Mac book pro vs generic laptop

[darek_fortas]

I would like to see opinions in relation to what is better to use for image

processing generic laptop or mac boo pro. Propably you know my my concern is:

generic laptop with the same spec (4gb Ram, 512 mb graphic card and 2.5 due

core process) is much cheaper, and I'm wondering what is the difference, apart

o operation system between apple and generic laptops i.e. acer, or hp.

What is unique about the mac book pro compared to laptop from HP?

 

Thanks so much!

[tobiasfeltus]

Hi Darek,

I fear this will become an argument of taste over matter, however I did use Windows for a

few years, and then moved back to mac. Previous to my MBP I had a laptop with much

higher specs, on paper, than the macbook. It has a plastic case, which was flimsy. its

power supply was the size of a brick, and hissed loudly. the machine sounded like a

hairdryer. OSX is a very stable os, as well as coming with hundreds of features which you

have to download and add to Windows. in general, OSX works, out of the box, whereas

Windows does not. you need to be a technician to live with Windows, if you want to add a

wireless network, for example, you have to deal with odd windows and strange little

settings: on OSX you don't even need to open a preferences panel.

 

t

[trunfio]

Depends on what you want to use it for. MBP is aluminum. I use a basic Macbook (Intel Core

2 Duos) that was cheap and I loaded with 3rd party RAM for travel and downloading images

or working in bed or something. I never work on it other than email, web, and word

processing. For me Mac OS is like a Porche and Windows is like a Camry (to use the same

analogy in another post today, different topic).

[jon hunt]

I think that both of the previous replies have good points. I moved from a PC long ago, and never looked back. I think that the adage "you only get what you pay for" applies. All macs these days are very fast. They are very stable. They look good. I understand they are more reliable. Windows OS is clunky and full of compromises as a result of multiple hardware configurations and the need to be backwards compatible to early this century. Macs I am lead to believe arent actually necessarily more expensive than PCs when one considers the overall product. PCs are made to look good on paper, but cutting costs elsewhere means they aren't actually as good as they seem. I'm rambling aren't I?

[ronald_moravec1]

The only really decent notebook is Lovano/IBM. But then you get Vista. Ok if you want to waste half the computer power you bought it`s ok and half the programs you have will not install.

 

The are lots of differences in OS. One being windows does not empty cache after each photo so it clogs up and stops. Drove me crazy until I learned to do a manual photoshop dump. The Ports are all closed in Apple os so junk does not come sneaking in. You get service if you call Apple, not India.

 

I bought an iMac 24" last Aug and a basic no options Macbook last Dec. They run my Minolta 5400 scanner software which is something I can not say for Vista.

 

My local Mac store in Oakbrook, Ill. is crowded even if the rest of the mall is snowed in. People are carrying computers out of there like burgers out of MacDonalds.

 

Mac is the industry standard machine for graphic arts work.

[Dennis Peek]

I have used both Macs and Windows machines for 15 years. I travel a lot. Oversee IT in an

engineering company. In the past 12 months, I have used both system laptops - Dell

Latitude (work) and MacBook Pro (personal). Dumped the Dell work machine finally 2

months ago for another MBP with a Windows boot setup so I can run the 3 unique

Windows business programs I need. Everything else is Mac OSX software - Aperture,

Photoshop, Vuescan, Capture NX on OSX. WOW!

 

What is unique?

 

Short answer - the operating system. OS X is smooth and just works. Windows XP is doable

but very high maintenance for any user. MBP comes with much free software (good stuff,

not watered down junk). iLife is included - no similar product in Windows that actually

works smoothly. iWork is good ($99) for all but business power users for Word and Excel

type work. Keynote much netter than PowerPoint. Latter are Office products and are $400

plus.

 

Windows XP - Plan on system rebuilds (wipe HD clean, fresh install everything) at least

annually. Lots of tinkering involved. Frequent problems. Add-on software (Office?) is

expensive. And MS still says they are killing XP in June on new machines and you must go

to Vista. Business users are not happy and that may change.

 

Hardware - MBP is 2/3 the thickness and almost 2 pounds lighter then Dell Latitude

(typical). Power supply on MBP is 1/4 the size and weight. Important for lugging through

airports! MBP has FW800 - significantly faster than USB. I use 2.5" bus-powered (FW800)

external HD for backup on the road (fits-in-your-pocket size) with no external power

supply. I have never been able to get USB powered drives to work consistently.

 

MBP screen has to be seen next to others to appreciate - brighter (LED backlight), better

color.

 

MBP battery life about 50-100% longer on a charge than the Dell, based on my usage. I

get 3.5-4.5 hours on MBP, never got over 2.25 hours on Dell.

 

Disadvantage of the MBP - no docking station (like the $150 or so for a Dell) but not a major issue. I use a 23" Cinema HD when at the desk. MBP has 4 cables to plug-in: video,

FW, USB, power. The monitor has USB and FW hubs built-in. I use wireless keyboard and

mouse.

 

Service - Apple service is great, if needed. Especially if you can drop it off at a store. Had

a screen cable go bad in a MBP and had it back in 48 hours. Bad power supply in a 2 1/2

year old iMac and the turnaround was 24 hours. Stopped in an Apple dealer in London with

a tech question and they were friendly and helpful, solved problem, no charge. Dell and HP

service are a challenge, at best.

 

Contacting Dell tech support is a test of your patience and language interpretation skills. I

have simply bought the parts to repair Dell laptops because of the 2-4 hours of phone hell required to get "Next Day Business Service". Defective battery? Up to 1 hour wait on phone,

30 minutes of diagnostics and they tell you to reinstall Windows! That is a nice 4-8 hour

job.

 

Check Consumer Reports for their survey results on service and support. As someone else

said, you get what you pay for. Recommend try before you buy.

[patricklavoie]

i will not repeat all thats been said before, they offered pretty good point.

 

Let just add that if your friend are all in PC or Mac, i suggest you go with the flow..whats the point of being alone in case you need help fixing something or understanding a problem? Of course i would suggest a MacPro, first because im comfortable working with one for the past 20year, and because they are just plain simple to set up; plug, power button and voila ready to go.

 

But if money is a factor, obviously a PC is the road to take.

[erik scanhancer]

A few more things to think of, apart from those mentioned above:

 

Apple computers use their video card for certain processor intensive rendering tasks (and real-time previewing). Photoshop

does not use this option, AFAIK, but Aperture does (as do Final Cut Pro, Compressor, and most other Apple video

applications). This can save a lot of time.

 

Also, try to hook up a 30 inch dual DVI monitor to your PC laptop and play a DVD... On a MBP this is only great fun. Not to

mention the advantage of huge real estate when working in Photoshop. I use a MBP with a 30 inch Apple Cinema Display

and a separate keyboard/mouse for Photoshop work. Then I unplug the MBP and take it to a client to show my work. It's

great to have your home computer in your hands, right there, with everything you need installed (and activated; think PS).

 

MBP's use their aluminum housing as a heat sink. This lengthens the life of CPU, harddisk and video card. Even more so if

you place your MBP on a cooler, since the cooling has a lot more effect than performed with a plastic housing.

[allan_jamieson2]

As others have already said, Macs are just more pleasant to use. I have 2

Macs at home and 2 Dell PC's for my business, worst mistake I ever made

was buying the Dell PC's, terrible software, rubbish support and frustrating to

use, unlike my Macs which just work and never cause me any stress.

 

The other thing to bear in mind is that a 3/4 year old Mac still has some value

left, unlike that cheap generic Pc equivalent which you might be able to buy

for less initially. Macs cost more to buy, but hold much more of their value. I'm

typing this on a roughly 6 year old iMac G4, which is still working very well, it

is still a pleasure to look at and to use it; unlike these useless Dell's I'm stuck

with at work!

[kionahills]

I have been an IT professional for 15 years. I work in an environment that uses both systems (20,000+ systems split 80/20 Dell/Apple). I am both Apple and Dell certified. I have both a Dell Optiplex D800 laptop (Three years) and a MBP (1 year). I love both laptops, but my Dell is "Old School" and very reliable not like the current batch of Dell laptops. We use the Dells for basic office work, and the Macs are used primarily for Graphic Arts. Personally, I think HP produces a better series of PC laptops.

 

Dell used to have unrivaled customer support and great equipment. The key word here is "was." Today Dell is having major issues with both. I have experienced major hardware issues over the past year with the newer Dell laptops right out of the box. I think that their quality control has suffered greatly. Macs are worry free, but that is not to say there are not some hardware issues. I would say that I have 10 times more out of box failures with he Dells over the Macs and 25-30% more issues under warranty with the Dells. Customer support is very good with Apple and generally you can get help locally. Try and find a "Dell" store.

 

Since there is little competition to the Macs pricing can be an issue, but if you want a basic worry free environment MBP tips the balance. I use PS3 in both envionments and really see no major diffferences.

 

If you go PC then make sure you are using XP Pro. Stay away from Vista at all costs. Leopard for MBP is now very stable and trouble free.

 

So, if money is not an issue then MBP, in my opinion, is a better choice. I believe you will have a much better experience than with a PC laptop.