99.9% going to switch but i have questions

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Hello all. This is my first post obviously and I am looking for some guidance. I am currently just under three weeks from graduating from the University of Tampa with a BA in government and world affairs. I have been admitted and intend to go to Syracuse University School of Law beginning in the Fall. As such I am in the market for a laptop computer (which is required). I am really high on Apple having previously worked for Sony while in college and having salesmen routinely jump back and forth from Apple to Sony. Having compared notes i have pretty much decided I will be buying a Mac book or Mac book Pro for my laptop to begin law school. Now of course this is going to be an important decision for me, and i have a few questions to assist me in my journey.
First of all, I have been searching google for everything i can find on apple and their notebooks. There seems to be rumors that both the MB and MBP will be updated anytime from June-September. What is the consensus from those who know the most. As i wont need the notebook until the 3rd week in August I am inclined to wait until then, however if an update really isn't coming till the winter than I'll buy sooner.
Numero Dos- I need speed. My parents purchased me a Dell Dimension C summer before my freshmen year of college. Due to use and abuse by me this died this past winter 3.5 years of use isn't too bad i suppose but I definitely could have done better. I am currently using my moms ancient Dell Inspirion laptop which has 256MB of Ram (horrible i know). So i am looking for something that is lightning. This is the area i need the most help in, what to do, go pro or not to go pro. As of the current specs it seems i could do a few configurations. Get a Mac book, expand the Ram and go on my merry way. But something in me wants to buy the MBP. My reasons for this are 1. i don't think i would be happy with a 13' screen, although i will definitely have a desktop screen at my appt even taking it to class and such i will have many apps open at once, is 13' really enough? 2. processor and video card, what are the true differences with processing speeds 2.4 on the mac book vs the 2.4 pro and 2.5 pro will i truly see a difference. No i wont be doing any video editing or any of the things i have read a pro should be used for, but i am a speed junkie and am sick of being so slow. As this will need to be my primary computer till after law school (3 years) and possibly beyond (loans will kick in and kick my &@#%&@#%&@#%) i don't want to short change myself. I want the best thing possible, with price not really being an object, but i don't want to buy something ridiculous that i truly don't need.

Thank you for reading all of that

and thank you for the responses!

Jordan Haug
 
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1) Know one knows when the next update will be... If you don't want to wait.. get it now... if you really aren't going to use it until August.. wait.

2) The macbook will suit all your needs... but if you want the extra screen size, and $$ is no object... the 15" MBP may be perfect for you... for me (just my opinion) the 17" MBP is a monster... just plain huge.
 
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Jordan-
It will probably be out before August but everything will be 100% rumors or fake until Apple announces the new model on the day of its release. Last models were updated 3x a year and I think it was June or July last year when the mid-year model came out.

If you don't do anything intensive, you shouldn't notice a difference between the two models. The MBP is larger and it should last longer if you're looking for longevity.
 
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you dont need the 17" its just to big for a laptop
it really depends if you need a graphix card, cos with the pros you pay a premium for a sick GFXCard
so if you dont play much games or animate or anything like that then the standard will be fine
 
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My suggestion. One, as ride stated you don't really know. And a reason I don't feel like waiting for the revamp is if it is huge, there may be similar to first gen errors and bugs. If it isn't huge, it wasn't worth the wait. That's my opinion on that.

And for your speed issue, the MB is plenty fast for any basic functions. You will hardly notice any speed difference between MB and MBP for internet, music, DVD's and such. What the MBP has is the graphics card, which isn't needed unless you are doing graphic intensive things. As for your size concern, most of your work will probably be done on your own time as homework or independent study, and can be done on your external monitor. The 13" will be more portable, save you money on loans, and do everything you need it to be.

Long story short, I'd choose the MB in your situation.
 
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Rumors are just that ... rumors ... until Apple makes an official announcement. You can wait, if you want, but like every other hardware manufacturer, the 1st generation products usually have some bugs to work through. Also, I would not purchase a MB/MBP just a few weeks before school starts. You're going to need some time to adjust to your new OS.

As for which one to buy, the MacBook will serve you well. I'd upgrade the memory (crucial.com ... Apple charges too much for its memory) to at least 2GB.
 
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Rumors are just that ... rumors ... until Apple makes an official announcement. You can wait, if you want, but like every other hardware manufacturer, the 1st generation products usually have some bugs to work through. Also, I would not purchase a MB/MBP just a few weeks before school starts. You're going to need some time to adjust to your new OS.

As for which one to buy, the MacBook will serve you well. I'd upgrade the memory (crucial.com ... Apple charges too much for its memory) to at least 2GB.

Well spoken my friend... well spoken. Get used to OS and first bugs. This deserves a moment of silence.




Thank you.
 
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Way... way too many specs to list.
1) Know one knows when the next update will be... If you don't want to wait.. get it now... if you really aren't going to use it until August.. wait.

2) The macbook will suit all your needs... but if you want the extra screen size, and $$ is no object... the 15" MBP may be perfect for you... for me (just my opinion) the 17" MBP is a monster... just plain huge.


I agree with this, I cart my 15" MBP around, it barely fits in my backpack as it is :Oops: :D
 
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The spaces program on leopard makes it very easy to run multiple programs. Once you get a hang of using it (which is very easy) the screen size shouldn't matter too much. I went from at 15.4 to the 13.3 and after about a week a forgot that the screen was smaller.
 
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i have always tried to get the most real screen real estate for the money. The 17 inch mbp is just awesome for its dimensions. I use the my mbp in the lap without any weight or heat issues and i also carry it around for work in my bag.

So go for the 17 inch if money isnt an issue. regarding your timing it all depends if you wnat it now or just want to wait for an upgrade but then buying in Aug/sept may cause further issues for you as further updates may be in the waiting in winter and then next spring and then next summer and then next winter.
 
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I would just honestly go pro, and my reasoning for that is, you want speed, and you don't ever want it to be an issue. If you go pro, your going to have the graphics card, and more speed.

Now maybe you won't use it, but if you decide you want to for any reason at any time I figure you probably won't be so happy with the MB. Not that the MB isn't a good notebook, but you seem to be a lot like me, and that being said I just say go Pro. If money really isn't an object and you are going to keep it for 3+ years (like myself) then aim high, and then in 3 years it will still be good.

Not to mention by the time you fully upgrade the MB you are reaching the price of around a MBP anyway, and you'll have the school discount to help you too. And the MBP from APPLE you can't get the 7200 rpm harddrive which many have told me is very important when you are looking for speed. Now I'm not sure if you could buy an aftermarket one for MB and install it but I'm about easy and getting what I want. So get MBP upgrade the harddrive to 7200 rpm, and I'd buy the memory after market because it's a heck of a lot cheaper and super easy to install.

You said you want the best thing possible too, which automatically says go Pro... because its the best. And like I said, you "may" not use the graphics card but I really wouldn't underestimate curiosity. I mean you're going to be in school you might get bored one day and say hey I wanna play World of Warcraft or some kind of a game, or do some video editting for a presentation for WOW factor and if you do try and do that on a MB you might just get irritated because it's not going to do it perfectly. The way computers get updated so fast too, I just always get the best because it lasts you longer. Now I think mac is better about that then pc but still, I always rather be safe then sorry and if you get the best now, it's going to be better then the other in the future.

About the screen size I'd agree 15 is good. I agree that 17 is just blah to big for a portable notebook, it feels weird.
 
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I would also go for the Pro, you're going to have this machine for a while and don't want to ever be limited by your computer, I currently have a MacBook and am upgrading to a MBP (MacBook Pro) soon, because there is a program that I need to run that my MB simply cannot, and for your heavy graphics work you are definitely gunna want the powerful video card and the speed.
 
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If you don't get the Pro you will regret in in no time flat.

Get the most power that you can afford. It will only be 'usable' longer
 
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I would say go pro as well, but to be honest for slightly different reasons. The MBP looks professional. Sounds a bit superficial sure, but ppl do notice and judge you by what you wear and carry and I am sorry to say the MB in white does not look very professional. Yes I realize you will still be a student but might as well start getting used to it and if you need the computer to last a few years longer while getting established it could be handy.
Also the 15 inch screen is a good compromise. Small enough to be portable, but still big enough to be usable. I have tried the 17 and 15 and the 15 is my preference, especially if your traveling on trains and planes. You mentioned you will be plugging it into an external monitor and if its decent sized (I use the 23 ACD) the 15 even feels a bit cramped. I can't imagine going from 23 to 13.
As far as buy now or later I say wait till you need it. Especially if your somewhat familiar to macs. While its true nobody knows exactly when an update will come its fairly predictable when intel is driving it and since your a speed freak they are only going to get faster/better the longer you wait.
One thing to check if possible is make sure you won't need to run some specialized software that only works on PC with your school. You probably will be able to run it via fusion or BC but don't forget to budget a few extra $$ if thats needed.
Good Luck with your studies!
 

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