From Macbook to Dell Latitude D630 - my head hurts . . .

[Don Vito Corleone]

I have owned a C2D Macbook for about a year and a half now, and use a Dell desktop with XP at work. Today I am stuck using a brand-new Dell Latitude D630 at work, since an IT guy is using my desktop for a network software install (don't ask . . . ).

I have always enjoyed my Macbook, which I bought after using a Dell Inspiron 600M for a couple of years (and briefly owning a Thinkpad T60) but using this D630 really drives the point home what a good machine the Macbook really is. This Dell is ugly as hell, feels cheap and cheesy, and is ergonomically awful. The touchpad is tiny and the mouse buttons feel like I'm clicking on a used teabag (not to mention that they're hard to reach, since they're sunken below the level of the wrist rest). The keyboard feels soggy, and the volume buttons are even worse. No two-finger clicking and dragging feels like a huge step backwards - there's no question I prefer a one-button mouse on a laptop, as long as I can have two-finger right-clicking and dragging.

The upshot is I am VERY glad I own a Macbook and not this ugly piece of crap.

 

[JzL]

lol, I have my D630 running OSX and love it MORE then my macbook.

I just like the "Tank" feel it has.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Originally posted by: JzL
lol, I have my D630 running OSX and love it MORE then my macbook.

I just like the "Tank" feel it has.

Really? If anything my MB feels much sturdier and more rigid. Part of it is definitely an aesthetic thing - looking at the bottom of this D630 makes me feel like it was built in the Ukraine, circa 1975. It looks like the laptop equivalent of some crummy Soviet-era East German car, compared to a brand-new Boxster.

 

[JzL]

Of course my D630 (work supplied) does have the extended battery which helps with the sturdy feel.

 

[randomlinh]

Originally posted by: JzL
lol, I have my D630 running OSX and love it MORE then my macbook.

I just like the "Tank" feel it has.

.... latitude D630 and "tank" do not mix. It feels like a heavy plastic toy. I'm so disappointed with the how the latitude has fallen. It *used* to feel like a real tank... heh

 

[freegeeks]

I use a company d620 and it's the biggest piece of crap I ever used

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: randomlinh

Originally posted by: JzL
lol, I have my D630 running OSX and love it MORE then my macbook.

I just like the "Tank" feel it has.

.... latitude D630 and "tank" do not mix. It feels like a heavy plastic toy. I'm so disappointed with the how the latitude has fallen. It *used* to feel like a real tank... heh

I wish that Apple would team up with Lenovo for their professional series. Their Pro line is even flimsier than their consumer line...the 13" Macbooks feel much more durable than the aluminum 15" and 17" models. They scratch and dent WAY easily, while the plastic on the 13" laptops only get scratched. For the price you pay, you should be getting sturdier quality rather than just looks.

 

[ubercaffeinated]

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: randomlinh

Originally posted by: JzL
lol, I have my D630 running OSX and love it MORE then my macbook.

I just like the "Tank" feel it has.

.... latitude D630 and "tank" do not mix. It feels like a heavy plastic toy. I'm so disappointed with the how the latitude has fallen. It *used* to feel like a real tank... heh

I wish that Apple would team up with Lenovo for their professional series. Their Pro line is even flimsier than their consumer line...the 13" Macbooks feel much more durable than the aluminum 15" and 17" models. They scratch and dent WAY easily, while the plastic on the 13" laptops only get scratched. For the price you pay, you should be getting sturdier quality rather than just looks.

gotta agree with this. i love the mbpro after upgrading for the mb. it's a great laptop. it's sturdy to a point, but the brushed Al gets scratched too easily. even babying it over the last few months I've managed to give it two good scratches. no dents thankfully. it would be interesting to see a pro machine that looks nice and can withstand cosmetic challenges.

 

[TheStu]

Originally posted by: makoto00

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: randomlinh

Originally posted by: JzL
lol, I have my D630 running OSX and love it MORE then my macbook.

I just like the "Tank" feel it has.

.... latitude D630 and "tank" do not mix. It feels like a heavy plastic toy. I'm so disappointed with the how the latitude has fallen. It *used* to feel like a real tank... heh

I wish that Apple would team up with Lenovo for their professional series. Their Pro line is even flimsier than their consumer line...the 13" Macbooks feel much more durable than the aluminum 15" and 17" models. They scratch and dent WAY easily, while the plastic on the 13" laptops only get scratched. For the price you pay, you should be getting sturdier quality rather than just looks.

gotta agree with this. i love the mbpro after upgrading for the mb. it's a great laptop. it's sturdy to a point, but the brushed Al gets scratched too easily. even babying it over the last few months I've managed to give it two good scratches. no dents thankfully. it would be interesting to see a pro machine that looks nice and can withstand cosmetic challenges.

Strictly speaking it is Anodized Aluminum, no idea what difference that makes, but it is

 

[sourceninja]

I have a D830 and a macbook pro. Both 2.5ghz with 4 gigs of ram. If I had to give up one, the dell would be outta here.

 

[PricklyPete]

Originally posted by: makoto00

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: randomlinh

Originally posted by: JzL
lol, I have my D630 running OSX and love it MORE then my macbook.

I just like the "Tank" feel it has.

.... latitude D630 and "tank" do not mix. It feels like a heavy plastic toy. I'm so disappointed with the how the latitude has fallen. It *used* to feel like a real tank... heh

I wish that Apple would team up with Lenovo for their professional series. Their Pro line is even flimsier than their consumer line...the 13" Macbooks feel much more durable than the aluminum 15" and 17" models. They scratch and dent WAY easily, while the plastic on the 13" laptops only get scratched. For the price you pay, you should be getting sturdier quality rather than just looks.

gotta agree with this. i love the mbpro after upgrading for the mb. it's a great laptop. it's sturdy to a point, but the brushed Al gets scratched too easily. even babying it over the last few months I've managed to give it two good scratches. no dents thankfully. it would be interesting to see a pro machine that looks nice and can withstand cosmetic challenges.

Interesting...I must be really careful with it. My company has switched completely to MacBook Pro's about 10 months ago (we're SAP consultants). I do a ton of traveling...mostly international and I have yet to get a scratch or dent in it. I do use a neoprone sleeve on top of my laptop bag...but I'm not overly careful otherwise. It has held up beautifully...I've been more than happy.

And yes..after years of working on Dell Laptops...I've been extremely happy with my MacBook. From a software and hardware standpoint...I've been more than happy. The only app I ever use in Parallels is Visio (well and ActiveSync).

 

[Tyranicus]

My MacBook Pro has so many scratches and dents, it's rather ridiculous. Sometimes I wish I had just bought a MacBook, but I really like the 15.4" screen over the 13".

 

[Toasthead]

i dumped my macbook for a d630. The d630 is superior in almost ever way.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Originally posted by: Toasthead
i dumped my macbook for a d630. The d630 is superior in almost ever way.

Boy, I just flat out don't get that opinion. The D630 is heavier, thicker, and MUCH kludgier from a design standpoint, the screen is inferior IMO, the touchpad and mouse buttons are tiny (plus the mouse buttons are hard to reach because they're so recessed), EVERY button and key feels flimsy, the power brick is, er, a brick, and the list goes on and on. I literally can't think of a single thing I like better about it than a Macbook. What are some of the many ways in which you feel it's superior?

 

[randomlinh]

Originally posted by: Don Vito Corleone

Originally posted by: Toasthead
i dumped my macbook for a d630. The d630 is superior in almost ever way.

Boy, I just flat out don't get that opinion. The D630 is heavier, thicker, and MUCH kludgier from a design standpoint, the screen is inferior IMO, the touchpad and mouse buttons are tiny (plus the mouse buttons are hard to reach because they're so recessed), EVERY button and key feels flimsy, the power brick is, er, a brick, and the list goes on and on. I literally can't think of a single thing I like better about it than a Macbook. What are some of the many ways in which you feel it's superior?

there is one thing... it was cheaper (well, we can get it cheaper than a macbook anyway)

 

[secretanchitman]

the only things i see that the D630 has over the macbook besides in price, is the GPU, screen size (14", but im not sure about the resolution), standard 3 year warranty, 2GB of ram and dvd-rw standard (compared to the low-end macbook), etc..

i also didnt see a wireless N option on the D630.

 

[cw42]

Last summer I bought a MBP, ebay'd it after a week, kept the free ipod, and bought a D630. I'm satisfied.

 

[JzL]

Originally posted by: Toasthead
i dumped my macbook for a d630. The d630 is superior in almost ever way.

Umm... if you're running OSx86 then you're almost right. no 2 finger-scroll FTL.

 

[HDs suck]

This is a funny thread to me, because I worked in an IT dept for a while that worked exclusively with the Dell Latitude 600-630 models (servicing about 2200 of them) until we moved to Mac notebooks running parallels/bootcamp with Vista and OSX. I now have my own Mac Pro 15", but I'd have to say that I was perfectly happy with the durability and quality of the Dells. The HD's seemed to go out easily (which is definitely a strike against it), BUT they were in the hands of college students taking them everywhere they went, dropping them everywhere, and so on. They are good little laptops, but the Mac Pro is just a step up in all categories (speed, aesthetics, etc). You're right about the keyboard feel. Some of the laptops felt crisp when typing, and others had this...gooey...tactile feel. I'm not convinced that the normal Macbook is any better though. It feels like it belongs in a toybox, and it has X3100 graphics. BLAH.

So just to ruffle the OP's feathers, the Pro has this obnoxious little latch button that I have to use my fingernail to open, scratches more easily than a red sports car, has less keyboard functionality (who needs a numeric keypad anymore?), and a freaking slot filled cd-rom drives which SEEMS cool until you realize that you have to have your computer fully booted and not accessing the disk so you can software eject it. GAH! I do like my pro though. I was an apple hater until I owned one, and my raged has lessened by a lot.

/rant

 

[Tyranicus]

Originally posted by: HDs suck
and a freaking slot filled cd-rom drives which SEEMS cool until you realize that you have to have your computer fully booted and not accessing the disk so you can software eject it.

Even with a tray-loading drive, you would have to do that. OS X, like all Unix-based OSes will not hardware eject a mounted disc.

 

[TheStu]

Wait, really? Unix won't eject a mounted disc? That is interesting to know, I thought it was just an OS X thing. Do you have any sources for this information?

 

[Tyranicus]

Every single Linux distro I have ever used has been the same way.