Waiting and Wondering about new Macbooks

[PVIllustration]

I have had my 15" MBP for about a week and a half. Never really had first hand experience with a Mac before that. So, you are like me a couple of weeks ago.

All I can say is; don't be frightened. The switch from Win to Mac is very light. Watch a few of the Win->Mac switching movies on www.apple.com and you are set to go.

Yes, you can go deeper if you want in OSX, but in an hour you will already be familiar with the few OSX oddities that set it apart from Win. From there on it's up to you how hardcore you want to go in OSX.

 

[maflynn]

I recommend you head down to your local apple store try both out and see what you want. Also you need to determine your budget. How much are you willing to spend.

The 13" MBP is a great computer but you don't get the matte screen option or the discreet GPU. Depending on your needs and what you plan on needing it for the discreet GPU may be a non-negotiable.

For me, I have a 15" MBP with the dual GPUs but found out afterwards the software I thought that needed the 9600 ran fine on the 9400. While I have no buyers remorse I say this to illustrate the point that you need to do your research. We here cannot do that for you. We can only offer you our opinions and typically those opinions conflict with each other. One says get the 13" the other 15" etc.

Personally using it for school and the limited budgets that most students have, I'd say the 13" may make more sense but that all depends on how you plan on using it.

 

[Azathoth]

I can't believe you're going to buy a mac, sight-unseen". You haven't done the proper research if you haven't even used one. And coming to a mac fanboy forum is going to get you nothing but biased answers.

There is one underlying difference in between the PC/Mac operating systems... Windows is much more keyboard friendly whereas OSX has been "dumbed down" to make you more dependent on the mouse. And the File system on the mac (Finder) is pretty basic as well - very much inferior to Windows.

As far as the build quality in macs, there's no equivalent in the PC world as far as I'm concerned. It's the main reason I switched.

Haha, and I'm gewtting the opposite impression - there are few laptops in the PC world that require a 'logic board replacement' as frequently as a macbook!

To the OP: I would really consider using a good amount of time in the Apple store. As a long time Windows / Linux user, I don't find OS X any more intuitive or use friendly - you'll get used to either. Stability-wise, a Windows PC with good drivers is pretty much as stable (same goes for Linux). Undoubtedly a couple of things are better under OS X - but I'm starting to feel that the grass is not necessarily greener. Check to see what the Uni's computer services recommend and support (regarding VPN etc).

 

[clyde2801]

Thanks guys... is the switch from pc to mac easy?? ive never used a mac in my life but with the research ive done they seem like they are well worth the money?? Assuming the MBP's get updated in February or March... would it be a design change or the regular spec bump and price drop??

If my 75 year old father can do it in a day, you can too.

Agree with above posters suggesting that you should do your own research on whether mac is for you, and on what model you should buy. Keep in mind that a mac system will run windows, but not vice versa.

And there is rumors of a macbook (not macbook pro) update, but you'll soon learn that apple rumors can often be unreliable and just flat out wrong. The rumor is that it will get a new design and a price drop.

If you've got a windows setup that does what you need it to do, it may be a wise choice to keep using it until it no longer does or it breaks. If you can use your current system for another year and save up more money in the meanwhile, it may give you more options if/when you do decide to visit the apple store.

Good luck.