I need some advice. I'm probably going to get some sort of Mac whether it the iMac, mac book pro, etc for school/work. But since they're a bit too pricey, I'm going to probably go the route of ebay. Anyway- Does anyone have the new Mac Book Pro with the built in battery that you can't change? And if so- are the old ones better? (like 2007'ish?) And would an iMac be powerful enough to run Ps, Ai, C4D, etc at the same time? Trying to get the best bang for buck, because I'm having a hard time shelling out 1600 or so. The Mac Pro is obviously out of question.
Duece... I would look at maybe a refurbished macbook pro. Could look at a refurbished or used tower for some real power.
I got mine refurbished (just a MacBook, however). It works as good as any other Mac, and it's considerably cheaper (I got mine for almost $550 less).
If you are using this for college, you can save a little at the Apple Education Store. A new 13" Macbook should do everything you need. The issues (to me) is the screen size but you could find a larger monitor to connect to your laptop when needed and speed if you are doing some intense Photoshop work with larger files. On the most part, my students who use all of the CS4 programs find the Macbook handles it well. If the cost of your computer is $1500 or less, you have a Tennessee tax-free day coming up early next month and online sites also are supposed to give you the discount. For me, an Intel 15" Macbook Pro is worth the extra $$$ and you might check Craigslist.com which I've sometimes found cheaper than eBay for one which may be older. I have an old 2.2 GHz processor with 2 GB of memory and it handles all the CS programs just fine until I get into some huge Photoshop files which is rare. If you have to purchase CS4, Academic Superstore is one of the better educational sellers and you get all the essential programs for under $600 if you send them proof you are a full-time student.
I've got CS4. Thanks for the suggestions guys. I may wait to see what I can find on August 7th (that is the day, correct?) and then try ebay/craigslist etc after. Good idea about hooking up a different monitor for whenever needed. I found a site for mac memory upgrades for pretty cheap, so speed shouldn't be a problem either way. thanks guys.
I suggest all prospective Mac buyers to keep an eye on MacRumors forums and buyers guide. It has been long rumored that quad-core Macbooks and iMac's are in R/D also, for the portable lovers, there's a 10" tablet coming up probably by October / November
Maybe by the end of this year (in time for the holiday shopping season), or maybe to be announced next January at CES. But everyone seems to agree that a tablet is coming...