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Comparison Question

B

BigManOnCampus

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 21, 2010
19
0
Now I'm not making this to bash the MacBook Pro, I just have a few questions and maybe I am just not understanding a few things.

Here is my question, why get the 15" MacBook Pro when you could get the much less expensive Lenovo IdeaPad Y560?

MacBook Pro 15"......................Lenovo Ideapad Y560 (15.6")
Core i5 Processor.....................Core i5 Processor
320 GB Hard Drive....................500 GB Hard Drive
NVIDIA GeForce GT Graphics......ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5730 1GB - Graphics
330M with 256MB
4GB Memory............................4GB Memory
$1799....................................$1049

When you buy a MacBook Pro what are you paying for? The pretty unibody? (which I must say, it's beautiful) Snow Leopard? The apple name?

Here are the full specs for the IdeaPad HERE

I'm just a college student trying to find a laptop I guess.
 
And then there is the HP Envy 15. It has similar specs and a nice metal finish

HP Envy 15"
Core i5
320GB 7200 RPM
4GB Memory
1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5830 Graphics
And 3 USB ports which is pretty nice
$1299
 
Personally it's the integration between the Software and the hardware, the trackpad, MagSafe and ability to still be able to put Windows on easily if I want to.

If you're unsure, try both and see what you prefer.
 
BigManOnCampus said:
Now I'm not making this to bash the MacBook Pro, I just have a few questions and maybe I am just not understanding a few things.
snip
When you buy a MacBook Pro what are you paying for? The pretty unibody? (which I must say, it's beautiful) Snow Leopard? The apple name?

Here are the full specs for the IdeaPad HERE

I'm just a college student trying to find a laptop I guess.
Click to expand...

Your comparison might not be 100% valid. Apple does support student discounts and the computer comes with ilife. Factor in the LONG bat life, quality, and the cost and time savings of not dealing with malware SW then the comparison becomes a lot more reasonable.

I should also mention that you'll be shunned and ridiculed (as a student) if you show up with a Win machine. ;)
 
The price between the MBP and the Lenovo is a big difference, esp because the guts are very similar. The extra dough is for the unibody, glowing Apple logo and Mac OSX. But when you put decent hardware with AMAZING OS (Mac OSX) and a great external design, its worth it. The trackpad is just great. It seems so simple, but PC manufacture make ****** trackpads.
 
ouimetnick said:
The price between the MBP and the Lenovo is a big difference, esp because the guts are very similar. The extra dough is for the unibody, glowing Apple logo and Mac OSX. But when you put decent hardware with AMAZING OS (Mac OSX) and a great external design, its worth it. The trackpad is just great. It seems so simple, but PC manufacture make ****** trackpads.
Click to expand...

Have to agree with people in regards that it's the little things you pay for and for me they are well worth it. If you look at a laptop based on cost only then you have the possibility of getting buyers remorse which might cost you more in the future. When I paid the extra $700 in this case I got:

1. - The peace of mind quality wise because of Apples rep.
2. - The operating system that fits my computing style better then the competition.
3. - The track pad is better and more responsive.
4. - The design does help (people will pay more for a car that looks better so why not a computer).

I'm sure there are others but my daughter is yelling in my ear right now.
 
I generally like Lenovo laptops, but the IdeaPad series are the low end range.
The Y560 does have a low end i5 (which is a lot better than C2D), a low end screen and not so great battery life.
The screen is a 16:9 screen at 1368x728, which is horrible when it comes to word processing.
The Y560 is also advertised with up to 5 hrs battery life and I can't really find anything about how big and heavy it is.

I guess those are the main reasons, because Lenovo is usually not much cheaper than Apple laptops.
 
Don't forget that the Lenovo comes with a lower-spec Core i5 and a crappy screen. Just look at the 1366x768 resolution!
 
What I paid for is the OS system and the guts. If I take care of it.. I can get atleast 7-9yrs

I like how the Powerbook is designed (aka Macbook Pro).
The ergonomics is a plus for long nights on the Mac.

OS X I've been a fan of since 10.1. It works well with my workflow. PDFs, Mail, MobileMe, etc. It's all there, and I don't need to add a lot of Apps to complete task.

ex. The other day I was trying to take a screen shot on my PC with Windows XP. I noticed that IE is very slow/size is compact vs Safari. Nevertheless I did a screen shot, then opened up MS Works, then paste screenshot, then Save As, then open up Safari, then opened up Mail, then open file/attached to send screenshoot to client. :mad: On my Mac I would just select in safari "Mail Contents of this Page" or just save as a PDF and mail.


What a lot of people don't realize is that you get a lot in OS X. If you're not going to use atleast 70% of the guts then do not get a Mac. Yeah you can find all that for a PC laptop, but Apple makes it convent to have and it works even when you upgrade to a new system. My Mac that I purchased in 2000 can talk with my 2008 Mac. :)
 
BigManOnCampus said:
When you buy a MacBook Pro what are you paying for?
Click to expand...

Time.

I place value on my time and my labor. When factoring in the rate for my time, the Macs ultimately become less expensive than PCs (in my experience), due to less time required for ongoing learning, for maintenance, and for getting tasks accomplished.
 
Mirabella said:
Time.

I place value on my time and my labor. When factoring in the rate for my time, the Macs ultimately become less expensive than PCs (in my experience), due to less time required for ongoing learning, for maintenance, and for getting tasks accomplished.
Click to expand...

Well said.
 
Another thing to consider, resale value. If you like to upgrade often (every 1-2 years), you will easily get 75-80% return.
 
jpeezy said:
Another thing to consider, resale value. If you like to upgrade often (every 1-2 years), you will easily get 75-80% return.
Click to expand...

You are all forgetting one VERY important feature, the battery life! PCs have like 2-hour battery life while MBP has +7 hours! That's something you cannot forget
 
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