MacBook Pro...Are they worth it?

Fender · September 12, 2012, 10:16:20 PM

Must first say Iv been a loyal customer of Windows and Dell for a long time now, however its not been without its 'up's and down's' and 'factory system restore' here and there. My current Dell is coming to the end of its life and well its basically just doing my t*ts in now, so its time to upgrade. I know Mac's and Apple are unrivaled in the department of internet protection the main reason for this being that they are only in around 10-20% of the global market of laptops/computers (last time I checked). The only thing stopping me is.... you guessed it the price!! £999 for the basic model, which would be the one id be going for. Anyone on here got one which could give pro's and con's and is it worth the money. I use my laptop everyday for work which would include CAD, doc's etc as well as downloading movies etc!! Any comments well appreciated.

nifan · September 13, 2012, 09:56:24 AM

Try it for a bit - some people absolutely love the way macs work, others hate it.
I fall into the later category personally - just have never like the interface.

Build quality they are very good with good quality components. The are not hugely more expensive than an equivalent with the same spec.

As for unrivaled internet protection - wouldnt agree with that.
OpenBSD would be the most secure, followed by linux. It is more secure than windows however.

mylestheslasher · September 13, 2012, 11:51:46 AM

I say NO. Unless someone can come on here and justify the additional cost over a PC. Seems to me to be as much a style statement than anything else.

J OGorman · September 13, 2012, 12:07:10 PM

i would say no too. You're paying a few hundred extra for 'cool'. Id buy a really good spec laptop and throw Ubuntu on it. Its a breeze to install. Has 1000's of free apps. Comes with thunderbird for mail, firefox for web and has a version of Office that has all the features and allows you to save as .doc etc...and its a secure as buck. You can use synaptics or the software center to run programs which dont get installed locally and clog the machine. You also get Ubuntu One (your personal 'cloud' for saving pics / data etc offsite)
Have been using Ubuntu for a year now, total convert. If I need to hit windows computers, Ive RDP and VNC software running.

nifan · September 13, 2012, 12:20:09 PM

Any non mac laptop is usually going to come with with windows preinstalled - there is probably not much to push most people down the ubuntu route except out of curiosity - particularly as the original post mentioned CAD software etc which isnt necessarily supported on ubuntu (or mac necessarily).

Armaghgeddon · September 13, 2012, 01:46:31 PM

I wouldn't because with the money that you spend on a macbook, you would be able to have a custom made laptop from Dell.
My friend bought a macbook 2 years ago and he has said numerous times that he regrets buying one. I bought a HP G62 and it's still going strong after 3 years.

nifan · September 13, 2012, 02:05:29 PM

Quote from: Armaghgeddon on September 13, 2012, 01:46:31 PM
My friend bought a macbook 2 years ago and he has said numerous times that he regrets buying one. I bought a HP G62 and it's still going strong after 3 years.

What is it about the mac that he dislikes particularly?

thewobbler · September 13, 2012, 02:38:08 PM

In a word, no.

Unless you're a hipster and making a statement, it's just a more expensive way of doing things less efficiently and less standardised.

JimStynes · September 13, 2012, 05:21:58 PM

Yes, just think how cool you will look. I got a macbook pro recently and my coolness rating has went up by 30%. Haters gonna hate

Armaghgeddon · September 13, 2012, 06:19:44 PM

Quote from: nifan on September 13, 2012, 02:05:29 PM
Quote from: Armaghgeddon on September 13, 2012, 01:46:31 PM
My friend bought a macbook 2 years ago and he has said numerous times that he regrets buying one. I bought a HP G62 and it's still going strong after 3 years.

What is it about the mac that he dislikes particularly?

He has paid a lot on getting repairs. After about 5 months of normal usage the battery went on the laptop and they wouldn't replace it as they considered it a problem caused by wear and tear. The same thing has also happened with the laptop's fan and other small problems that cost a lot to repair.

Minder · September 13, 2012, 06:25:46 PM

I have had one for two years and it is going as well as the day I got it, it doesn't leave the house so not sure how it is a "fashion statement".

Armaghgeddon · September 13, 2012, 06:32:58 PM

Quote from: Fender on September 12, 2012, 10:16:20 PM
Must first say Iv been a loyal customer of Windows and Dell for a long time now, however its not been without its 'up's and down's' and 'factory system restore' here and there. My current Dell is coming to the end of its life and well its basically just doing my t*ts in now, so its time to upgrade. I know Mac's and Apple are unrivaled in the department of internet protection the main reason for this being that they are only in around 10-20% of the global market of laptops/computers (last time I checked). The only thing stopping me is.... you guessed it the price!! £999 for the basic model, which would be the one id be going for. Anyone on here got one which could give pro's and con's and is it worth the money. I use my laptop everyday for work which would include CAD, doc's etc as well as downloading movies etc!! Any comments well appreciated.

I know of a few people who have thought that apple computers don't get viruses and just want to say, don't believe this shite. You are right in saying that they aren't a big part of the laptop market but the sales are increasing, and as it's sales increase so will the threat to it's security. For example, the met police virus has been found on macbooks.

JimStynes · September 13, 2012, 06:55:47 PM

Quote from: Minder on September 13, 2012, 06:25:46 PM
I have had one for two years and it is going as well as the day I got it, it doesn't leave the house so not sure how it is a "fashion statement".

My brother in law has one as well. He got his mac in 2008 and I got my old windows laptop in 2008. His is still flying along and he has never had a problem with it. He works in IT as well so he uses it quite a bit. My old laptop is now a complete snail and has been crashing loads this past year. The MacBook Pro holds its value as well so when you go to sell it or upgrade to a new one you will still get a good bit of money for it.

Armaghgeddon · September 13, 2012, 07:02:07 PM

Quote from: JimStynes on September 13, 2012, 06:55:47 PM
Quote from: Minder on September 13, 2012, 06:25:46 PM
I have had one for two years and it is going as well as the day I got it, it doesn't leave the house so not sure how it is a "fashion statement".

My brother in law has one as well. He got his mac in 2008 and I got my old windows laptop in 2008. His is still flying along and he has never had a problem with it. He works in IT as well so he uses it quite a bit. My old laptop is now a complete snail and has been crashing loads this past year. The MacBook Pro holds its value as well so when you go to sell it or upgrade to a new one you will still get a good bit of money for it.

And will be able to fix problems without having to pay much

JimStynes · September 13, 2012, 07:09:17 PM

Quote from: Armaghgeddon on September 13, 2012, 07:02:07 PM
Quote from: JimStynes on September 13, 2012, 06:55:47 PM
Quote from: Minder on September 13, 2012, 06:25:46 PM
I have had one for two years and it is going as well as the day I got it, it doesn't leave the house so not sure how it is a "fashion statement".

My brother in law has one as well. He got his mac in 2008 and I got my old windows laptop in 2008. His is still flying along and he has never had a problem with it. He works in IT as well so he uses it quite a bit. My old laptop is now a complete snail and has been crashing loads this past year. The MacBook Pro holds its value as well so when you go to sell it or upgrade to a new one you will still get a good bit of money for it.

And will be able to fix problems without having to pay much

He uses windows in work and says they're are shite compared to MacBook.