Macbook buying advice

[mihaibace]

1) What is your budget?

Around 1500-1700 USD ( Or more if I buy them from Europe).

2) What size notebook would you prefer?

c. Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen
d. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen

3) Where will you buying this notebook? You can select the flag of your country as an indicator.

USA or Europe.

4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?

a. Like: Apple

5) Would you consider laptops that are refurbished/redistributed?

Not really.

6) What are the primary tasks will you be performing with this notebook?
iOS Application development.

Will mostly use xcode + maybe some photoshop. Not intereseted in gaming (maybe only casual gaming when really bored).

7) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places, leaving it on your desk or both?

I am an IT Student, so I will carry it from time to time, but I don't think I'll carry it every day.

8) Will you be playing games on your notebook? If so, please state which games or types of games?

Some light gaming. I have a more powerful PC(i5 quad core and ati 5770) and an xbox that I can play on.

9) How many hours of battery life do you need?

Battery is a plus on all macbooks.

10) Would you prefer to see the notebooks you're considering before purchasing it or buying a notebook on-line without seeing it is OK?

I have already seen them.

11) What OS do you prefer? Windows (XP or Vista or Windows 7), Mac OS, Linux, etc.

For iOS development I need Mac OS.

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So my main concerns are:

- Should I choose a 13'' Macbook Air or a 13'' Macbook pro?
- I could also buy a 15'' a Macbook pro but is it worth the difference for my needs? I will mostly use it for application development (xcode environment).
- I also have a 21'' wide screen monitor, so I could connect the 13'' to that display.
- I really like that the air is thin and light, plus it has a better resolution screen. But is it good enough for working every day on it?

- Another important fact. Should I wait for a new macbook pro? Is it likely to be on the market before May/June?

- Should I get an extended warranty?

Thanks for your time.

[privatejarhead]

- Considering that you'll mainly code on this machine, the full-voltage CPU > ULV CPU (MBP > MBA), though the second biggest difference between the two (storage) mainly depends on how big your files are and if you want a SSD or not.

- Only difference between the 13" and 15" would be in the display. 15" has an option for a higher resolution (1650*1050 vs 1440*900) and a matte display (iirc, the 13" doesn't offer this option). The question of is it worth is largely depends on if you want matte and the resolution of your 21" monitor. Physical size (21") doesn't matter as much as the resolution, especially for coding. You'll want the increased amount of vertical pixels (900 v 1050).

- The full-voltage CPU in the MBP 13" will help compile code much faster than the MBA, but on the flip side the MBA comes standard with a (slow) SSD, which is faster than any 7200RPM HDD. What's more important to you: compile times or read/write speeds + storage space? Both notebooks are very portable, so in that regard the MBA is only marginally lighter and smaller.

- I wouldn't bother with the new ones this spring. The only major difference between SB and IB is in the integrated graphics, which is irrelevant for code development. You also mentioned that your have a gaming rig anyway, so I imagine you'll keep most of your gaming on that (and the Xbox).

- ApplceCare is nothing more than an extension on the basic warranry (1yr to 3yr). It does not cover accidental damage, or anything other than the standard warranty covers. If you live close to an Apple store, you're better off just going there for problems instead of burning ~$300 (or whatever AppleCare costs).

[mihaibace]

I was also leaning towards the macbook pro due to the higher frequency of the processor.

Is the 13'' macbook pro(entry level) good enough for my needs? Or should I try to get the 15''?

The 13'' mbp are all dual core, while all 15'' are quad core. My bet is that the 15'' is more future proof, but is this difference worth it?

[privatejarhead]

Entry-level 13" should be good enough for your needs.

Future-proofing is a fool's dream; you'll be better off buying for your basic needs today, then buy a newer basic laptop in a few years, etc. Not only is buying an expensive laptop expensive, but your hardware will still be just as outdated as time goes on.

If you feel like you need better performance in the future, just buy another basic MBP 13" (or whatever they have in the future).

[mihaibace]

So right now my options are the following (I will write the prices in euros, with student discount):

1. Macbook pro 13'' early 2011, base model: 1061 euros

2. Macbook pro 13'' late 2011, base model: 1163 euros

3. Macbook pro 15'' early 2011, base model: 1568 euros

If i were to choose a 13'', i'd get the early 2011 model because the difference is minor.

The only reason I'm still considering the 15'' is because I intend to keep the laptop for at least 2 years and the 15'' offers better performance.