Which Mac?

M

marlinwebster

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So I'm heading to Thailand in a week, and have decided to leave my windows days behind me and to move to the world/cult of Mac. I'm iPhoned and ipadded so a MacBook is a natural evolution, right? Seriously though I figure if the user experience and performance is anything like the iPad i'm in for a great ride. So I was hoping to get some guidance/advice from you guys about which MacBook to get considering the following;

1. Mobility/portability: I travel a lot and want something lightweight so the 17 is out of question.
2. Performance: I photograph a lot and need to catalogue in lightroom and edit in photoshop, and some light video editing.
3. Warranty: macs are about 4k cheaper in the east, I was wondering whether there is support in SA and some kind of international warranty.
4. Microsoft environment "integration" : I work in an all windows environment and need to ensure that documents (office files translate well back and forth.
5. Refresh: if a mbp is the way to go, should I wait for a refresh?

I would as always appreciate the great advice I get from this forum.

Thanks in advance.

M
 
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Firstly let me congratulate you on your first step to becoming completely free of all the Windows bs and the absolute joys of Mac :)

Not sure of your budget, but it sounds like the Mac unibody would do the trick for you. Its 13" so its not over size but also not pathetically small like these netbooks you see floating around.

Although only being a core 2 duo processor it packs a serious punch. Comes standard with 2GB ram which is upgradable to 4. I personally run photo editing software like Aperture etc and the performance is more than adequate.

If you want to go a step up, then you can look at the 13inch MB pro, a few rond more, personally I dunno if its worth the extra but I am sure people might disagree with me here.

Ultimately they are both great machines, just up to you if you want to spend the extra for a better processor and more RAM.
 
The Macbook Pro 13" is still pretty heavy. I would recommend waiting a month for stock of the new i5 13" Macbook Air that was recently announced. The Air's are so much nicer than the 13" MBP. They are so light and have better LCDs.

I currectly have an 11.6" custom order Macbook Air and last years model 15" i7 Macbook Pro. I find myself using the Air 80% of the time. They pack one helluva punch for seamingly low specs. With the SSD and 4GB RAM even a 1.6Ghz Air is a pleasure to use. The 2011 13" Macbook Air will be a groundbreaker in its class.
 
1. I love my 13" MBP... The only real issue I had with the 13" Air was no backlit keyboard. That's been fixed on the new one so I'll have to have a much closer look at the Air now, but those would be my choices. Oh, and just FYI, the unibody MacBook (the white one) has been discontinued.
2. Get the best processor you can afford. If you get the MBP you can upgrade the RAM yourself but if you go for the Air you need to specify when you buy it 'cos that's not an option later on. The SSD in the Air will make a big difference as well. Then, have a look at Aperture... One of Apple's best apps IMO. iMovie has always been enough for me, but Apple also have Final Cut for more serious video editing.
3. Supposed to but it's not always the case with Core
4. A couple of options here... If it's just for documents you can get Office for Mac or, and this is if you really are ready to leave Windows behind you, you'll find that iWork, which features Pages (Word), Numbers (Excel) and Keynote (PowerPoint) can read and save docs, spreadsheets and presentations in .doc, .xls and .ppt formats. It might take a minute to get used to using Mail, Address Book and iCal instead of Outlook but once you do... I have Office on my machine and I haven't used it since... jeez, can't even remember when. Also, if you really, really need to, you can dual boot and run Windows as well as OSX on your machine.
5. The MBP was updated a couple of months ago and you'll definitely be able to pick up the new one. The Air updates were only announced yesterday so I'm not sure if they'll be in store in Thailand when you get there.

A friend of mine got a 13" MBP on a trip to Hong Kong last month... She's already loving hers nearly as much as I love mine. It's for sure the best computing decision you've made in a while ;)
 
The new range of Macbook Air's are amazing. They perform just as fast as a Macbook Pro now.
 
Thanks for all the feedback, when I spoke to the dude at the istore, who was not as knowledgeable as I'd hoped, I walked out convinced that the 15" MCP was the way to go, but it sounds from the comments received that for my purposes a 13" MBA would be more than adequate for my purposes. I think the apprehension/hesitation comes from wanting to get the best bang for my buck, without later finding I should have gone for the "better/faster/stronger! option.

M
 
Go try the MacBook Air in the store. See how fast it launches apps. And the new one will be 2.5x faster.
 
marlinwebster said:
Thanks for all the feedback, when I spoke to the dude at the istore, who was not as knowledgeable as I'd hoped, I walked out convinced that the 15" MCP was the way to go, but it sounds from the comments received that for my purposes a 13" MBA would be more than adequate for my purposes. I think the apprehension/hesitation comes from wanting to get the best bang for my buck, without later finding I should have gone for the "better/faster/stronger! option.

M
Click to expand...
From a photographers standpoint I'm still wary of switching to a MBA even after the update for two reasons - drive space and RAM. The most you can get is a 256gb drive and 4gb of RAM which really isn't a lot. For $200 more you can get the 15" MBP with a 500gb hdd and 4gb RAM which you can upgrade later if you want. You also get a faster CPU and better graphics. The MBP also has firewire which means my high speed card readers will still work. :)
 
Also, any idea about whether the warranty for a macbook bought in Thailand means anything in SA?

M
 
marlinwebster said:
Thanks for all the feedback, when I spoke to the dude at the istore, who was not as knowledgeable as I'd hoped, I walked out convinced that the 15" MCP was the way to go, but it sounds from the comments received that for my purposes a 13" MBA would be more than adequate for my purposes. I think the apprehension/hesitation comes from wanting to get the best bang for my buck, without later finding I should have gone for the "better/faster/stronger! option.

M
Click to expand...

Not a Mac person, but I can give you a few things you should think about wrt notebooks in general.

I would definitely spend a little time playing with any notebooks at 13" and 15". 13.3" at 1280x800 is pretty small. It does make for more convenience, but I often feel pretty constrained on my Samsung Q310, which is the same size/resolution, and would hate to have it as a primary computer. Other people are perfectly happy down to 9" netbooks. So, you should pick the form factor that feels most comfortable to use to you, rather than what others say is best.

Also, you should consider whether you really want a glossy screen or rather an anti-glare one, which the 13" MBP or MBA don't have afaik. Glossy screens pick up light sources and reflections like crazy ime, so you should also compare the two screen types.
 
Well ha, guess so. Well you won't pay R4k and at least you'll get warranty.
 
marlinwebster said:
Also, any idea about whether the warranty for a macbook bought in Thailand means anything in SA?

M
Click to expand...
All apple portables come with an international warranty. If something goes wrong you just need to produce the receipt - if core gives you grief you escalate, as long as it's not a grey product - which it's not - then you're fine. I've never declared mine.
 
NiTeD said:
Agree with the new 13" MBA.
Click to expand...

Just picked up the new MBA 11" core i5 with 4 gigs of ram, and its pretty nifty. Would also suggest the 13" MBA with i7 1.7/1.8 processor :) Those things are supposedly quicker than the MBA 17" 2010 was!!!!

Have a 13" Macbook 2.4 c2d and this little MBA is way quicker at launching and compiling in netbeans. I haven't fully set this thing up as I'm only back next week, but its great, and weighs nothing.
 
Synaesthesia said:
Well ha, guess so. Well you won't pay R4k and at least you'll get warranty.
Click to expand...

Unlikely the store is going to ask you for your passport to ensure you're a south african citizen right? Even if you have a south african passport if you are a citizen of another country, you do not need to declare your laptop on arrival, so i doubt they will trouble you if you don't declare it.
 
phiber said:
Just picked up the new MBA 11" core i5 with 4 gigs of ram, and its pretty nifty. Would also suggest the 13" MBA with i7 1.7/1.8 processor :) Those things are supposedly quicker than the MBA 17" 2010 was!!!!

Have a 13" Macbook 2.4 c2d and this little MBA is way quicker at launching and compiling in netbeans. I haven't fully set this thing up as I'm only back next week, but its great, and weighs nothing.
Click to expand...

Did you pick this up locally or overseas?
 
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