- Compare Mac And Dell Laptops
- Compare Mac Laptops
- Compare Mac Laptop Computers
- Comparison Of Apple Laptops
- Mac Laptops For Sale
Aug 05, 2020. Aug 28, 2020.
The rivalry between the MacBook and the PC laptop has been ongoing on for many years. It is as fabled as the legendary battle of David vs. Goliath. On the one hand, the MacBook, and particularly the flagship MacBook Pro, is famed for its exquisite style, exceptional build quality and lightning speed of use. On the other hand, the PC laptop, featuring the Windows operating system and manufactured by a variety of brands, is celebrated for its inexpensiveness, its accessible user interface, and the usefulness of its programs. The battle continues, with several excellent new laptops from both sides of the debate hitting the shelves in the first few months of 2016. This blog post will take a quick look at some of these newest models and the ongoing battle between the two competing formats.
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MacBooks were first released under the guidance of Apple’s technological mastermind, Steve Jobs, in 2006. MacBooks differed from PC laptops in that they were often more expensive than their counterparts.
They also made use solely of the OS X operating system, yet featured groundbreaking aesthetic design, lightning-quick performance, and minimal background noise.
They soon became immensely popular across the world and are currently the best-selling laptop model worldwide, being sold under the ‘MacBook Air’ lightweight edition, the regular MacBook, and the ‘MacBook Pro’ model.
PC laptops, on other hand, first appeared on the scene in the 1990’s, specifically with the release of IBM’s seminal ThinkPad.
Since then, models such as the Sony Vaio, HP Pavilion and Acer Aspire, celebrated for their ease of use and relative inexpensiveness, have achieved millions of sales globally.
As opposed to MacBooks, PC laptops make use of the highly familiar Microsoft Windows operating system, itself featuring the Microsoft Office Suite amongst numerous other useful desktop programs.This, in turn, appeals to a wide variety of demographics: students catching up on assignments, office workers creating PowerPoint presentations, and beginners attempting to use personal computers for the very first time.
What is the difference between a Mac and a PC laptop?
When faced with a physical model of the top level 15” MacBook Pro and that of your run-of-the-mill PC laptop placed side by side, you will most likely spot some marked differences in aesthetics. The current line of MacBook Pros, for instance, makes profound use of a utilitarian design ethos. Featuring striking curves, expensive materials, wafer-thin bodies and the ubiquitous ‘Apple’ logo on each cover, the MacBook Pro 15” model has praised by many for its stunning beauty.
On the other hand, PC laptops enjoy the accessibility and universality of the Windows operating system, complete with easy to access menus, a straightforward folder structure and extensive customisation abilities. Nonetheless, the popularity of the iPhone and other associated Apple products swings the pendulum in favour of the MacBook Pro once more, with connection between products, connection to Apple’s iTunes Store, and uploading to the expansive file storage service iCloud all big draws. Performance wise, both formats feature models of impressive capability, the Lenovo IdeaPad Y700, for instance, boasts 16GB of RAM and a 2.6GHz Intel Core i76700HQ processor, while the very topspec MacBook Pro makes use of a 2.5Ghz QuadCore Intel Core i7 processor and AMD Radeon R9 graphics card.
In terms of resourcefulness, PC laptops offer lots to students for a relatively low price. Models such as the Dell XPS 13, priced at $799, run the latest edition of Microsoft Office Suite, perfect for writing that last minute essay or creating a special effects laden PowerPoint presentation for tomorrow’s seminar.
![Mac Mac](/uploads/1/2/4/6/124631674/377739628.jpg)
Furthermore, models such as the Asus Zenbook UX350, featuring a clear and responsive keyboard, a straightforward graphical user interface and excellent social integration are clear winners in terms of functionality and ease of use. Wi-Fi connectivity is also wonderfully quick and very straightforward to access. The Asus, priced at $794, is relatively cheap to purchase. The Macbook Pro (priced between $1,099 and $2,499 ), also offers several key features to attract students, including a 3 month free trial of Apple Music, and a wealth of useful programs such as iTunes and Facetime.
Both PC laptops and the MacBook Pro have made significant strides in terms of battery life. The latest 13inch MacBook Pro supports up to 10 hours of internet browsing, while the similarly priced Toshiba Kirabook reaches the 9 hour, 7 minute mark. Other models, such as the Lenovo ThinkPad X260 (priced at $999), the Acer Aspire One Cloudbook (priced at $218), and the Sony Vaio Z (priced at $1,549), have all been found to reach wellover the 10 hour mark of continuous web surfing.
Where both the Macbook Air models and Macbook Pro models appear to outperform is in their overall lifespan. The unibody aluminum shell of the latest line of MacBook Pro features, like most Apple products, very good buildquality and strength, while the products themselves come with very strong warranty agreements and the unique ability to enjoy free repairs at your nearest Apple Store.
In terms of overall performance, the highest specification MacBook Pro currently on the market, priced at $2,499, is top of the tree, featuring a 2.5Ghz QuadCore Intel Core i7, with a AMD Radeon R9 graphics card and 16GB of internal memory. Nonetheless, cheaper PC laptop alternatives also come close. The recently released Dell XPS 13, for instance, packs in an Intel Core i7 processor, a QuadHD touch display, and 8GB of internal memory, all for a mere $799. If you are in the market for something with a bit more grunt, the highly impressive Lenovo IdeaPad Y700 (priced at $1,035), with 16GB of RAM, a 2.6GHz Intel Core i76700HQ processor and a beautiful 15.6 backlit screen, makes the perfect companion for enjoying high-definition video or playing power-hungry video games with online friends.
In conclusion, the choice really depends on your budget and needs. If you are after a good-looking and lightweight laptop with an extensive battery life, the MacBook Air is an excellent choice; however it does come at a price of around $1000. The current line of Windows laptop PC’s, priced anywhere between $300 for the Acer Aspire Notebook, and $1,799 for the Sony Vaio Z, come with all the useful Windows programs and office suites you would expect, plus a straightforward menu design and lots of options for customization. If, however, you are after the very best in laptops in 2016, the current 15” model MacBook Pro offers fantastic styling, a bright and beautiful screen and very impressive performance, though for the higher price of $2,499.
Compare Mac And Dell Laptops
When you’re deciding on getting a new laptop, the first thing you’ll need to really make a decision on is not really the brand, but the technology behind the brand. Whilst choosing between brands like Dell and Lenovo is part of buying a new laptop, the first real thing you’ll want to do is pick between the two big operating systems – Apple or Windows.
Whilst it might seem like Macs are everywhere, the reality is that Windows still dominates in the laptop department in terms of market share (although Apple have continuously closed the gap over the years). So, it can be difficult to know whether a Macbook or a Windows laptop would be better for your needs. So, let’s break things down and take a look at the different aspects of each model to determine which may prove to be the better choice.
MacBook vs Windows Laptop – How They’re Different
MacBooks are Apple’s contribution to the world of laptop technology. The line-up includes the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro, which are both fast, sleek and stylish machines. The Pro is an up to date, modern machine ideal for professionals. It has high- end specs combined with a beautiful display to give the user a premium experience and is the most recently updated of the two main lines of laptops coming from Apple.
The Macbook Air is Apple’s ‘lite’ laptop, featuring less cutting-edge hardware, but it is a lot slimmer than the Pro and it’s also feather light.
Windows laptops are designed and manufactured by a plethora of companies. Many of these companies are reputable (like Microsoft themselves with the Surface Pro line, and Asus with their ZenBooks), but there are also a whole host of less expensive, bare-bones machines being made by smaller companies. Windows laptops are a group so versatile and so wide-ranging in capability that it is very difficult to sum them up.
Let’s break down the most important aspects that we consider when choosing a new computer. Price is the most obvious and, for many, will be one of the deciding factors. Next, we’ll look at the functionalities of each machine, the design, the hardware and customisation, and lastly, the operating system. Let’s get comparing
Price Comparison
MacBooks
Apple’s technology is notoriously expensive. From the iPhones to the Macs, they all seem to blow competitor’s prices out of the water. The newest MacBook pro can set you back by up to $2499. The MacBook Air, the cheapest laptop that apple makes, banks at around $1000.
Windows
Once again, it is impossible to summarise the price of a Windows laptop, since there are so many (thousands of models). The cheapest windows laptops sell for under $300, and have basic functions, like internet browsing, watching videos online etc.
They can handle everyday use. The mid-tier laptops have higher specs and can handle RAM-intensive uses well. These start around $500 – $600. Better still are the laptops around the $900 -$ 1100 mark, which can handle gaming, photoshop, internet AND videos…at once!
If you are looking for the absolute best of Windows, then ultrabooks are the way to go. These are super-high spec machines that cost over $1100, and have the best hardware that tech has to offer (for a laptop, anyway). So, we see that windows can be much cheaper, or, it can be more expensive than a MacBook, depending on what you are looking for.
Design
MacBooks
Apple pours money into design. Everything they make is beautiful, robust, and high quality. There is much less plastic than in competitor’s laptops, and the keyboard has a smooth, ergonomic feel. The design is so successful that it hasn’t changed drastically in the past ten years, only getting slimmer and more refined. MacBooks are built to last, and it shows, so any MacBook will be a classy choice
Windows
With so many players in the Windows laptop arena, you can find a laptop to suit almost any taste. There are high-end models that match the design genius of the MacBooks, like the new Surface Pro 6 from Microsoft, with a super-slim body, and a keyboard that is a pleasure to type on. In contrast to this, though, the cheap, low-end laptops are sometimes clunky and are covered in plastic, often with unintuitive trackpad placements.
Gaming
Compare Mac Laptops
MacBooks
If gaming on your laptop is an important aspect of your decision, then a MacBook will do you a disservice. Hardly any worthwhile games have been ported to the MacOS, and this does not look to change anytime soon.
![Cheapest mac laptop Cheapest mac laptop](/uploads/1/2/4/6/124631674/604192493.jpg)
Windows
In contrast to MacBooks, you can get windows laptops specifically designed to handle the newest games. These have top of the line graphics cards, 32+ gb of RAM, as well as gamer-friendly design. Alienware are a prominent maker of this type of laptop, although their prices can reach ungodly heights ($4000+).
Professional Use
MacBooks
The great thing about the MacOS is that it comes with good software for video editing, photo editing and other creative suites straight out of the box, no extra cost. The suites are easy to learn and have far-reaching capabilities. The amazing display on the newest MacBooks lends itself well to graphics and visual arts as well.
The only drawback is that the spreadsheet and text editing software that comes with Macs is much less powerful than the Office suite. You would either have to make-do, or buy the Microsoft package, which still doesn’t have as much functionality as on Windows laptops.
Windows
Windows has a lot of specialist software that is not available for MacOS, as well as the classic creative editing software (photoshop, illustrator etc), but none of these come with the factory install of Windows. Getting the best software can set you back by hundreds of dollars, and the cheapest windows machines may not even be able to handle a large program running for hours. Microsoft office,however, does come with laptops that have windows 10 installed, and it is kept up to date with windows updates.
Connecting to Other Tech
MacBook
Macs have slowly been transitioned away from traditional ports for USB drives, headphones, and HDMI ports. If you have a lot of gadgets, then you’ll have to buy converters and splitters to allow you to use them. This is typically one of the drawbacks of changing over to a Macbook, as they often use different ports that what you might have been using previously.
Windows
Most windows laptops still have at least one of each traditional type of port, as well as some of them having a DVD drive (although nowadays this is less and less prevalent). This will depends largely on the brand of the laptop too – brands like Acer and ASUS tend to have a lot of different ports for you to use.
Customisation and Hardware
MacBooks
Since Apple are the only ones who update MacBooks, they tend to keep the same specs in their laptops for years. This means that sometimes you could be paying a lot of money for tech that was bested years ago. There is little room for customisation, since the only hardware that you can install and use on a MacBook is stuff that was originally made by Apple. Even if you do manage to make a ‘hackintosh’, the updates for MacOS on it will be a nightmare. The upside is that macs are easy to use out of the box, and if anything goes wrong, are easier to repair (if not more costly).
Windows
Compare Mac Laptop Computers
You can take apart a windows laptop and easily upgrade its RAM, hard drive or replace broken parts with a selection of parts from various suppliers, so it is cheaper to fix as well. Companies churn out new laptops all the time, so no matter when or what you want to buy, there will be at least 10 options that will satisfy your every requirement.
Operating System
MacBooks
MacOS is an efficient, extremely fast operating system that is easy to learn and intuitive to use. It is kept relevant with periodic updates, and the UI is modern and sleek. A bonus is that it is safer to use than Windows, as hackers will target MacOS less much less often.
Windows
Laptops with windows are more likely to be targeted with viruses because of the sheer number of people that use the operating system. Although Windows 10 does a great job with Windows Defender, sometimes malware does still slip through the cracks. In addition, many factory installs of Win 10 come with a lot of bloatware (think Bubble Witch Saga..), that can be hard to get rid of. On top of all that, Windows updates are glitchy a lot of the time, and they reinstall previously uninstalled bloatware. That aside, some people feel the most at home in a Windows environment, and that can be a big motivator to purchase Windows every time.
Comparison Of Apple Laptops
Battery Life
It’s very different to compare the battery life between these brands, because it really depends on the specific laptop itself. New Macbooks tend to have a great battery life, as do all apple products. However, the battery life of a laptop can depend on a variety of different things, like it’s components (the same laptop with an i3 processor might have a different battery life thank with a core i7 processor, for example).
Conclusion
In conclusion, I would say that if you are looking for a fast, no-stress user experience on a robust, timeless laptop, and you don’t mind less choice in games and software, then get a MacBook. It is a good investment and will last you a decade.
Mac Laptops For Sale
If you are interested in customising your workspace and your specs, getting to pick from an enormous selection of software and open source, or have a tight budget, then pick a Windows laptop. Lastly, if you are buying a laptop for gaming, then Windows is your only option.