Macbook purchase advise needed

[metamofia89]

Hey guys i'm looking to upgrade my personal notebook and i'm thinking about getting either a Macbook Air or Pro. I will be using it mainly for school work, needs smooth experience on MS Office, sturdy and durable so it can last me for the next 5 years at least, leisure like streaming Youtube vids and able to play DVD and such. Altho most of my personal devices somewhat have retina display, i dont really mind using a notebook with a little low resolution.

My budget caps at $1800 with necessary accessories (if needed). Would be great if users here could list out the pros and cons of Air and Pro based on real-time usage and ofcourse if the prices are justifiable.

Thanks!

Also, i have heard about running Windows OS on Macbook by purchasing some disc? Can someone enlighten me on that too? Thanks!

 

[dreamer_toons]

Based on your needs and budget, get the Air will do. I suggest the 13" and the higher storage for your school work, more comfortable at a larger screen and plenty of storage for your media files as well.

It will be best for you to visit any of the Apple authorised stores and try out the Mac and their screen sizes and weights.

As for running Windows OS, you can get Parallels. It's the software which allows you to install Windows OS in your Mac OS and you can switch between both OSes without restarting your Mac. It's kind of running Windows OS as a program within Mac OS.

Alternatively, you can save that money by using the boot camp, the program built into Mac OS. It also allows you to install Windows OS but you have to restart your Mac each time you switch between Windows and Mac.

 

[metamofia89]

Thank you for the reply. Which outlet would be the best to seek for best customer's service? epi @ wheelock?

 

[speedster4005]

Please take note that you will have to buy a license for the Windows OS separately, which could cost you at least a hundred dollars.

 

[chenaz]

Hey guys i'm looking to upgrade my personal notebook and i'm thinking about getting either a Macbook Air or Pro. I will be using it mainly for school work, needs smooth experience on MS Office, sturdy and durable so it can last me for the next 5 years at least, leisure like streaming Youtube vids and able to play DVD and such. Altho most of my personal devices somewhat have retina display, i dont really mind using a notebook with a little low resolution.

My budget caps at $1800 with necessary accessories (if needed). Would be great if users here could list out the pros and cons of Air and Pro based on real-time usage and ofcourse if the prices are justifiable.

Thanks!

Also, i have heard about running Windows OS on Macbook by purchasing some disc? Can someone enlighten me on that too? Thanks!

u can get it from ur school with free apple care and all the softwares u needed for the course u are attending.if u are in govt school or uni.

if not get it from apple online to get edu discount.

mac air and pro.

the only different this 2 is the price, other wise more or less smilliar. weight only 150g heavier. see if u are willing to dump in another 500 for better display.

but if u are going to store alot of media files , 125GB hdd is ****. u just get an air and upgrade the ssd size to control it within ur budget

personally i prefered a macpro with retinal.i used air and it cause too much constraint to my eyes so i switch over to 15" retinal

 

[metamofia89]

u can get it from ur school with free apple care and all the softwares u needed for the course u are attending.if u are in govt school or uni.

if not get it from apple online to get edu discount.

mac air and pro.

the only different this 2 is the price, other wise more or less smilliar. weight only 150g heavier. see if u are willing to dump in another 500 for better display.

but if u are going to store alot of media files , 125GB hdd is ****. u just get an air and upgrade the ssd size to control it within ur budget

personally i prefered a macpro with retinal.i used air and it cause too much constraint to my eyes so i switch over to 15" retinal

Hmm i've not heard about the colab with uni. Does it apply to SMU/NUS/NTU students? Also i believe i can select the edu discount via online. Can i get the student discount if i buy in person?

 

[dreamer_toons]

Hmm i've not heard about the colab with uni. Does it apply to SMU/NUS/NTU students? Also i believe i can select the edu discount via online. Can i get the student discount if i buy in person?

Education price is only available on Apple Store online.

 

[zitseng]

Nowadays, hoping a notebook will last for 5 years could be stretching too much. Whatever you get now is likely to be outdated in 18 months, unbearable in 36 months.

Students get a lot of perks, especially when it comes to software. You didn't mention where are you (or going to be) studying.

Some lucky folks can get Windows and VMware Fusion free. Office 365 is very cheap for students.

 

[slowpokie]

I can get discount.... pm me if keen

 

[xjasonz]

u can get student disc for Office for $108 for a 4yr subscription. It entitles u to install on 2 PC/Mac + 2 ipads/window tablet.

i feel a 13" MBP will a better buy as it comes with a built in super drive and a 500gb hdd which you can choose to change to a 1TB hdd at additional cost. For the MBA and MBP w RD, you cannot change the hdd unless u get the higher end models. And the super drive only comes with the costlier models which is above ur budget and its an external one.

And with Apple keeps rolling out new stuffs every now and then, it is not very advisable to get a top of the line model. The very old plastic models of MB can prob last 5yrs. But the newer versions nowadays, i think 3yrs max..

however, if u r willing to wait for a couple of weeks more and wait for the keynote address, there might be a new MBA/MBP coming out. And depending on ur budget, the older version will be slightly cheaper. Just my thoughts.

 

[metamofia89]

Thanks for the infos guys! Already bought my MBA and so far the transition is great!