Let the baking commence!

[Swoka Ikran]

Well, if I would have $2K to spend on a laptop it would easily be an Apple. Not because I especially like then, I even dislike Mac OS. But they do have premium quality build quality and even if the hardware isn't the best for that price, it's a laptop, I don't need better hardware. I dare you to find a PC with as good build quality, I've failed to do so.

For build quality, I'll agree. You won't find something better. They feel sturdy, and some seem to be built like tanks. My sister's 2005 MacBook Pro outlasted 2 non-Apple laptops (one of which literally fell apart). Excluding the battery, the MacBook is still working, and it still sees frequent use.

AFAIK, there is no system with Apple build quality and PC performance. The closest you get is a Mac running Windows, and when I last used a system like that, it felt sluggish.

Also, and this is probably the reason why many people that isn't especially tech savvy may think that Apple is worth the price. 90% of the user experience today is decided by the software.

I know several people who've gotten a Mac just because of the user-friendly interface. Mac OS is definitely one of the most user-friendly OSes around.

Almost all Windows OEMs fill their computers full with a ton of crapware such as Wi-Fi controlling packages, 50 worthless game demos, 3 trail AVs etc... Microsoft needs to introduce strict limits for this imo.

MS really does need to do something...

I had to clean a brand new Dell the other day: McAfee trial, an offer to install Norton instead, several advertising programs, some "PC TuneUp" trial, and at least 10 games from WildTangent. Not as bad as the older WinXP-based Dells, but still ridiculous. The system was much faster once I removed all of it.

EDIT: Typo.

[Human No More]

Well, if I would have $2K to spend on a laptop it would easily be an Apple. Not because I especially like then, I even dislike Mac OS. But they do have premium quality build quality and even if the hardware isn't the best for that price, it's a laptop, I don't need better hardware. I dare you to find a PC with as good build quality, I've failed to do so.

While admittedly it's not a prebuild, anyone can build one that is far better looking and performing (yes, even a laptop) for less money with just a little knowledge, which also has the advantage of not giving the user a 'mac user' label, which is often synonymous with 'pretentious/hipster'.

Also, and this is probably the reason why many people that isn't especially tech savvy may think that Apple is worth the price. 90% of the user experience today is decided by the software. Almost all Windows OEMs fill their computers full with a ton of crapware such as Wi-Fi controlling packages, 50 worthless game demos, 3 trail AVs etc... Microsoft needs to introduce strict limits for this imo.

I agree. This varies a lot by manufacturer though - HP and Dell are the worst. If MS restricted that, then things would be far better.

[Swoka Ikran]

Also, and this is probably the reason why many people that isn't especially tech savvy may think that Apple is worth the price. 90% of the user experience today is decided by the software. Almost all Windows OEMs fill their computers full with a ton of crapware such as Wi-Fi controlling packages, 50 worthless game demos, 3 trail AVs etc... Microsoft needs to introduce strict limits for this imo.

I agree. This varies a lot by manufacturer though - HP and Dell are the worst. If MS restricted that, then things would be far better.

The new Dells are not that bad actually. Aside from the advertising software, they don't have much in the way of bloat. The bloat on Dells uninstalls cleanly (unlike HP). I can clean out Dell bloat in under 30 minutes...

HP systems will give me the run around for hours. In tech school, we fixed PCs for the public. We had a sign on the door ("We do not service HP/Compaq equipment") because the systems were so difficult to find drivers for.

[Sіr. Ηaxalot]

Well, if I would have $2K to spend on a laptop it would easily be an Apple. Not because I especially like then, I even dislike Mac OS. But they do have premium quality build quality and even if the hardware isn't the best for that price, it's a laptop, I don't need better hardware. I dare you to find a PC with as good build quality, I've failed to do so.

While admittedly it's not a prebuild, anyone can build one that is far better looking and performing (yes, even a laptop) for less money with just a little knowledge, which also has the advantage of not giving the user a 'mac user' label, which is often synonymous with 'pretentious/hipster'.

Can you link to a store where I can get the stuff to build a laptop with equal build quality of a MacBook Pro?