MB or MBP: Beyond the Specs?

[balofagus]

I currently use an iBook G4 but will be purchasing a MacBook Pro at the end of August(ish). My decision was based partly on aesthetics but not totally. My teacher has and MBP and our exchange student got a MacBook while she was here. I've used both quite a bit to make sure I make the right choice.

The reasons (based on looks) that I didn't choose the MB were:
1. No matte screen option. I plain and simple do not like the glossy screens. To each their own but its not for me.

2. I'm not a fan of the magnetic latching system. Not a big deal and I would have certainly gotten over it.

3. The biggest factor was the keyboard. I hated typing on the MB. The keyboard is truly bizarre to me. I've read all about how great it is ergonomically, stylistically and such but having the choice... I've chosen to avoid it. The MBP is more similar to my iBook's and I love this keyboard. I probably would have dealt with the MB's keyboard but don't see myself ever liking it (I hated it the whole nine months the exchange student was using it).

4. I also find the "BlackBook" incredibly ugly for some reason.

Overall, the specs of the MBP are what set me after it.

 

[DMC-12]

...and I opted for a 22" external for more screen real estate when I'm in the dorms.

I've been leaning toward what you decided on. I don't mind the 13-inch screen as long as I can eventually get an external display. I don't care about the weight very much, but the compact design of the MB seems enticing just for simplicity's sake.

The only thing I'm worried about with the MB right now is the lack of LED and matte. The lack of both features bothers me, but, say, if the LED update came tomorrow, I'd buy one- it's just the principle of "better" technology, I guess. I feel better about the MBP as it stands because I don't foresee an update for a while. However, if the Pro got a user-replaceable hard drive tomorrow, I'd probably go Pro. I don't know. Thanks for the input.

 

[gniss39]

Another thing to consider is fan noise. Im not sure about the MBP, but usally my MB is pretty quiet with the fans running at 1500 rpm. But if you go to any website with flash or youtube, the fans will rev up to 6000 rpm and it is difficult to hear videos on youtube even with the volume turned up all the way. I bought my MB in May 2006 when they first came out, so maybe they've fixed this since then. But on MBP's, because of the graphics card, the fans don't go crazy when you watch videos. Just a thought