MacBook? (Another one... Sorry!)

[ChrisUK]

Hey guys.

I've been reading your forum for months, trying to weigh up when the best time to buy my first Mac is.

I was going to purchase an iBook months ago but was informed by a friend of the whole "Intel thing" meaning I waited and waited and now have enough money for the MacBook and I’m just finding that I really need a laptop as soon as.

I'm a student doing media, computing etc and the draw to Apple is the supposed "greatness" for Photoshop and video editing, so that’s all great (I’m aware of the whole binary thing, but I don’t have a Mac licence for Photoshop anyway so I’d have to buy a new copy down the line). I'm prepared to part with the cash, admittedly more than I planned to spend in the first place, if I'm sure this laptop will last for at least 3/4 years? It has to get me through Uni after college, and I know that Apple will revise it down the line but I can’t keep waiting before I get a laptop.

Should I go for the MacBook (I REALLY want to make the switch!) or is it simply going to become obsolete quickly because it’s this supposed “incomplete” “stopgap” notebook. If that is the case, then should I just go for a fully fitted out Sony or a Dell or something? I don’t want to regret purchasing it, because it has to last, but at the same time I just want to make the switch to OS X! (I must be the most irritating sort of consumer on the market ;))

I read a lot of stuff about “never buying a Rev A product from Apple”. How much truth is in that? Like I said, I can’t keep waiting forever, I need a Laptop, so if I want to buy a Mac at this time using that "Rev. A" theory… I have a choice of buying old outdated hardware at a similar cost, that’s slow and generally “yuck” but has lots of native software or a new machine that will probably fall apart within a year and Apple will refuse to fix it. Sounds pretty lose-lose to me (Yet I still want one, I’m crazy!)!

My other question is regarding “Apple Care”. I can’t afford to buy the MacBook Pro Apple care just yet; will I be able to buy it down the line (probably when the 90 days expires)? Or does it have to be purchased with a new Mac. Does Apple Care also only cover manufacturing faults (when it goes wrong for no apparent reason etc) or does it also cover accidental damage (Dropping etc)? If not would it not just be worth getting an insurance policy for it.

Any advice/thoughts would be really great; I can only make this decision once for the next few years. Apologises for the bloated nature of my questions, just wanted to make sure I got all my thoughts down.

Thanks all :),

Chris.

[kieran]

Regarding AppleCare, you have until the 1 year warranty expires to purchase it, and with a notebook, it's definately worth the price.

It only covers manufacturing defect for when things go wrong, like hard drive failures and whatnot, but it's still worth the cost.

[ChrisUK]

Regarding AppleCare, you have until the 1 year warranty expires to purchase it, and with a notebook, it's definately worth the price.

It only covers manufacturing defect for when things go wrong, like hard drive failures and whatnot, but it's still worth the cost.


Thanks for clearing that up, had wondered for a while. :)

Chris.

[SledgeHammer]

Technically it doesn't cover accidental damage, but a few months after I bought my PB I dropped it (in the case) and damaged the optical drive. They fixed that for me. AppleCare also covers certain things you buy with the computer. I, for instance, use and external keyboard and mouse with my PB and when the mouse stopped working for no apparent reason a couple years ago, they just went in the back and got me a new one. Same deal with my power supply.

As to will it last? Yeah. It will last. Just because the MBP is a supposed "stop-gap" model, that doesn't mean it's an inferior product, manufacturing-wise. I've had my computer for four and a half years now and it's still going strong. Sure I've had some troubles with it over the years (admittedly, mostly my fault), and it's beginning to show its age: not as snappy as it used to be, doesn't handle all these new-fangled programs all the time, but it's running 10.4.4 and doing what I need it too. And it will keep doing what I need it to for at least several more months while I save up the dough for a new iMac.
And to address the issue of a Rev.A product, yes, there are often some bugs to work out, but that isn't generally the end of the world. Take my TiBook, there are some faint lines on the screen from the keyboard, the paint is wearing off in a few places, the optical drive can be a little finicky at times (though, again, I think that's my fault), and the Airport reception is terrible. But even with all those things, my computing experience with this machine has been great, and it has served me well. I'd say, if you really want a laptop, go for it. I doubt you'll regret it.

[ChrisUK]

SledgeHammer, thanks for that, quite reassuring.

I think I'll hold off until the first week of March (I can just about wait that long!). At least any "issues" would have probably surfaced by then, because presumably they would have already been shipping for a week or two.

Bring it on!

Thanks guys,

Chris.