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macbook or macbook pro 13" for school?

superatombomb

superatombomb

macrumors member
Original poster
I need a laptop for school (i'm in 10th grade) and i need advice whether to buy the macbook, macbook pro 2.26 or macbook pro 2.53. I want the cheapest one to suit my needs. I will mainly be doing word processing, internet browsing and watching videos, etc. I wont be doing video editing or photoshop or anything like that. Also, weight is an issue, because i will be carrying it to school everyday. Which one is best for me?

thanks in advance.
 
macbook will suit all your needs and is still relatively light at 5 lbs.

2.26 mbp has a fantastic track pad and is a half pound lighter. you'll also enjoy the nicer aluminum build. whether that is worth your extra $ is up to you.

do not get the 2.53. it's a waste of $ for your needs.
 
I would recommend you get the White MacBook. If you really want to get the MBP, go for the 2.26 GHz; 2.53 GHz is overkill for what you'll be using it for.
 
clyde2801 said:
I don't want to sound like an old fart, but can you use a laptop in high school?
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lol, i'm going to a new school where you MUST have a laptop for school 😛

anyways, im going with the 2.26 macbook pro. I'll be using it regularly anyway. Thanks for the feedback!
 
superatombomb said:
lol, i'm going to a new school where you MUST have a laptop for school 😛

anyways, im going with the 2.26 macbook pro. I'll be using it regularly anyway. Thanks for the feedback!
Click to expand...

I'd watch out, If you are carrying it everyday in a school environment with other kids, it may get dented easily.
 
...save yourself some $$ and get the 2.0 refurb whitebook when they come back in stock as other posters have said...

The other models aren't enough of a spec increase to spend the extra $$ on vis internal upgrades (see my sig)... also the less you spend on it, the less it will hurt if it has to be replaced for any reason (accidental damage, theft, stupidity, etc...).
 
Don't get the White plastic Macbook, not unless you want to suffer through the cracks in the casing like I've had to..It's really crappy build quality.
 
superatombomb said:
lol, i'm going to a new school where you MUST have a laptop for school 😛

anyways, im going with the 2.26 macbook pro. I'll be using it regularly anyway. Thanks for the feedback!
Click to expand...

if your school requires a laptop, then you might want to check if their network/programs are mac compatible. if they require windows, you should prepare for bootcamp or seriously consider buying a pc imo, which would be much cheaper and fit your needs better

also.. a pc might just be flat out better for what you want

word processing - word 2007 (windows) is miles ahead of word 2008 (mac) and every other mac word processor out there

internet browsing/videos - flash works way better on windows, vlc is way better on windows

blasphemy, i know 😛
 
chill. said:
if your school requires a laptop, then you might want to check if their network/programs are mac compatible. if they require windows, you should prepare for bootcamp or seriously consider buying a pc imo, which would be much cheaper and fit your needs better

also.. a pc might just be flat out better for what you want

word processing - word 2007 (windows) is miles ahead of word 2008 (mac) and every other mac word processor out there

internet browsing/videos - flash works way better on windows, vlc is way better on windows

blasphemy, i know 😛
Click to expand...

The whole school system is mac. Everybody uses mac at this school. Even the teachers. lol. anyway, i cant get a refurb because i'm not living in the US.
 
J&JPolangin said:
...save yourself some $$ and get the 2.0 refurb whitebook when they come back in stock as other posters have said...

The other models aren't enough of a spec increase to spend the extra $$ on vis internal upgrades (see my sig)... also the less you spend on it, the less it will hurt if it has to be replaced for any reason (accidental damage, theft, stupidity, etc...).
Click to expand...

pranavss11 said:
Don't get the White plastic Macbook, not unless you want to suffer through the cracks in the casing like I've had to..It's really crappy build quality.
Click to expand...

:apple: covers repairs to the casings... if you "dent" your alum uMB/MBP, they claim accidental damage and that voids your apple care = I'd rather deal with the plastic issues as I've had my Nvidia whitebook for 4 months now and its showing NO signs of the cracking issues (and hopefully it will stay that way for a long time🙂)...
 
I'm also in 10th grade, but in the US. My school does not require that you have a laptop, but it is recommended, especially if you stay late after school as many people do. I have a 2.53 13" MBP (standard spec) and have had it for about 3 months (1 at school). This thing is AWESOME. I don't think the 2.53ghz was necessary, but I really wanted the 4gb RAM and needed the larger HDD. I have this Incase case, and so far so good on the denting. (knock on wood) The computer is much sturdier than the white Macbooks (my school has a cart of them, and honestly they feel like toys compared to my Pro, but they don't perform like toys). My favorite part of the entire computer though is probably the trackpad. I find myself getting annoyed with the white Macbook trackpads when they don't do the multi-finger gestures. (I even get frustrated with my mom's Dell trackpad because it is so small and doesn't even have two finger scrolling!)

The white Macbook would definitely perform well enough for you and me both, but the build on the Pros feel a lot better. I would be afraid to break the whitebook. If you do get the 2.26ghz or the whitebook, try to get 4gb of RAM. With just 3 Safari tabs, iTunes, Pages, and a math program open, I use about 1.6GB of RAM (active and wired).
 
J&JPolangin said:
:apple: covers repairs to the casings... if you "dent" your alum uMB/MBP, they claim accidental damage and that voids your apple care = I'd rather deal with the plastic issues as I've had my Nvidia whitebook for 4 months now and its showing NO signs of the cracking issues (and hopefully it will stay that way for a long time🙂)...
Click to expand...

Lol.. I've had my casing replaced 4 TIMES.. 4!!! and you know what's even worse about that fact? It's was sitting on my desk 24/7 connected to a monitor,keyboard and mouse AND I never dropped it!. I took it out maybe like once every few days or so (sometimes weeks).

I am glad I finally got the new 13" MBP (It dosen't feel like cheap plastic).

If you are okay with 1-3 days downtime everytime it cracks, then good for you; but I cannot afford that downtime since I am a Software engineering student and the laptop is my life in college.
 
I would choose the MBA if you can afford it. It's portability is unmatched by any other machine and it seems like you don't use a lot of processing power. It's a great little machine.
 
tofagerl said:
Whoa, where do you live? I want my kids to grow up there ;p
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just moved to shanghai. I'm going to the Dulwich College shanghai. I wouldnt recommend your kids move here though, because the internet is horrible. i get 2 megabits/second download speed here, plus many sites are blocked, but you can get around it with a VPN service.

Anyway, i've ordered the 2.26 pro version and i will get it in around a week. thanks for the many replies 🙂
 
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