Is a mac book worth it

[Afasoas]

What is it about computers that brings out sad people, telling you that you could have got something cheaper?

Buying cheaper is not necessarily buying better either and I don't think anyone's advocating otherwise.

[Jaded]

I think yours posts suggest otherwise.

[Afasoas]

No I don't think Apple products are worth the extra premium.
There are alternative high quality laptops that offer better value for money;
 - higher specification components
 - longer battery life
 - better inclusive warranties (3 years on-site not being atypical)
 - replaceable batteries
 - easily upgradeable/replacable RAM/HDD and even in some cases CPU/GPU
 - service manuals available on-line
 - An OS that is in some respects better than MacOS, in other respects worse but by no means inferior

That does not mean to say I think people should go out and buy the cheapest alternative. Cheap and stunted PC hardware has probably been a key factor in Apple's success.

[Jaded]

I think you've already said that.

Several times.

[Morat]

Maybe the Pinarello analogy is apposite.

Its made of the same raw materials as all the other bikes of its type. The groupset is made in the same factory as that found on a Boardman. It probably rides much the same, but of course its higher price tag and brand caché may alter the perception of its owner. After all, why else did they pay the premium?

It has, of course, got a name that trades on past glory and a better paint job. And yes, Pinarello owners possibly want you to know that they ride a Pinarello

 

If I had a Pinarello, I'd like one without logos or branding so you'd only spot it was a Pinarello if you knew about them. That's maybe a bit more pretentious but it's less flash-git.
Sadly I'd still look like a walrus in ballet shoes so I'll have to spike this particular ambition.

[Afasoas]

I think you've already said that.

Several times.

Repeating it largely for your benefit, as you seem to inaccurately boil my opinion down to " 'x' is cheaper than 'y' thus it must be better".

[ian]

But you do seem to keep saying that.

But anyway, I've no wish to upgrade or any of those things, my old 2011 Macbook Air is more than capable, and any modern computer more so. I don't need more GBs and if it breaks I'll take it back to Apple and look stern. The only marginal point is a replaceable battery - but a fitted model isn't unique to Apple and if comes down to it, I'll pay the premium for Apple to replace (the six-plus year old Macbook Air is down to about 4 hours). But yes, like I said, if you're keen to nibble on the innards, then it's a not the computer for you. I want a computer I enjoy using, has a nice human interface, and by-and-large just works. I close the lid it sleeps, I open it and it's ready to use. No palaver, no faff. A computer to me is just something I use. I have no wish to take my bike apart either. I want something I can take out of the garage and ride, not having to worry that something fragile and expensive is going to fall off.

Possibly I'm making some unconscious statement about my lifestyle or somesuch. Who knows. Or maybe I just bought a computer I liked and I just happen to be cool anyway. Or possibly that's my classy Saracen Rufftrax II, the most awesome bicycle in south London.

[Valiant]

I am sads. I've always liked apples and oranges.

My daily laptop is a 2006 MBP with 2.33Ghz Core2Duo and 3GB. The HDD has been upgraded incrementally until a 512GB Samsung Evo SSD last year. Other than that the only thing that doesn't work is the disc drive and the battery. But then the laptop has been dropped more times than all my phones combined. It's held together half with sellotape. I kid yet not. But yet she does not die. A few months ago I google warned me that Chrome would no longer be supported so off I went in search of a replacement. I don't like the new Macbook Pros. I like being able to upgrade. But also they don't feel nicely weighted. They are pretty and have decent specs but thats it.

First I went to check out Thinkpads, they too had gone down hill. No longer built aswell as they were and well they were clunky. I looked at the Zen etc but didn't like the flimsiness.

Then I came across a Dell XPS13 and I was like woah. Great screen, great size, nice weighting. W10 was great too and I use that on my PC. At this point in time I feel like it's worth mentioning that 80% of my work on a laptop is done within chrome, the rest is photoshop and keynote. So not really tied down software wise.

So anyways, I ordered myself the all singing all dancing XPS, which was just as expensive as a Mac give or take £100. But after a few months usage I handed it to my brother. There was something about it I wasn't getting on with. It did everything I asked of it with ease but no faster. The keyboard wasn't as familiar or as nice to use, the screen while beatiful wasn't quite to my liking with minute amounts of edge bleed even after calibrating. Maybe I'm just too accustomed to my decade old MBP.

So I was lent a friends two year old MBP. That was a bit more like it, but I still didn't like the weighting off it. It might seem odd but I don't half use my laptop in odd positions.

Anyways, so now I'm on the look out for a 2013 MBP. Which seems to be when Apple stuff seemed to take a turn away from what I liked.

[Dibdib]

I'm coming around to the idea that the computer I really want is actually just to swap the broken SuperDrive from my 2009 iMac with an SSD for the OS/apps, leaving the spinning rust drive just for /home. It's already got an old-but-adequate core2duo and 16gb ram, after all. Looking at some youtubes it's a slightly fiddly but doable home job.

I mean, a Retina display on the new ones - and two extra cores - would be nice, but a lot more spendy than just a new SSD.

[Valiant]

In day to day usage my decade old mbp with ssd is almost as fast as the current gen mbp. But then I don't do anything intensive.

[Kim]

http://www.local10.com/news/florida/broward-county/lap-top-saves-mans-life-during-fort-lauderdale-airport-shooting

[Charlotte]

http://www.local10.com/news/florida/broward-county/lap-top-saves-mans-life-during-fort-lauderdale-airport-shooting

And the moral of that story is...  Always back up your data?

[Kim]

And encrypt it, as you never know when teh feds will want your computer as evidence.