Am I second guessing myself here?

[Ryuukumori]

Goodness sakes! I never knew the MB is this limited! Now I am second- guessing myself...

I'm going to college taking Japanese and music production. I really think a MB would be fine, but with all the miscellaneous downsides to users and their MBs (sharp edges, lack of dedicated graphics, lousy screen, etc), is it worth getting for college? I have been reading up on the constant flaws people have toward them.

I'm really thinking a MBP would be the best of the best, despite its higher price. I am really edgy on both laptops, for the flaws and for the price, of either one. It seems I am battling between a cheaper notebook with some downsides or a powerful machine, but at a high price. I can afford it, but it's a big leap into the wild.

I am officially stuck. I am all out for waiting for updates, as I am not planning to buy for some time. It's just bothering the heck out of me. I don't play too many computer games, but it's the photography work and music production that I will be undergoing daily. I want a laptop at a good price, perfect for my needs, and something that will last.

Comments?

 

[ProwlingTiger]

Is it worth getting? You could by a horrible looking laptop that is crippled with Vista....

 

[Sun Baked]

When you are in college, and don't NEED the GPU.

The money is better spent on food.

You can also go buy any keyboard and mouse you would like for those times you sit at your desk for long periods.

 

[ProwlingTiger]

Yeah unless you're in graphics design or video production....otherwise if you have the dough, a MB would do alright.

 

[Ryuukumori]

So it looks like to avoid all this, I should wait for time to tell what the future might bring to the MB. Maybe aluminum, maybe an LED screen. I dunno.

Any further comments?

 

[ProwlingTiger]

Naturally, if you can wait, wait until WWDC at least. You want to buy in time to use your student discount so don't overwait lol

 

[CWallace]

The MBP will likely have a longer "shelf life" thanks to things like the discrete GPU, the larger screen, FW800 and the ExpressCard slot for future expandability.

I need to replace my Core Duo MacBook (I want a Core 2 and I need 802.11n) and I have decided the extra features of the MBP justify the extra $650 in price (2.4GHz/2GB/250GB HDD) as it will not become as outdated nearly as quickly as the MB and I'd like the machine to adequately service my requirements over the next three years, minimum.

 

[Daveoc64]

Is it worth getting? You could by a horrible looking laptop that is crippled with Vista....

I don't think that's a very helpful reply.

For starters all Intel Macs can run Windows Vista anyway - but it has very little to do with the downsides of a MacBook.

The MacBook does have issues, many have been solved with the newer models - but some new things have crept in.

 

[ProwlingTiger]

Uh, yeah my reply addressed the LARGEST ISSUE of Mac vs PC: the OS. Buy a PC, and its damned hard to run Mac OS X. Not to mention the legality of it. The only other solution is Pystar.


My reply was the most helpful in terms of addressing the underlining issue. If you want to run Mac OS X, then don't buy a different laptop. Sure, Vista can run on a Mac, but the same can not be said for the reverse without some disclaimers and asterisks

 

[tomthedude]

I think a MacBook would be fine in your situation. You are not going to be doing much that would require the differences between them and dont forget you can upgrade the RAM and HDD for cheaper and sell it for more .
-Tom-

 

[ProwlingTiger]

Yeah for a college student, a Macbook would do you fine. Just remember not to upgrade the RAM online, as you can do it MUCHO cheaper yourself.