Looking for a new laptop, seriously considering MBP

I appreciate all the effort that people put into replies on this forum and hope to learn something from the responses to my query. I have been a silent lurker for quite some time, but feel I am getting close to a purchase and need your help. I am particularly interested in hearing from power users who tried the switch to Mac.

1) What is your budget?
@ 2,400 I purchase infrequently so I need something with some staying power.

2) What size notebook would you prefer?
I don't want another 17". They are great for small movements, but I am looking for something that will travel with me as more of a partner than pariah.
b. Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen
c. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen


3) Please select your country's flag as a post icon and tell us what country are you buying this in.
USA

4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
I really like stability of Dells, but somewhere along the way they became pushers(read VISTA) and (I hear) lost their focus on customer support.
I really like the look of Sonys, but they ride the back half of the technology curve.
I want to like the Mac Book Pro, but it's a big commitment to an OS / Platform that I am unfamiliar with.

5) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?
I develop software in everything except .Net, but I might need to pick up that toolset pretty soon.
I love the unix shell and rely heavily on bash utils, vi and the like.
I do a lot of VBA for excel, and I need to retain that ability into the far future.
I frequently pull images from my camera and camcorder, process and push to my SAGE (on XP) system. It has an NTFS file system.

6) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?
Both. I don't ride busses or anything, but it will travel with me daily.

7) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?
Games are for consoles.

8) How many hours of battery life do you need?
As much as I can possibly get. I need 3.5

9) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?
Yes, the left hemisphere of my brain is fully intact.

10) What OS do you prefer? Windows (XP or Vista), Mac OS, Linux, etc.
So, here is the crux, I have always been a Linux and reluctant Windows user. I gave up the fight for Linux a while back due to the lack of software support. I just got tired of working on a 3rd tier workstation system (it's great for servers) for the sake of my conscientious abstinence. I think OS X has matured enough now, but I just can't be sure.

Screen Specifics

11) Would you prefer standard or widescreen?
wide (is this question really relevant anymore?)

12) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?
Before I could answer that, there is something I don't understand. Can I get a higher resolution on an external monitor? If I can work at 1280x768 on the laptop, but switch to a higher resolution with an external monitor, I would be good with that. Also, I want to retain the ability to run dual monitor (DVI?) from the laptop.

Widescreen
d. WXGA or WXGA+ - 1280x768/800 or 1440x900; Wider viewing version of XGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
e. WSXGA+ - 1680x1050; Wider viewing version of SXGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
f. WUXGA - 1920x1200; Wider viewing version of UXGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.

13) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?
matte

Build Quality and Design

14) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
Yes, it's 2008, and the computer should be more than a black brick at this point. It is the responsibility of the free market to move the manufactures in a forward direction.

15) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last?
My current desktop is circa 2000
My current laptop is circa 2002
they are very capable machines, I do not feel the need to upgrade every 2 years because a software manufacturer has determined it is in their best interests.

Notebook Components

16) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 200GB?
I am ok with 160 or more on the laptop. I prefer to run a fast external hard-drive for large file storage. If I find I must dual boot, then I would probably want more hard drive space.

17) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD, Blu-Ray or HD-DVD drive?
Yes, I want a DVD drive. I still don't understand the value proposition for either HD-DVD or Blu-Ray. Perhaps an LED screen will enlighten me.

18) Other things you would like to share:
the machine must be solid. If I run it hard, it must not overheat (encryption / descryption, code builds, databases, etc). It will travel frequently too, so I can't have something that looks like the bottom of my shoe in 6 months.

Thanks in advance for any replies.

 

I think from what you're looking for, the MBP is a very good computer to fit all those needs.

As for the monitor - you can display two different resolutions on the two screens, so depending on the monitor, yes you can have a higher resolution. It sounds like you would prefer a 13", but the 15" MBP shouldn't be too much larger

The MBP is a durable machine, just be sure to pick up a sleeve or a case (which I assume you will, if you're traveling a lot with it), and it should be fine.

In my personal experience, the switch between Windows to Mac was a very smooth, easy transition. The OS is wonderful to use, and everything runs well - if there are programs that you need to run that don't run in Mac, you can always boot up Windows with BootCamp, and run the program there.

 

games were on computers... long before they were on counsels..

you want to get a mac.. when you run all windows stuff?
and you can get pc with those feature and better warrenty for half that price

 

A MacBook Pro seems like the right choice. However, can you run the software you need on OS X? If not you can always use boot camp to install Windows anyway.(Although if you're never going to be in OS X, a Mac would not be a very good choice. The OS should always be the main factor, in my opinion.)

I switched a few months ago and couldn't be happier. MBP is thin and light weight (for a 17 inch) and powerful enough to play modern games, and have a great OS to boot

Just makes me wonder why I didn't switch sooner.

As for build quality, I've had an issue with mine not being even (it wobbles on a flat surface) but a couple days at Apple and it was fixed. Can't imagine that being a common problem though.

My only real gripe is it gets real damn hot near the hinge.

As for Dells, my brothers Inspiron trackpad likes to go nuts, making it unusable

I highly recommend the MBP though.

 

Well I can't suggest any notebooks for you seeing as I am looking for one myself but I can help you with what I know.

Like you said dells are stable my sister has had a Inspiron for 4yrs and has had no problems. She is not very careful with her laptop and often bangs it against stuff but it still runs fine.

As for the MBP it seems like a very solid machine however the warrenty is what drew me away for it only 3yrs with no accidental damage (Dell and Lenovo have 4yrs with accidental damage).

Switching to OS X is a breeze I went to my friends house and used his mac for a couple of hours and I was comfortable with it. It is a very user friendly OS so don't worry about making the switch.

As for the screen resolution it has nothing to do with what the notebook can output. I know that a Dell XPS M1530 with an 1280 x 800 screen res can output 1080p no problem and it looks good to.

Finally I know that the MBP gets hot real hot when it is pushed hard however I have never heard of one shutting down or overheating if it is on a hard flat surface with proper ventalation room.

Form what I have gathered however the Lenovos such as the T61p are by far the most durable machines and will last along time.

 

if you run alot of windows software, i agree with jcovelli-> compared to mac, the price of windows pc's are dropping fast, while the speed goes up and up

160gb should be fine unless you dual boot, then get 200gb or larger in 7200 rpm. if you plan on transferring large files get an N compatible wifi card to transfer to your backup files. The airport supreme router has 1 usb for printers/hard drives/backups and 3 gig ethernet ports.

we also game on our pc's and we loved our mac, but we run so many windows programs that we had to stick with windows. we run a lot of client software like Quickbooks Pro, etc, and the mac just didn't cut it in the pure business world.....

EDIT-> spelling