Very apprehensive to make this purchase...

[britneyfan]

I purchased a 13" 2.66 mbp for school. It's my 2nd mbp and my, like, 20th apple product over the years.

I didn't even consider the non-pro 13", at all. I've noticed the case degrades more readily over time - typically through staining. Whereas my aluminum unibody doesn't stain in the least. Also, you can simply tell by the construction the case is solid. Unless I drop it, it's going to look the same four years from now as it will today. I particularly like the solidity of the case, and the simpleness of it.

Purchased a OWC SSD drive for main drive bay, swapped out the optical for the stock 320gb HDD...and it flies. I have no doubt in my mind my MBP will be as fast four years from now as it is today.

The MBPs are well-built, solid machines. To me (a former professional graphic designer) the LCD is excellent - once calibrated for your environment. When I'm at home, I plug in a 27" LCD - no problems there, either. It all just works.

you have 1 year from the date of purchase to decide if you also want Applecare. Odds are, though, that if your lap top makes it 1 year, it will go 5 or more years....hard drive excepting, of course. Then again, at my last job we had mission critical macs that were nearly 10 years old w/original hard drives and all...so, who knows.

if you want it, it's in your budget it...get it...and enjoy

(ps: I more or less surf, use photoshop, write papers, listen to music, etc. w/my MBP)


edit: to answer a couple of your other questions - I had one of the "new" first-gen 2006 MBPs with the notorious whine. I had no trouble getting Apple to replace my motherboard for one which didn't whine and overheat without Applecare. Apple really takes care of people, at least in my experience.

also, it's likely that any future updates to the MBP line won't be anything that you would particularly need. The advantage for you would be, if you wait for the updates...you could get the pervious gen for less money...maybe what? $150-$200 less? Possibly more.

thanks sooo much for your input!
guess I'll be getting one sunday.
and
Is 2.4 GHZ still good and speedy?
Can you buy an SSD later on?

 

[Neolithium]

thanks sooo much for your input!
Is 2.4 GHZ still good and speedy?
Can you buy an SSD later on?

For what stuff you listed:
Yes
SSD Later on:
Yes

 

[frunkis54]

I'm young, and I've been saving my money.
I am going to use my Christmas money to get the MBP the day after.
I'm really exited, but I want to know what I will be gaining from this purchase.
I really want a mac, and I've wanted one all along. Last year I got an HP DV6 15'' with great specs and I paid $800-something for it when it was all said and done. Don't get my wrong, it's a really good computer, just after purchasing my iPhone 4 over the summer I want something different that has a good build quality.
MacBook Pro LOOKS really nice. I can only afford the 13" STANDARD though.

Is it still nice?
Is it fast? (I mostly browse, itunes, skype and do photoshop.)
Will I like it?
Is the screen too small, after coming from a 15"?
Will it last me?
Will I get the same protection from the one year warranty as I would from applecare? and later, can I buy the apple care from the apple store even if I don't buy the computer from there?

I also see a deal online from a website that's an authorized retailer selling it for $999. You order it online, but you pick it up from the store. Thing is, the store isn't in my area. Could I print out the webpage and show them? They have to match the price.

OVERALL, Is it worth it?

OH and is there a choice between antiglare and glossy with the 13"?
If so, which one is better?

friendly tip when you reply to multiple people next to the quote button is a +quote you can hit that and then reply to each person in one post instead of making multiple posts.

ok the 13" mbp is a great computer and well worth it. it will do all those things you describe just fine. I personally wouldn't get the applecare but that is each there own.

thanks sooo much for your input!
guess I'll be getting one sunday.
and
Is 2.4 GHZ still good and speedy?
Can you buy an SSD later on?

yes it is speedy enough for most things.
yes you can add one later and it would be cheaper to get one elsewhere. it is very easy to upgrade the hardrive in a mac.

 

[britneyfan]

friendly tip when you reply to multiple people next to the quote button is a +quote you can hit that and then reply to each person in one post instead of making multiple posts.

ok the 13" mbp is a great computer and well worth it. it will do all those things you describe just fine. I personally wouldn't get the applecare but that is each there own.



yes it is speedy enough for most things.
yes you can add one later and it would be cheaper to get one elsewhere. it is very easy to upgrade the hardrive in a mac.

My computer right now is 2.2 ghz right now so it should be better.
I can't wait!

 

[i3igsmooth5769]

I purchased the 13" MBP from microcenter and its been such a great experience. The build quality is excellent and it is just the right size considering i use it for university. It is so simple to use and more than suitable enough for my needs---word processing, photo editing,music,browsing the internet. My advice is if you need it now or cant wait till the next revision, buy it and dont look back.