Converting to Mac..Need some advice..

[sunkentheory]

I am almost positive I am buying a apple laptop in a few weeks. I need to know what I should get. I have a 1k to 1.5k budget, so probably the 13" white macbook. Do you guys suggest getting the applecare plan for 150+ more or not. Also, anything else I should know when purchasing it? Or reccomended upgrades? Any extra deals (besides the education discount) that I can get?

Thanks,
Brian

PS is the monthly payment plan a rip?

[Chucker]

Do you guys suggest getting the applecare plan for 150+ more or not.

You have (almost) a year to decide on that. As far as I'm concerned, go for it.

[matracer]

Don't think about it anymore, just buy one. You won't regret it. I suggest the white mac book with superdrive. This gives the best value for money. As for upgrades well you could upgrade the memory but standard 1gb is more than sufficient.

I have never bought the applecare but if you can afford it get it (3 years peace of mind).

As for the other questions, others on this forum will probably have the answers.

I was a diehard PC man but switched in 2005 after smashing my PC up in a fit of rage (virus/instability problems), bought a Mac and never looked back one of the best decisions I ever made.

[sunkentheory]

Is it worth it to spend $135 more for an extra 40 GB (comes with 80GB)....I mean I have an ipod and a lot of music (around 30 gbs) .. other than that, I will just be using it for school.

[sunkentheory]

btw, thanks everyone for your replies!

[Saiko]

Is it worth it to spend $135 more for an extra 40 GB (comes with 80GB)....I mean I have an ipod and a lot of music (around 30 gbs) .. other than that, I will just be using it for school.

I dunno, if its worth it to you man, then yes. Honnestly, I would. If you so decide to upgrade your hard drive in the future to a higher capacity, that is completely viable. Same with the RAM. (though, as another poster said - 1GB is already enough for most users.)

an 80 gb harddrive comes to about 75 formatted 'n such - so after 30 gb of music, you're left with 45 gb to allocate to whatever you want.. applications, files, etc.

Its up to you, but personally, I'd pay for the upgrade.

[matracer]

I think you will be fine with 80gb, If you have the money then upgrade the hard drive. The hard drive is really easy to upgrade in the Mac Book and you can do it yourself. You could always put a larger hard disk in later.

[Ireland]

Want some advice, don't buy a Dell printer.

[backtomac]

Get Applecare and instead of a bigger hard drive, get more Ram. 2 gbs isn't too much.

[macJake123]

Get Applecare and instead of a bigger hard drive, get more Ram. 2 gbs isn't too much.

Agreed. Applecare is a must. Apple makes great stuff, but every own and then when something off the wall happens. And they have to replace the logic board. you'll be happy you paid for it.

you can always go get a Lacie hard drive later.

....i sound like im a product placement ad.



"lacie, for a better tomorrow"

hehe

[polarissucks]

i was in the same boat. sold my dell desktop and said oh crap should i buy a pc or an apple. orderd in the apple and almost canceld it because i was sooo worried about it well here we go, i love my apple. like everyone else. its simple. my brother says oh crap my vista has this problem , this spyware, and yes i said vista. and i say oh. umm my apple is ummm..... sorry to hear that. i love it. i would get more ram instead of a bigger hd because even my iMac 24" which has 2 gigs of ram uses it sometimes especially when going quickly through programs and stuff. get as much ram as you can afford. as for a hard drive later upgrade of external. i dont think i will ever fill up my 25. i have only used up like 30 gigs now and i have a lot of pics and music. Oh and dont let people say to you oh no software, haha you cant get any software cause you have an apple haha. umm well umm i have games for my mac, i have a dvd ripping program, i have Iworks wch is better than office( i have both) i have audio caputre programs. i have everything you could ever want. ok if i was a graphics designer then maybe but for a student like "we " are you will never go wrong. and get the applecare, i mean yeah they are reliable but its still a laptop and besideds i mean its 130 bucks, if your drive goes or the motherboard goes there goes your computer. its a must get. Good luck and i have faith that you will enjoy your apple. and a note of the wise, if you decide to boot camp, stay away from vista. i wouldnt touch my apple with that.

[sunkentheory]

thank you all for your replies. So if my laptop breaks or something within 6 or 7 months...i can call them up and subscribe to the applecare..and then send my laptop in?

[Archstudent]

thank you all for your replies. So if my laptop breaks or something within 6 or 7 months...i can call them up and subscribe to the applecare..and then send my laptop in?

you get applecare for a year anyway. the extra one is for another 2 years coverage.