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MBP benefits vs. price.

E

EdwardJack

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 6, 2010
7
0
The 15" MBP with intel i5 2.4GHz, 4gb RAM, 320gb HHD is £1,288.

Now that is alot.

Why (unbiased) should I buy a MBP not a PC that's half the price?


Thanks, Jack.
 
Mac OS X
Unibody design
LED screen
Multi-touch trackpad
Build quality
Battery life
Weight
Size
Look

....


Maybe MRoogle can give you some of those PC vs. Mac / Windows vs. Mac OS X threads if you like.
http://mroogle.*************/

In the end, it comes down to which OS you want to use. If you're fine with Windows, get a laptop for Windows.
 
EdwardJack said:
Why (unbiased) should I buy a MBP not a PC that's half the price?
Click to expand...

Personal preference. You're right, it is a lot of money and there really is no cold facts that say its a better purchase.

OSX is probably the biggest reason for why people buy macs. What are you looking to do. Is the software that you need/want available in OSX?

I buy Macs, because the design, OSX (lack of malware, I prefer it over windows etc) high quality build. They hold their value better, but in the end, because I like them better then PCs.
 
Customer service is another major point. Having a physical store with (mostly) competent technical staff is a big plus. Most repairs can be done in house with quick turnaround. If you happen to live in an area without a store, you can always send it to Apple.

The integration between hardware, OS, and software is really nice.

Personally, I bought mine almost entirely because of the hardware. I'm a sucker for good engineering, and the unibody MBP is absolutely a work of art.
 
There's really only one answer that's important...

Mac OS X. (and all the associated apps i guess...)

Everything else is icing.

Yes, you can get a PC that is as beautiful physically, but then you're up to within 10-15% of price when similarly configured...

So, all other factors are IMHO somewhat irrelevant. The bottom line question is do you you want to use windows (or linux i gues...) or os x.
 
The OS X is really the big deal. A Mac will always perform better than a PC with the same base configuration. And it looks better, easier to use, etc. Besides, in my case, I gave up on Windows after that piece of crap they called Vista, that used half my RAM no matter what ammount I had or how many programs i was running.
 
-Personal Preference.
-Mac OS X
-It doesn't feel cheap.
-Sturdy Aluminium unibody.
-Good specifications.
-Holds value well.
-Fantastic Customer Service.
-Battery Life.
-Doesn't fall apart.
-Battery Life.
-LED Display.
-Environmental factors (People may buy Apple due to their focusing on not harming the environment with their products).
-Doesn't harm your electricity bill.

Oh, and that major thing. You get the Apple logo, which is in all the good movies and TV Shows. And all the people fuss over you when you go "I have a Mac". "REALLY?!?!?! WOW!!! CAN I SEE?" xD

oplix said:
Because you can love a Macbook..theres something special about them.
Click to expand...
He's exactly right, you won't feel about a plastic Dell as you would about owning a brand new Apple MacBook.
 
EdwardJack said:
The 15" MBP with intel i5 2.4GHz, 4gb RAM, 320gb HHD is £1,288.

Now that is alot.

Why (unbiased) should I buy a MBP not a PC that's half the price?


Thanks, Jack.
Click to expand...

First off, you will not get a Windows laptop with similar spec, build quality and weight class, battery life etc. at half that price... FACT! Plus the price you're quoting is with UK higher education discount which includes 3 years (1yr telephone support) of AppleCare. Now say you look at similar performance machines by HP,Lenevo or whoever. They might be cheaper but by the time you add on the extra warranty, batteries etc that'll take you close to the price you have or even more. The price you'd be paying for your MBP isn't actually as bad as you really think.

I'm way more productive with my MBP than my old Windows laptop. Using the trackpad gestures and 'spaces' makes OSX a real beauty to use. I work alot more than play on my MBP so even if it cost me say £300 more to buy, I'll get that all back easily in time saved due to productivity. Over the course of 12 months, my MBP would've probably paid for itself.

Battery life on the MBP saved my backside a couple of times when I forgot my power supply at home. On both occasions I managed to get about 7.5hrs out of it which almost left me speechless. Just cannot see a cheap Windows laptop with similar spec doing the same.

A MBP can run Windows and/or OSX.

If you need specs for gaming or whatever, then go Windows.
If on a budget and just need to surf and write the odd doc, then go Windows.

At the end of the day, what is important is what your needs are (today and the foreseeable future) for a computer regardless of it being PC or Mac or just aesthetics. It is more useful if you told us your actually needs/requirements so we can say how an MBP can actually benefit yourself otherwise this thread could go on. ;)
 
if mac os x is not a requirement you can save allot of money buying a pc. when i was buying my mbp i didn't even consider a windows laptop cause i knew that i wanted a mac 100%.
 
Patrick Boyle said:
Customer service is another major point. Having a physical store with (mostly) competent technical staff is a big plus. Most repairs can be done in house with quick turnaround. If you happen to live in an area without a store, you can always send it to Apple.
Click to expand...

This point was huge for me and I put it to the test recently. I've been a PC guy for 15+ years who decided to go back and finish my education. I decided to try a MBP from all the good things I heard about it and the customer service.

Long Version:
I'm studying my ass off one night with my MBP, there's a loud pop followed burnt electronics smell, the screen shuts off completely. Something blew up :/. I NEEDED my MBP back ASAP for my class work.

I made the first appointment available at the nearest Apple store the next day, explained what happened to the Genius, he asked and verified if there was any water damage or if it was dropped (Which I think is very reasonable to ask). Once satisfied, he went into the back and brought out a new boxed MBP of the same model. I was in and out of the store in 20 mins with a brand NEW (not refurbed) replacement.

Short Version:
1. My MBP blew up (No fault of mine!)
2. They replaced it in the store within 20 minutes with a brand new boxed one.


NEVER in my experience with PC's has it been this easy to get a problem addressed without having to make 293874923784 calls, mail in a bunch of stuff, or wait DAYS for a store to make a decision. If this is the service I can expect out of Apple for my notebook, I'm in for life.
 
The first thing that attracted me to the mbp was the battery life. Other pc laptops I checked out with similar battery life came with huge batteries that stick out which would make it not so compact. I still have my pc though. Best of best worlds. :)
 
macagain said:
Yes, you can get a PC that is as beautiful physically, but then you're up to within 10-15% of price when similarly configured...
Click to expand...

Even at, near, or above the MBP's price, most of the competition's products are mediocre looking by contrast. Some of the prettiest PC laptops almost always have one or two major hideous flaws too, like an ugly hinge design.

Of course, for buyers who do not see the advantages of OS X over Windows, then Mac is not for them, regardless of price or looks.
 
My Macs have proven to be the most stable and reliable work computers I've ever used. OS X just works and I rarely if ever have any issues with work related tasks, Word, Excel, PP, Entourage, Adobe Acrobat Pro, VMware Fusion, etc. I personally would never go back to Windows for work.

However, other than my music collection, I use Windows for my entertainment. Games and Blu-ray are the biggest reason I still have a high end Windows laptop. I gave up all hope of ever getting such power from Apple. The ASUS G73 is the best value for your gaming and Blu-ray playing £/$.

Cheers,
 
They're expensive but the experience of using it is unique and that's something a PC can't offer. The integration between hardware and software is amazing, so the price is really worth it.
 
Well even though it seems expensive you really do get alot and it will last you much longer than similarly price windows machines. OS X is just so much more stable than windows ever will be. It also degrades much faster.

Go with the MBP and you won't regret it one bit.
 
EdwardJack said:
The 15" MBP with intel i5 2.4GHz, 4gb RAM, 320gb HHD is £1,288.

Now that is alot.

Why (unbiased) should I buy a MBP not a PC that's half the price?


Thanks, Jack.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, unbiased isn't possible here. All your going to get are a bunch of opinions.

There is really only one sure factor discussed in this thread: Macs are designed to run OSX, other PCs are designed to run Windows/Linux, basically anything but OSX.

Everything else that has been mentioned here has a counterpoint and could easily be argued. But in the end, they're all just opinions, so no point in arguing. Figure out your needs, and see which machine fits them. If both machines suit you and you'd be happy with either, then it's a no-brainer to buy the less expensive one.
 
I don't know what the PC laptop market is like now. But when I bought my 17" MBP last, it had one of the longest battery lives and was incredibly thin and small compared to other 17" PCs.

While I need a longer battery life, smaller footprint, and large real estate to work outside, I don't really need an uber-powerful laptop heavy gamers and prosumers crave for. Also, MBP is a very quiet machine. And installing a good SSD by myself made it virtually silent and surprisingly snappy.

Pretty much everything I usually do can be done in any modern popular OS. But OS X was the most foreign language friendly one for my need, though it's possible newer Windows are as good or even better in this regard.

PCs with lower price tags couldn't bring what I need. And I happened to be able to afford MBP.

So 17" MBP was the ideal solution.
 
I say you should look at things for the long run.
Virtually any Apple computer will outlast any given PC 2x-5x longer, in general of course.
So let's assume that a halfway decent PC laptop is roughly $500 (that seems like a reasonable amount to me if you want something of quality), times that by 2x or 3x or 4x and etc...
Granted, all electronics CAN be prone to malfunctions, but that's when the customer service aspect of Apple comes riding in on it's valiant steed to save the day!
To me, it was never even a second thought.
Apple's track record alone should speak volumes about what the price tag goes towards.
It all depends on if you are one of those people who would buy a nice Audi, knowing that it is expensive but in great condition, or you are one of those people who look in the paper for a cheap used '95 Grand Am that may last another 15 years or 15 days. :rolleyes:
I personally don't like to take those types of gambles with such important possessions.
 
menomano said:
what happened to all your files?
Click to expand...

I had replaced the original HD with a SSD. When I had to take the MBP in, I just swapped the original HD back in. Upon getting the new MBP, I put the SSD back in and I was back in business.
 
Lots of reasons other folks have mentioned. For me, the #1 attraction is the trackpad. Such a critical interface device with any laptop, and the trackpad on the MPBs is so superior, effortless, and integrated with OS X, that every other high-end laptop interface just fails in comparison. The single item alone is worth the price premium on the Macs IMHO.
 
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