Back to Mac after many years away (old Apple // user in fact!)

[Quik-Tix]

For you "old timers", my first Apple was a ][, which we upgraded to a ][+ and then a //e (was it the slashes for the e?). I remember drooling over the white portable back then. Then the GS of course, which blew us away with color. I ran several BBSs on my Apples (I remember one had 4 floppy drives for storage, and then I blew the big bucks and spent $350 for a 5 MB hard drive...those were the days!).

Then I moved to Macs for a number of years, but found they were crashing a lot and I looked for an alternative. I've been using Win machines since, and am now just so sick of all the instabilities and of course the spyware, viruses, etc, that I want to move back to Mac.

My main computers are portables so I'll stick with it. I'm not on a tight budget -- mainly want something somewhat portable, but somewhat powerful. I do mostly web-based apps mixed in with AOL, and word/excel etc. No gaming.

So I'm a bit torn between the Black MacBook and the MBP 15". I'm currently using a Fujitsu 14.1" and it's just the right size (NOT widescreen). I'm thinking the 13.3", being widescreen, is going to be a bit too small, so I'm leanin toward the MBP.

I'm also considerin replacing my wide's PC laptop (17" Dell) -- but is the only choice for a new Mac 17" laptop the MBPro? Seems overkill, as she really only needs the large screen, not the power. Perhaps a refurb previous model would be best for her...

Any advice would be much appreciated!

Scott

 

[cecildk9999]

My family used to also be a big Apple supporter, but migrated away for some of the same reasons you did. I shocked them all with a PB purchase 4 years back, and Apple computers have been my choice ever since. To your situation, I think you may actually be ok with a MB; the screen real estate's nice in the pros, but the 13.3'' screen is not a bad setup (and the price/features are right for the sorts of things you want to do). Can't help you too much on deciding on the 17''; I guess it depends on what it would be used for. Have you considered going for an external display? You could get a 15'' pro refurb, and at least have the option of moving up the size factor at home. The 17s are soooo expensive, so unless the computer's doing a lot of graphics work, it really does seem like an overkill option. Definitely play around with a machine in a store if you can; I think the MB would be a good fit for you, at least.

 

[Quik-Tix]

Thanks. I am planning to head to an Apple store (closest to here is >1 hr away, but I'm heading to Boston in a couple weeks, so figure I might take a trip up to tax-free New Hampshire!). I will check out the 13.3" MB vs the 15.4" MBP and see what I can deal with. I always like to get the high end, so keep leaning toward the MBP, but the portability of the MB and of course saving $500-$1k+ doesn't hurt... but I'm sure once I play in person that should take care of that.

My wife uses the laptop -- well... on her lap! So it does need to be a notebook. She actually uses one of those laptop boards, so the heat isnt a problem. But she is used the a 17" so I doubt she would want smaller. Hers doesnt really need to be portable. It's a shame Apple doesnt have a lower end 17" laptop.

 

[FFTT]

Someone with your knowledge and experience is probably going to want
all the features of the MacBook Pro even though the MacBook might seem at first to cover all your needs.

First of all, the Macbooks do not offer a matte display which is preferable
for color correction work.
The backlit pro keyboard and dedicated GPU in the MacBook Pro are also geared more to the professional, especially if you plan to push a large
external display for those big projects.

If you'll be doing presentations, you're going to love working with Keynote
in the iWork suite.

Performance wise you should be fine with the base Core 2 Duo, 2.0 GHz MacBook Pro, but you'll want to configure it with 2 GB RAM. The new 160GB perpendicular hard drives seem to be the most popular.

Another very popular alternative is to buy the Core 2 Duo iMac as your primary workstation and then use a MacBook for your true portable needs.

 

[balamw]

My experience was similar to yours. Strong Apple ][ user, could never really afford a Mac though my parents and brother used them for many years. Went through a Commodore phase and PC, but ultimately back to Mac after 15 years.

Perhaps a refurb previous model would be best for her...

The iMac is really a very good value, though it's not much of a true portable/lap computer. Any chance you could consider one... Otherwise, the idea of finding a refurb/used PB 17" sounds like a good idea.

Happy hunting.

B

 

[FFTT]

Many Pro web and graphics users are moving to the 20" and 24" iMac as their
primary workstation then using either a MacBook or MacBook Pro
for portable needs away from the office.

The 20" and 24" iMacs give you an outstanding display capable of
full sized 2 page layouts with all your controls in easy access.

You also have faster performance and up to 500 GB of internal storage.

When you're spending hours on end in front of a computer every single day
it's better to have a display that helps your workflow and your eyesight.

If you decide on the MacBook Pro as your primary system, then I would strongly advise adding an Apple 23" cinema display for those long projects.

 

[Boxer]

I am on the other side of things. I was always a PC user who switched to Mac recently because of the Virus, spyware, other problems with PCs. Now since I got my MBP and it has had so many issues, I am wondering if it was the right choice. I just got my machine back from repair so it seems as if it is working great. Hopefully it will stay that way. Or I may have to jump back to the dark side.
I hope apple works for you like it does so many.