4 ms·

I'm curious if, beyond innovative features, the actual build quality and battery life of a machine should command higher prices. I had a couple Windows laptops

I'm curious if, beyond innovative features, the actual build quality and battery life of a machine should command higher prices. I had a couple Windows laptops (one by Dell) with quite poor battery life. My MacBook Pro from 2011 goes all day with serious activity without a charge, sometimes 2 days. I don't discredit the disappointment in the recent Apple laptop announcements, but I do think that paying a premium price for a genuinely solid machine is reasonable, even if that machine doesn't have a rapid change in features. I've never had any other laptop last over 5 years without any major problems. And it is also hard for me to deny that after lugging around a heavier laptop for awhile, having a light Macbook Pro definitely is easier when on the go.

jerf 10y ago
"... should command higher prices. I had a couple Windows laptops (one by Dell) with quite poor battery life." You don't say, but, were they higher-end Dell laptops or not? I've got an 6-year-old Dell Studio 17 still going strong, which cost about $1,000 when I bought it. I recently replaced it solely because I've learned that waiting until a machine is completely dead to replace it produces stress, when you end up having to go to Best Buy or equivalent and just buy whatever they may happen to have lying around, which is not what I'm looking for. The battery lasts about 10 minutes tops right now but I never bought it for its battery life anyhow. It's in pretty good shape for 6 years old. The screen's doing something weird with diagonal streaks developing in the top and bottom, but it's still perfectly usable at the moment. On the other hand, the bottom-of-the-line Dell stuff is crap I'd hardly expect to last two years. It depends on what you buy.
solvedit 10y ago
> My MacBook Pro from 2011 goes all day with serious activity without a charge As an owner of a 2011 MacBook Pro with a recently replaced battery, I don't believe you. We either don't share the same understanding of "all day", "serious activity", "without a charge", or "goes".
- hellofunk 10y ago
  Well by serious activity I mean writing C++ all day in emacs and compiling it maybe a hundred times or more. And the usual web browsing, email throughout the day. I can easily make it through a full work day doing this without plugging in the machine.
  - TheCoelacanth 10y ago
    Running emacs practically counts as letting the machine idle these days. I know it used to be considered super bloated, but even fart apps use more resources now.
tw04 10y ago
You're failing to mention 99% of those Dell laptops have REMOVABLE batteries which is why they're smaller. If the battery runs out you could have multiple charged ones in your bag, which is what we all did when we knew we'd be stuck in a datacenter for a full day. If your battery runs out on the macbook, you're just done.

jerf 10y ago

"... should command higher prices. I had a couple Windows laptops (one by Dell) with quite poor battery life." You don't say, but, were they higher-end Dell laptops or not? I've got an 6-year-old Dell Studio 17 still going strong, which cost about $1,000 when I bought it. I recently replaced it solely because I've learned that waiting until a machine is completely dead to replace it produces stress, when you end up having to go to Best Buy or equivalent and just buy whatever they may happen to have lying around, which is not what I'm looking for. The battery lasts about 10 minutes tops right now but I never bought it for its battery life anyhow. It's in pretty good shape for 6 years old. The screen's doing something weird with diagonal streaks developing in the top and bottom, but it's still perfectly usable at the moment. On the other hand, the bottom-of-the-line Dell stuff is crap I'd hardly expect to last two years. It depends on what you buy.

solvedit 10y ago

> My MacBook Pro from 2011 goes all day with serious activity without a charge As an owner of a 2011 MacBook Pro with a recently replaced battery, I don't believe you. We either don't share the same understanding of "all day", "serious activity", "without a charge", or "goes".

hellofunk 10y ago
Well by serious activity I mean writing C++ all day in emacs and compiling it maybe a hundred times or more. And the usual web browsing, email throughout the day. I can easily make it through a full work day doing this without plugging in the machine.
- TheCoelacanth 10y ago
  Running emacs practically counts as letting the machine idle these days. I know it used to be considered super bloated, but even fart apps use more resources now.

tw04 10y ago

You're failing to mention 99% of those Dell laptops have REMOVABLE batteries which is why they're smaller. If the battery runs out you could have multiple charged ones in your bag, which is what we all did when we knew we'd be stuck in a datacenter for a full day. If your battery runs out on the macbook, you're just done.