*sigh* still can't decide..

Hey there forum! =)

How're you doing all today? Weather's been nice on me, so I'm doing great ^^
Went to the Apple Retail Store once more to check out the MacBook and the MacBook Pro 13''.. and I still can't decide wheter to take the MacBook or the MacBook Pro..

I can cough up the money now to buy a MBP, but the MacBook is €225,- cheaper here than the base 13'' MacBook Pro model which I could spend on an Intel SSD (X25-M 80GB).
It's not that I don't like the MacBook.. It looks great, feels rather good and the keys are great. Screen is awesome too.
I'm just scared I'll regret getting the MacBook over the MacBook Pro because it's aluminium and it just 'feels' better, the more vibrant colours on the screen and the backlit keyboard.

The MacBook would cost me €825,- and the base 13'' MBP would cost me €1050,-. I have €1250,- to spend on my MacBook (Pro).

What would be your advice or what would you personally do? Maybe some people could post their experiences they've had with theit MacBooks and MacBook Pro's so far? I think it would be a great help for me deciding what to choose.

You don't want buyer's remorse.

Get the MacBook Pro. =)

The backlit keyboard is to die for!!

I would either cough up for the MBP.
What I would really do personally is wait until I could afford the 15", esp as the new line won't be too much longer until they hit the shelves, and that will either tempt you to get the new model, or pay less for a better model that's available now.
When I say won't be long, I suspect withing a couple of months.
If it can't wait, I'd certainly be going the MBP not only to have firewire, backlit keyboard and bling, but also for resale value.

Another course of action would be to get the MacBook and have upgrades installed. More RAM, bigger hard disk, get some software thrown in. Essentially build a better "bundle" by buying the less expensive base model and making up the difference in goodies!

New line coming

Just read this at Mac Rumors

New Hexacore Mac Pros Next Tuesday? - Mac Rumors

Not the rumor forum, but it may help in this decision.

It is what I have been waiting for. I'll be soon buying the new MBP 17".

dc

i would go for the mbp when i was searching for the right mac for me i just had to bite the bullet and get the one i want and not settle. if u use yours for a few years like me i would get what you want.

I would go with the MacBook Pro. SSDs are still in their infancy and OS X doesn't yet support the TRIM command, so in time it will slow down until Apple gets their act together. Also by this time next year, the 256GB SSDs will be in the $450-500 range and you'll be kicking yourself if you spend that much on a paltry 80GB drive today.

Uchiha1911 said:

I'm just scared I'll regret getting the MacBook over the MacBook Pro

Click to expand...

I think you answered your own question ;P

6string said:

I would either cough up for the MBP.
What I would really do personally is wait until I could afford the 15", esp as the new line won't be too much longer until they hit the shelves, and that will either tempt you to get the new model, or pay less for a better model that's available now.
When I say won't be long, I suspect withing a couple of months.
If it can't wait, I'd certainly be going the MBP not only to have firewire, backlit keyboard and bling, but also for resale value.

Click to expand...

I'll be getting the 13' not because I can't afford the 15', I want something that fairly portable and still great so the 13 inch fits me better.
I do agree with you on the update, although I can't wait a couple of months more.. I think I'll be making my purchase when April hits.. so if the updates are due this month it would be ideal.

alexsd123 said:

You don't want buyer's remorse.

Get the MacBook Pro. =)

The backlit keyboard is to die for!!

Click to expand...

That's certainly not what I want, I don't want myself banging my head into the wall for making the wrong purchase. As some other people suggested, I'll just get what I want. I'll go with the MacBook Pro base 13' model when April hits; with or without the update =)

I think I will be extremely satisfied, not only because of the backlit keyboard and the overall better feel the laptop has but also because a friend of mine lend me his for 3 days and it was lightning fast and worked very smoothly.

I'll upgrade the RAM to 4GB and get myself a nice sleeve, which would bring the total pricing around €1175,-.
Would I be better of letting Apple upgrade my RAM (note the 8% educational discount) or should I get myself a Crucial 2x2GB kit?

Also, SSD's will befome a lot less expensive than they're now in the coming year; so I think I'll buy one when the prices have dropped a bit.

dcollens said:

Just read this at Mac Rumors

New Hexacore Mac Pros Next Tuesday? - Mac Rumors

Not the rumor forum, but it may help in this decision.

It is what I have been waiting for. I'll be soon buying the new MBP 17".

dc

Click to expand...

Would it be a possibility the new MacBook Pro line will be introduced on the same day as the Mac Pro (of they are to be released this friday/tuesday, that is)?

I was in the same boat as you for pretty much the same reasons, read this, it may or may not help, but bottom line is I couldn't be happier with my purchase

http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/switcher-hangout/193914-recent-switcher-my-story.html

Get the MBP - I have the Black MacBook which I love to bits, but I always wished I'd spent a little more on a Pro.

However, wait until the end of next week - there is a rumor of a refresh being imminent, and if you can get an i7 or i5 in the machine, it's a huge jump of the Core 2.

Andy007 said:

I was in the same boat as you for pretty much the same reasons, read this, it may or may not help, but bottom line is I couldn't be happier with my purchase

http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/switcher-hangout/193914-recent-switcher-my-story.html

Click to expand...

It was a great read, thanks for that =)

How are you experiences so far with the MacBook?
Does it get dirty easily (on the back) and do the palmrests get 'sticky' after using it for a while?

Zoolook said:

Get the MBP - I have the Black MacBook which I love to bits, but I always wished I'd spent a little more on a Pro.

However, wait until the end of next week - there is a rumor of a refresh being imminent, and if you can get an i7 or i5 in the machine, it's a huge jump of the Core 2.

Click to expand...

Why would this be imminent?
The Core i3/i5/i7 machines (if announced) are going to be awesome I guess =)

Went to the Apple Store once again today, and after using the white MacBook for a while (~30 minutes) whilst chatting with a Genius made me choose for the white MacBook. When laying next to the MacBook Pro 13' (lid open and closed) the white one gives me this little extra bit of a *drool* factor.

I like it better overall, the design is slicker. Depends on your style/taste I guess. The plastic doesn't feel cheap, AT ALL.
Besides that I think it looks better and that it's lightning fast already, I'll have more room for upgrades and/or accessiores to buy =)
I was thinking of buying a Time Capsule along with it, which would eventually cost me €125,- because I'll split that with my dad. We need a NAS (and it'll be great for backing up my system), would it be a good idea to get one? ^^

Also, I'll be upgrading the RAM to 4GB, which would make it run even smoother!

All in all, what do you guys think?

Congrats! I'm currently (on and off again) going through the same thing as my fiance and I shop for computers. I'm buying a used 15" Pro that is 6 months old for me and she is getting either the white MB or the base 13" MBP. She is pretty much sold on the 13" white MB as it is a nice step up from her 5 year old ibook 12". After visting the Apple store a few times and looking at them side to side here are a few things I noticed...

1) The MBP screen is considerably brighter/deeper (both had their brightness at 100%) next to the white MB. I can only assume this is bc the MBP has a glass screen and the MB has a plastic one.

2) The white display model appeared to have some scratches already on the palm rests. Ofcourse, these display models are man handled by everyone that walks through the door but the MBP's looked brand new. Something to think about it you're super pilly about that sort of stuff (raises hand).

3) The white MB looks to be more limited in it's upgrade potential than the MBP. I don't think, from my reading of the specs and talking to a genuis bar rep, that you can use a SSD in the MB and still be covered under Apple Care (heat issues???) and it looks like the max you can upgrade the RAM to is 4GB vs 8GB on the MBP.

4) It is curious that the less expensive MB handily outmatches the MBP in hard drive capacity. I certainly hope this is addressed in the MBP refresh.

Despite all of that, she still picked the white one...mainly for appearance (which I admit is important) and the fact that it matches her white iphone 3GS. She never once complained about her trusty G4 ibook 12" in the past five years so the white MB seems like a nice successor. Honestly, it's hard to go wrong with either.

And I'm with you 100000000% on either model being more than adequate for our rather mundane needs (word processing, itunes, web/email, light photo editing) for years to come. To give some perspective, the 15" MBP will be replacing my barely functional 15" Toshiba Satellite that will celebrate it's 5th bday in a few months and can barely get out of it's own way with it's 1.7Ghz Celeron/512 RAM/55GB harddrive bad self, so needless to say I'm gong to be like a kid in the candy store for years to come.