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Keep MBP or go with PB?

R

rapps

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 17, 2004
185
0
Hi,
I am debating what to do with the 2 computers I find myself with. I just purchased the stock MBP 15" 2.0 and today is my last day I can return it (-10% restock). I just found out my sister who has a 12" Powerbook 1.5 decided she doesn't want it anymore and wants to go back to a pc. I really like having the 15" screen, but I wonder if it makes much more sense to take the ~$170 hit and return the 15" MPB and keep the 12" PB until Santa Rosa?

Any suggestions? I'd prefer the 15" screen but I'm not super impressed with the upgrade of the MPB over my previous 15" PB. I'm torn....and I've got a few hours left to return it!!
 
It makes much more sense to keep the MBP unless it's incapable of doing tasks that you need it to do.
 
rapps said:
she's just giving it to me.
Click to expand...

Even so, it seems kind of silly. I mean, you gave up the 15" PB to upgrade, but now you're downgrading from that? If money's an issue, then go for it. Otherwise, I'd stick with the new.

Is the 12" still under warranty? Another thing to consider if it isn't...
 
.

I agree...I love the 15". In fact I had a 12" powerbook before I orginally upgraded to a 15" PB and now the MPB. Money is an issue and I just feel foolish keeping this MPB if not one (meron) but two (santa rosa/maybe new design) will be out within 6-8 months.

I would be taking a downgrade, thats for sure. But I doubt I could afford upgrading when the 2 new revisions happen. I'm not sure I see a huge difference between the G4 and MBP to warrant losing out on the upcoming upgrades? no?
 
i dotn know if id downgrade to G4 and a smaller screen, stick with what you have i guess.
 
depends on whether you can wait longer. i would wait for new MBP at least. the one rumored to come out in NOV.

there is a new chipset coming also, in the spring. code named santa rosa. it will provide battery life help, also full 64 bit support.

depends on what you want. if you can wait. cool, if not, go ahead.

also, unless more storage space is needed, or you need fastest processor, you can get great deals on refurbished macbook's or MBP's. these prices will likely come down when the new laptops are released.
 
.

I use it for law school. Basic stuff....but appreciate the bigger screen for having 2 browsers open for research. Maybe I'll return this one....sell the 12" powerbook and pickup a refurb macbook for the meantime?
 
Keep both! Is there anything wrong with having to much of something? The 12" is nice for some things, but you can't beat the power of the 15" MacBook Pro you got. I would have to pass on the 12" or explain to your sister you would like to have it, and use both.
 
So you want to downgrade?

Personally, I think it's crazy to even wait 8 months for upcoming upgrades. In 8-10 months time, there will be newer CPUs and better computers, flash memory based HDs, etc, inside all Macs, and you're just going to wait forever.

I'd keep what you have, but if you still want to sell the MBP, then sell both computers and get a 13" MB.
 
rapps said:
she's just giving it to me.
Click to expand...

C'mon you people responding - why are you giving such BAD advice?

Oh, dude, take the PB - it's free for goodness' sakes!!!! It is a little slow compared to the newer MBPs, but it sounds like for what you're doing it'll fulfill all your needs. Return it and get your money back, dude. Money is good. If you're getting buyer's regret, then that means you're not totally thrilled with your new MBP, so why keep it considering how much $$$ it cost?

What I would do is use the 12" PB until Leopard comes out. Then you can buy the latest and greatest MBP with Leopard pre-loaded, rather than paying for an upgrade down the road. That way even if you're underwhelmed with the hardware, you'll be getting Leopard so you're less likely to get buyer's regret...

Another thing: if you're just using it for school: have you considered a MacBook? A MacBook is 1280 x 800 resolution, not much lower than the Pro's 1440 x 900. You can probably display 2 documents side by side on the MB, or at least almost as well as you can on the MBP.
 
You can either return the MBP or sell it to some friend of yours and take a hit of about $150. If the 12"PB meets your needs, i would definitely get rid of the 15" MBP, buy some APPL shares with that money and wait for spring 2007!:D
 
The next best notebooks are going to be based on the 45nm Penryns and hopefully
also include smaller and cooler running GPUs along with Leopard.

Your decision really depends on what applications you're running now on a daily basis.

If most of your needs are covered with PPC applications like Photoshop, then
the PowerBook with maxed out RAM is still fine.

Your sister will probably regret her decision to go back to the dark side.

I think it's foolish to buy any P/C now before Vista is released.

I would load up your machine with either Parallels or run Windows via Bootcamp
and show her the alternative choice.
 
rapps said:
Hi,
I am debating what to do with the 2 computers I find myself with. I just purchased the stock MBP 15" 2.0 and today is my last day I can return it (-10% restock). I just found out my sister who has a 12" Powerbook 1.5 decided she doesn't want it anymore and wants to go back to a pc. I really like having the 15" screen, but I wonder if it makes much more sense to take the ~$170 hit and return the 15" MPB and keep the 12" PB until Santa Rosa?

Any suggestions? I'd prefer the 15" screen but I'm not super impressed with the upgrade of the MPB over my previous 15" PB. I'm torn....and I've got a few hours left to return it!!
Click to expand...

Probably too late to reply. But I would have return the MBP and got the PB until Leopard arrives.
 
keep the mbp. take the pb and sell it. you get an mbp for sub $1000 net.

if you've gotten used to widescreen 15", it's definitely hard to downgrade to 12". also, the pb screen is dim in comparison to the mbp. it might not seem like a big deal, but pictures look so much better on my mbp.
 
I'd say you should keep the MBP, it's a lot harder to keep a 12" 1024x768 screen these days. You'll be a lot happier with the MBP, the upgrades won't be that big until santa rosa and then the next core will be right around the corner etc.
 
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