Perhaps using HP OEM disks on a Dell machine was your problem?
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Macbook Pro vs. Dell XPS 15
- Thread starter dannyr
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Perhaps using HP OEM disks on a Dell machine was your problem?
Some of you guys are freaking hilarious.
LOL!
HP shipped a regular XP disc with a second check disk. our help desk had a whole stack of them. if the XP disc didn't detect a HP BIOS then you had to put in the check CD for the check and it let you go on. nothing special. dell charges you $15 for a physical restore DVD because there is a restore partition on the hard drive you can restore from. crapware included.
my inspiron came with a Dell OS disc and i used it to restore my HP laptop at the time. no big deal. it just asks you for the key instead of activating automatically. same copy of Windows. not like custom versions of android on different phones
it took hours because i had to wipe the hard drive, install windows, download all the drivers from dell, install them, all the updated, etc. all this because the computer was unusable out of the box. i can understand one AV program, but dell had several trial AV and security programs along with trials of some other programs.
my inspiron came with a Dell OS disc and i used it to restore my HP laptop at the time. no big deal. it just asks you for the key instead of activating automatically. same copy of Windows. not like custom versions of android on different phones
it took hours because i had to wipe the hard drive, install windows, download all the drivers from dell, install them, all the updated, etc. all this because the computer was unusable out of the box. i can understand one AV program, but dell had several trial AV and security programs along with trials of some other programs.
Never compare a PC with a Mac. Macs are always better. Specs doesn't even matter when OSX >> Windoze.
If you buy a Dell you'll be satisfied for a year, and you'll start looking at macbook pros again. if you buy a macbook pro you'll be satisified for 2 years and you'll start to look for better macbook pros. all that to say that for all the reasons listed before this post, go with a mac 
Its the operating system, Mac OS X, that runs on Macs. Simple to use, built on top of Unix (which is a far better foundation than the NT roots of Windows 7), and far less susceptible to security issues. There are features like Time Machine that makes backup really simple, you'll only have to reboot very infrequently, and you don't have to worry about stuff like your registry getting corrupted (there is no Registry in OS X). No messing around with a ton of drivers and such trying to get hardware to work properly too.
Since Apple makes both the OS and the hardware, the integration is a lot better, they both function as a whole. Case in point is gestures on the trackpad, and the glass trackpad in itself is a joy to use. The industrial design of the Macbooks is all about simplicity... you don't get ports all over the place, you don't get a ton of vents wherever its convenient to the manufacturer to place them.
The premium you pay is for the integration between OS/hardware, the industrial design and customer service and handholding if you need it too.
Plus you don't get a machine with a ton of bloatware loaded on it. And you get useful apps like iPhoto and iMovie which are great for organizing photos and editing home movies.
Third-party comparative review
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2380921,00.asp
The winner is ..... the MBP.
Check this out:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2380921,00.asp
The winner is ..... the MBP.
you just described windows 7 as well
can't speak about all the hardware out there, but the OS is rock solid. between Microsoft and a lot of companies merging in the last decade most of the driver issues went away by themselves. even before that most of the issues were buying crappy hardware in the first place.
Compared to MY experience with Windows (which was XP/Vista), OSX works with everything. On my girlfriends' Dell XPS workstation, she HAS to INSTALL drivers for her HP printer. On my MacBook Pro, I just plug it in and IT SEES it. Nothing to install.
I plug in my 1Ds into my MBP (via firewire reader), Preview CAN READ THE .TIFF files natively. Again, nothing to install.
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Its certainly a huge leap over Vista, but still suffers from requiring more security updates/fixes than OS X does. It still is hampered with the horrible thing of a registry. Software installs still throws a ton of stuff and libraries into your system directories.
I couldn't play the Dragon Age II demo, because the correct version of DirectX it required wasn't installed (yes system has DirectX, just not what the game was built for).
Last driver issue for me is the latest ATI Catalyst 11.2, it locks up hard for me, black screen. Ok, I really blame AMD for this more than Microsoft, but you get the idea. I would have preferred Apple to remain with Nvidia for the GPU on the MBPs, but oh well.
Don't get me wrong though - Windows 7 is a huge leap forward, and every PC manufacturer out there better be thankful for it (Vis-crap was beyond bad). Its still not OS X, and it will likely never be. Windows would be a ton better and more secure if Microsoft re-wrote the whole OS kernel based on Unix, and got rid of that terrible idea of a registry and how software packages get installed/distributed.
ANyone here plz help, at least anwser the poll if u dont feel like leaving a comment!
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1105753/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1105753/
I remember one time I had a problem with an HP laptop they said it was a windows issue and I would have to talk to M$ I called M$ and they told me that HP had to take care of the problem not them. That's the service you get.
Also value is defined in many ways cheap doesn't necessarily mean value.
I bought a Nikon D700 that was very expensive but will last me for many years and brings me a lot of joy when I look at the pictures it takes.
Would a low end SLR be a lot cheaper yes would I enjoy it as much no.
What I like about apple is the integration and control they have on the whole package hardware and software. That limits your options and raises the price but for some is worth it.
You need to have the money and value the quality of it to buy it.
Is like saying a Hyundai is a much better value than a BMW might be for some others enjoy their BMWs enough to consider the cost worth it.
also about Dell, many of my colleagues used Dell Latitudes before the company moved to Lenovo. After one year the battery would hold 20min of charge.
Apple computers are very well made, specially in comparison to Dell. It's not about specs and power for you as you're (the OP) not a heavy user. You want something thats not going to break down in 6 months time. Perhaps even a Dell won't if all you do is watch movies and surf the web ect...
Some anecdotal evidence is a friend of mine uses a Dell (the gaming one I forget what it's called, ugly as hell) that has had to be entirely replaced several times. He's gone through maybe 4 or 5 Dell laptops in 3 years? One great thing about Dell is the warranty. It's worth paying extra for their lifetime warranty because they like to break down.
Im a fan of apple hardware due to it's quality. And style, who can forget the style. I've had one apple computer break down on me (iMac G5 first gen (2004)) which was fixed no hassles. I still have a G3 MacBook that works. Thats about 14 years old. This mac is 3 years old, and Im a much heavier that normal user (Gaming, Video editing/encoding, 3D, Photo editing ect..) and it hasn't skipped a beat. It runs just as well as it did when it was brand new. The G5 is still running too and used regularly. Im waiting on delivery of my 5th Mac (MacBook Pro 17') in the last 15+ years so you could say they have roughly 3.75+ year lifespan. They are all still running except for my first one which got thrown out sadly.
Also Windows 7 is awesome. I love OS X but I love Windows 7 too. I use them both and they're both very good. I have both installed on my Mac and they enjoy cups of tea and scones together. Windows 7 can even read Mac drives now!!! Awesome? Indeed. Bootcamp is fantastic!!
Some anecdotal evidence is a friend of mine uses a Dell (the gaming one I forget what it's called, ugly as hell) that has had to be entirely replaced several times. He's gone through maybe 4 or 5 Dell laptops in 3 years? One great thing about Dell is the warranty. It's worth paying extra for their lifetime warranty because they like to break down.
Im a fan of apple hardware due to it's quality. And style, who can forget the style. I've had one apple computer break down on me (iMac G5 first gen (2004)) which was fixed no hassles. I still have a G3 MacBook that works. Thats about 14 years old. This mac is 3 years old, and Im a much heavier that normal user (Gaming, Video editing/encoding, 3D, Photo editing ect..) and it hasn't skipped a beat. It runs just as well as it did when it was brand new. The G5 is still running too and used regularly. Im waiting on delivery of my 5th Mac (MacBook Pro 17') in the last 15+ years so you could say they have roughly 3.75+ year lifespan. They are all still running except for my first one which got thrown out sadly.
Also Windows 7 is awesome. I love OS X but I love Windows 7 too. I use them both and they're both very good. I have both installed on my Mac and they enjoy cups of tea and scones together. Windows 7 can even read Mac drives now!!! Awesome? Indeed. Bootcamp is fantastic!!
My Dell experience:
"High End" Dell XPS 13
-3 months later = dead mother board, dell replaces next day with refurbished unit
-6 months later = dead mother board again, dell replaces next day with refurbished unit
- 9 months later = dies again, i search the internet to see if this is a common issue which sure enough it is and dell is just replacing with refurbished units until customers are out of warranty. Took me 2 days of calling Indian call centres who could barely speak a word of english to get in touch with the "manager" who could also barely speak english. I asked for a replacement machine, they refused flat out to which i called consumer affairs and lodged a complaint over here in Australia.
- 2 weeks later consumer affairs confirms that I was in the right, replacement computer received XPS13. Dell assures me this is the new model and I will have no issues.
- I've had this one for the past year, all with problems, it is tacky and cheap and the cover has discoloured from light use. I will never ever buy dell again.
Sorry for the essay long post but the customer service from Dell is poor, yes they have a next day replacement service but I would much prefer not having to replace parts every few months and have a machine that does what I bought it for....work.
I am by no means a mac fanboy, I only just ordered my first mac and it comes in mail this week...15 inch high end
"High End" Dell XPS 13
-3 months later = dead mother board, dell replaces next day with refurbished unit
-6 months later = dead mother board again, dell replaces next day with refurbished unit
- 9 months later = dies again, i search the internet to see if this is a common issue which sure enough it is and dell is just replacing with refurbished units until customers are out of warranty. Took me 2 days of calling Indian call centres who could barely speak a word of english to get in touch with the "manager" who could also barely speak english. I asked for a replacement machine, they refused flat out to which i called consumer affairs and lodged a complaint over here in Australia.
- 2 weeks later consumer affairs confirms that I was in the right, replacement computer received XPS13. Dell assures me this is the new model and I will have no issues.
- I've had this one for the past year, all with problems, it is tacky and cheap and the cover has discoloured from light use. I will never ever buy dell again.
Sorry for the essay long post but the customer service from Dell is poor, yes they have a next day replacement service but I would much prefer not having to replace parts every few months and have a machine that does what I bought it for....work.
I am by no means a mac fanboy, I only just ordered my first mac and it comes in mail this week...15 inch high end
i find this intresting because im upgrading my XPS 15 from 3.5 years ago to this macbook. The optical drive crapped out on me last year. The xps is definitley much heavier than a MBP. Would i go xps again? Nope im buying into apples system and leaving windows. Im tired of windows and have used apple enough to be comfortable moving over. If your a gamer its a tougher decision. Im not a gamer but a photographer so the move is easy for me. The premium is buying into the whole package. Well worth it.
That's an insult to Tonka Toys. They make heavy duty toys that last years longer than a Dell.
Maybe Dell should hire Tonka to make their cases.
They definitely are the nicest laptops. But also the most expensive by far. IT's the last part most people have trouble with not the first part.
It's like this HP 6dvt or whatever it is I just ordered. Similar cpu/better gpu/hd/memory to MBP. $1000 cheaper than MBP.
For that difference I can nearly buy a new 13" MBP. They are selling them for $1100 at Microcenter.
I know Windows is always cheaper per Mhz, but the price gap with this HP 6dvt, well, I didn't expect this big a gap day one. Day one!
I expect this gap towards the end of a MBP cycle since Apple holds prices steady until the next version is released while Windows OEMs drop theirs as component costs fall. The digital Apple price vs the analog Windows OEM price.
In this case we are starting out $1000 less. What happens in 5 months? GAp will only go up.
For that difference I can nearly buy a new 13" MBP.
They are selling them for $1100 at Microcenter.I know Windows is always cheaper per Mhz, but the price gap with this HP 6dvt, well, I didn't expect this big a gap day one. Day one!
I expect this gap towards the end of a MBP cycle since Apple holds prices steady until the next version is released while Windows OEMs drop theirs as component costs fall. The digital Apple price vs the analog Windows OEM price.
In this case we are starting out $1000 less. What happens in 5 months? GAp will only go up.
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I am a CTO for a successful platform agnostic IT consulting company. The quoted statement is NOT true. Choose whatever computer you want, as long as your happy with it, it's worth the money you spend.
i would go with the macbook for one reason......................... it comes with APPLE STICKERS . thats the whole reason i bought mine. thats not true. but for real you should go with the mac. once i switched i can never go back to a pc. its more the software then the hardware. and it will last you longer because apple supports them a lot longer then Microsoft does.
. thats the whole reason i bought mine. thats not true. but for real you should go with the mac. once i switched i can never go back to a pc. its more the software then the hardware. and it will last you longer because apple supports them a lot longer then Microsoft does.