I had a higher spec'd Lenovo ThinkPad laptop with 8GB ram versus my MacBook Pro with 4GB ram on windows, and the MBP smoked it in every way possible. The MBP runs Windows 7 like a champ... it's surprisingly fast. If money is not an issue, I would definitely do it.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Is it a good idea to buy a MBP even if I will only use Windows?
- Thread starter raptorstv
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
However, the thread starter doesn't want a pure windows experience. He just wants to use Windows "most of the time". Nothing beats quality personal time on the Mac. To do that, you need a MAC.
I posed the question of what do you need the laptop for? This is important to determine if a mac or even computer is best for you, if you're really into gaming or just just a light computer user who is already accustomed to windows there is no real reason to change. All sorts of problems can arise when you switch and realize wait I need windows to perform certain tasks but I want to experiences OSX for my computing needs, one could argue that this creates a poor experience and makes performing your computing tasks so much harder and complexing the issue.
Secondly, how much money are you willing to spend, all macbooks are really good in quality, they wont get outdated that quickly either, but perhaps not value for money. Sometimes people buy a product that isn't suited for them, I studied architecture with a girl who didn't know how to right click on her 15" MBP trackpad after 8 months of owning it, she actually didn't know how to use it at all, I know that she obviously should have purchased a windows laptop.
Lastly, in saying all of this, if you want the best of both worlds you could either partition your hard drive or optibay a second hard drive and dual boot or VMWare your macbook pro this way you can keep strict segregation of work (Windows) and private (OSX). Keep in mind most people, disregarding the enthusiasts ie most people on this forum don't dual boot, optibay hack, run virtualized os ect. Some people just want a computer that they can buy and use for simple tasks.
Without knowing what you require it for it's hard to recommend a machine, If you are looking at getting the 13 Inch then I would say it's a really good buy, you can run both Windows and OSX for competitive price. It comes down to what you want and need though.
I use both windows and OSX and think the a MBP may not be the best fit. Its more expensive, you'll also have to factor in the cost of the OS, since the mbp does not come with windows.
I can see people buying a MBP because its build quality and design, and run windows or linux but I found in both cases (windows and linux) there's always some minor driver issues that give me a bit of a headache.
I can see people buying a MBP because its build quality and design, and run windows or linux but I found in both cases (windows and linux) there's always some minor driver issues that give me a bit of a headache.
Wow, just looked them up and its been a long time. I thought they were still owned by IBM, haha. The last one I had was in 98 I believe. Crazy that they're still sporting the red dot tracking point!
It's pretty crazy but if you think the design is best (it is), if you love the keyboard and the trackpad - Who cares. On the up side, you will have some resale value where as any other laptop will be worth very little.
Main reason I like Mac is because of the OS. If you are exclusively using Windows, there are certainly more affordable options. If money is no object, go the MBP route. As Lagmonster said, you will get more resale value out of the MBP in the end.
Yes, it is a good idea but, I'd use VMWare or Parallels and whatever Windows you want to use in a partition. That way you can enjoy using the Mac OS in your personal time and Windows for work related items. Is this a personal purchase or a business one?
I had no idea how beautiful Parallels was until I started playing with it. It truly is awesome. And you could still do bootcamp and parallels if you wanted to as well.
I'd echo what others have said: if you're interested in using OS X and only have a few applications that require Windows, Parallels should do the trick. However, if you find you spend more time overall in Windows and are unlikely to use OS X a whole lot, there are some very high quality and more cost effective machines around.
The one thing I really like about Parallels is that you don't get a separate window, it is integrated. Does VMBox do that?
Not sure what you mean. But VMBox has an option to make it fullscreen. So you just put that on one of your desktops and it will look like exactly like windows on a PC.
It also has seamless mode where any app you launch in windows will blend right in with OS X with no borders around it or other stuff
The Customer and Technical Support for Apple is enough for me that even if I was primarily running Windows (Which I'm not) I would still go for it. 
Though that's the CS, not the cool factor. If I didn't care about Apple's support I would go for one of the better PC brands out there (Though I prefer Apple overall)
I recommend: Samsung (For Ultrabooks), Lenovo (All around), and ASUS (for performance)
Stay away from: Dell, HP, Acer at all costs.
Though that's the CS, not the cool factor. If I didn't care about Apple's support I would go for one of the better PC brands out there (Though I prefer Apple overall)
I recommend: Samsung (For Ultrabooks), Lenovo (All around), and ASUS (for performance)
Stay away from: Dell, HP, Acer at all costs.
I completely understand why you'd want to run Windows on the MBP, I know several people who do this and are very happy.
2 things to keep in mind. First off, the keyboard/trackpad situation is limited. Granted, most Windows laptops have poor trackpads, but the trackpad is not even close to as intuitive as it is in OSX. It's not as enjoyable to use, and it obviously has limited support. The keyboard also will not perform a lot of the functions on the F keys because...well it's Windows not OSX.
Secondly, there are certain drivers that never are quite as good as a stock laptop's drivers. There are only certain issues, such as limited GPU support or limited audio driver support, and these issues only occur to certain models of the Macbook line, not all of them. However, lately Apple has been very good in getting good support for all the components. You should be okay in this category.
If these things aren't anything that scare you too much, you should definitely spring for a MBP. They are more expensive than something comparable Windows laptops have to offer, but you won't be disappointed by the hardware. And it'll be nice knowing you can always switch to OSX should you please.
I would stay away from the Retina MBP, however. The graphics aren't displaying very well at this moment, and it may receive very, very limited support in the future. If you're getting a classic MBP, however, I would go ahead and do it!
2 things to keep in mind. First off, the keyboard/trackpad situation is limited. Granted, most Windows laptops have poor trackpads, but the trackpad is not even close to as intuitive as it is in OSX. It's not as enjoyable to use, and it obviously has limited support. The keyboard also will not perform a lot of the functions on the F keys because...well it's Windows not OSX.
Secondly, there are certain drivers that never are quite as good as a stock laptop's drivers. There are only certain issues, such as limited GPU support or limited audio driver support, and these issues only occur to certain models of the Macbook line, not all of them. However, lately Apple has been very good in getting good support for all the components. You should be okay in this category.
If these things aren't anything that scare you too much, you should definitely spring for a MBP. They are more expensive than something comparable Windows laptops have to offer, but you won't be disappointed by the hardware. And it'll be nice knowing you can always switch to OSX should you please.
I would stay away from the Retina MBP, however. The graphics aren't displaying very well at this moment, and it may receive very, very limited support in the future. If you're getting a classic MBP, however, I would go ahead and do it!