Apple Laptops Lead The Pack...

[vitzr]

Here's the chart

Here's the report

http://www.laptopmag.com/mobile-life/best-brands-overall-verdict-2011.aspx

Enjoy the read

 

[TheJing]

Ok.

 

[sporadicMotion]

Not really surprising. Glad so see Lenovo getting some good marks too. I've been lusting after an X220 to replace my aging Linux laptop. The only thing I personally disagree on is the Lenovo trackpad being better.

Ok.

Buck up buttercup.

Love the sig.

 

[alphaod]

The only thing I personally disagree on is the Lenovo trackpad being better.

No, but the Trackpoint is better.

 

[Steve's Barber]

That chart is from last March. That's like 5 years in this industry.

 

[TSE]

Sony not at least tying Apple in innovation or design?

Sony had a MacBook Air in 2005, has an external GPU with it's high-end laptop before they become mainstream like they will in 2 years, and it's designs on it's high end models matches Apple's.

But besides that, I agree with the list.

 

[iThinkergoiMac]

No, but the Trackpoint is better.

I agree, I fell in love with the Trackpoint on my old IBM.

Sony had a MacBook Air in 2005, has an external GPU with it's high-end laptop before they become mainstream like they will in 2 years, and it's designs on it's high end models matches Apple's.

I don't see how an external GPU is excellent design. For the rest, design is a matter of taste. The writers of that article considered Apple's designs superior, you don't. That's all it is.

 

[TSE]

I don't see how an external GPU is excellent design.

No, but it is innovation.

And really? Asus beats Sony in design? Asus? The king of cheap, glossy oil-fingerprint plastic laptops?

I'd like to see the logic in that chart when it comes to some of those ratings.

 

[iThinkergoiMac]

No, but it is innovation.

Sony wasn't the first company to come out with an external GPU... external GPUs might be an innovation, but not Sony's.

 

[TSE]

Sony wasn't the first company to come out with an external GPU... external GPUs might be an innovation, but not Sony's.

No, but they made it simple, easy to use, and created a single, unified unit. The same thing Apple did with the iPod and iPad.

 

[iThinkergoiMac]

No, but they made it simple, easy to use, and created a single, unified unit. The same thing Apple did with the iPod and iPad.

Point taken.

 

[garybUK]

Sony are the first to use Thunerbolt with an External GPU / BluRay 'dock', they were also the first to use chicklet keyboards.

I wish Apple would just add a 3G Wireless cards in the Air's and/or Macbook Pro ranges!!

Personally, to me, you can't beat the Apple laptops at the moment, even Sony has problems (Hinges anyone?)

I am currently deciding between a Macbook Pro 13" or a Vaio SB...

 

[*LTD*]

This is like the 7th or 8th year in a row for Apple.

 

[Melrose]

Apple wouldn't lead in design if so much of the competition didn't try to copy them outright. Scroll through Engadget these days and you see quite a few laptops from all the big makers producing at least one line of laptops that strongly resemble MacBooks.

Now, certain naysayers will say "Apple wasn't the first to have metal cases" or "Apple wasn't the first to use chicklet keyboards" or "Apple wasn't the first to blah blah blah" but the fact of the matter is these companies are making laptops that don't just use one or two of these features - many are almost verbatim visual copies of the MacBook line.

I wish Windows PC makers would do their own thing; Design their equipment themselves - don't copy someone else; make it unique; create a unified brand around one or two lines of laptops rather than a million options for models called confusingly obscure names like "Satellite N508BL", and make OS versions and compatibility plain & easy to understand.

...and for gosh sakes, don't ship a $1k laptop that rattles when you pick it up and the seams in the plastic case cut your hand.

 

[Bernard SG]

The amplitude of Apple's lead in the report card score is impressive. Apple sitting at a 89 and the next one at 71, that is 20% less.

 

[JoeG4]

Sony falls short in a number of places, here's a couple:

* Their high end laptops still tend to have painted plastic. Do you know how long that lasts for a power user? Not very long!
* The support SUCKS. There are a handful of Sony stores in the US, so you'll probably have to send it into a repair facility. They estimate turn around time to be TWO FRIGGIN WEEKS, although it's usually less than a week. Still crap, compared to Apple's 1-2 day turnaround time on repairs (if they decide to repair it).
* The power bricks are larger and look like something from the 90s. I have one.. it sucks.
* The trackpads are usually Alps Electric units. Also found on bottom-end Acer and Gateway laptops you find on sale at Walmart on Black Friday. Even the $3000 Vaio Z had one! They sorta FEEL decent when using them, but they don't support multitouch very well and the slightest bit of moisture on your fingers will cause very erratic input until you sleep/wake the machine.
* A lot of Vaios don't even wake from sleep when you open the lid. I was surprised when I noticed that on my F. Really?!

The only saving graces for Sony are that they offer some very interesting feature/design options that Apple would probably never dare do. Or at least, not anymore. Selling a 13" laptop with an optional 1920x1080 screen? Sony's been doing that for at least a couple of years now! Why can't Apple?

The old Z (with internal 330m) was much cooler than the current Z (with no onboard GPU!) >>

In other words: Fantastic laptops to lust after. After the honeymoon is over they are kinda mediocre. Apple laptops aren't lust worthy when it comes to specs, but they hold up better and look/feel so much better.