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What advantages are the advantages of MacBook Pros?
- Thread starter maliculi
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I was thinking of getting an MBP 13 for college. Could former PC laptop users tell me why they think the MBP is better than their old PCs? Thanks!
Well, the Macbook Pro is better than most new PCs and my old one because
1) durable
2) speed, core 2 duo
3) OS X (main selling point)
4) weight
5) it looks nice
6) 10 hour battery (rated)
7) backlight keybaord
There are more things, but you really just have to see it for yourself. OS X is just so nice, and the computer it self is just so nice too. I don't have a Macbook Pro yet, but I really want one. Just need to keep saving my pennies. I'd really hate to go for the white Macbook as I know I'll regret it later. Plus, in school, we are always working with 6 year old iBooks and they still are very usable. A couple years from now, I'm sure I would have rather picked an aluminum version over the white.
I switched from pc to mac about a year ago.
The best thing i like is I have never had any viruses and annoying windows pop-ups and alerts and all of that annoying stuff. Everything is just a lot smoother.
The best thing i like is I have never had any viruses and annoying windows pop-ups and alerts and all of that annoying stuff. Everything is just a lot smoother.
Not sure what you're talking about with the keyboard. This is by far the nicest keyboard I have used on a laptop, and the trackpad is also awesome. I occasionally use friends' PCs, and I can't stand the trackpads on them after using mine, especially with its extended functionality.
Also, they are very solid and stable machines, I have never had a problem with the OS or any crashes, etc. Before this computer, the only computers I had owned were windows, and I vastly prefer OS X to any version of windows (although I have to give MS credit for win 7, it actually isn't too bad). The portability is also awesome, and is greatly enhanced by the 10-hour battery (which any windows laptop has to have a very chunky and heavy extended battery to even get close to that). Some of the advantages just present themselves with use of the machine, it just works.
Personally, things I love about this laptop and I could point as reasons for not switching back...
-Beautiful design and tough case (resisted a crash with only a couple of small dents).
-Keyboard and trackpad (killer feature this trackpad), absolutely fantastic to use.
-OS X, of course, it takes some time to get used though, but then it's as simple as if you had always used it.
-No viruses (great piece of mind).
-Thin and portable.
-Battery life (5 hours on mine, late 2008, and I find it kind of great)
-SILENCE (that's essential for some of us who love calm, no annoying fans is fantastic)
-Speed and ease of use, user experience.
-With SL, shutting down the comp within 3 seconds, always amazing
-Beautiful design and tough case (resisted a crash with only a couple of small dents).
-Keyboard and trackpad (killer feature this trackpad), absolutely fantastic to use.
-OS X, of course, it takes some time to get used though, but then it's as simple as if you had always used it.
-No viruses (great piece of mind).
-Thin and portable.
-Battery life (5 hours on mine, late 2008, and I find it kind of great)
-SILENCE (that's essential for some of us who love calm, no annoying fans is fantastic)
-Speed and ease of use, user experience.
-With SL, shutting down the comp within 3 seconds, always amazing
As if other vendors don't have extended warranties. In fact many electronic companies even give you 2-3 years warranty for free, or their extended warranties are much cheaper than the over priced AppleCare. And before you say that this service in particular is worth its money - it always depends on your luck what kind of person in what mood you get on the phone.
As for advantages of the mbp, I'm surprised nobody has said trackpad yet. It's size and the multitouch features like two finger scrolling andtwo finger right click make it more usable than any other laptop trackpad.
I have to agree... i didn't buy my MBP for it, but the trackpad has turned out to be my most appreciated feature of it. Smooth as silk, responsive, accurate. I love it.
15 yr. PC user, just went Mac a few months ago with a MBP 13". I'm lovin' every minute of it.
Things I love -
1.) Startup and Shutdown time - really really fast. And time hasn't increased that much now that I have lot of software and files on it, with the drive around half full. Still very quick. I never stand around waiting for the Mac to startup or shutdown like I do with my PCs.
2.) Keyboard is just so friendly. You can type lightly and quickly. It's a different feel, but takes no time to get used to it.
3.) Trackpad is far superior (and larger) than any pad on a PC. And all the single finger, two finger, three finger, click, swipe, options are amazing. You get set it up to work the way you want.
4.) Screen is glass, and color is really deep and just gorgeous.
5.) Battery life is insane. On my PCs, a couple hours is the most I've ever been able to realistically expect from them. But with the Mac, I can literally go all day on and off using it without plugging it in.
Things I love -
1.) Startup and Shutdown time - really really fast. And time hasn't increased that much now that I have lot of software and files on it, with the drive around half full. Still very quick. I never stand around waiting for the Mac to startup or shutdown like I do with my PCs.
2.) Keyboard is just so friendly. You can type lightly and quickly. It's a different feel, but takes no time to get used to it.
3.) Trackpad is far superior (and larger) than any pad on a PC. And all the single finger, two finger, three finger, click, swipe, options are amazing. You get set it up to work the way you want.
4.) Screen is glass, and color is really deep and just gorgeous.
5.) Battery life is insane. On my PCs, a couple hours is the most I've ever been able to realistically expect from them. But with the Mac, I can literally go all day on and off using it without plugging it in.
Touchpad is amazing. There is no comparison on a PC laptop. Even if a PC laptop maker tried to make a great touchpad, it'd still fail because Windows doesn't have all the awesome actions to associate with it like with the Mac's various touchpad swipes.
Not only is my MacBook Pro fast to startup and shutdown, but Apple's execution of "sleep when lid closed, wakeup when lid opened" is phenominal. It never takes more than a few seconds to sleep or wake up my laptop. And it always works. On my Windows laptop (issued by my employer), I can't even use sleep mode because it so often fails to sleep properly, or outright crashes the computer when sleeping and/or waking up. Proper sleeping means that I can much more quickly move around while using my laptop, and it means my battery lasts longer because it's easy to sleep it when I'm not using it. With a Windows laptop, every time I'm done with a session (changing rooms), I have to shut it down wait while it starts up at the new location (or just leave it full-on running while I move), wasting its already short battery life.
MacBook Pro battery life is definitely better, but don't set your expectations too high. It is very dependent on what you're doing. It can certainly last 8+ hours, but if you're heavily using wifi, saving/loading form disk a lot, going to websites running flash, or rendering 3D (games, typically), it'll drain a whole lot faster. Regardless, those same things would drain a Windows laptop faster too, and in all cases, the MacBook lasts longer.
CONS (in all fairness)
Typing Numbers. There is absolutely no numberpad on the MacBook Pro, not even with function keys. How much this bothers you depends on what you do with it. It annoys me, personally, but I can live with it well enough. It just means typing numbers is a lot slower for me.
Software Support. It is still the case that the world is Windows-First, and that means you might not always be able to run the software your class or job wants you to run. There is a solution to this problem though: Parallels, great software for running a Windows virtual machine on your Mac. But that takes some learning on your part to get used to.
File Sharing. Apple computers are not always friendly about establishing a network share with Windows computers on local networks. If you don't mind sharing files with others via email/internet, or USB drives, this won't matter. But on my home network, where I have MacBook laptops and Windows towers, this is sometimes quite annoying to me.
Not only is my MacBook Pro fast to startup and shutdown, but Apple's execution of "sleep when lid closed, wakeup when lid opened" is phenominal. It never takes more than a few seconds to sleep or wake up my laptop. And it always works. On my Windows laptop (issued by my employer), I can't even use sleep mode because it so often fails to sleep properly, or outright crashes the computer when sleeping and/or waking up. Proper sleeping means that I can much more quickly move around while using my laptop, and it means my battery lasts longer because it's easy to sleep it when I'm not using it. With a Windows laptop, every time I'm done with a session (changing rooms), I have to shut it down wait while it starts up at the new location (or just leave it full-on running while I move), wasting its already short battery life.
MacBook Pro battery life is definitely better, but don't set your expectations too high. It is very dependent on what you're doing. It can certainly last 8+ hours, but if you're heavily using wifi, saving/loading form disk a lot, going to websites running flash, or rendering 3D (games, typically), it'll drain a whole lot faster. Regardless, those same things would drain a Windows laptop faster too, and in all cases, the MacBook lasts longer.
CONS (in all fairness)
Typing Numbers. There is absolutely no numberpad on the MacBook Pro, not even with function keys. How much this bothers you depends on what you do with it. It annoys me, personally, but I can live with it well enough. It just means typing numbers is a lot slower for me.
Software Support. It is still the case that the world is Windows-First, and that means you might not always be able to run the software your class or job wants you to run. There is a solution to this problem though: Parallels, great software for running a Windows virtual machine on your Mac. But that takes some learning on your part to get used to.
File Sharing. Apple computers are not always friendly about establishing a network share with Windows computers on local networks. If you don't mind sharing files with others via email/internet, or USB drives, this won't matter. But on my home network, where I have MacBook laptops and Windows towers, this is sometimes quite annoying to me.
Battery and Build quality are the only areas where the MBP is unmatched by any other laptop. Probably also the trackpad.
The other areas, MBPs are still generally among the top. Screen is beautiful and bright, but I wouldn't say it's unmatched. OS X, yeah its good. But so is Windows 7.
One area where the MBP doesn't shine as much is graphics and performance in general. There are many other laptops out there that perform much better. But then again those tend to have bad battery life usually.
What makes the MBP special is the balanced mix of performance, portability and style. I think it is the best laptop out there.
The other areas, MBPs are still generally among the top. Screen is beautiful and bright, but I wouldn't say it's unmatched. OS X, yeah its good. But so is Windows 7.
One area where the MBP doesn't shine as much is graphics and performance in general. There are many other laptops out there that perform much better. But then again those tend to have bad battery life usually.
What makes the MBP special is the balanced mix of performance, portability and style. I think it is the best laptop out there.
Are you really that torn?
I could tell you every advantage MacBooks have over win laptops, but I won't.
What I want to remind you is the following: Eventually MS did design a decent OS, but give any fully loaded Win 7 system some time and it will become slower than a 1 legged dog on tranquilizers (I do love dogs, but this makes it very very clear).
What are you waiting for?
EDIT: I'm not a Mac geek, I've been using PCs for over 15 years and I will never go back.
I could tell you every advantage MacBooks have over win laptops, but I won't.
What I want to remind you is the following: Eventually MS did design a decent OS, but give any fully loaded Win 7 system some time and it will become slower than a 1 legged dog on tranquilizers (I do love dogs, but this makes it very very clear).
What are you waiting for?
EDIT: I'm not a Mac geek, I've been using PCs for over 15 years and I will never go back.
It's really the price that's making me reluctant to get one. I keep going back and forth on the issue. Macs are more reliable and just plain amazing, but I keep thinking that maybe a Mac is overkill since I can just get a decent PC to last me the four years.
I don't need/I] a Mac. I just really really really really really really want one. And I need people to tell me just how amazing the Macs are so I don't feel so guilty about wanting (and maybe buying) one. Especially because everyone I know is telling me that Macs are a waste of money.
Unfortunately for my internal dilemma, these cons do not make me love the Mac any less, haha.
If the only issue is price I'd suggest you to save money 'till you have enough to feel comfortable with spending that much on a laptop and then, make the step for the pleasure.
When I bought mine, it was really a lot of money for me, but I decided to give it a chance. And actually I wonder if I will ever go back.
You could check, in order to pay less, the refurb store as stated above, or the offers of the APR who sometimes have some interesting stuff. That is, asuming you are not eligible for the student discount.
Also, what are your computing needs?
When I bought mine, it was really a lot of money for me, but I decided to give it a chance. And actually I wonder if I will ever go back.
You could check, in order to pay less, the refurb store as stated above, or the offers of the APR who sometimes have some interesting stuff. That is, asuming you are not eligible for the student discount.
Also, what are your computing needs?
It's really the price that's making me reluctant to get one. I keep going back and forth on the issue. Macs are more reliable and just plain amazing, but I keep thinking that maybe a Mac is overkill since I can just get a decent PC to last me the four years.
I don't need/I] a Mac. I just really really really really really really want one. And I need people to tell me just how amazing the Macs are so I don't feel so guilty about wanting (and maybe buying) one. Especially because everyone I know is telling me that Macs are a waste of money.
I was in the very same boat as you and the premium price was my main concern. Then I managed to get 200 off of a brand new MBP 13" and I have no regrets.
What I can recommend you is look for a bargain on the refurb store (those MBPs are as good as new) or on ebay (trusted seller). I was going to get it on ebay.
Come on, pull the trigger, you'll have no regrets!
It really depends what you want to do with it. I was disappointed by the 2010 upgrade especially of the 13'' MBP so i went and bought myself a Vaio Z11. Now, i have several other macs so missed MacOS and bought a 13'' MBP regardless additionally. But sadly i was already used to the lower weight and much better performance of the Vaio, not to mention the way better screen. Nowadays i use he MBP at home and the Vaio on the road. Since i am on the road a lot i probably use the Vaio a lot more, but for low performance use at home where weight is not really any concern the MBP is great and i really do like MacOS much better than windows 7 although windows 7 is a big step forward compared both to vista and xp.
Soo, either have the money to buy what you want, or analyze what you need and buy according to that.
Soo, either have the money to buy what you want, or analyze what you need and buy according to that.
I bought my first Mac a couple of months ago when the new MBPs were released.
I've been a VERY long time PC user. I have used ALL of Microsoft's OSes since DOS.
Here is my input....
Why MAC?
- Design (Aluminum body just looks and feels amazingly solid!)
- Backlit keyboard (Typing up those reports at night become a bit easier!)
- Amazing screen
- Even more amazing Trackpad! (Multiple swipe features, makes using the computer a pleasure)
- Battery life (10 hours on the 13" is awesome for a student!!)
Why do I miss a PC?
- Windows 7 (I'm a windows expert and ended up installing Windows 7 on my MBP using Bootcamp. I find Windows 7 an excellent OS!)
- Programs (All my purchased software is Windows based since i have 4 other Windows machines at home. But Bootcamp was able to solve that problem for me!)
So at the end of the day, I get all the Apple design advantages and PC advantages on my MBP. Bootcamp was VERY easy to get going. Now i use the computer under either of the OSes as I please!!
I've been a VERY long time PC user. I have used ALL of Microsoft's OSes since DOS.
Here is my input....
Why MAC?
- Design (Aluminum body just looks and feels amazingly solid!)
- Backlit keyboard (Typing up those reports at night become a bit easier!)
- Amazing screen
- Even more amazing Trackpad! (Multiple swipe features, makes using the computer a pleasure)
- Battery life (10 hours on the 13" is awesome for a student!!)
Why do I miss a PC?
- Windows 7 (I'm a windows expert and ended up installing Windows 7 on my MBP using Bootcamp. I find Windows 7 an excellent OS!)
- Programs (All my purchased software is Windows based since i have 4 other Windows machines at home. But Bootcamp was able to solve that problem for me!)
So at the end of the day, I get all the Apple design advantages and PC advantages on my MBP. Bootcamp was VERY easy to get going. Now i use the computer under either of the OSes as I please!!
Advantage:
-It's not a PC...nuff said
Disadvantage:
-It's not a PC...so gaming blows, but I have a 360 for that
-It's not a PC...nuff said
Disadvantage:
-It's not a PC...so gaming blows, but I have a 360 for that
Get the MBP
Get the MBP, you won't regret it. It switched after 20+ years of PC use to MBP in '08. I have VMWare to run the one or two PC-only based programs I need. I have Office for Mac. Everything flows easily and is integrated. With Office for Mac, I can save docs in any format. Music and picture management is priceless. You can be so much more creative with school projects with a MBP. Even though my MBP is just 2 years old, I am salivating at getting a new MBP and selling my "old" one! Go for it you'll never look back!
Get the MBP, you won't regret it. It switched after 20+ years of PC use to MBP in '08. I have VMWare to run the one or two PC-only based programs I need. I have Office for Mac. Everything flows easily and is integrated. With Office for Mac, I can save docs in any format. Music and picture management is priceless. You can be so much more creative with school projects with a MBP. Even though my MBP is just 2 years old, I am salivating at getting a new MBP and selling my "old" one! Go for it you'll never look back!