MacBook Pro 13 or Unibody MacBook?

[minusten]

I've been looking at whether to get a Unibody MacBook 2.4 instead of a Pro 13 2.26. Here are the main pros and cons I have learnt about, I would be interested in comments from you guys plus any additional factors thrown into the mix.

Advantages of UMB over Pro13:
Faster processor
Replaceable battery
No worries over the Beachballing firmware issues from the new Pros

Disadvantages of UMB against Pro13:
Poorer screen - or is the silent screen upgrade from April/May 09 on a par with Pro screens? I'd be particularly interested to know about this point.
Battery less efficient
No Firewire
4GB Max RAM

Also, what is a good price for the UMB, and what is one likely to be able to pick a new one up for? Do both upscale equally well to external displays?

 

[p3ncil]

Just go with your heart

 

[beaner454]

There was a batch towards the end of the UMB's life where they had upgraded the screens, but it's hard to guarantee that you'll get the right model.

 

[airplaneman]

Definitely go for the 13" Pro. The screen is better, it has FW800, 7 hr battery, and an SD card slot, all of which the 13" MB doesn't have. The .14 GHz difference is pretty much nothing. In the future, you can crank up the RAM to 8GB and it will really fly.

I really think the Pro is the best choice (and$100 cheaper, right?), but as the above posters said, it's up to you in the end. Good luck, and have a blast with your Mac.

 

[minusten]

Would I be buying a MBP or a beachball though?

Think the MBP is the more likely option, but I've read lots of reports about the beachball issue with this machine. So the question is, if I get the base model 13", how likely am I to have beachball issues with a) the stock drive and b) any other drive I upgrade to myself?

 

[ipodlover77]

i say go mbp 13

 

[blairh]

there is no way to answer how likely it is you'll have the beachball issue. i sadly had that issue, returned my mbp, got an air, hated it, then got a new mbp. so far, the second mbp has worked perfectly.

the advantages of the 13" mbp imo outweigh the pro's of the unibody mb (better screen, better battery life, firewire port). being able to get more than 4 gb's of ram only matters if you really need it. as i type this the 13" mbp is $1168 at amazon (tax and shipping free). i'd go that route. if you run into the beachball issue, bring it into an apple retail store immediately and have a genius look at it. if they can't fix it, return it to amazon.

 

[kasakka]

I'd get the Macbook Pro just because of the far better display. I couldn't stand the unibody Macbooks crappy viewing angles. Having FireWire is also a must for me. The SD card slot has also been useful.

 

[minusten]

Does anyone know why some of the MBPs beachball and others don't? Is there a common factor about those that do? If you get one that's fine with the stock drive, would you be less likely to replace for fear of the appearance of the beachball? And also, for those that have suffered, do you know about it straight away, or does it come and go?

 

[blairh]

i believe it's a firmware issue. something that cannot be currently fixed. honestly, if it happens to you, go to an apple store and demand a refund. or you can just return it to amazon. amazon claims to have a restocking fee, but i returned a black macbook a while back before 30 days, opened, and they gave me a full refund.

i didn't know of the issue on the boards until i came here and found it. i noticed immediately. if you use your computer for hours at a time, and you have the beach ball issue, you can tell. it's very strange because it happens when you are doing simple tasks like web browsing, etc. and you are just stuck looking at it rotate for 20 second intervals. honestly i would not worry if i were you. like i said, if you get one that does this, return it via amazon. or you can make a stink at the apple store and ask politely to speak to a manager, etc. explain the issue, and they are most likely going to cave and give you a new one.

 

[specops]

Advantages of UMB over Pro13:
Faster processor
Replaceable battery
No worries over the Beachballing firmware issues from the new Pros

the processor is a little faster but you wouldn't really notice it.
the replaceable battery isn't as good as the uMBP13, and you can replace the uMBP13 its just not hot swappable.
I'm pretty sure the beachballing problem has been fixed. I just got the uMBP13 and i have switch the stock HDD with a seagate 7200 500gb HDD and on both HDD i didn't have the beachballing problem.

I say go with the newer uMBP13

 

[minusten]

I'm not a total tech novice but don't totally understand firmware. Does it mean if you do suffer the beachball that a future firmware update could fix it?
Thanks