<p>or</p>
<p>or</p>
<p>Money isn't too big of an issue, but I don't have any experience with OS x and lots with Win7</p>
<p>[Apple</a> tops PC buyer satisfaction survey | Apple - CNET News](<a href=“CNET: Product reviews, advice, how-tos and the latest news”>Apple tops PC buyer satisfaction survey - CNET)</p>
<p>[2011</a> Computer Reliability Reports: Lenovo, Asus On Top | Connecticut Consumer Watchdog |Ct Consumer Complaints |Ct consumer Protection | Ct Advocate | Ct Consumer](<a href=“http://ctwatchdog.com/2011/06/06/2011-computer-reliability-reports-lenovo-asus-on-top]2011”>http://ctwatchdog.com/2011/06/06/2011-computer-reliability-reports-lenovo-asus-on-top)</p>
<p>I bought a Toshiba Portege a month ago and couldn’t be happier with my purchase. The laptop is incredibly light (1.2lbs lighter than the Macbook Pro) and delivers on battery life (I consistently get more than 7-8 hours of “real world” usage per charge). It runs cool and fast. The price point is also a bargain. Don’t forget that you also get a free Xbox with it because of the Microsoft promotion.</p>
<p>HOWEVER… if you need amazing sound and graphics, the Macbook Pro would be the better option. The Toshiba screen is reflective and difficult to use outside in direct sunlight. Speakers are adequate but decidedly unimpressive. Those are pretty much my only complaints.</p>
<p>I LOVE my Toshiba and it meets my needs perfectly. If you’re comfortable with Win7 and don’t want to change your OS, it’s a fantastic option.</p>
<p>Um the graphics on the Macbook pro and the portege are exactly the same. I think the speakers are about the same too.</p>
<p>Don’t go for THAT HP. Best Buy is overcharging. There are newer models (which are better in all aspects) that are cheaper. Check out HP’s website. Search for HP coupons which can take like $200+ off.</p>
<p>“Best” is relative to the user. The Portege and MBP are exactly the same except the MBP has a brighter screen. The Portege is cheaper! If you look at the current HP lineup you can get a more powerful laptop (but you sacrifice that 8 hr battery).</p>
<p>Thanks for the comments thus far, I noticed the protege doesn’t have bluetooth, not sure if I will be using anything that requires that it the next 3-4 years, so that was another thing. If I got the protege from Best Buy, I would also get a $100 gift card which I could use towards the new ipod I get.</p>
<p>Dan Ackerman on Cnet.com reviewed the Toshiba Portege earlier this year and stated that it was as close to a perfect laptop as they could find. I love my macbook, but the Portege is a pretty nice machine and it saves you some cash. It looks great and you can never have enough battery life. I’d check it out at a best buy, office depot, etc if possible so you can see it in person and see how it stacks up to the MBP.</p>
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<p>Thanks for the catch haha. I somehow had the mistaken impression that the Macbook Pro had discrete graphics… not sure where I got that. I don’t know about the quality of the Mac speakers, but the Portege speakers are definitely tinny (not that I care!).</p>
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<p>Thanks! Only thing that I wish protege had would be, bluetooth and backlit keyboard, but they aren’t worth the extra 400-500 I would spend on MBP.</p>
<p>The MBP 15’’ and 17’’ have discrete graphics. Not the 13’'. That’s where you got the idea.</p>
<p>Yeah I agree about the backlit keyboard. Its really something that alot of potential buyers don’t think about, but I can say from experience that going from backlit to not is a tough transition. Makes typing and finding those tricky function keys at night a breeze. Might not be the biggest deal to others, but I really appreciate the fact that apple has made that a standard of their “Pro” line. If you’ve never had it before, you really won’t care either way. I just notice it since I’ve had my macbook for a couple years now.
Never been the biggest bluetooth user. Doesn’t hurt to have it I guess. If you go for the Portege which as you said is sans bluetooth, you can buy a cheap bluetooth dongle down the line if you ever need it.</p>
<p>Touch typing is something you’ll get used to.</p>
<p>Out of these I’d say the toshiba is your best bet.</p>