Waaay Late, Mac Specs Suck Now

[Bigkaye]

Holy freaking crap what the hell is with that price? You can get much, much better machine with 50% of that price.

 

I bought a dell, it came with 1 TB mechanical drive, not a 512Flash based one, and its clocked at 1.8GHz rather than 2.3GHz, but it was literally 1/3 the price, Canadian. All other specs the same even in a nice aluminium uni-body.. In practice its 6hr battery, not 8 and the display is 1080p touch, not 'retina'... Still tho. I could have 3 of them for the price of one MBP. 

[Astra.Xtreme]

I bought a dell, it came with 1 TB mechanical drive, not a 512Flash based one, and its clocked at 1.8GHz rather than 2.3GHz, but it was literally 1/3 the price, Canadian. All other specs the same even in a nice aluminium uni-body.. In practice its 6hr battery, not 8 and the display is 1080p touch, not 'retina'... Still tho. I could have 3 of them for the price of one MBP. 

The resolution is probably the biggest selling point...

The price is actually very reasonable for the specs.  Try to find a cheaper equivalent.

[Chicane-UK Veteran]

I have to say I've been pretty impressed with the HD5000 chip in the Macbook Air. Admittedly I just gave up on gaming when I switched to my Air from a gaming PC, but for everything else I've not found this GPU lacking in any way. It drives a 1920x1200 display no problems with no lag or anything - HD video, etc are absolutely no problem. 

 

But it will even play some games OK - I've played some old Steam titles (HL2, CS:S, etc) and they all run perfectly. 

[T3X4S]

I find it kind of pathetic when someone makes a blanket statement like "anyone who spends xxxx is trying to impress" or something like that.  Completely small minded.

My laptop is same price as that mac - same price.  Most of the specs are exactly the same - it is a great laptop.

Elenarie - I will give it to you if you can find something just as good as my X1 Carbon for 1/2 the price. (of course I have to be the judge of "just as good")  ;)

[Guest]

The resolution is probably the biggest selling point...

The price is actually very reasonable for the specs.  Try to find a cheaper equivalent.

 

1080p

i7 4700 HQ quad-core (8 threads) @ 1.4 GHz

nvidia 880 GTX !!!

1TB HDD

16GB DDR3

 

1675 $

[Astra.Xtreme]

1080p

i7 4700 HQ quad-core (8 threads) @ 1.4 GHz

nvidia 880 GTX !!!

1TB HDD

16GB DDR3

 

1675 $

You clearly didn't read what I said...  Those specs aren't even remotely close...

[what]

I find it kind of pathetic when someone makes a blanket statement like "anyone who spends xxxx is trying to impress" or something like that.  Completely small minded.

 

 

These are usually the same people who put their computer specs in their signature. It's that important to them.

[Bigkaye]

The resolution is probably the biggest selling point...

The price is actually very reasonable for the specs.  Try to find a cheaper equivalent.

 

$2500 USD is reasonable for something that offers a touch higher resolution than an $850CAD/$750USD machine? I'm clearly missing something here. The 500Mhz speed boost and 512GB SSD can't be worth $1600. My machine has identical RAM spec, identical nVidia GPU, the intel processor is a rev behind/slower so not intel iris, but the 4600. Same rating battery life, this has touchscreen which MBP don't have and is same form factor with aluminium unibody. Even the touchpad preforms as well as my old 2007 macbook, which was the reason I avoided PCs, until apple soldered RAM and glued in batteries. I'm not saying the MBP isn't good, it is, but it isn't that good.

 

*just noticed its a QUAD core, which is very rare and does add quite a bit of power. My terrible HP 6197 I picked up for $900 or so is a 2nd gen i7 and its faster than my 4th gen dual core by a noticeable amount. NEVER get AMD in a mobile. They custom build their chipsets to vendors specs, and vendors NEVER release newer graphic drivers. My 6197 is stuck running windows 7 :(

[+devHead Subscriber²]

Says someone who thinks $2600 is a lot for a tool you need everyday ....

What about a $4000 gaming laptop ?  Or a $4000 Toughbook ?

Remember, everything is relative.  While you (and others) who feel $2600 is a lot - there are others who dont even look at the price as a factor in getting someone you want/need.

 

$4000 and I didnt go nuts

 

 

A Gaming Laptop, I can see, and a Toughbook is a completely different animal.  But the Apple laptop is neither of them. It's just overpriced because they know they can get people to pay that kind of money for it.  For crying out loud, their prices for RAM are something from the late 90's.

 

That said, $4000 for a laptop is also an inordinate amount of money. I mean, really, for playing games?  

[notuptome2004]

This is from  Apples site    this has  nvidia  in it and all that tho allot more 

 

 

15-inch: 2.3GHz
with Retina display Specifications

• 2.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i7
• Turbo Boost up to 3.5GHz
• 16GB 1600MHz memory
• 512GB PCIe-based flash storage ¹
• Intel Iris Pro Graphics
• NVIDIA GeForce GT 750Mwith 2GB GDDR5 memory
• Built-in battery (8 hours)²

• $2,599.00
•  
• Free Shipping
• 6, 12, or 18 month
  special financing
• Available to ship:
  Within 24 hours
• Select

[Astra.Xtreme]

$2500 USD is reasonable for something that offers a touch higher resolution than an $850CAD/$750USD machine? I'm clearly missing something here. The 500Mhz speed boost and 512GB SSD can't be worth $1600. My machine has identical RAM spec, identical nVidia GPU, the intel processor is a rev behind/slower so not intel iris, but the 4600. Same rating battery life, this has touchscreen which MBP don't have and is same form factor with aluminium unibody. Even the touchpad preforms as well as my old 2007 macbook, which was the reason I avoided PCs, until apple soldered RAM and glued in batteries. I'm not saying the MBP isn't good, it is, but it isn't that good.

 

*just noticed its a QUAD core, which is very rare and does add quite a bit of power. My terrible HP 6197 I picked up for $900 or so is a 2nd gen i7 and its faster than my 4th gen dual core by a noticeable amount. NEVER get AMD in a mobile. They custom build their chipsets to vendors specs, and vendors NEVER release newer graphic drivers. My 6197 is stuck running windows 7 :(

A touch higher resolution? 2880x1800 is a VERY big step up from 1920x1080.  

High resolution screens of that size as very expensive.

 

I was serious when I said try to find an equivalent.

.

Here's the closest I could find:

http://www.amazon.com/Zenbook-UX301LA-DH71T-Quad-HD-Display-Touchscreen/dp/B00EPGHEQS

 

13" (lower resolution) with dual-core i7, 512GB SSD, and only Iris 5100 for $2,000.

That's the exact same price as the 13" MBPr with the same specs.  There just simply isn't an alternative to the highest end 15" MBPr

[Brian M. Veteran]

Although it's possible to buy a similar spec'd machine for less, I've yet to see any laptop on the market for less which actually has all of the features of the rMBP - when you take into account the smaller things, such as:

- Backlit keyboard

- PCIe SSD (not SATA)

- Graphics switching between on-board and dedicated graphics cards to save power

- Retina display of the same resolution

- USB 3 and thunderbolt

- 8-9 hour battery (rated to hold 80% charge after 1000 cycles)

- Wireless AC and bluetooth 4.0

- Dual microphones (which results in MUCH clearer sound)

- Speaker system with built-in subwoofer

Ultimately, it's down to personal preference. For me, a MacBook is a no-brainer decision. I'm far more productive using OS X than I am using Windows, and all of the software I use runs on OS X. I also find that the integration between Apple products is far better than any other manufacturer.

Also - there is Apple's support. Take that ASUS. If it breaks, you're going to be sending it off to ASUS for god knows how long. With a MBP, you can walk into an Apple store and have somebody look at it in person and repair it. Also, need help getting your printer working, or having trouble installing something, Apple stores will always help.

One other thing - the sheer level of engineering. If you ever get a chance to crack open a MacBook Pro Retina, the insides are a thing of beauty. As someone with a passion for technology, I can't help but admire the quality of the engineering (both physical and electrical) that goes into these things.

Edit - here's what I mean about the hardware engineering. I don't have a photo of the one from the exact model of asus above (i think it's from the previous version), but I believe it's pretty much the same, bar connectors, from what I've been reading.

MBPr Motherboard: https://d3nevzfk7ii3be.cloudfront.net/igi/UKXOdnyfCEmQIQwG.huge

Asus Motherboard: https://d3nevzfk7ii3be.cloudfront.net/igi/xquZ2XjXDewffHvr.huge

[T3X4S]

Not to mention the resale value of macs!  They are insane.
I dont have a mac, I do not like the dumbed-down OS-X that keeps people like us from changing, tweaking, breaking/fixing, and tinkering with it.
However, I give credit where credit is due and apple's engineering is nothing short of great.  Hell, the magnetic DC Jack is ingenious.

As far as the other posts from someone who was supposed to find an equivalent ---- 1080p ???  really ???   You tell em Astra ;)

[T3X4S]

This time I went nuts :D

 

$8700

 

 

[Sandor]

Anyone who would still pay $2,600 for a laptop is simply looking for a reason to spend more money than necessary.

This.

 

You'd be better off buying a brand new $800 laptop every single year.

[perochan]

Personally, I think the biggest selling point for Mac computer is its longevity and long term value compared to PC.

 

I am still using Mac Pro 1.1 (2006) with SSD and it still runs great. My old iPhone 3G as a MP3 player and late 2010 MBP running SSD runs super fast. Heck, I sold my 2008 MBP for $260 via Amazon.

 

So ya... the price you are paying is pretty reasonable. 

[Hurmoth]

This.

 

You'd be better off buying a brand new $800 laptop every single year.

Okay, you go do that, I'll spend my money on whatever the heck I want.

[Sandor]

Okay, you go do that, I'll spend my money on whatever the heck I want.

You do that. Sorry about your poor value proposition.

[Hurmoth]

You do that. Sorry about your poor value proposition.

How is it a poor value proposition? You do understand that value proposition is relative to the customer, right? Or do you decide everyone else's value to a product?

 

If it is what I want and I'm willing to pay for it, what do you care what I do with my own money? 

[Mr.XXIV]

You do that. Sorry about your poor value proposition.

 

 

When you say $800 every year, you're saying it as if windows laptops can't last a year. If that's the case, then spend 3 years worth for something that can last 6. A Macbook, right?

 

Most people don't even take all the essentials of hardware into consideration. You got the entire HTC developers using iMacs.

[Sandor]

When you say $800 every year, you're saying it as if windows laptops can't last a year. If that's the case, then spend 3 years worth for something that can last 6. A Macbook, right?

 

Most people don't even take all the essentials of hardware into consideration. You got the entire HTC developers using iMacs.

Nope...just saying you can buy a new laptop every year and get high quality specs and get better value. You'd likely recoup a chunk selling a yr old laptop every cycle too.

 

Or you could buy a $1300 laptop (which will be a beast) and then in 3 years buy another if you like. Imagine the specs on that.

[Gone]

The real reason I like macs are they are nice looking, and generally have better battery life than regular PC's. It may be because Apple controls the hardware down to the last circuit, and the software, or because the PC manufactures just like to pump out products.

 

The old MacBook Pro is good for gaming to an extent, and for long flights where there is no other power (well maybe not long, but I've gotten 6 hours on mine once).

 

I can find a laptop with better specs for half the price and it will last just as long.

 

I just don't know why Apple would get rid of the regular MacBook line, and then lower the specs of the MacBook Pro!

[tsupersonic]

Certain Mac's are competitively priced against their PC (Windows) counterparts. I also used to be in the camp that thought Apple hardware was expensive, but their prices have come down significantly over the past years. You can get a Mac Mini for $599 (granted they haven't refreshed this in a while). You can get a brand new Macbook Air for $700. Not many laptops come close to the specs, build quality, or design of the Macbook Air especially at $700. Yes, you can get cheaper laptops, but their build quality is crap, won't likely be as thin or have the legendary battery life of the Macbook Air. 

 

The closest laptop I would consider a competitor to the Macbook Pro 15" (Late 2013 Retina) with the Nvidia GPU is the Razer Blade, considering specs, price and design. The Blade starts at $2,199 (Razer retail price), and comes with i7 4702HQ, 8 GB RAM, GTX 870M, 14" 3200x1800 touchscreen, and 128 GB SSD. The version with 512 GB SSD costs $2699, or $100 more than the MBP. The MBP 15" Late 2013 Retina with the Nvidia comes with an i7 4850HQ, 16 GB RAM, GTX 750M, 15.4" 2880x1800 display, and 512 GB SSD. Either way, both laptops are similarly priced. There aren't very many Windows laptops that are MBP thin and have MBP build quality with MBP 15" like specs.

[tsupersonic]

The real reason I like macs are they are nice looking, and generally have better battery life than regular PC's. It may be because Apple controls the hardware down to the last circuit, and the software, or because the PC manufactures just like to pump out products.

 

The old MacBook Pro is good for gaming to an extent, and for long flights where there is no other power (well maybe not long, but I've gotten 6 hours on mine once).

 

I can find a laptop with better specs for half the price and it will last just as long.

 

I just don't know why Apple would get rid of the regular MacBook line, and then lower the specs of the MacBook Pro!

Have you even tried gaming on the latest MBP's? The Iris chip is more than capable. For competitive comparison, the current gen. 830M (since your Mac has a 320M/330M) is ranked lower than the Iris chip. The only advantage is you get your dedicated memory on the Nvidia GPU. I used to hate Intel/AMD integrated graphics back in the day, but they are more than good enough for everyday use. I have my desktop PC for games.

[Bigkaye]

Nope...just saying you can buy a new laptop every year and get high quality specs and get better value. You'd likely recoup a chunk selling a yr old laptop every cycle too.

 

Or you could buy a $1300 laptop (which will be a beast) and then in 3 years buy another if you like. Imagine the specs on that.

 

 

How much is recouping a chunk? I could barely recover 50% on my last laptop, all considered. Purchase at $950 and had troubles selling for $500 13 months later with additional 240GB SSD drive installed and AC wifi upgrade. My Macbook I bought for $700 ($1000 new) and sold 6 years later for $250...