Which Mac Laptop to buy for my son

[n3ra]

Good afternoon.

My son turns 13 in the next few weeks and I would like to buy him a laptop. We currently have a 4 year old mac laptop and definitely want to stay with Apple. We'll also be buying an iMac for the adults (so-called) in the house...

He will be doing web and blog work, word processing and other presentations, and other school type work. He would like to be able to have a audio keyboard hooked up as well as he like music.

What do you all recommend? MacBook or Pro. From what I can see, the only real advantage of the 13" pro is the SD slot. I might be missing something but the most recent incarnation of the MacBook seems pretty good.

Any suggestions of other software for him to consider??

One off the wall question is if anyone knows whether MS train simulator will run on a Mac using Fusion (or something else) and XP??

Any other suggestions are welcome as well.

Where do people usually have good success buying from?

Sorry for all the questions. Thanks much in advance.

Scott

 

[NeuralControl]

The MacBook is a solid choice for your soon. The new Unibody MacBooks are very much like the 13 inch MBPs. The processor is the same, and the hard drive is actually bigger. Save yourself a few hundred dollars and get the MacBook. You can put the money towards software or to get an even higher-speced iMac.
The train simulator should work just fine through Fusion or even Bootcamp.
People buy Macs from either Apple retail stores, Apple online store, Best Buy, or third-party online stores. Any of the above will be fine. I have had great success through the Apple retail stores and the Apple online store.
Best of luck.

 

[Primejimbo]

Personally I would go with a refurbished Macbook from Apple.com. You save a few $100 and get the same experience and you still get a year warranty and the option to get Apple Care for it. If you go new, get the Macbook it will be more than enough for a 13 yr old.
When my daughter graduates grade school I'll be looking at the refurbished store also for her.

 

[chipz]

Which Mac Laptop to buy for my son

I agree - the new MacBook will be more than sufficient for your son. Just load up on RAM as it's relatively inexpensive now and will help you to run programs faster. I second the recommendation to buy a refurbished MacBook from the Apple on-line store. They are very well refurbished and carry the full Mac 1 year warranty and can be upgraded to the full 3 year applecare program. I've dealt with refurbs in the past and couldn't tell the difference between a refurb unit and a brand new unit. Check with other Apple resellers on-line like SmallDog.co, MacMall.com and Newegg.com. They sell new and refurbished as well.

 

[smoked]

If you have a Microcenter near you, they are offering a $200 rebate on the Macbook.

 

[Kristenn]

I dunno about everyone else but I like to use the Apple Remote for slide shows. Does anyone know if the new MacBook lacks the IR receiver? I heard a rumor somewhere (maybe it was here) that it doesn't have it.

Other than that. I say it's a great deal. ^^

 

[NeuralControl]

I dunno about everyone else but I like to use the Apple Remote for slide shows. Does anyone know if the new MacBook lacks the IR receiver? I heard a rumor somewhere (maybe it was here) that it doesn't have it.

Other than that. I say it's a great deal. ^^

That is correct. The new MacBooks lack an IR receiver. You can however use the Remote application on an iPod Touch or iPhone to control iTunes.

 

[pellets007]

That is correct. The new MacBooks lack an IR receiver. You can however use the Remote application on an iPod Touch or iPhone to control iTunes.

The application only works on WiFi meaning that it is not feasible for school presentations.

 

[Ammo]

Get the new Macbook.

I know I'm the #1 cheerleader on this board of the new Macbook but I love this thing.