5 Laptops that Destroy the New MacBook Pros

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1) i don't have to finger run, just increase the sensitivity
2) wow, os instead of using a keyboard (alt+arrow) for back and forward you have to use a multi-touch gesture (that seems slower to me), most PC laptops have scrollbars at the edge that work fine
3) Sleep, btw, that was introduced in Vista and is instant off then instant on, no waiting (no, i am not talking about hibernate, that is something else entirely)
4) don't like bloatware, reinstall the OS that simple, and if you buy from a decent company you don't get any bloatware

and for basic things like word processing, get a netbook, thats all you would need (those can last up to 10hrs on battery), and its only $400
 
[citation][nom]Be0wulf22[/nom]I argued in favor of PCs for years, I was just like many of you. I became a mac user when Leopard came out about two years ago. Now I wouldn't trade it for any of the competitors mentioned here. Yes, there are cheaper PCs with higher specs. But you have to look at the whole package. Build quality, stability, ease of use, customer support. Check Consumer Reports. And no, I'm not a non-technical person. I admin windows servers by day, have microsoft certs, and a masters in computer science. just my 2 cents.[/citation]

While working as a Systems Administrator for Hard Rock Casino and Hotel we had a Mac Pro tower that operated intricate media display panels for a couple of diners. The system crashed about every 4-6 days.

It really gets down to what platform you feel most comfortable with and what has the applications available that you like to use. That is it. Apple do NOT simply work. They are NOT built better than other systems. They are NOT used more by creatives or programmers than a other platforms. (e.g. PC creatives, like me, account for 75% of Adobe's sales)
They have a design aesthetic, certain usability and functioning that some people prefer, and through great marketing Apple has convinced several others to prefer. It is almost ALL marketing folks. Apple, as a company, is fairly draconian in their practices, to the frustration or preference of developers and customers alike. Take it or leave it.
 
[citation][nom]Euphoria_MK[/nom]Correct,and what is the point of buying a laptop if you are not buying it for mobility, which means it needs to be light, sturdy and have a great battery life... 13 inch and maybe 15 is the way to go.I laugh at those 17 inch and 18 inch laptops. I might as well build two desktop PCs with twice the performance for that money. I can't imagine someone dragging around a 10 pound laptop with them all day. Lol... you might as well put some wheels on them and roll'em around[/citation]

I bought my notebook for mobility, but try working in NX6 or Fluent with a 15" screen. It just doesn't cut it. I carry my Sager NP5793 through airports in my own two hands, and it doesn't bother me one bit. From gaming to CFD and CAD to web browsing, I'm glad every day I got a big, heavy notebook that can do anything. The extra screen space and the larger keyboard are worth every second of it's measly 2 hour battery life - but with a second battery, I've never found myself in a situation where I've run out of power...there are plugs everywhere now, if you need one; even on some planes!
With all the time you spend scrolling through documents or moving your models around on smaller screens, your extra battery life is gone. (I wonder how much time you actually spend doing that...that'd be interesting to see, no?)
 
[citation][nom]littlec[/nom]All of those problems are because of OPERATOR ERROR, it's not the PCs fault the user is a nub. I've been virus and crash free for over 5 years.[/citation]

I seriously doubt you've been virus and crash free for over 5 years.

That is a poor argument anyways. If you are claiming that Windows crashes more often because of operator error then you are simultaneously claiming that Apple doesn't crash because the users are smarter. This pretty much clashes with the average Tom's Reader idea that people who buy Apple are idiots.
 
Pretty much in short-

Desktop - never buy apple desktops. Don't. Just don't.
Laptop - Go straight to the macbook pros and pay the apple tax for something thats gonna serve you well for many years. Im still using a 2006 mbp and there isn't much of a speed difference. My only wish is something abit more powerful than the X1600. Battery and design is far superior than anything else on the market.
 
[citation][nom]tayb[/nom]I seriously doubt you've been virus and crash free for over 5 years.[/citation]
That depends on what he does. I've been virus free for much longer than 5 years...if you aren't an idiot on the internet, you don't get viruses. And your machine crashing is more a function of what you do with your machine, anyway...if all you do is web browsing, it's extremely unlikely that your machine will ever crash. If you do more complex things with your computer with intensive software, you're going to crash, no matter what OS or what chip you have under the hood. No piece of software is perfect.
 
"Some users will appreciate the very elegant and refined design of the MacBook Pros"

"Yes, the build quality of the MacBook Pros are industry leading"

"The only tangible advantage that the MacBook Pros have is battery life, which at the moment is an industry leading across Apple's entire line-up"

"Another point Apple can get a good point or two for is in weight. The above laptops are significantly heavier, and for being in the class of laptops, is a bad thing."

Tom´s says all of that, and then recommned the "Others" laptops?

Sony, Asus, etc., are only better in hardware and price. But, who cares about 6GB of RAm instead of 4GB when, games aside, no other usual software uses it? Is better Windows-7 with 6GB than OS-X with 4GB?
 
"Some users will appreciate the very elegant and refined design of the MacBook Pros"

"Yes, the build quality of the MacBook Pros are industry leading"

"The only tangible advantage that the MacBook Pros have is battery life, which at the moment is an industry leading across Apple's entire line-up"

"Another point Apple can get a good point or two for is in weight. The above laptops are significantly heavier, and for being in the class of laptops, is a bad thing."

Tom´s says all of that, and then recommned the "Others" laptops?

Sony, Asus, etc., are only better in hardware and price. But, who cares about 6GB of RAm instead of 4GB when, games aside, no other usual software uses it? Is better Windows-7 with 6GB than OS-X with 4GB?
 
Do any of them have a centered touchpad? No!

(I don't like Apple due to it's handling of actionscript, mono and java, but my windows 7 laptop from dell - give to me from work - allways has driver issues. So I purchased an mac today)
 
[citation][nom]mindless728[/nom]1) i don't have to finger run, just increase the sensitivity2) wow, os instead of using a keyboard (alt+arrow) for back and forward you have to use a multi-touch gesture (that seems slower to me), most PC laptops have scrollbars at the edge that work fine3) Sleep, btw, that was introduced in Vista and is instant off then instant on, no waiting (no, i am not talking about hibernate, that is something else entirely)4) don't like bloatware, reinstall the OS that simple, and if you buy from a decent company you don't get any bloatwareand for basic things like word processing, get a netbook, thats all you would need (those can last up to 10hrs on battery), and its only $400[/citation]
How about you try to use the system instead of assuming? I've used Windows computers/laptops my whole life. How long have you used a MacBook?

A larger trackpad is a far better alternative then increasing sensitivity which leads to poor accuracy. The gestures are optional and are FAR faster than you can click back/forward or scroll up and down with the bars.

Vista sleep is slow compared to OSX.

I shouldn't have to waste hours of my life getting my laptop ready for me to use. You buy a computer, it should be ready to go. This is one of the reasons I build instead of buy preconfigured desktops.

Seriously, just go to your local Apple store (another convenient feature) and just play with the laptop. There is no point in debating something you've never tried.
 
I find it a bit annoying how Mac users are all grouped together as idiots who are completely unaware of anything relating to their hardware and software and listen to Apple's marketing. But there is another group that isn't completely pro-Apple, cares about hardware, and recognises the limitations of Apple (i.e. Apple not being good at patching).

I know I enjoy my Mac and I've got a few friends who do as well, yet we do pay attention to the hardware. I love my Windows desktop for gaming, but for mobile computer I like my Mac. I end up carrying my computer around a lot, so weight, physical dimension, battery life, and case build quality are all rather important for me. I will say though, that the case build quality of my MacBook isn't great (the plastic top case is bloody awful), but the newer unibody aluminium cases are fantastic. I know I'm definitely not buying another laptop with a plastic case...just too fragile. I'd definitely buy another Mac laptop, but for my desktop I'll take my PC.
 
I configured this HP Envy for $2,168.99:

Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-720QM Quad Core processor (1.6GHz, 6MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 2.8 GHz (8 Threads)
8GB DDR3 System Memory (4 Dimm)
500GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5830 Graphics - For i7 Processors
15.6" diagonal Full High Definition LED HP Ultra Brightview Widescreen Display (1920x1080)
Webcam Only
Intel Wireless-N Card with Bluetooth
HP QuickWeb, Corel VideoStudio Pro X2, Corel Paintshop Pro X2, Stardock My Colors
HP Color Matching Keyboard
6 Cell Lithium Ion Polymer Battery (standard)
System Recovery DVD with Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
No Productivity Software

If it was between the HP and MacBook Pro, I'm going HP. It's 5.2lbs and has 6 hours of battery life (more like 4 in real life).
 
[citation][nom]tayb[/nom]I seriously doubt you've been virus and crash free for over 5 years. That is a poor argument anyways. If you are claiming that Windows crashes more often because of operator error then you are simultaneously claiming that Apple doesn't crash because the users are smarter. This pretty much clashes with the average Tom's Reader idea that people who buy Apple are idiots.[/citation]
To be honest, I can't think of a single Windows caused crash on my system for years and I can't really think of any program caused crash that required a restart. Every crash I've had on my current core2 system has been related to overclocking a little too far or Flash killing Firefox. I did get a trojan off of a flash ad on deviantart about 2-3 years ago, but it was removed easily enough and haven't had an issue since I started using ABP and NoScript.

My workstation's Macbook doesn't really experience any program crashes any more or less often than my gaming rig at home to be honest both are pretty seldom in problem occurrences. I also don't see the point in its aluminum uni-body to be honest, I generally don't use my laptop as a load-bearing structure and as an engineer, appearance means nothing to me. I mostly use the Macbooks and other laptops I get for thermal testing and I can tell you, inside they're all pretty much the same with a few things shifted or a slightly different Chinese manufacturer.
 
Apple products have always been pricey and do get outperformed on various aspects by relevant counterparts so, i don't understand what's the point of this article..!! Just another reference to why should one avoid a mac..??..!! It should be now realized that apple has followers and buyers will buy.. Poor hardware support, driver lock issues, high pricing etc..etc..etc.. Rest the issue.. There are pros and cons of getting a mac like any other product by any manufacturer.. One should help in taking a decision not force the decision on someone..
 
*1.5-3 times the battery life
*Build quality one can expect to last about 5yrs
*The ability to run the leopard, as well as windows 7 and unix
*No bloatware
*can run Wow, and CS
I'll take the mac thanks very much.
 

actually my girlfriend had a macbook for 3 years and another for 1 year, i used it quite often, and i find the keyboard commands much faster than anything a touchpad can do, though i am a unix user (at least mac has that going for it) so i am used to using a kwyboard only a lot (yes, i got her to dump the macbooks for a netbook with windows 7, cheaper and works just fine for what she needed, word processing and web browsing)


i have never seen a difference between the two, though i mostly have very high performance/gaming computers (including my laptop)


like i said, if you buy the computer from a good company (ie Asus or a company that uses barebones and lets you customize) the bloatware is minimal and not bad, and quite often non-existent


like i said before, i have used macbooks before, and for quite a while
 
The whole point of a laptop (for me anyways) is that it HAS to be mobile and last while I'm moving around. Because of that SOLE reason, 4/5 of those laptops are already out (10 POUNDS!? ARE YOU KIDDING ME, why not just get a cheaper desktop!?).

Although the Macs are expensive, I can justify paying the Apple Tax for OS X over Windows, the hours of extra battery life and lighter weight of the machine.
 


did you check out what i posted, Compal NBLB2, 5.95lbs, 1080p led backlit LCD, and cheaper (not as aesthetically pleasing though)
 


Macbooks didn't have touchpad shortcuts until the Unibody one introduced in Oct09. I'm not sure how you found 'the keyboard faster than anything a touchpad can do' when they were never present.

Seriously, just go to the Apple store instead of claiming your non-existant experiences.
 
[citation][nom]tayb[/nom]I seriously doubt you've been virus and crash free for over 5 years. That is a poor argument anyways. If you are claiming that Windows crashes more often because of operator error then you are simultaneously claiming that Apple doesn't crash because the users are smarter. This pretty much clashes with the average Tom's Reader idea that people who buy Apple are idiots.[/citation]

And it does so intentionally, to say people buy macs because they are stupid is sometimes a valid argument however PCs take a little more TLC and some preventative measures to run smoothly and that was my point. It's not always that the user is stupid, they just don't know how to take care of a PC and yes I've been crash free and virus free for 5 years this is because I work with PCs constantly and know enough about the IT and Security world to keep viruses of my machines.
 


i never said i have used that multi-touch touchpad, i was stating that anything on the keyboard would be faster for me than the touchpad

and i have been in an apple store and played around with a few before, not my cup of tea (like i said)
 
I'd go for the Toshbia Quosimo. My brother has had his Satellite for a couple years ago and says its super reliable, and I think Toshiba makes some awesome laptops.
 
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