02-23-2006, 10:20 AM

Hi people i am new to this forum and new to all things mac and well i am thinking of buying a mac book pro for genral use, typing stuff, msn, and just surfing the web. It is also a lot of money and i was just wondering if getting one would be a good use of my money and do you think that this is a good piece of hardware for a first time mac user?

02-23-2006, 10:32 AM

Hi and Welcome!

Sounds like you're not requiring any pro apps, or processor intensive software, so it should be a safe bet.

If your worried about $$$ then maybe look for an older powerbook or the like. MBP is top spec and may be too much for your requirements.

02-23-2006, 11:44 AM

Originally Posted by Armenante

Hi people i am new to this forum and new to all things mac and well i am thinking of buying a mac book pro for genral use, typing stuff, msn, and just surfing the web. It is also a lot of money and i was just wondering if getting one would be a good use of my money and do you think that this is a good piece of hardware for a first time mac user?

Your uses sound more like what someone would get an iBook for than what someone would get a MacBook Pro for. Unless you want to REALLY future proof yourself, the MacBook pro is big time overkill.

02-23-2006, 02:14 PM

maybe but my mum said she will go halves on the price and i will be going to university in 2 years and the mac book pro should still be top of the line when i go there so it will be nice to use and it is alway nice to have so powerful hardware to show off to your friends :mac:

02-23-2006, 02:17 PM

oh yes and Discerptor i think an ibook would be too slow for me and i want to plug it into by hdtv and do a home media center type thing.

02-23-2006, 04:12 PM

wait to see what the new macbook (iBook) will be like.

I'm in the same boat as you, but don't want to spend LOTS of extra money just for a bigger screen. I don't do pro apps..etc. Also, the new ibook (macbook) will probably have a much higher resolution (1280x800) which is above 720p quality needed for HD. Don't know how much you'll need, but hold out a couple of weeks to see what apple puts on the table for the consumer line. Say the macbook is only $1399, with a student price of $1199, and the MBP is $1999 with a edu price of $1799...why spend $500 more than you have to?

02-23-2006, 04:44 PM

Originally Posted by Armenante

Hi people i am new to this forum and new to all things mac and well i am thinking of buying a mac book pro for genral use, typing stuff, msn, and just surfing the web. It is also a lot of money and i was just wondering if getting one would be a good use of my money and do you think that this is a good piece of hardware for a first time mac user?

Here is something to consider. When I purchased my iMac, I was in the same boat as you. Didn't really do much, e-mail, IM, Web, Quicken and basically just wanted something new and Apple fit the bill better than IBM/Dell/Gateway. Going back and forth between a Mini and an loaded 20" iMac, and decided on the iMac just for future growth. After purchasing my iMac and using the iLife software, my demands on the system have increased 100 fold. Creating Screen Shows with my pictures, exporting to iDVD, Creating/Rendering DVD's basically going nuts with the iLife Suite of applications. And I am so happy I paid for the additional capacity.

If it were my money, I would get the MacBook Pro and not look back. That's just me though, you spend it on what you want

Thanks,

02-24-2006, 02:36 AM

Originally Posted by Armenante

oh yes and Discerptor i think an ibook would be too slow for me and i want to plug it into by hdtv and do a home media center type thing.

Well, if you're going to be outputting to an HDTV, then yes, it's a good idea to get at least a PowerBook. Cheers on your upcoming Mac!