So I’m on the Apple website weighing the pros and cons of getting a 13-inch MacBook and a 15-inch MacBook Pro and I’m coming to a realization about how Apple positions their laptop lines.
For one, the MacBook isn’t really all that much less powerful than the cheapest MacBook Pro (MBP). With the exception of the screen size and keyboard, the tech specs for the most expensive MacBook and the mid-range MBP are almost identical, but somehow the extra 2 inches on the MBP make it at least $1500 more. This I don’t understand.
UPDATE: Ok, the video/graphics card is a major difference, but personally, every MacBook I’ve used has been sufficient in terms of rendering crap on the screen anyway.
However, the 15-inch is a must, so with that, the MacBook is put behind me. And since the 17-inch MBP is pretty much a silver brick, I opt for the options in the 15-inch MBP range.
Now here’s where it gets weird. The 15-inch MBP comes with a various range of options and add-ons that can drive up the price of the item to an outstanding number. I’m looking over the list of options and I’m just thinking, “Who in the world would get this???”. I just don’t really understand it.
After spending all this time looking over the various laptop ranges, I’m convinced that not one is customizable to the extent that I’d like. The one I put together quickly (after the fold) comes close, but it’s still going to be either a bit too weak for my tastes or a bit too expensive. There’s nothing filling the gaps in between it seems, and this frustrates me to no end. Apple seems to think that all laptop users are either REALLY RETARDED or REALLY GOOD AT USING COMPUTERS. It’s one or the other, and nothing else for them.
Oh yeah, and the MacBook Pro is silver. SILVER. I hate silver. -______-
Click inside to see my thoughts on configuring a MacBook Pro 15-inch.
Click on image to see larger version
i have a 15in. macbook pro. i love it. don’t get me wrong. I LOOOOVE IT.
however,
silver = annoying. the silver rubs off in the corners very easily.
the hdd speed IS slow and it makes the fan thing turn on ALL the time and it is obnoxious.
final cut… don’t get it. it will make your mac run slow. if you need to edit video that requires something like final cut, i suggest being on a desktop. as someone in the broadcasting field, this has been a setback for me as far as my precious mac is concerned.
but…
backlit keyboard… pretty awesome and you don’t realize until you use one without it.
apple remote…fun to play around with and a cool accessory.
GET THE GLOSSY WIDESCREEN DISPLAY. SO MUCH BETTER.
yeah, i edit videos and i’ve already got a desktop for that, so i wouldnt spend the extra to get final cut anyway on a laptop.
also, im glad somebody feels the same way about the silver. haha :P
oh, and that slow HDD speed really is a bummer. :(
If you want 4GB you can buy it from e.g. http://crucial.com for $100, which comes out cheaper even if you throw away the 2GB that Apple gives you.
I have the non-glossy display and I like it.
An extra 0.1GHz for $250 seems very much not worth it or all.
ahh, good point! i’ll keep that in mind, since i am pretty sure i’ll need to purchase a laptop within the next month or so.
I was considering switching to a Mac a few months ago and realized that the cost of getting the Mac OS versus a comparably configured PC was over a thousand dollars. I decided it wasn’t worth it:
http://www.rumorsdaily.com/2008/03/19/new-laptop-mac-or-pc/
i could actually care less about the whole mac/pc thing, the thing that gets me about this particular configuration is the SLOW HDD speed. I don’t understand that. haha