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Chazzer3 · Feb 10, 2007, 11:22 AM

Hey Everyone,

I'm living in the UK, and have been using Windows machines all my life, I really am sick of them, and every time I see my friend having a laugh on his MacBook I wonder why I still use windows. Of course the many other benefits are also HUGELY inviting, so, well, I don't need to persuade you guys to switch, so onto the subject!

I've been looking at the MacBooks and MacBook Pros, and I've eventually decided that a MBP is more suited to my requirements, and I have quite a few questions to ask about it, and probably more to come in the future. I'm sorry if many people have already asked these questions before, but I like to get an answer to myself, I'm sure you know the feeling...!?

Firstly, which model do you think seems to be the best? This is out of the 15s for me, because I'm not interested in the 17". I am still attracted by the MBs because of there smaller size, but the thin-ness of the MBPs is just as attractive, and seeing one in real life made me realise that it isn't that big anyway...! So, my question really is? The 2.16? or the 2.33? They both have different advantages, and the increased RAM and GFX card is a plus for me. (I may be considering putting a little, (maybe 20GB or so), WinXP partition if I ever feel like gaming...!?

Next question is the screens, I should really be telling you that I probably won't be getting this until July/August, so it's a long time, excuse me for this, as I love to know exactly what to get when the time comes. There seems to be lots of countering discussions on the MBP screens, some people seem to say that they are soft and bad, some say they are fabulous?! Is this a QC issue? Random? Some people being picky?

Really not sure, and on top of that there is all this rumor of LED screens to boot, which sound interesting enough, and which may be introduced by July/August?

I don't know. My next question is a general question? What do people have to say about the MBPs, enjoying them? Any quirks etc? I'd just like to here some peoples comments on the machines, preferably the C2D ones as well.

I can't wait to switch, and I can't wait to hear from you guys. And also, if anyone has a link to a good MBP review, I'd like to have a read!

Thanks so much,

Charlie -

sray · Feb 10, 2007, 11:49 AM

It would really help if you could also tell us what you use your laptop for (work or play, and if work, what kind of apps do you use?).

I switched to Macs a few years ago, and as of early 2006, we switched to Apple laptops as our corporate standard at work. All the people who were issued MBPs are very happy with it and nobody wants to go back to using a Dell. That being said, we issue the high end 15" laptops fully loaded with the largest HD and at least 2GB of RAM.

Just like any other manufacturer, every once in a while we have a hardware problem (typically out of the box); as an enterprise client, Apple promptly replaces them for us. I have not found the Apple laptops to be any more reliable in initial quality than the Dells, except that the Apple enterprise help desk is US based vs. the Dell help desk which is based overseas ... and they must be swamped because calling Dell takes a minimum 1 hour to resolve a simple issue.

Since you're quite some time away from making a purchase, I can't give you any more advice. As a corporate buyer, my philosophy is to buy a the best configuration that I can afford so that we can actually use it for the entire 3 year depreciation cycle.

Best of luck in your purchase ... and I'm confident that you will enjoy your switch to the Mac OS X.

Wiskedjak · Feb 10, 2007, 11:57 AM

If you're able to have your pick of MacBook Pros, I would choose the most expensive one.

Chazzer3 · Feb 10, 2007, 02:13 PM

Thanks for the replies guys,

I will mainly be using this 'Book for Photo work, videos, internet, etc etc, I may also venture into dual-booting windows, and then maybe get a little game on, which is maybe why I should consider the 2.33ghz model..!?

What do you all think of the MBP's battery life?

Charlie -

cagljevic · Feb 10, 2007, 09:56 PM

I too agree with the notion of buying the most for your money at the time of purchase. I was a pc user for years until last february I purchased my first mac, a last generation 15" powerbook and fell in love with the entire experience.

I find that one aspect to consider is the fact that apple tailors their software to their hardware helps keep the machine feeling reponsive for a long time, so the stronger your machine is initially, the stronger it will feel over time.

There is nothing worse than wishing you paid the little more for the faster cpu and gfx after the sale is done...

With that in mind, the summer season is several months away, and I suspect by that time there would be another upgrade to the lineup so you contemplate buying now may not be the same thing then.

Mark

MattJeff · Feb 11, 2007, 12:02 AM

well im not sure about battery life but i would say your going to want to shoot for the 2.33 version and who knows maybe by the time you buy, the screens and the chip will have been updated to something better. go for the more expensive of the 2 either way for the better Videocard.

Chazzer3 · Feb 11, 2007, 07:13 AM

Thanks a lot for your insights everyone.

I agree that by July-ish time, there will probably have been an update, which could bring LED backlit screens, who knows!? And other upgrades.

Thanks again,

Charlie -