Mac Buyer Poll: What Will Be Your Next New Mac.

asiafish said:

Well, I bit the bullet and upgraded the shop today, after reading all of the rumor sites and looking at the mock-ups of the upcoming models.  Got a Mac Pro and the 10-client edition of Leopard Server, a base model 20” iMac for the front office, and a MacBook Pro for myself.

I know that the MacBook Pro is set to be replaced in 11 days, but the Apple Store manager said he would honor any price drop shown online for the older models in the form of a refund, and I decided that I just cannot take the risk again on a Rev. A Apple product.

Just spent the last hour setting up the MacBook Pro and it is every bit as nice as you said it was.  Matte screen is absolutely gorgeous, and eve the built-in speakers sound terrific.

If I get a small refund on the 14th, great, and if there are no price reductions and new models, oh well, I got exactly what I want.  I actually had to call around to find a matte screen base model MacBook Pro.  Of the four Apple stores in my area, only one had any base models with matte screen left.  Plenty of glossy screens or high-end matte model.

jeffharris said:

asiafish…

I can’t speak highly enough about the MacBook Pro. The Macbook is nice in it’s own way, but is really a different class of Mac altogether. If you don’t want or need the extra features of the MBP, save yourself the dough and get the MacBook.

Yes, it’s a bit larger than a MacBook, but for me, the extra features alone offset the extra size and weight. The 15” is only 1 1/4” wider and 1/2” deeper and 1/2 a pound heavier than the MacBook. It’s actually a bit thinner. I’ve used it on trains, buses in coach seats on numerous long flights and it fits fine.

First, the larger size and higher pixel count of the monitor is great. There’s nothing positive I can say about glossy screens. The real graphics card will drive a 30” monitor. I use mine with a 23” monitor or my 1080p HDTV.
FireWire 800 is fantastic compared to FireWire 400. Once you use it a few times, you’ll wonder how you got along without it. I NEVER notice when Time Machine kicks in except for the sound of my RAID drive grinding away.

The ExpressCard slot is very nice. I use it for CompactFlash and SD card readers.

The backlit keyboard is a really nice feature, no doubt. And it’s got better speakers, for what that’s worth.

asiafish said:

The MacBook I complained about wasn’t a Pro, but the black plastic CoreDuo (1st generation) model.  The one thing that has consistently kept me from buying a MacBook Pro (or a larger PowerBook) is the size.  I love my 12” PowerBook, but its screen has white spots, the hinge makes a strange clicking sound, and of course it is just way under-powered in this day and age.  I have a black Core2Duo Santa Rosa MacBook that I like a great deal, but it has been passed on to one of my employees, hence the need for a new laptop for me.

I won’t buy another current model MacBook just because I’m not too crazy about plastic and I really want a backlit keyboard.  That means either a next-gen MacBook if the rumors are correct (aluminum and backlit), a next-gen Air because the current models had some issues and I want a bigger drive. 

My last and best option is a current gen MacBook Pro, which while a bit too large, is otherwise a simply excellent machine that would do everything I want and need, except for fit well on a coach-class tray table.

jeffharris said:

asiafish…

If the hoped for laptops are complete revisions, you might want to consider getting the current models instead and waiting for Rev. B or C. I’ve been bitten by Rev. A machines in the past, so usually wait.

I think the first MacBook Pro was a special case in that it was the first Mac laptop with an Intel processor, so there was a huge internal redesign. Software was another dicey proposition at that point.

I really like the MacBook Air, but it’s a heavily compromised machine. They’re really meant as an auxiliary Mac and not as a main, do everything machine. It really depends on what you intend to use it for.

I’ve set one up and used it quite a bit and just doing basic maintenance can be a pain (no FireWire ... terrible omission!). Also, because of the low capacity and slow speed of the hard drive, it can inexplicably choke when doing even basic tasks like web browsing. I’m always extremely happy to get back to my MacBook Pro with 7200 rpm hard drive, 4GB RAM and a real graphics card.

asiafish said:

I am looking to buy an iMac for the office, a Mac Pro pre-loaded with Leopard Server (X Serve is too noisy) to replace a Windows Small Business Server and a new laptop to replace a 12” PowerBook.  I am waiting on the laptop purchase until Apple’s rumored October 14th announcement of new models, but I’m not sure if I will buy a new model or a discounted older one.

Even more difficult is choosing which model to buy.  I am leaning toward a MacBook Pro for the dedicated graphics, but I travel a lot which makes the Air very attractive.  Of course, as always the MacBook is a great in-between, but I really want a backlit keyboard this time and at least the current MacBook lacks that feature.

If the new MacBook has an aluminum case and backlit keyboard it will be a very attractive option, otherwise I would go for either a (Rev B, please) MacBook Air or a current (outgoing) 15” MacBook Pro.  I have a deep-seated fear of any Revision A Apple product after getting badly burned (literally) by the original MacBook, which Apple had to replace 3 times.  If the new models are only radically different in terms of case design, I might go for it, but otherwise the maturity of the MacBook Pro is very attractive, and the Air will no longer be Revision A.

Dah-veed said:

We’re actually looking at the purchase of the 20” iMacs for office computers to replace older iMacs in the office.  I’m somewhat concerned that the next os won’t run non-Intel macs.  The old iMacs are a g4 and g5, so they may need to be replaced in the future…

kanye east said:

I sell my old Macs through CraigsList.

Dah-veed said:

I’m an iMac guy.  Laptops are ok, but i like the scale of a desktop unit and I can’t justify a Mac Pro, so the iMac is it for me.

How did you sell a 5 1/2 year old computer?