Hi guys, I'm freelance graphics and web designer and I'm about to make the switch. I'm actually sick of waiting for the imac refresh and thinking if I should get a macbook or macbook pro instead. Even though I am a very capable on troubleshooting problems with pc, both hardware and sotware, I'm really tired of fixing those problems all the time. Like now, PC keeps hanging randomly, like after 5 hrs, or 7 hrs, and I have to force refresh,, I can probably fix this, but then again, I just want to focus on what I do (design) and not fix my machine frequently. Though I've heard of rumors of having imac this march, then again, I'm tired of waiting... I mainly use my computer at home, since I work at home, and don't need mobility much, though having an option is nice. The software I use primarily is photoshop, flash and dreamweaver. I have a quad-core chip, with a ati 4850 hd , 4mb ram. I'll probably keep my windows machine just for gaming and not professional work. So I need a very capable mac to have these 3 software run perfectly smooth all the time and also the OS snappiness. So I've been thinking would these setup: macbook attached to my 22 inch lcd. --> (can it handle all those 3, planning to upgrade to 4gb in both setup btw) macbook pro attached to my 22 inch lcd. wait for an iMac I was just thinking of getting these macbook, since its quite a while before there will be a significant upgrade since mobile i7 are due late 2010. And the only reason why I won't buy the current gen of iMac is that I don't want to have the hassle of selling it once the new one gets out, (I like having the latest models btw ) and also we all know the current iMac is due for a refresh very soon. And also Im also excited on snow leopard, and very curious on the openCL technology, so Im also leaning to MBP since it has a better graphics card, but is that price worth it, I know snow leopard is due this year too, so I want a machine very capable of taking advantage what this new OS is to offer
well sairo, medyo nakakainis na kasi mag hintay ng iMac, ayaw ko naman bilhin yung lumang iMac dahil ayaw ko bumili ng old technology, kung ilabas nila yung bagong iMac ngayon nde ko na gagawin yung thread na ito.
If you're tired of waiting for the latest iMac release, then here are my views on macbook and MB Pro. If money is no object and you're planning to get the 2.4GHz aluminum macbook, then I would suggest to get a macbook pro. You might find those extras on a macbook pro useful later on (Firewire, Express card and better graphic performance) and If you're considering video editing as another part-time job. I think the price difference between the 2.4GHz macbook and 2.4GHz macbook pro is worth your hard earned cash. I'm a unibody macbook 2.0 owner. For your primary applications, I also use those development tools ( photoshop, flash and dreamweaver) and I can't feel any sluggish performance with those tools. ( or maybe it's just me, coming from a 5 year old notebook... ) If you're not considering the upgraded white macbook and budget is more of an issue, I would suggest to go for the 2.0 unibody macbook. Between the 2.0 and 2.4 aluminum, I don't think an extra 400Mhz, extra few gigs of HDD and illuminated keyboard can justify it. Instead, spend those extra cash on HDD and RAM upgrade. As for me, with the current economic crunch, money is really an issue, (another rare poor apple user hehehe...) As for the Snow Leopard and OpenCL, correct me if I'm wrong, I think a macbook can still benefit from the OS optimization and performance upgrade. Though the performance gain would not be the same as the performance gain on a macbook pro ( even for the 2.4GHz macbook ). Well, it all boils down to whatever you need now and which one you can afford now...
i'd say go for the macbook pro... you'll need the graphics performance for your programs and bigger screen size if and when you do presentations to clients... and remember to max out the RAM... HTH...
for me, a powerbook/macbook/macbook pro is a must for freelancers with big projects especially if i'm the one who closed he deal, hehehe. mobility is a plus factor. clients are impressed with what you have aside from creative visuals and ideas. if you get paid well in your projects, in just few months, you might get an iMac or yet a MacPro QuadCore with 23" Cinema Display. just be patient and focus on your present projects. makikita mo na lang, may naipon ka na para makapag-invest ng bagong Mac. same with getting a high-end DSLR like Nikon D700/D3/D3x, i can shoot events with a D60 and a D90 and get paid and eventually, i'll have very good lens. so, sit back and do your projects for the meantime and you'll have a mac.
Your reasons are the same like mine, as you progress for sure you would like to try powerful programs like ADOBE Premiere or Final Cut Pro. MacBook Pro!
Wait for the iMac, there are rumors it'll be out on March 24, could be on or before April 15 in our country if ever that rumor would turn out to be true. That is if you're really sure that portability won't be an issue in the next useful years of your future iMac..
How about the new 17" inch macbook pro? I think it was meant for professional use due to the large screen
Wow, maraming salamat sa inyong lahat, ang daming nag reply sa thread na to. I will consider all your post in my purchase. ------------ Portability is of no issue, most of my clients are from the US anyway, so I don't need to present them like you normally do here in the Philippines. The plus factor sounds nice though. Those macbooks are uber sexy and I think no current laptop can top off its sexiness well ofcourse there's also an issue on money, but if its for my work, I'm very considerate in spending. @Phil I just read that rumor before checking this thread. I actually plan to buy end of March, I don't know yet where to buy though, I'm thinking I'll let someone from HK buy it from me, since they're the cheapest in Asia. So if the rumor is true, I'll probably get the iMac. ------------------------- Its so refreshing to hear that the current macbook unibody can handle my programs without the sluginess. I'm well paid in my freelancing, so I just want my mac to serve sort of a gift for myself . I'm teaching my fiancee xhtml coding so she can help me with my work. So I'll probably buy her a computer for herself. So here are the scenario I'm thinking 1) get macbook unibody. wait for imac, when imac comes out, give macbook to fiancee and use imac. 2) get macbook pro now, then get a macbook unibody later for fiancee. faincee doesn't like windows, I can't blame her though, that's why I will probably buy a macbook for her. though I really like the iMac option though, since I don't need to buy another big screen for the other computer. --------- sorry guys, I know its kinda obvious what to buy, but its probably one of those newbies switcher taking the plunge to mac haven. I just want to get my money's worth.
@accord I probably go for the 15inch, since I'll be using it as a desktop machine anyway and use a 22inch or 24inch LCD screen
id say go for your option number 1..get a macbook now then when the imac comes out, give that to your lady love..it would serve as the perfect gift (an mbp might be too large for her) and you said that she'd be using it mainly for xhtml coding, so she wouldn't need the brute force of the mbp..also, as the earlier posts mentioned, the macbook would be able to cope with the requirements of your needed apps, so it buys you time to wait for the new imac while doing your work..just my two cents =)
great advice, thankyou cyrian, but I'll probably get the new imac first now since its released already, I'll wait for another month or two for my 2nd purchase probably and will get the new macmini or macbook
Good on you nouvomx! the huge screen on the imac is sweet! are you getting the high-end 24-inch? buy her the macbook - definitely worth the investment.
