Macbook or Macbook Pro... Can't Decide!!!

[neiltc13]

The poster asked for recommendations. As you can see from reading the thread, there are varying opinions and pros and cons of both choices, and several factors to consider. Labeling someone else's opinion as "ridiculous" or companies as "unknown" or "untrusted" is not professional or appropriate behavior for this forum. A little more factual information and a little less judgement would be helpful.

Recommending a Pro after the OP says:

Well, my budget is sort of an issue... The lower the better, so if I could get away with a macbook it would be great.

Is what I'd label as "unprofessional" but I'd be hesitant to use that term here. It's a discussion forum, we're not some company hired to give people advice. Professionalism doesn't come into it. Recommending the Pro is bad advice given the information that the poster has provided.

 

[GGJstudios]

... i can't decide between a Macbook ... or the Pro ... and I'm not sure if the Macbook will be good enough. ...

The original concern was that the MacBook might not be good enough. Hence, sharing the other factors to consider that might make spending the extra money on a MacBook Pro a more justified choice. And just where did anyone say "I recommend you buy a MacBook Pro", rather than simply offer facts to consider?

1. Read
2. Think
3. Post

It doesn't work as well if you change the order.

 

[Mjmar]

Thanks for the replies!

I was thinking... The smaller size of the screen doesn't necessarily mean that the text and images are smaller right? I really don't need much screen real estate, so as long as I'm not squinting and feel cramped I'll be fine. I have a 15.4" windows laptop currently, and I feel very comfortable using it. It's resolution is 1280 x 800, which is the same as the Macbook. I'm definitely going to wait until WWDC to make my decision. Maybe they'll come out with a cheaper 15" notebook. Thanks for all the replies!

 

[K-Funk]

The original concern was that the MacBook might not be good enough. Hence, sharing the other factors to consider that might make spending the extra money on a MacBook Pro a more justified choice. And just where did anyone say "I recommend you buy a MacBook Pro", rather than simply offer facts to consider?

1. Read
2. Think
3. Post

It doesn't work as well if you change the order.

When the OP said he was afraid the MacBook might not be "good enough," he was clearly talking only about screen size ("My only other concern is the screen size, and I'm not sure if the Macbook will be good enough.") So you might want to follow your own advice.

 

[K-Funk]

I was thinking... The smaller size of the screen doesn't necessarily mean that the text and images are smaller right? I really don't need much screen real estate, so as long as I'm not squinting and feel cramped I'll be fine. I have a 15.4" windows laptop currently, and I feel very comfortable using it. It's resolution is 1280 x 800, which is the same as the Macbook. I'm definitely going to wait until WWDC to make my decision. Maybe they'll come out with a cheaper 15" notebook. Thanks for all the replies!

A 1280x800 resolution on a 15" computer will result in bigger text size than a 1280x800 resolution on a 13". On a Windows computer, you can increase the text size without lowering the resolution (although it doesn't always work very well) -- I'm not sure if you can do that on a Mac.

The MacBook Pro is an awesome computer; it would just be a shame if you had to shell out an additional $600 for a bunch of technology you don't really need, just so you can get a bigger screen size. Good luck!

 

[neiltc13]

Yeah the 13" screen on MacBook really isn't an issue, at least for me. The text is more than clear enough to see properly and it isn't a strain at all.

 

[surferfromuk]

You'll struggle to find any external hard drives with FireWire 400 support, let alone 800.
The MacBook hard drive can be replaced extremely easily if required.

Every Apple store in the UK has the Lacie D2 with FW 800, FW 400 and USB - I know I bought one...they're also great drives which work perfectly with the Macbook Pro and are capable of streaming HD DV video into Final Cut Pro without problems...not that I'm suggesting you need it for that..

(plus they're all over the net...)