First time Mac buyer, advice please.

[BigRoobyBooby]

Hi,

Im new to this site so I apologise in advance if I break some form of unwritten rules.

Anyway heres the problem, ive used Windows based PC's for years and to be hoest im getting sick of them, my best friend has used Mac's for years and is a big advocate of them.

So ive decided that I want a Mac notebook, either the 13' Macbook or the 13' Mac Book Pro both with the 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo, but im stuck on a few issues I hope you can help.

1.) Is it worth me waiting until later in the year as it seems that each system is subject to bi-yearly improvements, estimating that the update maybe in October/November this year?

2.) Which would be a better for my needs, im not a professional the notebook would purely be used for home computing purposes.

I would be sincerely grateful for any assistance any of you could provide.

 

[quin]

No, it's not worth it to wait. Buy it and enjoy it. The MBP 13 is more than good for home user. Unless you are a graphic professional, gaming or do a lot number crunching computing, having a 15" or 17" is just more icing on the cake.

 

[northrnchimp]

It seems unlikely there'll be any major refresh of hardware this year, as the last one was only April, and Snow Leopard will not be getting any major changes for a while either, so now is a good time to buy.

And for home use there's not a great deal of difference between the two models, it's largely down to aesthetics. But most of your time is spent looking at the display, and the Pro version has a better display quality (contrast/colour etc).

I just swapped over to a Macbook Pro 13 after years of using PCs and I'm very happy with it.

 

[schizzo_fg]

I was torn as well when I was in the market for a laptop a few months ago. I decided to go with the Macbook Pro 13", 2.4 Ghz Inte Core Duo. It gets the job done and I do a little more with it than what it seems like you're going to be doing... ... so... ... Great buy, no drawbacks so far. Go for the 13" and save the extra $ for some upgrades later on (more RAM, bigger hard drives... ..

 

[BigRoobyBooby]

Cheers

Thanks for the answers so far everyone.

I guess what im also thinking about is sure the MBP loks nicer ad i have heard there issome slight screen difference, but do youthink the difference for a home user like me is worth the extra cost?

The only hardware difference is that the MBP has 4GB of ram as appose to the 2GB on the MB, im not going to be performing memory intesive tasks and even so I could get 2GB of Ram to install myself for cheaper that the difference between the two models.

Can you try and illistrate to e why the MVP is worth paying the extra for.

Thanks in advance.

 

[wanderer13]

I had exactly the same question after deciding to switch to a mac last month- regular or pro? I went for the pro mostly because of the option to add ram later. 4 GB is good for now, but hopefully I'll get a few years of use out of it and may want more later. The macbook maxes out at 4GB.

Other pluses for the pro were definitely a better screen (I noticed a big difference, even with the regular's newest screen) that is easier on my eyes and the backlit keyboard. I also consider the aluminum body a plus for it's ability to distribute and release heat, being easily recyclable, and possibly more durable- but there is disagreement in the aluminum v. plastic debate. Some feel plastic is more durable. The pro also has a firewire port and an SD slot.

Doing the ram upgrade yourself on the MB will save you $50-60 off the $100 they charge to do it for you. With an edu discount and upgrades to the regular macbook the difference b/w models was under $100, which I considered worth it.

As always, it just comes down to what you'll use it for. Hope this helps!