How can anyone justify buying a new MacBook Pro with the current set of specs?

[highscheme]

Apple laptops are at a horrible price/performance ratio right now. I think we can all agree on that.

Some people simply need a computer and can't wait. Now, if they really were just thinking about economics, they should buy an older used Mac in the meantime and sell it when the new Arrandales drop.

They might not even lose any money doing it this way if they bought the right older laptop.

But, not everyone cares or even needs to care about money like this. They can afford to replace their computer more often.

Also, some people don't care that they are getting ripped off on price/performance ratio because they don't need the extra performance. Again, it is still a pretty bad decision because they could get the lower spec'd version for cheaper, or maintain the value of their computer for longer.

Bottom Lines:
-varying needs
-more money than sense

 

[MacDawg]

He's out there at Best Buy checking out that new Acer.

And then calling his friend who owns a Mac to come over and help him set it up and fix it later
Been there and done that too many times

 

[6-0 Prolene]

There are many comparable 17" notebooks in comparing specs to the 17" macs even exceeding such as the Lenovo W700 available with an Intel quad processor, but I would not compare them in quality or design as with the Sony Z. If you want a quality built desktop replacement then yes the MBP is hard to beat, but if the specs are what counts for you because you are going to be running intensive software then there are alternatives.

I run intensive software and specs only matter to a point.

Not to mention the fact that I have a couple grand invested in software for OS X, and it would be dumb to ditch all that and buy for Windows just because of a 15% speed bump in the processor. Sure I could've waited for the new ones to come out, but at some point if you keep waiting you never buy.

 

[highscheme]

Sure I could've waited for the new ones to come out, but at some point if you keep waiting you never buy.

Yeah but that's such circular logic. Believe me, I understand you wanted a new computer and needed a mac. But the point is, you don't care about money as much as some people.

You always get more value for your money if you wait in computers, but at the very, very end of a product cycle like this is where you truly lose value.

Again, you don't care that you lost that value, and we understand it. But the point remains that you lost it.

 

[wikoogle]

We've gone through Latitudes, Thinkpad's, Vaio's, LG's an HP and when I look at what they offer now it's same junk just with more up to date spec's, lol.

I'd buy the current 13", 15" or MBA ahead of any of the other notebooks with greater under the hood spec's.

It's about day to day user experience as much or more than spec's, Mac's can't be beat based on my experience.

I agree with you on every thing except the Sony Vaios. Vaios are awesome. I've owned a few, excellent build quality, excellent performance, battery life and design.

The F Series gives you a blu ray burner, an i7 processor, and a cutting edge 1GB dedicated GPU for cheaper than it costs to buy a 13 inch MBP!!!

Or if you want something cheaper, they can get a NW series laptop with awesome specs for under $900!

And Sony is rated higher than Apple is customer satisfaction and build quality!

 

[josh2012]

Yeah but that's such circular logic. Believe me, I understand you wanted a new computer and needed a mac. But the point is, you don't care about money as much as some people.

You always get more value for your money if you wait in computers, but at the very, very end of a product cycle like this is where you truly lose value.

Again, you don't care that you lost that value, and we understand it. But the point remains that you lost it.

This was my logic in posing the question, it is a matter of economics.

 

[r.j.s]

You always get more value for your money if you wait in computers, but at the very, very end of a product cycle like this is where you truly lose value.

Again, you don't care that you lost that value, and we understand it. But the point remains that you lost it.

The value gained by having a new machine right away was well worth the monetary value lost in buying now rather than waiting for another ... well, we don't quite know how long yet, do we?

 

[McDevon]

Its all to do with what you use you computer for.
You might buy a top of the range Ford to do the school run but you wouldn't get a Ferrari.

 

[highscheme]

The value gained by having a new machine right away was well worth the monetary value lost in buying now rather than waiting for another ... well, we don't quite know how long yet, do we?

I completely agree. But again, the need for having a new computer right now is only what is driving you to get poor value. I am in no way discounting that fact that this need may exist.

 

[r.j.s]

I completely agree. But again, the need for having a new computer right now is only what is driving you to get poor value. I am in no way discounting that fact that this need may exist.

I don't think I got poor value ... I paid what I thought the machine was worth, and the specs weren't important. The tech was 3 years newer than what I was using.

 

[highscheme]

I don't think I got poor value ... I paid what I thought the machine was worth, and the specs weren't important. The tech was 3 years newer than what I was using.

Being satisfied with what you paid ≠ getting good value for money

 

[tbobmccoy]

Being satisfied with what you paid ≠ getting good value for money

But good value for your money /= being satisfied with what you get: I'll take my MacBook Pro (that I just bought as well) over any PC... the specs aren't nearly as important when you're upgrading from either nothing (in my case) or a very outdated piece of tech (would have been my case if my old MacBook hadn't died beforehand). Plus, we still have 2 weeks to wait and see if Apple upgrades them. If they do, that's extra $ into my pocket to compensate for the "old tech" that I paid full-price for, if not, then I certainly wouldn't have been able to wait anyway and I made the right choice. It came down to that viewpoint for me.

 

[kny3twalker]

I agree with you on every thing except the Sony Vaios. Vaios are awesome. I've owned a few, excellent build quality, excellent performance, battery life and design.

The F Series gives you a blu ray burner, an i7 processor, and a cutting edge 1GB dedicated GPU for cheaper than it costs to buy a 13 inch MBP!!!

Or if you want something cheaper, they can get a NW series laptop with awesome specs for under $900!

And Sony is rated higher than Apple is customer satisfaction and build quality!

comparing an aluminum macbook pro to a plastic sony is not even comparison. I would rather have the rigid body of the macbook pro over the slight bump in processor speed.

You cannot say the build quality of the Sony is as good as Apple, when Apple uses billet aluminum and Sony uses plastic.

Find an all metal and/or carbon fiber windows laptop do your comparisons, you will find all windows laptops manfacturers also charge a premium for this.

I do not see how the Sony F series is any better than a Dell Inspiron or HP DV whatever, where as the Z series is built using Carbon Fiber and aluminum and a much higher price comes along with this.

 

[highscheme]

But good value for your money /= being satisfied with what you get: I'll take my MacBook Pro (that I just bought as well) over any PC... the specs aren't nearly as important when you're upgrading from either nothing (in my case) or a very outdated piece of tech (would have been my case if my old MacBook hadn't died beforehand). Plus, we still have 2 weeks to wait and see if Apple upgrades them. If they do, that's extra $ into my pocket to compensate for the "old tech" that I paid full-price for, if not, then I certainly wouldn't have been able to wait anyway and I made the right choice. It came down to that viewpoint for me.

yeah but you are trying to convince me of something I already agree with


the bottom line is your need/want for new computer now exceeded your need/want to get the most for your money

this doesn't make you wrong, or even a bad person

 

[josh2012]

comparing an aluminum macbook pro to a plastic sony is not even comparison. I would rather have the rigid body of the macbook pro over the slight bump in processor speed.

You cannot say the build quality of the Sony is as good as Apple, when Apple uses billet aluminum and Sony uses plastic.

Find an all metal and/or carbon fiber windows laptop do your comparisons, you will find all windows laptops manfacturers also charge a premium for this.

I do not see how the Sony F series is any better than a Dell Inspiron or HP DV whatever where as the F series is built using Carbon Fiber and aluminum and a much higher price comes along with this.

The Sony F series is not so impressive as you point out, it is not much different than a dell, hp, etc. but the Z series anyone must admit is a true marvel of technology, as what the 2009 13" MBP was considered in multiple reviews. I'm just hoping when Apple does make the next upgrade they all will be sporting similar specs as the Z series, Sony proved it to be possible while maintaining the MBP's current case sizing, batter life, and current temperature levels.

 

[neutrino23]

If you bought a new MBP today it would serve you well for years to come. When the newer MBP comes out your laptop would still work just as well. Your computer doesn't slow down just because a newer model comes out.

I use a 17" MBP that is almost 4 years old. I'll switch when the Arandales's come out but if I had to use this another year that would be OK. There is almost nothing I can't do now with the current machine.

It used to be that differences between versions was much greater. Think about when the first 15" color displays came out or the first 17" MBP came out or the first Intel based laptops or when laptop drives got bigger than 1GB. Those were huge differences.

Now if the laptop hard drive jumps from 500GB to 750GB who cares? Yes it's nice, but not earthshaking. If the processor puts out 5% better throughput than the current one that's nice, but not worth waiting for.

So, unless you are involved in some cutting edge digital labor that absolutely requires cutting edge equipment then you'll do just fine with the current MPB.

 

[Crath]

comparing an aluminum macbook pro to a plastic sony is not even comparison. I would rather have the rigid body of the macbook pro over the slight bump in processor speed.

You cannot say the build quality of the Sony is as good as Apple, when Apple uses billet aluminum and Sony uses plastic.

Find an all metal and/or carbon fiber windows laptop do your comparisons, you will find all windows laptops manfacturers also charge a premium for this.

I do not see how the Sony F series is any better than a Dell Inspiron or HP DV whatever where as the F series is built using Carbon Fiber and aluminum and a much higher price comes along with this.

easy there, tiger (err, leopard)

sony has pretty darn good build quality

 

[highscheme]

If you bought a new MBP today it would serve you well for years to come. When the newer MBP comes out your laptop would still work just as well. Your computer doesn't slow down just because a newer model comes out.

I use a 17" MBP that is almost 4 years old. I'll switch when the Arandales's come out but if I had to use this another year that would be OK. There is almost nothing I can't do now with the current machine.

It used to be that differences between versions was much greater. Think about when the first 15" color displays came out or the first 17" MBP came out or the first Intel based laptops or when laptop drives got bigger than 1GB. Those were huge differences.

Now if the laptop hard drive jumps from 500GB to 750GB who cares? Yes it's nice, but not earthshaking. If the processor puts out 5% better throughput than the current one that's nice, but not worth waiting for.

So, unless you are involved in some cutting edge digital labor that absolutely requires cutting edge equipment then you'll do just fine with the current MPB.

^^Again, being satisfied with getting less value for your money does not mean you aren't getting less value for your money

 

[phrint]

Apple needs to upgrade to the new Intel processors which the comparable pc world already has done, add auto switching graphics like some competitors have implemented and is clearly available with NVIDIA's new Optimus or as Sony has done in their Z series through software, and how about upgrading screen resolutions to comparable standards, say 1600X900 in the 13" 1920X1080 in the 15" and 17" models

May I make my point using Sony's Z series, you have a 13" notebook that gets 6.5 hours of battery life with up to an i7 processor and using hybrid graphics including Intel's integrated for maximum power efficiency and when you need it a powerful NVIDIA GT 330M this combination will run circles around the current highest end 17" MacBook Pro, plus a 1600X900 display only comparable with the MacBook Pro 17's which is not even a comparison with a 4" difference! Also Sony was able to do all of this while maintain a small form factor around 1" thickness, still include an optical drive, and maintain a fairly low level of heat (comparable to current Mac's) for about the same price of a mid grade MacBook Pro...

Now I'm not anti Mac in any way, I love them, but I will not buy another one until they meet the rest of the high end mobile computing industries standards.

Now I must add one advantage the MacBook's have over all the competition the far superior operating system, the only possible "justification" but with sub-par specs for the price?

#11
josh2012
Thread Starter
macrumors newbie

Join Date: Jan 2010
Quote:
Originally Posted by wrxlvr
Depends on what you need it for I suppose. If you're looking for value, a current MBP clearly isn't it right now.

The specs on the computer will handle most tasks asked of it, it just expensive compared to the competition.
This is the point I was really trying to get at by making this post, what you get compared to the competition for a similar product.

I agree with all of you that stated the current MacBooks are more than capable.

Sorry guy. This is an extension of the Arrandale thread and dozens of others. I purchased a 15" 2.8 MBP today with total discounts of $685.00. Too good of a deal to pass up. It does what I need it to and I highly doubt I'll miss anything with Arrandale. I am coming from an old PowerBook G4 so this is a huge step up for me.

 

[kny3twalker]

The Sony F series is not so impressive as you point out, it is not much different than a dell, hp, etc. but the Z series anyone must admit is a true marvel of technology, as what the 2009 13" MBP was considered in multiple reviews. I'm just hoping when Apple does make the next upgrade they all will be sporting similar specs as the Z series, Sony proved it to be possible while maintaining the MBP's current case sizing, batter life, and current temperature levels.

I meant to type Z in the last sentence. Its edited and fixed now.

easy there, tiger (err, leopard)

sony has pretty darn good build quality

Your Opinion, not mine. Plastic is not a comparable substitute for metal.
Your comparison is like saying the white MacBook is built as well as the MacBook Pro. It might be good, but not like billet aluminum.

Good Example:
Chevrolet, Toyota etc... use plastic fenders and such, where as Mercedes and BMW use metal fenders.
Which would you prefer? Which do you think has a better build and uses higher quality materials?

Sure BMW and Mercedes could use plastic, but they choose not to.

 

[Raje]

I agree with you on every thing except the Sony Vaios. Vaios are awesome. I've owned a few, excellent build quality, excellent performance, battery life and design.

The F Series gives you a blu ray burner, an i7 processor, and a cutting edge 1GB dedicated GPU for cheaper than it costs to buy a 13 inch MBP!!!

Or if you want something cheaper, they can get a NW series laptop with awesome specs for under $900!

And Sony is rated higher than Apple is customer satisfaction and build quality!

Yeah good specs and lots of headaches. lol If I remember correctly apple has the 3rd highest customer satisfaction rating of all companies and Sony wasn't even in the top 25. Plastic > Aluminum oops I must have forgot that. Blu ray is only for movie enthusiasts(currently) and smart movie enthusiasts with laptops will use digital downloads.

Plus this new technology boasts its specs but it is not designed to work together like Macs.

 

[ronjon10]

The Z series isn't shipping yet.

 

[ronjon10]

Sorry guy. This is an extension of the Arrandale thread and dozens of others. I purchased a 15" 2.8 MBP today with total discounts of $685.00. Too good of a deal to pass up. It does what I need it to and I highly doubt I'll miss anything with Arrandale. I am coming from an old PowerBook G4 so this is a huge step up for me.

Where'd you get this deal? I'd probably go for that. Early reports on battery life with the few arrandales on the market are showing that they aren't as efficient and battery life is going down.

 

[jjahshik32]

I think the i5/i7 upgrade will be noticeable but not with most users. If you crunch numbers all day then an i5/i7 will be worth the wait, but if you just surf the web, do some things with HD contents to an extent and use your mbp as a main computer then you'll be fine with the current gen.

But imho, I'd wait. An update is coming VERY soon and you dont want to be kicking yourself for not waiting.

 

[crh3ff]

I think the i5/i7 upgrade will be noticeable but not with most users. If you crunch numbers all day then an i5/i7 will be worth the wait, but if you just surf the web, do some things with HD contents to an extent and use your mbp as a main computer then you'll be fine with the current gen.

But imho, I'd wait. An update is coming VERY soon and you dont want to be kicking yourself for not waiting.

exactly. I'm surfing the web, etc all day just fine with my MB 1,1...and am in the market for an updated laptop. This MB will keep going for a while now, so yeah, I could drop $1500-$2k on a current MBP, and it'd crush what I've got. Or, I could keep truckin along, and drop the same money on the most up-to-date MBP, meaning the one that is to be released sometime in the not-too-distant future. If we were early or mid-cycle, it'd be a no brainer for me...buy now. However, we SHOULD be VERY LATE cycle.

oh yeah...and I'm NOT switching back to Windows. Even if Windows Computer 7 Series is awesome.