Macbook (pro) vs. Dell PC

credential · Oct 24, 2010

Good day.

I am a 15 year user of PCs. For most of those years, I have owned Dell and have been satisfied. I am near the end of my current Dell Laptop's life and am about to purchase a new one. That said, I have always been intrigued by Apple...those who have them love them. I come to this board to find out why.

I had already picked out a new Dell online but haven't made the purchase because of my Apple curiosity. I went to the apple website and looked at the MacBook and MacBook Pro...honestly, there was a bit of sticker shock. When I compared prices of the MacBook's to the apples, it didn't even appear close, so I hesitated buying the Mac. Even after visiting the Apple store and liking the feel of the MacBook, I hesitated. I asked the sales rep to help me understand the "Why Mac over the PC" debate and he wasn't too convincing. I chalk that up to a new sales rep and come to this forum to ask those that love their apples to help "recruit" me as another user and follower.

In my initial search, I had compared systems with the following specs:
- 15" screen
- Intel i5 processor
- 4 GB Ram
- 500 GB hard drive

The Dell Studio 15 comes in at $799 and the MacBook Pro 15" at $2049 (Canadian $). In all fairness, the Mac appears to have a video card and the Dell does not...the processor speed on the Mac is also a bit faster. (2.53 Ghz vs. Dells 2.4).

I'm even open to the 13 inch screen sizes...but the 500 GB hard drive is important (lots of photos and video).

My main purpose for a laptop is to surf the web, email, downloading and photo (mainly to store photos...I don't do a lot of photo editing, but perhaps the Mac makes it easy enough to do).

Just thought I'd throw it out there...anyone interested in the challenge to convince me to spend the extra $ and buy a Mac?

Tks.

pigoo3 · Oct 24, 2010

credential said:
Good day.

I am a 15 year user of PCs. For most of those years, I have owned Dell and have been satisfied. I am near the end of my current Dell Laptop's life and am about to purchase a new one. That said, I have always been intrigued by Apple...those who have them love them. I come to this board to find out why.

The Dell Studio 15 comes in at $799 and the MacBook Pro 15" at $2049 (Canadian $).

Just thought I'd throw it out there...anyone interested in the challenge to convince me to spend the extra $ and buy a Mac?

Forget about it!!! No matter how innocent & genuine the question...this will end up being a Macintosh vs. PC "food fight"...and it will just turn ugly!

You've presented no information in your post that hasn't been discussed & argued 1,000,000+ times since 1984 when the first Macintosh computer was introduced. You included one of the oldest arguments in the book...the Dell costs $799 & the Macbook Pro costs $2049 CDN...been there, done that! If this was such a compelling reason NOT to buy Apple computers...why are people still buying them???

Sorry...but there really is no point in discussing this!

Just my humble opinion,

- Nick

harryb2448 · Oct 24, 2010

And this thread should be closed!

pigoo3 · Oct 24, 2010

harryb2448 said:
And this thread should be closed!

Probably what I should have said Harry...a much shorter & concise answer!

- Nick

Btrthnezr3 · Oct 24, 2010

For me it's not just about the price. It's about a superior operating system, apple design and build quality, local customer service, and better security. I'm coming from a 6 year old Dell laptop and am saving for my Mac.

credential · Oct 24, 2010

I certainly didn't expect this hostility...I just have questions and figured this is where I'd get my answer.

I had already tried going to the Apple Store asking them to help me understand the Mac lineup. Perhaps I should have asked for a more experienced salesperson at the store because he didn't have much to say. I can appreciate there are benefits to the mac and want to learn more before I make any purchase. This seemed like an obvious place for me to come.

If I'm at the wrong place, then you'll have to excuse me. Nick...I'm not looking to get in a food fight.

I came to a mac forum to talk to mac users to help me understand the "why apple".

If there are any other mac users who can add a few cents, I'm interested.

pigoo3 · Oct 24, 2010

credential said:
I certainly didn't expect this hostility...I just have questions and figured this is where I'd get my answer.

Like I already said...no matter how genuine, innocent, and honest your question(s)...this thread will still turn into a Mac vs. PC argument.

How many times do you think that we get this EXACT question...per week, per month, per year...and in the overwhelming number of cases...the thread goes into the gutter!

...and the person asking the question is still not convinced (either way)!

That's how we know from years & years of experience answering the same question over & over again...that it just won't end pretty.

If you've been a 15 year user of "Windows" computers...and as you mentioned a Dell computer costs $799 and a Macbook Pro costs $2049 CDN...what could we possibly tell you to convince you to spend 2.5 times more money and get an Apple computer that you've never used or owned before???

If you want to try out Apple computers...buy an inexpensive used Apple computer, and take it "for a spin". If you like what you see...then buy a newer or brand new Apple computer. If you don't like it...then sell the inexpensive Apple computer...and buy the $799 Dell.

HTH,

- Nick

newscribe · Oct 24, 2010

Hi,

I was also a long term Windows user until last week when I took proud possession of a new Macbook.

Only after a week I have come to the conclusion that I should have made the jump to Mac years ago.
My thought is if you are going to spend around £999 on a decent mid range PC, just add a few more pounds and get a stunning MBP.

As a Mac newbie things like installing software and generally finding your way around a new system are not to much of a transition + you will enjoy the learning curve. Well I defiantly am, I to have a plethora of photos (still growing) and have started off using the pre loaded iPhoto and Preview.

iggibar · Oct 24, 2010

Want the quickest answer? Look up everything on consumer reports. Apple as at the top for a reason.

baggss · Oct 24, 2010

credential said:
Good day.

I am a 15 year user of PCs. For most of those years, I have owned Dell and have been satisfied. I am near the end of my current Dell Laptop's life and am about to purchase a new one. That said, I have always been intrigued by Apple...those who have them love them. I come to this board to find out why.

There is no real answer to that question. If you base your solution solely on price, then stick with the Dell and be happy. As has already been recommended, pick up a used Mac and give it a try, you'll be surprised. Yes, it's a gamble to switch but to date I have yet to meet anyone in person and very few on-line who have made the jump to a Mac and then went back to their Dell or HP or Sony machine with Windows.The real seller for most folks though is OSX over Windows (XP, Vista, 7 etc). It's one of those things you have to experience to understand.

As for hostility, these kind of threads generally go downhill pretty fast and they happen fairly often.

bobtomay · Oct 24, 2010

If you are a satisfied customer of Dell hardware and the operating system that ships on them, there is quite simply not a good reason why you should invest an additional $1000 on a different brand, whether that be Apple, Sony, or any other.

XJ-linux · Oct 24, 2010

I'll just add that one can easily run Windows on a Mac legally. Many folks do this during their transition, or for work purposes. In the end... Dell, Mac, Windows, OS X, Linux... for your stated needs they will all work just fine. Personal preference and personal experiences play the biggest part for most folks.

DarkestRitual · Oct 24, 2010

credential said:
Good day.

I am a 15 year user of PCs. For most of those years, I have owned Dell and have been satisfied. I am near the end of my current Dell Laptop's life and am about to purchase a new one. That said, I have always been intrigued by Apple...those who have them love them. I come to this board to find out why.

I had already picked out a new Dell online but haven't made the purchase because of my Apple curiosity. I went to the apple website and looked at the MacBook and MacBook Pro...honestly, there was a bit of sticker shock. When I compared prices of the MacBook's to the apples, it didn't even appear close, so I hesitated buying the Mac. Even after visiting the Apple store and liking the feel of the MacBook, I hesitated. I asked the sales rep to help me understand the "Why Mac over the PC" debate and he wasn't too convincing. I chalk that up to a new sales rep and come to this forum to ask those that love their apples to help "recruit" me as another user and follower.

In my initial search, I had compared systems with the following specs:
- 15" screen
- Intel i5 processor
- 4 GB Ram
- 500 GB hard drive

The Dell Studio 15 comes in at $799 and the MacBook Pro 15" at $2049 (Canadian $). In all fairness, the Mac appears to have a video card and the Dell does not...the processor speed on the Mac is also a bit faster. (2.53 Ghz vs. Dells 2.4).

I'm even open to the 13 inch screen sizes...but the 500 GB hard drive is important (lots of photos and video).

My main purpose for a laptop is to surf the web, email, downloading and photo (mainly to store photos...I don't do a lot of photo editing, but perhaps the Mac makes it easy enough to do).

Just thought I'd throw it out there...anyone interested in the challenge to convince me to spend the extra $ and buy a Mac?

Tks.

So you pointed out the main hardware difference (330m with dedicated memory vs intel integrated graphics). The others being a higher quality motherboard, the mac is bluetooth equipped, etc, and has pretty much every other option turned on.

The MAIN differences, however, are software related. OS X vs. Windows - OS X uses those hardware specs closer to their potential than Windows 7 ever will. The RAM management as well as Grand Central Dispatch and Open CL (to make use of the compatible 330m from nvidia) are outstanding. Also, your MacBook Pro would come equipped with a bunch of helpful useful nontrial software. Your Dell would come jam packed full of advertisements... in the form of start up item crap and trial software.

the8thark · Oct 24, 2010

bobtomay said:
If you are a satisfied customer of Dell hardware and the operating system that ships on them, there is quite simply not a good reason why you should invest an additional $1000 on a different brand, whether that be Apple, Sony, or any other.

I have to second this post. If you love your Dell boxes then why spend all that money for an Apple product. Or any other product for that matter. My opinion is Non Apple PC can do the job very well. Just Apples do things in less time and with more fun involved.

But in saying that $1000 is a lot of money. If the computer will be an investment you want to keep for 5+ years by all means get the Apple. But if the computer is just a disposable thing to get the job done and nothing else, then get the Dell box.

And yes there is the Windows/Linux vs OS X (with bootcamp - Windows/Linux) argument. Is OS X worth the extra hardware you need to use it? That's a hard call.

schweb · Oct 24, 2010

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Thanks for understanding!

Macbook (pro) vs. Dell PC

credential

pigoo3

Well-known member

harryb2448

pigoo3

Well-known member

Btrthnezr3

credential

pigoo3

Well-known member

newscribe

iggibar

baggss

bobtomay

,

XJ-linux

DarkestRitual

the8thark

schweb

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