The immediate reaction to Apple’s long-overdue MacBook Pro overhaul seems mixed, to say the least. For every excited reaction to the laptop’s adaptive Touch Bar keys, we see people lamenting the lack of ports that professional users actually need, the lack of a 32GB memory option, the lack of an SD card slot, and the lack of, well, pretty much any “pro” features in the entry-level MacBook Pro model (which still costs $1,500 and up).
Fear not: If “Pro” is more than a mere buzzword to you, there’s a veritable cornucopia of attractive, yet powerful PC laptops just waiting to scratch your itch. And Windows itself is bending over backwards to cater to professionals, recently adding in tons of power tools—even Linux’s beloved Bash!—with a new Windows 10 Creators Update coming early next year. There’s never been a better time for dedicated Mac users to make the switch.
Rather than focus on purely enterprise notebooks, these suggestions mix firepower and flexibility with sleek design and premium features—just like the MacBook Pro is supposed to do. For even more options, be sure to check out PCWorld’s list of the best PC laptops around.
