Thinking about selling MBP and buying Dell XPS13

[Adelphos33]

I've owned Macbooks for about 8 years now. I recently bought a Macbook Pro 13" (1499 model) and an iPad Pro 13 inch. I have an office job where I use Office/Windows at work and rarely do "work" at home - when I do work at home, I log in remotely into my Office machine.

Since I bought the iPad pro and the Macbook pro, I've probably used the Macbook 5 times. My iPad Pro is my daily driver for at home tasks (email, web, note taking, banking, tasks like taxes, etc). I basically only use the Macbook to doc my iDevices and to log-on remotely.

The remote log-in experience on the Macbook has always been mediocre - if I using it primarily for that, why shouldn't I get a Dell XPS 13, which is cheaper, lighter and appears to be better reviewed than the current MPBs? I'm all in on the Apple ecosystem, but the laptop right now seems to be the weakest link in the three legged stool.

My question is

1) Does this make sense
2) What is the best way to sell a relatively new MBP with Applecare?
3) How much can I get for a MBP? This only makes sense if I can get over $1,000 for it

 

[matt_on_a_mtn]

As someone who has done similar things in the past, stick with the MBP. The headache of dealing with one section of your digital ecosystem on a different and less friendly OS is absolutely not worth the few bucks you'll save. Plus, when the time comes that you're sick of the Dell? You'll take a massive hit selling it. Where the MBP will simply hold its value far better.

If you're invested in the ecosystem with an iPad and iPhone, stick with the MBP and enjoy the longevity you get from it.

 

[Azl]

As someone who has done similar things in the past, stick with the MBP. The headache of dealing with one section of your digital ecosystem on a different and less friendly OS is absolutely not worth the few bucks you'll save. Plus, when the time comes that you're sick of the Dell? You'll take a massive hit selling it. Where the MBP will simply hold its value far better.

If you're invested in the ecosystem with an iPad and iPhone, stick with the MBP and enjoy the longevity you get from it.

I second that, and - if it's about the money - you could as well get an mba?

 

[Razeus]

"Friendly OS" is perspective. Windows 10 is the most stable OS I've ever used and it's only going to get better, unlike OS X of late where every update is riddle with problems.

My Dell XPS 13 does everything my old Macbook Pro does.

I'm actually going to sell my XPS 13 for an XPS 15 and a Dell U2415 monitor.

 

[illegaloperation]

Dell XPS 13 is basically the Windows version of 13-inch MacBook Pro Retina

If you like Windows 10 (as I do) then by all means go for it. It's a very good device.

 

[shoehornhands]

I've owned Macbooks for about 8 years now. I recently bought a Macbook Pro 13" (1499 model) and an iPad Pro 13 inch. I have an office job where I use Office/Windows at work and rarely do "work" at home - when I do work at home, I log in remotely into my Office machine.

Since I bought the iPad pro and the Macbook pro, I've probably used the Macbook 5 times. My iPad Pro is my daily driver for at home tasks (email, web, note taking, banking, tasks like taxes, etc). I basically only use the Macbook to doc my iDevices and to log-on remotely.

The remote log-in experience on the Macbook has always been mediocre - if I using it primarily for that, why shouldn't I get a Dell XPS 13, which is cheaper, lighter and appears to be better reviewed than the current MPBs? I'm all in on the Apple ecosystem, but the laptop right now seems to be the weakest link in the three legged stool.

My question is

1) Does this make sense
2) What is the best way to sell a relatively new MBP with Applecare?
3) How much can I get for a MBP? This only makes sense if I can get over $1,000 for it

In my opinion, if you don't have a particular want / need for OS X, a Windows notebook is a more attractive option now, than it has been in the past. The direction that OS X has been heading, in combination with Apple's ever rising neglect toward the pro lines (MacBook Pro, and Mac Pro) is making them harder, and harder to justify / swallow.

If you do decide to go with Windows 10 though (depending on how important your privacy is to you), you might want to consider the enterprise version, as Windows 10 does quite a bit of data logging (certain aspects of which, can't be easily disabled in the other versions).

Here's a few things you might want to look into: https://www.reddit.com/r/Windows10/comments/3f38ed/guide_how_to_disable_data_logging_in_w10

 

[mountain]

All I have to say is that I love my new XPS 15 and I don't miss my MBP 15 at all.

 

[bgalakazam]

Windows 10 is not stable. Just saying... coming from lifelong Windows user (3.11) and Mac hater. I am very happy with both my Macs and iPhones in terms of stability and "it just works".

I also came from a Surface Pro 4 which had all sorts of issues.

 

[tubeexperience]

Windows 10 is not stable. Just saying... coming from lifelong Windows user (3.11) and Mac hater. I am very happy with both my Macs and iPhones in terms of stability and "it just works".

I also came from a Surface Pro 4 which had all sorts of issues.

That's not true, at least for my case.

I have Windows 10 installed on my Surface Pro 3 and it is very stable.

Maybe the issue is related to drivers specific to Surface Pro 4.

If you do decide to go with Windows 10 though (depending on how important your privacy is to you), you might want to consider the enterprise version, as Windows 10 does quite a bit of data logging (certain aspects of which, can't be easily disabled in the other versions).

Here's a few things you might want to look into: https://www.reddit.com/r/Windows10/comments/3f38ed/guide_how_to_disable_data_logging_in_w10

Honestly, Windows 10 probably doesn't collect any more information than do Android.

 

[GioFerrara]

I have a couple of questions for you XPS owners, if you don't mind.

1) is it true the 4K screen is jittery at times?
2) how is the overall scaling in Windows 10 with the 4K?
3) is the trackpad really Mac like good?

 

[mademan118]

I don't understand why Mac people don't just boot camp. Windows runs better on Mac hard ware than OS X right now.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

OP why not just install Windows on the MBP you already have and have best of all worlds.

 

[maflynn]

Windows 10 is not stable. Just saying

I find windows 10 to be very stable. It's been rock solid

I also came from a Surface Pro 4 which had all sorts of issues.

Yes, the SP4 stumbled out of the gate (so to speak),and it had a lot of issue, which may be why you think Win10 is not stable.

OP why not just install Windows on the MBP you already have and have best of all worlds.

Agreed, and that's what I did with my iMac. I too was choosing between the Dell XPS, MBP and the iMac. I opted for the iMac because it can run both OS X and Windows, and I have an SP3 that is my portable machine.

 

[marc55]

I've used windows PC's since the mid 1980's, and my last few win-pc's were Dell XPS's. I purchased a 15" MBPr last March and sold my XPS-15 (9530) a few months later.

IMHO, I find OS X a refreshing experience, and feel the MBP is better quality overall. I had win 10, and didn't care for it.

Lets face it, there are always going to be those who prefer a windows PC over a MBP, and those who prefer a MBP over a win PC; as they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

You need to evaluate your requirements, and determine what works best for you. My MBPr does all I need it to do.

m

 

[btbam91]

Windows 10 is not stable. Just saying... coming from lifelong Windows user (3.11) and Mac hater. I am very happy with both my Macs and iPhones in terms of stability and "it just works".

I also came from a Surface Pro 4 which had all sorts of issues.

Saying Windows 10 is not stable is not true. Your reference to the SP4 not being stable was a Skylake issue.

 

[Razeus]

All I have to say is that I love my new XPS 15 and I don't miss my MBP 15 at all.

Plus the fact you get more for your money, great build quality, Windows 10 is awesome with Cortana ready to go on boot, a great track pad, and if you get a Signature Edition, no bloatware. Let's face it, OS X built in apps are pretty basic and no longer an incentive for me. Plus Office blows iWork out of the water every time.

When I price out the XPS 15 with 512GB SSD & 16GB of RAM, it's $2000. The comparable rMBP is $2500. I can't see how to justify the extra $500 when the XPS 15 has better resolution, a newer/faster CPU, better GPU, and faster RAM. The big PLUS is that I can upgrade the RAM and SSD.

In the end, both systems are great. I like OS X and I like Windows 10. I just thing the XPS 15 is a much better value atm and Windows/Office is firing on all cyclinders lately.

Edit: One thing MS needs to work on is hi-dpi scaling. OS X has that down cold.

 

[BenTrovato]

Windows 10 on my desktop is not rock solid, not by a mile. This past week, it's had to perform an automatic repair 3 or 4 times... taking 15-20 minutes to boot up. While some people may have had rock solid experiences with Windows 10, there's no way an OS can be "rock solid" when it has to support as many hardware configurations as Windows does.

 

[mountain]

Windows 10 is not stable. Just saying... coming from lifelong Windows user (3.11) and Mac hater. I am very happy with both my Macs and iPhones in terms of stability and "it just works".

I also came from a Surface Pro 4 which had all sorts of issues.

I highly doubt this. Sounded to me like you're just a basher.

I have a couple of questions for you XPS owners, if you don't mind.

1) is it true the 4K screen is jittery at times?
2) how is the overall scaling in Windows 10 with the 4K?
3) is the trackpad really Mac like good?

I have the 1080P version and it's very sharp IMO.
To this date, I still don't think windows trackpad is as good as Mac. Hopefully Windows will come up with a nice trackpad is as nice as Mac.

 

[Mercifull]

My Dell XPS 13 does everything my old Macbook Pro does.

Except run OS X... which is the main point of owning a Mac

 

[dk001]

I have a couple of questions for you XPS owners, if you don't mind.

1) is it true the 4K screen is jittery at times?
2) how is the overall scaling in Windows 10 with the 4K?
3) is the trackpad really Mac like good?

1) Not at all.
2) Works very well.
3) Sorry, it isn't.

I tried one for a bit (Dell) and while the device was very good, I went with a rMB. Personal choice.

 

[AYNOM]

breaking news: people have their own subjective opinions about 2 products and OS's that both have their pros and cons.

Do what you prefer, OP.

 

[Razeus]

Except run OS X... which is the main point of owning a Mac

and OS X hasn't been very good lately. It's riddled with bugs. Every update, something breaks. Updates to updates. I'm not sure what's going on with Apple's QA over the last 3 years, but it's gone downhill. The "it just works" motto is a thing of the past. I miss the old Apple.

Giving Apple's pricing, the rMBP would be good buy if it were $800 cheaper. But trying to sell me a Haswell CPU, no dedicated GPU, and slower system for $2500 as if it came out within the last 90 days, you're out of you dang mind.

 

[BenTrovato]

and OS X hasn't been very good lately. It's riddled with bugs. Every update, something breaks. Updates to updates. I'm not sure what's going on with Apple's QA over the last 3 years, but it's gone downhill. The "it just works" motto is a thing of the past. I miss the old Apple.

Giving Apple's pricing, the rMBP would be good buy if it were $800 cheaper. But trying to sell me a Haswell CPU, no dedicated GPU, and slower system for $2500 as if it came out within the last 90 days, you're out of you dang mind.

I guess that's the problem we're faced with. At least I am. I'd rather run OS X and Apple still (for now) produces nice looking and feeling hardware which is what we pay a premium for. It's just now that premium is for old technology and it makes people want to consider other options.

 

[robvas]

There are a lot of XPS13 owners out there having problems and returning them. That's why there are so many XPS13 refurbs out there.

 

[GioFerrara]

There are a lot of XPS13 owners out there having problems and returning them. That's why there are so many XPS13 refurbs out there.

All I have seen is the older 9530 model refurbished in small quantities. Very small.