macbook and snow leopard question

[robleighton22]

i am considering getting a macbook/pro some time in the near future as windows and audio suck. i hav a motu828 that clicks and crackles non-stop and a laptop that switches itself when things get too much.

my only worry about getting a macbook sooner rather than later is that the new os is gonna drop by september. how do apple usually do things, will they hav a new range of macbooks setup for the new os, or would they just include snow leopard with the current range of laptops when it drops?

i read that if u buy a macbook now u can upgrade for about 10 bucks, but given that info, i am wondering how imminent a new range of macbooks is..

thanks

[thracks]

Not likely. They just updated the Macbook line a little over a month ago, which is when I bought my first Mac laptop ever. Beautiful machine. You won't have to pay more than $10 for the new os.

[robleighton22]

NO one really knows when they do the upgrades but this link MAY help:

http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/

thanks for the advice. that link is wkd. will keep my eyes up for changes their. im thinking i will probably wait till around sept/october. if i do get a 13.3" macbook i will def look at getting a big monitor. which brings me to the next question - macbook or macbook pro 13" (i know this has been asked many times).

whilst on paper, i can see the normal macbook seems like the more obvious choice if u r saving money, i've done some reading and there seems to be way more issues with screens and faults with white body macbooks as opposed to the new 13" macbook pro. this leads me to think it míght b worth the extra buck, but would do u guys reckon for that matter?

[beats me]

NO one really knows when they do the upgrades but this link MAY help:

http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/

thanks for the advice. that link is wkd. will keep my eyes up for changes their. im thinking i will probably wait till around sept/october. if i do get a 13.3" macbook i will def look at getting a big monitor. which brings me to the next question - macbook or macbook pro 13" (i know this has been asked many times).

whilst on paper, i can see the normal macbook seems like the more obvious choice if u r saving money, i've done some reading and there seems to be way more issues with screens and faults with white body macbooks as opposed to the new 13" macbook pro. this leads me to think it míght b worth the extra buck, but would do u guys reckon for that matter?

Without doing any research on the current state of Macs as of 7/29/09 10:30 AM, but having a lot of experience with them and a proud owner of several, I would say get the 13" Pro version. The white Macbook is made out of cheap plastic and the Pro is the same solid unibody design as it's larger brothers. And again, with 0 research it's also probably better speced in ports and what not.

The other thing with laptops, and specfically Apple, is they aren't built for the ocassional hardware upgrade beyond hard drive and RAM so you want to get the best you can afford even if you have to hold off for a month or 2 to save a little more.

I'm a fanboy and buy into the hype, but don't get so wrapped into the hype that you buy the base model just to say you own a Mac.

[robleighton22]

def not looking to buy a mac because it is a mac! i am doing it cos my laptop dies too often adn my soundcard is supposed to be top of the range, but bloody crashes every moment as it is not as windows friendly as the box said it was. the prob is, i got a sweet deal for my motu, and i do think it has excellent sound and i know it will work soo much better on a mac.

i always try and get the best bargain when i buy computer stuff, and my last laptop was not the best purchase. whilst it was cheap and very fast, it is cheaply manufactured and has poor parts. this is why it essentially overheats all the time and freezes, and has various driver issues. you don't get this hassle with a mac. but, i am sure having a mac will bring a whole different set of problems.

[re.mark]

Funnily enough I was in the Apple store (Manchester, UK) today and the guy I was speaking to told me to hold off upgrading to Snow Leopard as soon as it comes out because I do music, he said thered be teething problems etc that would probably just cause problems and slow me down etc going to 10.6 instantly.
Interesting from a salesman, normally paid to be as pro-sales as possible :p

[robleighton22]

Funnily enough I was in the Apple store (Manchester, UK) today and the guy I was speaking to told me to hold off upgrading to Snow Leopard as soon as it comes out because I do music, he said thered be teething problems etc that would probably just cause problems and slow me down etc going to 10.6 instantly.
Interesting from a salesman, normally paid to be as pro-sales as possible :p

from what i gather, snow leopard is basically an improved/optimised version of leopard (a bit like win 7 being an optomised version of vista). so i can't see the problems being massive, altho as with any new os there will always b teething issues.

[porfiry]

It's not going to be the usual $100 upgrade either...just $29. So don't hesitate to buy that new machine because of the OS upgrade. Personally, I'd go with the 15"...you can get the faster processors in it, a little more screen real estate, better speakers, still wicked thin and light (I fondled one at best buy a few days ago), and not a huge unwieldy bastard like the 17-incher.

I must also say, I've cracked the edges of the shell of my BlacBook in a couple places, I have no idea how. Taking a close look at those aluminum pros, I would say that the new shell design is a huge advantage over the older models and the current white one.

And totally eco-green and shit too! (other than the tremendous amount of energy it must take to carve a block of solid aluminum)

[robleighton22]

(other than the tremendous amount of energy it must take to carve a block of solid aluminum)

fair point.

the uk apple store hav a refurb macbook 13" aluminium (not pro, last year's model) 2.4ghz for £850, would this not be a better buy than the newer pro (slower speed, better battery). and also a 15" aluminium for £1029. not intending to buy yet, but im already getting stuck what to get.

[adventurepants_]

get a mac.

[porfiry]

the only thing about the previous non-pro aluminum book is that there's no firewire, which your audio interface might not like very much.

[robleighton22]

got a motu 828mkII usb as i dont hav firewire on my current laptop, so it won't b issue. thankfully

[shai]

i was thinking to upgrade from my white 13'' to 15'' but since i plug my macbook to external 22'' flat Samasung LCD monitor (130€) crazy. dual monitor. it's like a whole new computer. i'm not sure the bigger screen worth the bucks. individual graphics memory is more appealing but isn't the new pro's having up to 8GB RAM. think it's enough.