Before you carry on reading this blog I should stress up front, that this is by no means a PC vs Mac blog post. I will be comparing the two machines in build quality and user experience.

I grew up with computers. My first real computer was the Commodore 64. From there I moved onto PC’s while a childhood friend and his brothers always had Apple Mac’s around their house. So in reality I have been exposed to many computers from an early age. Although exposed to Apples, I never took to an Apple and have been using the Windows platform for over 15 years.

Currently I own a Dell Precision M6400, which in its own right is a monster of a machine (Read my blog on this laptop). The Dell certainly delivers on two factors – speed and mobility.

I had always used and owned desktop systems as I believed that true computing power was not possible on a portable computer. The Dell Precision M6400 changed that perspective for me forever. These days you will find me working at coffee shops instead of behind a desk. With the iPhone 3G as my tethering device I pretty much take my work where ever I go.

My main arsenal of daily software applications that I use are the Adobe CS4 product suite (Photoshop,Flash, Dreamweaver, etc) and the typical corporate rubbish one needs in the form of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, etc).

I decided for no real clear reason that I was going to buy an Apple MacBook Pro. I knew I needed and wanted a personal laptop and had actually been doing a lot of research on many PC laptops prior to my purchase. Last Saturday I decided to purchase an Apple Macbook Pro 13″.

When I ordered my Dell I had to click through a list of components and order the laptop to specification. Fortunately my history with computers allowed me to build a decent machine considering I was working on a budget constraint. The Apple MacBook Pro simply comes with everything which made choosing it easier and in my mind more sensible.

The Apple MacBook Pro is packaged in possibly the best packaging I have ever come across for a laptop/computer. In less than 2 minutes, after opening the beautifully designed box, my Apple was open, plugged in and joyfully announcing it’s existence.

The box

Opening the box (note the protective black foam on the lid of the box)

Being familiar with Apple’s OS, it did not phase me getting ‘used’ to the system.

Straight from the start, the Apple MacBook Pro outperforms the Dell in terms of technical features and build quality. Even though the Dell does sport a larger 17” LCD screen vs the Apple MacBook Pro’s 13.2” LCD screen, it struggles to keep up with Apple’s competency and style.

Overall the Dell’s build quality vs the Apple comes close, but Apple’s laptop feels tighter, slicker and a hundred times sexier. The Apple has a sleek, minimal finish. There are no unnecessary bits n pieces.

The Dell has this silly rubber nipple in the middle of the keyboard which serves as another form of controlling the mouse, however this little rubber nipple keeps falling off. The Dell keyboard is much bigger that the Apple’s and also features back lighting which is something I will never compromise on since experiencing it. Obviously my Mac’s keyboard is a lot smaller due to it being the 13″ MacBook Pro model however in terms of tactility I find no real difference between the two. The Dell just has rubber bits which come off.

I do find the Apple’s ambient light sensor a lot smarter and more efficient than the Dell’s.

The Dell features a metal casing, however in terms of design and build quality the Apple is far superior. Where the Dell is made up of several panels which make up the whole, which after only a year are already showing wear and tear,  the Apple is made of a solid aluminum casing. This also gives Apple a sense of feeling stronger and more solid.

I have used my Dell until its battery has run flat many times. I have found various methods to extend the battery life to the point where I can easily achieve 2 hours of solid work. This using apps like Photoshop and Flash, while surfing the net using my Apple iPhone 3G as my modem.

The Apple features a new battery that they were bragging about way before I bought this laptop. They were making huge claims in the media about the battery life etc etc. When I purchased the Mac, battery life was the furtherest item from my mind until I used the Apple.

It looks like I can easily pull 3 – 4 hours of work-time with this laptop vs the Dell’s 2 hours. If you are using your laptop infrequently or mildly it seems to easily last a day. This has easily become the biggest surprise for me in comparing the two machines.

The Apple comes standard with BlueTooth, Wi-Fi, etc etc. The Apple features a “Super Drive” that allows CD/R + DVD/R abilities. In terms of ports, the Dell does feature more ports purely for it’s size. Where this model of the MacBook Pro only has 2xUSB ports the Dell has three, however one has to bear in mind a Dell you need to build-up when ordering whereas an Apple comes standard with these features – (example: BlueTooth).

The track pads between the two laptops cannot be compared. The Apple track pad is incredible. It is large and does not feature buttons – instead you press anywhere on the trackpad to click. You can set a right click (for us PC users) as well as set the primary click to be touch-activated instead of clicking.

The trackpad also features multi-touch technology which makes using a trackpad so much more refreshing and useful. I generally use a mouse, however the multi touch gestures are so intuitive and useful, I often find I am using the mouse and trackpad for different tasks.

The Apple features a standard iSight camera built into the top of the glass covered monitor aswell a built-in microphone. The Dell has a built-in microphone but it has never worked. The Apple’s speakers are hidden, however are incredibly clear and noticeably louder than the Dell’s that easily get drowned out by ambient noise.

A unique feature worth noting on the Apple is the lack of unnecessary features. There are no lights telling you if the hard drive is working, or if the Wi-Fi is on or off. The “Caps Lock” key features a light, the monitor creates light and the backlit keyboard. The only additional light that features is when the Apple enters sleep mode (and all other lights are off). I find the lack of unnecessary lights less distracting.

The power packs. I think a photo is the only way to compare the two and realize that you simply can’t. Obviously Dell lost the plot with that one.

Overall I am left asking myself why didn’t I buy an Apple Mac years ago? Bang for buck the Apple MacBook Pro 13” is probably the most value packed 13” laptop on the market with that 17” big performance.

If you really want to Apple has even opened up their hardware to allow you install Windows, but after using OS Snow Leopard for the last few days I don’t think I will be wasting any space on Windows.

Overall the MacBook Pro 13″ makes the perfect economical purchase if you are looking for a powerful, compact mobile solution. This has probably got to be the finest machine I have ever purchased and I look forward to a productive future with it.

In closing I can understand why Mac has the cult following that it has. The amount of attention to detail Apple put in their products from the outside to the very inside and on screen is outstanding and pioneering.

Apple have set the bench mark with this laptop.

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