[freshflowers]

I doubt a Dell XPS will last longer. The problem with non-Apple laptops, with few (and expensive) exceptions, is the build quality.

It's 2016, people treat laptops like any common electronic household item, and the majority of non-Apple laptops, especially Dells, start to look pretty ragged after less than 2 years.

That's why MacBooks tend to have a decent resell value, whereas you cannot even give other old laptops away.

[leviathant]

I've got a Dell E1505 I bought refurbished in 2016 that runs Windows 10. It's been dropped a couple of times from the door of an old Ford Econoline van with door pockets that, as it turned out, weren't in great shape.

In 2010, I received a brand new Mac Mini. We had at that point been using the Dell laptop to run Hulu and Netflix, and I decided to swap in the Mac Mini. Turns out the Mac Mini couldn't run 1080p without chugging a little bit, but the laptop from four years earlier had no problem keeping up.

It mostly sat in a drawer, as I needed something faster for video and audio work. Over the years I'd try out Windows upgrades as they came through. Another fun point - It came with Windows XP. When the Win 7 beta came out, I installed that just to see - it ran surprisingly well. Back in the drawer it went until Windows 8's preview came out - that also installed without any issue, and ran surprisingly well. When Windows 10 rolled around, it actually upgraded from the Windows 8 beta to a full-fledged installation of Windows 10. Never ended up paying for an upgrade to the operating system!

The internal wifi did burn out at some point, and I'm sure the screen was dimmer than when I'd first gotten it, but other than that? You could browse the internet and run some basic apps.

We finally donated it a couple of months ago. I can't argue about the resell value of Dell laptops, but that E1505 had build quality in spades, and better longevity than the equivalent Mac. Can you even put the latest OS X on a Macbook from a decade ago?

[leviathant]

Correction: bought refurbished in 2006, not 2016.

[hiram112]

XPS is technically part of Dell's consumer line. The business Precisions and Latitudes are much sturdier.

All of Apple's products are essentially business grade, and you're definitely paying for the premium.

People tend to overrate Apple's build quality simply because it really is miles ahead of anything else one can purchase at Best Buy or other retail stores.

[soulbadguy]

This exactly. The experience both in term of customer support, driver stability and hardware reliability of business line of PC is very different from the consumer side. It's a shame most people don't know that.

And IMO Thinkpad,latitudes and elite books have much better keyboard that the current MacBook, but apple still wins in screen and battery performance

[nommm-nommm]

>whereas you cannot even give other old laptops away

I sell old laptops. Apple and non Apple laptops sell very well. It's true that Macs get more money but it's not true there isn't a market for non Apple laptops