Apple MacBook no longer considered as best laptop due to premium pricing and limited options

The Apple MacBook has dropped to fifth place in a survey of the best and worst current laptop brands by Laptop Mag. The portable computer previously occupied the number one spot for quite a few years. There are a number of factors that contribute to the drop-off, including premium pricing and Apple’s dongle fascination.

The Cupertino, California-based tech titan has been the king of the laptop mountain ever since the publication began surveying in 2010, but now it has been overtaken by Lenovo. The Chinese-American multinational electronics company made a huge impact with its unique line-up of devices that feature robust batteries, premium looks and new enhancements.

“When 58 percent of your laptops get a rating of 4 stars or better, you’re having a great year,” says Laptop Mag. “Lenovo wowed us with laptops that had epic battery life (three different ThinkPads lasted more than 17 hours on a charge), gorgeous designs like the bezel-free screen on the Yoga 910 and innovative features like the Halo keyboard on the Yoga Book. The company also provided helpful support with no hold times in our tests.”

Apple may have fallen from the top spot, but the survey does acknowledge its quality tech support and warranty options that are apparently “second to none.” Asus played second fiddle to Lenovo while Dell placed third. HP owned the fourth spot and Acer tied the Mac maker for fifth place on the chart.

The latest Apple laptop is the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, which was launched during the iPhone maker’s October conference last year. There were no new MacBook and MacBook Air presented at the affair, and Apple ultimately let go of the 11-inch Air after the event.

The most common criticisms aimed at the MacBook Pro revolve around its premium pricing and inadequate port options. The Touch Bar wasn’t exactly well-received either with its limited functionality compared to other laptops’ full-fledged multi-touch capabilities.

The upcoming MacBook Pro 2017 unit is nonetheless keeping the Touch Bar. The 13-inch basic Pro model is reportedly going to sell for about US$2,199 (AU$2,898) while the 15-inch laptop with Touch Bar may carry a whopping US$4,249 (AU$5,599) price tag. If the estimated price of the iPhone 8 suggests anything, it’s that the new MacBook Pro variants could be priced even higher.

The MacBook Pro 2017 is expected to furnish at least a 3,200 x 1,800 QHD+ screen with Apple set on upgrading its Retina Display, which has been left for dead by other devices. A premium unit with up to 32 GB of RAM has also been pointed out in previous reports.

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