Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Thinking of making the jump to apple but not sure..

El Zanto said:
Done. (I think) :p Message away!

Yeah, if I were you I'd go back and try crouching and using it at eye level for at least 10 minutes. You really do get used to the size. Also, I found this on youtube. Just a short 2 minute video on somebody giving his opinion on the 13" screen size. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYS3a9vOR_M&feature=related?
Click to expand...

I think an e-mail managed to get through, not a PM though. Check it and then say something :p

I had seen that video already. He does make some valid points, but the fact he doesn't end up comparing the MBP 13'' to "normal" stuff in his house makes the video lacking. I mean, truly comparing as in putting the laptop in the table and showing how it relates to other stuff, how he works, etc etc :p
 
Corndog5595 said:
Are you familiar with OS X at all?
Just a question, it doesn’t really matter if you aren’t, but there is a pretty helpful 25 minute video on youtube that might answer a few questions that you will have when you first get your machine.
Click to expand...
Link please :rolleyes:
 
El Zanto said:
Done. (I think) :p Message away!

Yeah, if I were you I'd go back and try crouching and using it at eye level for at least 10 minutes. You really do get used to the size. Also, I found this on youtube. Just a short 2 minute video on somebody giving his opinion on the 13" screen size. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYS3a9vOR_M&feature=related



I completely forgot about the ipod touch offer as I WILL be buying it with a HE discount. Also, I think I read somewhere here that if you buy it online off the apple store using a HE discount you get an extended free 3 year warranty. Is that correct?

Good point about the apple employees. They are, as you said, still sales people at the end of the day. I'll have to be careful and take whatever they say with a pinch of salt. :p

Still concerned about the sound quality of the 13" as the speakers were different to the 15"/17". Anybody share any insight into this?
Click to expand...

The 13" ones' speakers are adequate in my point of view. When you look at the MBPs, it becomes obvious that with the 13" screen and standard size keyboard, there was no room to fit in a pair of speakers, whereas the larger models could accommodate them easily. That shouldn't be an issue or a deciding factor, even the smaller speakers do their job well and they are a significant improvement on the old plastic MBs. The speakers are fine. I only have issues with the battery life claims and the glossy screen. Of course, for the price, a C2D machine is getting a bit pricey, but otherwise I think the MBP is a good choice, if you are aware of the pros and cons.


Check the store, but you might not even need AppleCare (although, it is worth the discounted price if you are selling the machine before it expires). HE students get extended warranty for free, at least in some countries that is the case.
 
El Zanto said:
I did not know that. After 1000 cycles how much of the original capacity of the battery is retained? I think I read somewhere it was 80% but I'm not sure as 1000 cycles and 80% seems like an awful lot. I should probably check the apple site..
Click to expand...

I think after 1000 cycles, you will have at least 80 percent capacity (which is very good!) but on most other laptops you only get 300-400 cycles before your capacity drops to 80%. I just wanted to mention that because I can't even tell you how many batteries I went through and how fast I destroyed them on my other laptops.
 
El Zanto said:
Find me a reliable, well built, 13" windows notebook with 8+ (manufacturer quoted) battery life for a fraction of the price then.
Click to expand...

asus u35 and toshiba r600 are both 13" for less money at a higher resolution well build and with core iX processor as well. both are better choices then the c2d mbp13. both have 8+ batteries as well.

why not get the mbp15 without applecare, it is about the same as the mbp13 with AC and *much* better, with a decent CPU, decent res and non-shared ddr gpu.
 
HLdan said:
I don't think you need to concern yourself with the battery retention after 1000 charge cycles, chances are the battery will outlive your ownership of the computer. :). Just think about how long it actually takes to perform 1000 complete charge cycles? It will take several years, and even if it dropped to 50% that's still amazing after 1000 charges.
Click to expand...

That's a good point you know. If I drained the battery 5 times a week that equates to 260 charge cycles a year. I'll probably be most likely only using the battery heavily during Uni term time so that figure is probably closer to 200 tbh. It'll easily last the 5 years. Very good point indeed.

kernkraft said:
The 13" ones' speakers are adequate in my point of view. When you look at the MBPs, it becomes obvious that with the 13" screen and standard size keyboard, there was no room to fit in a pair of speakers, whereas the larger models could accommodate them easily. That shouldn't be an issue or a deciding factor, even the smaller speakers do their job well and they are a significant improvement on the old plastic MBs. The speakers are fine. I only have issues with the battery life claims and the glossy screen. Of course, for the price, a C2D machine is getting a bit pricey, but otherwise I think the MBP is a good choice, if you are aware of the pros and cons.
Click to expand...

That sounds pretty good then. I'm pleased with the speakers on my ancient 5 year old notebook I'm using now and they're not even that good so the MBPs speakers will hopefully be even better.

stefan1975 said:
asus u35 and toshiba r600 are both 13" for less money at a higher resolution well build and with core iX processor as well. both are better choices then the c2d mbp13. both have 8+ batteries as well.

why not get the mbp15 without applecare, it is about the same as the mbp13 with AC and *much* better, with a decent CPU, decent res and non-shared ddr gpu.
Click to expand...

I'm buying it with a HE discount and after a bit of googling I've found that I'll get a free extended 3 year warranty. The difference between that and applecare is with applecare you get extended phone tech support but imo mac rumours tech support > apple phone tech support. MBP13 with a HE discount is ~£850 but the MBP15 is ~£1300. I really don't have that extra £450 to spare.

I prefer the mbp over the asus tbh even though its a bit more expensive. The cheapest R600 I can see starts at £1200 excluding VAT. Add 17.5% VAT on top of that and it's very expensive next to even the mbp15.

Blues003 said:
I think an e-mail managed to get through, not a PM though. Check it and then say something :p

I had seen that video already. He does make some valid points, but the fact he doesn't end up comparing the MBP 13'' to "normal" stuff in his house makes the video lacking. I mean, truly comparing as in putting the laptop in the table and showing how it relates to other stuff, how he works, etc etc :p
Click to expand...

I can't reply to that email nor can I private message. A quick look at the faqs and it turns out an account has to be at least a day old before PMing can happen :eek:. I made this account less than 24 hours ago ;)
 
Thank you "El Zanto" for making this thread. I've been following it since you made the first post. All the answers I needed was here.

And now:
 

Attachments

  • order.jpg
    order.jpg
    25.4 KB · Views: 62
fredeil said:
Thank you "El Zanto" for making this thread. I've been following it since you made the first post. All the answers I needed was here.

And now:
Click to expand...

That's awesome dude. Hopefully I'll be doing the same very soon!

I'm glad I made this thread. Its helped me alot but its also helped other people in the same situation as me. :)
 
so what is not to like about a pc laptop like the asus u35?

it is cheaper
has higher res
has a core iX CPU
a real non shared gpu
also alu body
also 1 inch thick
also led screen
also chicklet keys
OS better suited for games
win7 has come further then the latest snow leopard upgrades
asus is beating Apple in the slim-n-light for a while now
Apple was ahead with battery life, but current gen Windows lappies are also 9 hour batteries

the current mbp13 is just a cash cow using 2008 tech for a 2010 price. i hear Dell will refresh the 13 xps, that'll be great with a rgb led that trumps the mbp screen.

i am also in the market for a 13" mbp but i cannot justify getting it, apart from OSX and the trackpad win7 lappies have caught up and surpased Apple in the last few years, Apple is just focusing on mobile iStuff believing the shiny Apple in the lid is enough to make us pay double the worth.

i will most likely upgrade to the mbp15 instead which is worthy of the pro name, or get a win 13" er, the 2010 mbp13 just doesnt cut it.
 
stefan1975 said:
so what is not to like about a pc laptop like the asus u35?

it is cheaper
has higher res
has a core iX CPU
a real non shared gpu
also alu body
also 1 inch thick
also led screen
also chicklet keys
OS better suited for games
win7 has come further then the latest snow leopard upgrades
asus is beating Apple in the slim-n-light for a while now
Apple was ahead with battery life, but current gen Windows lappies are also 9 hour batteries

the current mbp13 is just a cash cow using 2008 tech for a 2010 price. i hear Dell will refresh the 13 xps, that'll be great with a rgb led that trumps the mbp screen.

i am also in the market for a 13" mbp but i cannot justify getting it, apart from OSX and the trackpad win7 lappies have caught up and surpased Apple in the last few years, Apple is just focusing on mobile iStuff believing the shiny Apple in the lid is enough to make us pay double the worth.

i will most likely upgrade to the mbp15 instead which is worthy of the pro name, or get a win 13" er, the 2010 mbp13 just doesnt cut it.
Click to expand...

1. It looks like crap.
2. It's not even on their website (lack of corporate governance).
3. It doesn't have a retail store to ask questions or tech support.
4. OSX vs Windows isn't an issue. There are many running Win7 on MBP13s via bootcamp, but not the other way around.
5. Multitouch (have you ever used OSX Multitouch shortcuts?)
6. Core i3 is equivalent to C2D 2.4-2.66 in terms of speed. In some cases the C2D is faster. Your argument about 2008 tech is retarded.
7. Name one laptop with a better trackpad than a MBP.

Seriously, just go away troll.
 
stefan1975 said:
so what is not to like about a pc laptop like the asus u35?

it is cheaper
has higher res
has a core iX CPU
a real non shared gpu
also alu body
also 1 inch thick
also led screen
also chicklet keys
OS better suited for games
win7 has come further then the latest snow leopard upgrades
asus is beating Apple in the slim-n-light for a while now
Apple was ahead with battery life, but current gen Windows lappies are also 9 hour batteries

the current mbp13 is just a cash cow using 2008 tech for a 2010 price. i hear Dell will refresh the 13 xps, that'll be great with a rgb led that trumps the mbp screen.

i am also in the market for a 13" mbp but i cannot justify getting it, apart from OSX and the trackpad win7 lappies have caught up and surpased Apple in the last few years, Apple is just focusing on mobile iStuff believing the shiny Apple in the lid is enough to make us pay double the worth.

i will most likely upgrade to the mbp15 instead which is worthy of the pro name, or get a win 13" er, the 2010 mbp13 just doesnt cut it.
Click to expand...

- True, the asus is ~£150 cheaper than the 13MBP.

- However, the integrated graphics card in the mbp has a better 3dmark05 score than the dedicated card in the asus according to benchmarks on notebookcheck.

- People have also stated numerous times on this thread that there isn't really much difference between c2d and an i3; the big jump up comes with the i5. I've seen the power of a c2d with an ssd and it seems plenty powerful for me. At least it is for what I'm doing with it.

- I've got 2 computers at home running windows 7 - one of which ran vista before. Yes, it has come further from vista than snow leopard has from leopard. But that's because it had to because vista sucked and leopard didn't. I've used windows ever since my hands were big enough to hold a mouse and I can honestly say, after using OSX at the apple store for just 30 minutes I'd turn my back on windows in an instance. It's just a matter of preference essentially I think. I much prefer OSX. The c2d mbp in the apple store I was using felt just as fast as the core i7 windows 7 desktop we've got (family PC)

- I get 3 years of warranty with the mbp rather than 2 years with the asus. I will also be needing a notebook quite extensively through my course so in the unlikely event that either breaks down (yes, I do know about the bulletproof reliability of an asus) then I have to send the asus off and wait for it to be posted, repaired and delivered whereas I can just take the mbp to any apple store and have it repaired.

- The asus comes with DDR2 ram whereas the MBP comes with DDR3 ram.

- 1000 charge cycles and still 80% battery capacity retained on the mbp. This was a BIG turning point for me. Can the asus match that? Genuine question because I'm not entirely sure but I'm lead to believe most laptop batteries last 300-400 charge cycles.

- I will concede that the asus looks just as beautiful as the mbp and does have a higher res like you said.

- I don't believe that snow leopard crashes less than windows 7, however. The 2 machines I have running windows 7 have never crashed yet and I hope they don't.

- I feel that I can justify the extra £150 on the mbp because of the charge cycle capacity of the mbp battery, the warranty which lets me get the mbp repaired in any apple store, DDR3 ram and the effectiveness of how well OSX utilises system resources such as the processor and ram when doing day to day tasks. It really was a close comparison for day to day tasks between a c2d apple and my windows i7.
 
vant said:
1. It looks like crap.
2. It's not even on their website (lack of corporate governance).
3. It doesn't have a retail store to ask questions or tech support.
4. OSX vs Windows isn't an issue. There are many running Win7 on MBP13s via bootcamp, but not the other way around.
5. Multitouch (have you ever used OSX Multitouch shortcuts?)
6. Core i3 is equivalent to C2D 2.4-2.66 in terms of speed. In some cases the C2D is faster. Your argument about 2008 tech is retarded.
7. Name one laptop with a better trackpad than a MBP.

Seriously, just go away troll.
Click to expand...

Ah! Great point about the trackpad. I really loved the feel and smoothness of it in the apple store. That's another thing the asus won't have. ;)
 
Lol still trying to justify getting a Mac over a PC I see, seems like you fell in love with the fan boys here but you will regret it once you try to "game".

Stefan nice find might look into it myself.
 
Hype2k2 said:
Lol still trying to justify getting a Mac over a PC I see, seems like you fell in love with the fan boys here but you will regret it once you try to "game".

Stefan nice find might look into it myself.
Click to expand...

Like I said before, I'm only occasionally gaming on it and I only want it to be able to play games such as oblivion and ME2 on high-max (and it can judging by responses in another thread and youtube videos), RTS games and football manager (which is the game that will take up most of my gaming time while I'm away at uni). I'd also like to replay some classics like GTA:VC and GTA:SA all of which it can handle pretty easily.

I don't expect it to play next years release titles very well. For new release titles, heavy FPS and hardcore games I've got an i7 desktop at home and a 360.
 
Hype2k2 said:
Lol still trying to justify getting a Mac over a PC I see, seems like you fell in love with the fan boys here but you will regret it once you try to "game".

Stefan nice find might look into it myself.
Click to expand...

Trollin MBP forums I see. I guess you have nothing to do in life except hate.
 
vant said:
Trollin MBP forums I see. I guess you have nothing to do in life except hate.
Click to expand...

And yet you hate on every thing else but an Apple product what dies that make you? You should also figure out what trolling means before using it again. Anyway goodluck Op with your decision.
 
Hype2k2 said:
And yet you hate on every thing else but an Apple product what dies that make you? You should also figure out what trolling means before using it again. Anyway goodlyck Op with you decision.
Click to expand...

<--- Proud owner of a custom C2D desktop running XP-SP3. Could of gone with a Mini or iMac, but didn't fit my needs.

But check this out, I don't visit Mini/iMac forums with a signature stating I dislike them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back