Buying new laptop thinking Macbook Pro

So I want a new laptop and I'm liking the 15" Macbook Pro so I'm thinking of picking up a refurb from the Canadian Apple store. http://store.apple.com/ca/product/FB470LL/A?mco=MjE0NjE5MA
I like the design but I've not used anything Mac since high school which was back in the late 1990's. I'm going to need windows as well so I can just dual boot with boot camp is that correct? Anything I need to know in general before I decide to purchase? Looking for feedback from people who use a Macbook a lot

Buying a refurb is a good way IMO, is all I've ever done. Refurbs for come with a 1 year warranty, you can always buy Apple Care if you want for 3 years coverage.

I've never run Windows with Boot Camp, I've used VMware-Fusion which I think is alot handier than dual booting. You can run multiple VMs, adding a Linux VM under VMware-Fusion as well.

Ya I've used VMware before so that's an option problem is I'm going to use this at work and there I need Windows 90% of the time. We have a few clients with Macs though so I'd like to learn OSX and be able to help them with basic stuff.

First off, let me say that my it is not my intention to knock apple products. With that said, is there any specific reason for wanting/needing a macbook? I ask because there is no denying that there is a steep premium on apple hardware. If you don't have a specific need for a mac, your money will be better spent on a better equipped windows based laptop.

I agree fully I could get something just as capable for less if I went with something windows based. I would like to experiment with OS X though and this is my only real way to do it. I love their power adapter design and the few I've seen seem well built. I'm just considering broadening my horizons. Any reason other than $$$ I shouldn't?

You mean the power adapters that catch fire? My friends caught fire and had to have his laptop replaced as it burnt the back of the laptop before he realised...

IMO Apple is just overly expensive, to the point you can get the same spec laptop for 50-70% of the price. But everyone who has used a Mac seems to like it however, what will you be using it for? If you need to edit videos etc Mac's are supposed to be better, having a good range of applications but nothing you cannot do on Windows...

No I don't need a Mac just want to try one out if it turns out I don't like OSX I can just run windows 7 on it or re-sell it and move on to something else.

Are people unclear on the concept of this thread? I thought the OP is pretty clear on his intention here, really. His original post is well worded and direct. He wants a Macintosh, not a dozen posts about why he shouldn't get one, or how PC-based laptops are better.

I'm shocked and appalled at the way most of the members in this thread are posting. I'm so disappointed it's not even funny.

Good luck in your search, Trap05. Let me (or any other mod) know if anybody gives you any more guff, ok?

Trap05 said:

I love their power adapter design and the few I've seen seem well built.

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The magnetic power adapter design is brilliant, hopefully other manufacturers can come up with a similarly innovative solution, to prevent the all-too-common "broken AC jack" symdrome.

Windows 7 'probably' would run on a Macbook out-of-the-box, with no additional drivers(don't quote me on this).

Of course, Linux would run fabulously on a Macbook...

I've been using Macs more recently over the last six months or so. I've switched to using an older Macbook Pro at work. If I was getting a new laptop today, and had the money for it, I would get a Macbook Pro 13".

There are a few great reasons, IMO.
Hardware:
- LED display (though I don't like the glossy, you can get matte on the 15")
- ~7 hour battery life
- nVidia 9400M graphics
- Multi-track touchpad (no one else has this)
- Aluminum unibody (no one else has this, and the laptop feels SOLID)

Software
- Expose, multiple desktops
- Quicksilver! (download it, it's awesome)
- Excellent window management, taskbar
- FAR superior collection of system options/pref panes

I think the Mac is an especially great choice for a laptop because of the way your workflow is organized and the ways you can interact with it. New Macbook Pros have a very large, up to four-touch trackpad that lets you do a lot with just a few swipes of the finger. Laptops can be annoying because of the smaller keyboard/mouse workspace, but even the two-touch trackpad on my work Macbook makes my life so much easier.

Laptops also have limited screen space, which is where the window management comes in. I like using Windows on my dual display desktop, but on a laptop you don't have as many options for throwing windows around. Expose lets you see what you have open and grab it, multiple desktops let you separate out disparate tasks, and connecting these options to the multi-touch trackpad lets you scroll, move desktops, etc. very intuitively.

There might be a bit of a learning curve, but I don't think you'll look back.

I re-evaluated my opinion of OS X after spending a week working on the computer system at someone's office. They had an all-Apple product setup, and I found that it took me less time to figure out the interface AND solve problems than it would have taken me to just solve problems on Windows-based machines, which I know very well.

Edit: one more thing. I would recommend adding one of the current generation 7200RPM notebook drives. I think you'd see a good difference - the 5400RPM drives they put in Macbooks seem optimized for noise/vibration/cost more than anything else.

Finally some useful information....thanks for that. I agree on the 7200rpm drive I was thinking of swapping in a 500GB model and bumping the ram to 4GB at some point.

I think the 13" would be too small so I'm focusing on the 15" since I have a 17" MSI now and I find it too big and bulky for what I use it for. Here's a question say I get the Macbook and the snow leopard disc what involved in upgrading it? I'm assuming insert the disc and wait?

Trap05 said:

Finally some useful information....thanks for that. I agree on the 7200rpm drive I was thinking of swapping in a 500GB model and bumping the ram to 4GB at some point.

I think the 13" would be too small so I'm focusing on the 15" since I have a 17" MSI now and I find it too big and bulky for what I use it for. Here's a question say I get the Macbook and the snow leopard disc what involved in upgrading it? I'm assuming insert the disc and wait?

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Sure - the RAM upgrade is a good call too. Much cheaper to do it yourself.

I think the 13" and 15" are both good options. 17" is a little silly for a laptop IMO. If you want portability, the 13" would obviously be a little better, but it really depends on what you're doing. A 13" and a standalone LCD might not be a bad idea either - the hardware is pretty much the same, and you'd save enough $$ on it to pay for the LCD. I still don't consider a 15" very portable, but my definition of portable is everyday portable.

You might take a moment to compare the dimensions/weight specs of your current laptop with those of the Macbooks. Stopping in a store to get a real life feel would be a good idea too.

Problem is there's no place around here that will have a Macbook Pro in stock. Closest place is a 2hr drive and its a city I never have any reason to visit

Hah, now you have a reason to visit that city. I would love to get a Macbook, perhaps in a while I will. I agree with the 13" pro, seems to be a sweet setup. If you're a student or military they also have discounts...

Unfortunately I am neither

The 13" seems to be a good size, for portability and yet the screen seems alot bigger than a netbook's. The 13" is also very light, my friend has one and you barely notice carrying it in a ruck sack.

I decided to go with the 15.4" model I just couldn't see myself being happy with a 13.3" screen. Plus the dedicated video was something else I wanted.

Trap05 said:

I decided to go with the 15.4" model I just couldn't see myself being happy with a 13.3" screen. Plus the dedicated video was something else I wanted.

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They do have dedicated video on the 13.3" models as well, but if you're using this more as a primary computer than a notebook, the 15.4" is a good choice.

They didn't have that option on a refurb model though which were the only ones that fit my budget. It's comes with the snow leopard upgrade though so I'm sure I'll be happy with it.

Well I got my Macbook Pro today...no snow leopard disc but I got 4GB of ram instead so I can't complain too much. So far very impressed