Thinking about buying a Apple MacBook Pro...what do I need to know?

[sherry7]

I'm thinking about buying an Apple MacBook Pro. My Windows Vista based laptop is giving me nothing but trouble lately, and I had similar problems with the 3 other Windows based laptops that I've had in the last decade. I'm moderately computer savvy, but I'm tired of dealing with the headaches. Tomorrow I'm going to try reformatting the hard drive and reinstalling the operating system. If that doesn't work, I give up.

I see that the 17" MacBook Pro has recently just been discontinued, so I can save some $$ over the normal cost. I currently have a 17" laptop, and I really like the bigger screen.

I have an iPad and I used to have an iPhone, but I'm totally ignorant about Apple computers. Will my current wireless router work with it? How about my printer, mouse, and my external hard drives?

What other compatibility issues do I need to be aware of? Also, are there any "back to school" specials? My son has an .edu email that I can use. The only current special I can find is a free iTunes gift card for students. I could have sworn that they used to run a special where students got a free iPod Touch.

I appreciate any advice/opinions. Thanks.

 

[ColoradoMom!!]

Count me in on the need to know!

Son looking for a Mac for college. College recommends Mac. We heard that the 17" won't fit on the desks. Oh and something about retina screens???

Awaiting great wisdom

 

[mieuxmew]

17 inch Macbook pro was discontinued.

I like the 15 inch for everyday use but it is a bit heavy/big to lug around.

The retina screen macbook pro is new, but is a big price upgrade.

I have a 15 inch MBP I bought last year. I really like it. I also recommend the extended warrantee AppleCare, as it extends the warrantee to 3 years. Any problems after the 1st year and you schedule an appointment with the Genius bar and they will fix your computer, send it out for repair or replace it.

 

[DVC Daisy]

Do they still run the back to school specials in August? I would hold off until you find out for sure. Usually it includes a rebate for a free iTouch (?)!& in the past a free, or $100 towards a printer or something like that. It is usually a great deal if you are purchasing one anyway

 

[Texashokies]

You will not regret switching. The Macs are SO much easier than a Microsoft PC.

Your router and printer should work with it fine. I have never used a mouse with mine. I like how the track pad works with the same motions as the iPad and iPhone, so I just use that. I was unable to get my external hard drive to work with the Mac. Could just be the particular drive that I owned. I would do some searching on your external drives and see what you can find.

I have just the 13" MacBook Pro and I don't have problems with the screen. You can make the items on the screen larger just like you do on your iPhone and iPad.

I have also seen better deals for students. Maybe it is too soon for the good deals.

Do you know anyone that works for Apple? They have a 15% friends and family discount that they may be able to share with you.

You do not have to buy the extended protection plan ($200) when you buy your Mac. You have a year to purchase it, so you can wait on that expense if needed. I bought mine with about 2 days to spare.

 

[Texashokies]

Another thing. I know the price seems crazy, but the Mac is going to last so much longer than a PC laptop. You should be able to easily upgrade the Mac and keep using it for at least 5 years. They aren't nearly as disposable as the PC laptops.

 

[rluey29]

I second that about liking the Mac better than a PC, I love mine and I don't think I want another PC.

 

[a1tinkfans]

just purchased the 15" with retinal screen for ds,,,, off to college.
There is a slight discount if you go thru your college site, .edu and they get 100 gift card as mentioned.

He very much likes it..........not being tech savvy (just the purchaser, I cannot truthfully answer q's) but if you want me to ask, Id be happy too...just post here..

 

[clm10308]

we have multiple computers a both Windows and Mac. We use the same wireless router and printer for all. We use a Apple wireless keyboard and mouse with the Mac Mini. My DH has an old (5+yrs) Mac Book I think it is a pro. The only problem that we ever had is that by today's standards it doesn't have that much memory. My DH had to move a bunch of photos, videos, and other files to the newer Mini.

 

[racechick8293]

I bought my MBP 13 inch almost 3 years ago. It's still working extremely well, and I would highly recommend it over a Windows laptop. I will never go back to Windows!

You should check into the Apple education pricing, and there's also currently the "back to school" deal- $100 free in the app store with the purchase of a laptop.

I would suggest the 13 inch MBP or Air, depending on your needs. The 15 inch is a little big and heavy to lug around on a daily basis. My husband bought the 15 inch since I've gotten my laptop, but it's ended up staying on the desk more than being used on the go.

The Retina display that's optional on the MBP is gorgeous, but the regular screen is just fine, and much less expensive.

I'd also suggest waiting to buy until Mountain Lion is released- just buy a laptop designed for Mountain Lion vs. buying one with Lion now and then upgrading the OS.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I have the "newest generation" (non-retina display) MacBook Pro 13. I imagine there is still the promo for education that gives you a $100 app store GC AND if you are in education you can get about $100 knocked off the price of the MacBook AND save probably $70 on AppleCare. (the iPod Touch thing is a thing of the past, I cashed in on that offer the last time I got a Mac). I figure I will cash in some of the giftcard when the new Mac OS comes out later this month, that's about $20.

I ordered mine the day they changed them to the new model back in June, got it about a week later. I can say so far so good with it. It is very nice! I am upgrading from a MacBook White. I have had NO problems with compatibility with our router, external HD, flash drives, video camera....it all works great.

I have NOT tried to print with it, never tried to hook one up so I cannot comment on that part.


***just a "heads up" SOME .edu addresses will allow you to use the "Microsoft Home Use Program".... A quick google search will provide the link because I am not sure I am allowed to post that kind of stuff here. But you can purchase Microsoft 2011 for Mac for like $10. It is 100% legit! Just be sure to download the Mac version not the Windows (I messed up and did that, but they were nice and credited me back the original purchase, and allowed me to re-buy the Mac version).

 

[ethanwa]

I have the new MacBook Pro Retina 15''. Best computer I've ever owned so far.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

The price is a bit cringe-worthy...but I think they are worth it.

 

[DanaLynn07]

My last 2 laptops have been Apple and I really like them. I know that a lot of people feel like Windows or Linux machines can work just as well but it's honestly not worth the hassle for me. It sounds like it's probably not worth the hassle to you either.

I use the 13" Macbook Pro and I looooove it. The size is perfect, it's not bad to lug around (which I do a lot due to school) and it's just a really well built piece of technology. I also suggest getting the 3 year Apple Care with it, for like $150 if anything at all goes wrong within 3 years (sans you wrecking it with liquid or drops of some sort) they will replace/fix it. If you live near an Apple store it will be super painless as well, you might lose your laptop for a day or two, but it's rarely much longer.

Anyway, I'm a huge proponent of getting a MacBook if your budget allows. They just work a lot more easily and as a company there's a much better support system in place in case anything goes wrong.

Oh, the one warning is to prepare for a bit of a learning curve! With the new Windows operating systems I know they're more similar to OSX but there will be some issues (like no right and left mouse buttons) that could take a few weeks to get used to.

 

[jlovesee]

Definitely... but I highly recommend buying refurbished. Unlike other companies refurbished mac = basically new. Everything is replaced, and the way it is packaged and sent it is JUST like you are getting a new one. Plus, the price is a LOT LOT less.

I had the same situation about four years ago, bought a win vista laptop. It was a piece of junk, biggest waste of money ever. About 6 months later I bought the 13" mac book pro refurbished laptop I am using now. Still works great!

Only thing I would advise on is that all software (Microsoft office, adobe photoshop) is about 3-4X more with a MAC. However, it is 100% worth it, much better product.

As far as the equipment you have? You should have no problem both my husband and I have macs (he just upgraded to mac book air) and they both work with our 6-7 year old att 2wire gateway, that we used with our old PC's. I also use an old wireless mouse that I bought with my old win vista laptop. No problem. In fact, personally I think the attachments work better.

But really look into the refurb's don't pay $100's extra for really no reason.

Jennifer

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

If you are a windows person think LONG and HARD

I was forcefully switched to a MacBook Pro recently for work. I HATE THAT MACHINE! I am an accountant. Maybe if you are a graphic designer they work well, but it SUCKS for me! It's really not a good machine for the things I use it for. If I was editiing videos it would be great.. Doing spreadsheets it's just clunky.....

If you do buy it, do get the Apple Care. My friend has cost Apple a forturne as her college daughter had to replace the machine TWICE this year because it up and died. (Reliablity is not impressing me either with mine, it drops internet connections in hotels every 10 minutes!)


I am glad my company paid for mine. I nearly bought one a few years ago and now am SO glad I saved that money!

(Oh and having an IPad and/or Iphone does not prepare you for the iMac. I have both... they are nice and easy to use!)

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

The mouse "buttons" are no longer an issue on the MacBook Pros...there aren't really mouse buttons at all. If you push down on the trackpad thing it is like a mouse click yes.

You can go in and set it up to where you never actually use that function, which is really cool. You can just tap the pad and it is like clicking, two finger scrolling, three fingers to move windows around. It is actually very fun to use. Instead of using the back and forward arrows in Safari, you just take two fingers and move the pages back and forth, it is really cool and I am still discovering stuff every day.

If you just HAVE to do the "right click" thing, just hold down the "control" key when you "click" on something.

 

[DanaLynn07]

If you just HAVE to do the "right click" thing, just hold down the "control" key when you "click" on something.

...That's not an uncommon thing to do, in Chrome if you highlight a web address that's not a link you can 'right click' and there's an option to go straight to the URL instead of copy pasting it into your little URL bar. Also, a 'right click' allows you to do a google search for any highlighted text.

Also, just do a two finger click instead of a single finger click for a 'right click' waaaaay easier than a control click!

 

[si-am]

I have a work-issued MacBook Pro and I love, love, love it. However, it's only a year old and just last week my trackpad just stopped working. Kaput. I didn't drop it, or spill anything on it. Back to the factory it goes for repair.

Meanwhile, my husband is currently using a 2 year old Acer Netbook cheapo deal at home and he has never had any problems with it. Go figure!

 

[4shinystars]

My DD bought her 15 " MBP for her 1st year of college-she's entering her senior year. Yes, it's pricey, but she has never had a single problem with it in over 3 years. No crashes, viruses, anything. She is an art and design major and she says a MBP is a better machine for her work. She could have gotten just a MB, but the pro was worth the extra expense.
She didn't have much trouble adjusting to the Mac operating system, and now finds our PC to be "quaint".
Definitely go through Apple. That's what she did, and I believe right now they have a $100 GC w/Mac purchase. The education store is your best bet.