MacBook or MacBook Pro?

[Veej]

Sorry if this is in the wrong section but I've just got a question for those you who own the 13" MBs and the 15" MBPs.
I'm a student thinking of getting a MacBook (not sure yet whether pro or glossy) and although I'd love the portability of a 13" book, I'd still like to have the benefits of the Pro from time to time so I'm stumped as to whether I should get the larger (Pro) or not...

This'll be my first Apple product and I currently use my PC for:

1. Lots of writing tasks
2. Some minimal graphics design (I'm not a pro - the 1280x1024 res. on my current PC is more than enough!)
3. Some web design and coding
4. Quite a bit of internet surfing
(I don't do any gaming at all)

I'd also like to start hobby video editing with the MacBook I get and I've seen that even the standard one is capable of this.

The question is that yes, a MacBook would be enough 8 times out of 10 for my uses but is it worth having the Pro (which is only 1 inch deeper and 1 inch wider) just for the other 2 times?

Cheers for the feedback, much appreciated!

[jaywong87]

No gaming? Then the Macbook Pro doesnt seem to really fit your needs. I've seen plenty of professional movie editors, photo editors, music editors use Macbooks. The need for a MBP is for people who game, or does 3D editing/animation.

It'd be nice to have the MBP, no doubt.

[Gbeav]

Macbook should be good enough for you.

[Veej]

Cheers for the responses, forgot to mention I'll also be using it to deliver presentations (some where I'll have access to a projector others where I'll have to use laptops display)...

The main concern for me is that the Pro is only an inch deeper and an inch wider and weighs about the same - I'm not too worried about the price difference and fancy the additional gig of RAM - so how does a pro compare to the standard in terms of portability?

Cheers!

[Village Idiot]

You can always get an external monitor for your house/dorm room and plug the MB in when you're there so you don't have to sit and stare at that 13" screen.

The only downside in your case is that the max resolution on an external monitor is something like 1920x1200 (26"ish) when compared to the MBP's 2650xsomefreakingredonkulous number (30"). The only reason that would really matter is if you're hooked up to a projector that likes the larger resolution better. I don't know about standard projector resolutions though, so you might want to research that.

The pro is heavier. It really does look light, but it's not really imo. It's still very portable. I have two laptops, a 17" Dell notebook and a 15" MBP. The MBP is pretty much the only one that ever leaves the house and I take it every where I need it, so portability is definitely not an issue. The 13" is going to be smaller and easier to carry of course, but I don't think it'll matter that much if you choose one over the other.

[Veej]

Thanks Village Idiot (you're name really doesn't suit the advice you give!) - you've pushed me more or less over to the MBP side now.

I'd love a MBP just because well, not every other tom, **** and harry has one (like in the case of the macbook) and I could also use the extra RAM and processing power. Seeing as portability is not an issue, I think I'll go for the pro.

Cheers

[Veej]

Oh yeah one more thing!

Is there any difference is sound quality and in the amount of heat they give out? I've got an old Dell laptop on my lap at the moment and it gets very hot which is annoying - how are MacBook (Pro)'s when it comes to this?

[margaret438]

take a closer look at the specs regarding your design and video needs. something about the video card, i think, but i'm so new at this myself. i selected the pro over the macbook because of that.

also consider how long you'd like to keep it. my daughter had a dell laptop (what we replaced) that ran hot it would always shut down and only lasted a little bit more than 3yrs. i was looking for something with a little bit more of a 'future' since we don't replace whenever a new one comes out.

[kfordham281]

If you're still on the fence about what to get, check out this comparison chart I put together.

http://applemachq.com/2008/01/31/cho...mparison-chart

[Veej]

If you're still on the fence about what to get, check out this comparison chart I put together.

http://applemachq.com/2008/01/31/cho...mparison-chart

Thanks both for your views and kfordham, interesting comparison and btw, if you're a blogger you should check out Blogger To Blogger.

What I really want assurance on is how portable the MacBook is. I know it's pretty light compared to Windows equivalents but is it still portable enough to carry around almost everywhere? I'll be taking it/from college a lot!

[elma]

I think if you can afford MBP get that instead.
I chose a mb 2.2 purely because it was the best I could afford which would suit my needs.
Given more money A 15" MBP would have been my choice.
I thought the sound was better on the MBP and I liked the 15" screen.
The 13" is fine, but the 15 is nicer.
As for portability I dont think theres anything in it.
The 13 and the 15 are both a pleasent size to carry around.
I didnt like the 17" though as it was too big for carrying around everyday.
Also, if they offered light up keys on the mac book that would have made my day, don't really need them but I would have bought the mbp just for that if I could've spent that much money.

[mac57]

I just went through this myself and finally selected the lowest end MacBook Pro vs. a fully loaded MacBook.

For me, a fully loaded MacBook would cost $1450.00. That is simply taking the stock 13" white model (didn't want the lowest end MacBook due to the lack of Superdrive) and upping it to 2 GB of RAM. For another $550, I could get the lowest end stock 15" MacBook Pro. So what does the extra $550 get you? Well:

1/ Bigger screen
2/ Better screen - glossy!
3/ nVidia graphics vs. onboard shared memory graphics
4/ Much nicer keyboard (IMHO)
5/ Illuminated keyboard
6/ Firewire 800
7/ More attractive look

To me, looked at this way, it was a "no brainer". It was worth the $550.

That's my two cents (well actually I suppose, my $550! )

p.s.> I have had my MacBook Pro for five days now and I can honestly report that I am delighted with it. It is a wonderful machine.

[Veej]

Just to let you guys know, I went for the Mac Book Pro mainly due to the bigger screen and because I wanted to do video editing etc. on it - it's essentially replacing a (Windows) desktop so needs to be up to the mark.

I was initially regretting going for the glossy screen because I read a lot on it but it's fab! Much better than even a Windows Vista Sony Vaio laptop glossy screen.

It's gonna take a while to get used to, but I think we (me and the macbook) will get on just fine!!

Cheers for the help - much appreciated, thanks everyone!