Technology Apple

[dilla]

It's a cool piece of hardware, but I need something elegant. Razer Blade looks like a hardcore gaming rig in an elegant shield, but it does look like a gaming rig.

Also, I don't want to pay too much. I though about a used 2011 MBA. It costs less than modern ultrabooks while the performance difference isn't big. Plus props go to Apple for decent design - a couple of year old looks still are great and are left almost unchanged for so many years. Another point for sticking to good quality components that other manufacturers cut costs on, such as displays. It's one of the most important pieces of a laptop and yet they absolutely suck on most of them. Macbooks have half-decent displays - enough to be better than almost all competition.

The reason why I'm not all over Lenovo is because their displays on most models aren't great, and I need a very good one. They have that 12 inch IPS model but it's 12 inch and bulky at the same time. There are these cool Sony Ultrabooks with good displays but they're expensive as shit.

Yeah, I'm not sure the Razer Blade can be characterized as a "professional" looking laptop. The casing, the lights, it's all very loud.

The hardware is pretty sick, though. But at $1799, almost twice as much as a base MBA, or about $500 more than the high-end 13" MBA, you should expect that.

As you've mentioned, the major qualms with it is the display, which is better on the MBA. I'm wondering when they'll introduce the Retina display for it, because then the MBA would really have a leg up on most other brands. But I guess we'd have to see the pricing on that rMBA too. Might end up starting at $1799 like the RB.

What exactly will you be using that will be Windows-only? Is your comp sci. curriculum based only on Windows, or something? I dunno all that technical jargon, but an Apple product is really not compatible with your field? For what it's worth, didn't Google require their devs to use anything but Windows? I think an Apple blog posted it about three years ago. Gloating, of course.

 

[Pittsey]

Most of the software I use is not available on Mac. It's why most Mac users run windows too.

 

[masta247]

Most of the software I use is not available on Mac. It's why most Mac users run windows too.

Yeah, running 2 OSes at the same time is kinda an extra hassle though.

What exactly will you be using that will be Windows-only? Is your comp sci. curriculum based only on Windows, or something? I dunno all that technical jargon, but an Apple product is really not compatible with your field? For what it's worth, didn't Google require their devs to use anything but Windows? I think an Apple blog posted it about three years ago. Gloating, of course.

I use it for professional stuff, half of the problem is stuff not running on Mac (Data mining software I use, for example, or smaller and older games I sometimes play). The bigger half of the problem is me already having licenses for software for Windows - some of them are expensive, some of them I have for free (but for Windows) - for example via MSDNAA (Microsoft's academic alliance), such as Microsoft Project, Access, Visio and VMWare pro. Or from university, such as SAP's ERP systems, SAS Business Intelligence or even Photoshop. They all cost more than a Macbook, and I get Windows versions for free as a student.
Another thing is I have Windows itself for free.

 

[Pittsey]

All of the software I used to use at work was windows based. In engineering, most software is. Even all the CAD guys on my current project use windows.

Only trendies use macs. Those who do photo or video editing.

Everyone else uses windows. And I'll be the first to admit that windows is unreliable. If I am looking for reliability, I purchase a custom software based on linux or unix.Although I do have windows based systems that have cause me no trouble in several years.

 

[dilla]

Yeah, running 2 OSes at the same time is kinda an extra hassle though.





I use it for professional stuff, half of the problem is stuff not running on Mac (Data mining software I use, for example, or smaller and older games I sometimes play). The bigger half of the problem is me already having licenses for software for Windows - some of them are expensive, some of them I have for free (but for Windows) - for example via MSDNAA (Microsoft's academic alliance), such as Microsoft Project, Access, Visio and VMWare pro. Or from university, such as SAP's ERP systems, SAS Business Intelligence or even Photoshop. They all cost more than a Macbook, and I get Windows versions for free as a student.
Another thing is I have Windows itself for free.

I see. That is a problem. But most of that software, you can't just pirate? I mean, say you do like OSX and want to stick with it, downloading PS and VMWare wouldn't be an option?

 

[masta247]

I'd kinda feel bad about it, having used legal software for so long now, and actually having legal licenses for Windows versions of everything I need. I guess if I went for Mac I'd run Windows in Boot Camp. It is an extra hassle, but it doesn't cost me anything and I'd feel better about it than pirating software. I'd rather have one system, I like Windows 7 and I'd prefer it as my main OS, but running only Windows on a Macbook would be super weird.

I'll still think about the whole thing though. I like the 2011 Macbook Air because it's the biggest jump Apple laptops had since going Intel - it has Sandy Bridge i5 which is very decent because it runs at 2,7ghz in single thread, and for performance it's still about as good as Haswell and the MBA chip in real life is not much slower than the one in 13inch MBPs and still is one of the fastest laptop processors. And Macbooks haven't changed much since 2011, while the price for those is relatively acceptable for me. I'll just have to look for a good deal, preferably one that is under extended warranty that's still valid.

 

[dilla]

I guess being in Poland they have a different system there, but in the States they have refurbished models that have a warranty. They are somewhere between $100-$500 less, depending on the model.

For an idea, check out a website www.macmall.com and they simply have "old" models but are still new (as in not open box or refurbished) and their discounts are ridiculous.

If you ever come to the States, just see if you can get it shipped to someone so you can pick it up while you're here.

 

[masta247]

It's funny, because the price on the 13 inch Air with Haswell is not much higher (not including taxes though) I'd pay here for a used 2011 model..

I guess 1100$ for the Haswell 13 inch model is.. not a terribly bad price. Especially considering how overpriced worse Ultrabooks are as well. And Haswell is like Sandy Bridge + twice the battery life, less heat and much better GPU.

I bet the prices for high end Ultrabooks will go down to 700-800$ quite soon. I'm not sure if I'll want to wait though. I guess most models will be made more and more for Windows 8, with touchscreens and shit.
I guess using both OS X and Win 7 at the same time sounds less bad than switching between Metro and Desktop in Win 8.

 

[dilla]

And I guess we would have to wait and see if Apple decides to bring touch to their Macs. I'm not sure what Apple has said its stance on that was, but I imagine it would cannibalize into iPad sales, or vice versa. Because the iPad has been going at the MBA for some time now.

Just seeing many blog writers using, recommending, and praising their MBAs for use on the go, I wonder if my next purchase, whenever it may be, should be an MBA or an MBP, still.

Right now, I'm missing the power. I've never felt my MBP was too heavy or too big. Even if I got the MBA, I'd go for a 13 with minimal SSD space and try and swap it out myself. But I think the 13 MBP might outshine a similarly priced, low-end 13 MBP in performance, right? Because I don't think I would get the rMBP which has 8 GB of RAM. I need 8, though. The base 13 MBP has 4 GB, still, and I'm not sure if those are user replaceable. Apple is being a coon about switching HDDS, SSDs, and RAM, I just don't know which one for which models.

I'll sell you my MBP, Masta.

 

[masta247]

Haha, the Core 2 Duo one? No, thanks ;-) I have a core 2 duo laptop now and I want to jump to i5. Out of curiosity - how much are you going to sell it for?

I think since the 2011 line the performance differences between the 13 inch MBA and MBP aren't big and I'd rather have the slimmer and lighter device.
The 15 inch i7 version is significantly faster, but it's a giant.
Pro's have slightly better displays, but the one on Air is reasonably good too.

Airs don't take more than 4gb of RAM, but it's enough for me, even when heavy lifting under Windows.

 

[dilla]

People are telling me (the ones that have sold many of their Macs in the past) that I could fetch between $500-$750. We'll see if that's possible. And that is back in the States. If I can sell it before I leave the island here with plenty of Nigerians vying for an Apple product, it is very possible I could net $1000 if I BS them with the programs installed and jack up the price accordingly. That would essentially net me a new MBA for my three year old MBP.

People have done it on the island before, but I think they get lucky. We'll see.


And you can fit the MBAs with 8GB of RAM. And it's rather reasonably priced too, at $100 more. But it could be cheaper if it was user replaceable, and whether it is or not, I am not sure.

 

[masta247]

Oh, looks like it's another good reason to buy the Haswell MBA. The 2011 SB model had a 4GB Ram limit.

I guess prices on used Apple products aren't THAT ridiculously high here, but you'd easily get 800$ for that MBP here. New Haswell MBAs are ~1800$ though.

 

[dilla]

I think you said there is no Apple Store in Poland. That might be an issue too. Going to an "authorized reseller" or whatever, for repairs, must be a chore and may not constitute a true Apple quality of service. I have three in my 20 mile radius area back home. And then there's at least two in the city of Chicago. So there's no shortage of service here.

 

[Casey]

Going to an "authorized reseller" or whatever, for repairs, must be a chore and may not constitute a true Apple quality of service.

From my experience, the guys who work at authorized resellers are about a hundred times more intelligent than the people who work at Apple stores and provide a far higher quality of service. I've talked to the guys at Apple stores a hundred times and most of them know jack-shit, they are just sales people and they try and fob you off with bullshit that most people actually fall for.

 

[masta247]

http://blog.gsmarena.com/citi-research-says-new-ipads-wont-stop-apples-tablet-market-share-decline/

 

[masta247]

I bought the new Haswell Macbook Air, lmfao. ME. How crazy that is. And I like the laptop as a whole. I miss lots of things and I don't really like Mac OSX - it's like a very retarded OS that is extremely basic and limited to me but.. it's really good enough as a glorified typewriter. I can make the battery last 20 hours on Office! That is insane. Haswell is such an incredible architecture.

For basic stuff it's a good laptop. I just had to say goodbye to gaming and work on the go. I bought it because it's less than 900$ in Hong Kong's Apple stores. That is cheaper than all comparable ultrabooks with Windows.

The design is cool, the laptop stays cool (even cold), the keyboard is fine and the touchpad with gestures is better than expected (although I miss the trackpoint) and the display is better than comparable Lenovo laptops - that convinced me after all. Just the OS is shit but oh well, good enough for basic stuff and the internet which is what I use my personal laptop for mostly lately.

The 13 Pro with Retina is probably the best laptop around atm and it was only 300$ more but it's still a 2012 variant with Ivy Bridge and the battery life is less than half of 2013 MBA's, and I guess I won't be here when a refresh comes out.

 

[dilla]

Well, the Haswell MBPs are due out some time soon. Possibly still this month, or next.

There is a rumored iPad event next month as well, something like October 16th or something, so it's possible that they might just sneak in the MBP Haswell upgrades in there as well. The announcement, at least.

Not sure how long you're there, though, so that could be an issue. Another month or so should bring us some news.


About the 5S, seems like while the hardware wasn't too big of an announcement (I don't know the repercussions of 64 bit mobile chips, either), the 5S was trouncing rivals in benchmark tests. http://bgr.com/2013/09/19/iphone-5s-benchmarks-performance-tests/

They even quoted Anandtech's review, which I can't be fucked to read any time soon, on the 5S and iOS7.

I wonder how it translates into real world performance, though.

 

[masta247]

I'll be coming back at the beginning of October and I wanted a new laptop already. I like the Air. I couldn't really feel the performance difference between it and the pro, but the screen on the Retina Pro is so awesome though. The laptop is thicker and heavier though and the screen on Air is still pretty good.

Nobody seems to be concerned about the 5S. I even missed the fact that it was released, lol. The CPU is great but performance means nothing now as all phones are pretty much super smooth and performance on iOS was not an issue since the 4S. The Iphone is just not relevant anymore. Compared to so many great flagships these days - the S4, LG G2, Xperia Z1 or even HTC One it just doesn't even look serious, it looks like a toy. They could even put Haswell there, the Iphone looks like a joke - the rest of the world moved forward so far and Iphone is stuck years behind with a low res 4 inch display that cant even do youtube in hd and gigantic bezels. Seriously, it looks like the Iphone 5 which looks like the Iphone 4 and 4S and whenever I see these phones now they just look old and antiquated compared to modern Smartphones. I think even casual users can see that these days as lots of Iphone owners I know now seem to love my phone and all I hear from Iphone owners is that they're going to get "something like that instead of that Iphone next".

 

[THEV1LL4N]

In China and Hong Kong it's all about Samsung, Lenovo, and Xiaomi, right? (In terms of mobile phone market share).

Edit: I forgot to mention Huwaei and ZTE.

 

[dilla]

I'll be coming back at the beginning of October and I wanted a new laptop already. I like the Air. I couldn't really feel the performance difference between it and the pro, but the screen on the Retina Pro is so awesome though. The laptop is thicker and heavier though and the screen on Air is still pretty good.

Nobody seems to be concerned about the 5S. I even missed the fact that it was released, lol. The CPU is great but performance means nothing now as all phones are pretty much super smooth and performance on iOS was not an issue since the 4S. The Iphone is just not relevant anymore. Compared to so many great flagships these days - the S4, LG G2, Xperia Z1 or even HTC One it just doesn't even look serious, it looks like a toy. They could even put Haswell there, the Iphone looks like a joke - the rest of the world moved forward so far and Iphone is stuck years behind with a low res 4 inch display that cant even do youtube in hd and gigantic bezels. Seriously, it looks like the Iphone 5 which looks like the Iphone 4 and 4S and whenever I see these phones now they just look old and antiquated compared to modern Smartphones. I think even casual users can see that these days as lots of Iphone owners I know now seem to love my phone and all I hear from Iphone owners is that they're going to get "something like that instead of that Iphone next".

Yeah, many iPhone users are ready to switch, that I know of. There was still a circlejerk over iOS 7 being released. People were losing their shit about not being able to download it on time and stuff. It was mostly girls, though.

In my mind, Android runs very similar to my computer, in terms of versatility and how menus are organized and the settings that can be changed. I like that over iOS's UI. I just wish Android was more respected by the developers so that apps weren't so half-assed all the time. Many apps have it so that the iOS version gets a huge extra feature that Android doesn't. And it's still free. ESPN is guilty of that, and I'm sure people with other interests notice that on their apps too.

But the main thing comes down to user experience, and I do think navigating the menus and putting files on the tablet is easier on Android than on iOS. But that's Apple's dumbass philosophy of doing everything through iTunes.

Unless this new iPad Mini or the iPad 5's specs blow me away, I am pretty set on getting the N7. But it has been long enough, that I wouldn't even by the N7 right now, even though it is a good deal. I'll wait for a $20-30 price drop, which is feasible if the iPad 5/Mini 2 triggers a price reduction.

Still playing the waiting game, but I think the 7 will be the way to go for me.