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Dell Latitude E5410 v MBP 15" 2011: what would YOU do?

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PurpleMarmalade

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 29, 2010
118
1
Some background: I have been using a 13" unibody MB (2.4GHz C2D, 4GB RAM, 128GB SSD), since I purchased it in February 2009, as my sole work computer. I occasionally procrastinate by setting up an external monitor/keyboard/mouse, but I can't make that stick; I've used laptops my whole professional life, and staring at a desktop just feels weird. The 13" MB has been a good workhorse, and I certainly prefer OSX over Vista, but it's now time to upgrade. More than anything, I am tired of the glossy screen. I stare at text all day - lots of it. The reflections on the super-glossy, glass screen are simply too distracting. Your mileage, of course, may vary.

I have recently been given a new work laptop: a Dell Latitude E5410 (2.4GHz i5, 4GB RAM, 320GB 7200rpm HDD). It's quite nice, really: the build quality isn't bad; it's super fast, under Windows 7; it has a nice, 14" matte screen. The fan can be noisy at times, and of course you don't get OSX. I also miss the SSD (I'll never buy a non-SSD laptop again.)

So, to my dilemma: do I simply retire the 13" MB and use the (free) Latitude, or do I purchase (when they are announced) a new, presumably 15", anti-glare MBP with my own money?

My usage is not complicated. I use MS Office (Word, Outlook) all day long. Office 2010 for PC and Office 2011 for Mac have, for me, feature parity when it comes to Word, but Outlook for PC is still several leagues ahead in an Exchange environment (which I'm in). Outlook 2011 for Mac is really quite rubbish. I also use Dropbox (cross-platform), Firefox (same) and Adobe Reader (same). I much prefer Keynote over PowerPoint, but this isn't a deal-breaker. There are other things, but these are my tools of the trade.

So, what do you all think? Any comments or thoughts much appreciated.
 
so the 13" mbp was provided by your work company, and they are essentially replacing it with a 15" dell.

i say take the dell, use it for now, and buy a personal macbook with the new spring / summer release.
 
almostt said:
so the 13" mbp was provided by your work company, and they are essentially replacing it with a 15" dell.

i say take the dell, use it for now, and buy a personal macbook with the new spring / summer release.
Click to expand...

Sorry, I probably didn't make it very clear - I purchased the MB myself in Feb 2009. My work had provided me with a desktop (again a Dell), but I don't think I ever switched the thing on. They eventually noticed this, asked why, and I glibly replied that I much preferred laptops. What I didn't know was that, armed with this information, the IT manager would then order a laptop for me, to replace the desktop.
 
The Latitudes are fine professional units. They have good docking stations available and an extra battery module that could occupy the optical drive slot.

Personally I would have my own unit (in your case, keep the 13" MBP) as I would prefer to separate work with pleasure. Are you working for a corporate by chance? Reasons being that if you are, their computers (and possibly your usage) is likely to have quite a bit of corporate bloatware and be restricted by various policies and rights eg. certain sites blocked, USB ports disabled, software installation restrictions etc.

At least with your own machine (in your own network) you can pretty much do whatever you want but not so with a work computer. In today's economic climate and 'big brother' environment, I wouldn't like to give any corporate a lame excuse to land oneself as part of their implemented cost saving measures.

Just my 2¢.
 
Return the Macbook Pro, us the Dell for a short time, then when the new MBP is released, go for it. It will feel that much better when you are back to using OSX and like you said, having a SSD.
 
i don't think other people understood you either.

so you have your own personal 13" macbook pro that you purchased in 2009.
and work gave you a dell desktop.
i say keep the desktop.
sell your 13 inch macbook pro within a month, and upgrade to the newer models scheduled to be released this spring/summer.
i am planning on getting the new 15", depending on the specs of the next generation 13".

that's what i would do though.
work on the dell, keep the mac a personal unit.

if they swapped out the dell desktop for a 15" macbook,
you would have two macbooks, a 13" personal, and a 15" work machine.
no offense, but that just sounds kind of retarded.

i guess you could get a 15" macbook pro instead of the desktop,
and sell your 13" macbook pro and buy maybe an external monitor, or use the cash from that to get better specs in the 15".
 
@Almostt: I'm afraid the others understood - it was you that didn't!

The Dell desktop has already gone. I wasn't using it, and never would (as per above, I just don't like desktops). The choice is between the new work laptop (the Dell Latitude) or buying a new MBP 15" when they are announced this year. The 13" MB, no matter what happens, will be shelved/sold.

@bigjobby: thanks very much for your comments. You're absolutely right that I should have my own unit, in addition to the work laptop. I actually work for a university (I'm a Prof), and there are no restrictions on usage (no websites blocked, etc). However, I do sign in to the laptop via a networked account, which does worry me somewhat. Otherwise, there is no corporate bloatware (unless you count McAfee). I do have admin rights, and so have upgraded Office 2007 to 2010, and installed various other bits and pieces. But I would not go so far as to store my iTunes library, photos, etc, on the work laptop, so I will need a solution for home use too.

The consensus so far seems to be: use the free Dell laptop. I am leaning that way too. Money is not the most important factor here (I can afford the 2011 MBP 15", or I wouldn't even be entertaining the notion), but it is certainly a bonus.
 
Update: I've been using the Latitude for the last couple of days more or less exclusively, and I'm in shock: it's so much better as a typing/reading experience than my MacBook.

The keyboard (non-chiclet) I greatly prefer; my fingers don't hurt after a few hours. The screen is fantastic. As I've realised in the last 48 hours, those are my two biggest requirements. Yes, an SSD would be nice. But, meh, processors-schmocessors: I don't care much. Any of them will run what I need.

The Latitude wins, it seems. Now to decide whether to sell my MacBook, and make do with my old PowerBook G4...
 
PurpleMarmalade said:
Update: I've been using the Latitude for the last couple of days more or less exclusively, and I'm in shock: it's so much better as a typing/reading experience than my MacBook.

The keyboard (non-chiclet) I greatly prefer; my fingers don't hurt after a few hours. The screen is fantastic. As I've realised in the last 48 hours, those are my two biggest requirements. Yes, an SSD would be nice. But, meh, processors-schmocessors: I don't care much. Any of them will run what I need.

The Latitude wins, it seems. Now to decide whether to sell my MacBook, and make do with my old PowerBook G4...
Click to expand...

I say sell both and get the much awaited hp dm1 when it releases:cool:
 
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