Are macbooks worth it?

I've never used a mac before but I absolutely love the macbooks style. I love the fact that macs dont get viruses or spyware and the OS looks really nice from what little experience I have with it. I am so very close to making the decision on buying one but I have some questions which could be dealbreakers.....

1. How easily do these things scratch? My black ipod has always been kept in its case and nothing but the case and my hands have touched it, yet it looks like its been through a war. Its all scratched to ****. Are the macbooks this sensitive to scratches, and if so, how bad do they look?

2. I've read alot of bad things about macbooks and a lot of great things. The bad things (discoloration, cracks, bad lcds) sound horrible and I was wondering if these are severe problems or just trolls hating on macs.

3. Last question is what is the true battery life like? Just doing basic things like typing reports and listening to music.

Thanks in advance to all that help. Hopefully I'll be joining the macworld soon.

1. everything will eventually scratch so I don't see much point in worrying about it...that being said, it will obviously look better if you keep it in a case/sleeve rather than loose in your backpack

2. I thought those problems were resolved with the core 2 duos...anyway, if your MacBook does have one of those problems I don't think you'd have a problem getting it replaced

3. if you turn off wireless and bluetooth and turn down the display and don't use any programs that are too intense, you can get like 5 hours. With wireless you can get like 3.5 hours...really it depends on what programs you have running and the brightness of the screen and whether you have wireless on...

Thanks for the info. I was just wondering if they are scratch magnets like the ipods are. I dont want to be carrying something around that looks like its been through **** and back.

Just get a hard case along with it. Several of us around here have this case.

Have the red one for my MBP and got the clear one for my wife's MacBook.
Can save you some time. Haven't seen anyone cheaper than newegg for 'em.

I've had my Macbook for four months now, and it's got a ding or two here or there, but no major "aw, crap" scratches. It goes into a case though wherever I take it.

My iPod is a slightly different story. It's got scratches on the screen, face, back etc. None of it hampers its function for what I do with it. I suspect that the reason it has more scratches is that I'm more likely to put it in a pocket or something like that; something that you are unlikely to do with a Macbook.

All laptops get dings here and there. I've posted before that those are more like badges of honor as it gets used out in the real world. The white Macbook seems to hide any of these dings pretty well, however. My wife's black Macbook doesn't travel nearly as much as mine, but is holding up just fine in about the same amount of time as mine (less one week.)

I haven't tested the battery to its full capacity, but I'm pretty sure that if I turned off bluetooth and wireless, I'd be able to get the full 4 hours out of the battery. Not a bad amount of time. Not quite coast-to-coast in the US, but definitely close enough. I seem to find myself close enough to some place to plug it in most of the time, however.

Oh, and remember that people usually post on internet forums for one of two things: To ask questions like you are (with the accompanying answers like this one) or to relate migrane-inducing problems that they've encountered with computers which, like any other thing built by humans, are all subject to the occasional problem. So yeah, you're going to see more posts about problems than 'Hey everyone, I just wanted to tell you that I got one of these and everything is just peachy!' Though we do have our fair share of those on this forum at least.

Your primary question is 'are Macbooks worth it?' The answer to that is "If you are planning to switch to Mac OS X and are willing to open your mind enough to embrace how Mac OS X works to the point that you will find that it will do anything any other brand laptop (running Windows or Linux) will do, then yes it is most definitely worth it." In fact, if you were to price out a similarly configured laptop with similar specs you will find that the Macbook is either competitive, or beats out the price of other manufacturers. It's also pretty compact, well designed, and convenient enough sized to carry around everywhere you go.

One of the things you have to consider when reading about other people's problems is that people tend to be FAR more vocal when they're having problems then when the machine is functioning properly. In that context, I think you'll find that the MacBook is an excellent choice. Apple scores amongst the best in the industry for customer satisfaction - and when polled, more Mac users would buy another Mac, then say, a Dell customer would buy another Dell. That's not just because of the operating system or the software, it's also because people tend to have good experiences and the quality of the product is very high.

The same thing happens in automotive forums. Despite the fact that Honda and Toyota have among the highest reliability ratings in the industry, you tend to see a lot of people going to those forums for help. It doesn't mean that the vehicles are problematic, it's just that for every 500 owners who are completely satisfied, there's going to be one that had a problem and is trying to get help. When you look at it in the context of hundreds of thousands of vehicles sold, that's a lot of unhappy people despite the fact that an overwhelming number are completely satisfied.

Thanks for the replies everyone. I figured that all the complaints were just the very vocal minority but its scary none the less. My biggest fear was that the macbook would end up looking like my ipod. I want a mac primarily to use and learn OS X. I'm going in for my A+ Certification and trying to get a job in the IT field and I just want to expand my horizons and learn something other than Windows.

runback22 said:

Thanks for the replies everyone. I figured that all the complaints were just the very vocal minority but its scary none the less. My biggest fear was that the macbook would end up looking like my ipod. I want a mac primarily to use and learn OS X. I'm going in for my A+ Certification and trying to get a job in the IT field and I just want to expand my horizons and learn something other than Windows.

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Good move going for the A+, excellent jumping off point. PM me if you need any help. Consider the Network+ too. The two of them together also qualify as an elective toward your MCSA/MCSE if you choose to go that far.

Short Answer - Yes

Long Answer - Yes

with wireless/bluetooth off, the screen dimmed, and small programs i can get up to like 6 hrs of battery

but yes, definitely get a case, i have a huge scratch on my cover cause i wasn't that smart now i have a soft case and my macbook hasn't seen even a new small scratch, and i have to admit, i am rough on it. so getting a hard case would probably keep it in wonderful condition.

I'm a windows to Mac onvert, I did it for style because I wanted the nicest looking desktop in my home office. I wouldn't make the switch again, it's too much hassle, there are too may programs that I use that either don't run well on Mac or have incompatibility. It horses for courses, other people with have no problems, it depends what type of software you have to use.
Also I have a macbook air which looks cool, is slow but worst of just like all the new range of apple laptops its finished in that stupid sunlight reflecting silver finish. Sure it looks great but forget trying to use it outside in direct sunlight - the lare is so bad it hurts your eyes and is unusuable in my view. Typical Apple responding to customers desires for a silver laptop without thinking through the practicalities of using a silver finish!

chrissolicitor said:

I'm a windows to Mac onvert, I did it for style because I wanted the nicest looking desktop in my home office. I wouldn't make the switch again, it's too much hassle, there are too may programs that I use that either don't run well on Mac or have incompatibility. It horses for courses, other people with have no problems, it depends what type of software you have to use.
Also I have a macbook air which looks cool, is slow but worst of just like all the new range of apple laptops its finished in that stupid sunlight reflecting silver finish. Sure it looks great but forget trying to use it outside in direct sunlight - the lare is so bad it hurts your eyes and is unusuable in my view. Typical Apple responding to customers desires for a silver laptop without thinking through the practicalities of using a silver finish!

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You should have done more research about the applications you use. Very few apps don't have equivalents on the Mac.

You also seemed to have neglected to do your research about the MacBook Air. I'm not sure why you consider it slow. What are you comparing it to? It is an ultralight laptop. Clearly they needed to make trade-offs. If you didn't need the extremely small size, you made a bad choice. If you do need the extremely small size, it compares very favorably to other laptops in its class.

Do you really use your laptop in direct sunlight?

I have a 2004 version of the iBook G4 (predecessor to the MacBook) that I bought in 2005. It is still in great cosmetic condition for being over 4 years old. There are some minor scratches on the back of the monitor, but as noted above, the white color hides it well. While I have not had any similar iPod problems, I would by no means consider the plastic MacBooks scratch magnets. I have also never had any problems with cracking, discoloration, or LCD. Really, I don't think I could expect more out of a laptop after 4 years.

With a brand new battery and reasonable usage (multiple programs running idle, listening to music and maybe on wireless or using MS Word) I can get around 4, maybe 4.5 hours on it. Ironically, about the same life I'm getting with my new "supercharged" MBP battery. :-/

chrissolicitor said:

I'm a windows to Mac onvert, I did it for style because I wanted the nicest looking desktop in my home office. I wouldn't make the switch again, it's too much hassle, there are too may programs that I use that either don't run well on Mac or have incompatibility. It horses for courses, other people with have no problems, it depends what type of software you have to use.
Also I have a macbook air which looks cool, is slow but worst of just like all the new range of apple laptops its finished in that stupid sunlight reflecting silver finish. Sure it looks great but forget trying to use it outside in direct sunlight - the lare is so bad it hurts your eyes and is unusuable in my view. Typical Apple responding to customers desires for a silver laptop without thinking through the practicalities of using a silver finish!

Click to expand...

If you want to prevent scratches, go with the Invisishield products. I made the stoneshield roles back at the company when I used to work there, it is an amazing product. However, it doesnt protect against dents. The Speck covers protect against dents, but can scratch the areas where the cover clips on to the macbook. I use only invisishield(stoneshield) because I am meticulously careful with it and rarely ever pick it up or hold without the speck zipper cover. I use the stoneshield on my iphone, nanochromatic, mda, ipod video 30gb, comp desk, tv, xbox 360 and none of them have ever gotten any scratchs. pm sent to you

I have had my mac alum for 5 months now and not a single scratch, knock on wood, so, no they are not scratch magnets

regarding the damages to the exterior aesthetics, i think its pretty irrelevant. you're bound to get scratches on your laptop or your lcd IRREGARDLESS IF ITS A MACBOOK OR ACER OR DELL OR WHATNOT, if you are not careful. doesnt justify 'is the macbook worth it'.

my dad's laptop is matt-finish, not very prone to scratches and bleh, but it looks like crap.

in that case, is buying a car worth it? will it look like bleh if i get into an accident or i crash it into a tree and it gets scratches all over it?

in any case, get a hard cover protector or a sleeve to put it in, should minimise the damage, IF ANY.

and battery life, it used to be a major minus point for macs, but having just switched over to a MBP after 21 years on PC, it has not disappointed me yet. My gf's acer battery doesnt perform any better, or rather its worse in fact. its been reduced to probably 30mins now, its just over 2 years old. im pretty sure 2 years ago, it'll probably be only 3-4 hrs.

my main point is, it really doesnt differ that much. whats important is the OS, how everything works, does it suit your use and taste. it did, for me.

I think it's a fair question to ask. He's not saying he wants a pristine computer 2 years from now, he's saying he doesn't want a computer that gets scratched excessively easily. No one's talking about any particular abuse or trauma (as with your car example), just everyday use and wear. There's no reason a laptop should look like crap after a few months if the user is being careful. It's more like not wanting to buy a car that gets scratched if you brush against it with your shirt. Yeah, all cars (and things) get scratched and damaged after a while, but that's different than crashing it (or dropping a laptop).

precisely. it shouldnt look like crap if the user is being careful. just clip on a speck cover and you can run a bunch of keys across it everyday, and there wont be a scratch. although im a recent switcher, but i think the rubbish about apple products are scratched excessively and stuff are over-exagerrated. if you play your part well as a user, it should be pretty ok. thats just my point of view. as the previous poster said, every product out in the market tends to attract a few unhappy customers. but there are thousands or even millions of satisfied ones.

its really being too anal when whether a macbook gets scratched easily is a decision breaker. you can get a sony vaio that looks jsut as cool as a macbook and i bet it scratches just as easily. you can get my dad's NEC lappie thats pretty scratch resistant, but i can tell you it looks crap

well just my point of view.

At a year old, my MBP doesn't have any major scratches on it, just a few on the bottom from sliding around on my portable desk, which could have been avoided. But that's my fault. I handle it carefully and always use a neoprene sleeve to keep it in.

As for problems, there's always the chance that you could get a faulty machine no matter what brand of computer you get. Macs aren't any more likely to have problems, and are probably less likely to. Also, if you use it incorrectly, you might have problems that you blame on the computer. (If you start moving a laptop around right after putting it to sleep without giving the hard drive time to stop spinning, you'll probably blame any problems on the computer even though it's your own fault.)

I haven't had any battery issues, though I guess I could get three hours out of it. I have the slightly older model and I use it for a lot of video editing, so I probably get less life out if it than other people. But I tend to keep it plugged in whenever possible; I'm always on the lookout for electrical outlets now.

I'm a windows to Mac onvert, I did it for style because I wanted the nicest looking desktop in my home office. I wouldn't make the switch again, it's too much hassle, there are too may programs that I use that either don't run well on Mac or have incompatibility. It horses for courses, other people with have no problems, it depends what type of software you have to use.
Also I have a macbook air which looks cool, is slow but worst of just like all the new range of apple laptops its finished in that stupid sunlight reflecting silver finish. Sure it looks great but forget trying to use it outside in direct sunlight - the lare is so bad it hurts your eyes and is unusuable in my view. Typical Apple responding to customers desires for a silver laptop without thinking through the practicalities of using a silver finish!

I don't think aesthetics are a good reason to switch to a totally different OS from one that was suiting your needs before. But as mentioned, there are comparable apps that you can use on your Macbook that work with Windows documents, and if not, there's always Boot Camp.

I find that the glossy screen creates way more glare than the aluminum finish. If you can see the finish, that means your computer is closed... why would you be staring at a closed computer? I have the matte screen so I never have problems with glare.

If you wanted a laptop with more power and capabilities, why did you get a model with limited specs? Thinner and sleeker doesn't mean faster and more powerful. If you need to do a lot of city driving, hauling around a lot of cargo, you don't get a Ferrari with only two seats. You probably want a roomier, tougher, less "cool-looking" truck, station wagon or SUV.

I don't get how people can waste tons of money on something that doesn't suit their needs just because it looks cool. I think people who do that deserve what they get.