Mac Book help!

lanchile

Hello fellas! I would like to buy a Mac book for my daughter, she is 16. But I do not know much about mac's. I saw some that I liked very much. I am looking for a 13' and no more than $1200. the models that I saw are:
Mac book air MC503LL/A
Mac book pro MC700LL/A
Mac book pro? MC965LL/A
can someone please give me an advise the one I should get for my daughter.
Thank you!

AsSiMiLaTeD

While the air is very nice I would go with one of the pro models for a good all around computer

mantis

The Air is very nice if you don't need a internal drive. A regular stock base model Macbook is plenty for most people especially a 16 year old girl.

I suggest a trip to the Apple Store where they are experts in putting her into the correct computer.

lanchile

Thanks guys! I have been reading a lot before I get the mac book and Most of the people prefer the pro instead of the air.

vstarkwell

You mentioned that you're at $1200 Max?

If so the 13' Mac Air is priced at $1299 & $1599 and the only difference I can tell between the 2 is HD space (128GB or 256GB). I'm pretty sure the price does not vary based on were you purchase it ie; Apple store, Best Buy or from Apple directly so the price is pretty much set.
.
Mac Pro 13' starts at $1199 and you get 320GB HD Space at 16 yr's of age I doubt she'll be too concerned with the other differential such as processing speed.

The third one you listed "Mac book pro? MC965LL/A" is actually a MacBook Air 13.3

lanchile

vstarkwell wrote: »

You mentioned that you're at $1200 Max?

If so the 13' Mac Air is priced at $1299 & $1599 and the only difference I can tell between the 2 is HD space (128GB or 256GB). I'm pretty sure the price does not vary based on were you purchase it ie; Apple store, Best Buy or from Apple directly so the price is pretty much set.
.
Mac Pro 13' starts at $1199 and you get 320GB HD Space at 16 yr's of age I doubt she'll be too concerned with the other differential such as processing speed.

The third one you listed "Mac book pro? MC965LL/A" is actually a MacBook Air 13.3

I can get the two top at almost the same price $1.138/$1.200 at Best Buy in New york. But as I mentioned before, I have read a lot (four hours) about Mac book pro v/s Mac book air and 90% of the people go for the "pro". I think I got my mind set on the "pro". Thank you for your advise and time guys.

bklynNupe

Personally, I wound not buy a macbook air for a 16 year old, they are far too delicate. They also have some limitations because of the design. Pros are geared more towards folks that are serious users such as editors, graphic designers, etc. Save some coin and get a refurbished macbook. I have only owned macs. The refurbs are the same as new in regards to warranty. Apple Care is the way to go. Mac does not jostle you around when you require repair. Check this one out, pretty sweet price. They have new refurbished offerings all the time.

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac/macbook?mco=MTkyMjQwMzc

agfrost

I agree with everything here:

bklynNupe wrote: »

Personally, I wound not buy a macbook air for a 16 year old, they are far too delicate. They also have some limitations because of the design. Pros are geared more towards folks that are serious users such as editors, graphic designers, etc. Save some coin and get a refurbished macbook. I have only owned macs. The refurbs are the same as new in regards to warranty. Apple Care is the way to go. Mac does not jostle you around when you require repair. Check this one out, pretty sweet price. They have new refurbished offerings all the time.

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac/macbook?mco=MTkyMjQwMzc

Fireman32

I agree. While the air is ultra portable and as fast as last years pros they just seem to fragile. With the 13" pro you have a lot more upgrade options in the future if you want to add more ram or a bigger hard drive it is very easy to do. On the air the memory is soldered to the board.

lanchile

Thank you guys! The "pro" it is!!!

Airplay355

Buy a refurbed one or a clearance one, they come with the same warranty. You should also check to see if she gets a discount for being a student. When I bought my computer it was $200 off + a free iPod + a free printer. Not sure what kind of stuff they are doing now. There should be an education store she can sign into.

lanchile

Airplay355 wrote: »

Buy a refurbed one or a clearance one, they come with the same warranty. You should also check to see if she gets a discount for being a student. When I bought my computer it was $200 off + a free iPod + a free printer. Not sure what kind of stuff they are doing now. There should be an education store she can sign into.

it is a surprise for her birthday! so I can not tell her.

bklynNupe

Which ever model you choose, make sure you add Apple Care!
It extends the warranty to 3 years. Just one other point, MacBook rather than a MacBook Pro is more than of enough for a casual user and typical student not in some sort of rigorous media program.

John in MA

Just an innocent question, but does she need a Mac or other laptop that expensive? I've seen what nice laptops look like after having been owned by a teenager for a year or two.

lanchile

John in MA wrote: »

Just an innocent question, but does she need a Mac or other laptop that expensive? I've seen what nice laptops look like after having been owned by a teenager for a year or two.

Well, She has a small laptop now.but is not working and it is not because she broke it,her laptop is like 6 years old and it has a lot of problems. She really takes care of her staff. other way I would just buy a notebook for $400 or so.I have always got PC's but I got tired of having a lot of problems.Windows are changing like crazy:mad: I am just waiting for my HP computer to brake to get a macbook pro for myself too. :biggrin:

lanchile

I got the Mac-book pro today!. Thank you guys for all the help and feedback. Total cost was $1,240.07 from Best buy. I hope my daughter likes it!

Fireman32

Congrats mine is coming tomorrow. Got the friends and family discount from my friend who works at the apple store. I cant wait.

lanchile

Fireman32 wrote: »

Congrats mine is coming tomorrow. Got the friends and family discount from my friend who works at the apple store. I cant wait.

Thanks,I heard so many good things about mac that I had to jump in. I am tired of PC's. as soon as my HP breaks...I will get my Mac book pro for myself.:biggrin:
I know they are expensive, but I believe they are worth every penny!!!

AsSiMiLaTeD

You just got yours, how do you know they are worth it?

lanchile

AsSiMiLaTeD wrote: »

You just got yours, how do you know they are worth it?

hahahahahaha if you read my post, I said "I HEARD" a lot of good things about it...get it now?????

AsSiMiLaTeD

My point was that it seems funny that you believe it's worth every penny based solely on what you heard.

lanchile

AsSiMiLaTeD wrote: »

My point was that it seems funny that you believe it's worth every penny based solely on what you heard.

Well, sometimes we have to trust somebody right? My boss has mac computers and He never had a single problem all these years.Beside I searched the web for more feedback and 90% went for Mac. I remember once it happened to me with Bryston amplifiers, at that time I did not know that brand and I heard a lot of good thing about it. and thanks god I believed and trusted all those people and now I am a happy owner of Bryston gears.:biggrin:

PS: if you do not know Bryston, Here is a link:
http://bryston.com/mission.html

John in MA

I've used both kinds of computers for years. I'd say if you have to ask if you should get a Mac or PC, you'll like a Mac. If you know what you want in a computer, you'll probably like a PC better.

Assuming you don't have a specific software set that requires a Mac.

And I have a Bryston 3B.

markmarc

Save yourself the cost of AppleCare by picking up a refurbished MacBook from the Apple Store. You get the same original 1 year warranty while saving $150-200. Apply that to the AppleCare extension and you're protected for 3 years.

BeefJerky

John in MA wrote: »

I've used both kinds of computers for years. I'd say if you have to ask if you should get a Mac or PC, you'll like a Mac. If you know what you want in a computer, you'll probably like a PC better.

Assuming you don't have a specific software set that requires a Mac.

This seems like a pretty accurate statement.

As for his claim that Mac users don't have problems, I certainly know my share of Mac users who have experienced issues with both the Powerbooks and Macbooks. I can also add that I've had excellent luck with Dell's business model laptops. The refurbished/open box/scratch-and-dent models in their outlet store are also great values.

In addition, their business tech support is fantastic. They are based in the U.S., so they have a good grasp on the English language, which helps. In addition, they actually take the troubleshooting that you've already done seriously, rather than reading from a script and forcing you to redo what you've already done.

John in MA

BeefJerky wrote: »

As for his claim that Mac users don't have problems, I certainly know my share of Mac users who have experienced issues with both the Powerbooks and Macbooks. I can also add that I've had excellent luck with Dell's business model laptops. The refurbished/open box/scratch-and-dent models in their outlet store are also great values.

Yeah, Mac OS is more stable than Windows but the computers themselves can be a little shaky. But the current unibody MacBook Pros are pretty solid machines.

BeefJerky

John in MA wrote: »

Yeah, Mac OS is more stable than Windows but the computers themselves can be a little shaky.

I don't agree with this, and find it to be based more on older versions of Windows than anything recent or current. Anything prior to Windows XP would certainly fall into the unstable category (Win 3.x, Win 95/98/ME). However, Windows XP SP2/SP3 are incredibly stable, as is Windows 7. I'll admit that Windows Vista had it's issues with the original release, but SP1 fixed those.

I've worked in IT, as well as having a good amount of experience with my own personal computers. I've found that 99% of the problems with XP/Vista/Win7 are due to faulty hardware, piss-poor drivers from the hardware manufacturer or virus's/spyware due to ID10T users. The OS's themselves are stable.

I've run both XP and Vista on my prior Dell laptop (D820), and both were rock solid. I've run Vista in the past and now Win7 on my current Dell laptop (M6300), and they are both rock solid as well. I currently Win 2008 R2 on my home-built server and it is rock solid. I've run XP SP2 and SP3 through a variety of computers that I've put together for my mother, and all but one were rock solid; and the problem was a bad motherboard, not the OS (go figure).

I never reboot my laptop, except for the rare occasion when I install updates. I only do this about once every 2-4 months, and it works perfectly during that 2-4 month uptime. This also includes extensive use of power management and docking/undocking. I never reboot my server, unless I lose power for longer than my UPS can run on a charge.

Simply put, the "Mac OS is more stable than Windows" mantra is tired and outdated. It is no longer accurate, and quite frankly, I'm sick of Apple fanboys using it as an argument. There are some good reasons to argue in favor of Mac OS, but stability is not a valid one.

But the current unibody MacBook Pros are pretty solid machines.

Good. But then, so are the business line of Dell's. Laptops are really only built by a couple of different companies these days anyway.

John in MA

"Stable" wasn't the right word, but I was trying to be polite and not dump on this guy's laptop thread. Mac OS is more resistant getting fouled up by an inexperienced user, bad software, or unpatched security issues. I prefer XP SP3, although I'm probably going to go to Windows 7 since it would handle my SSD better.

I'm not an Apple fanboy. I were going to buy a new pricey laptop I'd probably get a Dell Latitude E-series or a Thinkpad T-series, although the Thinkpad screens are lousy and the DPC latency driver issues I've had with all my T61s have me a little scared.

But if you can put up with the dentable case, heat transmission, and service issues, a MacBook Pro is a pretty nice piece of engineering. I don't think anyone else makes a laptop with a billet housing.

Other Macs I wouldn't touch with a ten-foot-pole. Service nightmares or overpriced beyond sanity.

BeefJerky

John in MA wrote: »

"Stable" wasn't the right word, but I was trying to be polite and not dump on this guy's laptop thread.

Yeah, I think we might have derailed this a bit, but oh well.

Mac OS is more resistant getting fouled up by an inexperienced user, bad software, or unpatched security issues.

I won't really disagree with this, but I will say the Win7 is a big step up in this aspect. I'm very impressed with Win7 to say the least.

I prefer XP SP3, although I'm probably going to go to Windows 7 since it would handle my SSD better.

I run an Intel 120GB SSD in my Win7 laptop, and it flies. I think going to Win7 would net you some advantages in that area.

I'm not an Apple fanboy. I were going to buy a new pricey laptop I'd probably get a Dell Latitude E-series or a Thinkpad T-series, although the Thinkpad screens are lousy and the DPC latency driver issues I've had with all my T61s have me a little scared.

I used to be a big fan of Thinkpads, but I think they've gone downhill over the years. I'm not sure whether it has to do with the acquisition by Lenovo or not.

But if you can put up with the dentable case, heat transmission, and service issues, a MacBook Pro is a pretty nice piece of engineering. I don't think anyone else makes a laptop with a billet housing.

Macbooks are nice laptops, don't get me wrong. However, I just don't believe they are the "holy grail" as some mac folks like to claim. They have some nice features and advantages, but they also have their downfalls.

Other Macs I wouldn't touch with a ten-foot-pole. Service nightmares or overpriced beyond sanity.

I've not had good experiences with Apple's support either. Their "geniuses" are rude, elitist, unhelpful, and honestly not all that knowledgeable. Well, at least based on the experiences at the stores that I've been to.

markmarc

Just yesterday I had to take my MacBook in as the bezel had cracked (known issue in my model). They could have kept it for 72 hours, instead, the "genius" took it back to the repair desk and came back asking if I could wait thirty minutes. I had it back in 27 minutes and with a new keyboard as well bezel.

BeefJerky

markmarc wrote: »

Just yesterday I had to take my MacBook in as the bezel had cracked (known issue in my model). They could have kept it for 72 hours, instead, the "genius" took it back to the repair desk and came back asking if I could wait thirty minutes. I had it back in 27 minutes and with a new keyboard as well bezel.

Good to hear! Maybe it's only the Apple stores here in the Houston area that have issues. Or maybe I've just been unlucky. Either way, glad to hear that they got you fixed up so quickly!