Getting a MacBook for my move to the states, and I'm looking for some help!

[DJLanglois]

Thanks, in advance, to anyone and everyone who can give me helpful tips or answers to my questions.

So, I'm planning to get a 13" Apple MacBook (2.16GHz Core 2 Duo w/ 2GB of RAM and a 120GB HDD), along with an iPod and some AppleCare. I'm headed to Boston for some more grad school in September, and I need something small and portable, with a good insurance plan (AppleCare). So, I think I've decided on the MacBook.

Here's the deal I'm going to be getting:
- Apple MacBook 13" 2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo 2GB/120GB SuperDrive White
- 8GB iPod Nano
- AppleCare for both items (3 years for the Mac; 2 years for the iPod)
Everything for $1600 flat.

So, I've got a few questions:

(1) Does that seem like a good deal? Can I do better than $1600 for all of that? Is it worth spending an extra $125 to upgrade to the 160GB HDD? (That's what they'll charge me at my school.)

(2) My plan, right now, is to run OSX, alongside Windows via BootCamp or Parallels. Which is better? How well will Vista run on the system, in comparison to XP w/ SP2?

(3) I'm still interested in the idea of relying 100% on OSX, and ditching Windows outright. But, I'm not sure whether it'll be feasible to entirely migrate to the Mac OS, because I'm currently entirely PC-based. Does anyone have a link to a good how-to guide regarding migrating everything from Windows to OSX? I want to move my .docs (school work), mp3s, movies, Opera favorites, Outlook Express archives (10000 emails), etc. Will I run into any formatting/conversion problems with my .docs or Outlook Express e-mail archives (which are the most important things). If I can find a way to do a full move that isn't terribly inconvenient, I might just avoid BootCamp altogether.

(4) Is there a good list of OSX-based versions of core Windows programs? I use stuff like Outlook Express, Opera, Office XP, Windows Messenger Live, Skype, etc., on a daily basis. I'm particularly worried about the lack of Windows Messenger Live.

 

[attackeagle]

have you looked at teh prices on apple store for students? They do offer a discount.

 

[visualpurple]

if you want to upgrade the harddrive, do it yourself. Hard drives are getting bigger and cheaper all the time, and replacing it in the MacBook is very easy to do.

Don't know about the Outlook emails, but your .docs will be fine on OS X, you just need a program to read them - Office 2004, Open Office, etc. (although Text Edit, which comes preinstalled will read basic .docs with no fancy formatting fine)

I don't know about a list, but think of the applications you need, a do a google search for a Mac version (either of the same software, or something similar). I can tell you off the bat that there are OS X versions of Office, Opera, Skype, and MSN Messenger (though no MSN client for Mac has all the features of Live Messenger, they all do regular text chat fine).

 

[Shannonb]

I would NOT upgrade teh ram til aftermarket. It will be cheaper.

 

[yellow19man]

.....MSN Messenger (though no MSN client for Mac has all the features of Live Messenger, they all do regular text chat fine).

Losing the video chat in MSN Messenger when moving back to the Mac platform was a big disappointment.

 

[DJLanglois]

have you looked at teh prices on apple store for students? They do offer a discount.

This $1600 deal (for the MacBook, iPod and Applecare for both) is purchased through my school's student Mac store. The deal is purportedly below Apple 'student discount' pricing. So, I just want to double check that there isn't an even cheaper way to get this done.

I would NOT upgrade teh ram til aftermarket. It will be cheaper.

Really? My school seems to be doing it for pretty darn cheap. I'm paying $1300, all-in, for the MacBook with the upgraded RAM and the 120GB HDD. (The other $300 comes from the 8GB iPod, and the Applecare for both items.) Can I beat $1300?

if you want to upgrade the harddrive, do it yourself. Hard drives are getting bigger and cheaper all the time, and replacing it in the MacBook is very easy to do.

Don't know about the Outlook emails, but your .docs will be fine on OS X, you just need a program to read them - Office 2004, Open Office, etc. (although Text Edit, which comes preinstalled will read basic .docs with no fancy formatting fine)

I don't know about a list, but think of the applications you need, a do a google search for a Mac version (either of the same software, or something similar). I can tell you off the bat that there are OS X versions of Office, Opera, Skype, and MSN Messenger (though no MSN client for Mac has all the features of Live Messenger, they all do regular text chat fine).

Thanks. I'll look into doing the HDD aftermarket, because it definitely seems cheaper.