Decision time - MacBook or MacBook Pro?

[Pigchops]

Thanks guys for all your help! I finally took the plunge today after a (lengthy) session in my local Apple store comparing the pros and cons of the MB and MBP. My pick was the black MB (although I almost got as far as having the 15" MBP rung through the till!).

In the end my choice came down to the size and weight of the MB as against the MBP. I know there's not a vast amount of difference but I preferred the smaller form factor of the MB. I also thought that the MB felt "sturdier" than the MBP. Although I have a lower screen real estate, I'm already running a 19" TFT at work which I can hook the MB up to when I'm at my desk. I got the mini-DV to VGA connector and a wireless mouse; I'll probably go for the wireless keyboard too in due course. For what it's worth, so far I'm loving the glossy screen but I'll reserve judgment until after trying the MB in the sunshine! Finally, price ultimately had a bearing too. Work was paying for this purchase but ultimately I might be asked to justify the additional expenditure on the MBP. After factoring in the higher cost of Apple Care for the MBP, such justification became harder particularly as the machine will never (by me at least) be used for video editing or serious gaming etc.

So, muchos gracias to you all. I hope this thread has been of benefit to others having to make the same choice as me.

 

[iKitten]

Congratulations, Pigchops, it's great you were able to come to a satisfactory conclusion! The process of deciding can get overwhelming. I'm impressed by your logic. Thanks for filling us in!

 

[VanillaEps]

I think the MacBook Pro has the most impressive screen of any notebook I've seen.

+1. Those sentiments are also echoed by almost anyone that checks out my notebook. I recently brought in my MBP into work and I had a crowd gather at my desk, showing them iPhoto, Quicksilver, and the Dashboard. They loved the screen.

 

[Richie_Gecko]

Congrats man. Hope you enjoy it!

 

[rixx03]

The MacBook is the way to go! Since you mentioned you were not doing any strenuous work with the computer, you wouldn't need the MBP's extra specs. And besides, you can still run Photoshop and other applications simultaneously with the MB.. just make sure you wouldn't wear it out too much.

 

[rixx03]

Oops. I didn't notice the other post that you already bought. Anyway, congrats and enjoy!

 

[???]

I am selling my MBP in order to downgrade as I am in a similar situation. I just don't need the GC. Also I travel a lot and the 13" is just so much better and the casing is less scratchable(this isn't a word) too

 

[origami]

I also considered the MBP before I bought the MB. I was looking at the black and white MB's along with the MBP, and when I saw the price difference, the MBP was just too expensive. I wanted to get the black MB, but then the price just does not justify it. So in the end, I bought the MB and a 19inch monitor with an Apple keyboard. I normally use the MB at my desk with the monitor and keyboard hooked up to it, and when I need to carry it somewhere I just need to disconnect them. With many other accessories, the money I spent on the setup is still lower than what I would be paying for the black MB or the MBP. (And I am happy for what I did.)

 

[Pigchops]

Just a quick update: the MB I bought at the weekend had about 4 stuck pixels; not a major amount but very obvious and scattered about the screen enough to be a nuisance. I therefore returned it to the store today where, rather than declaring it DOA (apparently you need 6 stuck pixels for that), they simply let me return it for a full refund and then buy another! A funny old world, but the store's service was exemplary and my new MB is superb. Tomorrow I shall ask my company's IT guys to hook it up to the company's Windoze network ~ should be fun!