Blinded by science.....13" pro for a total novice

[dianahorn]

ok, so you guys are gonna frown with dismay at my lack of intelligence here!! I am fed up with windows, want to change to MBP 13" but there is too much specifics for such a 'blonde' brain! I need reasonable storage, wifi, programs that will let me write letters, emails, documents, make leaflets and publicity designs, and the usual music photos etc.
Can anyone please tell me in ONCE SCENTANCE which model i need and if those programs (to do the above) come loaded on or will need to purchase seperately......
The reason for the pro is the case, sling it in my handbag, work on the sofa, train, plane, and be at the occasional mercy of a 7 year old!!
Once again, apologies for my ignorance!!!

Diana x

 

[Hellhammer]

The base (2.4GHz) 13" MBP is fine but you may want to upgrade the HD to 500GB if you need a lot space.

For presentations and documents, you can use iWork, Office for Mac or OpenOffice, all will do what you need. OS X comes with Mail which should server you fine. For basic photo editing, iPhoto is fine but if you want something more professional, look at Photoshops or GIMP. Basically, Macs come with software that is enough for basic user. If you want something with more features, you need 3rd party app (most have free trials so give the a try)

 

[deadwulfe]

The base (2.4GHz) 13" MBP is fine but you may want to upgrade the HD to 500GB if you need a lot space.

I agree, might as well go for more storage. Other than that, the base model will suit your needs.

As for productivity software, iWork comes at a discount when you buy it with your Mac. OpenOffice is free, but looks like it was designed by IBM in the 80s. Office for Mac, in its current version, is complete garbage if you're used to Office for Windows.

For photos, iPhoto is great if you're taking documentary pictures of going to the zoo, hanging out with friends, or something and you want them organized with maybe some cropping and red-eye fixing, but it's not a photo editor.

What I mean by not being a photo editor is that you wont be using it to cut someone's face out to put on the body of a donkey to express your thoughts on their management style. Like Hellhammer said, you'll want some version of Photoshop or a free program like GIMP to do that.

 

[Jaxdialation]

One sentence - Any MBP will fill your needs.

 

[palane]

One sentence

13" MacBook or 13" MacBook Pro with iLife and iWork.

How's that?

BB

[Note: MS Office for home (compatability) or Neo Office (free) are the main alternatives to iWork.]

 

[Fiveos22]

Honestly, any personal computer since 2000 will allow you to do all of this out of the box. Its not that steep of a learning curve to learn to use an Apple product.

 

[mikeo007]

iPad, or any computer from the last 5 years.

 

[psingh01]

ok, so you guys are gonna frown with dismay at my lack of intelligence here!! I am fed up with windows, want to change to MBP 13" but there is too much specifics for such a 'blonde' brain! I need reasonable storage, wifi, programs that will let me write letters, emails, documents, make leaflets and publicity designs, and the usual music photos etc.
Can anyone please tell me in ONCE SCENTANCE which model i need and if those programs (to do the above) come loaded on or will need to purchase seperately......
The reason for the pro is the case, sling it in my handbag, work on the sofa, train, plane, and be at the occasional mercy of a 7 year old!!
Once again, apologies for my ignorance!!!

Diana x

I think you need a 15" model for the screen resolution/size to help with your leaflet/publicity design.

 

[dr. shdw]

Make sure to get an ext for backup..

 

[doktordoris]

My advice is think long and hard before buying a little 13 inch screen machine.

I bought a 15 inch MBP 6 weeks ago and I am selling it so I can get a 17 inch model. Small screens may seem like a good idea at the time of purchase but the screen size can feel too small very quickly.

 

[ReallyBigFeet]

13" MacBook or 13" MacBook Pro with iLife and iWork.

How's that?

BB

[Note: MS Office for home (compatability) or Neo Office (free) are the main alternatives to iWork.]

The only thing I'd amend here is that if you frequently exchange documents with a lot of Windows Office users, you may as well spring for a full copy of Office for Mac. I have both Office and iWork and there are still more than a few times I find myself unable to open/edit a document given to me by a colleague that was built in in MS Office XML formats (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx, etc.). And some features, like collaborative edit fields in Word, won't work at all.

But if this is just an occasional thing, iWork is more than sufficient. It lacks the full feature set of Office, but Office is mostly overbloated.

And a MBP 13" is a fine system. Its the "junior" of the line but plenty of horsepower for most business tasks.

 

[apple.gr]

Base 13" MBP + iWork + Office for Mac