Why your Apple computers are so expensive?

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MrX8503

Diamond Member
Oct 23, 2005
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Interesting things about battery life, it's mostly settings inside OSX that contribute to the battery life, not so much the actual design of the product. A lot of these settings do not come as DEFAULT in Windows, but are configured as such in OSX. There have been articles written on it and guides on how to setup Windows to get as much battery life out of it as you would from OSX on the same machine.

That is partly true. Read the Anandtech review by Anand.

Its a mix of OSX and battery tech that contributes to the MBP's amazing battery life. Their battery cells are laid out in layers instead of cylinders.
 

dpodblood

Diamond Member
May 20, 2010
4,020
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What's the difference in size and battery life though? In other words, that's not a direct comparison (I'm not saying its not a valid comparison as well, just that there are still some other factors worth considering).

Yep; this is why I'm not for or against. There are pros and cons to both sides. You really need to look at what you want out of a machine, and how much you are willing to spend. If I was spending $1700-%1800 on a laptop, I would want it to be able to play games *well*. Weight and battery life wouldn't be a concern. But again that's just my preference. Different people have different needs, and I'm not going to knock them for buying a Mac. Although I will add this; some people buy Mac's simply for the name and the *ooh shiny* factor. While I agree that they are good machines, why spend $1800 on a macbook pro, when a $450 netbook will do what you need equally well.
 

steppinthrax

Diamond Member
Jul 17, 2006
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The only advantage of Mac is their support is supposed to be very good. At least that's what I've herd from others and "Consumer Reports". But I guess that's what you get when you overpay on a laptop. Other than that I remember when growing up how we had Macs in our PC lab. I sent my daughter to elementary school (Kindergarden). I walked into their computer lab, guess what DELL GX745 wall-to-wall.

I remember the last place I worked, they had a school for children. Every classroom had macs. The director of IT for the organization was wanting to get rid of them. Before I left he had replaced 50% of the Macs with PCs.
 

James Bond

Diamond Member
Jan 21, 2005
6,023
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Like everyone has mentioned, it's frustrating to see the blind hate from either side. I own both (Mac and PC's) and I like both for different reasons.

The fact of the matter is that 90% of people who "hate Mac's" have absolutely no idea why. It has been pointed out that MBP's are not very overpriced, if at all, for the hardware alone.

I love getting in Apple vs PC debates, because it's always with someone who has no clue what they are talking about, just like most of the people posting in this thread.

FWIW, if I had to choose one computer to keep, it would be my Mac. Trackpad + OSX does it for me. But hey, that's just me.
 

OCGuy

Lifer
Jul 12, 2000
27,224
37
91
^ Ah yes, the stealth Mac fanboy, pretending to be impartial...and then spouting the same incorrect arguements that out-of-the-closet mac fanboys use.
 

steppinthrax

Diamond Member
Jul 17, 2006
3,990
6
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Paying for a laptop with subpar battery life sounds like a rip off to me.

IDK about people. I carry my 15.4" dell vostro. I bought a extended battery, it gets me around 2 hours (average). The only place I use the laptop is: Work, B&N and home. Guess what all of those places I manage to find an outlet. I have an airport charger that I plug into my cig lighter (car). I have a habbit of not letting my battery drop below a certian percentage before charging.

Where are you that you don't have an outlet???????
 

Ns1

No Lifer
Jun 17, 2001
55,420
1,600
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IDK about people. I carry my 15.4" dell vostro. I bought a extended battery, it gets me around 2 hours (average). The only place I use the laptop is: Work, B&N and home. Guess what all of those places I manage to find an outlet. I have an airport charger that I plug into my cig lighter (car). I have a habbit of not letting my battery drop below a certian percentage before charging.

Where are you that you don't have an outlet???????

I've ran into tons of situations where either 1. I don't carry/forgot to carry an adapter or 2. The place doesn't have an outlet
 

James Bond

Diamond Member
Jan 21, 2005
6,023
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^ Ah yes, the stealth Mac fanboy, pretending to be impartial...and then spouting the same incorrect arguements that out-of-the-closet mac fanboys use.

Haha. Well it depends what you call fanboy. I'm not trying to hide anything, I like my Mac more.

Just trying to point out that most people who hate either have no clue what they are talking about.

Edit: And what incorrect arguments did I use?
 

steppinthrax

Diamond Member
Jul 17, 2006
3,990
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I've ran into tons of situations where either 1. I don't carry/forgot to carry an adapter or 2. The place doesn't have an outlet

I carry a shoulder strap laptop case with zipper pockets for charger and other electronic goodies. When finished they go back into the case. As a matter of fact my mind is trained where if the laptop is out and not in use "it dosen't feel right" unless it's back in the case. I guess the only argument against my logic is if you are in the middle of a grassy area/woods public area where there is absolutley no electrical outlet within a practicle reach. Then in that case you should go somewhere else or you have high expectations of current battery technology.
 

Ns1

No Lifer
Jun 17, 2001
55,420
1,600
126
Then in that case you should go somewhere else or you have high expectations of current battery technology.

No, I just carry around a macbook instead ;) It's nice that you trained yourself to be chained to electrical outlets though
 

MrX8503

Diamond Member
Oct 23, 2005
4,529
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When it comes to desktops I build a PC, but when it comes to laptops, I bought the 13" MBP. This is how I roll.
 

steppinthrax

Diamond Member
Jul 17, 2006
3,990
6
81
No, I just carry around a macbook instead ;) It's nice that you trained yourself to be chained to electrical outlets though

What kind of battery life do you get on your mac? Also what types of technology is being used to acheive this?
 

bfdd

Lifer
Feb 3, 2007
13,312
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it just works vs it works better if you tweak it

Well these tweaks need to be used even if you want better battery life out of a MBP in Windows. Look up reviews of MBP battery life in OSX vs Windows and it's abysmal. These changes in Windows allow you to get almost on par battery life between both OS's. You might see this as a bad thing, but I honestly don't see a problem with it. Windows is not customized for any piece of hardware so having very generic settings, like these, is a good thing.
 

Ns1

No Lifer
Jun 17, 2001
55,420
1,600
126
What kind of battery life do you get on your mac? Also what types of technology is being used to acheive this?

~4-5 hours from a 2008-era laptop

Buying a laptop these days I'd expect 6+ hours

Well these tweaks need to be used even if you want better battery life out of a MBP in Windows. Look up reviews of MBP battery life in OSX vs Windows and it's abysmal. These changes in Windows allow you to get almost on par battery life between both OS's. You might see this as a bad thing, but I honestly don't see a problem with it. Windows is not customized for any piece of hardware so having very generic settings, like these, is a good thing.

I don't see it as a bad thing cuz I'm a geek and I like to tinker. My GF would scoff at the idea and more likely brick the laptop.
 
Oct 25, 2006
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I'm not sure wtf people are doing with their laptops. I get 4.5 hours on my thinkpad w500 which is 1.5 years old
 

cheezy321

Diamond Member
Dec 31, 2003
6,218
2
0
^ Ah yes, the stealth Mac fanboy, pretending to be impartial...and then spouting the same incorrect arguements that out-of-the-closet mac fanboys use.

And here you go again spouting off bullshit without any real substance.

You are exactly what you hate. And you dont even see it.
 

steppinthrax

Diamond Member
Jul 17, 2006
3,990
6
81
~4-5 hours from a 2008-era laptop

Buying a laptop these days I'd expect 6+ hours



I don't see it as a bad thing cuz I'm a geek and I like to tinker. My GF would scoff at the idea and more likely brick the laptop.

I know I can google it, but I just wanted to hear from you as far as what technologies are used to maintain this battery life???