This is the biggest thing that keeps me from switching. I'd happily swap to some other brand and run Linux, but every time I touch a non-Apple laptop it feels cheap, loose, clunky, plasticy, and just...bad.
The Surface Book I'm on now is very close, but the trackpad isn't quite as good. The Pixel trackpad was, honest to god, better than on a MacBook pro.
If you look around you can find it for $600 (refurb).
The Dell appears to be more likely to survive getting wet than Apple's laptops: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8211HNs4eY
So... for 1/2 the price you can get a machine that you might like better than a MBP.
1 - the webcam. what the hell? it's on the bottom right of the screen. if you videoconference often this will drive you insane -- the angle is so bad it borders on being useless
2 - the trackpad. (obv nothing matches apple here), but the xps in particular sucks (and oddly is not mentioned in any reviews i saw). for programmers, having the cursor randomly move while typing is just not acceptable.. from what I read the hardware was picking up noise from somewhere else in the system, causing jumps in the cursor. the latest drivers filter this noise in software, but this lead to increased latency. end result is weak. sold the machine :(
Disclaimer: I work at Google, but not on Chrome / Chromebook.
And if you're willing to spend the big bucks, Panasonic offers some pretty rad premium options like 1000 Nit daylight readable display, built-in GPS and 4G wireless.
If you're on a budget, look for used models on Ebay that are being dumped for cheap after a corporate lease runs out.
Source: have owned both brands for many years
This article isn't comparing Macbook Pros with cheap plastic tat. HP, Lenovo, Dell, whoever, have nice high-end stuff. If you're a developer and you're not aware of that you must be living in a bubble.
For example, Current Dell XPS 13" (9360) w/ so-called InfinityEdge (bezel-less) display, either 1080p or QHD+ version:
Color Options
- Silver or Rose Gold
Exterior Chassis Materials
- CNC machined aluminum in Silver or Rose Gold
- Edge-to-edge Corning® Gorilla® Glass NBT™ on touch displays
- Carbon fiber composite palm rest with soft touch paint
Keyboard
- Full size, backlit chiclet keyboard; 1.3mm travel
Mouse
- Precision touchpad, seamless glass integrated button