My current 5-year old laptop is giving up due to heat issues and constant crashing. I uninstalled Windows 7 and I'm now running Ubuntu which is proving to be much more reliable (surprise), but the computer itself still has certain issues. Time for a new one.
I'm looking for something smaller than my current 15" one, preferably something between 12" and 14". I don't game and I barely watch movies on it (got a USB-port on the TV which I use instead), so I really just need a decent processor and not too much RAM.
I've spent an extremely large amount of time the past five years fiddling with my current laptop, trying different OS, drivers etc to make everything work properly. This is something I absolutely don't want to do now. It's also completely built in plastic. I hate plastic. A good battery life is also preferred.
So, here are some of the properly built and slim 13" laptops I've considered, cheapest first (approx €330 price difference compared to the Mac):
Asus UL30
Acer TimelineX 3820
Sony Vaio VPC-Y11S1E/S
and finally, the 13" Macbook Pro with the simplest configuration
Now, I have the benefit of working extra at a big computer store so I've been able to try them all and I also know that our customers are very satisfied with all four. Still, Sony and Mac are the two brands with the best quality. They're rarely returned.
The Acer's keyboard ruins it for me. I really like it otherwise, but the keyboard has lots of space underneath it and I'm confident it will get full of dirt that will be hard to get out later on. The screen is also very flexible and despite the metallic look, it doesn't quite ooze quality. Also lacks a DVD-drive in this size. I can live without it, but it's a comfort to have a built-in one.
The Asus has a nice keyboard and has received great reviews, but here, the touchpad is useless instead. I really can't use it. If your fingers are just a little bit sweaty, they glide off and the touchpad becomes inaccurate. Also lacks DVD.
The Sony is a class above the Asus and Acer. Looks great and has a quality-build Comes with a 2-year warranty. Price is just €100 below the Mac though. Also lacks DVD-drive.
And then the MBP. I've always been very anti-Apple and that's why I know I shouldn't buy it. More than half of our store's employees and even the boss have one though, and they've been "in the business" for a long time. Computer-geeks the bunch of them, the group of people who I thought were the most fanatical anti-Apple advocates (read: Martin). They've all given in now. The thought of not having to mess with drivers, settings and all kinds of troubleshooting (to the same degree as Win 7, and yes, even Linux. Total configuration does require lots of time and effort.)
The price is high, but I pay for comfort. Design-wise it will also fit my new apartment quite nicely and I won't have to worry about blue-screens the night before an essay-deadline.
Now please, talk me into not getting one. Next MBP-shipment comes in approx. 10 days, so I have some time to rethink.
I'm looking for something smaller than my current 15" one, preferably something between 12" and 14". I don't game and I barely watch movies on it (got a USB-port on the TV which I use instead), so I really just need a decent processor and not too much RAM.
I've spent an extremely large amount of time the past five years fiddling with my current laptop, trying different OS, drivers etc to make everything work properly. This is something I absolutely don't want to do now. It's also completely built in plastic. I hate plastic. A good battery life is also preferred.
So, here are some of the properly built and slim 13" laptops I've considered, cheapest first (approx €330 price difference compared to the Mac):
Asus UL30
Acer TimelineX 3820
Sony Vaio VPC-Y11S1E/S
and finally, the 13" Macbook Pro with the simplest configuration
Now, I have the benefit of working extra at a big computer store so I've been able to try them all and I also know that our customers are very satisfied with all four. Still, Sony and Mac are the two brands with the best quality. They're rarely returned.
The Acer's keyboard ruins it for me. I really like it otherwise, but the keyboard has lots of space underneath it and I'm confident it will get full of dirt that will be hard to get out later on. The screen is also very flexible and despite the metallic look, it doesn't quite ooze quality. Also lacks a DVD-drive in this size. I can live without it, but it's a comfort to have a built-in one.
The Asus has a nice keyboard and has received great reviews, but here, the touchpad is useless instead. I really can't use it. If your fingers are just a little bit sweaty, they glide off and the touchpad becomes inaccurate. Also lacks DVD.
The Sony is a class above the Asus and Acer. Looks great and has a quality-build Comes with a 2-year warranty. Price is just €100 below the Mac though. Also lacks DVD-drive.
And then the MBP. I've always been very anti-Apple and that's why I know I shouldn't buy it. More than half of our store's employees and even the boss have one though, and they've been "in the business" for a long time. Computer-geeks the bunch of them, the group of people who I thought were the most fanatical anti-Apple advocates (read: Martin). They've all given in now. The thought of not having to mess with drivers, settings and all kinds of troubleshooting (to the same degree as Win 7, and yes, even Linux. Total configuration does require lots of time and effort.)
The price is high, but I pay for comfort. Design-wise it will also fit my new apartment quite nicely and I won't have to worry about blue-screens the night before an essay-deadline.
Now please, talk me into not getting one. Next MBP-shipment comes in approx. 10 days, so I have some time to rethink.
Buy on AliExpress.com
of course, i'm biased since I had my grandfathers old IBM laptop for a year. It was made in 1994 I believe, still runs well enough
