Which MacBook?

[Two-Four]

Hi, I'm in the market for a new laptop as my previous one died and I've made the decision to get a Mac. I'm not really sure what model is best for me and I'd like to avoid spending money for a model that is beyond my needs.

I have two years left of school in which I'll be doing programming, essay writing, creating spreadsheets, and doing other typical university tasks. In my spare time I'm going to be surfing the web and listening to music, but I'm also going to use Photoshop and record music with GarageBand. I'd also like to start learning web design.

I've read through spec comparisons between the models and right now I'm looking at the 15.4 MBP because I like the dedicated graphics card (this will be good for Photoshop?) and the Core i5 processor. But then again maybe this model is beyond what I need out of it. I've had a look at the Buying Guide and if something better is going to come along I don't mind waiting a few months.

As for a budget the I would like to go no higher than $2000 - I can be flexible though. Any help appreciated!

Thanks.

 

[Hellhammer]

If you can wait, wait, there should be an update within couple of months. It sounds like 13" MBP is fine for your needs though

 

[Two-Four]

If you can wait, wait, there should be an update within couple of months. It sounds like 13" MBP is fine for your needs though

Thank you for your reply. I start school again in May so I don't mind waiting until then.

 

[Hellhammer]

Thank you for your reply. I start school again in May so I don't mind waiting until then.

New MBPs should be out before May. You can then revive this thread if you still don't know which model to get

 

[xispec]

If you wait till May, they usually do a back to school promotion where you can get a free ipod touch (or anything less than 229) after mail in rebate.

 

[r0k]

For school, I recommend the smallest Macbook Air. It's incredibly light and would be a dream to take to classes. You could afford the 'Air AND an iPad on your budget. The only down side is the small internal storage. You will need to invest a hundred bucks in an external USB hard drive for bulky items like movies and large photo collections. As for the free iPod Touch, I got one when I purchased a 13 in MBP for my son to take off to college. He loves his MBP and I loved my 'Touch so much I wound up getting an iPhone roughly a year later. He's a music major and doesn't need huge amounts of hard drive space for his classes. He also uses professional music composition software which takes up no more than half a gig. If the 11 in MBA had been available at the time, I think I'd have gone that way instead. If you do get the free 'Touch, watch out. It's a gateway drug that leads you to the iPhone...