There are literally thousands of laptops available on the market today. With so many options available, it’s hard to figure out which is the best value for money. I must say that my experience (15 years in the high-tech industry) has led me to say that as of today Apple is winning the war in the laptop market. MacBook computers are the best value on the market today for both students and professionals. Here is a short list of reasons that, in my opinion, more than justify this thought.
1. Quality: The strategy that Apple has followed throughout its history is to prioritize quality over having a new model every week. Its hardware is reliable, its displays are bright and easy to read, and it’s feature-rich right out of the box.
2. operating system X: The mainline Mac OS (currently codenamed Leopard) is a stable and secure operating system that, in this author’s humble opinion, kicks Windows XP and Vista’s butt with almost no real effort. Virus problems are fewer on the Mac than on the PC by a staggering amount. The environment is less likely to crash and the applications running in it run smoothly with far fewer issues than on a Windows PC. And as a bonus, thanks to technologies like Boot Camp and Parallels, it’s possible to run Windows on your Mac if you really need to.
3. weight and design: Simply put, the MacBook feels better to me than any notebook PC I’ve come across, whether it’s the unique secure MAG connector on the power cord, the integrated webcam, or the inclusion of features like a backlit keyboard (MacBook Pro and MacBook air) units seem better built to me at all levels. Battery life is usually way ahead of the curve compared to PCs (Authors note: MacBooks have a power indicator attached to the battery, so even with the unit turned off you can check how much power you have left. remains, just another nice feature). Finally, MacBooks are very thin and weigh very little compared to laptop PCs of similar specs. The MacBook Air is, of course, the thinnest and lightest of them, but the MacBook and MacBook Pro are pretty impressive in their own right.
4. amazing apps: Along with the core operating system, Macbooks come with a bundle of software that is terrific. The operating system includes an excellent email client, calendar and contact manager, video chat tools, and my favorite web browser Safari. All the notebooks also come with Ilife, which frankly suits most people’s creative needs. Iphoto is a powerful image organizer with strong built-in editing options. Imovie is a great little video editor and has features that exceeded all my expectations in a free app. Iweb is a great tool for creating your first website and has amazing built-in tools that allow you to quickly build a presence. If you’re a musically inclined person (I’m not), the garage band is a fun and, I’m told, very effective way to produce music quickly. Idvd is an excellent authoring tool that allows you to quickly create movies and slideshows and is one of my favorite tools to use on a day-to-day basis.
5. Price: I know this sounds counterintuitive, but let me tell you, I truly believe that Apples are more affordable than PCs in the long run. First, let’s look at the base prices: $1,099 for the base MacBook, $1,799 for the base MacBook Air, and $1,999 for the MacBook Pro. Those prices may seem high, but when compared to notebook PCs of comparable specs and quality, they often turn out to be inferior to those of the competition. Next, consider the cost of the software, the mac already includes many of the tools that you would need to buy for your portable PC. Work’s cost ($79.00) is almost half less than Microsoft Office, and frankly, in my experience, it has a friendlier suite of apps, some of which I think actually beat Microsoft’s offerings quite a bit. Then there’s the lifespan issue, Macs last longer, will still be useful well into the 5 year range, and often retain a large percentage of their value much better than PC laptops even when you decide to get a new one. the mac will be worth something. Along those lines, I will say that buying refurbished Apple laptops is a great way to save a few hundred bucks without any appreciable loss in quality. I also recommend looking on Craigslist or other classifieds, although this is a much less secure way to shop. often the deals are worth it.
I hope this information has convinced you to consider investing in Apple’s family of laptops. For me the difference has been amazing. Maybe one day the PC will end up on top again, but for now credit goes to Apple for producing an amazing product at a reasonable price.