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What laptop to get?

Since my MacBook died on me I have been having a dilemma, what laptop should I get? Here are laptops I am currently considering:

MacBook

MacBook
I love the MacBook’s and even though mine died I do want to get another one. Problem is there are rumors that a new MacBook will be released in the next few months that will be a significant upgrade from the current ones. Knowing that I can’t possibly get a MacBook now. [Amazon Link]

MacBook Pro

MacBook Pro
I’ve never been a fan of the aluminum Mac’s. I never liked the PowerBook’s and I don’t like the new MacBook Pro’s. But, I am typing this post out on Nat’s MacBook Pro and I have to admit I do love the screen resolution and the fact that the speakers are loud, two things I had problems with on my old MacBook. But, its huge, I find the 13″ MacBook big so imagine what I think of this 15″ MacBook Pro. I’ve also heard a lot of rumors about a completely redesigned MacBook Pro, one that will incorporate the look of the MacBook Air so I will wait and see what happens with that. [Amazon Link]

MacBook Air

MacBook Air
Gorgeous but slow and expensive. I wouldn’t mind paying $2000 if it was at least faster than the cheapest MacBook which costs $1099. [Amazon Link]

So basically with my Mac options I am just going to wait for the next updates and then decide what to get. Until the new Mac’s come out I am considering getting one of those new ultra portable laptops. I figured even if I do get a Mac later I would still have use for one of these, I could for example get a 15″ MacBook Pro and have one of these tiny laptops for when I am on the move:

Asus Eee 900

Asus Eee 900
The original Asus Eee was released awhile back but the new ones come with a larger 8.9″ screen which makes the Eee more practical. The reason I haven’t already ordered the Eee which costs $549 is the HP 2133. [Amazon Link]

HP 2133

HP 2133 mini-notebook
This is the laptop that Apple should have released. It looks like the old 12″ PowerBooks except its even tinier. The screen although only 8.9″ has a resolution of 1280 x 768 which is pretty high. The reason I haven’t already ordered this is because I am still reading reviews on it. Most say its pretty slow but all those reviews had Vista installed on the HP. I want to know how well it performs with Linux or Windows XP. Price for this is $589. [Amazon Link]

Update: After doing a lot of research I’ve decided to go with an Asus 900 for now over the HP 2133. Although the HP looks really pretty its a lot slow than the Asus, A LOT slower. So whats going to happen is Asus for now and once the MacBooks or MacBook Pro’s get revised later in the summer will get one of them.

56 replies on “What laptop to get?”

Get the Vaio TZ. Get the TZ295. It has an SSD drive, not spinning hard drive, so its super fast.. Its very expensive but amazing. I’ve had it for 2 months now and I can’t be happier with my choice. Powerful, super tiny, and the screen is the best I’ve ever seen.

Oh and the battery lasts 5.5 hours in real life as tested by me playing movies and surfing the web with bluetooth and wifi both on.

I’d absolutely wait for the Macbook. i’m pretty sure that it will be released during the next Macworld Expo. I think it will have the aluminum design, and it would be similar to the Macbook Air. And for now, go with the Asus EEE. It’s faster that the 2133. But, i have to admit that the HP 2133 looks really great!

:: Last night i was searching for the Eee Asus laptop i liked it and i think im going to order one
ASUS Eee PC 12G (8.9″ Screen, 900 MHz Intel Mobile CPU, 1 GB RAM, 12 GB Solid State Drive, XP Home) Pearl White

1GB + Windows XP

i prefer it more than the HP laptop check for the dimensions Asus much thiner i think
by the way any idea if i want to order a laptop and want my keyboard in Arabic? i heard one of the places in Hawali could place it for me in Lazer is that right? and how much would cost?

anon: I am not interested in a Windows based laptop. The only reason I am considering the Asus or the HP is for web/blogging use but they wouldn’t be my primary computer. My primary computer has to run OSX which means it has to be a Mac.

ar53nal14: Yeah I think I would prefer a MacBook over a MacBook Air.

Frankom, its a tough choice, I really need to do more research.

macbook again!:D personally i would go with the HP mini-notebook because i always wanted to get an asus Eee because of its size and price to use it to browse the internet and study but now i’ll get the HP because its much better looking and its hardware is better than the asus plus i always trust big brands and in this case i think that HP is a better brand than asus.i read alot of reviews about the HP and i’ve decided that i’ll get the windows XP version ,windows vista will not run smoothly on that notebook.

I have a 1.5-year-old HP Pavilion and I friggin’ love it. And since I’m a marketer’s dream–if I like a brand, I become ridculously loyal to it–I’m gonna have to recommend the HP. Any HP.

Mark

Go for a MacBook Pro it is the closest to Mac desktop replacement. The only down side is the weight which I don’t see as problem.

Hi Mark!

Btw, LOVE the blog!

To kind of ‘guide’ you through the dilemma, I advise you to NOT, I repeat, NOT, take the MacBook Air. It is really small, which may be good, but comes at a price well worth looking past buying it. Here’s ten reasons not to buy it. Just follow this link:

https://www.webupon.com/Web-Talk/10-Convincing-Reasons-Why-You-SHOULDNT-Buy-the-MacBook-Air.79025

Alright then, hope you continue to write and get the right laptop (which SHOULDN’T be a MacBook Air).

I would recommend waiting til Apple finally adds a bluray disk to their models…that’s what I’m doing.

go for the macbook pro. i had the same situation as u did…i had a problem with my macbook and they fully refunded it for me (virgin, qatar) so i got the new macbook pro…i thought i’d regret its size etc. but i don’t at all…its much better in everyway.

good luck with whatever you choose anyways 😀

Hi Mark, i recommend you get the Macbook air, it is not slow at all i have both the macbook and the macbook air, they are the same speed. the mac book air is only slow in the beginning.

7abib, the MacBook Air is max 1.8ghz and the drive is slow, my old MacBook was 2ghz and had a 7200rpm drive. The MacBook Air is nearly double the price of my old MacBook and all it offers me in return is a slim size, everything else the MacBook does better for half the price.

Hi, nice blog. Been browsing for a while.

MSI Wind is coming out soon. Looks promising. Better specs and better price than the Eee. Also looks better, which is always a consideration.

The latest MacBook rumours suggest it may be cased in aluminum. Not sure why you dislike that style, but as the saying goes, de gustibus non disputatum est – which also seems the case when seeing your trainer preferences!

Personally, I have a MacBook Pro. Very light for a 15.4″. Mind, one of those mini notebooks is on my shopping list when in the US this summer.

well i just read there is an Eee 901 coming out June 3rd and it has the Atom chip which should mean longer battery life but its going to be priced at 650$.

If you want to take it to travel often, than take a Macbook Air.
But if you need in also while u work, it’s better a Pro.
But don’t change to Windows 😉 Stay with Mac 😀

if you are looking for something in the macbook air type of form factor then you might as well get an x300 from lenovo for that price (it’s almost as thin, comes with a disc drive built in and best of all it’s in black).

You can run osx86 on an eeepc and use it as a mac (only much slower) and if you don’t need an xpress card it’s the way to go. Personally I run mine with xubuntu and it works like a charm.

Don’t go for a macbook as it’s inline for a refresh go for a pro if you really have to buy a mac right now.

I’ve stated in my post that the macbook air is just tooo expensive for what it offers. For portable laptops I am looking for ULTRA portable like the Asus or the tiny HP, they make the MacBook Air look like a regular over sized laptop.

And yeah I mentioned in my post to that both the MacBook and MacBook Pro’s are getting a refresh. So I am going to hold out till they do. Hopefully they will release and 11″ or 12″ version.

Get the Mac Book Air…

I had 12″ & 17″ PowerBook G4 & the new once 17″ MacBook.. but with my new MacBook Air, I’ve used it for Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign (My Wife) & personally, my heavey Sketchup 3D files are Ok, slower than my MacPro, but Ok.. Archicad, draw all my architectural drawing..

+ I have very heavey files on KeyNote, (900Mb +) Which contains videos and animation,, it is slow on those presentation for sure..

So, my rec will be 110% MBA…. give it a try, and you won’t look back.

Omran

I can see if you’re torn between the macbook and the pro, but to throw in windows laptops? are you ready to give up mac OS? coz no matter how good the laptop is, windows will always ruin the experience for you. Always.

I have Dell XPS since almost a year, it’s fne so far. I guess Macbook Air looks great but the DVD is external. I would also suggest Sony Vaio becuae of it;s great design and good battary life.

Whether this or that model may or may not come out in a new model soon shouldn’t be relevant really, because there will always be new models. What do you need today? Pick something that satisfies what you need today, and that fits the budget.

Mark, HPs have a name of not being reliable so I would be cautious of the HP- although it does look nice.

As an owner of an Asus EEE701, I can tell you it is brilliant. Despite what people say about the screen and such, I have no problem what so ever with it. I am currently typing this on it. The keyboard does take some getting used to however it feels of great build. Friends of mine complain that it has no CD Drive, however I rarely use one anyway. Wifi signal range is great, and everything feels solid.

Although I would love to get an iMac, I would say avoid the macs, you can get cheaper non Apple laptops that have better specs- although I am a sucker for Apple products myself. They look so darn good!

If those are the only laptops you are considering, and you are a fan of small laptops, get the EEE. Its by far the cheapest so you can treat yourself to something else while you’re at it. They have a great user base so any problems are easily sorted, and its great to not feel alone in the cold world of computing.

PS. EEE 3 usb ports + ethernet port – Air 1 usb port 😉

Also if you have the cash to get a mac book air, buy an EEE now, then get the updated Mac Book that you want later ;-).

Sorry for the long comment.

Yousef: My main laptop and computers are always going to be Macs, no question about that. But, when I travel and need something to just browse the web and post from… Firefox is the same on a mac, windows or linux.

Ben: I am going to get an Asus 900 for now. Thing is I thought the 1.2ghz HP would be faster than the Asus’s 900mhz chip but it turns out the 1.6ghz HP is around 20% or more slower than a 900mhz. Thats a big let down.

Magnus: Exactly, today I just need something to browse on and get me by until the next macbook updates 😉

My Asus 900 has shipped a couple of days ago, should be in my hands by Monday. Other than that, my mac mini is my main machine. So the keyboard is a pain, but have you seen how small it is!? Getting an ultra portable until they launch a new mac is a great idea mark. I’m waiting them out too.

Sony Vaio 11inch?
Ultra portable?
1.25kg + Carbon Fibre Body

Bad news however, its too expensive. (say 400-500 kd me thinks?)
I got mine as a gift from Sony’s regional manager,
well my dad got it as a gift … i obviously managed to get it off him 😛

If you want good looks only with compromise to quality go to Sony, HP, Dell or Toshiba they are all the same If you want best notebooks money can buy in terms of international warranty, quality, reliability, durability get an IBM-Lenovo ThinkPad T61 or wait for the ThinkPad X300 or get another Apple Macbook, IBM-Lenovo and Apple both are top quality computer makers and have less failure rate than other vendors mentioned above.

Stay away from Sony if something happens, you’d end-up with a workshop that needs 2 month to get it fix it. Or end-up stealing your laptop ! your only solution is to fly to Dubai to fix it.

Macbook Pro is cool but from your recent experience I know how you feel about Macbooks now.

If your looking for price and good quality then go for Asus/HP or even Dell.

i just got a x61 tablet and it is amazing…..i have been looking for a copmp and your list looks just like mine……check it out…..

alex

I love reading about this stuff… free education!
PS. I now read 248am before AnNahar (Lebanese daily)..

guys i am not looking for a windows based laptop. dell, sony, hp, lenova etcc… these all run windows which i hate.

when it comes to ultra portables which i will use for browsing its fine but my primary computer HAS to be a mac.

For your primary computer — and since you want a Mac:

1. Get the 15″ with the LED backlit display; avoid the 17″ as you don’t gain much in terms of performance and sacrifice travel size and dimensions; avoid the macbook air unless you use it ONLY as a travel device or a secondary computer. Although it may look slick, its not practical as a day to day device.

2. Avoid the glossy display if you want to use the device in environments where you can’t control the lighting; the glossy display is very distracting when you actually want to work, and its nearly impossible to view outdoors, the upside is that it works great as a vanity mirror.

3. Don’t buy the RAM from Apple; it is insanely marked up. RAM is RAM, you can pick it up from Hawally and it will work just fine. Having said that — the most RAM you can stuff in it the better.

4. Go with the 7200 RPM disk; even if its lower in storage capacity. You will thank me later.

Since you are adamant about the Mac, I will not comment on IBMs and how they are much more superior and practical 🙂

i just bought a macbook bro and honestly its the best thing i there is.
i wont go and compare it with other mac laptops but for me its perfect.

though it has a very annoying problem that it over heats fast, this is known with macbook bro. so it should be fine if u don’t usually use it while placing it on ur lap.

Burhan:

Apple tend to use both RAM modules when they ship their computers (most the time). I would suck if you buy 1G RAM and then found out that they had 512 on the two RAM modules.

Fouad:

If your laptop is new and it is overheating, take it in for repair. It should not overheat to the point of being uncomfortable to touch; also, avoid covering the back and top of the laptop; this is where it dissipates heat.

Bo-Bader:

Yeah this seems to be constant headache with Apple. I always trade it in if I’m mismatched.

advise : don’t go for small one especially hp and asus “the smaller the hotter” and by hotter i mean the CPU.. if you put it on you lap or where ever you will feel the heat..buy something descent like sony or toshiba

Where did you hear that the macbooks will be upgraded??!!! I HAVE TO KNOW PLZ. Im going to university next yr and want a good notebook…and i want to switch to mac. Should I wait? I can wait for at most 3 more months.

i forgot to give u my opinion, lol. I have been thinking alot about this since i too want a new notebook. Here is what u need to know:

1. HP: the best performance for the least money. The best deal u can get is from HP. Plus their artist edition is cool.

2. Sony SZ: the TZ is slow for me, but the SZ is really cool. Not ULTRAportable, and not slow. A really good compromise between the two. Downside: Pricy.

3. Macbook: I never tried one yet, hope i will soon 😀

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