MacBook Pro Vs. Surface Pro

yes
but this would be a step up from that for cheaper

If you don’t mind the smaller screen,
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Toshiba+-+Satellite+14%26%2334%3B+Touch-Screen+Laptop+-+8GB+Memory+-+750GB+Hard+Drive+-+Prestige+Silver/7543055.p?id=1218851199911&skuId=7543055

I took a survey, they said that one was best for me.

I WANNA MAC SO I CAN HAZ IMOVIE AND MAKE BETTER EDITS (Im suggesting you get the MacBook PRO by saying this :wink: )

but thats like$1000 i dont have so i guess i have to stick with PC for now…

There’s a lot of good video editing software for pcs.

1 Like

The surface is a tablet. It has an attachable keyboard, but it’s a tablet. There is no upgrading a tablet.

The mac is an overly expensive pc. All there is to it. Almost all the same software can be had for both. Pc’s are in no way less than a mac. Your only difference is how much disposable income you or your parents have, and what OS you prefer. As someone who works daily on multiple of each os, I suggest you pick up a cheaper windows laptop (best price range for a good machine is 800-1200) and you will be happy.

Of course if you’re dead set on something you will always be happier with that.

I realize that, but I would rather have a mac and use something like Final Cut Pro or Sony Vegas. I hear good things about Adobe Premiere but I’d rather have a nice computer and a nice editing program than a crappy computer and a nice editing program. (My PC is crazy slow and outdated.)

Umm… last I checked, there’s no mac version of sony vegas. It’s for pcs.
And as others have said countless times, pcs use the same hardware as macs but for much cheaper. If you want a nice computer and nice editing program, just upgrade your pc.

ugh, ive had nothing but a bad time using pc and upgrading it takes skill. Which I dont have. My history with PC is just a bumpy road without any reward but a blue screen and slowness.

Maybe people with computer skills like PCs, but I like Macs simply because i have no computer skills. Theyre faster without having to be upgraded and thats all that matters to me.

I’d go MAC… Got one love it. Actually only own one PC out of 6 computers. The rest are Macs. I love the 13" Mac it’s light and easy to pack and if you think iMovie sucks… Get Final Cut Pro. It’s a huge step up and a high end editor. I do Graphic design, video, sound, web and it’s STABLE. No issues!

They’re not faster at all, they use the exact same components. By upgrade I just meant buy a new pc that’s not outdated. Upgrading hardware on any laptop is usually a pain and not really worth it.

Edit: just to make my point further, I just priced the most expensive mac pro possible ($15700 btw)
They charge you $2000 for 8 8gb sticks of 1333mhz ddr3. I can pick up an 8gb stick of ripjaws x for $50. That’s a 400% mark up.

I am a computer programmer who develops for both the PC and the iOS platforms. I also have both a Sager Gaming laptop and a Macbook Pro.

There is no comparison between the Surface Pro and the Macbook pro. The performance of the Macbook Pro will be better running actual applications than the Surface Pro in almost every respect. A more favorable comparison will be with the Macbook Air.

If price is no object - then the Macbook Pro gives you a far more integrated and complete experience than the Surface Pro due to OS maturity and product maturity. Get the Macbook Pro.

One thing I have learned from building PC’s is that performance is usually not found in specs. What is far more important is that the components of the PC (whether Mac or Windows) need to be carefully integrated so that the performance of one component compliments, or at least does not hamper the performance of other components. That is where the apple Macbook shines. Its components and systems are well-thought out and integrated together well. This means that a Macbook will continue to perform well as it ages. In short: an old Macbook will still perform well in three years. The random PC …? That depends on the manufacturer and how well they developed that particular machine and its systems.

This is where I trust apple over most other PC manufacturers. They have ONE high end PC to design and get right. Asus and others have lots of different models, all with their own quirks and limitations; to get wrong.

Ummm, yeah, any current MAC is obviously faster than an old PC. And it doesn’t take much skill to go buy a new PC for half the price of a MAC. Upgrade == Buy a better one.

BTW - Surface Pro and the Macbook pro are not the same class system. The only thing they have in common is they both have “Pro” in the name. It’s like comparing apples and oranges.

1 Like

No one’s saying macs are bad by any means. They’re good computers. (well… good for anything BUT gaming)
It’s just they overprice the computers by a ridiculous ammount. 2 grand for 64 gigs of ram, $750 for a 500gig ssd, $250 for an hd 5770 (they’re still using 5770s apparently… for $16000, I would expect atleast a titan). You can talk all you want about “integrating parts”, but at the end of the day, you can’t argue that they’re not overpriced.

What is it worth to NEVER have a problem with your computer vs. a crashed hard-drive? How about a BIOS update that suddenly makes your RAM flaky? What about mis-matched RAM that makes ultra-fast RAM run at the speed of the slowest component? These are real issues that in the PC world “make my machine run slow”.

I will not debate pricing theory here; but in computer hardware it is important to remember: you get what you pay for.

Please recall: he said that price was not an issue in his decision. Therefore, your point is not as important to him as it might be to you.

Another MAJOR factor in favor of the Mac is that if you want to develop applications for the iPhone, iPad or any other iOS device; you will need a Mac of some kind or another. That is why I have one. Initially, it was only for development, but over the years I have come to rely more and more on the Mac as an everyday computer. It is built like a tank and is a joy to use.

I do, however, play all games on the Sager. It is a gaming-beast with a Quad core and Dual Radeons. It still blows the PS3 out of the water.

But that’s the thing… you’re not getting what you pay for. you’re being overcharged, plain and simple. A 3.06ghz intel 6 core xenon doesn’t cost 2 grand. NO 8 gig stick of ram costs $250. A hard drive doesn’t cost 750 dollars. I can get a caviar black for half the price per gig. A basic disc drive doesn’t cost $100. a 27" display doesn’t cost a grand. None of their components cost even half of what they charge for them.
Saying a mac will never have a problem, and pcs will is just ignorant. My 3 year old asus laptop hasn’t had any problems. My home built computer hasn’t had a single problem. My friend’s old macbook pro has had tons. One of my old highschool teachers had his hard drive crash. Macs aren’t magical, they have the same problems any other computer will. And mismatched ram? why would it be mismatched unless the user did so? that’s user error, which you can’t use as an example. These “real issues” I’ve never encountered. And unless you’re ever going to develop apps, which 99% of mac owners will never even attempt, that’s not at all a factor for or against it.

Can we not go toward the mac vs windows debate? It’s pointless, and mac fanboys will always defend them to the bitter end, despite whatever logical point windows users bring up. This is simply a thread about what iyoyo58 should get, and I’m pretty sure he already ruled out the macbook pro. Cost might not be an issue, but paying more for the same thing is just poor budgeting skills.

It is not cricket to go into a Mac vs. Pc tirade; and then claim that you don’t want to debate the point. You already did.

The point I was trying to make is that I am NOT a fanboy. There are always two sides to every “value” question. While your PC may seem like a hardware bargain - how many iPhone apps can you develop with it? Can you develop Safari plug-ins? Test your web-pages using Safari? How does iTunes run with your apple devices and your PC? …

PS. It is actually really easy to mess-up RAM. Just because it is compatible does not make it optimal. Some DDR RAM is inherently faster than others; so combining unlike types can cause baseline behavior. Like adding a 7200 rpm drive to a laptop with a 5200 disk. If the disk controller cannot handle the 7200 data-rate, the disk will default to 5200 rendering the upgrade useless.

Do I, or most mac owners, need or even want to do any of those things? I never had any intent to develop iphone apps, or make plug ins for one of the worst browsers next to internet explorer. And itunes actually runs perfectly, thanks for asking.

And like I said, combining unlike types is user error, so that can’t be a negative point for pcs.

Is the MacBook Pro a step up from anything you recommended?

Probably not. Pricier, yes. Better, ???

I’m a software developer. We have any number of PCs (many flavours of Windows, plus several Linux distros), Macs, and even a Solaris box that we must do rigorous testing on.

By far, the most problems we encounter are on OSX. I’m not saying the OS is crashing (it’s not) but we are continually working around poor design decisions to get the software to continue working. Arbitrarily, previously working functionality (usually related to filesystem events) are updated and stop working. It’s an extraordinary hassle to create true services on a Mac because of a security model that’s supposedly “for the user’s benefit”… so you’re stuck running on startup/login, which isn’t an actual service.

Naturally, Macs also crash sometimes. So do the PCs. We push everything pretty hard. I’d probably give a faint edge to OSX for not “crashing” QUITE as much, but it’s certainly not impervious. But honestly, it doesn’t matter if it doesn’t completely crash if the individual piece of software restarts in the middle of a key activity.

When I’m occasionally called in for next-tier support tickets, you can bet that the majority of them are for Mac. Again, it’s not that the system is crashing, it’s that it’s a difficult operating system to do advanced tasks with and the users are not able to achieve what they need to achieve without a bit of hand-holding through the hoops OSX makes you jump through.