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College Freshman: Macbook or Macbook Pro
- Thread starter jlm86
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get the white mb imo for 999
really no need for more
source: having been in college myself recently
really no need for more
source: having been in college myself recently
Welcome to the board!
If you are really interested, the discussion has been made many times over
You can use MRoogle to search and find many threads with this discussion
My recommendation?
The MacBook... it will be sufficient for all she will do
Good luck with your daughter's college!
Woof, Woof - Dawg
If you are really interested, the discussion has been made many times over
You can use MRoogle to search and find many threads with this discussion
My recommendation?
The MacBook... it will be sufficient for all she will do
Good luck with your daughter's college!
Woof, Woof - Dawg
Another vote for the 13-incher...
She'll appreciate the smaller footprint when lugging the thing around.
She'll appreciate the smaller footprint when lugging the thing around.
ok why an air?
chances are she will need a dvd drive at somepoint, whether it be to watch movies or software required for classes that is distributed with the book in the form of a dvd
the white mb is not slower. its not bad and has firewire while saving hundreds
any cost conscious person would consider the white mb
i know i would take a white mb over the unibody because its loads chaper and the same performance essentially
remember, most college kids do not have a ton of cash to just spend so any savings are great. they still have expensive books to buy and tuition and room and board yet lol. also remember we are talking for a primary computer, in which imo the air falls flat in that regard
1. Only downside is the DVD drive. Rarely every use that during college. I used it twice. Buy an external super drive.ok why an air?
chances are she will need a dvd drive at somepoint, whether it be to watch movies or software required for classes
the white mb is not slower. its not bad and has firewire while saving hundreds
any cost conscious person would consider the white mb
i know i would take a white mb over the unibody because its loads chaper and the same performance essentially
One MacBook is 1 and a 1/2 MacBook Airs. After carrying it around for a year you'd be thanking me and gladly pass for the DVD drive to have the lighter load and thinner laptop. Nicer screen too.
2.It isn't exactly slower, no, but it lacks the beautiful trackpad, multi-touch gestures, Firewire is useless for most people, and above all: a MUCH, MUCH more solid body. No creaks, cracks, stingy decoloring. Nasty. Oh yeah, and the backlit keyboard.
I never would buy a white MB over a unibody. Dang people, with how often you use a laptop, a couple hundred dollars is like a drop of water into an ocean. It will be irrelevant in the long run. Considering what you get for the money (it may not be more cost efficient, but damn it's nicer), but not everyone is a Bargain Giant jumper.
With how much university costs (mine was well over $100,000) spending $200 more is absolutely, entirely, utterly irrelevant.
Get the new white MacBook with the improved specs, and get her an external monitor for using in her room (don't forget the adapter). If she doesn't need a lot of power, then the MacBook Pro would be overkill, and less portable. If she needs lots of hard drive space, you can buy a bigger one and install it yourself, or just go with a spacious external hard drive.
That, and if she ever needs to plug in more than one USB peripheral (say... a mouse and the external optical drive) at the same time or wants to take advantage of a cabled network the Air will leave her high and dry. I generally think the Air is a very bad pick unless you already have a desktop or another laptop with better connectivity.
As for the MBP, I don't see much reason for it given the OP's description.
I am in college right now, and i have a unibody macbook pro. I absolutely love it. Its a great computer.
However, i still think that a basic macbook is more then enough for the average user. I would go with a 2.4 macbook, the light up keyboard is great.
However, i still think that a basic macbook is more then enough for the average user. I would go with a 2.4 macbook, the light up keyboard is great.
the basic unibody is 300 more and the one with a backlit keyboard is 600 more
lets reccomend a computer that costs 30 or 60% more than what is needed
not everyone wants to be in debt for the sake of being in debt lol so the arguement of school costs alot anyways so may as well just buy whatever is silly. why pay more when you dont need to and not really get a performance boost is irrational to me. if anything save now and put that money aside for a computer in 2-3 years if wanted
yes the unibody is "sexy" however the white mb is not as crappy as you seem to make it out to be
as far as dvd drives, i dont know what college you went to but everyone watched movied on their computers at mine.
and funny, i have a first gen mb and i still think its great. very well designed imo. it doesnt "creak" it doesnt "crack"
My vote: white macbook
New White Macbook: It is insanely cheap, ($799 or $849) at the oncampus bookstore. Which is $300 cheaper than the uMB.
The unibody MacBook, while extremely sexy, is not worth it imo.
For $300 (35% more), you get, a nicer shell and arguably better screen.
For $600 (70% more) you get, a nicer shell, a better screen, slightly faster processor, bigger hard drive, and backlit keyboard.
While I would seriously recommend the backlit keyboard, since I really would love it considering how often I am awake past my roommate, it isn't worth the extra money.
If your daughter is into gaming, hardcore video editing, or generally needs serious video power, then get the uMBP.
Also, the Air may be lacking too many ports and the dvd drive that can be used for watching videos in bed, or for playing that CD that the band just gave you... If she really wants a good looking computer, I would take the high-end macbook over the air any day of the week and twice on sundays.
my 2c
evan
New White Macbook: It is insanely cheap, ($799 or $849) at the oncampus bookstore. Which is $300 cheaper than the uMB.
The unibody MacBook, while extremely sexy, is not worth it imo.
For $300 (35% more), you get, a nicer shell and arguably better screen.
For $600 (70% more) you get, a nicer shell, a better screen, slightly faster processor, bigger hard drive, and backlit keyboard.
While I would seriously recommend the backlit keyboard, since I really would love it considering how often I am awake past my roommate, it isn't worth the extra money.
If your daughter is into gaming, hardcore video editing, or generally needs serious video power, then get the uMBP.
Also, the Air may be lacking too many ports and the dvd drive that can be used for watching videos in bed, or for playing that CD that the band just gave you... If she really wants a good looking computer, I would take the high-end macbook over the air any day of the week and twice on sundays.
my 2c
evan
White MacBook is the best choice out of all for you
i've had mine for about a year, i do professional music editing and djing on it besides surfing the web and email ...I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT and
f noo, its not slower than pros that other people use ..
i've had mine for about a year, i do professional music editing and djing on it besides surfing the web and email ...I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT and
f noo, its not slower than pros that other people use ..
Two things:
1. Irrelevant doesn't mean what you think it means. You mean insignificant.
2. Having a nice computer for college makes a world of difference, I agree. Especially since the uni is more portable - huge plus.
and funny, i have a first gen mb and i still think its great. very well designed imo. it doesnt "creak" it doesnt "crack"
I have one if the first C2D MacBooks. It's 2 1/2 years old and it isn't cracked, doesn't creak, isn't discolored, it isn't even scratched. It gets used daily, sometimes by my 4-year-old. I don't know what people are doing to their computers to crack them, I just haven't had that problem - even with a pretty fair amount of use.
Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry9000/4.6.0.266 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102)
I say get her the macbook. Either the white or the unibody base model. Unless she's gonna be using some graphics intensive programs she won't need a macbook pro.
I say get her the macbook. Either the white or the unibody base model. Unless she's gonna be using some graphics intensive programs she won't need a macbook pro.
I had the same decision to make just last year when I was entering my engineering school, and i ultimately decided on the 2.4 Alum Macbook for the
1) Backlit keyboard - I use it quite often when in dim study areas or my roommate needs to sleep before I do, or even in my theater at home
2) Went for the 2.4 since I need this to last upwards of 4 years and you can't upgrade the processor, but you can change RAM and the hard drive
3) Much smaller - while some say 15" is not that much bigger, the 15" laptops don't fit on an airline tray table or university desks while the 13" does
4) Cheaper - even with student ADC discount, the MBP is still at least $200 more
1) Backlit keyboard - I use it quite often when in dim study areas or my roommate needs to sleep before I do, or even in my theater at home
2) Went for the 2.4 since I need this to last upwards of 4 years and you can't upgrade the processor, but you can change RAM and the hard drive
3) Much smaller - while some say 15" is not that much bigger, the 15" laptops don't fit on an airline tray table or university desks while the 13" does
4) Cheaper - even with student ADC discount, the MBP is still at least $200 more
just get her an HP laptop and save yourself 1000$
I really feel that the $949 for the white Macbook is one of the better deals in laptops you can get, considering you get OS X and the new 2.13 gHz Core 2 Duo.
I would get her a unibody MB. The its smaller and lighter than the MBP and its a more durable than the white MB.
If you want to really see what everyone is using go to the Starbucks at your local college town.
If you want to really see what everyone is using go to the Starbucks at your local college town.