Is it worth the price? I don't want this turning into a tug-of-war between apple fans and windows fans but since my 2-year old Asus broke down, I'm wondering if I should cough up 2k for a laptop. 

Please note that the primary purpose of owning one is purely as a casual user - ie. recreation/leisure purpose. Money's not really an issue and durability is the key concern. 

 Sorry guys...I only use face book, not mac book so can not provide 
very gooding feedbacks. Just kidding...

One thing I have seen, from the above post, mac laptop for $1200 (13inch).
Windows laptop for $300-$500 (15-17inch).
In coming years, better technology and better prices will become available.

If it is for amusement only, better off paying 300 now for a new win PC and 300 or so in 2 years for
new technology (1TB of ram, 3D, bluray built in, better network card etc...)
Total in 4 years = $600.
6 years =$900
8 years =$1200
You will always be upto date on the latest laptop. Your old ones can be given to others or sold or craigslist or whatever you prefer.

I think apple products are superior to windows PC's.
Strongly built. Never had an issue with mine. Takes getting used to the apple keyboard and operating system.
What I dont like are the prices - $1200.
Is that $1200 for a laptop or a 65inch SONY 3D LED HDTV with 240HZ refresh rate??????? (I would pick the TV)

Question for you: When the macbook ultra light platinum St Bernard featherwieght 6000 model comes out (no such thing) in 2 years, are you willing to pay 1200-2000 again? and that would be a great hand me down gift to anyone if you buy a newer one :)

SO, I would say, In conclusion, if you want to keep constantly upgrading to the latest and the greatest, go with a windows laptop.
If you will be happy with one form of technology and love living in what 2013 has to offer forever and ever - go with Mac.
If you don't care about either, get both and try it out yourself and you will see what I am talking about..

Good luck and please let us know what you get :)

Bourneidentity, 

I was thinking about getting a 13" w/ Retina display that costs 2k (found out that pp at Bestbuy is $1,900). 

I'm not a tech savvy person so I think I couldn't care less about new technologies that'll come out in 2-3 years. I mean, Bluetooth feature on my laptop has little/no use for me. So, unless a new laptop is launched that'll do my laundry and make steam some momo before I get home, I'm not at all worried. 

I'm a tad confused about whether to get 13" vs 15" and retina vs non-retina display. 

Thanks for your input. 

Go with Retina Display. You won't regret it at all. There is huge difference between non retina display and retina display experience. You can compare this way
PC=Riding Toyota Corolla(Cheap)
rMBP=Riding mercedez(luxurious)
Yes both of them take you to the destination but you will enjoy the ride in mercedz :)

@keyser bro,

your needs seem to be mild in nature. So really you can get lots of cheaper laptops that belong to toshiba, acer, etc. I have Toshiba 18.4 inch one which has lasted me 3 years without any issues. The only thing i regret is the bulky weight!. Before that i had toshiba also which was 17 inch and lasted me years also without any issues.

I will suggest get a 13 inch mac book bro for 1099 with a student discount. Getting a retina display with extra 700 box is not worth the price. Or else mac book air is also very portable and since it runs on flash it is also fast.

 Where'd one buy it from to get the student discount, Bourne? Freedom, I've had enough of dell/toshiba/hp etc. 

 I used a HP laptop for 6 years.

Just follow this link for student discount and choose your zip code and you can select any college around your location. or simply visit apple.com and search student discount. You will be in right spot. enjoy the mac, I bet, you  gonna love it!
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/campaigns/education_pricing?aid=Edu-IntSearch-B

http://store.apple.com/us-hed/findyourschool

follow this link and it will ask for your zip code to find your school. I will also suggest you add 8gb of ram for an extra $90.

Cheers

 I already own Macbook Pro, iPad2, iPhone 4S and AppleTV.  I am happy with 'em all and really appreciate the whole iTunes/iCloud ecosystem.  

Chances are, later this year, I might go the whole hog and buy iPhone 5S, new iPad Mini, MacBook Air (hopefully with retina display), and possibly iMac(hopefully this too with retina display, but not likely) too.  

I like Apple, in case you did not notice, and am fully invested in them.  I own AAPL stocks too, which is not doing so well lately but I am holding steadfast.

But this is just me.  Your equation might be different.

http://www.microcenter.com/product/396371/MacBook_Pro_MB985LL-A_154_Laptop_Computer_Pre-Owned_-_Silver

buy macbook pro. worth it.

Bourne Identity, I'm not a student anymore so I don't think I can get discounted price on the website. Thankfully, Bestbuy has all Macbooks on sale (100 bucks or more) for all laptops. I'll probably grab one from there.

By the way, I didn't see an option to add ram for 90 bucks. 

 You need an .edu email address to qualify for the deal (if you are buying it online). Find a friend with a .edu email address and ask them to buy it for you. 

 What about .alumni.edu? 

 not sure if that'll fly for a student discount. If you are buying it at a store and you have your college id that does not have an expiration date (mine doesn't, i.e it doesnt mention when I'm graduating), that might work. 

 Thank you for your input, durbarmargnepal bro. 

My 6 years old toshiba is running fine and in use.
My lenovo core i7 I bought two years ago, paid dearly, .. still great after heavy graphic intensive use daily(oh thanks to my super cooler fan underneath it, my laptop is desktop replacement)

Considering your zero level tech know-how, it's probably good idea to look around.

But since laptops don't have best  core-cooling system built yet, it's best to use laptop cooler if you plan to use it intensively(graphic/media), else you'll end up with dead laptop real soon.

And for others, windows machine with SSD(not IDEs) does boot up in 3-9 sec, things have changed a lot since you bought your first macbooks. Smart laptop has also this option and that boots up in a flash.

@k S bro just find a friend with a college email id. And the 8gb ram for $90, you will see it once you proceed for check out. They will ask you if you want to add bunch of things. Just add the ram that will be a good idea.

 I did that, B_I. I purchased it online as I didn't have a student ID (or an acquaintance w/ one living close to me) and it's scheduled to get delivered in a couple weeks. $100 off my 15" Macbook pro. 

Thank you all for your valuable input.