First a bit of background on my personal uses in regards to my current Black Macbook (2.4ghz C2D, 2gb RAM, 250gb HDD), and whatever subsequent Apple laptop I choose: I am 17 years old, still in High School, but I am a freelance photographer outside of school. My general, and most common, uses include multitasking Mozilla, iTunes, and Adium. However, when I am editing images, I tend to simultaneously access Photoshop CS3, Adobe Lightroom 2, and Preview (usually while listening to iTunes as well).
Now that my general uses are stated, I will continue to give background to why I am asking if the new entry-level Macbook Pro and even the new Alu. Macbook are worth the upgrade.
Recently, I've been hired by a private party to be their sole photographer for their real-estate brochure advertisements and have been granted $1000 towards a new laptop for work. I know that $1000 can't buy a powerhouse of a laptop, but as this money was generously granted to me, I, in no way, want to make it appear that I am ungrateful for his generosity.
Approaching my ultimate question, I want to know if I will be better off spending my money on either the Macbook Pro ($1999) or the Macbook ($1599). Albeit both are above the $1000 grant, I can make up the difference in a matter of 2-3 photo shoots, so the difference is really no matter, AS LONG AS I can be assured that I am appreciating what I am purchasing.
Again, it appears that I will benefit from the new Alu. Macbook in terms of LED Screen (I am sorry Apple, but my current Macbook screen was a nightmare to calibrate and it still looks unacceptable to me in terms of photo-editing and I resort to my ACD most of the time), and the new Nvidia GPU? Please correct me if I am wrong.
In terms of the MBP, it appears that the specs are nearly identical, except for the dedicated 9600 GPU and the extra screen size. Are these variables really worth $400 extra? The screen size would be both welcomed and a bit of a hindrance to me because I would enjoy the extra real estate of the 15" vs. the 13.3" of the Macbook, but it would be a burden because I already carry 15+ pounds of camera gear on my back wherever I go, and I would like to shave off as much as that if possible. Also, for the majority of the time, I would have it docked to my ACD at home.
I really hope I can find an answer within myself with the help of you all, as I really want to make a purchase that I can appreciate. However, if I can save money here and there by making smart buying decisions, well, I'm all for extra cash in my pocket. Also, before anyone asks what my intentions are for my Blackbook, I wish to sell it to buy the new $899 ACD that is releasing in Nov.
*And to all the other photogs out there, please don't recommend putting the $1000 towards camera gear. I know it's tempting for some of you Canon-ians to suggest some new 'L' lenses, but I already have my ideal lens lineup and my strobe setup is more than sufficient for my uses*
Again, thank you all in advance for reading my question.
Now that my general uses are stated, I will continue to give background to why I am asking if the new entry-level Macbook Pro and even the new Alu. Macbook are worth the upgrade.
Recently, I've been hired by a private party to be their sole photographer for their real-estate brochure advertisements and have been granted $1000 towards a new laptop for work. I know that $1000 can't buy a powerhouse of a laptop, but as this money was generously granted to me, I, in no way, want to make it appear that I am ungrateful for his generosity.
Approaching my ultimate question, I want to know if I will be better off spending my money on either the Macbook Pro ($1999) or the Macbook ($1599). Albeit both are above the $1000 grant, I can make up the difference in a matter of 2-3 photo shoots, so the difference is really no matter, AS LONG AS I can be assured that I am appreciating what I am purchasing.
Again, it appears that I will benefit from the new Alu. Macbook in terms of LED Screen (I am sorry Apple, but my current Macbook screen was a nightmare to calibrate and it still looks unacceptable to me in terms of photo-editing and I resort to my ACD most of the time), and the new Nvidia GPU? Please correct me if I am wrong.
In terms of the MBP, it appears that the specs are nearly identical, except for the dedicated 9600 GPU and the extra screen size. Are these variables really worth $400 extra? The screen size would be both welcomed and a bit of a hindrance to me because I would enjoy the extra real estate of the 15" vs. the 13.3" of the Macbook, but it would be a burden because I already carry 15+ pounds of camera gear on my back wherever I go, and I would like to shave off as much as that if possible. Also, for the majority of the time, I would have it docked to my ACD at home.
I really hope I can find an answer within myself with the help of you all, as I really want to make a purchase that I can appreciate. However, if I can save money here and there by making smart buying decisions, well, I'm all for extra cash in my pocket. Also, before anyone asks what my intentions are for my Blackbook, I wish to sell it to buy the new $899 ACD that is releasing in Nov.
*And to all the other photogs out there, please don't recommend putting the $1000 towards camera gear. I know it's tempting for some of you Canon-ians to suggest some new 'L' lenses, but I already have my ideal lens lineup and my strobe setup is more than sufficient for my uses*
Again, thank you all in advance for reading my question.