Potential Switcher Needs Advice

Hey all, so im interested in getting a macbook for uni. A friend of mine has one and he let me have a play on it. And to my supprise i really enjoyed using it! Ive been a windows user all my life but my dad uses macs so i have has the odd brush in with macs in the past.

So what im looking for is a laptop for uni work (java work, c++ work, web work, graphic design etc). A mac just feels nice and clean, i hope that makes sense.

So basically im just looking for some advice for when to buy, if a mabook suits what i need, general advice for a total mac noob etc hehe.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Caff.

Having just made the a switch for similar reasons, I use my iMac for PHP web development, as well as some Fireworks fidderling and Java programming, I suggest you bo and buy one now.

It makes working a breeze, in fact it makes working easier than working should be, if that makes sense. You could wait a month until Leopard comes out, to save yourself the upgrade cost in the future. If your a student I suggest you wait, seen as you'll be skint.

Go to an Apple shop and ask to use one and have a play, the staff should help you out with your needs. A very high end Mac should not be needed unless your gaming, video editing, etc.

Good luck, and welcome.

Jake

thanks for the welcome and the advice. It sounds like itll be a good idea to wait for the new mac os though. I may have to do that, but man i cant wait till i get one! hehehe.

My opinion is that for personal use, MacBooks are perfect.

However, if you're serious about doing work on a Mac I can't advocate the Pro machines enough.

Stretching your budget in order to get the cheapest Pro model you can get, it will be infinitely more productive than getting the most expensive MacBook. Also the Pro will last you a bloody long time.

I've had my Power Mac G5 for nearly 5 years and it still screams and it can still be upgraded. My G4 12" PowerBook still serves me well and I've had it for just over 3 years without upgrading.

I've been a professional Animator and Illustrator for over a year, and I've used my equipment all through university and all my work has been created on both.

I guess its definatly about getting a macbook then..

johnnyluu, one of the reasons i want the macbook is the fact its so small. Though i hear there bringing out smaller and lighter ones too!

It just needs to be small enough to carry around uni every day, which the macbook is.

Caff.

I recently bought a macbook and I love it! I love how its so small I can fit it in my backpack with a sleeve on and it doesn't scream "There is a laptop in here, come steal it!" If you want something just for work that does not require intense video/graphics, and want the portability then the macbook will be fine... and yes I read rumors of a new thinner macbook too.... but can you wait until its announce is the next question

If you ain't in a hurry then I would wait for leopard to come out. Also there are rumours that apple will release a new ultrathin notebook about the time leopard comes out

shahvikram123 said:

If you ain't in a hurry then I would wait for leopard to come out. Also there are rumours that apple will release a new ultrathin notebook about the time leopard comes out

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judging from past experience, would you say that the release of a new notebook would push the price of the current one down? or will the new one just be more expensive?

I read somewhere that the prices for the new notebook are going to be pretty competitive, which implies it may be cheaper than the current macbook

I just bought my MacBook. The rumors about the ultralight not having an internal DVD drive make me all the more convinced that I made the right decision in getting mine now. Plus, I'd rather have the plastic over aluminum. Maybe I'm weird, but that's my preference. I've had mine for just over a week and I love it - I upgraded from an old G3 800MHz iBook, so the speed is incredible, comparatively. Overall, I'm very happy and it does everything I need it to.

Caff said:

thanks for the welcome and the advice. It sounds like itll be a good idea to wait for the new mac os though. I may have to do that, but man i cant wait till i get one! hehehe.

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Welcome! Check out the latest post in my blog (signature) from a new switcher. I don't do web development but you can get the idea of how much I am loving the switch.

One thing I am noticing about Apple in general, if you get caught up in the "maybe I should wait" game, it may never end. Every time something new is released, the replacement is already in the queue. I decided to just jump in. I will get the new OS someday, right now everything is working great so no hurries.

Best of luck at University and in general!

If the macbook line isn't updated when Leopard comes out then I would wait until it does get updated. Then, if the MBPs get a price cut, you might be able to afford one. Now I'm not saying the macbook can't handle your programming tasks, but why not pop a little more for the extra capability?