Dell Inspiron 1501 vs. MacBook Pro

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Dell Inspiron 1501 vs. MacBook Pro

My father asked me what I recommend him to purchase: a Dell notebook or a MacBook Pro.

I own a 3 month old MacBook Pro, and one friend of mine owns a Dell Inspiron 1501. Here is the comparision I sent to my father to help his choice:

The MacBook starts at $1,999.00 USD, and the Dell starts at $499.00 USD.
The Mac is Intel and OS X based, the Dell is AMD and Vista.
Both have 2GB of RAM.
The Mac has 128MB of video memory, the Dell 256MB. But the mac comes with a 120GB drive and the Dell with 80GB.
...

It's clear that the MacBook Pro is a lot expensive, but it's a lot better than the Dell.

BUT!

I told my father that because he is travelling a lot and he needs to surf the web, chat and send e-mails I CANNOT RECOMMEND HIM THE MACBOOK PRO. Because my MacBook Pro is unable to stablish a stable wi-fi connection when used in battery mode.

For me it's 3 months with this problem and without no word from Apple or no solution in this Forums or the whole internet.

By the other hand, my friend's Dell works perfectly fine in the same conditions and enviroments. Yes, it's windows, but it works the wi-fi connection.

My father told me he has no money problem, that he can spent the price of a MacBook Pro, because he knows how much I enjoy the OS X and how wonderfull is to be a Mac addict. He is worried to buy a Dell because of the virus infections.

I told him:

"Well, at least with the Dell you will be able to download something".

Don't you think it's very sad and a shame that I cannot recommend the best notebook in the world to my family because nobody at Apple is fixing this problem or paying the smallest attention to it????

MacBook Pro 15.4" @ 2.4Ghz, Mac OS X (10.4.10)

Posted on Nov 13, 2007 12:04 PM

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Answer 1

Nov 13, 2007 12:07 PM in response to Txiquim ©

Believe me, if the problem were that common, Apple would have fixed it. Personally, I have used my MBP to access WiFi networks in many countries on three continents... Being on battery makes no difference.

BUT...as you are clearly having issues, I am sorry. Have you contacted AppleCare?

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Answer 2

Txiquim © Author

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Nov 13, 2007 12:15 PM in response to neuroanatomist

Are you sure its not a common problem????

Because reading this forum you can see a lot op MBP owners are having the same issue than me.

Believe me, Apple would have fixed if they know what is causing this problem. But I start to think that nobody at Apple is taking care of it or knows what to do to fix it.

Why? I don't know.

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Answer 3

Nov 13, 2007 12:42 PM in response to Txiquim ©

Are you sure its not a common problem????
Because reading this forum you can see a lot of MBP owners are having the same issue than me.

Sure. But remember, this place is like the Emergency Room for Mac users - there are a lot of sick people in an ER, but compared to the number of people out there in the general population, there really aren't all that many. There are approximately 1.5 million MBPs out there. There are a few thousand users that frequent these boards. So "a lot of MBP owners" really means what? I frequent the MBP forums, and have seen posts with wireless problems like you describe. Perhaps a few dozen posters. Let's say 100. And let's say that for every one person that posts with a problem, 10 more don't post, or just suffer. So, now we're at 1000 users. That's less than 0.07% (i.e. less than one-tenth of one percent) of the user base. That's not a sweeping problem, and instead most likely represents specific hardware or software issues for individual users.

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Answer 4

Nov 13, 2007 5:11 PM in response to Txiquim ©

It is not a wide problem. mine is perfectly fine on battery power. please dont buy a dell. even though one might work well I have seen some bad cases and even with warrantee dell will refuse to fix any problems with wireless. I know from experience. The extra money is easily worth it and your wireless issue is not a wide spread thing and im sure if you contact apple the will remedy the situation. Another option is to buy just a plain Macbook. Because of the plastic coating on the regular macbook it tends to get much better reception that the aluminum MBpro. so you get a MB with loads of extras and it should have a better wireless connection if that is your worry.

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Answer 5

Nov 13, 2007 5:52 PM in response to Txiquim ©

I use and travel (a lot) with my MBP (preferred personal machine) and a Dell Latitude D820 (work machine). Sometimes with both, but with at least one. The Latitude, a business grade machine, more closely matches the specs of the MBP. An Inspiron is not even in the same league. Business class machines are more stable and reliable with better grade components. The Latitude, trimmed out like a MBP is very close in price to the MBP.

I never have a problem with the MBP on WiFi - airports, hotels, coffee shops, etc. Making a connection with the Dell requires multiple steps and sometimes a machine reboot. Way too many problems (XP Pro) on the WIndows vs. OS X. I've replaced the HD after a year because it was easier than cleaning up the old one on the Dell. Frequent re-install or repairs of software on the Dell just to keep it functional.

Seriously, the MBP is cheaper and more reliable in the long run.

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Answer 6

Don't buy either.

From your father's use, a MacBook (not Pro) will be more than sufficient. MB Pro has a habit of feeling very very hot after long use. Notice I said 'feel' and not 'get'. Some believe that the aluminum body is deigned to be a heatsink.

I use both and have had no problems with WiFi connectivity in Leopard.

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Answer 7

The question should be first and foremost: what does he want to use it for? If he's planning to use Windows software for which there's no suitable OS X replacement, the question is academic.

I'd point out that the Inspiron is not a commercial-grade laptop (not intended for business use) like the MacBook Pro is. Inspirons are nice little laptops, but unreliable and mediocre performers. They're cheap because they cut alot of corners on components and the chassis. I've got both, and the MBP is in an entirely different class.

While I've read about the Wi-Fi problem here in this forum, I've never actually seen a unit with that particular problem (and we have quite a few at the office). So, I'm guessing it's a fairly rare anomaly. However, the Inspiron is not exactly reliable at connecting to WiFi etiher (at least using WPA or WPA2) and is even less so when trying to connect to print and file shares and such under Vista (though I've only had one Vista unit to try).

If he would like to go for a business-class laptop, it ought to be the MBP or the equivalent Dell would be a Latitude. If for a personal machine, the MacBook is cheaper than the MBP and still a grade above the Inspiron (but below the Latitude and MBP).

My Inspiron is a great little machine when it works, but it simply reeks of low-quality. During the warranty period (I got the extended warranty) it's had the main board replaced twice, the keyboard replaced three times, the hard disk replaced once, and both batteries failed (and the case cracked from the heat of the CPU). Nonetheless, it has become a very nice Linux terminal.

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Answer 8

I'm going back to the original question, but I've never had a bit of WiFi trouble.

I think your Dad would statistically not need to worry about wireless availability.

Like someone else said, your sampling from this website is completely inaccurate for the reliability of products. The people who have trouble come here. The ones who don't have better things to do with their time. Unless they're just geeky. :P

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