<p>2.4ghz
2gb of ram
15.5 inch screen
5.5 pounds</p>
<p>$2,000.</p>
<p>Good choice?</p>
<p>Sounds a little expensive to me. I got a ThinkPad for half that price with the same specs.</p>
<p>If you want a Mac, then yes. But, wait until summer to get the good deals - free iPod and printer. Plus, you get 100 dollars off with the education discount.
Just be sure you actually need a MacBook Pro. You can get the comparable MacBook for 1500 and it probably won't make any difference to you unless you need the graphics component of the Pro. Do your research on that end, otherwise just wait until summer to get it. =]</p>
<p>Yes, great choice, but wait till summer:</p>
<ol>
<li>Apple usually gives away a free iPod with student laptop purchases during the "back to school" shopping period (the summer).</li>
<li>If you buy a warrantee (Apple Care), you want it to last as long as possible during college.</li>
<li>Apple will likely give their laptops a speed bump by that time.</li>
</ol>
<p>Apples are way too expensive.
For half the price of an Apple, you can get a similarly spec'd tried-and-true PC platform such as the Lenovo/IBM T400 or the Dell Latitude E6400 which are much more durable than any MacBook.</p>
<p>Everyone in here is going to give you opinions, as it's a subjective matter. If you are partial to OSX, or Apple in general as I am, then go ahead. It's a fantastic laptop, and the LED display is gorgeous. My Macbook's held up fine, and AppleCare provides excellent service from what I hear. There will always be a pro/anti-apple trolls telling you what to buy, but when it really comes down to it, you should base it on your preferences and intended use. The best way to decide would be to test one out at an Apple store. People forget that it's not just about specs (this is coming from someone who has built many, many PCs and even hackintoshes), it's about what you like in a computer.</p>
<p>My daughter purchased a Macbook Pro last summer and loves it. She used graduation money. Upgrade the memory right from the start - you'll be glad you did. Daughter says it is the best computer she ever had. If you can, wait until they come out with their back to school specials - she got a free ipod and a free printer. Make sure you purchase it through the university - this can be done at the store as well. You will definitely save money this way. They display is beautiful. She got the 15" Macbook Pro - no need for the 17" with her major. Macs are more expensive than Windows based systems - but it is a matter of preference. Good luck with your decision.</p>
<p>Wait until back to school deals are out or buy one from your college if they have a better deal. Overall, not a bad choice, make sure to get applecare and another gig of RAM in there. Otherwise, the machine is pretty solid if not slightly on the expensive side (but it's a mac, so that's somewhat unavoidable)</p>
<p>Although the included 2GB DDR3 memory is probably enough for regular use, 4GB is a good investment. If you do decide to upgrade the memory, don't do it through Apple at the time of purchase. You can buy it from Newegg and install it yourself (it's actually really, really easy to do). It's a lot cheaper, and this way you get to keep the old sticks. To give you an idea of the price difference, it's $150 to upgrade to 4 gigs when doing it through Apple, while the same exact memory is only $89.99 here on Newegg:</p>
<p>
[quote]
Sounds a little expensive to me. I got a ThinkPad for half that price with the same specs.
[/quote]
Thinkpads don't come with OS X which is very a lot of the value in the Mac can be found.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Apples are way too expensive.
For half the price of an Apple, you can get a similarly spec'd tried-and-true PC platform such as the Lenovo/IBM T400 or the Dell Latitude E6400 which are much more durable than any MacBook.
[/quote]
Fine but what software does it run? If your time is valuable then running Mac OS X will save you lots of time and therefore lots of money in the long run.</p>
<p>If your time isn't valuable then get a trashy cheap laptop.</p>
<p>I wouldn't go as far as saying OSX will save someone a ton of time in absolute terms. If that's really the case, you'd see businesses switching over in more significant numbers than you do right now. </p>
<p>OSX might save some people a bit of time because they are more used to it, but that can't be generalized to everyone and their needs nor can one say that running OSX will definitely save users "lots of time and therefore lots of money." </p>
<p>Also, Thinkpads and Latitudes did not acquire their reputations as solid business machines because they are "trashy cheap laptop[s]" for those whose "time isn't valuable"</p>
<p>In the case of the OP, OSX is certainly a valid reason for choosing Macs over windows because it is both unique to apples and a proven OS but it would probably be due to preferential reasons rather than due to any absolute and vast superiority of one platform over another.</p>
<p>Edit: a final point, while I personally think OSX is worth the premium that one pays when the price difference is within a few hundred USD, if OSX is really worth a large chunk of the $1000 "extra value" of macs (as the post above seems to imply), then perhaps apple should quit the hardware business and focus more of their energy and time on software development.</p>
<p>I've looked into the Lenovos and they aren't as cheap as you think. I tried to configure the T-series as closely to the MBP as possible even though the Lenovo has worse graphics not to mention the inability to switch between discrete and onboard graphics, and the Lenovo doesn't have a backlit keyboard. Anyway it came to a sale price of 1448 with the list price as 1763. Then you have to consider the quality of the hardware. The MBP runs circles around any PC laptop. Just google the "unibody" frame of the latest MBPs and you'll see what I mean. The MBP is also lighter: 5.8 vs. 5.5 lbs, runs better software, looks better. So basically, the MBP is just better in every single way so the slightly higher price more than makes up for it.</p>
<p>
The MBP runs circles around any PC laptop.
You've got to be kidding. The MBP doesn't even come close in terms of build quality to the ThinkPads. They have a legendary reputation in business circles for their durability. No matter how powerful an effect the RDF may have on you, you have to at least see that. Shininess does not make a laptop durable.</p>
<p>So a laptop made from multiple plastic parts in a Chinese factory is higher quality than a laptop made from a single unibody aluminum core right here in America? What are you smoking man?</p>
<p>
So a laptop made from multiple plastic parts in a Chinese factory is higher quality than a laptop made from a single unibody aluminum core right here in America?
Once again you show your complete and utter ignorance. Not only do the ThinkPads have a magnesium alloy roll cage, but most, if not all, Macs are made in China. In fact, there have been numerous complaints about poor working conditions at Apple manufacturing plants in China. By buying a Mac, you have essentially condoned the exploitation of poor Chinese workers living and working under inhumane conditions.</p>
<p>Thinkpads have always been known for their durability. How about you ook p some facts before proclaiming apples to be the best thing ever.</p>
<p>Macs are assembled in China..."Designed in California, Made in China"</p>
<p>you can easily run OSX on a non-Apple computer, even if it is illegal too.</p>
<p>
[QUOTE]
By buying a Mac, you have essentially condoned the exploitation of poor Chinese workers living and working under inhumane conditions.
[/QUOTE]
</p>
<p>Or you have provided that Chinese worker, who would not otherwise have had a job, with the money required to feed his family.</p>
<p>
[QUOTE]
you can easily run OSX on a non-Apple computer, even if it is illegal too.
[/QUOTE]
</p>
<p>You can easily kill someone, even if it is illegal to.</p>
<p>That's a terrible comparison. Nothing can happen if you install OSX on a non-Apple computer if you buy a legal copy.</p>