Advice needed: 12inch Macbook or 13inch Macbook Pro

[ahoydecoy]

Hi,

I've been thinking about finally making the transition from Dell laptop to Macbook for a while, and was waiting until Thursday to make my decision, but it's only left me more conflicted.

Now I'm (sort of) over the shock of the prices, I just wanted some opinions on, if I do take the plunge, should I go for the 12inch Macbook or 13inch "entry-level" pro? It's interesting that they're basically the same price.

The Macbook is obviously more portable, but much lower spec. I'd be interested to hear from people who own it how much it can handle. I'll mainly be using it for screenwriting on the move, but also some semi-demanding web-browsing, iTunes, photo editing and I'd like the option of being able to play some games, but that's not really important. Can the 1.2ghz dual core handle these things (or some of these simultaneously) well?

The Pro is obviously more capable and supposedly has a better keyboard, a better webcam etc, but you lose some of the portability (however, it is still *slightly* smaller and lighter than my current Dell). I also feel like I won't be using it for anything more demanding than Photoshop and therefore it may be unnecessary. But I've struggled in the past with buying under-spec laptops and suffering the frustration/waste of money in having to replace them.

Another part of the decision making - and this may sound stupid - but could the Macbook be found too small? If it's too light and small to stay comfortably on my lap while I write, that could be an issue for me.

One last worry, for me, is that I have a fetish for gadgets and if I decide to go for the Macbook, which is already kind of out of my price range, I'll end up going another £250 over for the toolbar...

So if I won't be editing 4K video, is the Macbook more desirable? Or should I go with the Pro to have my options covered? Any opinions/advice would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[bodonnell202]

Unless you value portability above all else, go for the 13" Entry Level Pro. For not much extra you get a much better laptop and won't face the regret of an under spec machine down the road.

 

[macs4nw]

Hi,

I've been thinking about finally making the transition from Dell laptop to Macbook for a while, and was waiting until Thursday to make my decision, but it's only left me more conflicted.

Now I'm (sort of) over the shock of the prices, I just wanted some opinions on, if I do take the plunge, should I go for the 12inch Macbook or 13inch "entry-level" pro? It's interesting that they're basically the same price.

The Macbook is obviously more portable, but much lower spec. I'd be interested to hear from people who own it how much it can handle. I'll mainly be using it for screenwriting on the move, but also some semi-demanding web-browsing, iTunes, photo editing and I'd like the option of being able to play some games, but that's not really important. Can the 1.2ghz dual core handle these things (or some of these simultaneously) well?

The Pro is obviously more capable and supposedly has a better keyboard, a better webcam etc, but you lose some of the portability (however, it is still *slightly* smaller and lighter than my current Dell). I also feel like I won't be using it for anything more demanding than Photoshop and therefore it may be unnecessary. But I've struggled in the past with buying under-spec laptops and suffering the frustration/waste of money in having to replace them.

Another part of the decision making - and this may sound stupid - but could the Macbook be found too small? If it's too light and small to stay comfortably on my lap while I write, that could be an issue for me.

One last worry, for me, is that I have a fetish for gadgets and if I decide to go for the Macbook, which is already kind of out of my price range, I'll end up going another £250 over for the toolbar...

So if I won't be editing 4K video, is the Macbook more desirable? Or should I go with the Pro to have my options covered? Any opinions/advice would be appreciated.

Thanks.

A lot depends on your budget. Generally speaking though, if you are planning to keep the Apple laptop for at least 4-5 years, purchase the best unit you can afford as subsequent upgrades on Apple's laptops are virtually impossible.

See some thoughts I posted earlier today to another member also looking for input on a planned purchase.
And about discounts see this post.

Best of Luck!

 

[ahoydecoy]

Thanks. Yeah, as for budget, they're pretty much the same.

If I were to go for the Macbook, I would get the 1.2 ghz, which is the same price as the base-level Pro.

However, if I go for the Pro, do I just go all out (by my budget) and get the toolbar, just because I like the gadget aspect, I probably don't need it...

I'd be interested to hear from people who have the Macbook on where they think the limitations are.