Are Macbooks overpriced for what they are?

PCs batteries top out around 4 hours max life, under light load.

Mac get 5-6 hours under heavy loads.

My $1800 Mabbook Pro has aluminum shell. The middle section of the "case" is a solid aluminum block that is milled out to allow components. Several have dropped their units and the dent in the edge is just a dent ... the system inside is protected to a large degree. Try that with a plastic-case PC.

The CPU in mine in a quad-code i7.

The display is a 1680x1050 anti-glare screen that is gorgeous.

The system has a trackpad that has multi-touch commands "gestures" built in, and is smooth as silk instead of cheap plastic.

The system has been running at times for 5 days straight with many Java IDEs and support windows open.

AND

It can run Windoze.

Any more questions.

Hi,

MacBook Pros have a battery life of 7 hours while simply browsing the web. If you play Minecraft or watch movies, it'll be less than 7 hours. If you buy a cheap Windows laptop, you'll see that it will be slower one year later and broken afterwards. I have a MacBook Pro since 2007 and it still works great !

The PC equivalent in Mac would also be in the price range of the MacBook Pro. For example, the Alienware laptop is the same price as the MacBook Pro.

MacBook Pro = Sometimes more expensive, but it can last many years without slowing down.

PC laptop = Usually cheaper, but it will become slower after 1 or 2 years.

Franklin

Some are still running (several, in some cases) Macs that were purchased as early as 2000.

Repair bills are higher, you would think, than PCs.

But how many PCs are even worth the effort to open the tight spaces of their internals to repair anything. Many PCs users are replacing after 2 years because the old one is slow, the fans died, the plastic case cracked, ...

As you said ... you get 15% off and save the $350 for AppleCare that I will need to buy.

Here is something that s NOT bias ... just fact

I *detest* trackpads on PCS ... never used them. Too small. Too sensitive for me to "move" instead of "click". Grainy feel. And more. I only use mice with PC laptops.

I *love* using the trackpad on my MBP, and hate to use a mouse with it because the trackpad is conveniently placed directly between my hands where my thumbs are. Also the feel of a Mac trackpad is silky-smooth.

This was entirely unexpected, and is not just "hype" I give others.

For what they are, the hardware included, they are overpriced ( I own one).

And they are not any less susceptible to hardware or operating system failures or bugs then a Win PC with the same kind of hardware.

They are less upgradeable then a similar PC (to my knowledge no other major manufacturer of computers solders the CPU and a dedicated GPU to the motherboard, Apple does). Making changing out the CPU or the graphics chip/card at a later date impossible. Also if the motherboard fails (Apple calls it a Logic board) you have to replace the complete unit, board with CPU and GPU (Very Expensive). Where as makes like Dell and all the others, that I know of, use motherboards that have CPU sockets and add-on graphic boards which can be changed out for better units if the model you bought has similar units, same model line, that came with high end components.

Should I of bought a notebook PC? Well I did along with the MBP 15". I use them about the same amount of time.

Which do I like more, that's a tossup. I like the Mac but I am also a long time Windows users and Windows just feel more like home to me. I also find Windows easier to use, setup, Network with other computers (Lion has a bug in its windows file sharing system) and administrate. And the software available for the Mac is very limited, comparatively.

steve359 wrote:

PCs batteries top out around 4 hours max life, under light load.

Just where do you get that figure? that has not been my experience with older or the brand new Dell Latitude E6420 I have, with the standard battery (Not the extended run type).

steve359 wrote:

My $1800 Mabbook Pro has aluminum shell. The middle section of the "case" is a solid aluminum block that is milled out to allow components. Several have dropped their units and the dent in the edge is just a dent ... the system inside is protected to a large degree. Try that with a plastic-case PC.

My Dell is all metal.

steve359 wrote:

The CPU in mine in a quad-code i7.

The display is a 1680x1050 anti-glare screen that is gorgeous.

The system has a trackpad that has multi-touch commands "gestures" built in, and is smooth as silk instead of cheap plastic.

The system has been running at times for 5 days straight with many Java IDEs and support windows open.

AND

It can run Windoze.

Any more questions.

My Dell only has a i5 dual core but I could of easily ordered it with a i7 quad core for a FEW dollars more.

Well mine only has a 14" screen but it is anti glare. Which on all MBPs is at a added expense (except the 13" model that only comes with the standard display. Which isn't bad, I use to own one).

I have a track/touch pad that has multi touch features.

Wouldn't know about UP time on my notebooks, that includes the MBP, as I don't leave them on forever.

Yes the MBP can run Windows and most everybody that owns a Mac runs one version of Windows or another (Why is that?).

By the way I'm typing this from my MBP booted into Mint 12 in a Virtual Machine.

Now for something totally different, Back to OS X.

I use both a Windows PC and a Macbook Pro every day professionally. These are just tools to me. I have no loyalty or other attachment to either. I have not experienced any unexpected problems on either.

My experience is that they both perform equally well. So given my experience, I think the Macbook Pro is over priced.

Shootist does have a point about price and ease of "user interchanging" of software/hardware in the Windows world.

But ... to answer one of your concerns about "bias" ...

I am biased toward Macbook Pro, but for several what I would call good reasons and good investgation.

I started in Windows, and was working more and more with software development tools. Sevral of them do not work well with Windows. Notable among them is Oracle's network behaviors for their database products. You must install a special "sodtware end of network" adapter to make Oracle products work.

Plus XP (the best at the time) was unstable and buggy.

So I started working with Linux to have good reliability. Even though Linux device drivers for hi-res displays are twitchy ... they stay working when you install them, but they cannot always make full use of hi-res unless the manufacturer or the Linux-maker creates a good driver. They are stable, but display issues are things I just adjust to.

When I finally needed a hi-res laptop, I looked into making an Ubuntu laptop, but the issues of making a hi-res laptop was difficult because of device driver issues.

Mac makles a reasonably stable hardware and matches a device driver to its hi-res displays.

Not a perfect match fr me (price, obviously), but fits my technical needs.

Your absolutely correct that an Apple forum will have a certain bias. The fact is that you do pay a premium for a Mac, but there are some good reasons that offset the price. In addition to what has been already mentioned, some students that I have talked to mention the the stability of Macs vs PCs is overwhelmingly in the Macs favor. PC seem to crash a lot, Macs do not (second hand information).

Based on you post, I think you should at least consider a Macbook Air. Small, light and superior battery life.

Ciao.

PS: When I bought my last laptop, I did not even consider a PC. I guess I'm one of those Apple evangelicals.

AppsAndHacks wrote:

Hi,

MacBook Pros have a battery life of 7 hours while simply browsing the web. If you play Minecraft or watch movies, it'll be less than 7 hours. If you buy a cheap Windows laptop, you'll see that it will be slower one year later and broken afterwards. I have a MacBook Pro since 2007 and it still works great !

The PC equivalent in Mac would also be in the price range of the MacBook Pro. For example, the Alienware laptop is the same price as the MacBook Pro.

MacBook Pro = Sometimes more expensive, but it can last many years without slowing down.

PC laptop = Usually cheaper, but it will become slower after 1 or 2 years.

Franklin

Most all of your post is just not true.

No PC slows down over time all by itself. Have you read any of the threads on this forum and the Lion forum. There are a tons of "My Mac is running Slow".

BobTheFisherman wrote:

I use both a Windows PC and a Macbook Pro every day professionally. These are just tools to me. I have no loyalty or other attachment to either. I have not experienced any unexpected problems on either.

My experience is that they both perform equally well. So given my experience, I think the Macbook Pro is over priced.

Thank you Bob

My feelings exactly.

AppsAndHacks wrote:

Hi,

<snip>

MacBook Pro = Sometimes more expensive, but it can last many years without slowing down.

PC laptop = Usually cheaper, but it will become slower after 1 or 2 years.

Franklin

What? Do the bits and bytes wear out? 😉