I'm ready for the switch, but...

[digitalnicotine]

hehe

LOL nobody else noticed, or at least didn't call it out if they did.

OP: You may want to consider purchasing a non-Apple monitor, if you decide to go the laptop/monitor route, to save money. If color accuracy for print work is not a major concern, there are several 22"-24" monitors by major manufacturers (such as Dell or Samsung), that are reasonably priced.

The pending iMac refresh has me awfully tempted too.

 

[FFTT]

Laptops are very handy, but they can also be fragile.

All 3 of my daughters are using MacBooks and two have needed
repairs due to accidental damage. So figure in your own
personal klutz factor when exploring your options.

For school a basic Macbook with 2 GB RAM and superdrive is more than fine. Upgrade the HD later or run yours with an external HD for
storage and back-up.

The specifications on the MBP and the iMac are very close, but the iMac gives you the wonderful display and far greater storage along with improved connectivity to external devices.

You will get much better bang for your buck going with an iMac 24"

However, Apple is very likely to upgrade the processors in the next
iMac upgrade to the new 45nm Penryn processors.

This could mean that you'll be able to buy a Quad core iMac in the VERY near future.

So while that $1500.00 is burning a hole in your pocket, I strongly recommend holding out until the new iMacs are released.

 

[Masters]

Hey all, so I've decided. The refurbed Macbook 2.2 Ghz at only 999.00 is a steal and take a look at this monitor I found with stellar reviews by critics and consumers alike:

It's only 299.00! You can find it here: http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?sku=320-6252&cs=19&c=us&l=en&dgc=SS&cid=27530&lid=627063

What do you guys think? Not a bad setup ay?

 

[digitalnicotine]

Yes, a nice monitor indeed. The resolution will be similar/same as a 20" and less than a 24". I use a 22" myself, and love it, although I'll be upgrading to a 24" soon (I got the MBP). Good luck to you. Excellent job on finding good prices for quality equipment.

 

[Masters]

Not to bring up old news, but this is new news! A few people wanted me to chime back and let them know what I decided on.

Okay, so after a batch of failed attempts at winning a decently priced Macbook on eBay... I gave up that idea. Why do people bring the bid on used Macbooks up so high? I mean, they honestly are paying out more money than they would have paid getting it refurbished on the Apple website. Geez.

Craigslist to me is iffy and I've never bought anything from someone in the Marketplace here so I kept backing out at the last minute.

So I was browsing the refurb store at Apple knowing full well that I'd find the 2.2 ghz Refurb White Macbook for 999. I was pretty set on getting a white one, but the other night I was at a Salsa Club in Sacramento and the DJ had a black Macbook and I have to say that illuminated Apple logo really comes alive with the black Macbook. So anyway, as I'm browsing there in front of me is a 2.16 ghz Refurb Blackbook. I'm thinking: It's only .04 ghz difference and I get 40GB more HDD space. So that's what I got!

2.16 ghz Refurb Blackbook
1GB RAM
160GB HDD
Superdrive

My first Mac!! I ordered it yesterday and I keep checking the Apple site to see if they've shipped. The minutes seem like days!! I want it right now!

In any case, I'm extremely excited and am now looking into finding some RAM to boost the speed a bit. I also want to get that external monitor I've been looking at from DeLL, a bluetooth mouse and keyboard. So when I'm at home, I won't miss having a desktop at all!

::Is it here yet?:: Oh GOD!!

 

[eXan]

Not to bring up old news, but this is new news! A few people wanted me to chime back and let them know what I decided on.

Okay, so after a batch of failed attempts at winning a decently priced Macbook on eBay... I gave up that idea. Why do people bring the bid on used Macbooks up so high? I mean, they honestly are paying out more money than they would have paid getting it refurbished on the Apple website. Geez.

Craigslist to me is iffy and I've never bought anything from someone in the Marketplace here so I kept backing out at the last minute.

So I was browsing the refurb store at Apple knowing full well that I'd find the 2.2 ghz Refurb White Macbook for 999. I was pretty set on getting a white one, but the other night I was at a Salsa Club in Sacramento and the DJ had a black Macbook and I have to say that illuminated Apple logo really comes alive with the black Macbook. So anyway, as I'm browsing there in front of me is a 2.16 ghz Refurb Blackbook. I'm thinking: It's only .04 ghz difference and I get 40GB more HDD space. So that's what I got!

2.16 ghz Refurb Blackbook
1GB RAM
160GB HDD
Superdrive

My first Mac!! I ordered it yesterday and I keep checking the Apple site to see if they've shipped. The minutes seem like days!! I want it right now!

In any case, I'm extremely excited and am now looking into finding some RAM to boost the speed a bit. I also want to get that external monitor I've been looking at from DeLL, a bluetooth mouse and keyboard. So when I'm at home, I won't miss having a desktop at all!

::Is it here yet?:: Oh GOD!!

Congratz on your purchase! I also like the look of blackbook but I didnt buy it because it was ridiculously overpriced here at the time.

Just keep in mind that your generation MB (rev. C) has pre-Santa Rosa chipset so it has slower graphics, FSB and can take 3.3 GB RAM max.

 

[ewisone]

Couldn't be happier

I made the switch from PC to MAC at the end of last year and haven't regretted it for a second. I got the 24" imac and a standard Macbook. I found the 1920X1600 resolution of the imac to be spectacular when web browsing and watching movies etc but its far too high for gaming. The hardware is not fast enough to support that number of pixels. The picture also becomes fuzzy when you reduce the resolution so the only way around it is to buy older games and play them at native resolution.
Another thing I don't like is the office 2008 for MAC because it runs sluggishly and all the formatting icons clutter like no ones business! This is especially problematic with the Macbook, which doesn't have as much screen real estate. Keep your XP CD and use it for Office 2007 for Windows in Bootcamp. Another option is i'work 08 which would be fantastic if everyone used it but its a bit funny about saving files in the "standard" formats.
These are the only difficulties I have had with both machines, they are absolutely fantastic! Don't forget to get a set of badass speakers for the imac! I chose the Altec-Lansing MX5021.

 

[eXan]

I made the switch from PC to MAC at the end of last year and haven't regretted it for a second. I got the 24" imac and a standard Macbook. I found the 1920X1200 resolution of the imac to be spectacular when web browsing and watching movies etc but its far too high for gaming. The hardware is not fast enough to support that number of pixels. The picture also becomes fuzzy when you reduce the resolution so the only way around it is to buy older games and play them at native resolution.
Another thing I don't like is the office 2008 for MAC because it runs sluggishly and all the formatting icons clutter like no ones business! This is especially problematic with the Macbook, which doesn't have as much screen real estate. Keep your XP CD and use it for Office 2007 for Windows in Bootcamp. Another option is i'work 08 which would be fantastic if everyone used it but its a bit funny about saving files in the "standard" formats.
These are the only difficulties I have had with both machines, they are absolutely fantastic! Don't forget to get a set of badass speakers for the imac! I chose the Altec-Lansing MX5021.

fixed