Planning to buy the macbook

I'm planning to buy the 2.0 GHz macbook. Before I buy and as I compare with alternatives, is there anything I should know or do?

I plan to use the computer mainly for design purposes (dreamweaver and photoshop). Spending 1k is pushing it for me, I made my last laptop purchase hunting deals and finding a nice high def compaq presario for $350 from a friend that won it in a raffle. It's motherboard and power supply fried a little more than a year later (last week). I think if I buy it, I'll end up going to an apple store.

 

Well, do you really like OS X? Or do you just need it for basic tasks and Dreamweaver and Photoshop? Because as much as I love OS X if you don't need OS X you can get a Photoshop/Dreamweaver PC for cheaper than $1000.

But otherwise, if you want to switch to Mac OS X, and you plan to run Dreamweaver and Photoshop the MacBook will handle those tasks great. The MacBook's resolution is 1280x800, so larger Photoshop images may not fit at 100% size.

 

yea heres something you need to know- have fun with it when you get it :}

on a more serious note, I dont know anything about dreamweaver so you might wana see how well it will run on the gma in the macbook.

 

Dreamweaver is a web design application (the standard, just like Photoshop is in image editing). It will run fine on the MacBook, its not graphics intensive (similar to Photoshop). So yeah, don't worry about not being able to run it well.

 

I haven't used the OS extensively, but I plan to do so with a friend's black macbook before I make the purchase. I know I don't need OSX but I like OSX, I've liked what I've heard and I've liked what I've seen.

What I'm most curious/concerned about at this stage is reliability. I mean I don't want the laptop to die on me a month after the warantee ends. Had it not happened to me, I wouldn't even consider it. How long have you guys used your macs?

 

Well, mine's is just about four months old, but I've been fine all this time. You can purchase the AppleCare Protection Plan, which extends hardware warranty and phone support to 3 years. And most consumer electronics break within 3 years. If your Mac can last past the AppleCare warranty be happy .

If you buy AppleCare Apple will repair your MacBook if any hardware issues come up (other than accidental or wear-and-tear), or they may replace your MacBook with a new one.

If you like OS X, go for it! MacBook is the way to go.

 

Did you buy the care package? It's not cheap and I heard apple phone support isn't exactly great.

 

Really? I don't know where you heard it, but AppleCare's phone support is one of the best in the industry. Low wait times, helpful, knowledgeable English-speaking North American-based (no Indian call centers) staff.

I haven't bought the AppleCare package yet but I will soon (I'm broke right now ). You can buy AppleCare anytime in the first year.

 

I didn't know that you could buy it after time of purchase. I don't care where the support people are based as long as they are friendly and help you deal with the issue at hand without a sole focus on cutting losses.

But you say the apple care would be worth the cost?

 

Yes, I think it is worth the cost. And yes, you can buy AppleCare for your MacBook any time in the first year of purchase. No extra cost.

Apple's customer service is top notch. I've heard of several times when people had issues with their Macs, and Apple exchanged it with a higher model - brand new, of course - for their troubles.

 

That's the service I would hope for the extra cost.

 

For sure check out the macs at the apple store, but if your budget is tight, you may want to consider online purchase. To save some more money, you could try a refurbished macbook.

I purchased a refurbished black macbook about two weeks ago. There were no scratches, dings or dents on it. And it has worked great so far. This is my first laptop so I have nothing similar to compare it to besides my pc desktop.

The black macbook was about 1k compared to about $1,400-$1,500 new. The white macbooks refurbished were available for under 1k. A battery widget I installed said that the macbook was about 6 weeks old and it took one week to get to me.

I knew going into the purchase that I would be making some sacrifices, such as access to more gaming, but that is what i have my pc for, at least for now.

 

If your budget is only 1,000 then you will be better off buying a 15.4" mainstream laptop with a higher resolution than 1280x800 (the macbook's native resolution)

Dell always has $300-off coupons for their inspiron line which you can get in the front page of notebookreview.com, just look for the notebook deals news piece.

I configured a dell 1520 for you through Dell's website.

Jet Black
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7300 (2.0GHz/800Mhz FSB/4MB cache)
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition
High Resolution, glossy widescreen 15.4 inch display (1680x1050)
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100
FREE! 2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 667MHz
FREE! 160GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)
CD / DVD writer (DVD+/-RW Drive)
Intel® 3945 802.11a/g Mini-card
Built-in Bluetooth capability (2.0 EDR)
Integrated 2.0M Pixel Webcam
85Whr Lithium Ion Battery (9 cell)
High Definition Audio 2.0

If you apply the $300 off coupon you will get this machine for a little under a grand + tax and s/h. I think it's a better deal considering you will have more screen real state if you will do a lot of photoshop work.

Of course if you really want osx then get a macbook, I have one and it's great, but I just use it for heavy programming and whatnot, don't really need a higher resolution for that (though it's always welcome)

Anyway, it's your choice.