Converting from PC to Mac

[Jor1016]

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

[houltmac]

Hi Jordan, welcome to the forums. If you want a notebook to last you 3-5 years and still feel as speedy as possible I would consider the MacBook Pro. While it's more expensive and I have been a huge advocate of the MacBook it will likely feel faster for longer if you "go Pro".

Mac notebooks are very good at staying relevant for many years, and I would imagine a well looked after MacBook Pro will last you a good while. I don't see a significant reason on the horizon to make me say wait in this case. Usually we say wait until you need it to get the best spec possible for the least money, however in the case of never having used one before I would suggest getting used to it and ridding yourself of bad habits is more important.

If you are to buy now you will have a very fast machine, with all the technology I would think you would find in a Mac notebook this year. With 4GB RAM, 802.11n and standard 2.5" hard disks the MacBook Pro is upgradable, long lasting, fast as hell and quite durable. I would also usually say that using OS X's Spaces feature 13" is bigger than you'd think, however with 15" you will likely notice the difference when working on long legal documents.

Any specific questions let me know, but that would be my recommendation for now, based on what you have said.

[baseballboy828]

First, please let us know what apps you will be using most. Based on your description, a MacBook will be fine for you. It will be multiple times faster than your current machine. Also, OS X is a much snappier OS, which makes the computer feel faster. As houltmac mentioned, spaces could help you overcome the 13" screen. I'd take all the money you save and go get an external hard drive for backups, an external monitor, and any other accessories you want. You should read this thread for tips on purchasing a new mac.

[Yuiichi]

I, too, am an advocate of the MacBook (considering it's my first Mac) but for your situation, I'd say go pro. Let me quantify that by saying it's about durability. Although I have no problem with saying that the MacBook build quality is pretty good (although, some would argue not up to normal Apple standards), the MBP is a rock. Since you want this computer to last you for a good while, I think that's one of the main criteria you'll want to look at.

As for speed, both machines are blazing fast and you'll notice that right off the bat. As Houltmac said, they're also both very upgradable, at least in terms of RAM and hard drive. As for the screen, I personally thought the 13" would be rather small. Trust me, you'd get used to it. It actually feels pretty big right about now

[iPodmanTim]

As a uni student myself, the MacBook is great. I have one, and it's great to carry around campus, the wireless networking is flawless to let me into the network at university, and there is a nice resilient feel to the shell that feels like it could take anything you hurl at it!

Other points to consider are that if you buy a MacBook with AppleCare, anything that does go wrong, Apple will take care of. This almost guarantees you a useful life of three years.

I use my MacBook for a lot of stuff that it, on paper, isn't designed to do, such as heavy processes in Photoshop, full on video editing in Final Cut, and high intensity gaming on apps like World of Warcraft. It's great!

Oh, and did I mention that it's practically two years old? I've had some significant repairs taken care of on my AppleCare, including replacement batteries, logic boards, case elements, keyboards and other stuff. I guess it's not really the same computer I started out with! ;P

You really can't go wrong with a MacBook, and so I'd like to advise what I told my Dad, when he wanted a laptop for his photography course:

Buy a MacBook, and with the saved money, buy an Apple 20' Cinema Display for the times at home when you want all of that space.

[Ciccone]

I too, remain a fan of the Pro. A quick word of advice though (and my apologies if you've already looked in to this): When my boyfriend went off to law school, it was required that his machine run windows (I believe for networking purposes?). So if you haven't already, make sure you can even use a Mac.

Good luck.

[divigation]

Originally Posted by Ciccone

make sure you can even use a Mac.

Bootcamp, Parallels, VMWare, take your pick. This stopped being an issue once the Intel party began. You can ALWAYS use a Mac, though it is unadvised if you are a serious gamer.

As for Pro vs glossy screen of airbrushed haziness, (I am the local who hasn't joined the forum's MB love-fest) I would go for the Pro, you will get power, longevity and resale value that the MB does not maintain. As for when to buy, don't wait because of rumors, they are lies and conjecture. If you can afford a Mac, buy one now, now is always the right time to buy a Mac. As Hoult pointed out, if you buy now you get a smoking machine that will only get minor bumps if a new revision were to drop in the near future. (Though I'm sure we will all be proven wrong at WWDC when the one more thing is the new 3GHz/6GB/Blue Ray MBPs, lol)

[houltmac]

In my experience BootCamp is not only a pain, but it point blank doesn't work without some messing around. Ignore it as an option in my book. I moved from Parallels to VMWare Fusion a while back and am quite happy where I am. Very fast, efficient and stable. I'm going to benchmark some games with it in coming weeks.