15-inch mac laptop for a reasonable price?

[sababa]

i am badly in need of some purchasing advice. i am a writer and spend a lot of time in front of a screen, so i'm looking for a 15-inch laptop, but it appears that the macbook only comes in 13-inch. the macbook pro, besides for being well out of my budget, is overkill for someone who uses the machine mostly for basic web browsing and word documents. any advice on how to get a 15-inch in my hands without going absolutely broke?

i don't think i want to buy used, but i would buy a never-used powerbook. does anyone know if there are outlets that sell old model macs? all advice would be welcome advice--except suggestions to buy a pc.

thanks! s.

[chucker]

Look at the Apple Store (online)'s refurbished deals.

[Ryan]

MacMall sells old models on clearance I believe. Never bought anything from them though.

[Wyatt]

Look at the Apple Store (online)'s refurbished deals.
Seconded. Apple refurbs come with the same warranty as new models, and they're almost always in like-new physical condition. Plus, they're eligible for Apple Care. Right now, you can get a 15" MBP refurbished for $1699.

If you wait a little while, though, those might drop in price a bit. We're expecting new models in the next few months, at which point you might be able to get the current models refurbed for as little as $1499.

[Dorian Gray]

A new 15-inch Apple notebook will be fairly expensive no matter what tricks you try. Are you really sure you want such a big screen anyway? Writers normally want a compact, lightweight machine that is portable enough to comfortably carry around, whether to the coffee shop or the sofa. It's also worth mentioning that larger screens don't make text larger, if that's what you're hoping, because they have a similar pixel-pitch.

If you've thought things through and know you want a 15-inch screen then go for it, but it will be expensive (not because of the screen size, but because of what Apple forces you to buy along with it in the MacBook Pro). But I've got a 12-inch PowerBook and if I wanted it mainly for writing I'd be looking for something smaller, not larger. :p A bit like our Roboman has done recently.

In my mind, there are three real choices:

1. Desktop computer + cheap compact notebook (12-inch PowerBook size or preferably smaller, like the new netbooks).
2. Desktop-replacement laptop around 15-17 inches as sole computer. This option seriously limits the use of the computer away from home, but has the benefit of all your data being in the same place.
3. Compact high-performance notebook + large screen + keyboard at home. Best of all worlds except for heavy-duty processing (games, etc.).

Do you have a computer at the moment?

[Fahrenheit]

A new 15-inch Apple notebook will be fairly expensive no matter what tricks you try. Are you really sure you want such a big screen anyway? Writers normally want a compact, lightweight machine that is portable enough to comfortably carry around, whether to the coffee shop or the sofa.

Or to the welfare support office!