MacBook Pros Updated

[kyuusei]

Originally Posted by Yeah_Baby

If Apple gets in sub forum do the haters promises stay the eff out. It is really getting tiresome.

Doubtful. That's like asking Canucks fans to stay out of the Flames topics.

[FanIn80]

Originally Posted by Yeah_Baby

If Apple gets in sub forum do the haters promises stay the eff out. It is really getting tiresome.

I think it's a pretty safe bet that they'll happily click on Apple threads no matter where they are on this site.

I will concur on the Apple accessories bit, though. The addons are ridiculously (and needlessly) expensive. I especially get offended when I see some companies like Logitech make a white version of their PC mouse, slap a Mac logo on the box and then mark it up $20.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by FanIn80

Nobody here said that a MacBook Pro was the same price as a clearance Asus. One guy made a (very accurate) comparison to a made-to-order Dell.

You see that's where this thing always falls apart. PC people just stare at spec sheets and take nothing else into consideration, so they find the cheapest piece of plastic with matching specs they can find, and use that as their argument. Meanwhile, Apple users know about all the other aspects of owning a an Apple product (service, reliability, trust, craftsmanship, performance, etc) and use companies that provide a similar set of intangibles, like Dell, as their argument.

The common rule of thumb is that a product will always be as inexpensive as possible, when the intangibles are thrown out the window... but some people see those intangibles as being a very integral part of a purchase.

The intagibles to me are a very healthy profit margin for Apple, probably double what the other average makers make when they are coming out of the same plants in Taiwan and China. Unfortunately, that's what I see when I look at anything. I like PCs but I'd never buy a Sony Vaio either.

That doesn't mean that I don't appreciate that people will pay a premium for design, such as a high end car. I am just not a fan of Apple's industrial design and corporate look for their hardware and software but after using an iphone, I have to agree it's very intuitive and fun. I also think most PCs are ugly too, so if I can't find something that I think is really awesome and unique, I start looking at how much money a company is making out of me.

[Hack&Lube]

Apple guys,

Just take it easy and keep talking about Apple stuff. This is an open internet forum, people are going to come in and chime in with their thoughts on stuff. It's a free discussion. You don't need to be so defensive about it. You can say crap about PCs as much as you want and I'd probably agree.

I get that we're kind of like Canuck fans coming into a Flames forum for you though, but it's not your forum. We're here to talk hockey (computers), not insult you directly or anything like that. Hopefully we are more of the informed and "good" Canuck fans and not the guys who deserve to get banned.

Take it easy, no need to be so serious. I try to look at everything fairly, or if not, then tongue in cheek.

[Regorium]

Originally Posted by FanIn80

Nobody here said that a MacBook Pro was the same price as a clearance Asus. One guy made a (very accurate) comparison to a made-to-order Dell.

And I just said that the "made-to-order" comparison doesn't work. I even showed that 4GB of RAM is NOT $420 (from Apple) or $400 (from Dell) if it was included in the base model. If you have to configure your comparison to that, it's not going to be a fair comparison - from either side.

Originally Posted by FanIn80

You see that's where this thing always falls apart. PC people just stare at spec sheets and take nothing else into consideration, so they find the cheapest piece of plastic which matching specs they can find, and use that as their argument. Meanwhile, Apple users know about all the other aspects of owning a an Apple product (service, reliability, trust, craftsmanship, performance, etc) and use companies that provide a similar set of intangibles, like Dell, as their argument.

You're comparing Dell's customer support to Apple's? Even I know that Apple is better than that. Have you dealt with Asus' tech support at all? I've actually found them to be far more helpful than Dell. I haven't dealt with Apple either, but I can imagine that their standard should be higher than Dell's.

I can't disprove you on this. However, I do think that since Apple has set the bar so high in terms of those 5 things several years ago, other manufacturers, and especially one as innovative as Asus have been rapidly catching up. I mean, I was very impressed with my last Asus purchase just because of the intangibles: free laptop bag, free mouse, free cable ties, free network cable (as useless as it is), 2 year accidental breakage warranty that I haven't used since nothing has gone wrong. I just think while Apple is still the industry standard for user experience, other companies have caught up significantly to the point where it isn't some trump card for Apple anymore.

[FanIn80]

Originally Posted by Regorium

...other companies have caught up significantly

That's not even close to being a true statement. I support PCs every day. I'm on the phone constantly with HP, Toshiba, Dell, etc. I get the feeling you haven't had tech (or even customer) service from Apple before, if you think these other companies have caught up "significantly."

Just a couple months ago, I had a LEVEL TWO HP support technician tell me that HP's hardware drivers downloaded from their website for Windows 7 Home Premium are not guaranteed to work with Windows 7 Professional, and my trying to use them was not eligible for support.

There is a lot more ground to make up than you might think.

[Rathji]

Originally Posted by FanIn80

Yes, it's all my fault again.

You guys are more obsessed with Apple than any of us are.

Edit: And why do you guys always yip about video games? First of all, I can play any game on the planet on my 2 year old iMac. Second of all... video games? Seriously? That's your main reason for choosing a computer?

Well there are 3 "W" reasons most people use computers, Web, Word and Wacking off. To add in the 4th "W" for younger people its WoW.

I know I am generalizing here but those 4 things are by FAR the most often done on any computer, even a Mac. I know Mac people claim that they like to edit videos and do photo albums and mix thier own music, which is cool and I respect people who have the time to do that but even if they are abnormally dedicated to their 'artistic side' chances are there are more of that 3W (or 4W) work going on than anything else, by a huge margin.

[QuadCityImages]

I will definitely say that the origin of my dislike for Apple comes from 2 places. Back when I got into computers, there were about 2 games for Mac to choose from, and I build my own computers, which isn't possible with a Mac. If today's Intel-based Macs that can dual boot or OS's that can be hacked onto PC hardware were around back then, who knows what would have happened....

[Yeah_Baby]

Originally Posted by Rathji

Well there are 3 "W" reasons most people use computers, Web, Word and Wacking off. To add in the 4th "W" for younger people its WoW.

I know I am generalizing here but those 4 things are by FAR the most often done on any computer, even a Mac. I know Mac people claim that they like to edit videos and do photo albums and mix thier own music, which is cool and I respect people who have the time to do that but even if they are abnormally dedicated to their 'artistic side' chances are there are more of that 3W (or 4W) work going on than anything else, by a huge margin.

WoW runs on OSX.

[MickMcGeough]

Originally Posted by Rathji

I am amazed at Apple.

They have managed to convince a rather large population segment to buy seriously high quality hardware at a slightly inflated price when all most of them do with it is surf the internet and play some music or use a word processor.

If nothing else they have a good business plan.

If you walk into a lecture hall full of English or Art majors at the University, there is a very large number of Macs. Walk into a Computer Science class and there is a much smaller percentage of Macs. Thinking of it like this, would you take computer advice from an English major over a Computer Science major?

I know it isn't a logical argument, but I get a kick out of it.

Hehe that's probably true, but the three top software developers on my team (plus the web designers) all use Macs.

At least two people here already have one of the i7s on order. Performance-wise they really are near the front of the pack.

[BlackEleven]

Originally Posted by Rathji

I am amazed at Apple.

They have managed to convince a rather large population segment to buy seriously high quality hardware at a slightly inflated price when all most of them do with it is surf the internet and play some music or use a word processor.

If nothing else they have a good business plan.

It's not really that amazing.

It's the same reason people buy cars that can go triple the speed limit or buy SUVs with serious off-road capabilities and drive them in the city or buy a 5000 sq ft house for 2 people. How many of those people use their purchases to their full potential ? Not many.

It has very little to do with need. It's all about want. And that's nothing unique to Apple, it's just the consumer culture we live in.

[photon]

And actually I would love to have a business plan that focused on higher end customers that want to spend extra to be more exclusive etc..

Just look at Alienware or Voodoo computers.

[Burninator]

Apple is the only game in town when it comes to their products. You can only buy an Apple product from one place and they can easily charge a premium for that. Whereas companies like HP, Dell, etc. are competing directly with each other with almost identical products. It's not just specs. It's the operating system, build quality, customer service/support, name/brand/image.

[MickMcGeough]

Originally Posted by Burninator

You can only buy an Apple product from one place and they can easily charge a premium for that.

Huh?

[Burninator]

Originally Posted by MickMcGeough

Huh?

Apple is the only company making Apple products. I don't mean there is only one store you can buy them from but rather that they are all coming from the same single source. Unlike Windows machines which are coming from dozens of companies and are virtually the same product and much more competitively priced. If you want a Mac you can only go to one company and because of that they can charge a premium.

[Rathji]

Originally Posted by Yeah_Baby

WoW runs on OSX.

It was just a W game to fit with my other 3 w's.

[wooohooo]

10 hour battery life... man. I've never used to be a mac fan boy the but more macs I've come across the more I like them. Their laptop builds are solid, 10 hours... 10 HOURS... of battery life. mine barely hits 3, if I'm lucky. Nice screen... $1200 isn't that ridiculous for price. My lenovo I'm using now was $800 but it's clunky and if I were to pay the same for the size of a macbook i'm looking at more than $1200.

Also those iMacs are a thing of beauty... I found out my library has a mac lab filled with iMacs. Those 22" screens are beautiful. Sheer beauty

[wooohooo]

Also the student deal they have that includes a free ipod touch is a pretty excellent deal. So whether you sell it or keep it, that's like an extra $150-200 you just gained.

[burning_acid1]

I'm surprised they were able to extend the battery life to 10 hours

[ZedMan]

Originally Posted by wooohooo

Also the student deal they have that includes a free ipod touch is a pretty excellent deal. So whether you sell it or keep it, that's like an extra $150-200 you just gained.

When does that start?