that people don't want an expensive notebook is the same as saying people don't want nicer things because another product can perform the same tasks, but for cheaper (car, house, clothes, anything). So enjoy your small house, your rickety car, your lame clothes, your pc laptop, and your piles of money in your bank account. I will enjoy my macbook pro.

 

I never said that u dont have to agree. I will also have to disappoint u cause that thinkpad is far from being better than a mac "in every way". Sometime u just hear what u wanna hear

 

a 12 cell battery can last quite long, 6 hours or more on a single charge, that would give over 3 hours for a movie.

Hardware wise, yes thinkpad is better in everyway, minus the screen.
And I don't hear it, it comes from my experience with both the new thinkpad and new apple side-by-side.
Oh wait, T400 and T500 now also have LED, so I stand corrected

 

The 9600m GT is a mid-range card and it can't play modern games at high res because it was never meant to. Still its a decent card that can play most games at mid-high settings. Of course I think 1280x??? and 1440x900 is a good enough res (native in my case).

 

This thread is a can of worms. I think NBR should be ashamed to let this continue. There is very little hard information and a lot of fudge. It is not as if Apple is forcing people to buy their notebooks. They get their higher price by attracting customers with the design. Nothing wrong with that. And some people are willing to pay for that. No Mac users are not dumb ****s who just dont know where to spend their money. Just because you value better specs over looks does not mean someone else does. People have their choices so this thread is total BS no matter how you look at it. Is this going to cause Apple to lower their prices? No. Is this going to cause people to stop buying Macs? No. Is this going to create a flamefest? It already did.

 

No way, I'm having fun

 

Your R50 is better or the T61!? as far as I can see from lenevo website its far from being hardware superior. no Intel 2.8Ghz, no 128Gb SSD, gpu is very similar with some extra CAD optimization so where is that ultra superior hardware?

 

lol ya! Off to bed though...wonder if this thread will still be open tomorrow night?

 

I'm talking about build quality here, the specs are not relevant as I'm not comparing prices.
but FYI, the specs can be upgraded by individuals, thus not the point my argument.

 

No doubt, but then you're adding quite a bit of weight and while people say that its nice to have your laptop propped up by the battery, I think it looks weird.

Would it give 3hrs of blu-ray playback? I'm rather curious (seriously).

 

Why not??? Blue-ray doesn't use that much more power compared to a DVD

Alright, I'm done for the day. See ya guys later.

 

Interesting. I would have thought that HD-decoding is pretty resource intensive.

Yeah, me too. I've let off enough steam for the day. Peace kids

 

"Hardware wise, yes thinkpad is better in everyway, minus the screen. " those are your words ... unless u tell me that I cant read.

 

Well, magnesium alloy roll-cage, fibre-carbon plastic composite, keyboard, thinklight, ThinkActive hard drive protector, more USB ports, more battery options, media card reader...those are all hardware.
I don't mean it's limited to CPUs or GPUs.

 

u re being serious right now!? cause I can also throw in the mag-safe and other stuff in

 

time for bed.
Night all

 

There are far more important things in life than how a computer looks.

And when talking about the new HP ripoff MacBook and MacBook Pro.. well, most computers look better

First of all, I'm a winner with the ladies because I can type full words and use real English Second, if you've ever known a woman that isn't about getting a bargain on what she wants.......

Third, I don't care about superficial things. The only person I need to impress is myself and nobody else

Please don't deliberately twist my words or deliberately misunderstand what I was saying.

My point was that people don't become rich by throwing money away on things that are not worth their money

Whether it be notebook computers, cars, houses, business purchases, etc. Saving $1,000 on a notebook goes a long way in the grand scheme of things.

HP has been using the Black keyboard + black bezel + grey/silver top case for over 2 years now buddy. Sorry. Oh and that whole black glossy screen thing? Yeah, HP debuted those displays, which the iMac ripped off, how many years ago now? Sorry, HP was first.

I use my system connected to my HDTV + surround sound with ONE cable (no adapters required)

Besides, I get nearly 6 hours of battery life watching DVDs with my 12 cell battery. I haven't tried blu-ray yet. But on Windows, unlike OS X, video decoding is all done by the GPU. Blu-ray content can be decoded by the GPU while its running in a reduced power state. I would find it hard to believe it can't last through a single movie.

Not only that, but unless I'm on an airplane (where I prefer to sleep or listen to music), why would I need to run any movie off battery power?

Because your average college campus reflects.. what exactly? That certain young adults fall victim to fads and trends too easily? They'll grow up one day.

Nice immature personal attack there. How old are you?

Theres absolutely nothing "nicer" about a Mac compared to a PC. Macs are generally built worse with considerably fewer features. Why would any right minded person buy a Mac over a PC that is built better and does more for half as much? Oh thats right, the majority of people in the world DO buy PCs over Macs

Your immature and child-like flaming also proves that people need to realize theres far more important things in life than status symbols. Using a car or especially a computer as means to gain social standing among your peers is pathetic. I'll take my low maintenance and highly fuel efficient motorcycle, well made but cheap clothes that don't make me look like an arrogant jerk thats concerned with my outward appearance, a small home that has ridiculously low cost of maintenance and property taxes and be much happier with myself while not having to worry about what other people think about me. Because, quite frankly, I couldn't care less and I laugh at the person who looks down at me because I didn't spend $80 on a shirt or an extra $1,000 on a computer that does less but has a nicer logo

 

I don't want to get involved too much in this, but the dv series with the black bezeled screens, black keyboard, and silver rest of casing, those came out in, uhh, May 2006. Thats nearly two full years before the iMac refresh. Yes, the latest refresh was in June or something, but thats like saying the latest iMac refresh was in August. Doesn't matter - the style was first done by HP two years ago.

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=2925&laptop=HP+dv2000+Compaq+v3000

Granted, the lid was black, but the majority of the design is still the same. If you noticed, the June 08 update on the HPs, they moved off that colour scheme entirely. Now they have a chrome finish lid, silver keyboard, mirror finish palmrest and glass screen. Glossiest computers I've ever set eyes on.

 

Macs are overrated pieces of garbage. The innards of Macs are largely the same as typical PCs. Same silicon and chips made from a third world country.

Only real tangible difference is the marketing. Apple markets their computers as computers that you give up your life for. "I will use my life savings to buy an Apple product!" "$700 dollars for a mp3 player is a good deal!" "I am cool and will be accepted and loved by everyone in my life if I buy an Apple product!" "Apple will make me sexier even though I am 5 foot and 500 lbs.!"

Blind Apple sheep join their church.

People buying Apple are the same idiots who pay extra money every month for an American Express credit card.

 

OP is the best troll ever.

That said, my laptop is the sexiest, best laptop ever. And it's that because it's my laptop. People see the laptop with me, and they go "****, that laptop looks good with you!"

Posters in this thread are just jealous that he'll never get a laptop as sexy as mine.

 

Keep it going man!!! This thread is so entertaining. People get really active when it comes to PC vs Macs.

 

Its down to personal opinion imo. Macbooks and Macbook pros look pretty cool, cept i dont like that silver plain aliminium look. Mac OSX is great and all that, but Windows offers so much more, support wise. Dont just say "use bootcamp", that would mean buying a copy of vista, and using it mainly on a laptop i bought for OSX. Thats just stupid. My Acer is awesome, around $2000 cheaper than a MacBook Pro 17in with lesser specs and no blu-ray in Australia.

 

I've never understood that myself. You buy a Mac and spend 90% of your time in Windows?? That just makes it more of a luxury and dispensable item.

 

Macs are overrated pieces of garbage. The innards of Macs are largely the same as typical PCs. Same silicon and chips made from a third world country.

just when I was wondering what happened to the "moronic post of the day", pacmandelight has done his job just in time! Congrats!

 

Apple's target market has never been people who want a bargain or good value. Even in the current economic downturn, there are still plenty of people who can and will pony up the money for an Apple.

Personal observations and opinions are fine, but when you make broad, sweeping remarks about a company's market decisions, at least make sure you have Economics 101 down.

 

I see some of the objections. Some people want Apple to come out with some cheaper laptops in their line up. Fair do's but it is not really fair to compare the MB to a Dell Studio. A more fair comparison would be comparing it to something like the Sony SR, low end Dell Studio XPS 13", Lenovo U330 or the 13" HP model.

I have owned a few Macs but i don't now as there is nothing in the line up that suits me. I am also not such a fan of the MB range i would prefer to buy something in the Pro category.
Apple laptops may seem to offer less for more and it is the design, name and OSX that really sells these laptops. Apple is far from being the only company though that charges a premium price for their hardware. I also don't think that they are the only company not to enter the low end market. I won’t bash them for not doing that but i think that they should add on a few more key things to their laptops. Maybe it is time for Steve Jobs to move over.

I pitted the low end white plastic MB against the Dell XPS M1330 and actually they are pretty much on par price wise at least in the UK but the M1330 has got a HDMI port and a fingerprint reader. I believe that the white MB's price was raised as they included a dvd burner in this model.
In terms of battery life the 13" Dell Studio i think even has better battery than the new MB. Battery life with wireless on is about 4 hours for the MB with reduced brightness and BT of. Against other 13" laptops this battery life is a little maybe even below average.

The new MB looks quite nice but they are by no means the best looking 13" laptop to me. The new touchpad is innovative but it is not right for me i prefer having real physical buttons on a touchpad.

I don't mind the MB not having a SD card slot although really they should have added an express card slot. I don't care about the 2 usb ports either. If they put an express card slot in this laptop and reduced the weight a little i would consider buying this laptop in the future. A larger capacity battery is needed for this laptop as well because as it stands i got better life with the last gen MB and my current laptop. The displays are a bit to glossy but i could probably live with that.

In terms of durability as well i do question how practical it is to put glass lcd on a laptop.