Just recently I purchased a MacBook from Apple, and for many years before I have been working with a HP Pavilion laptop. Now, of course the performance and quality of these two laptops will be significantly different, but I’m here to discuss things like usability and cost. While browsing through the several different types of laptops on the market, usually people like to ask what the difference between getting a MacBook from Apple or a laptop from a company like HP. Since I own both types of laptops and have been working with the different operating systems for some time, I’ll give you a quick little run-down on what to expect from each one.
First, if you’ve been using Windows for a long time and have never touched a Mac in your life, you may experience some unfamiliarity when playing around with a new system. The reverse may also be true (Long time Mac user switching to Windows… although this isn’t very common). This may seem obvious at first, but don’t feel overwhelmed when you first power on a MacBook and things don’t work the same way or are arranged in a way you’re not used to. HP laptops will have the option of having Windows pre-installed. The operating system from Mac can do the same tasks that Windows can, but in a different way. You may not be able to do the same things on Mac that you were able to do on a Windows PC. However, there are still a lot of cool and useful tools available on the MacBooks that aren’t necessarily available on pre-configured HP laptops. If you’re a Mac user, you might find applications on Windows that will work better than those available on a MacBook. If you’re curious, try out the MacBook and/or applications on an HP laptop before you decide which one you like more.
Second, MacBooks tend to be expensive. The new line of MacBooks has different configurations at different prices, but that doesn’t mean they may necessarily fit some people’s budgets. When browsing sites for HP laptops, they offer customized configurations that tend to be cheaper than MacBooks. If you’re concerned about your budget and don’t have much to be able to afford something costly from Apple, consider an HP laptop, or any number of other sites where the laptop configurations are a little more customizable and more affordable.
Third, MacBooks comes with a lot of software built into it. There are applications to play your DVDs, organize your photos, listen to music, browse the internet, chat online, and much more that are already pre-configured and installed when you turn on your MacBook for the first time. Whereas an HP laptop that comes pre-installed with Windows won’t necessarily have as much. There are some applications that do come pre-installed, but you may not find them as good as the applications that do come with MacBooks. A lot of the software I like to use on Windows PCs I have to download or purchase separately after installing Windows. The nice thing about the MacBooks is that I can power it on and do whatever it is I need to do right away, granted I don’t need some specific application like Microsoft Word or a specific video player.
So, that’s the quick and dirty guide on the differences between HP laptops and MacBooks from Apple. Of course, performance and speed weren’t covered, but those topics can be argued back and forth until the end of time. Yes, my MacBook is significantly faster than my older HP laptop with Windows installed, but that’s because it much older and more outdated. In my experience, alone, the MacBook does seem to be very good in regards to speed. However, if you do the proper research into the technologies built into laptops, you could find a current HP laptop that performs just as well, or if not, better than a MacBook.
The above differences will give you a push in the right direction on what might be more important to you with a laptop. Remember to do your research and consider whether or not you’re ready to expand your horizons. Are you an experienced Windows user ready to take on a completely different operating system like OSX? Or are you a long time Mac user ready to see what the fuss is all about on Windows? Or do you want to stick with what you know? If you’re an adventurous user like me, I recommend checking out alternate options, just to learn more and be more diversified in the technology at your side. Good luck and have fun with your final decision.
