Switching from Mac

[derekamoss]

That screen res. Are you kidding? And you can claim that’s the same or better spec?
Try again.

Have you even looked at the specs of the baseline MacBook? It's running an m3 core duo processor, while the HP is i5 8th gen quad core. 15 inch screen, which some people might prefer over a 13 inch and is touch screen which believe Apple or not, people do like, even if it lower resolution. A non butterfly keyboard, like 5x the ports a macbook has. A head phone jack and an sd card reader, and user replaceable ram and SSD. Which part better specc'ed did you NOT understand?

 

[pika2000]

Have you even looked at the specs of the baseline MacBook? It's running an m3 core duo processor, while the HP is i5 8th gen quad core. 15 inch screen, which some people might prefer over a 13 inch and is touch screen which believe Apple or not, people do like, even if it lower resolution. A non butterfly keyboard, like 5x the ports a macbook has. A head phone jack and an sd card reader, and user replaceable ram and SSD. Which part better specc'ed did you NOT understand?

You’re trying to compare a 768p screen to a retina screen. Get real buddy. Go enjoy your Windows laptop then. Not sure what you’re doing here. Cheers.

 

[derekamoss]

You’re trying to compare a 768p screen to a retina screen. Get real buddy. Go enjoy your Windows laptop then. Not sure what you’re doing here. Cheers.

You do realize not everyone demands a retina display and a lot of people hook up external monitors. If the display is makes it impossible to see reason, then thats $600 dollars of premium unreason you are going on. It has now come to the point people over pay for Apple products, not because of superior quality of the hardware, specs or software, They pay more because Apple just says so(and that's fine for people who want Apple Products) but you are not paying for anything special when it comes to hardware and specs at all. iPhones now cost $1000 dollars to buy when the cost of manufacturing is cheaper than what it cost to manufacture the original iPhone, which was half the price..

 

[kazmac]

You do realize not everyone demands a retina display and a lot of people hook up external monitors. If the display is makes it impossible to see reason, then thats $600 dollars of premium unreason you are going on. It has now come to the point people over pay for Apple products, not because of superior quality of the hardware, specs or software, They pay more because Apple just says so(and that's fine for people who want Apple Products) but you are not paying for anything special when it comes to hardware and specs at all. iPhones now cost $1000 dollars to buy when the cost of manufacturing is cheaper than what it cost to manufacture the original iPhone, which was half the price..

Thanks for posting.

It’s funny, I was hoping to get a Windows laptop with a glossy screen, until I realized I am using a nice Dell matte display at work (which I’ve known since I started at this job), but never considered a matte display on a laptop until now.

I am sure I will adjust just fine.

Sadly, I wish buying Apple meant more than buying their logo on a product now. Perhaps, they will eventually come back around to building quality hardware with no cheap parts etc. At the moment, there’s no Mac in my price range that offers this.

 

[derekamoss]

Thanks for posting.

It’s funny, I was hoping to get a Windows laptop with a glossy screen, until I realized I am using a nice Dell matte display at work (which I’ve known since I started at this job), but never considered a matte display on a laptop until now.

I am sure I will adjust just fine.

Sadly, I wish buying Apple meant more than buying their logo on a product now. Perhaps, they will eventually come back around to building quality hardware with no cheap parts etc. At the moment, there’s no Mac in my price range that offers this.

Yeah, there was a time when I would have paid any premium from Apple, just like I did when i bought my first iBook in 2002 and was worth every penny of it. My favorite laptop from Apple of all time, the 12" PowerBook, had a huge premium and never thought anything of it. Hell I used to buy the newest iPod each year since they first came out even if it was such a small difference.

Now honestly Microsoft and Surface brand are the ones that I don't mind paying a premium for. It's not because of build quality, or the OS. It's simply they are putting out computer forms that I like and I believe are the way things will go. Apple is just to F ing stubborn to admit that touch screens are what people want and so we get a freaking touchbar which nobody really wanted and a pitiful excuse of trying to push the iPad as a laptop replacement because they felt a little worried seeing how microsoft surfaces were beginning to get peoples attention. This is the company who literally brought touch screens in to the mainstream and they havent expanded it beyond a phone and a blown up phone tablet? Not to mention how does Microsoft come up with the idea of a Surface Studio when they had never built an all in one pc and Apple has had an all in one PC since what 1999ish? Just blows my mind? I literally believe you picked a random person from the board and put them into Apples design room and said ok tell us what you want and we will build it and it would be better than anything they are pushing out Mac wise right now.

 

[kazmac]

@derekamoss - yes the machines being released by some OEMs are a huge draw. If MS released a smaller, lower cost Surface Studio I’d be all over that. Funny enough Apple had a patent for something similar in 2010, but as you say gave us something else entirely. I found the Touch Bar interesting in my tests last week, but I couldn’t wrap my brain around giving Apple $3k for an MBP with that butterfly keyboard.

I hope Apple will wake up about their prosumer machines at some point. Now, I need to get back to being creative through my tech by alternative means. It annoys me, but that is my current reality.

 

[derekamoss]

@derekamoss - yes the machines being released by some OEMs are a huge draw. If MS released a smaller, lower cost Surface Studio I’d be all over that. Funny enough Apple had a patent for something similar in 2010, but as you say gave us something else entirely. I found the Touch Bar interesting in my tests last week, but I couldn’t wrap my brain around giving Apple $3k for an MBP with that butterfly keyboard.

I hope Apple will wake up about their prosumer machines at some point. Now, I need to get back to being creative through my tech by alternative means. It annoys me, but that is my current reality.

Best of luck to you and hopefully the annoyance stays at bay!

 

[raccoontail]

If MS released a smaller, lower cost Surface Studio I’d be all over that.

Take a look at the Lenovo Yoga A940. Same size as the Surface Studio but much less expensive.

 

[kazmac]

Take a look at the Lenovo Yoga A940. Same size as the Surface Studio but much less expensive.

Thanks. I’ll stick with this set up.

 

[maflynn]

You’re trying to compare a 768p screen to a retina screen. Get real buddy. Go enjoy your Windows laptop then. Not sure what you’re doing here. Cheers.

I think he's posting that he's enjoying his machine and you're the one having issues, LOL

I've said this before, different strokes for different folks. Just because he didn't choose what you have, suddenly makes his choice inferior or yours superior.

I might have paid a 600 dollar premium then, but now.... there should be no premium

Sadly at this point the premium upcharge is only for their name and not for what your get. I will say that I think Apple finally got it right with the 2019 MBP but that still doesn't justify such a high price tag imo.

 

[derekamoss]

I think he's posting that he's enjoying his machine and you're the one having issues, LOL

I've said this before, different strokes for different folks. Just because he didn't choose what you have, suddenly makes his choice inferior or yours superior.


Sadly at this point the premium upcharge is only for their name and not for what your get. I will say that I think Apple finally got it right with the 2019 MBP but that still doesn't justify such a high price tag imo.

I hope they got it right. I am still concerned about the butterfly keyboard though.

 

[maflynn]

I hope they got it right. I am still concerned about the butterfly keyboard though.

Yeah, I thought they did in the 2018 model, and I was wrong. I (for once) made a snap decision that worked in my favor. I sold my MBP just as word was getting out and I got the most I could in selling it.

I do like the 2019 model and Apple definitely improved things, but without the peace of mind regarding the keyboard, I'm not willing to spend a boatload of money to get one.

 

[derekamoss]

Yeah, I thought they did in the 2018 model, and I was wrong. I (for once) made a snap decision that worked in my favor. I sold my MBP just as word was getting out and I got the most I could in selling it.

I do like the 2019 model and Apple definitely improved things, but without the peace of mind regarding the keyboard, I'm not willing to spend a boatload of money to get one.

Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me three times... wait and see!

 

[burgman]

You do realize not everyone demands a retina display and a lot of people hook up external monitors. If the display is makes it impossible to see reason, then thats $600 dollars of premium unreason you are going on. It has now come to the point people over pay for Apple products, not because of superior quality of the hardware, specs or software, They pay more because Apple just says so(and that's fine for people who want Apple Products) but you are not paying for anything special when it comes to hardware and specs at all. iPhones now cost $1000 dollars to buy when the cost of manufacturing is cheaper than what it cost to manufacture the original iPhone, which was half the price..

How much money are Samsung or Google flagships phones? Grasping at straws to justify your dislike of Apple. You keep an iPhone 4 years and it runs latest software fine, Google and Samsung stop security and software updates around 3 years. Galaxy S7 3 years old quarterly security updates only. You compare two dissimilar laptops then justify by talking for other people of what they want or need. Not sure what your point is but these threads are entertaining.

 

[agejon]

Use windows in a vm for a while, before committing any money...

Remember , if only money is the reason to migrate to windows then except to be disappointed!!!

Windows is only good for gaming and excel!!! It’s otherwise a subpar OS in every aspect!!!

 

[derekamoss]

How much money are Samsung or Google flagships phones? Grasping at straws to justify your dislike of Apple. You keep an iPhone 4 years and it runs latest software fine, Google and Samsung stop security and software updates around 3 years. Galaxy S7 3 years old quarterly security updates only. You compare two dissimilar laptops then justify by talking for other people of what they want or need. Not sure what your point is but these threads are entertaining.

I believe the prices for any flagship phone is unjustified. Personally I just buy the top end Prepaid phone there is from my carrier for 130 and although it doesn't have top end specs it is only a little off. Galaxy 7 receives monthly android security updates from At&t every month, I know because I have one and Also have a Galaxy A6 which cost me 89 dollars and is way better than my S7 and gets all the updates. I also find your Apple reality distortion view quite entertaining. I like Surfaces and Samsung Galaxy Phones way more than iPhone but i'm not blindly loyal to them and see their defects when there are some. No Product is perfect ever, but to not be able to acknowledge any faults is crazy fanboyism

 

[skaertus]

Use windows in a vm for a while, before committing any money...

Remember , if only money is the reason to migrate to windows then except to be disappointed!!!

Windows is only good for gaming and excel!!! It’s otherwise a subpar OS in every aspect!!!

Definitely not. Windows is a great operating system. I think it is superior to macOS in several aspects, but this is a matter of personal preference as well.

I could understand why someone would call Windows 95 a sub-par operating system back in the day. But Windows 10 is just great.

 

[maflynn]

Use windows in a vm for a while, before committing any money

On paper that's not a bad suggestion but in practice it fails to take into account the learning curve. Its my opinion that if someone is trying out an OS in a vm and gets stuck on a problem they'll shut it down and go back to macOS. They'll not invest the time and effort to learn and adjust. I could be wrong but I think that's what happens.

Windows is only good for gaming and excel!!! It’s otherwise a subpar OS in every aspect!!!

I have to disagree that macOS is superior on every aspect. Both operating systems have positive and negatives. I think windows has a lot going for it, that macOS doesn't, but that doesn't make it better in every aspect. YMMV but I do think this is a personal preference and stating that as fact isn't as helpful ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[Queen6]

Windows is only good for gaming and excel!!! It’s otherwise a subpar OS in every aspect!!!

Actually no, hence why vast majority of businesses are run on Windows. If anything it's macOS that's limited for professional use due to the lack of software options.

Windows crime is it's complexity and requirement to support legacy software. As much as I like OS X Apple has no real interest in promoting it professionally or advancing the OS.

Q-6

 

[burgman]

I believe the prices for any flagship phone is unjustified. Personally I just buy the top end Prepaid phone there is from my carrier for 130 and although it doesn't have top end specs it is only a little off. Galaxy 7 receives monthly android security updates from At&t every month, I know because I have one and Also have a Galaxy A6 which cost me 89 dollars and is way better than my S7 and gets all the updates. I also find your Apple reality distortion view quite entertaining. I like Surfaces and Samsung Galaxy Phones way more than iPhone but i'm not blindly loyal to them and see their defects when there are some. No Product is perfect ever, but to not be able to acknowledge any faults is crazy fanboyism

That’s odd because Samsung says quarterly only, wonder what AT&T bloatware is being delivered. Ahh the old distortion field passive aggressive post. How disappointing and trendy.

 

[Isamilis]

No need to switch if you don't feel like it. There are plenty of cheap Windows laptop to get your feet wet instead of switching right away.

Having said that:
- With the default Windows defender and Auto windows update, you don't have to worry about anti virus updating anymore. It's all done in the background. Just make sure you uninstall any crapware like McAffee stuff out.
- It's getting more reliable, especially on devices with SSD. One thing I do miss is that depending on the machine, many don't automatically wake up when you open the lid like a Macbook. I do still find sleep mode in Windows still taking a toll of battery, more than macOS.
- iPhone integration out of the box, forget about it. You have to rely either Microsoft services (via OneNote) or Google's (via Keep). Both are available on iOS.
- This is what I hate about Windows. Handling PDF, even in 2019, is still piss poor. You still need to install a 3rd party app as the default Edge reader cannot even do typed annotation (Microsoft assumes everybody uses a pen on a Surface device). You have to either use Adobe's reader or some alternative. None of them beats Preview. Preview on macOS is just miles ahead.
- Browsers selections are a non-issue. I use Brave on my Windows machine. Fast, built-in ad blocker, Chromium based. MS Edge is going webkit anyway.

- Careful on those laptops that seemingly looking "good." Often times, they are good for display, but not for real life use. There's a reason why the business/enterprise laptops look "dated," because they tend to be more reliable in use vs the flashy consumer versions.
- Yes, Windows 10 is stable (even Windows 8 imo is awesome). However, in the end, you're still being affected by 3rd party and OEM drivers and software, which can bring a Windows machine into an unstable mess. Just make sure you uninstall them. Problem is, many OEMs intentionally force you to use their software if you want to update the laptop's firmware.
- MS Office are great on both platforms. MS has been focusing a lot in feature parity between Office for Windows and Macs. You do have the Windows only Access and Publisher.
- Yes, there are apps that are only available on Windows, but the opposite is true also. For example, I still cannot find a good MP3/AAC encoding frontend alternative on Windows that is as simple and great as XLD on the Mac.

Thank you. Your comments really insightful.

 

[Isamilis]

Macs have always been 600+ more expensive then PCs and yes, I do believe they were worth it (keyword is were). For one thing, you'd recoup a larger percentage of the purchase price on selling it years down the road. You also got many many years out of the laptop - I have a 2012 MBP still going strong. Its my kids now and it holds up well. That's a 7 year old computer at this stage. Apple's customer support is industry leading, so you're getting that premium experience as well.

I do believe some things have changed and we're not getting the same value for our money and apple has been raising the price beyond what is considered apple expensive (so to speak)


The cooling is amazing, it seems that its done mostly through OS undervolting That's not a knock, just mentioning how they're doing it. If you run windows on the mac, it will not have the same level of performance/coolness.

As for the keyboard, I really hope this iteration puts the keyboard issues to bed for MBP owners.

In past few years, I looked for MacBooks or iMac in secondary market. Reasonable price with good quality (I got few freshly new MacBook Airs with only <50 battery cycle count). Until Apple resolved completely the keyboard I might keep looking for ‘vintage’ Macbook. I hope it won’t be long from now.

 

[Isamilis]

PDF: by default their 'PDF' and ebook reader is Edge. You can also open them with Chrome if your prefer. No separate PDF reader required.

Integration: On a purely technical level I prefer Onedrive over iCloud. You have web versions of onenote,word,excel,outlook,powerpoint.

I don’t think chrome and Edge can make annotation and highlight the pdf. Also, reading convenience when opening few hundred pages PDF.

 

[fancybid]

Honestly, do you guys have any Windows laptop with the same screen resolution as the Macbook Pro in the same price range of the old Macbook? I love the Retina screen but my wallet says NO.

 

[maflynn]

Honestly, do you guys have any Windows laptop with the same screen resolution as the Macbook Pro in the same price range of the old Macbook? I love the Retina screen but my wallet says NO.

Same or better? Most laptop makers offer 4k laptops that are less expensive then the MBP and 4k resolution is higher then Apple's retina display.
Two examples that I easily found - more can be had obviously - I'm selecting 15" laptops because that's what I'm most familiar with:

Dell XPS ( i7-9750H ) with a 4k screen can be purchased for 2,000
Thinkpad X1E also can be configured with a 4k for about the same price 2k

In both instances, I didn't search out for coupon codes or discounts, though lenovo typically offers 30% if you search around

Depending on you slice it, the MBP will run you over 3,000 to match the similar configurations above as best you can - The two above examples had 512GB storage and better GPUs.