Is a Macbook worth it?

[CoolMoo5]

I currently have a Dell Windows 8 laptop. I like it but I want to get a new laptop before the end of the summer. The main reason I want a new laptop is because I want something smaller and portable, I was thinking 13" or so. My current laptop is 15.6" and two years old and not super thin. I have a computer monitor, wireless, keyboard and mouse so for editing and stuff I can plug it in and get a big screen.
Anyways, the point is I am a cheap person so I have a lot of money and I wanted to buy something that could last and handle video editing. The windows laptops I was looking at were ~$800 so I was just wondering if it worth be worth to spend a little more to buy a macbook. Any macbook owners (specially the 11" and 13" ones) out there I would like to know your experience. Can they handle video editing? Do you get viruses? How old is your macbook? How long do you expect to keep it? And finally is it worth the $1000+ pricetag?
I don't plan on buying this laptop until like July or August so I still have time, I just wanted some opinions. Anything is welcome, even if I don't agree it.[DOUBLEPOST=1429913613,1429913518][/DOUBLEPOST]And also, while I have never owned a mac, I have used imacs at school in both high school and college.

 

[Styxie]

I really don't think so. Specs wise anyway. The only reason you'd go Mac is if you REALLY love the OS (and you can get it on some Hackintosh laptops)
Look at MSI, Aorus, Falcon NW, heck, even Razer, and they're all similar priced to an entry Mac and kill it in terms of specs.[DOUBLEPOST=1429913687,1429913630][/DOUBLEPOST]The Aorus X3 might be what you're looking for.

 

[Catie WahWah]

I've used macs for the past 5 years and probably wouldn't go back, especially for editing. I had a MacBook previously but upgraded to a MacBook Pro after 4 years because I wanted more RAM for editing. I edit all my videos on this now (13") and it works great, especially for editing on the go. If you can get FCP7 on one then that's even better. Only downside is it doesn't have a CD/DVD bit any more, which makes it lighter and slimmer but means you'll have to get an external one if you need to.

 

[Styxie]

I've used macs for the past 5 years and probably wouldn't go back, especially for editing. I had a MacBook previously but upgraded to a MacBook Pro after 4 years because I wanted more RAM for editing. I edit all my videos on this now (13") and it works great, especially for editing on the go. If you can get FCP7 on one then that's even better. Only downside is it doesn't have a CD/DVD bit any more, which makes it lighter and slimmer but means you'll have to get an external one if you need to.

Or there's Premiere Pro, which is miles better tbh. Plus, you'll be able to upgrade your laptops RAM and in some cases HDD, good luck with that on a Mac.
As for editing, i still don't get why people like them. There's no good way to put it, the specs of Macs suck. Unless you spend around 5k on one..

 

[Jawad Soomro]

I have Dell Inspiron Core i7, AMD processor, it works super awesome for my video making
I'm not sure abt MacBook and I don't think MacBook has more flexibility than the windows

 

[Styxie]

I have Dell Inspiron Core i7, AMD processor, it works super awesome for my video making
I'm not sure abt MacBook and I don't think MacBook has more flexibility than the windows

AMD GPU you mean? i7 is the name for Intel CPU's

 

[Catie WahWah]

Or there's Premiere Pro, which is miles better tbh. Plus, you'll be able to upgrade your laptops RAM and in some cases HDD, good luck with that on a Mac.
As for editing, i still don't get why people like them. There's no good way to put it, the specs of Macs suck. Unless you spend around 5k on one..

Premiere Pro is still catching up with what FCP7 is, and obviously neither are Avid, but you can get both on a Mac anyway. FCPX is another story, although I hear it's user-friendly if not particularly advanced. Plus Macs come with a lot of good quality starter software like GarageBand, iMovie, etc. +iSight cameras. Easy to upgrade your RAM on a mac if you know where to look, although yep, it's not as open to DIY as a PC is.

I think it's a lot on personal preference though - PCs are fantastic if you know how to upgrade and are willing to put a lot of time and research into that, but you can just grab a Mac and run with it.

 

[Styxie]

Premiere Pro is still catching up with what FCP7 is, and obviously neither are Avid, but you can get both on a Mac anyway. FCPX is another story, although I hear it's user-friendly if not particularly advanced. Plus Macs come with a lot of good quality starter software like GarageBand, iMovie, etc. +iSight cameras. Easy to upgrade your RAM on a mac if you know where to look, although yep, it's not as open to DIY as a PC is.

I think it's a lot on personal preference though - PCs are fantastic if you know how to upgrade and are willing to put a lot of time and research into that, but you can just grab a Mac and run with it.

Catching up with FCP7? Ehh I really don't agree, FCP7 is pretty scrub tier compared to Premiere these days. FCP is the only mac exclusive NLE (well, major one,)
On the new Macbook, you can't upgrade anything even knowing where to look.
PCs are just as easy to run tbh

 

[Kevin Muldoon]

I have a 27" iMac at home and a Windows laptop when travelling, sitting in my living room etc.

People always go on about how one is better than the other, though the two platforms are much closer now than they have ever been.

For me, there is no real difference in what platform I use. All my files are synced on both Dropbox, all my bookmarks are synced on Google Chrome, and all the applications I need for working on the internet are available on both platforms. Such as FileZilla, Google Chrome, Photoshop, Adobe Premiere Pro CC, etc.

If you are invested in the Apple universe then the Mac is the way forward. There are a lot of great applications that are only available on Mac so I can understand why some people stay with Apple (Screenflow, for example, is a fantastic video editing application that is only available on Mac).

But for me, there are good alternatives to most Mac only applications I would need. So the decision as to what computer I buy next comes down to price. And in that respect, Windows always wins. I am probably going to replace my windows laptop within the next year and for the money a macbook would cost me, I would rather buy a more powerful Windows laptop.

Also, do not believe the myths put forward by some Apple fanboys. Apple computers can get viruses and Windows computers are not resource hogs. In fact, I have found that Apple uses up much more RAM. Both of my computers use an i5 processor from the same year and both have 8GB of RAM. However, I always find that my iMac is using nearly all of its 8GB of RAM, while my Windows laptop sometimes only uses 5GB of 6GB. I realise this is not exactly a thorough case study, however I do use the exact same programs on both systems. If anything, my Windows laptop should use more RAM since I always have anti-virus running.

To answer your original question, Macs and Windows based computers can both handle video editing well. Though obviously it depends on the specs of the computer. It could be worth your time playing around with a mac before you purchase anything, but bear in mind that the novelty of using a different system will soon wear off and you will realise the similarities between the two systems.

Although I'm an older guy and don't really care about the cool factor, there is no denying that my iMac is a beautiful piece of technology. OK, maybe the cool factor is a tiny bit relevant to me, but it's worth noting that there are some really sexy Windows laptops available too. If you don't believe me, check out the Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook

 

[KatyAdelson]

The first computer I used was the Amiga 4000 (I actually still have it, and it works!! : o )... after that I primarily have used PC's. I bought a 13 inch Macbook Pro with 8 GB RAM in mid 2012 to see what all the fuss was about Apple Products. My next computer will probably be a PC.

Can they handle video editing?

Yes it can, to an extent. The free iMovie was okay, but I actually prefer Windows Movie maker and the fairly-cheap Pinnacle studio 15 editor instead of iMovie. Final Cut Pro X does a lot of fancy stuff, but there are some good Windows video editing software out there now, too. My Macintosh crashes if I edit too many HD layers at once (I need more to install more memory...I'm just cheap and lazy...). An annoying thing about Final Cut Pro X is that there is no "save" button. You have to wait until all processes finish before the program auto-saves, and if it crashes in the middle before the processes finish, your work is lost. Sometimes I forget to check the processes, and I'm plugging away only to have it crash in the middle and need to start over again. I've found that to be quite annoying. Using Microsoft Office products with a Macintosh also has some complications. I can't do some of the things exactly the way I could with a PC, and not all functions are available (although all of the basic ones are..), such as Power Pivot in Excel. Maybe it's available in a newer version?

Do you get viruses?

I have avast virus protection software installed, but I have not had a virus infection, as far as I can tell. The virus protection software has blocked stuff, and the rumor that Mac's don't get viruses is bologna. ^^ PC's do have a lot more viruses floating around on the internet.

How old is your macbook?

It's from around August of 2012, so it's almost 3 years old.

How long do you expect to keep it?

I probably will be able to use it fine for another 3 years or so. The mousepad died a few months after the warranty expired and I need to use an external mouse. Apparently, a lot of people have experienced the mousepad dying and it's one for the first things people replace?! : o The keys were STUCK ON CAPS ONCE AND ALL I COULD DO WAS TYPE LIKE THIS! This required buying a special external keyboard (I think it was like 60 dollars...) just so I could do a fancy mac reboot thing.

And finally is it worth the $1000+ pricetag?

No. It's kind of like buying a brand versus buying the generic stuff. You're spending money for a computer label verus computer power. I would go with a window's PC and selectively purchase the software needed to create good videos. You can buy a cheaper, yet more powerful PC + Sony Vegas Pro or Adobe After Effects for less than the cost of a Mac that has the free iMovie... You could do a lot more with Sony Vegas than iMovie, too!

The other problem with a Mac is that it can only be my "Hobby Computer." I cannot install any of the modeling software that I use for work, because it is only available for PC's.. If you like pictures, music, and video, then Mac's are great! If you are doing any sort of programming or model development, or any sort of science/technical thing, you might run into problems with software availability..

I also think PC's have stronger Computer Programmers and engineers behind them, or at least a better quality control system in place. Apple products look fancy on the outside, but I've taken them apart...they are made of regular wires, drives and electrical tape, like all the rest.. Only their software seems more buggy to me... ^_^;;

But I do like my computer! I just don't think it's is worth the big price tag. It does remind me of the Amiga, though...which is kind of nice. A lot of people probably wont know what that is.. ^_^

Edit: I will add that learning how to navigate a new computer is invaluable. I felt useful when my boss was faced with a Mac for his presentation (he's never used a Mac before, and was lost trying to use the thing..) and I could open up Powerpoint easily... lol! =)