Buying a laptop~ Please give suggestions

[Xiaozhu]

Hello,
Can anyone tell me the main characteristics of the MacBook Pro that makes it so expensive, at least twice the price of other laptops with similar specs, besides the physical design? Please no arguments like "oh OSX is better than Windows", non-OS related characteristics only. I've always used Windows OS so I'm more familiar with that, and I don't play much games either, but I would like stylish design and lightweight (but not tiny size please, I can't stand tiny screens) since I'm a student. As long as the laptop has high quality and runs optimal with common programs like browser (I usually have many tabs open though), Word, Photoshop CS2, games with non-heavy graphics, etc that would be fine. Oh and price should be around the $1000 range.
Thanks.

 

[shozzking]

Which model of the mbp are you looking at? The macbooks come with a 7 hour battery life which is really nice and the mbp's have a backlit keyboard. the one downside of them is that they have a unibody case, this means that you cant replace the battery on your own if something happens to it. for the most part you're paying more for it because its made by apple.

 

[JogaBonito1502]

The MacBook Pro is expensive because it comes preloaded with some of Apple's best software.

 

[Xiaozhu]

Which model of the mbp are you looking at? The macbooks come with a 7 hour battery life which is really nice and the mbp's have a backlit keyboard. the one downside of them is that they have a unibody case, this means that you cant replace the battery on your own if something happens to it. for the most part you're paying more for it because its made by apple.

I'm looking at the 15-inch models. For non-developers it's not necessary to buy the i7 right?
And I still don't really get why it's so expensive... "because it's made by apple" ~ what does that mean lol? Most laptops have backlit keyboard don't they?

The MacBook Pro is expensive because it comes preloaded with some of Apple's best software.

What are some examples?

 

[shozzking]

its expensive because it has OS X on it, since apple is the only company that is allowed to make computers with it(because they made OS X) then they can ask for however much they want.

 

[Xiaozhu]

Yes I know only their computers can have OSX, but that doesn't really have anything to do with the consumer. What I wanted to know is what justifies their price, ie is OSX the only reason they're twice as expensive as other laptops, and what is so good about OSX? Or is there no reason at all and Apple simply wants to sell at a higher price and there are always people who are willing to dish out that extra $1000 for no good reason?

 

[jmacavali]

Consider the following:

A suit from Dockers @ $125
A suit from Armani @ $1195

What's the difference to the average person? The name on the label.

When you computer an Apple computer to a regular PC, to the average user they have basically the same features and basically the same hardware but one is 'designer' and one is 'generic'.

 

[cboucher]

Consider the following:

A suit from Dockers @ $125
A suit from Armani @ $1195

What's the difference to the average person? The name on the label.

When you computer an Apple computer to a regular PC, to the average user they have basically the same features and basically the same hardware but one is 'designer' and one is 'generic'.

Perfect answer... +1

 

[Xiaozhu]

Consider the following:

A suit from Dockers @ $125
A suit from Armani @ $1195

What's the difference to the average person? The name on the label.

When you computer an Apple computer to a regular PC, to the average user they have basically the same features and basically the same hardware but one is 'designer' and one is 'generic'.

So basically people buy MacBooks either because they've used Macs all their life, or simply because it looks stylish? No performance advantages at all? I was looking more for a comparison between Mac and Windows from people who are familiar with both, example, comparing compatibility, comparing iWork versus MS Office, Safari versus Chrome/Firefox, performance of stuff like Photoshop on OSX and Windows, etc. I know clothing has highly gapped prices since you actually wear it on your body, ie people see it all the time and sometimes judge according to the clothing, but for something like laptops (which I'll mostly use at home) there aren't any clear advantages to buying a MacBook then right (besides the free iPod Touch 2G that is)?

 

[jmacavali]

Yes that is what I'm trying to get at. In terms of the average user if you have a Mac and a PC with comparable hardware, they will perform very similar.

I can't give you a side by side comparision because I've never been willing to pay for a MAC when a PC will do everything I need.