$2500 for a laptop? Wow. Is this computer really worth that kind of money? Next time I’m at an Apple store, I’ve got to stop in to see it. The 17 inch screen is a necessity for me as I watch a lot of sporting events and movies on my laptop.
The MacBook Pros are really really nice machines.
I have had two 15-inch MacBook Pros, and absolutely love my current one. The new Unibody machines are very nice as well. Several of my co-workers have the 17-inch machines, and love them as well.
Is it worth the money? That’s entirely up to the consumer. The 17-inch is the top-of-the-line, and comes with a top-of-the-line price tag. It’s like buying a BMW - you may not be able to point to any one single thing, but there are lots of little details (very tight hardware-software integration, the backlit keyboard, etc) which may not sound like much individually, but contribute to a cohesive, pleasurable experience.
I’m a Mac fanboy, sure, but I can tell you this: before I got my first Mac, I never really had a computer that was a real joy to use. The OS just “feels right”, and the machine overall is very well put together.
But in the end, it’s just a computer. 
Hell, no. All Apple computers are hideously overpriced, imo.
Top of the line for a Mac.
I’m not up on the latest in notebook computers, but…
Consumer Reports prefers the $2,200 17" Mac to the $2,500 model.
As for whether it’s worth the money, that’s a personal call. It’s targeted at the person that wants and can afford the best. As someone else said, it’s like buying a luxury car.
CR rates it as the only 17" laptop with excellent sound, and one of a handful with a very good display.
The weight is about a pound less than other 17" computers, and the battery life is twice as long. (According to CR)
It’s got the Mac OS (much, much less a virus target), and superior customer support.
Are those advantages worth $1,200 bucks? Depends on the person and the pocketbook.
I’m happy they aren’t $5000 like the brand-new totally-decked-out WallStreet G3 PowerBook was, or $10,000 like the IIfx was when a 40 MHz ‘030 chip was seriously smokin’ hot.
One thing you need to know about Apple’s laptops is that they are BUILT.
$2500 / 6 years of very likely use = $416 / yr
$2500 / 7 years of likely use = $357
$2500 / 8 years of decently likely use = $312
That’s just as primary computer. If you keep it and still use it even after you’ve bought something newer & faster…
$2500 / 10 years of not-unusual longevity = $250 / yr
My WallStreet, circa 1998, is mostly relegated to powering a couple of scanners, but I’ve used it for other things when this one has been tied up.
In the interests of full disclosure: The taxpayers paid for the one I use at work.
That said, it’s a killer laptop. We upgraded my early 2009 17" with 8 Gig of RAM and it is a stellar piece o kit. Nothing like running a XP VM and a Windows 7 VM, and they both have 2 Gig of available RAM. It’s cool running (unlike my core duo Mac Book Pro), and quiet, and can go a VERY long time on a charge.
If i left my Job, I’d have to give it up. I’d probably replace it with a 15 Inch Unibody MPB…but I would replace it with a mac.
Now…Snow Leopard arrives on Wednesday, and I hope it lets me do on the Mac, the one thing I keep a real windows box around for: GPU accelerated video transcoding. There’s a place in my life for a very very expensive laptop, and a $130 Atom-based desktop (Jetway HBJC110C91-230-B Black Mini / Booksize Barebone System - Newegg.com). But I make my living with computers, so I’m not exactly a normal user.
You can buy a 900 [HP 17.3 notebook](http://www.shopping.hp.com/product/rts_notebook/rts_notebook//3/storefronts/NV025UA%2523ABA)(on [sale this week at Staples)](http://www.staples.com/HP-Pavilion-dv7-2170us-Entertainment-Laptop/product_802759?cmArea=SC3:CG71:DP4118:CL161747) with approx the same storage and CPU & video horsepower, what you don't get is the [sheer slickness of the integration](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002C745WS?tag=reality&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=B002C745WS&adid=06845T2TBEXX3RKEVT7B&). I don't use OSX so I would never (so far) buy a Mac, but would I buy a 2500 Win OS notebook if it was as nicely integrated as the Mac design elements? Quite possible, but I’m a sucker for slick technology.
I’m at the brink of slipping down the slippery slope of Mac vs. PC maneuver #3, but.
Is it worth $2500? Not if you don’t have $2500. If you DO have $2500, it’s a Very Nice Computer. Further, the unibody construction, the full button trackpad, the mag-safe power plug, the 7+ hour battery, and the gorgeous LED display are items that stand out when compared to the other computers. Add that 17" is the same weight of other 15" computers, and the backlit keyboard (which has been a MBP staple for years).
This all before looking at the software, and it’s the software that easily makes the laptop better than any other brand. Syncing the music to the pictures on this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jM2VbIS2ZM was trivially easy…using the software included with the laptop.
Well, I bought my current 17" Mac laptop at the Apple refurb store for under $2K. It’s now 5 years old and still running well. That said, it’s really time for a replacement for speed purposes, but the price tag is prohibitive. I’m not 100% sold on the new improvements – the no-button trackpad, the glossy screens, and the non-replaceable battery (although it’s true that I’ve never removed the current battery). So even as a current Mac user, I think, yeah, they’re considerably overpriced.
Of course not. I’d say a good $1000 of that price is what you’re paying for it having an Apple logo slapped on it. Macs are so ridiculously overpriced I’m often dumbfounded at people who buy them and try to rationalize such a purchase, especially when you factor in the superior hardware you can buy for significantly less.
At which point I ask you to configure an identical laptop with identical hardware and we sort about for just how overpriced they are and it turns out…they aren’t.
Find me a metal cased laptop that matches these specs:
and you’ll find they’re similar in price.
Can you find a 17" screen for less money? Sure. Can you find MORE PC laptop for MORE money? Sure.
At time of release, however, MacBooks are pretty well spec’d for their price. But again, If benjamins are the ONLY metric you care about, I’ll not convince you otherwise.
I went to lenovo’s site and configured a 17" W700 and it came to $2674. Can you go configure a 17" laptop there for less? Sure, but you’re cutting corners from the comparison. Can you install a hotter processor? Yup. but it’s MORE MONEY to do so.
And you don’t get the benefits of an Apple Store (assuming you have one nearby, I have three.) You don’t get the benefits of the OS, and you don’t get the benefits of iLife.
It’s all fit and finish.
Last week I bought a couple of $500 laptops for the teenagers at BestBuy and, though they are faster than the smokin’ hot machine of a couple of years ago, they just don’t compare in any way to my wife’s aging MacBook Pro.
You have to use one of these in person to fully appreciate the difference.
FTR, I only bought the MacBook Pro at a time when I had received an unexpected bonus. I will admit that I normally wouldn’t be able to justify >2K on a laptop.