Why NOT to get a mac?

[Borkpaladin]

I'm looking to get a thin, lightweight laptop with a long battery life for college, I'll mainly be using it for writing essays, editing films and recording music. 

I've mainly used an old macbook for recording and editing films, but I use a custom gaming rig at home.

 

The 13 inch macbook air or macbook pro seem like quite nice laptops, why wouldn't I want to buy them?

And which laptops would be a good alternative?

[Dude]

Because Lenovo's newer laptops kick ass.

[ShadowCaptain]

I'm looking to get a thin, lightweight laptop with a long battery life for college, I'll mainly be using it for writing essays, editing films and recording music. 

I've mainly used an old macbook for recording and editing films, but I use a custom gaming rig at home.

 

The 13 inch macbook air or macbook pro seem like quite nice laptops, why wouldn't I want to buy them?

And which laptops would be a good alternative?

 

The reason not to buy one is if you are one of those bigoted asshole that can not contemplate that Apple macbooks are really solid awesome machines with great performance   (or if you want to play games at the highest settings)

 

Otherwise they are genuinely very good machines, super well build, great displays and OSX is a really nice OS. 

 

Alternatives depend on what you are looking for, there is not much that matches the build and aesthetic save the razer blade or something, but if you are looking for something with a super high res display and 9 hours battery life there is not much to recommend with these features

[jbr]

- Higher price

- Less free software

- Apples walled garden

- Narcissistic, pretentious douchebags in the line and working behind the counters at Apple stores.

 

Aren't they doing something with glue and shit to prevent you from even making repairs or changing a battery yourself in their laptops for awhile now?

[ShadowCaptain]

- Higher price

- Less free software

- Apples walled garden

- Narcissistic, pretentious douchebags in the line and working behind the counters at Apple stores.

 

Aren't they doing something with glue and shit to prevent you from even making repairs or changing a battery yourself in their laptops for awhile now?

 

What?

 

Higher price? - ok please find a laptop with an aluminium chassis, 9 hours batter, i5/i7 with iris pro, and beyond 1080p resolutions for cheaper

Less free software? - again what? there is a massive app store even on the mac that has thousands of apps and software, a lot of it free, plus usual things that you download for free on windows is free on apple, like VLC and those sorts of things

Apples walled garden - on OSX? you can do whatever you want, install any programs, run thins from terminal, its just as flexible as windows, use any browser, any media player, any AV, any programs you want, there are no restrictions to what you can and cannot do

Narcissistic - that is your opinion, there are plenty of apple users that are not douchebags, there are pretentions arseholes that cue up for other brand devices too that are as much fanboys as apple ones

 

Their batteries are glued in and none-removable but so are many other brands laptops, that siad the batteries last between 9 and 12 hours in the macbooks, which is pretty awesome

[hamiltus]

As an owner of a dying 2009 MacBook Pro who's in the market for a replacement machine, when I look at Apple's lineup, I feel embarassed at the specs they offer at the price points they're asking for, especially in terms of GPUs and RAM. Also don't take this as hating on Apple cos, heck, I'm using one to write this post up and I've had it for 5 years lol. To make things short here's a spec comparaison between two equally priced laptops (Bear in mind these are French prices as that's where I live) :

 

For me I'll mark each spec with either Pro, Decent or Con.

• MacBook Pro 13" Retina Base spec for €1299 :
  • Intel Core i5 Dual Core @ 2.6 GHz = Decent
  • 8 GB non-upgradeable RAM, Plus 16GB RAM upgrade shouldn't cost €200 = Con
  • 128GB SSD and that's it for life in terms of internal storage. Cough up 200 quid more for a bigger SSD = Con
  • Intel Iris Graphics. Which is a mediocre GPU in my opinion. This guy can't even handle gaming on Steam for Mac games at half res (1280x800) above 30~40FPS with good detail. = Con
  • 2560x1600 Retina Display. OS X handles display scaling worlds better than Windows. Period. Also the 16:10 aspect Ratio is a nice bonus and is nowadays a rarety. = Pro
  • Mac OS X : A rock solid Operating System that anyone can learn to use and enjoy = Pro
  • Versatility : Macs are the only computers capable of legitimately running any and all OSes, whether it's OS X, Windows or Linux. = Pro
  • Battery life : 9 hours. Enough Said. But Glued in = Decent
• MSI GS60 Ghost (retails here for ~€1300) :
  • Intel Core i7-4710HQ (Quad-Core 2.5 GHz) = Pro
  • 8 GB Sort-of upgradeable RAM, I say sort of cos Linus showed how they're hidden under the motherboard in his review. = Decent
  • 128GB SSD + 1TB HDD : Much more storage space than the rMBP plus the storage is expandable with mSATA + 2.5" HDDs = Pro
  • Nvidia GeForce GTX 860M : A much much better GPU than Intel's Iris chip. Meaning gaming is possible with high details and decent resolution. Plus Adobe CC can utilize this guy for CUDA acceleration for non-gaming tasks. Desktop equivalent would be around the ballpark of the GTX 750 Ti as it's a Maxwell part. = Pro
  • Screen : Whilst it's IPS and fairly good from what I could see in Linus' video, it's only 1080p. But if you want to pay more, there's always the 3K edition of the Ghost Pro = Decent
  • Battery life : These high performance don't like being taxed for long. So don't expect battery endurance. = Con

I would put more but that would get boring so I'll let you guys be the judge.

[TheGloriousLeader]

What?

 

Higher price? - ok please find a laptop with an aluminium chassis, 9 hours batter, i5/i7 with iris pro, and beyond 1080p resolutions for cheaper

Less free software? - again what? there is a massive app store even on the mac that has thousands of apps and software, a lot of it free, plus usual things that you download for free on windows is free on apple, like VLC and those sorts of things

Apples walled garden - on OSX? you can do whatever you want, install any programs, run thins from terminal, its just as flexible as windows, use any browser, any media player, any AV, any programs you want, there are no restrictions to what you can and cannot do

Narcissistic - that is your opinion, there are plenty of apple users that are not douchebags, there are pretentions arseholes that cue up for other brand devices too that are as much fanboys as apple ones

 

Their batteries are glued in and none-removable but so are many other brands laptops, that siad the batteries last between 9 and 12 hours in the macbooks, which is pretty awesome

 

 

 

 

Dell XPS 13

 

Dell xps 13.

899 + 10% student discount + $150 off with Office 365

1920x1080 IPS display with touchscreen

700 minutes of web browsing on one charge

upgradable msata drive

battery can be removed by unscrewing the base

Carbon Fiber chassis instead of aluminum

Has 4400 vs Iris

Better than the Macbook air in every category

 

Macbook air has better integrated graphics and that's the only advantage it has, as well as costing more.

Macbook pro has a higher resolution, a non low voltage cpu, and better integrated graphics, and costs significantly more. 

 

If you have a gaming rig at home get the xps 13. Unless you need the faster integrated graphics get the macbook.

[79wjd]

As an owner of a dying 2009 MacBook Pro who's in the market for a replacement machine, when I look at Apple's lineup, I feel embarassed at the specs they offer at the price points they're asking for, especially in terms of GPUs and RAM. Also don't take this as hating on Apple cos, heck, I'm using one to write this post up and I've had it for 5 years lol. To make things short here's a spec comparaison between two equally priced laptops (Bear in mind these are French prices as that's where I live) :

 

For me I'll mark each spec with either Pro, Decent or Con.

• MacBook Pro 13" Retina Base spec for €1299 :
  • Intel Core i5 Dual Core @ 2.6 GHz = Decent
  • 8 GB non-upgradeable RAM, Plus 16GB RAM upgrade shouldn't cost €200 = Con
  • 128GB SSD and that's it for life in terms of internal storage. Cough up 200 quid more for a bigger SSD = Con
  • Intel Iris Graphics. Which is a mediocre GPU in my opinion. This guy can't even handle gaming on Steam for Mac games at half res (1280x800) above 30~40FPS with good detail. = Con
  • 2560x1600 Retina Display. OS X handles display scaling worlds better than Windows. Period. Also the 16:10 aspect Ratio is a nice bonus and is nowadays a rarety. = Pro
  • Mac OS X : A rock solid Operating System that anyone can learn to use and enjoy = Pro
  • Versatility : Macs are the only computers capable of legitimately running any and all OSes, whether it's OS X, Windows or Linux. = Pro
  • Battery life : 9 hours. Enough Said. But Glued in = Decent
• MSI GS60 Ghost (retails here for ~€1300) :
  • Intel Core i7-4710HQ (Quad-Core 2.5 GHz) = Pro
  • 8 GB Sort-of upgradeable RAM, I say sort of cos Linus showed how they're hidden under the motherboard in his review. = Decent
  • 128GB SSD + 1TB HDD : Much more storage space than the rMBP plus the storage is expandable with mSATA + 2.5" HDDs = Pro
  • Nvidia GeForce GTX 860M : A much much better GPU than Intel's Iris chip. Meaning gaming is possible with high details and decent resolution. Plus Adobe CC can utilize this guy for CUDA acceleration for non-gaming tasks. Desktop equivalent would be around the ballpark of the GTX 750 Ti as it's a Maxwell part. = Pro
  • Screen : Whilst it's IPS and fairly good from what I could see in Linus' video, it's only 1080p. But if you want to pay more, there's always the 3K edition of the Ghost Pro = Decent
  • Battery life : These high performance don't like being taxed for long. So don't expect battery endurance. = Con

I would put more but that would get boring so I'll you guys be the judge.

Mac: 

• CPU: It competes quite well with window's machines with a quad core in pretty much every use except gaming and editing. 
• RAM: yes, its overpriced, no argument here. 
• SSD: Keep in mind, its a PCIe ssd--they're all overly expensive--even desktop ones. It can be replaced (with another proprietary drive--and yes, its also a bit overpriced) 
• Iris -- its on par with a GT650m, which isn't great, but again gaming has never been a big Apple target. And, it is still able to play most games on decent enough settings should you choose to. 
• Battery -- can be removed with a bit of work --seeing as it will only need to be done every few years, I dont see it as much of a con. 

MSI: 

• Don't forget that its very bulky/heavy. 
• Quad core will only make it perform miles better in gaming/editing. 
• GTX860m is quite a bit better--in gaming/editing. 

[hamiltus]

MSI: 

• Don't forget that its very bulky/heavy.

 

I beg to differ as the GS60 only weighs in at 1.96 Kg and measures a mere 20mm thick.

[79wjd]

I beg to differ as the GS60 only weighs in at 1.96 Kg and measures a mere 20mm thick.

Still over a pound heavier, which does make a difference when you're dragging a computer around all day--which with the MSI would also require the charger to do so. Macs also have far superior trackpads. But on the other hand, it will also be an excellent to have as you can always make yourself some eggs with it.... 

[ShadowCaptain]

 

Better than the Macbook air in every category

 

 

What? Its worse than the mac in every aspect lol are you high?

 

899 + 10% student discount + $150 off with Office 365  £999 up to 15% off student discount (office deals and free pages etc)

1920x1080 IPS display with touchscreen 2560x1600 retina display

700 minutes of web browsing on one charge - Ok slightly better but the mac battery life is average including video playback 

upgradable msata drive - upgradable pci-e ssd (yes it is actually replaceable easily)

battery can be removed by unscrewing the base -ok thats better, the mac one is glued in

Carbon Fiber chassis instead of aluminum - subjective, both are well made, not all of the dell is carbon there is still plastic 

Has 4400 vs Iris  better gpu

Better than the Macbook air in every category I was saying the retina mbp, not the AIR btw....

[Sousuke]

What?

 

Higher price? - ok please find a laptop with an aluminium chassis, 9 hours batter, i5/i7 with iris pro, and beyond 1080p resolutions for cheaper

Less free software? - again what? there is a massive app store even on the mac that has thousands of apps and software, a lot of it free, plus usual things that you download for free on windows is free on apple, like VLC and those sorts of things

Apples walled garden - on OSX? you can do whatever you want, install any programs, run thins from terminal, its just as flexible as windows, use any browser, any media player, any AV, any programs you want, there are no restrictions to what you can and cannot do

Narcissistic - that is your opinion, there are plenty of apple users that are not douchebags, there are pretentions arseholes that cue up for other brand devices too that are as much fanboys as apple ones

 

Their batteries are glued in and none-removable but so are many other brands laptops, that siad the batteries last between 9 and 12 hours in the macbooks, which is pretty awesome

 

This is 100% The Truth.

 

Now the only real reason for not buying a Mac is if you want to Game heavily on it, sure there are games on the mac but a good few are missing. 

[79wjd]

This is 100% The Truth.

 

Now the only real reason for not buying a Mac is if you want to Game heavily on it, sure there are games on the mac but a good few are missing. 

Not to mention Macs really don't run games particularly well. 

[Sousuke]

Not to mention Macs really don't run games particularly well. 

 

I've never had an issue running games on my Mac Pro? Other than the ... old Graphics Card it seems to run fine.

[TheGloriousLeader]

 

What? Its worse than the mac in every aspect lol are you high?

 

899 + 10% student discount + $150 off with Office 365  £999 up to 15% off student discount (office deals and free pages etc)

1920x1080 IPS display with touchscreen 2560x1600 retina display

700 minutes of web browsing on one charge - Ok slightly better but the mac battery life is average including video playback 

upgradable msata drive - upgradable pci-e ssd (yes it is actually replaceable easily)

battery can be removed by unscrewing the base -ok thats better, the mac one is glued in

Carbon Fiber chassis instead of aluminum - subjective, both are well made, not all of the dell is carbon there is still plastic 

Has 4400 vs Iris  better gpu

Better than the Macbook air in every category I was saying the retina mbp, not the AIR btw....

 

 

I just might be for comparing laptops in their own category. 

[Scionyde]

I've never had an issue running games on my Mac Pro? Other than the ... old Graphics Card it seems to run fine.

 

I think he just means that in the end it's still integrated graphics, so it'll still be lower settings and/or framerates compared to a dedicated GPU. Macs are good for plenty of things, but they're not a gaming laptop. Which is completely fine.

[Sousuke]

I think he just means that in the end it's still integrated graphics, so it'll still be lower settings and/or framerates compared to a dedicated GPU. Macs are good for plenty of things, but they're not a gaming laptop. Which is completely fine.

 

Which I accept, not all Macs are poor performers for the games that have been written for them. I have been thinking of getting a new Graphics Card for my Mac Pro however I have a Gaming PC so little point in the large schemes of things.

[ManWithBeard1990]

Only reason I can think of is if your old one is still running fine. Or if raw performance specs and low price are more important to you than what others consider the overall package.

[elecxonica]

Depends on the specific software you need . if you need/prefer software like logic or final cut, or prefer OS x, the mac book is an excellent choice. If you need/prefer windows, it still may be an excellent choice depending on the price of it and Windows. But in some places (like australia) PC's may be more price competitive for that use case.

[KingKeith55]

I think this would be your best choice, you can spend like 20-50 bucks on this and use the rest of your money for something else.

 

 

 

Dell inspiron 500m, Has a 800mhz cpu, powerful enough to run crysis 3 at ultra 4k 

Has super duper High definition intel graphics, its intel so it must be intelligent. With it runs crysis 3 at ultra 4k

[davidvu396]

 

Dell XPS 13

 

Dell xps 13.

899 + 10% student discount + $150 off with Office 365

1920x1080 IPS display with touchscreen

700 minutes of web browsing on one charge

 

 

Show me any proof that it runs 700 minutes of battery life and I'm sold.

[dylan43270]

If you have the money I would either suggest the Asus UX301LA or Surface Pro 3. I own the Asus, and my girlfriend uses my Surface Pro 2 more often than her macbook pro.

[hamiltus]

Macs also have far superior trackpads.

That, I completely agree with. Without a shadow of a doubt, Apple's trackpad stands alone and is worlds better than any PC notebook touchpad.

[Guest]

why wouldn't I want to buy them?

• Glary screens make them hard to use in places where you don't control lighting ( which kind of defeats the purpose of a laptop)
• No docking port ( which kind of defeats the purpose of a workstation)
• No user serviceability/upgradeability, which some people don't care about but is still a big 'fuck you' by Apple
• They're made by an American company, which means guaranteed hardware and software backdoors
• They have a huge, absurdly vulgar glowing logo on the back

[SirDingleBerry]

What?

 

Higher price? - ok please find a laptop with an aluminium chassis, 9 hours batter, i5/i7 with iris pro, and beyond 1080p resolutions for cheaper

Less free software? - again what? there is a massive app store even on the mac that has thousands of apps and software, a lot of it free, plus usual things that you download for free on windows is free on apple, like VLC and those sorts of things

Apples walled garden - on OSX? you can do whatever you want, install any programs, run thins from terminal, its just as flexible as windows, use any browser, any media player, any AV, any programs you want, there are no restrictions to what you can and cannot do

Narcissistic - that is your opinion, there are plenty of apple users that are not douchebags, there are pretentions arseholes that cue up for other brand devices too that are as much fanboys as apple ones

 

Their batteries are glued in and none-removable but so are many other brands laptops, that siad the batteries last between 9 and 12 hours in the macbooks, which is pretty awesome

Amen to that brother