I'm in the market to buy a new laptop to replace my old in years but young at heart Dell Latitude. (I've had the Dell in 2012 when it was at least two years old then.)

I'm a Windows guy, and have been for some time, but I've always wanted an Apple.

I found a couple of Windows laptops that I'm digging.

The first one is a Samsung Ativ Book Pro 9.

http://www.cnet.com/products/samsung-ativ-book-9-plus/

It's a light ultrabook with a 13.3" screen which runs at 3200x1800 an Intel Core M chip and 8GB RAM. It also comes with a SSD - either a 128 or 256 GB drive.

The other Windows laptop is the Dell XPS 13.

http://www.cnet.com/products/samsung-ativ-book-9-plus/

It has essentially the same specifications as the Ativ, although I like the look of the XPS.

Then there's the Apple MacBook Air and MacBook Pro.

http://www.apple.com/macbook-air/

http://www.apple.com/macbook-pro/

I have a Windows Phone and an old Surface RT tablet, so I'm invested deeply into Windows, but unless the Surface Phone is available on T-Mobile, and judging from T-Mobile's decision to pull Lumia's from its store it won't be, it's not likely I'll keep my Lumia. So I could go ahead and make the switch to an iPhone and MacBook of some model.
But I'm wanting to develop some web development / software development skills and there are simply many more options for programming tools using a Windows machine.

I take my laptop out of the house alot, so the physical size is important to me. It's a close #2 behind performance.

Some days the laptop would be used in a home office setup which may eliminate the Air because of the limited number of ports for a monitor or peripherals.

Most of the usage would be for digital development (web design & development, some app development), web surfing, the odd game here and there.

If you have an Apple and you switched from Windows recently, was the switch a big deal? Would you recommend to any Windows user to swap platforms?

If you've used any of the Windows notebooks, do you recommend either of them? I know the 'Retina' display is overkill, but I do plan on connecting the laptop to a monitor, which would give it a use.

we still don't know for sure what they're going to do with the Air line or if they'll even keep them so I'd wait at least until the next announcement this month before buying anything Apple. I'm not a Windows guy but the XPS 13 is the first windows laptop I've lusted over besides my weird attraction to the Surface Pro 4.

I'd most definitely stay away from the Air because with it's antiquated screen and the fact that it might disappear you'd be wasting money. Like I said before I'd just wait until the announcement this month before buying anything Apple. I have a 2015 Macbook Pro 13' Retina and I'm probably going to sell it if there are any major updates on the Macbook Pro line or a price drop on the Macbook.

I know the screen isn't the best, but if Apple did discontinue the model, maybe I could get a deal on one of the existing inventory of Airs.

why have that low res of a screen? It ain't life

I ever made...

I have the 1st gen 15" MacBook Pro w/retina.
It's the base model too....
I recently upgraded the SSD to a 500GB and other than that...it's still going strong (knocks on wood).

Running Win 10 via parallels is easily done. I mainly use windows to run Autodesk Revit. And it runs just fine on a virtual machine.

Best investment in a computer i'd made in over 10 years. I'll likely never go back to a PC laptop honestly.



"Get ready..for your blessing..."

I just got a refurb of the brand new XPS 15 line. i7, 500 GB SSD, GTX 960, 16 GB RAM for $1300. The mac equivalent is probably 3 grand for that. For $1300, I am getting an i5 with integrated graphics, if that.
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>I just got a refurb of the brand new XPS 15 line. i7, 500 GB
>SSD, GTX 960, 16 GB RAM for $1300. The mac equivalent is
>probably 3 grand for that. For $1300, I am getting an i5 with
>integrated graphics, if that.

I had a Studio 17" model, top of the line, etc..etc..etc.... it was a refurb i'd gotten straight from Dell. Joint had just slowed to a crawl, needed so much tending to, screen was diminishing, etc...etc..etc.. meanwhile, the regular Macbook that my wife had purchased at the same time i'd purchased the Dell was STILL going strong...I was like...fck it...i'm tired of buying new laptop every year/year 1/2....

Four years later and i'm still good with this MacBook Pro.
I say all that to say, the cost is def. justified...but I DO understand the apprehension.


"Get ready..for your blessing..."

Yeah. I've been on both sides. The laptop I just replaced is a 2010 MBP. So it was very hard to go Windows. No doubt I'll be back on the MBP train eventually.
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I've been looking on eBay and finding a number of good deals for each laptop.

If I can buy an open box, refurbished, or 'gently' used Mac at a good price, I would lean towards buying the Mac.

For instance the Windows laptops retail for over $1,300 but I've found deals for each of them running at $800. The best deals on a MacBook Pro are around $1,000.

I wouldn't get access to the Mac ecosystem if I save the cash, but I'm on the dense if the benefits outweigh the coats involved.

Yeah, mine was an eBay deal, too. If you can get a refurb MBP with good specs for $500 under retail, I think that's pretty good. I'll definitely check that out when the one I just bought starts to get long in the tooth.

I say go for it if you have the money. I am about to have 0 income for a minute, so I can't quite justify it.
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damn, nice find. my friend just got it for $1500. i got mine for $1800, but i got it a while back. we all have the same config.

Yeah, I was surprised. Especially since that model just came out in like October. I figured it can't be in that bad of shape since it's a brand new line. It looks like the same seller I bought from still has one http://www.ebay.com/itm/DELL-XPS-15-9550-6TH-GEN-i7-6700HQ-3-5GHz-16GB-512GB-SSD-1080P-INFINITY-EDGE-/262316133072?hash=item3d13428ad0:g:APMAAOxyLm9TFQbk
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That list says 1080p.

Oh ok. That's a good deal. How do you like it? Noticeably better than 1080?
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>Oh ok. That's a good deal. How do you like it? Noticeably
>better than 1080?
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>http://i.imgur.com/Gj5Wy56.jpg

as long as you don't mind glossy screens this shit is amazing.

Unless they've gotten a hell of a lot better since I was last looking at them (a year or so ago).

This depends a bit on what you're looking for, though. The core M is ultra-low-voltage, so it'll be more battery friendly and less hot, but there's a price in overall horsepower. If you're basically looking for a tablet with a keyboard, then the core M is probably a plus. But if you're planning on doing anything more intensive, then I'd lean toward the i3/i5/i7. These are probably getting rarer in ultraportables, though.

Better specs than that Samsung at a similar price (i7-6500U, 8GB RAM, 128GB, 256GB or 512GB SSD, QHD or UHD screen)

http://www.theverge.com/2016/3/14/11218782/microsoft-pi-day-dell-xps-13-discount

TL;DR - Bought an HP which is cheaper and less powerful than the computers on my checklist before. Overall, my impression is good, although the machine doesn't have Bluetooth (??!!?)

The Dell Pi-Day deal might have gotten me to pull the trigger sooner.

I ended up getting a computer with less power than the XPS or Samsung Ativ. The machine that I settled on is a HP Pavilion with a 5th Generation Core i5 with 6GB RAM. Link below:

http://store.hp.com/us/en/pdp/Laptops/hp-pavilion-15t-laptop-m7h64av-1

The machine was cheaper than the models on my checklist.

One reason was that my finances changed and the thought of spending money when my finances were tight didn't appeal to me. Also, even though my usage habits might be on the high-end for a normal user, the machine I have now will suit my needs. For the most part, the most advanced thing I'll be doing is either playing game or writing web apps or using Photoshop or Blender, a 3d animation tool, for logos. So, it would have been nice to buy a Mac or a XPS, but if my finances change, which I hope they do in the next six months, I will save some money to buy an Apple product next time.

It's light, but the build quality is just okay. The old computer, and eight-year old Dell, might have been sturdier, but it was also heavier. My sister has a 2012 MacBook and that computer is heavier and sturdier. But Apple is the standard and the difference is noticeable but not significant.

The only problem I have is that the computer does not come with a Bluetooth capability. (!!! They still make you?? !!!)

The HP tech agent who talked me through the process of learning that the computer didn't have Bluetooth, pointed me towards a USB Bluetooth dongle. I'm still peeved about the lack of Bluetooth. But I have 30 days to return the computer and if my mind doesn't change, I'll return the computer.

It does use a Bluetooth port but you can always get a Bluetooth adapter to turn 1 port into multiple ports.

And for the cost of adding Bluetooth to a laptop... It might be the cheaper option

It's worked out really well so far. Aside from a Bluetooth mouse, the Bluetooth isn't used much on my PC though.

So far so good with the computer. My usage is about the same on this new machine than the old one. I have played more games on this new laptop; I even bought Battlefield 4 and have played on and off over the past few weeks.

All in all, it's been a good buy so far.