Which Apple Laptop?

[sunnygirl]

I currently run Lightroom 2 and CS3 on a 24in iMac with glossy widescreen.
I wish to purchase a suitable Apple laptop for travelling, mainly to use as storage for photos, keep in contact with family on skype and internet/emails etc. I will probably run LR2 on this laptop to view photos and maybe do minor adjustments only when travelling.
Weight and size are big issues but there is only 200 grams difference between the MacBook 13.3in and MacBook Pro 15.4in.
I realise that the MacBook Pro has a better graphics card but do I really need this for photography? Unlike most photographers I prefer the richer colours with the glossy screen.
So basically do I save $800 and go with smaller Macbook and put this towards the 24-105L lens when I purchase the 5D MKII, or will I regret not going for MacBook Pro?
I would love to hear feedback from anyone who has been in this dilemma.:)

[clipper_from_oz]

I currently run Lightroom 2 and CS3 on a 24in iMac with glossy widescreen.
I wish to purchase a suitable Apple laptop for travelling, mainly to use as storage for photos, keep in contact with family on skype and internet/emails etc. I will probably run LR2 on this laptop to view photos and maybe do minor adjustments only when travelling.
Weight and size are big issues but there is only 200 grams difference between the MacBook 13.3in and MacBook Pro 15.4in.
I realise that the MacBook Pro has a better graphics card but do I really need this for photography? Unlike most photographers I prefer the richer colours with the glossy screen.
So basically do I save $800 and go with smaller Macbook and put this towards the 24-105L lens when I purchase the 5D MKII, or will I regret not going for MacBook Pro?
I would love to hear feedback from anyone who has been in this dilemma.:)

Hi......Ive got a MacBook pro 15" core2 duo with LR2 and cs3 and a mabook pro 17" for heavy duty Post Processing also with LR2 and Cs3. These both are great for photographic work. 17" is great for using externall HDD and other periferals as it has 2 usb ports. I got the flat screens(non glossy screen) as I believe its better for rendering colors when post processing. Both MacBook pros I have are also a higher resolution screens to the 13" Also a Glossy screen tends to give a saturated look which is ok for viewing finished pictures but probably isnt that good getting colors right for printing. Also reflections drive me mad. I also have macbook 13" and find its ok

You can see a comparison here [url]http://www.apple.com/getamac/whichmac/whichmacbook.html[/url

Also in Oz Apple store you can get refurbished Macs that have full warranties etc. These macs are returned to Apple due to various reasons and as they have either had a part replaced or were just returned under their return /trial policy they cannot then put them out as new...thus the "refurbished" designation. I have a 15" that was "refurbished and saved a whopping 35% off the retail. Its been fine and was new in box !. You can find these here

http://store.apple.com/133-622/WebObjects/australiastore.woa/wa/RSLID?sf=wA2HYX4FYK9DXPCFF&nclm=C61AFE24

Check the site regularly as they have lots of units that get listed daily. They also sell quickly so if you find something you like make sure you get it when you see it as it will most likely go within a day or so.

[ryan148]

i went with the macbook pro... some say that the macbook is enough for cs3 however the macbook pro can cue up info much faster making it run a lot smother than the macbook. If you are doing just basic color correcting then I would say you will be fine but if you are going to be doing a lot of post production I would say go with the pro... and what I was told was that the macbook pro can cue info faster than a stock iMac.

[randomlinh]

I'd lean toward the macbook pro. With CS4 rolling around the corner, it will actually start to use the GPU in Photoshop (how well for a 1st attempt has yet to be proven). But given that they are heading in that direction, I don't doubt we'll see it in LR sometime.

[sadatk]

Hold up for a week or so. Macbooks are due for a refresh around Oct 14.

[ssim]

In CS4, using only the MacBook Pro, you can use your mouse pad like you do on an iphone to navigate your images. Pinch, twirl, whatever and for some reason they say that this will only be on the MacBook Pro. Something to think about if you are planning on getting CS4

[gary88]

I just bought a 2.4ghz MacBook Pro with 4GB of RAM a few weeks ago. It's a pleasure to do photo work on. The backlit keyboard really comes in handy too.

[sunnygirl]

Hold up for a week or so. Macbooks are due for a refresh around Oct 14.
I guess updates would filter out to Australia pretty quick?

In the meantime I will go back to Apple Store and check out the MacBook Pro and keep an eye on apple.com to see what's coming up.

Thanks guys for your responses, much appreciated.:):)

[masterchief34]

Add another vote for the 15.4" MacBook Pro. I have one and love it. :D

[Moppie]

Lightroom is a real resource hog, if you can afford the Macbook Pro then it is the better choice over the macbook.

[Tony-S]

I currently run Lightroom 2 and CS3 on a 24in iMac with glossy widescreen.
I wish to purchase a suitable Apple laptop for travelling, mainly to use as storage for photos, keep in contact with family on skype and internet/emails etc.

Had 'em both. I hate traveling with the MBP and I much preferred the MB. Weight is not the issue, the size is; especially if you do a lot of air travel.

I will probably run LR2 on this laptop to view photos and maybe do minor adjustments only when travelling.

MacBook is perfectly fine for LR2. Save your money over the MPB and buy a 500 gb internal drive ($200) and 4 gb of RAM ($60) - BUT NOT FROM APPLE.

I realise that the MacBook Pro has a better graphics card but do I really need this for photography?

Not for LR or CS3, but for Aperture and a few routines in CS4. On Macs, unless the app is specifically written to take advantage of the gpu, all image and video work are done by the cpu (which is kind of stupid, if you ask me). That my change if the rumor that Apple is switching to nvidia chipsets in the next MB revision are true (October 14, supposedly).

[sunnygirl]

Had 'em both. I hate traveling with the MBP and I much preferred the MB. Weight is not the issue, the size is; especially if you do a lot of air travel.



MacBook is perfectly fine for LR2. Save your money over the MPB and buy a 500 gb internal drive ($200) and 4 gb of RAM ($60) - BUT NOT FROM APPLE.



Not for LR or CS3, but for Aperture and a few routines in CS4. On Macs, unless the app is specifically written to take advantage of the gpu, all image and video work are done by the cpu (which is kind of stupid, if you ask me). That my change if the rumor that Apple is switching to nvidia chipsets in the next MB revision are true (October 14, supposedly).

Thanks for your comments Tony I must admit size and weight is my biggest concern and since I have both 24" iMac at home as well as 22'' PC I doubt whether I will bother using 15in laptop for photo editing. However everyone seems against the MacBook and I'm feeling the Pro may be an overkill.

[Tony-S]

If it's principally for traveling, and you're not using it as your primary machine, the MacBook is the way to go. I can't think of any compelling reason otherwise. Don't get me wrong - I love my MBP, but it is a pain to travel with. Battery life is shorter, too.

[Ultimate CC]

yea i can't wait for the new mbp to be released, i need a new comp bad...

[iamcanonman]

I use a macbook for photo editing, and it works fine. I don't have anything bigger/better to compare it with though. I love the size. I put 4gb of ram, and so performance isn't an issue. If you have another bigger screen to use for working with pictures, then I would recommend saving your money and getting the macbook.

[sunnygirl]

Hold up for a week or so. Macbooks are due for a refresh around Oct 14.

Thanks for the insight into Macbook upgrades, I am going to hold off until after the 16th to see what will be available in the Macbook range.

Thanks again to everyone for all your comments most appreciated.

[Tony-S]

Looks like it's official (http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/09/apple-notebook-event-is-on-october-14th/). New notebooks on Tuesday. Some sites are reporting there will be an $800 MacBook. We'll see...

[sunnygirl]

Well new models finally out.

In Aust. new MacBook 13 inch is $400 dearer with change of updated video card, no increase in RAM - not much help for what I want one for.
Also updated old white MacBook but now only comes with 1GB Ram instead of 2 and they have decreased hard drive from 150GB to 120GB and taken $50 of the price. What are they thinking! Guess I should of brought one last week as they want about $250 for another GB of ram here.

Think I may get another Windows laptop instead for half the price, no real drama as I own both Windows/Mac desktops but prefer Mac.

[lowrider]

It's my recollection that the specs stayed the same on the base model, and the price dropped by $100.00.

Anyway here's a refurbed one from Apple for $849.00:

http://store.apple.com/us/product/FB402LL/A?fnode=home%2Fspecialdeals%2Fmac

Lou

[sunnygirl]

It's my recollection that the specs stayed the same on the base model, and the price dropped by $100.00.

Anyway here's a refurbed one from Apple for $849.00:

http://store.apple.com/us/product/FB402LL/A?fnode=home%2Fspecialdeals%2Fmac

Lou

Yes you are right, although I was looking at the dearer MacBook with 2MB RAM and I forgot I was getting my academic and RRP mixed up. Sorry

[sunnygirl]

Refurb ones I have looked at in AUS are nearly as dear as new ones

[MaxxuM]

I vote for the 15.4" MacBook Pro as well... Never ever buy extra RAM from Apple, ever. Buy 4GB from someone else.. you'll save big bucks.

[sunnygirl]

I Never ever buy extra RAM from Apple, ever. Buy 4GB from someone else.. you'll save big bucks.

Exactly what I did with iMac, however wasn't sure how easy MacBooks are to work on and upgrade.

[MaxxuM]

Exactly what I did with iMac, however wasn't sure how easy MacBooks are to work on and upgrade.

Memory is supper easy to install. Hard drives are a little more involved but I got a great deal on a WD Scorpio 320Gb 7200RPM and I plan on opening mine up this weekend :D

[sunnygirl]

Thanks for the tip, Maxxum.

[Tony-S]

Memory is supper easy to install. Hard drives are a little more involved but I got a great deal on a WD Scorpio 320Gb 7200RPM and I plan on opening mine up this weekend :D

I don't understand. Replacement of a hard drive in a MacBook is a 5 minute job. Unless you're referring to the drive cloning process? Long, but not difficult.

[MaxxuM]

I don't understand. Replacement of a hard drive in a MacBook is a 5 minute job. Unless you're referring to the drive cloning process? Long, but not difficult.

Some people would think 20+ screws and 17 Steps may be a little daunting. It's all relative anyway. ;)

[sunnygirl]

I have heard the aluminium chassis of the new MacBook is one solid piece, how will this affect DIY upgrade of RAM/Hard drives?

Or is my information incorrect?

[Tony-S]

Some people would think 20+ screws and 17 Steps may be a little daunting. It's all relative anyway. ;)

You are mistaken. To replace the hard drive in a MacBook you simply remove the battery, the three shield screws, pull the drive sled, pop out the old drive, install the new one, reseat the drive in the sled, slide it back in, reattach the shield and put the battery. I did this about 2 months ago on my wife's MacBook. I could probably do it in 3 min now that I've done it once.

[MaxxuM]

You are mistaken. To replace the hard drive in a MacBook you simply remove the battery, the three shield screws, pull the drive sled, pop out the old drive, install the new one, reseat the drive in the sled, slide it back in, reattach the shield and put the battery. I did this about 2 months ago on my wife's MacBook. I could probably do it in 3 min now that I've done it once.

Ahhh, I was speaking about the MacBook Pro. I haven't played with a MacBook since my iBook G4 :)

[lowrider]

Just posted. New MacBook and MacBook Pro upgrade guides. Looks like a piece of cake:

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/First-Look/Mac/MacBook-Unibody

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/First-Look/Mac/MacBook-Pro-Unibody

Lou

[MaxxuM]

Just posted. New MacBook and MacBook Pro upgrade guides. Looks like a piece of cake:

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/First-Look/Mac/MacBook-Unibody

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/First-Look/Mac/MacBook-Pro-Unibody

Lou

Thanks for the info... Memory and now hard drive... how about the CPU next??? Apple's with an upgrade path would clinch it for me.

[sunnygirl]

Cool lowrider will definitely check these sites out.

[davidinvirginia]

There are posts on another board about the new MacBooks (except for the white, lower end ones) not having Firewire connections anymore. If true, that is a bummer.

[lowrider]

There are posts on another board about the new MacBooks (except for the white, lower end ones) not having Firewire connections anymore. If true, that is a bummer.

Yep, don't know why??? Apple was first to use this connection for crying out loud:evil:

Lou