Last time, I wrote about my experience with buying a cheap PC laptop
as opposed to a Mac - and how disappointing it was (see Good-bye PowerBook, Hello Linux
on a Laptop). I have since sold that HP to someone who could
appreciate it more than I could and lost a minimal amount of money from
the sale.
In an incredible stroke of luck, I ran into a friend I hadn't seen
in a while at a party. As a fellow Mac user and technology aficionado,
we started chatting, and I recounted my woeful tale of buying the PC
and the frustrations I had with Linux. I also mentioned how I was
searching for a cheap Mac notebook and told him what I could spend.
To my disbelief, he offered to sell me his three-year-old first generation MacBook
Pro. I offered a price of $550, and it was agreed upon right then.
Within a week I would be not only the proud owner of my first
Intel-based Mac, but also the most powerful Mac I'd ever owned up to
this point.
First Impressions
This is the first Macintel machine I've owned, and so far I've been
very impressed. Since most of the applications I use are freeware and
have been compiled for Intel-based Macs, I haven't had any issues with
apps misbehaving under Rosetta.
Since I paid the same amount for both the HP laptop and the MacBook
Pro, I thought it might be interesting to compare them and see how I
feel now that I've returned to a Mac notebook.
Screen Size
Resolution isn't a huge deal for me; I'm actually impressed each
time I get a new notebook with the brightness, because it's always
better than before. The MacBook's top resolution is 1440 x 900, whereas
the HP had a top of 1280 x 900. To be honest, I couldn't notice a huge
difference.
The thing I hated most about the HP screen was the glossy surface.
Only in a dark room could I see what was on the screen clearly;
anywhere else, there was always reflections.
The MacBook Pro has a matte screen, which I strongly prefer to
anything glossy. While it's not outstanding, it's a perfectly bright
screen after three years. I'd like to see Apple offer an option for
matte screens, at least on all of its MacBook Pro models.
Keyboard
The HP wins here, hands down (no pun intended). It's keyboard has
great soft keys with good action, and the spacing was just about
perfect. I missed the "Apple" command key at first, and I never fully
adjusted to using the Control key in place of it.
The MacBook Pro's keyboard just doesn't feel as nice. The keys don't
have the same tactile feel as my old 12"
PowerBook, they are much softer. It's not a terrible typing
experience, but there is certainly nothing special about it.
Video Output
Again, I hate to say it, but the HP wins here. I have full DVI out
on the Pro, but the HP had HDMI output, which connects to almost every
flat screen TV out there. I have an adapter, but it doesn't carry sound
out as well (since the DVI interface only carries the video
signal).
Design
Obviously, the aluminum skin and slick design of the Pro beats the
HP plastic any day.
The HP had a unique design that I thought I loved at first, but my
opinion changed as the days went on. The lid and wrist wrest area was a
interesting bronze color pattern, and around the keyboard was a
metallic mesh, also a bronze color. It certainly had a masculine look
to it.
The HP was also a bit lighter, since the screen size was 14.1" as
opposed to the Pro's 15.4" screen.
Final Thoughts
I actually miss the HP notebook a bit. I've realized many of my
frustrations weren't with the hardware, which was actually pretty
decent, but with my choice of operating system. If Linux had "just
worked," I might have been perfectly happy with the HP.
In the future I am going to consider all my computing needs before
making a purchase instead of trying to save a few dollars (or a few
hundred dollars). Value is not always measured by prices and
specifications, but by productivity, quality, and general satisfaction.
Brian Gray is a journalist from North Carolina who enjoys writing, the beach, and tinkering with Macs.
