MB Pro now or later?

[cnakeitaro]

As you can tell from my sig, my iBook bit the dust a few days ago (May she Rest in Peace). She was a great little computer and I had expected it a little longer than it did, so I decided to get an iMac in February and get a MacBook Pro around the time the Merom transition came around.

Since loosing my laptop I have felt lost. I have been used to taking my data wherever I go and loosing that sense of mobility is awful. So at this point I don't know what to do. I was looking forward to the energy saving features and the 64-bit instruction sets the Merom could provide, but I find myself needing a laptop. Now I just can't decide if that need is a want.

I would probably be able to make it to August/September if I wasn't going on a trip to Japan for a month. Not having my laptop would limit my ability to use my digital camera and communicate with people at home, as well as post pictures and such from my trip.

I do have an old compaq laptop with an amd xp+ processor available to me that I could borrow, but it seems to have its fair share of problems as well. Sometimes it won't even boot and you have to press the reset button on the bottom of the case and it comes up with bad CMOS checks. So I'm worried about the reliability of that machine with the fact that if it did crash, I might loose all the data from my trip.

I suppose since the limit seems to be 2GB of RAM in a MB Pro at the moment anyways, it doesn't much matter with the 64-bit instruction sets, but I still have no idea what to do. Plus, I can get the developer discount of a 17 inch @ 2239USD. Anyone with any suggestions? Should I buy now? Or wait til after my trip? What would be the better buy?

 

[Peyton]

As you can tell from my sig, my iBook bit the dust a few days ago (May she Rest in Peace). She was a great little computer and I had expected it a little longer than it did, so I decided to get an iMac in February and get a MacBook Pro around the time the Merom transition came around.

Since loosing my laptop I have felt lost. I have been used to taking my data wherever I go and loosing that sense of mobility is awful. So at this point I don't know what to do. I was looking forward to the energy saving features and the 64-bit instruction sets the Merom could provide, but I find myself needing a laptop. Now I just can't decide if that need is a want.

I would probably be able to make it to August/September if I wasn't going on a trip to Japan for a month. Not having my laptop would limit my ability to use my digital camera and communicate with people at home, as well as post pictures and such from my trip.

well if you want some consoling, I'll be waiting it out with you if you wait til merom. I'm a little to anxious for 64bit mbp plus I can wait until some of the kinks are worked out. (if any)

 

[truz]

Later if you can wait. If not.. wait until this tuesday and see if the new ibooks (macbook) is released as you can get one of them much cheaper then the macbook pro. (maybe in colors too, who knows).

 

[Lollypop]

I agree with the guys above, if you can hold out do it, it may be hard to go with a flacky windows machine, but just imagine the wonderfull core 2 duo you can have later! Personally im very impulsive, when I hear a wrong click I get a new whatever... thats if I can afford it!

 

[iPie]

I agree with all of the above, the MBP is going through some transition issues right now and I am not even sure what the re-sale value of these first-gen MBPs is going to be.

Who is going to want to buy a potentially problematic used MBP? Right now there is a market, but it may dry up as soon as there is a fix.

I would stick it out for as long as possible.

 

[TBi]

I'd say wait unless you like headache inducing buzzing noise and a hot lap.

 

[DevilsRejection]

I'd say wait unless you like headache inducing buzzing noise and a hot lap.

truth, never get a revision A apple portable, they never get it right the first time.

sad too, you would think after all these years of experiance they would spend a little extra cash to build a product testing lab!

 

[cnakeitaro]

Thanks for the replies. Although now I am in a dilemma. Do to lack of notebook, and this impending trip, it really looks like I am going to need a laptop before I go. I think despite everyone's excellent advice, I am going to go ahead and get a 17 inch MB Pro. The price seems reasonable considering the upgrade you get from the 15 incher. Also it seems they run much cooler and have not shown many of the same problems as the 15 inch model.

Oh well. No Core 2 Duo for me. I think the only way I can justify this purchase is from what I read before the MB Pro was released and everyone was speculating the Merom release, as in "It really all depends where you lay on the upgrade cycle, if you need one now, you get it." And as my iBook has died, I am definitely in need. Sorry to go against all your sound advice.

 

[NYmacAttack]

Good luck with your MBP 17

 

[cnakeitaro]

Well I also just thought of something else. I know Apple was really quick in getting the Core Duo in laptops, but I don't think we really know when we would finally see Core 2 Duo's in apple machines. It took til just recently for Dell to put them into their XPS laptops and they are backordered til the end of the month. So there could be so much more added delay ontop of the time til the August release, assuming they are released on time.

 

[macanudo]

Good luck with your new 17 MBP - what a huge necessary upgrade from an iBook! I am jealous of the extra real estate that you have! Let us know how you make out.

 

[cnakeitaro]

Oh well per your request, I received my MB Pro today. But, sadly its already going in for a new screen. There really isn't much wrong with the one that came with it other than this little blue dot that about 1.5mm in diameter that hangs out on the bottom of the screen. Its real weird because its neither a stuck or dead pixel as I can still see things through it.
At first I thought it was just something on the screen, but when I tried to clean the area, it wouldn't come off. So I called Applecare and they are going to replace the screen and I got them to check the thermal paste while they are at it. Its idling temp feels like what I would expect from 100% CPU load.