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Need a Mac laptop recommendation for trip

C

classof2011

macrumors regular
Original poster
Dec 2, 2006
209
0
Flying with American Airlines
Hi I'm an 8th grader looking to get my first Mac, and the reason why is because for one I hate Windows, and two I will be departing an overseas educational trip.

Mid-October I was notified of my invitation to a meeting for "People to People Student Ambassador Program" where kids from my state attend to learn about what they were invited to. If you happen to be nominated to join the People to People group, attend that meeting, and the following interview you may get to go.

Well, I attended the meeting. Afterwards, I talked to my mom about the interview and she told me that if I made it, she'd reward me with a Mac laptop of my choice (just not too expensive :p ) to be able to use on the plane and trip.

So, today I had my interview, and I was 1 of the 10 students who were accepted! Which means that I'd be away from home for 21 days! I mean we're talking France, Italy, Malta! Right from the US :eek: .

So, I get to purchase my first Mac ever. But it must be a portable. So guys...what do you think would be excellent for a kid like me? Nothing that would overkill the purpose.



Thanks!!!
 
Take your mom and her credit card to the nearest Apple store and buy a stock MacBook 1.83 for $1099. Take it home that day and get used to it before your trip.

Bon chance.

PS If that is too expensive, you will have to look at refurbs or secondhand.
 
If I were you, I'd go for the 1.83GHz stock configuration macbook c2d. Maybe upgrade the RAM to 2GB and that should last you until the end of high school. If that is too expensive, you might want to think about going for an older (but just as awesome) core duo macbook refurb. You can get a black one right now for 999 I believe I saw on the apple refurb page. (Refurbs are a great deal, I got my 20" iMac c2d as a refurb and it's perfect, not to mention it came with added goodies).

Congrats on the program. Europe is awesome.
 
If my mom said she would buy me a Mac I would have her buy me a maxed out MacBook Pro. But there isn't really much for you to choose from. You can either get a MacBook or a MacBook Pro and which one pretty much depends on your budget.
 
MB, dont get a macbook pro, they are very fragile. The aluminium case scratchs very easily. they are not goods for travels.
 
definitely not the macbook pro. with the amount of traveling you're going to be doing, it sounds like smaller is better. if i were you, i'd go with a macbook. if cost is an issue, a refurb core duo would fit nicely. good luck with your travels!
 
A Macbook would definitely see you through the rest of high school and probably Uni too.

Get one of the white ones, depending on how much you want to spend, max the RAM with 2GB and kick up the HDD a little. 60/80 GB is pretty small... 120/160 GB sounds much better.

The Macbook has enough power for pretty much any (non heavy gamer) school kid, or any uni kid not doing movie editing or CADing.

Macbook is lighter, smaller and tougher than MBP, making it perfect for a school kid, especially if you want to lug it to school every day, or take it on your trip.

Macbook is perfect for you.
 
The better 2.0 GHz MacBook already comes with 1 GB RAM, 80 GB HD, SuperDrive. Airport and BlueTooth pre-installed.

I'm not sure if the base 1.83 model includes BlueTooth, but it does come with Airport.

An additional 1 GB pre-installed is your best deal at the moment.

I just priced one out for my daughter at $1400.00 (edu)

MacBook White, Core 2 Duo, 2.0 GHz , 2 GB RAM, 80 GB HD, Superdrive, USB modem.
 
Do NOT get the stock 1.83 GHz Macbook. I have one, and I regret not getting the white 2.0. The one thing that model would have given me is a Superdrive, and while I thought I would never want a DVD burner, I want one now. Since I bought mine, Apple has upgraded that model. Now it has 1 GB of RAM, instead of 512 MB. It also comes standard with an 80 GB HD, which is nice.
 
Erasmus said:
A Macbook would definitely see you through the rest of high school and probably Uni too.

Get one of the white ones, depending on how much you want to spend, max the RAM with 2GB and kick up the HDD a little. 60/80 GB is pretty small... 120/160 GB sounds much better.

The Macbook has enough power for pretty much any (non heavy gamer) school kid, or any uni kid not doing movie editing or CADing.

Macbook is lighter, smaller and tougher than MBP, making it perfect for a school kid, especially if you want to lug it to school every day, or take it on your trip.

Macbook is perfect for you.
Click to expand...

i dunno about that, you are talking an extra 5 years. alot of stuff can happen lol
 
The price kind of doesn't matter. I can even get a maxed out 17" MBP, but if i do that, it would be harder to earn the tuition fees for this program. I think what I'll do is get a maxed out black macbook. My delegation leader said a smaller laptop would be better because if it happens to get stolen, at least it wouldn't be something like that gone. My dad had a 17" Powerbook and it got dirty easily anyways, and as far as I know the exterior is the same except the IR sensor and camera.

Thanks for the "congratulations" and recommendations guys. I'll go with a loaded black Macbook.
 
BTW, I was talking with Apple while reading/replying here. And I just ordered my MacBook. The specs are:

MacBook Black 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo
13.3" Glossy
Superdrive
2GB RAM
200GB Hard drive
Airport Extreme and Bluetooth
MagSafe Airline adapter included
Extended AppleCare/Limited Warranty - 3 years


Hopefully it'll be good enough for my trip. I'm sure it will, now I just hope I don't lose it there.
 
Eh..another question. I ordered a Superdrive on it (standard anyways). I plan on making a website dedicated to my future trip, and also if you have the best one, you win $1500. I was thinking about using the iSight camera to record short clips of some things but would it be kind of hard? I do have an external iSight camera my dad used for his Powerbook that would be easier to do that with, but since it's not integrated would that change it's performance and playback?
 
id personally go with a point and shoot camera with a 'micro' form factor (ie, sony cybershot T5, etc). they have movie clip recording which should be perfect for your situation, and you can snap pics while ur there.
 
classof2011 said:
BTW, I was talking with Apple while reading/replying here. And I just ordered my MacBook. The specs are:

MacBook Black 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo
13.3" Glossy
Superdrive
2GB RAM
200GB Hard drive
Airport Extreme and Bluetooth
MagSafe Airline adapter included
Extended AppleCare/Limited Warranty - 3 years


Hopefully it'll be good enough for my trip. I'm sure it will, now I just hope I don't lose it there.
Click to expand...

Make sure you get any plug-adapters you need for the countries you'll be in. Have a great trip, and no, don't lose it.
 
When you say the "MagSafe Airline adapter included", do you mean that you ordered one, because they are not included you have to order it as an option. Might want to verify your order. Also, unless your flying Business Class, you might not have access to an outlet.

Congrats & have fun!!:cool:



classof2011 said:
BTW, I was talking with Apple while reading/replying here. And I just ordered my MacBook. The specs are:

MacBook Black 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo
MagSafe Airline adapter included
Click to expand...
 
Congrats on your new laptop :) It sounds like you have quite the setup, compared to my 'stock' white MB ;)

One word of caution for you. With the recent steps being taken with security at airports and on flights, make sure you check the rules and restrictions regarding taking laptops (and/or other electronics) on board the plane. I've heard of certain airlines / airports not allowing laptops, even singling out certain brands (and yes, Apple was one of them IIRC). I don't know if the restrictions have been relaxed. Since you're traveling overseas, perhaps some of the forum readers 'across the pond' can provide some insight.

Again, congrats and good luck!
 
The 200 GB HD is slower than the 160GB, is 4.2k RPM which maske your machine almost a 20% slower in every task. (Boot up, opening documents, booting apps, everything with disk acces).
Just my 2 cents.
 
Congratulations classof2011. You will love the experience of travelling in Europe.

I would consider taking a small camera. You will be wanting to record what you see and hear, both still and short movie sessions. If you have your camera when you are out and about you will be able to do that easier than lugging a laptop around everywhere. If you have a good capacity memory card and an ipod for storage, you will be well set up for collecting memories. I would hesitate taking a laptop because I think it would distract you from experiencing the trip, as well as the security issues.

And use internet cafes, and public libraries for sending emails to your Mum.
 
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