[need advise] Thinking about switching from MBP to MB/MBA

[Dias]

Hi guy, I need a little bit of advise

I've bought MBP Unibody (2.8Ghz, 4Gb Ram, 320Gb 7200rpm ecc) last November but now I'm not sure whether it was the best choice for me (it's a little bit overkill for my needs). I'm going to college this autumn so I was thinking that maybe MB or MBA Unibody would fit better my needs (Internet, multimedia, productivity, office), but I don't want to compromise in quality.
For example, is MB screen is so much below compared to the one I have on my MBP? My mom has MB White and the screen's view angle is not that great, but I've heard that Unibody's screen has improved in past few months, though not sure how much.
I was thinking about MBA too: great screen, excellent portability, cool design, but how about quality? I've read a lot about hinge problem, how spread this problem is?

Anyway, please feel free to give any advise.

 

[Zagreus]

I'd probably say that if you've bought the Macbook Pro and it's a bit overkill it'll last you longer, if you're taking something to College I'd say the MBA is yes very portable but it's lack of ports may put you off, especially if you have an iPod, a Media Card Reader, Digital Camera and Flash Drive etc. However to address the hinge problems, I think that this is only in the first generation MBA's , as it's a wear and tear issue, but I could be remembering that wrong . On account of the MB screen I'm not sure as to the improvement as I have a pre-UniBody MBP but you will loose screen size and resolution, which is something to bear in mind. Also you will loose other features such as the illuminated keyboard. So overall I'd say probably stick with the MBP because even if you sell it, as I assume you might, your return may not be so great, so considering it a long term investment is probably a better plan, at least for the moment.

If I have anything wrong I apologise, and anyone feel free to correct anything I've just said

 

[dhuang]

Go MB!

I'm a college student that went from a 2.2 SR MBP to a 2.4 uMB, and no regrets yet. I really like the smaller package, and it really doesn't feel that much different from my MBP in terms of speed.

Of course, both of them were hooked up to my 24", keyboard, and mouse, so as far as usability goes docked at my desk, they are virtually identical.

On the go, you will truly appreciate the 13.3" form factor. My friend has a Rev. A MBA, while nice, it doesn't really compare to the sheer usability of my 2.4 uMB (I especially love the glass trackpad and gestures). The 15.4 MBP had a tough time fitting at the desks at my college's lecture halls, whereas the uMB generally has no problem. I also don't need Expresscard nor FW800, so the uMB had enough on the connectivity side.

The recent 2009 uMBs apparently have better screens. I have a late 2008 uMB with the infamous 9c89 screen, and if you look at it dead on (calibrated, of course) it actually looks pretty good. However once you start moving inches in any direction, you will notice the poor viewing angles, and uneven color distribution. This is a farcry from the S-PVA panel in my 24", yet it's still good enough for light productivity work, but I wouldn't want to watch a movie on it unless your neck was a tripod.

Given the upcoming WWDC event, I would wait 2 weeks to see if they announce anything dramatic. My guess would be 'No,' aside from a speedbump following Intel's CPU roadmap, and notebooks aren't the primary focus of WWDC anyways. However, I would love to see a Rev C. MBA down the road, and I am curious about the rebranding rumor.

These days, I've been consolidating my computing needs into one computer, and the Unibody MacBook has been the best choice for me. Portability. Power. Perfected.

 

[RiCEADDiCTBOY]

my buddy who works in IT and going to school made mention of his regret going with the unibody mbp. he was making mention that the screen size was too large and more troublesome than he'd imagine. he was mentioning that a co-worker of his purchased a unibody mb and the screen was nothing like he saw at the apple store. the screen had great contrast, black was black, and great viewing angle as well.

 

[Dias]

Hey guys, thank you for comments.

I was aware of WWDC, in the matter of fact that's why I'd like to make a decision as soon as possible, at least as far as "selling" part is concerned.

To be honest I don't really need Firewire/USB/DVD stuff, so Air is not really a compromise for me. The only thing that bothers me, besides quality issues, is a trackpad, I really love my MBP's glass gigantic trackpad. And for hinge problem, can you confirm that it's only a rev.A problem?

MB Unibody does have illuminated keyboard, right? And I can put 7200rpm hdd without any problem?

 

[veo321]

No Stay With Mbp

I have a white Macbook and I'm thinking of getting a macbook pro do NOT get the Macbook air they can not charge on a flat angle and are slow, breakable, and very little HD Space + if you are going to switch WAIT UNTILL MAC OS X SNOW LEOPARD COMES OUT!

IF YOU have to switch buy macbook aluminum

 

[jmann]

MB Unibody does have illuminated keyboard, right? And I can put 7200rpm hdd without any problem?

Only the 2.4Ghz comes with the illuminated keyboard. But you won't really notice a performance difference between the 2.0 and 2.4, so it's up to you if it worth the extra money. Also you can use a 7200rpm hard drive no problem, but it does use a bit extra battery power.

 

[michael.lauden]

Only the 2.4Ghz comes with the illuminated keyboard. But you won't really notice a performance difference between the 2.0 and 2.4, so it's up to you if it worth the extra money. Also you can use a 7200rpm hard drive no problem, but it does use a bit extra battery power.

are you kidding... you won't notice a performance upgrade. that processor has a 25% faster clock speed.

 

[andalusia]

are you kidding... you won't notice a performance upgrade. that processor has a 25% faster clock speed.

*20%...

 

[clyde2801]

Get applecare for your mbp, and love the one you're with.

 

[Zazoh]

*20%...

And the benchmark testing is not that much difference. (Unless you are doing CPU intensive processing) The casual user will not see a difference.) But don't take my word for it, go try them side by side and see, I did.