I've gone Windows...

[ihuman:D]

Where did I ever write about display resolution?

The retina MBP has very fast CPU and GPU (which you will only find in gaming laptops), weights 2kg, IPS screen with up to 1920x1200 resolution and has a very decent battery duration. Add to this list the industy-best tochpad and a 6KRO keyboard (where most laptops are 3KRO or even less). Windows laptops with equivalent hardware are either heavier or slower. An equivalent Sager weights almost 4 kg with battery life being half of the rMBP. I have no idea how you can claim that Levovo et. have faster CPUs where rMBP offers basically the fastest currently commercially available consumer CPU (3820QM).

Besides, with double TB and very fast WiFi, the rMBP offers potentially the best/fastest expansion options than any other laptop I am aware of.

But the retina display is resource-hungry and hogs the GPU and CPU so, no, it is not a perfect business laptop.

EDIT:

offers potentially the best/fastest expansion options than any other laptop I am aware of.

EVERYTHING is SOLDERED down!!! You'd have to be bonkers to thing it's even potentially the best expandible laptop!

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Thank you for the simplest true answer. I was all pc in the 90's I was all mac in the 00's and since 10 I am mixed some mac and some windows. Frankly since neither one really cares about customer needs. As a customer you need to pick and choose and be more flexible then they are. Easiest way to be flexible is to be able to own and run both as needed.

Being a fanboy is the worst possible way to shop. either side will take your money and laugh behind your back.

Same. I use windows for gaming and for programs that don't run on OS X.

 

[Mike Valmike]

Yesterday I went ahead and ordered all the parts to build my own Windows desktop.

For all the gnashing elsewhere in your thread, all that came to mind when I went to reply was, "I honestly don't blame you at this point."

Hope the new system works out.

 

[MacSignal]

Waiting/hoping for mini and MP updates, but also drafting up plans to do a quality custom build that would run Windows 7. Unless there is a change of thinking and direction at Apple, more mac desktop users will eventually follow the OP's path.

 

[Madmic23]

I've toyed with the idea of building my own PC for a while now. The last custom machine I had was when Windows XP came out, and I've had a couple of Macs since then.

I'd like to build a PC and install Ubuntu Linux on it, as it is a very capable OS these days.

But at this point, I'm pretty tied down into the Apple ecosystem with an iMac, iPad, iPhone, and Apple TV.

 

[hvfsl]

I got my first Mac in 1998 (Powerbook G3) and then a year later I built a PC as I released I liked to game as well. For my most recent laptop purchase, I did wonder if I still needed a Mac one, since just about every app I use is cross platform. But I still find Mac OS X a much better OS to get things done in and now I have an SSD in it, it is faster than any Windows computer I have used (with an SSD).

 

[Yamcha]

I think your decision was a fair one, I would do the same, but most likely a Hackintosh build.. Not sure why Apple is slowly abandoning their professional user-base, we haven't seen Mac Pro's for so long, and now the iMac is also long overdue..

Personally I have no problem with Windows, I think It's a great OS, certainly not enough for me to switch permanently but, If Apple does end up abandoning the iMac I would go for a PC Desktop no questions asked..

 

[Renzatic]

...but windows 8 is far less workstation friendly... its useless without a touch screen.

This is greatly exaggerated. If Windows 8 were all Metro apps and nothing more, you might have a point. But it's not. Other than the new Start screen (which is actually really nice once you get used to it), 8 is nothing more a tweaked up, streamlined extension of 7.

I've been playing around with 8 since the consumer preview. I haven't found it to be any more difficult to use than 7 was. The desktop is functionally the same, the Start screen does all the same things as the old Start menu did...cept bigger. It's still pretty much Windows.

 

[mojothemonkey]

to OP: the driver and defragging issues are mostly resolved these days. Actually, defragging is irrelevant in the SSD age. A lot of mac users left in those complicated, frustrating years. If you really havent owned a win7 machine, you'll be in for a treat.

I also find that a lot of Mac-user-specific frustration in booting into windows vista or 7 bootcamp was with drivers... but not for their universal peripherals. It's always for the Apple peripherals. (bluetooth drivers for the magic trackpad, etc.) This is kind of unique to Apple as they don't release their drivers timely to MS to have in their library. They were expecting you to wait for the update to Bootcamp then reinstall that mess, etc. I wonder if this was done on purpose.

In my windows machines, I almost miss having to go search and upgrade drivers. Now things just work. Even though companies provide you with this disk or that download link, most times you just ignore it as Windows recognizes, downloads, and installs the drivers for new devices automatically.

 

[Renzatic]

In my windows machines, I almost miss having to go search and upgrade drivers. Now things just work. Even though companies provide you with this disk or that download link, most times you just ignore it as Windows recognizes, downloads, and installs the drivers for new devices automatically.

The only exception to this would be graphics card drivers. Windows will install a set that matches your graphics card, but it seems to always be some MS tweaked version with gimpy game performance and gutted OGL support. You'll want to hit up Nvidia or ATI for the latest and greatest rather than rely on what update gives you.

 

[mojothemonkey]

The only exception to this would be graphics card drivers. Windows will install a set that matches your graphics card, but it seems to always be some MS tweaked version with gimpy game performance and gutted OGL support. You'll want to hit up Nvidia or ATI for the latest and greatest rather than rely on what update gives you.

Actually they throw in a decent WHQL (whatever) certified set that's never really too far off the most updated set from Nvidia or AMD/ATI. But downloading directly from Nvidia or ATI allows you to get the whole driver tweaking application.

In fact, I'd say that the windows built-in drivers are near identical to the experience you get with Apple/Mac, where you maybe get a bump in your GPU drivers once or twice a year in the system update, but never a stand-alone app to tweak settings (have to hope you can do it in game, and even then it's not the same level of optimization) like in windows. So for basic users, who are not "hardore" gamers or GPGPU co-processing users, I recommend they not sweat the details and just use the machine.

 

[Renzatic]

Actually they throw in a decent WHQL (whatever) certified set that's never really too far off the most updated set from Nvidia or AMD/ATI. But downloading directly from Nvidia or ATI allows you to get the whole driver tweaking application.

In fact, I'd say that the windows built-in drivers are near identical to the experience you get with Apple/Mac, where you maybe get a bump in your GPU drivers once or twice a year in the system update, but never a stand-alone app to tweak settings (have to hope you can do it in game, and even then it's not the same level of optimization) like in windows. So for basic users, who are not "hardore" gamers or GPGPU co-processing users, I recommend they not sweat the details and just use the machine.

Yeah. For your basic users only concerned with browsing the internet, or using applications that don't lean on the GPU too much, the MS provided drivers are perfect. They get the job done without any occasional quirks or hiccups.

But for games? Well...they work. DX games will run, just not as well as they would using the certified drivers direct from the manufacturer. Anything using OGL is dead in the water though, as MS only provides the most bare bones of support for it. Like if I want to run Modo after a fresh install, I have to use the certifieds direct from the Nvidia website, otherwise it throws me an error, and shunts me back to the desktop.

It's not exactly what I'd call a huge issue, but it is the one exception to MS' otherwise excellent out of the box driver support.

 

[OnceYouGoMac]

I think you take this stuff way too seriously. I'm not happy with Apple's focus on iJunk either, but it is what it is.

That's the way I feel too. It doesn't make me want to go back to Windoze though.

 

[masp84]

Yeah. For your basic users only concerned with browsing the internet, or using applications that don't lean on the GPU too much, the MS provided drivers are perfect. They get the job done without any occasional quirks or hiccups.

As far as I know MS has the largest driver platform of peripherals, you can plug any device in any almost every Windows version and it'll work like it should. I'm an XP user and my PC has served me well for the last four years, it's true I had to Format and re-install a couple times to get the juice back, however I was easily able to do any kind of repair, maintenance and upgrades on the run. You can also save an image of your recently installed winOS including all the software and settings of your choice making formatting a breeze.

I'm in the music industry and this has worked for me flawlessly to the extend I now have the money to buy a Mac. I only cared about Logic Pro, nothing else... but this is like when you had to buy Digidesign hardware and the infamous "iLock" (funny how it starts with i) to be able to use Pro Tools. I didn't play that game, I wont play this either. ,,i,,

But for games? Well...they work. DX games will run, just not as well as they would using the certified drivers direct from the manufacturer. Anything using OGL is dead in the water though, as MS only provides the most bare bones of support for it. Like if I want to run Modo after a fresh install, I have to use the certifieds direct from the Nvidia website, otherwise it throws me an error, and shunts me back to the desktop.

Windows is the best platform for gaming period. (Overclocking-customization-more game titles available) IT'S LAW to get Legacy drivers for all the stuff you've got running from the manufacturers support section. is the first thing you do after you install the OS and get the networking services running.

It's not exactly what I'd call a huge issue, but it is the one exception to MS' otherwise excellent out of the box driver support.

That's right, it is not.

 

[odnarbssagib]

I kept trying to convince myself to buy a new iMac but I just can't. It is just a silly purchase for me. I bought an iPad and believe it's a cool product. But no way can I justify buying a 2k+ computer from a company that waits 400+days to release a desktop computer. That's almost by definition excludes Apple from calling itself a computer company. They have moved from their roots as a high end computer manufacturer to a consumer toy company. That's fine. But no way should high end computer users stick with this company. Seems illogical.

 

[12dylan34]

I kept trying to convince myself to buy a new iMac but I just can't. It is just a silly purchase for me. I bought an iPad and believe it's a cool product. But no way can I justify buying a 2k+ computer from a company that waits 400+days to release a desktop computer. That's almost by definition excludes Apple from calling itself a computer company. They have moved from their roots as a high end computer manufacturer to a consumer toy company. That's fine. But no way should high end computer users stick with this company. Seems illogical.

I think the issue is the initial dropping of the Mac system and workflow. Companies have to buy all new software and plugins (which can number in the hundreds), and spend a whole long time configuring hundreds of settings. Not to mention the disruption of workflow because things on Windows are a bit different. The place I work, to my dismay, is switching from Mac Pros to HP Z-820's, so it is being done out there, so you're sort of right. They're much faster than the top end Mac Pros, but I still don't like the look and feel of Windows.

 

[smoking monkey]

Before anyone complains about this being here, I have been an iMac user for a long time now. The majority of my posts here on MR have been in the iMac section as well.

Do you play a lot of computer games? If so, then you should be using a windows machine.

As for you assertion that Mountain Lion is worse than Lion... I simply can't agree (along with ever review of ML!) and feel you are totally wrong and trying to justify migrating to MS.

You are correct though in it being too long since they last released an iMac. It's poor form really.

 

[MindsEye]

Initially i was interested in the iMac but have decided against it. The loss of the ability to easily switch out aging/dead components heavily outweighs the payoff of the AIO design. The Mac Pro was my next bet which i would buy in a heartbeat but the lack of any high speed I/O like USB 3.0 or thunderbolt kills that idea. If Apple were to release an updated Mac Pro tomorrow i would jump all over it.

So i'll be going with the XPS 8500. I would build my own but i already know that i wouldn't be able to build something as good as the XPS 8500 that's within my budget. I'm going to order that machine very soon as i don't want it to come preinstalled with Windows 8. I remember the whole xp/vista fiasco with dell charging customers a premium for XP to come preinstalled on machines.

 

[odnarbssagib]

Order a custom pc from Maingear.com

Initially i was interested in the iMac but have decided against it. The loss of the ability to easily switch out aging/dead components heavily outweighs the payoff of the AIO design. The Mac Pro was my next bet which i would buy in a heartbeat but the lack of any high speed I/O like USB 3.0 or thunderbolt kills that idea. If Apple were to release an updated Mac Pro tomorrow i would jump all over it.

So i'll be going with the XPS 8500. I would build my own but i already know that i wouldn't be able to build something as good as the XPS 8500 that's within my budget. I'm going to order that machine very soon as i don't want it to come preinstalled with Windows 8. I remember the whole xp/vista fiasco with dell charging customers a premium for XP to come preinstalled on machines.

 

[Prof.Ruffleberg]

I did the same.

Intel Core i7 3770K | Gigabyte GA-H77-D3H | 32GB HyperX blu RAM | KFA² GeForce GTX 660 Ti | Samsung SSD 830 256GB | Samsung HDD 1TB | Fractal R4 | Dell 2713 HM
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1780€ (2300 $ including vat) @ almost no noise at all (Buit it myself)
No iMac could beat that at this pricepoint.

It is just stunning at Lightroom, Photoshop and Gaming (Battlefield 3 @ 2560x1440 @ Ultra settings).

 

[Scythe5]

Whatever makes you happy. You'll be back though.

You don't know that.

I jumped off the waiting train in July and built a PC. I absolutely do NOT miss my mac. I was a mac user for years and frankly - I can do more on my PC than I ever could on my iMac(s).

 

[philipma1957]

That's the way I feel too. It doesn't make me want to go back to Windoze though.

You need to expand your mind think both . Not either.

 

[Winni]

Before anyone complains about this being here, I have been an iMac user for a long time now. The majority of my posts here on MR have been in the iMac section as well.

Yesterday I went ahead and ordered all the parts to build my own Windows desktop. I know, I should have at least waited until next month before I did, but I need something now and I was not going to be buying any of the current Macs. But while I have been checking this and other forums daily for bits of news on a *possible* refresh, it hit me. Why the hell am I revolving my life around a computer company? Especially one that doesn't seem to care enough about a loyal customers needs.

I am disappointed in the new iPhone, I am greatly disappointed in the new iOS update... and I could not be more disappointed in Apple's lack of respect for their non-mobile customers. Customers that have been using Macs for over 10 years. I also did not like Lion and think Mountain Lion is the worst version of OS X there is.

Combine all that with the fact that I just built a $1500 computer that will absolutely run circles in any configuration of a current iMac (and I am betting anything they are *possibly* about to release for that matter), and here we are.

I am not giving up on Apple completely. I will trial run this computer for a good half a year. If I really find it isn't for me, I can always sell the parts and return to the Mac fold... but for now, I just want to try something different.

Anyway, just my story of how Apple lost a potential iMac customer. I wholly expect the "cool story, bro"'s and the "good riddance" posts. But I just wanted to get it off my chest.

I sold my last Mac a few weeks ago and now have an Ubuntu machine at home and a Windows notebook from work.

On several software developer forums, you can observe the trend that at least indie developers are moving away from both Apple AND Microsoft. Apparently, a growing number of technical people don't like where both companies are headed and decided to give the Linux platform a shot - just like Valve, who are currently porting Steam and the Source engine to Ubuntu Linux.

Thanks to the Internet and its technologies, we now live in a rather platform agnostic world. From a platform perspective, when you can switch from Windows to the Mac, you can as easily switch to Linux. And you can also switch back to Windows or OS X at any time if you want.

The economic aspects are a different story - switches can become expensive endeavors, no matter in which direction you intend to migrate.

For most home users, there is no need to spend their money on Windows or OS X hard- and software. They live most of the time in the web browser anyway - and Firefox and Chrome run everywhere.

In my professional experience, it's easier to install an Ubuntu system from scratch than it is to install Windows. Ubuntu is also almost as user friendly as OS X and the overall user experience provided by Ubuntu is much closer to OS X than Windows.

If you no longer want to depend on Apple, but don't want to use Windows, a PC with Ubuntu (or any other Linux flavor) can be the right alternative.

 

[macjunk(ie)]

But at this point, I'm pretty tied down into the Apple ecosystem with an iMac, iPad, iPhone, and Apple TV.

Same here....too much Apple stuff.
I enjoy using Apple products and I do not like the look and the organisation of Windows...BUT...I hate it when Apple rips us off like this...
Surely, a company with massive profits can afford to hire a few more engineers and keep ALL their product lines updated ? I am curious to know what are their reasons to keep their desktop products so out of sync with the times...
At least if you go the Windows way, you have a lot more choice with hardware.
Like the OP, I am done purchasing Apple products...I will use the current lot (dont want to sell them for a song). I will replace them with Microsoft though (might I add, the Windows mobile looks awesome!)

 

[damir00]

In my professional experience, it's easier to install an Ubuntu system from scratch than it is to install Windows.

I agree with that.

Ubuntu is also almost as user friendly as OS X and the overall user experience provided by Ubuntu is much closer to OS X than Windows..

Don't agree with that. The moment the user steps out of the browser, Ubuntu's shortcomings come screaming to the fore. It's just not a "normal user" friendly environment, at all.

 

[philipma1957]

I sold my last Mac a few weeks ago and now have an Ubuntu machine at home and a Windows notebook from work.

On several software developer forums, you can observe the trend that at least indie developers are moving away from both Apple AND Microsoft. Apparently, a growing number of technical people don't like where both companies are headed and decided to give the Linux platform a shot - just like Valve, who are currently porting Steam and the Source engine to Ubuntu Linux.

Thanks to the Internet and its technologies, we now live in a rather platform agnostic world. From a platform perspective, when you can switch from Windows to the Mac, you can as easily switch to Linux. And you can also switch back to Windows or OS X at any time if you want.

The economic aspects are a different story - switches can become expensive endeavors, no matter in which direction you intend to migrate.

For most home users, there is no need to spend their money on Windows or OS X hard- and software. They live most of the time in the web browser anyway - and Firefox and Chrome run everywhere.

In my professional experience, it's easier to install an Ubuntu system from scratch than it is to install Windows. Ubuntu is also almost as user friendly as OS X and the overall user experience provided by Ubuntu is much closer to OS X than Windows.

If you no longer want to depend on Apple, but don't want to use Windows, a PC with Ubuntu (or any other Linux flavor) can be the right alternative.

yeah linux is next on my list