Possible MB buyer w/Questions

I've been considering selling my dv2 and replacing it w/a Mac (wondered why I just didn't do that in the first place.....having "the best of both worlds" is something I've been after for a while).

My first question is a rather simple one: Which MB sounds like it would best suit my needs?

I'd use this in the same fashion/for the same things as I currently do my Dell....music/movies (HD would be nice, not necessary though), desktop publishing (have MS Office Pro 2007 installed on the Dell--use Word & Publisher quite a bit) and internet browsing (including a lil YouTube here and there).

As far as size goes, I was thinking 13" would be about the best....because of the balance between power/portability and because I could afford to go refurbished or new.

I've been kinda leaning towards the 13" MBP, but because the basic white MB also seems to fill the bill, just thought I'd ask.

My other question concerns software--basic Win/Mac compatibility stuff.

In looking at iWork, I was wondering if there's some way I can view/edit my Publisher and Word files with 'Pages' (a plugin perhaps) ?? If there isn't, maybe there's a plugin or something I can download on my Dell that would allow me to save my work in a Mac compatible format? *(Would like to keep any future Mac Apple only......have no interest in running VMWare or Boot Camp)

 

I'm assuming when you say "movies/music" you mean listening to or looking at, not editing? If so the 13" MBP should do everything you need; the big advantage of it over the white model is the MUCH longer battery life and the strength of the unibody construction. If you don't go far from a power outlet, however, you could go with the cheaper unit and save a few bucks.

If you do use the machine for video editing or complex desktop publishing you might want to seriously consider the mid-priced 15" model which has a switchable 9400/9600GT graphics setup; the discrete 9600GT chip would be much more appropriate for heavy graphics tasks and any 3D games you might want to play.

 

Oh yeah, listening/watching........sorry that wasn't clear and yeah, have been reading up on the battery life

 

Unfortunately though, the 15" MBP with the switchable 9600M GT / 9400M is really not mid-priced. Only the higher end configurations have that, and they start at $2000 (the same price they've always been). That's why I was kind of annoyed at Apple for touting these great new low prices on their notebooks- they're really not- all they really did was rebrand the unibody MacBook as a 13" MacBook Pro (the only main differences are a card reader, longer battery life, and Firewire).

Anyway, keep in mind that the cheaper configurations of the 15" still only have the 9400M, not the 9600M GT as well. However, I'd agree with the above post, and say that for your needs, the 13" would be more than adequate (or the white MacBook).

 

Although the white MacBook tends to be a "red headed stepchild" now, it's still a great computer at a excellent price. Heck, i think it looks better than the Aluminum ones.

For all the stuff you mentioned, you could easily get by with the white one, also consider that Office is available for the mac (although it doesn't include publisher)

 

Actually we're both right: the mid-price 15" is $2K as you say, but it DOES have the 9400/9600GT, only with 256MB of video RAM whereas the top 15" has 512.

In either case I don't think the OP needs that much power for what he wants to do, but should check out the backlit keyboard on the 13" MBP which the MacBook doesn't have as well as the greatly extended battery life.

 

The 9400/9600GT combo would be overkill I think.....have dabbled in gaming on my Dell (light stuff like GTA: Vice City & Star Trek: Elite Force), but never really got used to it like I have on my desktop (which can nail just about anything).

The backlit keyboard on the other hand is something worth checking out....have this Logitech KB with my desktop and the illumination is especially handy anytime the lights aren't on in my room.

Anyhow, got a few errands to run today.....will make a run out to my local Apple store, check out the two and ask whatever questions pop up.

Thanks for the advice so far

 

It really all depends on how much you want it to be portable. I see the MBP more portable than the white MacBook because the unibody is very stout and the amazing battery. Have fun at the Apple store, nothing beats getting your hands on the models and checking them out.

Oh, there is MS Office 2008 for Mac (MS Office runs a year after the Windows version so Office 2007 on Windows is Office 2008 on Mac). It doesn't have Publisher but I love the set up of it. Much better than 2007 in my opinion. It took getting used too but now I love the Toolbar! And I can save it and email it to a Windows PC and it works like a charm!!!

 

Oh also, if you want to save a bit of money, check out the referbished store on apple.com. Normally saves you a few hundred over the new price and they are like new machines. I bought mine refurbished and haven't had any problems. It comes with the one year warranty just like a new computer and are completely checked by a technition before being sold as a refurbished! The only downside is it doesn't come in a nice box which didn't bother me at all.

 

not sure why no one has answered this... yss there is MS office for Mac, but you may not need it. The word processor in iWork (Pages) can open and save MS formats, heck even TextEdit.app that comes with the OS can open a .doc.... but its not that great for editing, its just a simple text editor.

for main Office type work, you can get MS Office 2008 for a lot... iWork for a little less, or you can download and use OpenOffice for free. OpenOffice isn't quite as polished interface wise, but its runs good and can use MS formats as well.

None of those options include something to replace Publisher though, and I don't really know what does, as its not something I've ever used to looked into.

 

This was just a curiosity on my part, nothing major.

Anyhow, had a great time at the Apple Store the other day. Was a surprisingly tough choice, but in the end the aluminum won me over like it has so many of you

Now I have another choice to make.....go with a Unibody (late 08 model) or MBP (refurbs of which are currently running $100 apart). With the unibody, I would be taking a hit on battery life (NBR's Unibody review says about 5hrs or so compared to the 7hrs+ of the MBP), the CPU (2.0GHz P7350), screen (NBR's MBP review mentions a '60% bump in color gamut') and keyboard (standard instead of illuminated).

Considering the intended uses I have in mind (see 1st post) and the fact that it's roughly comparable in specs to my Dell, a Unibody doesn't seem all that unreasonable, but intend to read more reviews and study the differences between that and the MBP nonetheless.

After doing some number crunching, my buy window is looking to be anywhere from 2wks to a month depending on which machine I choose.

*(Oh...another thing I like is the ease/cost of upgrading the OS....only $9.95 for Snow Leopard according to the Apple site! )

 

If you want to watch movies then get the MBP. You can play the lottery on the Unibody MacBook and see if you can get one of the later screens which are decent but for $100 difference I would not bother. Imagine dark scenes looking greyish at the top and bottom of the screen on the older LCDs...yes it is that bad. I had one, whined here about it and then dumped it.

Lol found it:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=321151

Look on the last page for the pictures. Funny reading back on that thread and people claiming that their LCD looked great and now everyone saying that the first LCDs sucked. So much for me being crazy Anyway just dont get the uMacBook for $100 difference.

 

Damn.....am lucky you posted then. Reading all 4pgs of that thread was an eye opener.

Ahh well.....waiting an extra week or two for the Pro will be worth it then