Mac Book Pro with Retina or Dell XPS 15? (both with new Haswell processors)

by Simon 70 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Simon

  I've been in need of a new laptop for a long time. No, I mean it - a REALLY long time. The old Dell that we have has a floppy lid and is woefully underpowered although it does build up my upper body strength every time I pick it up.

  The last 6 months has been a bad time to buy something new though with the Haswell processors on the horizon promising better battery life and also screen technology seems to have been leaping ahead recently to a new hi-DPI standard.

  So Apple finally released their Mac Book Pro and at the same time Dell has released an XPS 15 ultrabook which looks like a pretty good alternative and probably better 'value'.

  Pro's and con's? Anyone check either out yet? I did like the Samsung Ativ 9 vs Mac Book Air but ultimately I think I need power more than portability.

  I like the idea of having touch for Windows 8.1 on the Dell.

  But then I like having access to Windows and OSX on the Mac Book (and do I want greasy fingerprints on my screen?)

  The mac looks a bit better for processor and SSD performance but the QHD+ screen on the dell is 3200x1800 - more "Retina" than Apple!

  I find I'm relying on Windows less and less so don't mind not running it as the main OS and the battery life under OSX is going to be better than running Windows too (Windows is getting worse).

  More and more I'm working with cloud and open-source stacks, linux etc... so Windows is just getting more irrelevant. I already ditched Office and don't regret it.

  I actually find the Windows 8.x interface incredibly annoying and a huge step backwards. I mean really - they are now touting having 2 or 3 apps on screen at a time as a major new feature? Did they forget what the "Windows" part of, erm, Windows, was originally about ?!?

  I don't care about being trendy or having the Apple logo vs Dell logo so hate having to pay any premium for components with the Mac Book vs XPS.

  I also hate having to buy into the overpriced environment for cables and peripherals although it's probably less bad now than before (but I doubt I'd ever buy thunderbolt over a USB 3 device)

  What else? I guess the Dell doesn't have a user-replaceable battery anymore so I can't hold that against Apple. Both have nice looking form-factor and materials - Aluminium / Aluminum ans Carbon Fibre.

  I guess I should also consider the 13" versions - there is a smaller Mac Book Pro and an XPS 13 coming out which saves some money of the steep prices (once you go through the "sure, of course I want that !" steps to create an awesome but insanely priced monster machine).

  Damn, I hate when there isn't a clear winner !!!

  Anyone have experience of either? Both? Plans to buy?
• 

  jgnat

  No, but you inspired me to perhaps buy one. I ditched Microsoft at home over the cloud some time ago, too.
• 

  ctrwtf

  Hey Simon, not much of a techie here but my son bought a Macbook Pro last month and he feels like he didn't get alot of bang for his buck. He's looking to sell it and get a higher end Samsung.

  BTW Thanks for the site. It's been an inspiration for a long time. Good luck with your purchase.
• 

  Soldier77

  Not to sound like an apple fanboy, but I've had Mac Book Pro's for years and they are definitely more $$ but they stay relevent a lot longer. Quality made etc.

  The only thing I would say is if you're used to Windows environment, Mac OS will take a little geting used to, but it isn't too bad.
• 

  Pistoff

  Which one favors the programs you use?

  Personally I like the 8.1 interface; strange at first, but if you try it and then go back to your old laptop, you will find yourself tapping the screen.

  8.1 is not a resource hog, a plus.

  One deal breaker for me is glossy screens; I buy Lenovo's because of it.
• 

  Simon

  I have used Apple OSX before so that isn't an issue getting used to but also isn't a feature either. To be honest, both OSs have their annoyances but Microsoft seem to be losing the plot slightly and for some reason going out of their way to piss off customers (or at least me!):

  • They dropped the Web licensing for Windows Server - now you need to pay the full license to use the cut-down software.
  • No more XBox Live family plan - instead of $99 for a family they expect everyone to pay $60 each. Goodbye Xbox Live.
  • Windows Surface debacle and naming confusion, incompatible accessories - screwing people like with Zune and phones.
  • MSDN / Cloud subscription changes and stupidity.
  • Generally, still too many stupid compatibility issues when using 100% their own stack.
  • How can using SQL in the cloud be easier with Amazon than Microsoft? It's insane.

  There are lots of reasons that I don't trust or like using Microsoft any more, they seem to have lost their focus because of internal infighting and bad top level management. I don't like Apple much better as a company (because they remind me of a cult) but they do seem more focused on the experience.

  Actually, I think Apple's tend to age pretty fast but the designs are less wild and whacky now so that is happening less. The Apples of old became obsolete pretty quickly though.

  I do resent the "Apple Tax" that seems to happen though where you pay extra for intangibles.
• 

  Dis-Member

  Simon I have both the 17 inch Dell XPS and a Macbook Pro 17 inch..

  After using PC's and most Dells for over 20 years 2 years ago I got my first Macbook Pro.

  In a nutshell I will never buy another Windows based computer again. The difference in usability, functionality, stress free operation is just worlds apart.

  With windows machines I was always tuning, fixing, updating, modifying, tweaking, repairing, upgrading,

  With Mac machines i am simply totally productive doing what I need, want and like to do.

  They are also georgeous design works of art.

  I have not regretted switching platforms for one minute. Just make sure you get something decent to begin with.
• 

  Simon

  Which one favors the programs you use?

  Well, the Apple always wins that because you can run Apple apps and Windows apps whether though virtualization or dual booting.

  Personally I like the 8.1 interface; strange at first, but if you try it and then go back to your old laptop, you will find yourself tapping the screen.

  The reason I hate WIndows so much is because I'm on a desktop and they ruined it for tablet users. The Start screen is utterly and completely useless as far as I'm concerned. If I'm sat looking at the screen it's because I am working and want to be doing something - not staring at some gaudy tiles that tell me trivial info.

  Bringing back the start button but just have it go back to the start screen was missing the point and I think missing their chance to fix things a little. I use Start8 which actually makes Windows 8 usable on a desktop ... pretty poor that you need to buy a 3rd party app to make the OS usable though.

  I haven't used a Metro app that I like and Windows is still full of silly random config changes where things suddenly switch (e.g. my drop-down menu's suddenly go to the left instead of the right after I've remoted onto my machine and needs a hidden setting to fix). It's now so full of support for past bloat that it's no wonder the battery goes down so fast.

  Nothing makes me question Windows more than when a laptop that is sat iddle suddenly fires up it's fans even though nothing is running but the OS.

  End of what turned out to be a rant, LOL

  I'm probably leaning towards to Mac Book - it seems to use the top graphics chips instead of the lower-specced version on the Dell.
• 

  Simon

  Thanks Di-Member - that is my experience as well. Sometimes you spend ages trying to make the OS work instead of doing your own work.

  Last time I 'went Apple' was with a Mac Mini which was OK but I was probably more reliant on Windows and Visual Studio + Office back then so it wasn't as good a change but the Mac side of it wasn't too bad. I should dig it out and see if it will run Mavaricks!
• 

  tootired2care

  Simon, I used to buy Dells, but I've switched to Macbook pros since 2008 and havn't looked back. If it were me, I would go with the Macbook Pro, for three reasons.

  1. Bootcamp, this gives you a dual boot option so you can have the best of both worlds, Mac OS & Windows.

  2. Construction quality, sturdy aluminum unibody.

  3. Superior performance, with fantastic battery life (even better if you lower your screen resolution).