Why did you choose MacBook over Pro?

[GarrettB]

This was absolutely a no brainer for me. My next laptop, and my first foray in Apple, needed to be a dedicated academic machine.

Lifestyle changes have pried me away from games, and the whole idea of laptop gaming is very silly and inefficient. Thus far, my productivity has skyrocketed without a Team Fortress 2 icon glaring at me between paragraphs.

The wireless is impeccable.

The size is much more attuned to a portable workstation. 15" or so would be appropriate too, but 13", for size, and combined with Spaces, is just about perfect.

At first I really, really disliked the glossy screen. Hated it. About two months into it I really like it. I never use my MacBook with the sun behind me, so I can see where it would be a problem, but the glossy screen makes it easy to read and is very clear and crisp for the rest of my work.

With 4GB I can do anything I need or want to do with photos, video, and any parts of the CS3 Suite.

Would an extra grand or so be worth the larger screen and dedicated graphics card? When you're playing Go as your only computer game, no.

 

[Mr Black]

Price, My personal needs (Nothing too graphics intensive), and the smaller size. I certainly would take a MBP if it was closer in price to my MB but I also got the High end MB (See Sig) so there weren't too many differences aside from the lack of a dedicated graphics card.

 

[lostfan916]

MBP are too expensive for me, and I don't need it right now. I'm just a senior in high school so I'll mainly use it for school stuff.

I'm going to major if Graphic Design so this baby should do me good.....so maybe in a few years when I work for Apple, I'll be able to grab me a MBP

 

[unwinded]

I have an odd story. I started out with a white core duo Macbook (the first one). I really wanted the Macbook Pro at the time but didn't want to pay the extra money. Six months later I said "what the heck" and sold the Macbook and bought the Macbook Pro (core 2 duo at that time).

I was disappointed. I actually preferred the chicklet keyboard (which I believe is an evolution in keyboard design and allows us to type faster). I also missed the magnetic latch (when I first got it, I kept pulling on the lid wondering why it wouldn't budge). The backlit keyboard sounds nice but didn't turn on enough and was a useless novelty. The extra screen size and resolution also wasn't a big deal. Finally, the aluminum casing scratched and dented quite easily compared to the plastic Macbook. I took great care of it too! And the wi-fi signal strength was pretty weak.

It did, however, play games quite nicely. But in six month, I never played one game on it other than a couple demos or a benchmarks. I guess I liked having the ability to play games more than actually playing games.

So, I sold it for a core 2 white Macbook which I've had ever since and now I know better. The $600 difference can buy a DS, PSP, and a 360.

 

[mike12806]

A blackbook is 150 bucks more expensive for the colour, you realise that right?

My blackbook was more expensive because it had a 160 gb hd versus the white macbook's 80 gig hd. I guess you could custom configure a white macbook to those specs....but that was my rationalization

 

[Techguy172]

I mostly got mine because of finance other than that I would have gotten the Pro.

 

[daneoni]

Because i had another main heavy lifting computer in the iMac. So for on the go use i didn't need too much power. If this was going to be a primary machine i'd get the MacBook Pro...no question.

 

[faroukabad]

I got the MB because I didn't want to have to take the whole laptop apart just to change out the hard drive. I saw an online instruction on taking apart the MBP to upgrade it, and it convinced me to go with the macbook. I kind of wish I could do some gaming on it, but..........

 

[SpongyDaPorus]

Let this sound like a flame or whatever, i think everyone would be a lot better off not buying one of these. Sure, it looks nice, and i am a mac user for a while now, and this is pathetic. This macbook pro has never been right;

-out of the box, it shocks you, off the edges of the shell and at the trackpad, other users too have noted this proof

-the heat is awfull, why the hell didn't apple put a decent heatsink in this baby? proof

-the wireless card is weak as hell, it doesn't even reach to were my old ibook g4 (rip) used to reach too, nor my cheap wirless dongle proof

-the fans are noisy, and don't seem to do a damn thing, regardless of how fast they whine proof

-the audio input doesn't work well, and the optical out pin constantly gets stuck, cutting off the onbord audio, and the input doesn't work as a microphone jack (it should) proof

-my left usb port doesn't work half the time with quite a number of devices


Just a few things, all in all guys, i want my money back, this is too much really to keep dealing with. Alas, it is past the 30 day period, and unless you will refund me, i am a student with no money, stuck with this pathetic lump.

Delete this post, i don't care, maybe some people will read this, and heed my warning.

 

[MediaRyan]

Ouch.


Ok, anyone out there currently running Final Cut Pro or Final Cut Studio as a whole on their MacBook? And satisfied?

 

[sushi]

The reason the MB was an afterthought was, the MBP has a FAR better video card, Santa Rosa platform (800Mhz FSB instead of 667Mhz), bigger screen, higher RAM capacity (4Gig max instead of 2) and more professional aluminum look. (I am not a PRO yet, but I graduate college this December)

Good points.

price. not everybody can afford the most expensive thing so you have to make compromises

So true.

Another selling point for me (along with the much lower cost) was the user replaceable hard drive.

I wish the MBP had this feature as well.

You are quite correct. The difference is only 0.2 pounds, or 3.2 ounces.

Yep, for all practical purposes, the MB and MBP weigh the same.

My laptops take a beating and a MBP simply isn't a true portable in that regard.

The MBP is somewhat durable. Dropped mine a few times. But the MB seems much more durable and is better suited for those on the go and just want to throw their laptop in a bag.

Here are the reasons that I would choose a MBP over a MB:

- Screen. Simple. I detest glossy screens. The only way to get a matte screen is via the MBP.

- Keyboard. For a touch typer, the MBP keyboard is still better. Plus it's backlit which is handy in low light situations.

- Larger screen area. More room to play.

- Better graphics support. Provides more flexibility.

- PCI Express slot. This provides many options.

- DVI out. Don't need an adapter.

Here are the reasons that I would choose a MB over a MBP:

- Black color. Love it.

- User replaceable HD. This is really a cool feature.

- Size. While not much smaller in width and depth, and a little thicker, it still feels much smaller for some reason.

- Durability. The MB seems a lot more durable for those who want to throw it in their backpack to carry it.

If I had to choose today, it would either be a black MB or a low end MBP, but I am leaning towards the MBP due to the reasons above.

Who knows, maybe Apple will introduce a MBP 12 or 13 inch during MWSF. If so, I am there.

 

[Sceneshifter]

Ouch.


Ok, anyone out there currently running Final Cut Pro or Final Cut Studio as a whole on their MacBook? And satisfied?

I am and everything except Colors (colors simply doesn't work on MB I think, they fixed some issues with the patch but it still crashes, so I think it's never going to function) is working ok. I'm not a pro at video editing, as I said earlier, we received a package from work when all switched to Macs, why, I don't know but I don't mind. With a fast external harddrive I don't seem to have any problems running FCP & Motion, I mean I can run everything just fine. But Colors will NOT function, ever.

I have the new MB, so it's the same as the current MBP except for the GPU & Screensize. This is also the reason why I didi'nt buy a MBP, for that money which in my case would be solely for a better GFX card which in my case would be put to use only for the occasional FPS game I can save the money and buy both an Xbox and a PS3, ridiculous!

 

[Ilovemygeek]

I went with Macbook b/c I was sick of the yellow tint issue on the Macbook Pro, I was tired of having to trade them in b/c they were pee colored.

 

[skyrider007]

My MBP rarely show signs of pee colour, only a very slight yellow tint hardly noticeable if viewed at a strange angle. Anyway I had the money and the MBP looked sexier IMO, that's some of the reasons why I bought it.

 

[Ilovemygeek]

Yeah sadly all 3 of my MBP were yelllow. I had the money too and thought about bumping up to the 17inch, but I had to face it I'm a (almost) 5'4 woman and the darn thing would almost be bigger then me.

 

[CalBoy]

-out of the box, it shocks you, off the edges of the shell and at the trackpad, other users too have noted this proof

This isn't the main topic of this thread, but I have to ask you: do you get shocked when you use the grounder? I've found that people who use only the double-pronged plug get shocked while the ones who use the triple-pronged plug don't. It makes sense when you think about it, so I was wondering if you had tried that.

As for the rest of your post, yes, the mbps have been problematic in the past (and in some cases, still are). However, I find mine to be problem-free (hardware wise-I have had a few issues with Leopard but nothing major). How old is your mbp?

 

[72930]

Mainly the price...

The magnetic closing and durability are great...I've even dropped this lappy a few times and it shows no signs

 

[heatmiser]

Yeah, I dropped my (open) Macbook from arm height a few days ago. Picked it up, took it back to the couch, continued to use it. Didn't skip a beat.

 

[cwheatley]

i bought a MB about three weeks or so ago, and i wouldn't trade it for the world. i have spent quite a lot of time on my uncle's MBP, but it seems entirely too large and awkward for my taste. i can understand getting a pro for the extra horsepower, but unless you're a graphic designer or something like that, it really isn't necessary.

edit:

oh and if you're a gamer, it would be much more financially viable to just buy a desktop. in my opinion, anyway. i'm not much of a gamer, but if i were going to purchase a computer for that, i would go for the desktop hands down. i don't really see the point of getting a pro for gaming, unless you just HAVE to game everywhere you go

 

[djellison]

Hey guys!
And why did you choose the macbook over the pro?

Price. I wasn't prepared to pay £1600 for a laptop on a platform I hadn't tried before - hence I got a refurb MB (for £615ish)

However, the palmrest is cracking in two different places, it gives me electric shocks, the arrow keys (particularly left) are unsensitive. It is under warrenty until May - so just before that I will get these issues fixed and then sell it to get whatever small laptop Apple unveil in Jan, as long as Leopard is fixed with some .2 updates - otherwise I'll probably switch back to a PC laptop - there are some frankly awesome machines available for the price of any MBP.

Doug

 

[ktbubster]

Let this sound like a flame or whatever, i think everyone would be a lot better off not buying one of these. Sure, it looks nice, and i am a mac user for a while now, and this is pathetic. This macbook pro has never been right;

-the heat is awfull, why the hell didn't apple put a decent heatsink in this baby? proof

-the wireless card is weak as hell, it doesn't even reach to were my old ibook g4 (rip) used to reach too, nor my cheap wirless dongle proof

-the fans are noisy, and don't seem to do a damn thing, regardless of how fast they whine proof

-the audio input doesn't work well, and the optical out pin constantly gets stuck, cutting off the onbord audio, and the input doesn't work as a microphone jack (it should) proof

-my left usb port doesn't work half the time with quite a number of devices


Just a few things, all in all guys, i want my money back, this is too much really to keep dealing with. Alas, it is past the 30 day period, and unless you will refund me, i am a student with no money, stuck with this pathetic lump.

Delete this post, i don't care, maybe some people will read this, and heed my warning.

Ummm I'm sorry, but why make this post with "proof" ? what do you have to gain? SO what if it is past the 30 day period? You have a freak year worth of applecare, why don't you "GASP" call apple or take this to an apple store or certified tech and get it looked at.

The USB port would be covered by apple, the heat thing, if really bad with temp stats might warrant a replacement (my mbp is COOOOLLLLL not hot at all!) the fan thing should be fixed. My fans RARELY go on at all!

the audio input should be covered too! It should work fine. I haven't had problems with mine either!

All the problems you stated (other then the shock thing, although mine doesn't do that either) should be covered by applecare and fixed. Just talk to them.

Next time, before you go off and whine about something, why don't you just call apple and see what they can do for you? You clearly have some defects. Get over it and get it fixed. and the "blah blah blah - i shouldn't have to" - is a load of crap. Electronics always have a failure rate, your problems are pretty small, and using forums as proof is a skewed sample, as well as an apple DEFECTS page... as people come to complain and ask for help, not to gloat about their awesome machines.

These are cleary DEFECTS. All covered by your standard year of applecare. If it's already been over a year, then, well, you are just stupid for not getting it looked at sooner.

If you still don't like your macbook pro, then you are clearly just stuck and shouldn't own one. Sell it on ebay, get a pretty decent chunk of change for it and pick up a normal macbook or some windoze box.

 

[SLC Flyfishing]

I got the macbook because I'm a student and I walk on the order of 10+ miles a day to and from classes. I wanted it to be small and light as well as powerful. The MBP was never really an option for me, though I might have splurged for it if there were a 13 incher available. I don't play games (outside of the really weak ones like Sim City 4, and I don't edit video or do anything 3D so the extra graphics processing power isn't worth it for me. I also got mine before the MBP went to Santa Rosa so the RAM potential for the two was the same (as it now again is). I also didn't have much need for the extra USB and firewire ports or the PCI card slot so the choice for me really was easy.

About the most intensive thing I do with my macbook is photo-editing, 2 GB of RAM and a 2 GHz processor make it so Photoshop CS3 extended runs really well (in my experience anyway) and so I see no immediate need for anything more powerful.

SLC

 

[Hustle]

The price. I'm a full time college student and couldn't even afford a Macbook. I had to get one on Finance which worked out that i was paying back £1100.

I could have gotten a Pro for that with Student Discount, but hay, thats what you pay when you get things on the tick.

 

[Rhodan]

-out of the box, it shocks you, off the edges of the shell and at the trackpad, other users too have noted this proof

-the heat is awfull, why the hell didn't apple put a decent heatsink in this baby? proof

I agree.

I borrowed my friends 17" MBP for a weekend to get a feel for it. I also noticed the electric shocks. He says this is "normal", as all the users in his office report the same. I noticed the heat was quite unbearable as well.

 

[ktbubster]

this is NOT normal with the new ones. Many of my classmates have pros and they are fine, as is my dad's (his is a CD even!) and mine runs really cool. The fan rarely go on, and when they do they run pretty near silent.

I'm still not getting this electric shock thing. I have never had a problem like with either of mine, my dad's or classmates. Maybe it is normal on the 17inchers now? but my dad's CD 17inch doesn't have that problem that I can tell either!

Weird.