DILEMMA : Huge price diff due work or Hi-res from apple

[rezyuz]

First off, im a student whose a freelance webdesigner. Im fully convinced to buy this years MBP since what i work on atm is either my desktop ( but i need a laptop @ school/clients ) and windows on a 3rd party laptop drives me insane.

So i saved all my money to buy a proper MBP, the high end 15 inch one. I can buy this at my local store with alot of discount due to a family member working there ( 13% ) which makes it 1850 euro's for me instead of 2150 euro's.

MBP local store :
750gb 5200 RPM HDD
1440x900 glossy res
release 11th of march

But i really have the feeling that 1440 is really low, im a new mac guy, im used to high end windows laptops and i always work on 1920x1080. My primair programs are Photoshop CS5, Illustrator CS5, notepad . Reading trough 1381293419419124912 posts on macforums about to buy or not to buy hi-res it made me doubt that for graphic design a hi res screen is pretty important ( reminder : i dont photo or video edit a lot , webdesign primair ). The big problem is, the discount.

If i would buy it at the apple store i would get a 6% discount ( student ) which would make 2150 euro 1960 euro + 100 euro for hi res = 2160 euro.

MBP apple :
500 gb 7200 rpm
1690x1050 hi-res glossy
ships today

So basicly what im asking , what would you do in my situation?
- Webdesigner
- Limited money

Pay 300 euro extra for a hi-res screen or stop whining and accept 1440x900 is fine!?

 

[orangepeel]

The 17" MBP might suit you, have you considered it?

The screen resolution is 1920x1200, which is essentially what you are used to working with.

 

[dagamer34]

Web designing & photo work = high res screen. Time = money, and eventually you'll get annoyed with 1440x900, especially since you're coming from 1920x1080.

Actually, just get the 17" from the store. Wouldn't that be in line with your original budget, plus you get a 1920x1080 screen!

 

[iPhone1]

Check out the videos comparing the 15" hi res to the 17" on YouTube if you can't check em out at an Apple Store.

You don't need the extra screen real estate for web design as much as you would for photography. Used the money you save to buy AppleCare.

 

[rezyuz]

i really really want the 17 inch, but coming from a 17 inch laptop.. i hate the size/ mobility wise . Im going to reconsider this i guessl




ps. on apple care, i cant afford 360 euro's at once, my local store offers 11 euro a month for same service beside the phone support, which i dont need as a IT student i think...

 

[dagamer34]

i really really want the 17 inch, but coming from a 17 inch laptop.. i hate the size/ mobility wise . Im going to reconsider this i guessl




ps. on apple care, i cant afford 360 euro's at once, my local store offers 11 euro a month for same service beside the phone support, which i dont need as a IT student i think...

AppleCare is more about "insurance" for replacing the screen or logic board, 2 things you can't do yourself without basically buying a new laptop.

 

[orangepeel]

i really really want the 17 inch, but coming from a 17 inch laptop.. i hate the size/ mobility wise . Im going to reconsider this i guessl




ps. on apple care, i cant afford 360 euro's at once, my local store offers 11 euro a month for same service beside the phone support, which i dont need as a IT student i think...

I have the 17" MBP it's slimmer than a lot of windows 17" laptop, go to apple's website for the exact size.

Also you don't have to buy applecare now, you can purchase it up to a year after you buy the mac.

Edit: I'm not sure how applecare works in europe, disregard previous statement.

 

[innominato5090]

i really really want the 17 inch, but coming from a 17 inch laptop.. i hate the size/ mobility wise . Im going to reconsider this i guessl




ps. on apple care, i cant afford 360 euro's at once, my local store offers 11 euro a month for same service beside the phone support, which i dont need as a IT student i think...

the 17 inches MacBook pro is one of the lightest computer out there: it's just 3 kgs, and 1 inch thick (about 2,5cm). if fact, it not so much bigger or heavier than the 15"! the only difference is due to the bigger footprint, but if you need a great screen don't hesitate.

for the apple care, don't worry: you could add it to your Mac within the first year of warranty

ps: are you an Italian university student? if so, pro tip: buy your Mac online at www.umac.it for save up to 10%

 

[psxguru]

Are the student discounts different in other European countries?

In the UK if you're ordering from the Apple Store online from your University network you currently get 14.98% discount on the top end 15" plus you get 3 years warranty, 1 year telephone support as standard.

The Apple Care is also discounted (£60) if you want to extend the telephone support to 3 years (not really worth it as it's the warranty part of it most people want)

The BTO options (RAM, screens) are discounted as well.

This is the higher education discount, the further education discount is about half that.

 

[rezyuz]

I never knew you could purchase the care plan a year later, i asked about it in the a-mac store and they never mentioned it.

here student discount is only 6% max at all stores, guess Apple has no love for orange ( dutch )

really hard to picture the weight/difference between a apple 17 inch and normal when you never had an apple laptop

 

[rezyuz]

Are the student discounts different in other European countries?

In the UK if you're ordering from the Apple Store online from your University network you currently get 14.98% discount on the top end 15" plus you get 3 years warranty, 1 year telephone support as standard.

The Apple Care is also discounted (£60) if you want to extend the telephone support to 3 years (not really worth it as it's the warranty part of it most people want)

The BTO options (RAM, screens) are discounted as well.

This is the higher education discount, the further education discount is about half that.

intresting...im heading to manchester soon for man utd ! maybe i can pick one up there and get the english international keyboard setup aswell .

 

[mpkayeuk]

I always get the US English keyboard, even though I'm in the UK. I just hate the UK return key.