Stop me from buying a Macbook Pro.

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isamu13

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Stop me from buying a Macbook Pro.

I am looking for a 13-14 inch laptop.

I need 5+ hours of battery life.

The most intensive things it will be used for are playback of 720p video and Photoshop CS5.

I want a optical drive.

Physical durability is very important.

I am seriously considering a MacBook Pro 13 inch for $1,199.00.

On the PC side I am looking at 13 inch options from Asus like the Asus-U30JC

http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/13/asus-u30jc-1a-review/
 
if you have the money to spend go for it.

that's the only thing that usually stops me from buying apple. now that steam is on osx it's even more appealing.

that said i don't own any apple computers, just an ipod touch.
 
For a jack of all trades laptop its hard to beat the MBP. The only thing that i can think of that comes close would be a Hp Envy, of course of which is a total clone of the MBP.

Im not sure how Asus' battery life is, but the guy down the study hall from me has got a RoG laptop. Looks sleek.

thats the thing about this forum. its extroidinarily mature, we view products objectively, not based upoun brand loyalty/hate.
 
Thinkpad T410. It can easily top the MBP's durability, but the screen isn't that great. It's also somewhat dated looking.

The Dell Latitude E6410 is similar to the T410 but looks somewhat more modern.

Also, the graphics on both are worse if that's a factor.
 
Biggest thing holding me away from a MBP is the low resolutions.
 
get the macbook, you won't look back. the touchpad alone is worth the extra dough.
 
If you want OSX, get the Mac...

If you want Windows, get the Asus...

I mean, if you're buying the laptop for aesthetics and image, you already know you're going to buy the Macbook. If you're buying it based on features it doesn't matter either way. You can get durability, long battery life, CS5, and HD streaming in either camp. If you haven't used Mac OSX before, I'd say you should try it out before you spend your money on something you might not like. Using an iphone is not the same as using a Mac.

By the way, trying to run CS5 on any laptop in this price range is basically going to suck, Macbook included. Small screen, touch pad, 5400rpm hard drive will not make a pleasant CS experience.
 
Buy whatever matches your required feature combination. A MacBook usually meets most use cases, since it can run all the major OSes.

As for graphic design goes on a 13" laptop... oh god, no. Look into the 15" with the hi-res screen option, 1680x1050 is more manageable for what you want; FWIW, the only better laptop panel I'm aware of currently on the market is the one in the Asus 17" gaming model--I can't recall the model number at the moment.
 
Asus have a better durability rating for laptops. Apple are...4th or 5th, even with the price hike you pay for the same hardware used by other manafacturers. That said the drives in MBs fail very quickly in my experiance. Every person I know who has owned one (5 different people) have had to replace it or buy a new one within the first year.
But, you should get something that meets your criteria. If your looking at software that runs on windows (as most does) your going to have to factor in buying a 100$ windows 7 licence ontop of what you spend, whereas with the Asus youll get it "free". There is hardly any software that is exclusively apple OS only other than mostly apples own products (final cut and logic) which are neither the best in their segment or irreplacible.
If you are looking to do photoshop editing on a laptop your probably going to need an external monitor at some point. Most laptops have a HDMI or a VGA connector which makes this easy. MBPs have an annoying mini displayport, which means your either going to have to pay extra for the monitor or pay a load more for the various displayport adapters that can cost up to 100$. Another thing to not is that wacom tablets have lots of issues with working with OS/X for some reason.

But at the end of the day get whatever you think makes you happy.
 
From another thread. My initial impressions of owning a MBP 13in after coming form an Asus (not the same model you're looking at, but they're all pretty similar in terms of their negatives - cheap plastic, terrible screens etc.)

"Well, I figured this would be as good a place as any to post this in case anyone is looking at a similar situation.

I made up my mind about two weeks ago, and finally decided on going with the MBP 13in (base model). Ordered from Amazon due to a deal they were having and it being tax free for me here in Florida (ended up beating the Apple student deal, with the exception of no 'free' iPod - I didn't have the money to put down on the iPod and didn't feel like waiting for a rebate). The laptop arrived this past Tuesday, and I think I can say without a doubt that I made the right choice. Unfortunately I never got to see the Envy 14 in person, but with all the problems people have been having on the NoteBook Review forums, I seriously doubt that I would have been happy with that laptop.

'Mini' Review:
- I was originally worried about the low screen resolution, but I can safely say it hasn't bothered me in the slightest. The screen itself is beautiful and incredibly vibrant.
- I was originally worried about the older processor, but for day-to-day activities, this laptop feels just as snappy as my quad-core desktop. Sure I'm not going to be doing any high-end gaming on this thing, but it can handle all the tasks I throw at it with ease.
- The build quality exceeded my expectations. I have no idea how Apple achieves this level of precision, but this machine is as perfect as I could have ever hoped for. It feels very sturdy and rigid, yet somehow seems lighter than I would have imagined.
- OSX is slick and a pleasure to use. Don't get me wrong, I love Windows 7 and think it's a great desktop experience, but for a laptop that I'm going to be using on the go, the ease of use and reliability of OSX is hugely important. Also, as a programmer that primarily uses Java for school, the inclusion of the JDK was a really nice touch!
- The track-pad is downright amazing. I've used three laptops before this, and absolutely hated using the track-pads on all of them. The one on this laptop is not only very effective as a track-pad, it is also somehow fun to use.
- Just the experience of even setting this thing up beat out every laptop I've ever tried. No pealing annoying stickers off (this may sound nit-picky, but anyone who has ever tried to get those things off will know how infuriatingly difficult they can be!), I didn't have to reinstall the os because of bloat-ware and I didn't have to hunt down drivers to get everything working. *strains self not to use the cliche, "It just works!" line*
- Finally, battery life is also as good as I could expect. 10 hours? Probably not, but it can still go through an entire day of class and clubs/meetings with a few hours to spare on the charge.

About the only negative I can think of right now is the fact that the screen is a smudge magnet, but hey, nothing's perfect! Also, for people that would keep this tied to a desk, the two USB drives might be limiting for you."
 
Im still a newb in the laptop arena, but are there any laptops with a 1080 HD screen, with enough processing to edit small HD clips on? preff. around 17" .. I got a GoPro and im killing my rust bucket PC editing videos! its literally a rust bucket, now I want mobility too so I can edit and film :D

I mean 12-1400$ sounds reasonable right? my dad bought a 400$ POS HP desktop that can render HD faster than I can pee. this thread has helped a lot so far... not getting a MBP either ... Im not a "It just works" guy .. I gotta monkey with something until it breaks, then I fix it. and I can edit HD just fine with a 7 year old PC running XP... it just takes longer lol
 
[S];1036188455 said:
Im still a newb in the laptop arena, but are there any laptops with a 1080 HD screen, with enough processing to edit small HD clips on? preff. around 17" .. I got a GoPro and im killing my rust bucket PC editing videos! its literally a rust bucket, now I want mobility too so I can edit and film :D

I mean 12-1400$ sounds reasonable right? my dad bought a 400$ POS HP desktop that can render HD faster than I can pee. this thread has helped a lot so far... not getting a MBP either ... Im not a "It just works" guy .. I gotta monkey with something until it breaks, then I fix it. and I can edit HD just fine with a 7 year old PC running XP... it just takes longer lol
Click to expand...

You should make your own thread with more specifics.

OP: I'm in the same situation as orangeblue.. programmer and very very happy.
 
m15x with ati 5850 card and 9 cell battery 1080p screen high res and awesome colors. battery life is 3 hours but rapes the macbook on performance and i7 versus core 2 duo ewwww that is like so 2 yrs ago
 
^He doesn't need that much performance and the m15x is MUCH larger than an MBP 13".
 
the op did mention durability is 'very' important
and apple does have a very impressive build quality for the mbp... and once u get used to it the os is ok too

it really depends what you want but i dont think i would be buying a mbp
(my sister on the otherhand loves her mbp)
 
dexster said:
the op did mention durability is 'very' important
and apple does have a very impressive build quality for the mbp... and once u get used to it the os is ok too

it really depends what you want but i dont think i would be buying a mbp
(my sister on the otherhand loves her mbp)
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Apparent build quality, sure. They're really good at that. Can't say so much for the actual utility of the machine over a price-comparable 'actually pro' unit from a Tier 1.

I suppose it depends on what the OP likes about it. Design-wise the Apple leads the pack at the price point IMO - but the Envy is basically the Macbook Pro engineered properly with similar looks. If he's willing to spend more, then there are considerably better machines for long-term use than the pretty consumer crud Apple churns out.
 
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Ronco said:
Apparent build quality, sure. They're really good at that. Can't say so much for the actual utility of the machine over a price-comparable 'actually pro' unit from a Tier 1.
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As mentioned before, if the OP wants a well built laptop, get a proper business laptop (Lenovo Thinkpad T, X & W series, Dell Latitude E4xxx and E6xxx and/or Precision, HP Elitebook). Those will top a MBP's build quality through magnesium alloy chassis's and frames, CFRP reinforced plastics, etc. However, they have weaker graphics cards.
 
HP Envy 14! Mac like build quality, 5 hours ish of battery and far more powerful than a 12inch mbp
 
I don't think the 13" MBP is overpriced (as people usually say Apple stuff is) in terms of pure hardware (ignoring things like awesome build quality and the unbeatable touchpad). At least the 2.4 ghz base config. You can get $100 off if you're a student too (and used to be the case you'd get a $200 iPod touch for free).
 
The Envy 14 is good, but five hours peak runtime versus 10 isn't a ringing endorsement -- if battery life is important, of course.

I'll add this, though: Ronco's comment should be enough to make anyone get a Mac on principle. There's nothing worse than a die-hard Anything But Apple loyalist who feels Mac versus Windows has to be a zero-sum game.
 
If you need extended runtimes just get a second battery. I have a spare battery for my tm2 and the total weight is just a little bit over 5 lbs. for 8 to 10 hours of run time.
 
have both. I'm fine with both, but the Envy 14 has considerably better performance.

The trackpad on the MBP is unparalleled when it comes to gestures. It is also marginally thinner.

Macbook Pro also runs considerably hotter with heavy use. Which is probably why it didn't make the jump to i3 or i5. It burns your lap type of hot (playing DotTA =P)
 
Aurelius said:
The Envy 14 is good, but five hours peak runtime versus 10 isn't a ringing endorsement -- if battery life is important, of course.

I'll add this, though: Ronco's comment should be enough to make anyone get a Mac on principle. There's nothing worse than a die-hard Anything But Apple loyalist who feels Mac versus Windows has to be a zero-sum game.
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Perhaps they should. And experience it first-hand like I do on an everyday basis. If it works for you, hey - I'm not saying it's not fine for lowest-common-denominator types, or those upgrading from total crud. Apple's pricing structure is a key factor in creating born-again fanbois from the latter.

Back to the point however, I'd say the attitude is better than Mactards who fabricate "OMG10hours!!!!" real-life runtimes while picking and choosing other products's actual real-life runtimes, eh? If Apple runtime is bang on as published, I wonder why I have a small stack of HyperMac external batteries?

If I'm a diehard Anything But, it's Dunning-Kruger and hype.

It would be true to say that like me, you could still be a very active (and heavily invested) Mac user but not necessarily be a Mactard. However, it would also be true to say that the vast majority of Mac users are Mactards.
 
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Aurelius said:
The Envy 14 is good, but five hours peak runtime versus 10 isn't a ringing endorsement -- if battery life is important, of course.

I'll add this, though: Ronco's comment should be enough to make anyone get a Mac on principle. There's nothing worse than a die-hard Anything But Apple loyalist who feels Mac versus Windows has to be a zero-sum game.
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trade offs



The envy 14 errs on the performance side (low end of the spectrum 5650 clock aside), as opposed to pure battery life. Better gpu, better cpus, better cooling. Presumably the battery life on the envy 14 could be a bit better even in windows if they went with a single fan design like the mbp, but they opted for higher performance and graphics and much better cooling and thermals.


the mbp 13 errs on the side of battery life, with less emphasis on raw performance for cpus or gpus or any major concern on how cool the machine runs.

For many that is a non issue. The good thing is there is choice now. HP aped the apple design with more performance dna, and plenty of people would gladly choose that type of config and machine. For people who like to focus more on web browsing and typing and non gaming or any sort of heavier use, the mbp will probably be better for them as the strengths of the envy 14 are less relevant.

That type of user is NOT me, but hey, not everyone enjoys playing moderately advanced games on their $1200+ notebook. For my money, it better damn well have some competence in that arena for that much cash.
 
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At this price point, might want to consider a Sony Z series for a premium 13" premium screen.
 
i have 3 laps i payed about $600 each. for the money you got get the best pc lap you can, macs laptops look good but they all are low on power.
 
Wait for AMD's Zacate and buy a cheap 500$ 13" netbook. Build a 600$ desktop that blows that macbook away in photoshop.

You can still use photoshop on the netbook for simple stuff. This idea only works if you don't constantly work on the go of course. Notebooks aren't exactly intended to crunch loads that photoshop can generate.
 
Cat1yst said:
For a jack of all trades laptop its hard to beat the MBP. The only thing that i can think of that comes close would be a Hp Envy, of course of which is a total clone of the MBP.
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It is indeed, I love my MBP. Wether used for work or media-related stuff or gaming, it never fails me. Plus, being able to dual-boot into Windows 7 is awesome. That said, I can't help but check out the Envy every now and then. I don't care if HP is trying to rip off the MBP design, the Envy looks damn good. Anyone have an Envy that could throw their opinion in on them?


ryken said:
get the macbook, you won't look back. the touchpad alone is worth the extra dough.
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Oh God +1. I mean the glass is a nice touch, but the way OS X makes use of the trackpad is something I've never experienced on any other machine.
 
niranjan162 said:
macs suck at gaming
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that's 100% correct. what apple does is first to make the computer itself pretty (design), and second, have the best lcd screen there is in the world. so things look better, pcs should learn from that. i never understood why, but apple always use low power video cards!? what's up with that???
 
niranjan162 said:
macs suck at gaming
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And you suck at trolling. Notebooks in general aren't the best for gaming (and the super high end ones might as well be desktops with an LCD attached). Although it does stink Apple doesn't use higher end GPUs (or at least offer them). But I have no trouble gaming on my MBP. Having Steam for OS X is nifty, but booting into Windows 7 is easy too (and with Boot Camp there's no emulation, so everything runs at native speeds).
 
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