Please convince me a Macbook is worth it!

[cbautis2]

I can say that I have an Iphone and even though it's had it's glitches (battery issues but I think a lot of that is me forgetting to close apps out), I LOVE IT! So software wise, I feel like I am part way there (learning curve).

Until I experienced Windows 8, I never hated Windows so much. I have a 6 yr old Toshiba computer that came with Vista (a friend put Windows 7 in it), it's been my best working computer to date. However, Windows 8 and 10 soon are what would be in a new one.

Once you have an apple device you must have a mac to fully utilize the device. Just stick with one platform and your money will be well spent due to how seamless devices work/communicate if they all are on the same platform.

Just wait for the rMBP and you'll never going back to pcs and you'll save money in the long run and macs always put a smile on you when you use it. (side note: i'm too lazy for grammar check)

 

[marlon bishop]

You can only convince yourself! ..but to your point i bought a new 15 inch 2.8 macbook pro because i wanted more speed and a bigger laptop than my 2011 macbook pro

 

[M5RahuL]

Both OSes are great, imo. I've almost never had a major issue with Windows [ 95 - 8.1 ] or Mac OS X.

Having owned and used both platforms extensively, I honestly can't favor one over the other, especially if you throw the upcoming Win 10 in the mix.

I would, however, recommend getting the rMBP for these reasons:

1) Build Quality
2) Customer Service
3) Track Pad
4) The screen!!
5) Re-sale value, if that matters to you

Also the added benefit of being able to run Windows natively [ BootCamp ] or via Virtual Machines [ VMWare..Parallels etc ] along with Mac OS, is another incentive to go for the MacBook.

Finally, while even the Air is probably overkill for your use case, I still recommend getting the Retina MBP just for the screen! Yes, it's worth every penny! 🙂

Just my 0.02

 

[thekev]

I am currently on a HP computer with Windows 8 that I HATE!! It crashed 2 times in the past yr (I bought it 14 months ago). I've paid more to fix it than what I paid for it. I could have been 1/2 way to the price of a Macbook already!

Besides hating Windows 8 and this HP....is converting over to a Mac Book worth the $$$.

And if so, would a Mac Book Air be better for me?

HP does warranty their laptops. Why weren't repairs covered under warranty? Also if you upgraded ram or other hardware and experience kernel panics, those are the first things you should check. If you switch over to a Mac upgrades do not exist. Apple doesn't consider anything user serviceable. You can buy SSD upgrades from one or two vendors, but the types that do fit are not cost effective. I mention this because a frequent source of headaches is a defective component upgrade. It still makes no sense to me that you paid out for repairs when it should have been under warranty.

 

[Thunderboltedge]

I had absolutely no need for a macbook pro whatsoever. Had a windows 7 compuer, 4 gb of ram 500gb hard drive. i didnt use my computer for games other than rollercoaster tycoon every once in a while. did no video or picture editing. nothing. all i do is facebook, twitter, gmail, amazon, itunes. watch movies and listen to music. all that my windows did perfectly. Went ahead and bought myself a 8gb ram 512gb ssd macbook pro retina last year, and i love it! still use windows at work but for my home computer its awesome. do i need it? not at all. do i love it? yes! its a nice feeling of satisfaction whenever i pick it up and open it 🙂 go for it man!

I totally agree.
The need is not always the answer for your problems, if so probably 90% what we have we should not dispose of it at all.
For instance it depends how do you rank a pc within your needs, if you like to have a very good one, the purpose for which you use it...

For someone the mobile has become the main item and they invest the most on it since you spend lot of time of your day with a smartphone nowadays.
If the author of the thread is already asking to "convince" himself about buying a mac, probably the pc is not ranked as one of the thing where to spend lot of money.

By the way, I had a samsung ultrabook with windows 8.1, and even if I struggled a lot to switch to 8.1 from 8, I honestly have to say that I liked it.
So much responsive (as much as the Mac 15' 2.5gh where I am writing right now), wonderful construction materials (all made of aluminium)and the W8 is very fast.
If the screen is a must for you, than the retina is the right answer, if not the decision can be different

 

[dieeldoctor]

Firstly, I am biased, I love my macs. I got into computing in1998 with a "blueberry" original iMac. Two years later I traded it in on a cube (which I still have and never will sell). We then bought a few MacBooks from eBay and had no problems with any of them. I used window units at work and my sisters house. I have found that macs are easier to operate and no worries about virus'. There are none for osx. I practice safe computing so never had malware or any other maladies. I recently bought my wife a MacBook Pro so she could do pictures with her dslr camera and needed at least 8 gig memory to run it. Please don't buy a chrome book as my sister bought 3 and has had nothing but problems with them. Go on eBay buy a cheaper macbook, learn about mac usage then if you need more go for retina or MacBook Pro retina and I do not think you will be disappointed. Just my .02
Walt

 

[gngan]

You are in a Mac forum so it is obvious everyone loves Mac. I switched to Mac 8 years ago after two of my Sony PC died on me. Never regret it. Ease of use, ecosystem wants me to want to stay in Mac system forever.

I would say MacBook air suits you.

 

[CausticSoda]

I've not read any posts but the OP (sorry). However, looking at your list of uses (similar to mine, if not slightly less demanding) I have a MacBook Air (base model) and it is more than capable - no problems at all. FWIW I also have a 13" MacBook Pro from work and don't bother using it, because my smaller, lighter MBA handles everything fine (and drives a 30" high-res monitor).

 

[blooperz]

dont know if the mba is right for you, but the problem was a cheap computer in the first place. usually when you pay more, you get better one. hence compairing your comp to macbook is useless and thinking of "what if"... if you want to get better quality, you need to pay more. is it osx or win, is it up to you which you prefer and how much are you willing to pay (including possible peripherals, software etc...).

I 2nd this...you get what you pay for. If you pay as much for a windows machine as you do for a mac you will have a pretty decent machine. No company is without it's issues, not even mac's...so it really boils down to which operating system suites you more.

 

[Joelburman]

Why wait, when current models are overkill for the OP's needs? Even buying a refurbished older model would be more than sufficient. There's no need to wait or pay a higher price for a newer model with capabilities the OP likely doesn't need.

I agree with Leman that TS should wait because of the poor screen on the current Airs. I'd also chime in with the user suggesting a used 2011 "13 Pro. Since they are upgradeable both ram and hard drive they are a very good staring point for a cheap buck.

 

[FumbleDuck]

As mentioned already, pretty much any modern computing device available will cater for your needs - functionally.

However, one of the things that drew me back to a MBP (I had a MBP in 2007 but ditched it after a year and switched back to Windows 7) was the "feel".

In my university days in the late 90s, one of my professors said that with the power of machines always increasing, the most important thing about a machine will become the bits that you physically interact with - i.e. the screen, mouse, keyboard and to a lesser degree the case - and these are the areas where you should spend your cash.

With a rMBP, those bits are very well catered for in one machine. The retina screen is very high quality, the mouse and associated driver is one of the best currently available I believe. I have tried various other trackpads/gesture surfaces but they just dont feel as good as the glass trackpads on the MBPs - and by feel I mean the way the cursor behaves in realtion to your inputs so not just the actual tactile feel of the pad but also the driver behind it.
The keyboard is also excellent, very responsive, light, precise and accurate. I dont think I've missed a keystroke yet that I know I pressed, which is always one of my biggest bug-bears.
The chassis is also good quality although I'm not a big fan of metal in portable devices (it does not bounce), it does the job well and the size/strength/heat-dissapation is great.

The main reason I ditched the 2007 MBP was due to the god-awful silver keyboard and the trackpad. Both of these have been upgraded in the unibody macs and because I am now becoming less dependent on Windows software, 2014 was a good year for me to try it again.

I have to say after several months of using my rMBP (w/Yosemite), I have not had one single issue and most importantly the machine is a joy to use and there are no annoying minor irritations at all which means I can use it for extended periods without any nagging doubts about which bit I would improve. That in itself is worth the extra expense for devices such as these.

 

[ibn Neville]

Just got my 2014 Mbpro today. Do I need it? Nope! My 2012 series 7 Samsung is very nice and I installed a nice SSD so it pretty much flies. Boot up time is about 15 seconds. Windows 8.1 is awesome. Even windows 8 wasn't bad but you needed to learn the short cuts and use your track pad like a touch screen.
But I found it for about 800 USD cheaper than Apples price for the same machine and I was curious.
All I can say is that when I opened that box....... Wow! It's looks absolutely amazing. Obviously still learning about usage but I will boot camp it as soon as my Win 8.1 disk arrives. So 🙂

 

[Cloudsurfer]

Been using Macs since 2004 and I could talk all night about why I could never go back to a Windows based system. It's the little things that got me hooked in the beginning and TBH things have only gotten better and better as time progressed.

Like being able to swap hard drives with other Macs for troubleshooting purposes. Or having a tonne of utility apps built into the system, like Disk Util and Automator, that make life so much easier. Or not having to worry about viruses or drivers. Or having the best trackpad in the world. Did I mention taking screenshots is a no brainer? And that all OS updates are free?

And that's just the tip of the iceberg. I always say to people who are curious about Mac just to try it out. In Europe we have a 14 day return policy, which some stores extend to 30 days, which is enough time to get the feeling of the system and decide wether or not its good for you.

 

[ibn Neville]

I bought mine because of curiosity and the spec LoL.
I7 quad core Haswell
Intel hd5000 graphics
Nvidia 750 with gddr5 (gddr 5!!!!)
512mb PCIe SSD (PCie!!!)
Retina screen although windows machines have caught up.
Finally it looks gorgeous.

 

[technosix]

Just buy one and use it as much as possible within the return period.

Chances are you'll keep it.

 

[ibn Neville]

Just buy one and use it as much as possible within the return period.

Chances are you'll keep it.

Agreed.