MacBook Pro Alternatives?!

Dellboy

Dellboy

Dellboy

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My friend wants a MBP... I am desperately telling him not to waste his money on a shiny piece of ******* ****. For £1000 you get an i5, 500gb HD and 4GB of RAM... Not even a dedicated GC. I think he should get a Dell 14z and save himself about £300.. What else is there? He wants a 13/14 inch laptop, wants to be able to play WoW on it. Your thoughts please
 
If he's not too technically clued up there's not much you can do.

Except maybe show him the prices apple charge for components in their fashion accesories.

Apple are the technological sheriff of Nottingham.
 
Er, there are no alternatives to a MacBook Pro if you want a MacBook Pro.

He is not wasting his time or money and they are fantastic machines especially in the 13/14" stakes.

Only reason to not have one is if you really need or prefer Windows OS or you need a windows environment business 13/14" machine like a lenovo T420, X1 or HP Elite Book.

I would not wish a Dell 14z on anyone, even a MacBook fan.
 
This is what I would get:-

HP ProBook 4330s 13.3" Core i5 Windows 7 Pro Laptop - A1E92EA

Has dedicated ATI GFX and can be had for less then £600.
 
panyan said:
+1 i agree completely with this
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I dont understand this point of view at all. They have the same hardware in them that other laptops have, not special apple versions. Yet they charge double or more what other manufacturers charge. What is it that makes people want a macbook over a different laptop?
 
They look a bit more polished and parts of their design are unique.

The only thing I would really like to see on an HP/Dell that I thought was neat was the magnetic charging cable thingy, very clever. But not worth 40% more!
 
Macbook Pro's are seriously nice, well worth the money.

However if he wants to be gaming, then don't go down the Macbook Pro route, if he wants a nice to use, well designed and moderately capable laptop, get the Macbook Pro.

If he is one of these 'shut up and take my money' people, have a long hard discussion about where his values are at.
 
jubei said:
I dont understand this point of view at all. They have the same hardware in them that other laptops have, not special apple versions. Yet they charge double or more what other manufacturers charge. What is it that makes people want a macbook over a different laptop?
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But you're not thinking like someone who wants a Macbook. Do you just buy clothes based on how much cotton there is? Or does your girlfriend want a particular piece of jewellery simply because it has more gold in it than another?

Most people who buy a Macbook aren't interested in buying it because it has the best 'specs', or that it offers the best value for money. Apple have done a good job in getting people to think of their products almost like a fashion item. And like with any fashion item, if it is fashionable enough, then some people will still pay for that, even if it costs double what an equivalent (or 'better') product costs.

Don't waste your time trying to convince them to get something else. It's like trying to convince your girlfriend that she'd be better buying a cheaper pair of shoes.

And before any Macbook fans jump on me - I'm not putting them down. I'd love to have one - I just couldn't justify the money, when there are alternatives that I'd be much happier with. But I'm aware that other people think differently and so for them, the cost is maybe more easy to justify.
 
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Scrutinize said:
Er, there are no alternatives to a MacBook Pro if you want a MacBook Pro.

I would not wish a Dell 14z on anyone, even a MacBook fan.
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Well there are... Why would you not wish a Dell xps 14z on anyone when you can get for about £300 less, way superior specs?
 
Now, I am no apple fan and own both Dell and apple machines but...

Yes the specs are superior on the xps14z but things I dislike:

Screen quality is shocking (as with most Dell laptops unless there is an upgrade).
The fan control is terrible (silent for a while then blast of air then back to silence and repeat).
The power adapter is massive compared to an apple magsafe not to mention how well the magsafe works
build quality is poor in comparison and nothing like xps of old (things went down hill after the studio xps 16)
 
Dellboy said:
Well there are... Why would you not wish a Dell xps 14z on anyone when you can get for about £300 less, way superior specs?
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It's not always about the spec's,The OS itself is fantastic, breathtaking is as best as I can describe, I can't afford one but If I could would definitely take the leap, I use OSX Lion on my HP ProBook 4530's (i5, Radeon HD 6490M, 6GB) and I haven't switched to Windows in ages, Only when there are a few things I can't do that I can on Lion,

For gaming though, You'd need a dedicated card, I'd recommend the Samsung G7, that 120HZ 3D panel is fantastic for gaming, High resolution, insanely powerful card, Its like a fully fledged desktop!
 
it is the whole Jesus cult thing - there is no justifying the extra cost based on performance or OS as Win7 is a pretty good choice now
Buying a Mac is a fashion statement now...
 
edgedemon said:
it is the whole Jesus cult thing - there is no justifying the extra cost based on performance or OS as Win7 is a pretty good choice now
Buying a Mac is a fashion statement now...
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All I can say is just sit down with a friends or colleagues MacBook/iMac whatever, and just play around with lion for a bit, As long as they are OK with it, download some games, Play a little minecraft, learn gestures and swipes with the track pad, If you don't like the intuitive design and fast slick OS that is Lion, then Mac's aren't for you, Personally, I think they are great, the cost isn't that much of a leap, A MacBook Air will set you back £849, And I think that yes it could be say £100 quid cheaper, but for £849 you get a decent i5, Decent SSD, a really nicely designed laptop and loads of other great features. Its still cheaper than some of the new "Ultrabooks" which in my opinion are near exact copies, but falter with the OS, Windows 7 is nice because its what most people grow up with (XP, 97 yada yada) But take the leap, and if you don't like it you can always go back =)
 
div0 said:
But you're not thinking like someone who wants a Macbook. Do you just buy clothes based on how much cotton there is? Or does your girlfriend want a particular piece of jewellery simply because it has more gold in it than another?

Most people who buy a Macbook aren't interested in buying it because it has the best 'specs', or that it offers the best value for money. Apple have done a good job in getting people to think of their products almost like a fashion item. And like with any fashion item, if it is fashionable enough, then some people will still pay for that, even if it costs double what an equivalent (or 'better') product costs.
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Though i have never owned a mac, though plenty of other apple products, original iphone and 3g, ipods and such. I kind of think of apple products now, and i know i am not the only one...as a little chavy. They might be expensive, but that doesnt seem to stop doleys getting them and apple as a brand now seems far less respected. Certainly among a lot of people i know in the IT field anyway. Am sure there are others that think completely differently though and thats fair enough.

I certainly wouldnt rag on the design of the macbooks i think they look lush, but just dont think they offer enough power for the cost.
 
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