Hi all,

I've been thinking for a long long time of buying a laptop, MacBook preferably. I would like to ask you, the experienced Mac users, on a few things. Bear in mind that I have no much experiences on using a Mac before, apart from browsing the internet and iTunes, but that's all.

1) MacBook that I'm looking for comes with 1GB Ram, could I upgrade it to 2GB Ram if I buy it during the upcoming PC Fair?

2) AppleCare Protection Plan (APP): Complementary support form the Apple is a 1 dyear warranty, but is it worth it to upgrade to APP? Do the MacBooks/Pros die/have problems very often? Let say if I won't upgrade to APP, is the normal repair charge expensive?

3) Currently I'm studying in the UK, and I've been checking the Apple website here about the offers on MacBooks and I was pretty amazed by the price. Let say I'm buying the MacBook of:

* 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
* 1GB memory --> upgrade to 2GB
* 80GB hard drive --> upgrade to 120GB
* Combo drive

and it'll cost me roughly £849 (after the upgrades above), which is equivalent of RM5600. Can I get the same or much more lower deal during the PC Fair or should I just buy it here?

4) Is it worth investing my hard fought money on Apple computers? Or should I go for the normal Windows laptop? What do you think?

5) I try to learn about Mac by reading in forums, but I tend to stick to LYN forum because I'm too lazy to search for the others. Can I assume you all here are capable of helping me if I have problems regarding the MacBook? (providing I buy it in the near future)

Many thanks. I'm looking forward to your replies.

Well,What is your daily usage or application on laptop?Do you mind to share?

Nothing much for the moment, surfing the internet, basic stuff like that but it might probably getting tougher when the class starts. Maybe I'll be doing some Matlabs project . Was that useful?

engineering student?

frankly...few engineering software can be applied in mac...pls correct my point if i'm wrong.

Cos i'm engineering student...

Well I don't really mind about the engineering software. Basically I want a good laptop for my studies, mobility etc. I think Mac looks cool and I have never owned it before and that's why I'm thinking of buying one.

since you are not thinking of using any engineering software and only matlab...then macbook is your choice...

anyway,mac OS X is an amazing stuff.user friendly...many fun stuff can be worked around...by the way,now,mac OS X is tiger...apple will launch "leopard" in october...think about it...

I don't know if this will help, but the reason I switched is because I was looking for a stylish notebook, and the only Vaio that came close (spec-wise) to the MBP was priced at least £500 more, and it ran Vista.

As for whether you should get it in M'sia or the UK, I suggest you get the UK one, because it will come with the UK keyboard, which will be more useful to you then the US keyboard you'd get with the M'sian mac. Plus when you apply your student discount, the price is almost the same anyways.

As for the ACPP, you don't have to decide immediately. You can buy it anytime before your 1 year "default" warranty runs out.

Matlab's available for the Mac as well.

Can you get student pricing in the UK? That might be worth it. IMHO Windows=Good, OSX=Lagi Good.

Regarding ram upgrades you can do it anytime by yourself since it will not void the warranty. "Official" Apple Ram upgrades cost a bomb (for me atleast).
What i did was search and ask at forums on compatible rams, then head to a shop at Lowyat to purchase. It works out fine.

As for "problems"... well, it is an electronic product. There are bound to be machines with defects. Just pray that you are not that lucky? Mine is working fine except that once in a while the machine won't boot into the OS.

Lastly, you won't regret your MAC

Answers to your questions:

1. Probably yes, but it's cheaper to buy it yourself elsewhere and do the RAM upgrade. RAM upgrades don't void the warranty of the Macbook.

2. Macs don't die all that often, but when they do, charges especially in Malaysia tend to be really high. An LCD replacement will easily set you back > RM1k so the ACPP comes in handy. Furthermore, there aren't as many stores selling parts if you're into DIY, unlike in the US.

3. I'd go for the BTO Macbook in the UK, simply because the price is not that different and warranty is handled entirely by Apple. If you upgrade the RAM & HD yourself you get to fix those problems on your own, separate from the Macbook's problems.

4. I think you should buy a Macbook

5. The Mymug forum is better IMO, at least people tend to google first for answers. But hey, you're admitting that you're lazy from the beginning. That's a good start

Answers :

1.I got my RAM upgrades for RM 300 for 2G

2. U MUST get ACPP, MB runs a bit hot and it'll increase yr 2nd hand value.

3. I got mine in KL at RM4700 with the same specs except for 80 GB and with superdrive.

4. OS X is much better, everything works.

5. There are books and MyMUG is a better place for answers especially if y r active. It's pretty easy to learn and everything works. Even the phone file transfers and dialing works without say Nokia's PC Suite.

Cheers,

Sorry guys, whats ACPP that you all mentioned? T_T

ACPP (Apple Care Protection Plan) is to the extend warranty and phone support for Mac products.. For Macs, it'll be 3 years..

hey man... i'm a student in the UK too. i think i have a few things to share that might interest you.

- buy online. go to apple.com/uk and choose the 'higher education store'. you probably have to access it from your uni. i bought it at home with my dying windows laptop, but i used VPN to access it. the MB with specs you stated is £730.85 incl VAT in the HE store. cheapest MB is £601 and change.

- no need to buy apple care now. if u want, buy when your default warranty is nearly finished (11th month). fyi, i planned to do that, but to my surprise, i got an email last month saying i get the 3 yr plan for free anyways coz i bought my MB through the HE store.

- apple care is great. ALMOST no headaches. the only headache i got was when i wanted to change my battery which died suddenly, because there are no Apple Stores in Liverpool. i had to book an appointment and go to Manchester. no problem if you live in/near Manchester, London or Birm.

- when i bought mine, i found out that upgrading to 1GB RAM is cheaper straight from the HE Store, but for 2GB, it's cheaper to upgrade it yourself.

i think a MB is cheaper in malaysia, but in the end that little bit extra got me the Apple Care, so i'm not too fussed about it.

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Added on June 28, 2007, 6:39 amignore my RAM comment above. i just realised that the only option available is upgrading from 1GB to 2GB. lol, silly me.

This post has been edited by danfaiz: Jun 28 2007, 06:39 AM

Thanks for the replies fellas. Anyway danfaiz, as you mentioned above, is the price for MacBook in Higher Education Store differs from the Education Store? Or is it just the same? I checked in the Education Store and the price is quite reasonable, for me at least. I haven't checked with the HE store yet, kinda lazy to go to the uni just to check the price there. Anyway thanks again for your advices and replies. Most probably 99% I'm gonna buy MacBook next month, hopefully the money won't be an issue then. Cheers

This post has been edited by easypeasy: Jun 28 2007, 08:20 PM

^^ definitely different. you quoted £849 so, i'm assuming that's from the Education Store. in the HE Store, i put in exactly the specs you gave above, and it stated £730.85.

plus, in the email from AppleCare, i was told that i got the 3 yr warranty because it's in Apple's agreement with their HE ministry or something like that.

u just using simple program..ur daily usage also just surfing internet, music or mp3...1 gb juz enough...

dont go for 2 gb ram yet until u really need....

there a few engineering sofware but matlab available for mac..
for programming tools, mac have xcode..and yet, u can dualboot with windows xp or vista..(if u really miss window or need certain programs that mac not support).

sincerely, go for mac la....think different..(the best way for student)

Silly me, why didn't I think of that?

neiji02 is right, if you need windows, you can always use bootcamp and jump into windows (I'd recommend sticking to XP). Or if you can't be bothered with restarting the PC all the time just to use windows, you can always get Parallels ( http://www.parallels.com/products/desktop/ ). I got my copy free. Haven't used it yet (might be a testament as to how easy it is to slip into the skin of a mac )

Edited to say that if you can wait for Leopard to come out, then do so. There may even be a minor hardware update as well, who knows.

Best bang for buck in my opinion still is an Apple refurbished mbp 2.0 with 2GB ram and 100 GB hard drive. LED back lighting and the slight jump in processor speed isn't really significant. Nothing however beats the feeling of "I've got the latest shiny!"

This post has been edited by INFeRNO: Jun 30 2007, 04:16 AM