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MAC Vs Parents, a war that must be won !!

Merkuryy

Merkuryy

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 10, 2007
175
0
Shanghai, China
Hi there ,second thread though
I finally convinced my parents to buy me a MAC for my college life,but here comes another problem

MY PARENTS ONLY AGREED TO BUY A 2.0GHZ MACBOOK RATHER THAN A LOW END MACBOOK PRO(2.2GHZ)

This is not a problem about money(I have saved about 2300$),it's all because my parents think since it's my first MAC, I may have problems and return to a PC laptop like the DELL M1330.But I have studied MAC software and hardware for a whole year,and everyone of my friends who are using MAC say I'm qualified to use a MacBook Pro whether in semi-professional field or daily life----I am a semi-DJ in my Breakin Crew.

So how do you guys make your parents buy you a MacBook Pro?Every tips will be useful Peace

PS:I do not mean to offence those who bought a low end MacBook, but I really don't want to change my laptop in college, and my parents laptop are the IBM T42 and Nec S820, I'm really tired of not having a high end laptop.
 
are you thinking of a high-end laptop because you need it, or do you just want it?

The MacBooks are screamingly fast as they are. You'll be suprised how fast they really are.

Maybe instead of pushing for a MBP, push for a 2.16GHz MacBook with more RAM. I reckon thats a good compromise, and you'll end up with a killer machine anyway.
 
first of all, if it's your money, you should be able to spend it as you see fit. But i understand some parents don't go for that, soo...

I think i would simply counter the argument by saying, as you know you will be using macs for a long time to come, by buying the macbook and having to upgrade in <insert amount of time here> you will end up loosing money


ok, i'm really bad at getting my thoughts out, but that made sense when i though of it :D



But then, of course, if your not gaming, or running apps that require fast 3D acceleration a Macbook wouldn't be so bad, the processors aren't very different :)
 
Well if you have $2300 and the macbook pro costs $1999 I don't really see a problem. Your going to college you should be able to spend your own money on whatever you want.
 
Show them that you could make the laptop into a PC with Boot Camp, if you needed to. Or show them VMWare.

It sounds like their chief concern is that MacOS is a "fad."
 
Thank you for replying so fast!!
Well,I'm not a guy like Colplay once said"If you get what you want, but what you need". In the future, having bad graphic cards stop you from many things like high solution video,games(everyone know that),and movie making(I sometimes make short movie for my crew)

I don't care about the games effect, but I don't want to see by the end of next year ---- minimum Vram requiement: 128M.And every one know the MacBook will have X3100 by the end of this year,but I just can't wait.

And I'm sorry I forgot to say that I have the ability to get a MacBook Pro with student discount(1799$).But thank you for your tips, I think maybe my parents are right in some way:)
 
I don't get it. Is it you buying the Mac with your $2300 savings, or your parents buying it?! :confused:

Do you actually need the Macbook Pro? Unless you're doing something that really requires a GPU or extra screen space, the Macbook is just fine.
 
ViM said:
Well if you have $2300 and the macbook pro costs $1999 I don't really see a problem. Your going to college you should be able to spend your own money on whatever you want.
Click to expand...

I agree...

but, since thats not what the OP said, one thing that you can say is that the macbook pro will last longer because its RAM is expandable to up to 4GB
 
  • 14 day money back guarantee (-10% restocking fee)
  • Bootcamp/Parallels/VMware
  • RAM expandable to 4 GB - will last longer.
  • Separate graphics card
  • Better processor, bigger HD etc.
 
Each of those points has a ready counterargument:

mkgm1 said:
  • 14 day money back guarantee (-10% restocking fee)
Click to expand...

Applies for both MB and MBP, so not sure why this is relevant...

mkgm1 said:
  • Bootcamp/Parallels/VMware
Click to expand...

...run on both MB and MBP. You need a lot of RAM for it to work properly, but the MB can recognize up to 3.3 Gb.

mkgm1 said:
  • RAM expandable to 4 GB - will last longer.
Click to expand...

0.7 Gb difference is not going to make a huge difference except at the end of the long tail, when you'll be cursing about your computer's outdatedness regardless of whether it's a MB or a MBP.

mkgm1 said:
  • Separate graphics card
Click to expand...

...which creates a major performance difference only for games and Aperture, not much else.

mkgm1 said:
  • Better processor, bigger HD etc.
Click to expand...

Processor is not much better, and HD can always be replaced later in the computer's life. (And, in fact, is user serviceable on the MB, but not user serviceable on the MBP.)

Really, I think the OP is better off getting the MB, saving the extra money in an interest-bearing account, and using those savings to either pay for either upgrades or put them toward a brand spanking new Mac later in the future.
 
No Probz dude....

Hey this shouldnt be a problem. Tell your parents the truth. Macs dont lose their value as quickly as PCs. You can EASILY sell your Mac for a great price. So tell them it isnt going to be a problem if you want to switch back. If you do switch back, your will not go to waste anyways as your parents seem to think. And oh you can put Windows on your Mac so there shouldnt be any reason to go for a PC.
 
I also think he should go with a MB.

He will need extra cash when he is in college. If he doesnt uses pro applications he will be fine with it and the smaller mb will be easier to carry around campus and classes.
 
blackstone said:
[dedicated graphics card on the MBP] ...which creates a major performance difference only for games and Aperture, not much else.
Click to expand...

And FC projects, and 3d graphics design and longevity.

(And not getting lag when you put widgets onto your dashboard.)

MBP has better screen res and fs-bus as well.
 
Merkuryy said:
Hi there ,second thread though
I finally convinced my parents to buy me a MAC for my college life,but here comes another problem

MY PARENTS ONLY AGREED TO BUY A 2.0GHZ MACBOOK RATHER THAN A LOW END MACBOOK PRO(2.2GHZ)

This is not a problem about money(I have saved about 2300$),it's all because my parents think since it's my first MAC, I may have problems and return to a PC laptop like the DELL M1330.But I have studied MAC software and hardware for a whole year,and everyone of my friends who are using MAC say I'm qualified to use a MacBook Pro whether in semi-professional field or daily life----I am a semi-DJ in my Breakin Crew.

So how do you guys make your parents buy you a MacBook Pro?Every tips will be useful Peace

PS:I do not mean to offence those who bought a low end MacBook, but I really don't want to change my laptop in college, and my parents laptop are the IBM T42 and Nec S820, I'm really tired of not having a high end laptop.
Click to expand...

what are you studying that u NEED a macbook pro? macbook is great already... and wouldn't you want to use that extra $$ on gear for ur breakin crew or chillin with the illin chix?
 
Merkuryy said:
So how do you guys make your parents buy you a MacBook Pro?Every tips will be useful Peace
Click to expand...
You take your $2300, you buy yourself your much needed high end laptop and you smile. The fact that your parents have justified the so-called "low-end" laptop by saying you may return to a PC is their choice. The fact that you're sitting on cash and bitching about them only springing for the so-called "low-end" model tells me that you're in fact ungrateful. As a DJ in your Breakin' crew you probably don't need the MBP but from where I sit you equate MBP to some status. That is awesome and probably really the case but if you're being given one thing and you dislike it then spring for the other. I mean, money is no object right? I just think you're being extremely ungrateful. But then again maybe your parents are *******s because they're only buying a MB...I mean, I'd move out fast!

If you really need a reason to get a MBP over a MB tell your parents that you're tired to not being one of the coolest kids on the block and their IBM T42 and NEC whatever hasn't cut it all your life. In order for you to make friends and feel safe at college you need a MBP. You have in fact become a qualified Mac program & hardware person; certainly that should stand for something.
 
If you need a computer to carry around with you, _and_ at other times you are working on a desk, then the best value for money is a MacBook, with a good amount of RAM added, plus an external 23 inch monitor, plus an external harddisk and mouse.

The MacBook is easier to carry and in my opinion more sturdy than the MacBook Pro, and it takes up less space; that is all better for carrying it around. The Pro graphics card is good for games; it is _not_ used by video software.
 
i bought a mbp instead of mb because i was planning for the future. right now i may not be doing anything intense, but if i am ever in the position to do so i have the capabilities.
 
jessica. said:
You take your $2300, you buy yourself your much needed high end laptop and you smile. The fact that your parents have justified the so-called "low-end" laptop by saying you may return to a PC is their choice. The fact that you're sitting on cash and bitching about them only springing for the so-called "low-end" model tells me that you're in fact ungrateful. As a DJ in your Breakin' crew you probably don't need the MBP but from where I sit you equate MBP to some status. That is awesome and probably really the case but if you're being given one thing and you dislike it then spring for the other. I mean, money is no object right? I just think you're being extremely ungrateful. But then again maybe your parents are *******s because they're only buying a MB...I mean, I'd move out fast!

If you really need a reason to get a MBP over a MB tell your parents that you're tired to not being one of the coolest kids on the block and their IBM T42 and NEC whatever hasn't cut it all your life. In order for you to make friends and feel safe at college you need a MBP. You have in fact become a qualified Mac program & hardware person; certainly that should stand for something.
Click to expand...

I agree with everything you say. Though being lectured about products as status symbols from someone with a BMW as their avatar seems, well, quite amusing :p
 
Ok this is an important point. If you buy a MBP now, you will most prolly have a lot of untapped performance from the graphic card. My suggestion is that you go for a MB now, save the money from the MBP, collect more money and then when you seriously need a new MBP go for it by selling your MB which should fetch a decent amount. In this way you should get the latest procs, possibly more RAM and a better graphic card. Otherwise by going for the MBP now, you will have a lot of untapped performance unnecessarily.

And for basic graphic tasks, the MB is alright, not too bad.
 
Take your parents down to an Apple store, talk to the people there, try out mac books and macbook pros, and maybe you'll walk out with your MBP and your parents with some minis. :D

Your money, you buy it. Your parents are simply advisory, not binding.

And show them this thread :D
 
Merkuryy said:
This is not a problem about money(I have saved about 2300$),it's all because my parents think since it's my first MAC, I may have problems and return to a PC laptop like the DELL M1330.
Click to expand...

I had the same fear when I bought my first Mac. After a lifetime of hating Macs (non-OS X ones), my friends finally convinced me to buy a Mac when I got my first laptop a few years ago. I went for the iBook instead of the Powerbook because I was not sure I would like the Mac so much. I wish I had bought the Powerbook in the first place because Macs rock! I will be buying a MacBook Pro soon as my iBook is getting old. I say that you should always buy as high-end of a machine as you can comfortably afford so you are ready for the future :cool:. Just remember to buy the 3 year extended AppleCare support. I have gotten more than my money's worth out of it through service repairs unfortunately.
 
well i have a macbook pro and will be going to college. i got it only because i want and need the expresscard slot, will game a little and im kind of a big guy (height not weight) and couldnt make use of a smaller screen and keyboard. truthfully most students wont need a macbook pro, but since i plan on studying pharmacy, which is a career dominated by windows (pharmacy school requires a windows computer) the extra video card will be useful when i have to use vista for the various software.
 
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