In the (possibly humble) opinion of this board, are there any non-Apple laptops which come up to the build quality standards of the MBP? As in the screen and keyboard don't flex, cheap-looking plastic cases are absent, parts don't tend to be DOA, the battery life is good, etc etc?
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Apple still #1 for build quality?
- Thread starter ohnostopgo
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Their products have a quite nice build quality. Who cares if they are nr. 1 or not?
As long as you're happy with the product you've bought... it's all that counts.
As long as you're happy with the product you've bought... it's all that counts.
I haven't personally seen one yet. I've tried the Vaio Zs and they are quite flexy and the trackpad feels cramped. The Samsung 9 series looks nice, but the trackpad performed poorly when I tried it for a few minutes.
I don't know really. How are the Zenbook?
It always seems like the other manufacturers shirk on something.
Except if you drop them from waist height... forgetting to close the sleeve's zipper.
... just like a friend of mine did a few days ago with his. Nopes, definitely don't last forever.
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Which model/generation is that?
My girlfriend's work lenovo thinkpad sucks ass. The fans revv up loudly and it weighs a ton, compared to how big the screen is. That is just the surface of everything that is wrong with it.
I think we have to separate DESIGN vs MANUFACTURING QUALITY.
Design, Apple is obviously Numero Uno with no one in the rear view mirror. Been watching the news on the new Microsoft Surface and when I saw it first I went, ewwwww, that's a THICK son of a gun. Then they paired a Surface and an iPad together and both are the same thickness! Now you figure out why Apple's looks so much cooler.
Manufacturing Quality, I think is about the same for everybody, all electronics these days come from China, as we all know. Apple, in the 80s used to have a completely automated plant in California making Macintoshes, by robots, super precision, no human mistakes, but that was long time ago.
That's why the OP said build quality.
That said "build quality" is a really vague phrase. I haven't found any that are comparable but there are certainly others that are happy with the build quality on non-Apple hardware.
That's weird... If they could use robots in the 80s why can't they use them in the 2010s?
It's all about Lenovo Y580 check it out the build quality is superior and there are few negative comments about this laptop. I was considering to buy this for traveling on the plane..check out the specs. They always have a coupon discount that you can add on top of the price. By the way this is a GAMING laptop!
3rd Generation Intel Core i7-3630QM Processor(2.40GHz 6MB)
Windows 7 Home Premium 64
NVIDIA GeForce GTX660M 2GB
8.0GB PC3-12800 DDR3 SDRAM 1600 MHz (upgradeable to 16GB)
15.6" FHD LED 1920x1080
1TB 5400RPM+32G SSD
Blu-ray /DVD Combo
Intel Centrino Wireless-N 2200BGN
http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/...ter?mtm-item=:000001CA:0000228D:#.UImDdGfdepg
3rd Generation Intel Core i7-3630QM Processor(2.40GHz 6MB)
Windows 7 Home Premium 64
NVIDIA GeForce GTX660M 2GB
8.0GB PC3-12800 DDR3 SDRAM 1600 MHz (upgradeable to 16GB)
15.6" FHD LED 1920x1080
1TB 5400RPM+32G SSD
Blu-ray /DVD Combo
Intel Centrino Wireless-N 2200BGN
http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/...ter?mtm-item=:000001CA:0000228D:#.UImDdGfdepg
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The best I have seen would be the people Apple has used in the past to obtain parts. That would be ASUS.
Go take detailed examinations of their products and one can usually find the same parts with different printing and BIOS "controls" IE Apple's Boot Check program to ID the parts as Apple.
As for the build quality, I believe that as an industry computers have all gone down in quality. This whole aluminium craze Apple is on is scary. Not been a fan since the first ones arrived back with the G4 PowerBooks.
Go take detailed examinations of their products and one can usually find the same parts with different printing and BIOS "controls" IE Apple's Boot Check program to ID the parts as Apple.
As for the build quality, I believe that as an industry computers have all gone down in quality. This whole aluminium craze Apple is on is scary. Not been a fan since the first ones arrived back with the G4 PowerBooks.
Today that is not really true. I have a MBP and modern Thinkpad side by side, I use each every day. The more modern Thinkpads are not as well made as the Macbook Pro's, or the older Thinkpads.
Now if you went back to 2003 or so, those Thinkpads were awesome and still are. The build quality was similar to the Bell telephones with a rotary dial, that weighed around 10 lbs and lasted forever. Right around the T41 was the end of the high-end IBM's before they became a bit cheaper.
I've used a lot of laptops I swear by Thinkpad for work but the trackpad and build of the Macs is hard to beat. I tried a Zenbook in the store and I was impressed overall, but I still think it's trackpad is crap.
Same as you, I use and absolutely swear by ThinkPads for work. Although, on a touch and feel basis, carbon fiber reinforced plastic with a magnesium roll cage may be stronger and more durable than aluminum but it still feels like plastic.
The Touchpad on the X1 Carbon is actually a huge improvement, and it's also a glass surface so no more wearing down the touchpads surface dots. Hopefully they'll be rolling out the glass touchpads and revised touchpad software across the line soon.
craze is scary? What does that even mean? Have you even looked at your own signature or the fact Apple using aluminum has up the quality of their products when compared to competitors? So I guess plastic is better? Dude you are talking in circles and making no sense.
Remember those Thinkpads of old with that rubbery surface? Felt weird but they sure felt durable and no dent! possible. Not a fan of Thinkpad myself, too "serious" and "businesslike" all square and that eraser-head, not m cup 'o tea.
Sony use to make the next better looking laptops but no more.
None of these systems in our labs has lasted past the Applecare. Have not had to buy a MacBook Pro since 2007 as they keep falling apart and having part failures. Currently on a 2010 that will be replaced most likely soon as there has already been three repairs.
I may be drifting into physical resilience vs. "build quality", but my experiences with IBM/Lenovo vs. Macbook (Pro 13 and later Air 11)"
IBM Lenovo (my experience 2001-2008)--generally pretty tough and better than a Dell consumer laptop I had. The top can crack if you drop it or accidentally hit it with something, leaving some bad cracks. However I spilled liquid twice on keyboard and it did great due to that recessed tray.
Macbook Pro/Air: More resistant to incidental or intentional battering, dropping, and general maltreatment, showing only a few scratches. However I KO'ed one with a beer, which I think the Lenovo might have survived.
Your mileage may vary...
IBM Lenovo (my experience 2001-2008)--generally pretty tough and better than a Dell consumer laptop I had. The top can crack if you drop it or accidentally hit it with something, leaving some bad cracks. However I spilled liquid twice on keyboard and it did great due to that recessed tray.
Macbook Pro/Air: More resistant to incidental or intentional battering, dropping, and general maltreatment, showing only a few scratches. However I KO'ed one with a beer, which I think the Lenovo might have survived.
Your mileage may vary...
Certainly not. My school issued Lenovo (of which the while grade gets) has had the same part fail (not essential to the operation, but still) for everyone. It is ridiculously flimsy.
Agreed. There is no comparing the build quality--or anything else--with a MBP.
I've had quite a few laptops (Acer, Asus, HP, Gateway, Dell, etc.) most of them were top of the line and cost as much as the new 13" rMBP. None of them outlasted the warranty. Every one had an issue with it whether it was a faulty keyboard, defective graphics processor, defective screen, cracking with minor use, overheating and shutting down, AWFUL customer support, etc.
I swore that I would never buy a MBP (or iMac), but after seeing people with their 4-6 year old macboks still working great I decided to try it out. So far I am pleased, but only time will tell if their quality is all that it's hyped up to be. Their customer support is the best I've ever known.
I'd say that my only complaint so far would be that iWork sucks. I have to use Microsoft Office to do my lab reports. But that's a software issue, not a hardware/build quality issue.
I wish Apple would aim to please the engineering crowd
I swore that I would never buy a MBP (or iMac), but after seeing people with their 4-6 year old macboks still working great I decided to try it out. So far I am pleased, but only time will tell if their quality is all that it's hyped up to be. Their customer support is the best I've ever known.
I'd say that my only complaint so far would be that iWork sucks. I have to use Microsoft Office to do my lab reports. But that's a software issue, not a hardware/build quality issue.
I wish Apple would aim to please the engineering crowd
I don't know if I like Apple's design much anymore.
I've had my keyboard fail on me twice now. I think it's because I clean my keys too often. Somehow the disinfectant manages to seep it's way through the openings under the keys and on to the circuit board ... Just my guess, but I'm not certain.
Sure there's some user error here, but I just think they should ventilate the computer another way. By using the keyboard they're compromising a key input to the system.
I've had my keyboard fail on me twice now. I think it's because I clean my keys too often. Somehow the disinfectant manages to seep it's way through the openings under the keys and on to the circuit board ... Just my guess, but I'm not certain.
Sure there's some user error here, but I just think they should ventilate the computer another way. By using the keyboard they're compromising a key input to the system.
If I didn't rate Mac OS X so highly, I'd be running Fedora on a ThinkPad.
ThinkPad is probably the only other laptop I would happily buy on the market. I just don't rate the other brands in terms of looks, reliability and quality.
ThinkPad is probably the only other laptop I would happily buy on the market. I just don't rate the other brands in terms of looks, reliability and quality.