MacBook Cost Comparison

Sambucus_Nigra

Hammyman wrote: »

I would argue the opposite. A Macbook pro is made of solid aluminium compared to plastic of the Macbook which has a known problem with cracking bezels when you close the lid.

I have a macbook pro and its taken all kinds of hammer but only has two light small marks on it. I've seen display macbooks at PC world which have done nothing but sit on the shelf and the lids are already scratched. I was originally going to buy a Macbook until I picked it up and felt how flimsy it was compared to the pro next to it.

Spec wise, they're on par but I know which one would survive the rigours of uni life the most.

I've never had a cracked bezel - am I missing out? :eek:

[and what you doing going into PC world? I thought you were a professional?]. :rotfl:

i8change

This link gives you an idea of the student prices:-

http://store.apple.com/uk_edu_5000715

3 years Applecare warranty for Macbook/Pro is £47 extra, but costs a lot more for non-students

wdw2003

Thanks for the link, i8change. That would be a better bet than buying in the US, not to mention the warranty.

redcard

poppy10 wrote: »

She doesn't need a macbook pro, they are hideously overpriced, and overkill for a student's needs when all she will probably be doing is word processing and web browsing. A non-Apple laptop for a quarter of the price will do the same job. Just because she is "style-conscious" doesn't mean she should be burning money that she doesn't have - you'll be setting her up for a lifetime of bad spending habits.

But if she must have a macbook, it's probably better to buy it from here, she'll have difficulty getting servicing under guarantee if the macbook was bought in the US.

That laptop will last her 12 months, then it'll suck so much life out of her she'll have no option but to buy another one.

I don't see the problem with buying 1 premium product that will last 3-4 years, as opposed to buying 1 crappy product every year.

The Windows laptop will most likely be worthless after 3-4 years (if it even lasts that long), the Macbook will still have a decent resell value.

Buying the cheapest isn't always the cheapest option.

wdw2003

She currently has a 2 year old Dell with a broken hinge, a badly sticking key and a screen which is held together with duck tape. I've already had to increase the memory and replace the hard disk and the machine is still painful to use for whatever reason. I'm hoping that the build quality of a mac would be better and that she'd also treat it with more respect because of the expense and also the fact that she would be paying for most of it.

I've also spent many many hours removing awkward viruses she keeps getting, so would moving to mac mean that those days are over, even if she downloads the same dodgy files (by mistake)?

jayme1

wdw2003 wrote: »

I've also spent many many hours removing awkward viruses she keeps getting, so would moving to mac mean that those days are over, even if she downloads the same dodgy files (by mistake)?

short answer - yes

personally I would go for the pro option simply because it is the aluminum one, since she is buying it for herself she would be mad if she didnt look after it, but it would be a good option if she is staying at uni that if she is going to be taking it into uni, or lives in a house where security may be lax then some insurance would be a very good option.

also buying from the UK with education discount will be the much easier option both on possible cost and warranty, it can be a big bag of hurt buying something expensive in the US and bringing it back.

redcard

wdw2003 wrote: »

She currently has a 2 year old Dell with a broken hinge, a badly sticking key and a screen which is held together with duck tape. I've already had to increase the memory and replace the hard disk and the machine is still painful to use for whatever reason. I'm hoping that the build quality of a mac would be better and that she'd also treat it with more respect because of the expense and also the fact that she would be paying for most of it.

I've also spent many many hours removing awkward viruses she keeps getting, so would moving to mac mean that those days are over, even if she downloads the same dodgy files (by mistake)?

Yes, she would have to be trying pretty hard to get a virus on a Mac.

victor2

Discussions abound about the "immunity" of MACs to virus attacks, so won't go there.
In my experience Apple equipment is a pleasure to use, but if you have the typical PC owner attitude of "I can always fix/upgrade it" then forget it. While they are doubtless more reliable than your average PC, if they go wrong, there is no DIY element to sorting it out and that's where a good warranty comes in to play.

wdw2003

The whole thing sounds pretty tempting now, what with the education discount, cheap warranty, quality and virus issues and the bonus of her probably treating it with respect.

I also like the idea of it retaining some resale value, so that's another incentive to look after it.

Thanks to all for solving the problem and easing my concerns.

paddyrg

With the Apple hardware you're really buying into a whole ecosystem that can raise the cost of things you take for granted in the PC ecosystem where competition can drive price and choice a bit more. For instance if she wants to edit video, the current options are Avid MC and FCP, neither is cheap, however for PC/Windows you can choose Avid MC, Avid Liquid, Sony Vegas, Adobe Premiere or lightworks (free open source not yet ported to OSX). Yes, Avid MC is awesome and FCP very good, and doubtless lightworks will port sometime albeit always playing catchup, but it's an example of where one ecosystem limits future choices. Just be aware, that's all :-)

Edit - btw I'm sure I'll be flamed for the above, it's not macbashing, I know how emotional some owners get about them, just worth considering if cash is tight and spending decisions are not based solely on utility