[macman11]

Hi, i have just started an animation course and want to buy a mac laptop and i dont know which on i should get. i use software like flash, photoshop, etc and im confused about what to buy. ive been told that the mac laptops without the intel chips will run the software better than the ones with them but i then read that the new macs with the intel chip are a hell of a lot faster Heeeelllllp!!!! i really dont want to get a PC!!!

[SierraDragon]

Ideally you want a MacBook Pro rather than a MacBook because you will be running pro apps. However in the short term both will perform similarly.

Adobe apps like Photoshop will be running in emulation mode ("Rosetta") until CS3 apps appear ~April 2007. Under Rosetta Adobe apps are adequate, about the same as on newer G4 Powerbooks but nowhere near as good as on G5 towers. Come April 2007 Adobe apps on MacIntels will be faster than on G4s or G5s.

IMO your best bet is a MacBook Pro. Newer models are expected within the month, which will rearrange pricing and add features, but there is nothing wrong with the ones available right now. You want at least 2 GB RAM for the apps you specified.

-Allen Wicks