Which Macbook?

Mass the I7 processor and SSD rather than hard disk is perhaps the hands down best in the market. I only suggest you add a large monitor at home (non Apple) and your golden. You will also be a little light on money. The only problem is no HDMI port.

i7 processor fuels many rack servers in data centers for those looking for the Intel CPU.

Frankly unless your crunching some serious graphics I believe this is overkill.

You may want to visit the Apple store and take a hard look at the Mac Book Pro. It is a fine machine. The i5 processor is blazing fast for any use, and you get more ports to hang peripherals including HDMI for third party monitors.

6 months ago I picked up a Asus Windows 8 13" inch lap top. It has 500 GB hard disk but 32 gig Flash storage with the OS do the computer instantly boots. I 5 processor. It cost me $650 + MS office and a case and tax was $900 out the door. That same configuration in a Mac Pro would be $1,700. + $200 for office

I hardly use it other than quicken and a few excell files. I use my iPad and iPhone much more.

However that Air 13 inch with 256 looks Awsome and 512 is off the hook. However I'm not sure how you can install a third party monitor if it only has thunderbolt and USB connectors.
Perhaps someone can advise or I can browse bestbuy monitors and see outputs .

I 7 unless your doing some serious gaming or graphics is overkill.

My last laptop a HP lasted 5 years before technology made it obsolete

AppleCare is akin to a car warranty. If your hard on your equipment you may want to get it.

 

That sounds like a good choice to me. The Air's not upgradeable, but if you configure it upon order, as you're doing, then I don't see it being a big issue. The other small omission is the optical drive, but you can buy a usb version for not much money, so it's not a deal breaker by any means.

A new MacBookPro should be out soon, but you may not have the luxury of waiting.

I've found AppleCare to be pretty good, for the most part. With my first mac, I got it mostly for the access to the help line. It also paid for a couple of not-so-cheap repairs, so it was worth it. More recent machines seem to be more sturdy - aluminium instead of plastic - and I don't need the online help so much anymore, so I might choose differently another time.

 

Check out the Apple store and Microsoft store. Educate yourself. The Apple OS is much better than Windows. The cases are made of Aluminum and the monitors are high quality. You pay a premium for Apple.

Windows there is always a deal out there. I like the touchscreen. I have it and it is a pleasure to work with.

My work computer is a Windows 7 think pad with a large LG 21 inch monitor, Bluetooth keyboard and mouse.

If money is non object get the Mac Book. The other thought is if you buy a Mac Book chances are good you will keep it 4-5 years than trade it in for another one. They have value for resale.

 

I got the base MacBook Pro last November. The main reason: it is still user upgradable for battery, memory and hard drive. I added extra memory a couple months ago and it made a significant difference. I expect a year or so down the road I will replace the hard drive with an SSD. It is a lovely machine. I used to get AppleCare but am going without this time. I agree with the person who said if you are hard on a machine it is worth getting.

 

I have an older air model. Judge for yourself, but I think the retina display is a very noticeable improvement. If the new 13 inch pro model comes with it (as expected) at not much of a weight disadvantage, I may jump on it.

 

Some of those upgrades are pretty expensive, relative to the initial base price. If you have to double the price to 'future proof' it, you may as well just buy another one in a few years instead.

If it were me, I'd go for the extra ram, but skip the processor and storage upgrades. It's already a very quick little computer, and the extra bucks to put you on the bleeding edge aren't always worth it.

As for accessories, a good case would be a wise investment. I'd likely get a SuperDrive, and skip the AppleCare. But that's just me.

 

I maxed out my 2 and 1/2 year old air, but it really wasn't possible to go overboard at the time. Of course, now its worth peanuts, so I agree with those saying don't overspend. It's unlikely you'll notice the extra processing speed or need that much storage.

 

I have a 3 year old Macbook Pro. Works great, no problems. Battery life is still good, not sluggish, no flexing plastic laptop case starting to fall apart. My wife bought it for me as a gift as I was too cheap to buy one myself, but I can't see its eventual replacement being a PC.

Regarding the HDMI, that is remedied with an inexpensive adapter from monoprice.

 

Yep. See Mac Buyer's Guide: Know When to Buy Your Mac, iPod or iPhone.

 

I bought the MacBook Air i7/8/256 13" this week and am extremely pleased with it.I bought the i7 for the occasional video conversion, but the best value model is the i5/8/256.

A little appreciated tidbit is that the card reader has been upgraded to USB 3, allowing a clean, fast and inexpensive way to add internal storage in the future in addition to external USB3 or thunderbolt solutions.

Since I prize battery life and light weight and am quite happy with the non-retina display, I did not really consider the MBP.

 

Once you go mac, you never go back.

 

When I bought my iMac I declined the extended warranty. The Ethernet quit working literally 2 or 3 months after the extended warranty would have expired. The Apple store in downtown Spokane did not exist yet, and the Mac store (independently owned) where I had bought my iMac had long since closed. I phoned a different Mac store (also independently owned) and was told the Ethernet is on the logic board (what the Windows world calls the motherboard) and it would be necessary to replace the entire board, at a cost just a wee bit less than a new iMac.

I did some searching and found a tiny gadget for around $20 or $30 IIRC that plugs into a USB socket on the computer and turns it into an Ethernet connector. I've had no problems with it in the subsequent 3 or 4 years.

I generally take the advice of CU and decline extended warranties. (CU makes exception for certain types of products with poor reliability records.) Note that for a short time after purchase Apple does provide phone support.

When I bought my iPad Mini they pushed me pretty hard to buy an extended warranty that would cover damage even if it was my own fault. But unless I had need to use that warranty on every third or fourth device I bought over time, it would not justify its cost. These warranties are priced to be profitable for the seller. They are justified only if a problem with the device would be a disaster, or you are really clumsey. And they only cover a limited time period, typically the most reliable portion of a product's life.