Need to buy a new laptop, shall i buy a macbook

i been using an old Dell studio since 2009 . Now feels like this is the time to switch it.
Approximately $1300 of the budget in hands, What would you recommend?
Laptop would be used for Browsing/ some word processing stuff, plenty of Photoshop and lightroom stuff. sometime adobe premier pro.
never used MAC OS , i like Macbook , Just asking if i should go for it or not. Would it be fast enough to work with adobe software.
switching from windows to MacOS would be a little tough , but i'm up for the experience. Do suggest me guys, Shall i go for it , or buy some other machine in the price.

Battery life alone is worth it. Look for a Mid 2012 or so MacBook Pro Retina. Easily in budget. Might even go newer.

I have a LOT of PCs and finally switched my mobile setup to a MBP. It doesn't really do anything better it's just a bit
more streamlined. I spend a lot of time at racetracks(40ish weekends a year) and then plane rides. On a plane
getting 8+ hours of editing done versus the PC(Last was Dell XPS) that would get 45min or so. Definitely worth it.

As a former (technically current since I still have two Macs) "Mac guy", I say go with a Windows system. The price difference isn't worth it imo, especially since you can easily upgrade most Windows based machines and that's pretty much impossible (aside from memory) on a Mac.

I had never heard the above argument on battery life, but even if that is true these days it's sort of a non-issue imo. There are so many products out there to extend battery life, most of them very inexpensive. You could even just get a spare battery or two to keep with you... heck, I had one for my Macbook until the main battery crapped out on me... and now so has the backup I had

Do it! You will absolutely LOVE Mac OS, it is SO much better than Windows, especially windows 8. I switched to Mac 2 years ago and have been extremely happy with all of my computers...Retina iMac, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and several iPads. MacBook laptops are no different than windows laptops as far as upgrades go.

ShotByTom wrote in post #17553181
Do it! You will absolutely LOVE Mac OS, it is SO much better than Windows, especially windows 8. I switched to Mac 2 years ago and have been extremely happy with all of my computers...Retina iMac, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and several iPads. MacBook laptops are no different than windows laptops as far as upgrades go.

This of course depends on what you buy, but there are a lot of options out there which allow for dedicated graphics and other upgradable components. Also, for the $1300 basic spec macbook you really don't get a lot for your money, going the Windows route you can get a much higher spec system for the same cost or less.

To each their own, but unless Apple steps up their game I won't be a customer anymore and I was an Apple fanboy for 10+ years.

If you insist on a Mac tough, I would get a used Macbook Pro to get the best bang for your buck.

Take a look at the specs you would be getting for a Mac in your price range and then do the same for a Windows based machine. I for one love windows, ok not so much 8 but I have learned to work with it. In my 9-5 industry the programs needed are not offered for mac so it was never really an option. Battery life is not so much of an issue, I have a new Lenovo laptop 15" that gets amazing battery life.

Take all this for what it is as I am 100% anti apple anything.

I've been a die hard Windows fan, especially working in IT and managing 5000 windows systems on a daily basis. My wife has been using iMAC and MBAir for some time. Finally, I decided to give MBP a try. I purchased a $2,500 top of the line MacBook Pro 15" model in October of 2014, and has never looked back. I know it doesn't matter, but it actually does: the build quality. Obviously your laptop won't be any faster. However, after using an i7 maxed-out lenovo laptop it still felt plasticky. The screen tilting and the keyboard and the touchpad were all great. However, they just didn't feel anything close to what a MacBook Pro feels like. Finally, the screen resolution on the Retina model is great. There is not a single feature that I dislike. Being an IT guy, I get to use many different toys: from Lenovos, to HP's, to Dell's. However, I now carry my MBP to the meetings as well instead of my work-provided 13" XPS. In addition, it serves as my desktop replacement for all of my photography needs.

I'd suggest one thing: go to the apple store and just play with a MBP. See how it feels and how you like it. I've seen them on sale sometimes for $1600. Adding another $300 from an already expensive budget $1300 for a laptop that will serve you at least 4-5 years is not a lot if you look at it.

My recommendation is to wait for the sales and get the Apple. They also have refurbished models on sale at Apple.com, which now come with the standard 1-year warranty.

No.

Have you used OSX for any length of time? Did it bug or annoy you in any way?
Do you greatly prefer OSX, or Windows, or do you have no strong preference for one over the other?
Is the system you're looking at better suited to the task you want to do on it compared to other devices you can find in a similar or lesser price range?

Do keep in mind that the all metal bodies found on many laptops these days are VERY cold and annoying to use "out in the field". So something to consider if you're possibly going to use this system somewhere that will be colder than a proper office space.

You can find cheaper laptops with similar battery life and processing power, but you'll spend more time shifting through reports and reviews.

I used Windows exclusively from 3.0 to Vista on a number of machines from home built desktops to high end laptops. It was always a pain and required constant tweaking, updating and configuring to keep running smoothly. Out of frustration I finally turned to Apple and let me say that there is really something to having the hardware and software proprietary to one house. All I have to do now is turn it on and... it works. No fuss. Despite the higher entry cost I'm getting much longer use from my Apple products. My oldest machine is a 2009 iMac and it still works perfectly. Highly recommended.

Another vote for Mac. Build quality, screen, etc., has all been said. Above all, it just works. Windows was fraught with crap and at the worst times.

It boils down to the operating system, really. If you've been a Windows user for most of your life, you'll probably hate 8.1 at first but the familiarity will soon come back. I actually don't mind it at all. I just don't use the tiles that much. Plus, you'll get a higher spec machine for the money.

I have very little experience with OSX (although I use an iPhone 6 and my wife has an iPad Air 2), what little I have was from playing around with an iMac (a fairly recent one, I think) for a couple of weeks. To be blunt, I didn't like it. It jarred too much. Almost like it thought I was too dumb to be allowed to move files around manually of even see where on the hd they were kept.

I suppose the ubiquitous phrase "They just work" (usually said incredibly smugly by a cretin with a "hairstyle" munching on kale and quinoa ...) comes from the fact they dont let you do much that would do them any harm.

But that's just my jaded, windows biased opinion.

They do look lovely, mind.

Gary.

Highly recommended, made the jump to the first rMBP in 2012 - more stable and you choose when and what to update. Wait for the one you want from the refurbished site is what I would do/will do on my next purchase. And yes, you can do it all from a rMBP - PERIOD.

3rdFriday wrote in post #17557167
Highly recommended, made the jump to the first rMBP in 2012 - more stable and you choose when and what to update. Wait for the one you want from the refurbished site is what I would do/will do on my next purchase. And yes, you can do it all from a rMBP - PERIOD.

Having made extensive use of both Windows and Macs in a development environment, I have to say that neither is really more stable than the other, and you can update either one as you please.

The screens aren't any better than any other decent system, and you do need to calibrate the screen for accurate colour, despite what many I've seen suggesting online.

Most of the problems I've seen with Windows stability isn't due to windows itself, but due to the junk that people install along side it. If you aren't careful and let junk software creep onto your mac, then it is going to have issues as well. OSX also loves to let programs randomly hang and become non responsive when there is tons of ram and processing power left. My system likes to show off the beachball at random when I'm opening a new terminal window, and using less than half my ram and processor capacity.


Pretty much the only thing that I really love about my MacBook (A mid 2012 non-retina 13") that I haven't been able to find on a machine from another vendor is the touch pad.

(Randomly, what I would love in an upgrade system to my current one is modern hardware in the older style cases. The slightly thicker non-retina cases, with more useful ports on the side, room for a larger longer lasting battery, and space for additional drives... That would make a sweet bit of portable hardware.)

quickben wrote in post #17557143
It boils down to the operating system, really. If you've been a Windows user for most of your life, you'll probably hate 8.1 at first but the familiarity will soon come back. I actually don't mind it at all. I just don't use the tiles that much. Plus, you'll get a higher spec machine for the money.

I have very little experience with OSX (although I use an iPhone 6 and my wife has an iPad Air 2), what little I have was from playing around with an iMac (a fairly recent one, I think) for a couple of weeks. To be blunt, I didn't like it. It jarred too much. Almost like it thought I was too dumb to be allowed to move files around manually of even see where on the hd they were kept.

I suppose the ubiquitous phrase "They just work" (usually said incredibly smugly by a cretin with a "hairstyle" munching on kale and quinoa ...) comes from the fact they dont let you do much that would do them any harm.

But that's just my jaded, windows biased opinion.

They do look lovely, mind.

Gary.

I forgot to comment on the newest OSX in my post... I absolutely hate the changes they made with Yosemite. As you said, they really did make it incredibly frustrating to try finding and moving files. To not have all folders available through finder drop down menus anymore is seriously irritating, it's enough to make me feel totally turned away by OSX at this point now that I've been using my PC more.