New 15-inch Apple MacBook Pro includes Haswell CPU, Iris Pro GPU, GeForce GT 750m Discussion

In addition to the 13-inch MacBook Pro, Apple made some substantive updates to the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display - Haswell, Iris and NVIDIA GPUs, 802.11ac, and more.

Read the full content of this Article: New 15-inch Apple MacBook Pro includes Haswell CPU, Iris Pro GPU, GeForce GT 750m

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It's a bunch of horse manure that Apple is only offering the NVIDIA GPU on the $2599 model with 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage.

 

Lots of people will still buy it so it works out fine for Apple.
Apple seems to work magic

 

Unless you're that gung-ho about OS X, the Dell XPS 15 seems to provide significantly more value for the money.

 

Apple has more of a brand appeal so people are more inclined to buy something because of the Apple logo.

Most people want to say that they bought an Apple (computer) rather than a Dell.

 

Mac have a 16:10 screen and Dell doesn't.

 

Is it the same screen panel (yes, the resolution is the same, but is it the same panel) as on the previous gen Feb 2013 rMBP15?
(Just wondering if any improvement over the previous model, maybe less glossy?)

 

Also, it would be very very interesting to see how the closest competitor (Dell XPS 15 with QHD+ IGZO panel) compares to the IPS rMBP15!

 

Yeah, as far as we know, it'll be the same panel from the previous gen. Unlike the 13-inch model, there were no form factor or body changes on the 15-inch.

 

The NVIDIA card is actually a free upgrade; if you're already getting an MBP with 16GB ram, a 512GB HD and a 2.3GHz i7 processor, Apple throws in the NVIDIA card at no charge. It's only a bummer for people who don't want the extra power, memory and hd space but still want discrete graphics. I'm not sure why you would need better than the Iris though if you're not gonna bother upgrading the rest of the specs. I don't see these configurations driving anyone back to Windows any time soon as the article suggests.

 

I was pretty disappointed to see that. It seemed interesting that the base price was now $1999, but at the expense of the graphics card. I was thinking of upgrading, but frankly, I don't need 16 GB of RAM or 512 GB of storage, but it would be nice to have a graphics card to go along with such a powerful display. Oh well, gonna have to shell out the extra money...

 

Oh man, I want one!

 

I looked into the new Dell XPS 15, nice looking notebook clearly aiming for the same audience, there are a few big BUT's in the room to disclose. First, Dell does not have a large customer base interested in $1500+ laptops, and secondly, Dell quality control and customer service cannot match Apple's, based on my own experiences.

Additionally, the new Dell XPS 15 comes with 2-battery options, two models with a 61 watt hour battery, the top-end unit with a 91 watt hour battery. The only way to get the 91 watt hour battery (Macbook Pro 15 = 95 watt hour battery) is to dump the HDD plus the internal space to contain it, and upgrade to the 512 GB SSD model. That unit costs a mighty $2349.00, compared to $2599.00 for the Apple, a marginal $250.00 difference.

While the Dell gets you slightly higher resolution screen, the actual difference to the end-user in Windows is pointless since Microsoft hasn't figured out a solid method for upscaling applications correctly.

If I were asked to choose one of these to use for the next 1-2 years, I would easily choose the Apple MBP 15 Retina over the new Dell XPS 15.

 

Between those two configurations, I'd get the XPS 15 if I wanted or needed to run Windows and the MBP 15 if I was platform-agnostic or if I preferred OSX. Apple has never done a very good job with Windows drivers for its laptops. If you're going to run Windows, a machine shipped from the factory with Windows will give a better user experience.

On the other hand, if you like OSX and you have the money for this price range, I don't doubt the rMBP 15 will give an excellent ownership experience.

 

Depends on the line of unit and support options actually. Apple does not provide 3 or 5 year NBD onsite warranty with accidental protection that Dell, Lenovo and HP have available on their better units and almost all business class models. the XPS 15 can have 3 year prosupport onsite warranty with accidental for about $300. or about the same as Apple Care but with the tech coming to you within 24 hours and does not matter how you broke it.

 

TINSTAAFL. The extra RAM, SSD storage, and the CPU don't account fully for the additional cost between the $2599 version and the next step down. nVidia's not giving away their GPUs for free, and Apple's certainly not going to give a customer a freebie since they're not that kind of company.

You clearly haven't been buying the correct laptops then . If you're looking for build quality and better aftersales support, you need to be looking at business-class laptops. AppleCare, last time I checked, doesn't offer NBD or accidental services.

$250 is a nice lump of cash, so I wouldn't easily dismiss that as "marginal". That's just a little under a 10% difference.

 

It seems to me that deciding between the rMBP and the XPS depends mostly on OS requirements. Those that need Windows (due to work-required software or to support their gaming habits or both) aren't really comparing rMBP to XPS; they're comparing rMBP running Windows against XPS running Windows. That's a very different comparison. For those that have no need to run Windows to access other applications, it comes down to the philosophic differences between an OS built around providing a fluid experience and an OS built around hardware flexibility. Apple will give you the better experience *unless* you have/want hardware that Apple doesn't sell/control, in which case Windows might give you a better experience.

In addition, there are hardware differences between the rMBP and the XPS.

DISPLAY
Yes, the rMBP has a more useful aspect ratio, but the XPS contains that aspect ratio *within* its aspect ratio; it has more pixel real estate even if it doesn't have more display surface area. For some people, that would mean squinting to achieve the same verticality and they might well want to stick with the rMBP. The rMBP has a true IPS display, whereas the XPS uses IGZO technology to enhance a TN experience. Each one gives great color fidelity (particularly when calibrated), but the IPS gives wider viewing angles and the IGZO display consumes less power. More significantly for some users, the XPS display is a touchscreen whereas the rMBP is not. That will be a deal-breaker for some shoppers. On the subject of the IGZO display, a few additional comments are merited. Dell is sourcing these displays from Sharp which, in turn, is producing them under contract from a brand-new facility in mainland China. Rumor has it that there have been production delays. Part of this may be because IGZO is a new technology, part of this may be because Chinese corporate law prevents Sharp from outright owning/controlling the factory on Chinese soil, part of this may be because a new facility in a region that already makes pretty good use of its skilled technicians which means that Sharp needs to train hundreds (perhaps thousands) of poorly-educated laborers to operate sophisticated equipment. They can do it (visit China sometime if you have any doubts about industrial miracle-working), but the risk of unforeseen disasters on the production floor is pretty high. Anyhow, owners have had mixed experiences with the performance of their XPS IGZO displays. Most love it, but some have had issues that may be the result of inadequate quality controls in a brand new facility with inexperienced quality control engineers. It happens. For those that get the XPS, this would be a compelling reason to shell out the extra cash for on-site service.

TRACKPAD
The rMBP has Apple's industry-leading trackpad+driver combo. Nobody in the Windows world has managed to code a driver as reliably intuitive as Apple's in this regard. Those that always use a mouse (or who plan to rely on the touchscreen) may not care about this Apple advantage.

BATTERY LIFE
Both machines use non-swappable li-poly batteries. Dell doesn't have much experience with these, whereas this is the default power supply for all of Apple's mobile electronics. I'd give Apple the edge here on knowing exactly where they can cut costs without compromising battery endurance or safety. But I'd give the Dell the edge in terms of battery replacement. Although it's pricey ($160 US), anyone brave enough to swap out RAM modules in a laptop would be able to change the battery on an XPS. I don't think that bears out for the rMBP. It doesn't give one the flexibility of an external li-ion battery, but it is some insurance for those concerned that Dell doesn't yet know what it's doing with li-poly. All that being said, the rMBP consistently produces real-world battery life that exceeds the battery life of the XPS, often by more than an hour of total usage. That might be a decider for some buyers.

PORTS
In a word: thunderbolt. If you have *any* thunderbolt peripherals or if you plan to invest in them within the life of your laptop, your decision is made for you. But given the expense of thunderbolt and the paucity of peripherals cabled for it, surely few shoppers will decide on this basis. The XPS provides a more varied set of port options, making it more flexible in conference rooms, hotels, business offices, and friends' houses. The rMBP presumes that you and your social universe are all wedded to Apple's proprietary standards. If that's true, you aren't seriously considering the XPS anyway. Thus, for people considering both machines in earnest, I would say that the XPS wins on ports for most.

COST
It has been pointed out elsewhere that folks who turn over their hardware frequently (every 12-18 months) can often resell an Apple device for nearly as much as they paid for it new. If this is you, then you are MUCH better off buying the rMBP. If, however, you plan on using your computer for 3 or more years before replacing, the price advantage swings rather dramatically toward the XPS. Yes, on paper it looks like the difference is less than $300. In practice, however, Dell's listed selling price is rarely what the savvy consumer will have to pay for any given Dell machine. In my case, I ordered a high-end XPS (16 GB RAM, IGZO display, i7 CPU, 512 GB SSD, blah blah blah) and my cost was $1900 + tax. I also purchased a 3-year off-site warranty for $100 more. That's $600 less than Dell's list price for this combo. Thus, in the real world, Apple's retail pricing is as premium as its branding strategy. The only thing cheap about Apple is its miserly philosophy; from the consumer end, expect everything to cost you more than non-Apple buys pay to get the same thing. Historically, that has been justified because you couldn't *get* the same thing anywhere else. That's still mostly true, but becoming less true each year.

HEAT
Neither machine manages heat particularly well, preferring to have a svelte body instead of internal ventilation. More's the pity. That being said, the XPS's plastic+carbon fiber base should deflect heat from the lap when placed there. It's not perfect, but if you find yourself doing intensive computing with the machine on your lap and for whatever crazy reason you don't have a cooling pad, the XPS will likely do less damage to you than the rMBP. But in most usage it's more of a wash. They both get hot to the touch and benefit from users who feed them cool, fresh air when they are asked to work.

CONCLUSION
In the end, neither machine is flawless. You will need to weigh for yourself which flaws are more acceptable to you. And that is my recommendation in a nutshell: rather than focus on the strengths of one versus the other, focus on the weaknesses for that is where you will find yourself regretting a poor purchasing decision. You should be able to delight in the strengths of either machine - they are pretty amazing, particularly if you can recall what laptops used to be like 10+ years ago - but when you need it to do something badly and discover how difficult (or impossible) it is to get the device in question to fit your needs.... well, you get the idea.

Happy shopping to all. May your choice be the perfect fit for YOU.

 

I think it's a good move. In my non-scientifically-gathered experience, the majority of people interested in a rMBP 15 want a 15" screen and ultra-high resolution; a dedicated GPU isn't part of the equation. Dropping the base price but making the GPU optional makes perfect sense for these buyers, particularly since this is the only 15" laptop Apple sells anymore.

 

While I don't agree with everything (and I have both) I have to say that's a remarkably even handed assessment. Kudos to you.