Time to Switch ?

[donki0829]

I have an Aluminum Macbook (late 2008) for about 2 and a 1/2 years now, but the battery has completely died and the macbook is simply no longer portable. I'm not sure should I just go and buy a new battery or get a MBA (11 inch maybe? haven't really decided on the size yet) instead?

I want to bring my laptop with me around to school for lectures and labs (mostly for labs), so portability is an important factor. I would probably use the machine mainly for surfing the net, taking notes (with MS Office), and iTunes (for my iPod)……so i think having the MBA as my primary computer should be good enough?

What I really need right now is something that will last me a while, at least until I graduate from university (in about 2 to 3 years?)…and I'm not entirely sure if my MB can last me that long…

Is it a time for me to switch to a newer (better?) laptop? Or should I just stick with my old one?

 

[tuftywhite]

With my laptops I have a 5 year replacement cycle. Mac laptops last that long unless there's a major change in h/w or s/w. I'd buy a new battery and start saving for the machine you want when you graduate.

I know it's difficult when you fancy a new laptop but 2.5 years is no time.

 

[jljue]

If it is still fast enough for your needs, keep the MacBook and buy a new battery. Since yours has a removable battery, you can either get the one from Apple, or you can get a good aftermarket from OWC. I just ordered a NewerTech NuPower battery and conditioning charger for my 15" unibody MacBook Pro last night, since my original battery is down to about 68% but keeps cutting out under load at random times without warning. You probably don't want to get any other aftermarket battery though; there is some real junk out there.

I decided to get the extra charger so that i can more reliably and more conveniently run my new battery down in the condition slot to extend its life and possibly see if my original battery is even worth a dern anymore after I run it thru the condition slot a couple of times. It's hard to calibrate the battery runtime when it just randomly dies because a cell is flaky.