[Nullabillity]

> The author says you used to pay a lot for Apple because you knew you were getting "the best computer".

Must be rose-tinted glasses. Apple has been about peddling (what would otherwise be) low-end budget computers to fashion enthusiasts for massive markups for at least a decade.

[Retra]

The only reason I bought an MBP is because it was the only aluminum-bodied, non-touchscreen laptop with a reasonable keyboard layout and quality touchpad that I could find on display in 2012. For the last 10 years, most laptops have been plastic, gimmicky, and loaded with dozens of pointless buttons and stickers.

[motrine5]

This. I don't have the budget for a new Macbook, but everytime in the past couple of years I've wanted to buy a new laptop, I go off to Best Buy, take a look at the plastic, gimmicky touch-screeny windows things they have for sale and end up going to craigslist to buy an almost new Macbook even though it costs a little more (ok sometimes quite a bit more)

[TACIXAT]

Did you not prove the parent comment's point? You were mostly concerned with aesthetics, the case material, keyboard layout, and stickers.

I'm personally not a fan of the vendor lock in with Apple. You can spend similar money and get something that isn't difficult to replace the ram on, with slightly better specs, more disk space, etc. As long as you're cool with a plastic case ;)

[astrange]

The keyboard and trackpad are not aesthetics!

[KurtMueller]

IMHO, Apple's "magic" trackpads are still best in class.

[Retra]

Most modern laptops are completely comparable in terms of hardware and software capabilities, so long as you aren't trying to do top-end gaming and super-computing. Administration is not significantly less painful on any one of them.

This machine feels pleasant to use. It doesn't frustrate me or get in my way. (Unless I'm using finder or other awful OS X programs, but I'm not afraid of the terminal, so I just don't use those.)