I have a gateway laptop running vista, and it has lasted 5 years (not always the best, but it works...) I used a To****ba satellite laptop and it is a POS!! It constantly overheats, takes 8 minutes to boot up (windows 7) and it has never been reliable enough for me to use in college everyday 🙁 After seeing people at college using Macs, and been having problems with reliability, I definately wanted one. I went to Geek Squad to get my To****ba fixed and they cannot fix it. They restored it, gave me a loaner, and they tried to help but they wanted me to work through Toshiba themselves and they had Terrible customer service. I knew then Mac was my next computer. I have 7 other Apple products but this was my first Mac computer, and I believe I will always stay with Mac. You get what you pay for!!!
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Do you guys expect a lot from your MacBook Pro's?
- Thread starter Bankaimadness
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Yes. No question, yes.
I have come to expect this (and experience it) by the Macs I have owned since switching in 2006. Macs compliment my workload and workflow better than PCs ever did.
I remember what exactly was the straw that broke the camel's back (so to speak). You see, once my Dell Inspiron became dumpster-worthy, a friend offered to buy me a very nice, very expensive, very much customized HP laptop. I jumped at the chance.
Months later, that laptop was dead. The support was god-awful and I was tired of all the B.S. that I was dealing with. So, I went computer shopping and in London Drugs (for my fellow Americans, think of it like Walgreens with a little computer store in the corner) in Calgary, Alberta, I bought my first MacBook Pro - a 17" MacBook Pro. And no, it wasn't a late 2006 edition, because I bought it before the update in late October (something that had me fuming to no end).
The Macs I've owned have taken a serious beating and they continued to work much better than I could have expected. Even if I wind up having to buy a new charger every few months. 😉
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GermanyChris
macrumors 601
Number one is 8hrs and CF..
Number two is up to 30hrs with the super battery..independents tests got 26hrs with the über battery
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TSE
macrumors 601
I expect my MacBook Pro to last at least 5 or 6 years. I am a design major and want it to last me all through college. I use Photoshop CS6, Illustrator CS6, Safari, and Microsoft Word.
When I was decided between the MacBook Pro and the Sony Vaio Z, the last two laptops on my list, the reason I chose the MacBook Pro was because it was more of a complete package. The Z is probably one of the only other laptops I would buy, besides maybe the Thinkpad X230, but Lenovo has really dropped the ball on quality with the Thinkpad lineup.
When I was decided between the MacBook Pro and the Sony Vaio Z, the last two laptops on my list, the reason I chose the MacBook Pro was because it was more of a complete package. The Z is probably one of the only other laptops I would buy, besides maybe the Thinkpad X230, but Lenovo has really dropped the ball on quality with the Thinkpad lineup.
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Yeah, you are right. I was not insisting that every component of a mac is superior in every case. If you take a garden variety Windows PC in the 15'' MBP price range, you have a lot of great options, and certainly there are better displays around (although, somewhat rare).
It's just the "much cheaper" or "outdated hardware" argument that is not true in most cases.
Yes I do expect a lot. I suffered through a POS HP, Acer, then a POS Sony Vaio before finally switching to Mac after I realized how well my iPad and iPhone worked. So far, no regrets and I can't imagine going back to a PC.
No, not really. I buy Apple for the below list. Not sure on which one is more important, but think of them as each having a percentage of the reason.
1) OSX - Windows makes me want to stab myself in the eye with a spoon.
2) Manufacturers - Microsoft suffers because of their relationship with companies like HP, Dell, etc. I like having one source that knows the hardware, software, shipping, business end, all of it. Idiots are running Dell and HP right now, and their computers show it. I really would like to see Microsoft turn out their own devices.
3) Ease of contact - I have never, in 20 years, had a bad experience with Apple.
4) Quality - I hate plastic pieces of junk.
1) OSX - Windows makes me want to stab myself in the eye with a spoon.
2) Manufacturers - Microsoft suffers because of their relationship with companies like HP, Dell, etc. I like having one source that knows the hardware, software, shipping, business end, all of it. Idiots are running Dell and HP right now, and their computers show it. I really would like to see Microsoft turn out their own devices.
3) Ease of contact - I have never, in 20 years, had a bad experience with Apple.
4) Quality - I hate plastic pieces of junk.
thekev
macrumors 604
I would agree with you there. I was responding to the charger comment more than anything. You get a light and compact charger, yet there are tradeoffs. I've added quite a few battery cycles while plugged in. If a really beefy charger was available for $100-130 or so, I would buy it.
I read this quite often. I don't read that they're actually bad but that their quality has dropped in recent years. The Thinkpads are much much cheaper than they were under IBM. I remember some of the old ones exceeded the cost of my 15" powerbook at the time.
That's true, I did compare both Mac air and pro to some Asus and Sony products I found out that Macs are cheaper.
SnowLeopard2008
macrumors 604
A MacBook Air/Pro is either cheaper or same price as a comparable PC. But that is just taking in account stuff like CPU, GPU, RAM, HD/SD, etc. Stuff like trackpad, keyboard, display, chassis, battery life, software and build quality aren't taken into account.The biggest noticeable difference between a Mac and PC is the design.
I would stay away from Sony. Terrible build quality, poor performance, expensive price tag, and ugly design. They are getting close to Dell in those aspects.
The only comparable PC vendor is Lenovo. Outstanding build quality, solid performance, competitive price and amazing design. If I didn't get a Mac, I'd get a Lenovo ThinkPad.
I would stay away from Sony. Terrible build quality, poor performance, expensive price tag, and ugly design. They are getting close to Dell in those aspects.
The only comparable PC vendor is Lenovo. Outstanding build quality, solid performance, competitive price and amazing design. If I didn't get a Mac, I'd get a Lenovo ThinkPad.
Yes, it's a shame about Sony. They have made some truly excellent tiny portables 10-15 years ago, I've had two or three of them and they thrashed the competition (although they weren't cheap). Nowadays their offerings are just weird, and the bewildering range of models is just nonsensical. The top end seems to have disappeared completely, there's nothing of very high spec at all.
Tell me about it - the build quality on MBPs is amazing. I guess with Apple products you're paying for that timeless design too. 😀
AppleWarMachine
macrumors 65816
I switched from Thinkpads to MacBook Pros, I still like Thinkpads a lot as much as MacBook Pros and I expect my MacBook Pro to last as long as my Thinkpad. I still use a small Thinkpad tablet for art, I do expect a lot from my MacBook Pro considering the high price to get one.
onthecouchagain
macrumors 604
Personally, I find the MacBook Pro a bit overrated when it comes to heavy and intensive programs like Photoshop, Autocad, revit, rhino, etc.
For whatever reason, my 2011 MBP 15" 2.0GHz i7 constantly freezes when running these programs (this is with 8 gb of RAM, too). It constantly has WiFi connectivity issues, and I've already visited Apple CS twice for a failed battery and failed hard drive (both replaced under Applecare).
The overall experience has just left a bad taste in my mouth with MBPs.
On the other hand, I love my Air, but that's because that's my more leisure laptop where I don't require any intensive programs.
For whatever reason, my 2011 MBP 15" 2.0GHz i7 constantly freezes when running these programs (this is with 8 gb of RAM, too). It constantly has WiFi connectivity issues, and I've already visited Apple CS twice for a failed battery and failed hard drive (both replaced under Applecare).
The overall experience has just left a bad taste in my mouth with MBPs.
On the other hand, I love my Air, but that's because that's my more leisure laptop where I don't require any intensive programs.
GermanyChris
macrumors 601
We use quite a few ThinkPads and Elite Books at work at they are simply stellar.
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I've had my MacBook Pro for three months and it runs perfectly. That means so far it has ran perfectly for 2 more months than my old Acer laptop. Honestly, my acer laptop started to slowdown the moment I booted it up. Im so happy I jumped ship.
The thing I envied the most about Apple computers was how quiet they are. In school when I was at the library I would notice my crappy toshiba laptop sounded like an engine running while people with Macs you couldn't hear anything. It also made me embarrassed to take my laptop out in class as well.
So I bought a MBA and I am blown away by how quiet the fan is. I have to go into a completely quiet room and put my ear right to the fan to BARELY hear it.
I have used countless Windows laptops and NONE of them could do this even out of the box.
So I bought a MBA and I am blown away by how quiet the fan is. I have to go into a completely quiet room and put my ear right to the fan to BARELY hear it.
I have used countless Windows laptops and NONE of them could do this even out of the box.
I spent &($"@ big$$$ for this wedding and oh boy she better be worth it! ^)
It just a tool to me, no disappoinments.
It just a tool to me, no disappoinments.
TSE
macrumors 601
The Sony Z is still very much high quality and one of the best notebooks out there.
I think their lineup is somewhat convoluted. No doubt. But their high end is still very well made.
And yeah, Thinkpads are still better than the average notebook, but they are nowhere near where they once were.
As long as you can still find one...
http://www.theverge.com/2012/10/11/3490506/sony-vaio-z-killed-off
wonderspark
macrumors 68040
I expect it to be flawless until I replace it with something else that does the job better. I've only had one computer or phone device fail, and that was an overclocked PC that ran for three or four years as my daily video editing system before it popped in 2002. All other devices (phones, desktops, laptops, peripherals and such) have worked just fine until I sold or disposed of them.
Wait, I take that back... I jumped into a river with a cellphone on my belt once in the 1990s. It didn't survive, either.
Wait, I take that back... I jumped into a river with a cellphone on my belt once in the 1990s. It didn't survive, either.