[grecy]

I spent a lot of time getting OS X running on a Dell Mini 9 netbook.

At that time, I think it was regarded as the most compatible OS X netbook, and (IIRC) absolutely all the hardware worked 100% correctly. Wifi, sound, sleep/wake, external monitor, etc.

I used it extensively for 3 years as my main machine, and it never once crashed or had a single problem.

The more I used it, the more I was absolutely certain of one thing. My next machine will be a genuine Apple.

I bought a 2012 MBA 13inch for ~3 times the price of the mini 9 and am extremely happy. Apple hardware is spectacular.

[reedlaw]

You say it never crashed, but then you were certain to buy an Apple next. Why?

[chrischen]

He bought it for the hardware.

[reedlaw]

What exactly makes the hardware better? I would say running for 3 years without issue is pretty decent.

[chrischen]

You'll probably have to ask him that.

As a macbook owner myself, I can tell you you have to use one regularly to notice that the build quality and attention to design is just much better.

Solid unibody aluminum. Auto-dimming display. Backlit keyboard. Great battery life. A trackpad that is pleasant to use and works for scrolling, gestures, and moving the mouse. Tight OS integration with all of these hardware features. It's pretty clear whoever designed these features actually used these features. I've used cheap laptops before and they get produced with shitty features like fingerprint sensors that barely work. It's as if no one actually bothered to use the features they slap onto cheap Windows laptops, because if they did, it's pretty easy to notice how useless or unusable a lot of the features are.

Most people spend the money on a commodity windows computer because they need a computer. When people spend the extra money on a mac, they do so because they want a mac. Point being, people buy a mac and pay the extra because every feature they include has a purpose and has been tested to be actually useful and not just a marketing gimmick.

[reedlaw]

Thinkpads have better build quality than most PC laptops, though I'm not sure whether on par with the unibody design in MacBooks. My own experience is that my T410 overheats when doing serious work like encoding video. The case is sturdy, but not airtight. It's supposed to be able to withstand spills, but I've never had to find out if it really can.

[grecy]

I posted the comment about wanting Mac hardware, and I could not have explained it better than you have above.

Thanks, you are spot-on.

[bbrks]

True, but cheap netbooks have plastic hinges which like to break[1] at the lightest touch, or a generally cheap feeling plastic case.

Nothing beats Apple's aluminium bodies. They are ridiculously solid.

[1] http://i.imgur.com/St2Daeg.jpg - Personal experience

[Tmmrn]

> Apple hardware

What exactly is that?

[xutopia]

It's a single block of metal laser cut to fit all the components within a solid yet light fixture. It's a power plug that if tugged will not drop your laptop to the ground. It's a backlit keyboard that feels great on the fingers. It's a beautiful screen that you can't get anywhere else. It's a large sized trackpad that answers to your fingers without noticeable lag. It's a keyboard that has all the keys on the top row to do all the things we do on a regular basis. In short it's a super well integrated machine that wakes up from sleep in an instant, has great battery life and is well suited for a worry free computing experience.

[coldtea]

It's one of the greatest industrial designs, with thought of tons of details, very solid (and expensive to perform) unibody construction from a block of aluminum, and several Apple-only or Apple-makes-better things thrown in, from the hi-dpi display (that's better than anything hi-dpi on comparable price laptops) to the mag-safe adaptors, to thunderbolt, to the multi-touch glass trackpad, to the magnetic lid etc.

It's not about custom CPUs or GPUs.

[rahoulb]

The other replies explain the benefits of Apple hardware but I have to emphasise the trackpads - every other trackpad feels like dragging my fingers through mud in comparison and the gesture-handling is really slick.