Purchased my macbook...again!!!

Refurbished MacBook 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo - Black
13.3-inch glossy widescreen display
1280 x 800 resolution
1GB memory (2x512MB SODIMMs)
120GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drive
SuperDrive (DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Built-in iSight camera

What sealed the deal was doubts over lenovo t61's screen brightness, and the good deals with the previous generation refurbished blackbooks. With 14% tax (ouch), a griffin elevator, and a mini-dvi to vga, it came to $1440. Hope I'll be happy with it so I don't have to return it and spend 5000 hours on this forum again.

And now to buy some extra memory.

EDIT: I've heard that to take advantage of the core 2 duo, two memory sticks are needed. What if it's 512 + 1 gig? If that's not a good option, then I guess I'll have to buy 2 x 1gig RAM and sell the 2x512 that the macbook comes with. Actually, I'll just go ahead with the latter option

 

Oh and if someone has any other accessories in mind, let me know. I know I have to buy a keyboard and a mouse at some point. How's the apple wireless keyboard?

 

The actual keyboard is great, the mouse; not so much. The wireless is horrible though. Every example I've dealt with the wireless has failed after about a year. Almost all the wireless keyboards died within a week of each other in the Mac lab at school.

 

Maybe it was a set of bad apples... or maybe it was those darn kids

 

I tend to stay away from Apple mouse and keyboard. The mouse is ridiculous and the keyboards have questionable quality. Kensington, Microsoft and Logitech all have Mac-specific keyboard and mouse combos that are pretty good. Anyway, congrats on your purchase!

 

The Apple Keyboard and Mighty Mouse, to put it frankly, are horrible. The keyboard itself doesn't have all that bad of a feel when typing, but the quality, as cash said, is pretty poor. It would not be difficult to pop some of the keys off without trying (I've done it with the right ctrl key at the very edge). The mouse is horrible all around. Its a smooth oblong that doesn't fit naturally in the hand, and the two buttons are pretty much indistinguishable until after you have clicked the wrong one. The little scroll ball thing is essentially useless, and it can stop working for some periods for unknown reasons. I am still using the keyboard because it is the only USB keyboard I have, but I have switched from the mighty mouse to the Microsoft wireless notebook mouse that I reviewed a few months back. I will eventually get a new keyboard, probably after this one breaks.

Instead of the Apple KB/M set, go for the Logitech Cordless Desktop S530 for Mac. Its white with silver accents, so it matches in color and style to the Apple computers, and it offers a nice mouse and good keyboard feel along with good quality. It costs around $60 at Amazon, which is a lot less expensive than the wireless Apple peripherals too.

 

50% chance you'll end up going back to the t61. =)

 

really? We'll see...
I'm going to try and find a t60 today to look at the screen. Even if it's not as bad as I think, the macbook I bought is still a lot cheaper, albeit with lower specs.

 

Hope you're not kicking yourself over the revelation of the Lenovo 15% off EPP deal + 25% off Memory Day sale.

 

I can already get 25% off on the Canadian website through VISAPERKS. EPP: I heard if you try to buy through it, the warranty goes void.

 

Not if you are the employee's friend.

 

well the t61 gives you a 3 yr warranty, and more features in every aspect for essentially the same price (if you factor in the 3 year applecare). that's why i'm returning my macbook to buy a t61....when the webcam option becomes integrated.

 

It already is!! Dump the CrackBook!! jk

 

I think it is more appropriate to compare the Thinkpad to the MBP. If you can get the faculty/student discount with Apple, the Lenovo savings are not all that dramatic, around $200 typically configured, but without the discount it becomes more like $400, a real reason to go with a Thinkpad unless you have a special need for the Apple.

 

The problem with the MBP is that it comes only in 15.4" and higher, which is too big for me. Well actually it's not that big, and to be honest, I went against it because I thought it's heavier and worse on battery life than a MB. But from what i've heard and read, it's not that heavier, and while battery life is worse, it aint that bad.
But it is a lot more expensive than a MB.

As for a T61, again, the dimness of the screen seems to be the only reason I went against that. Oh that and the fact that a refurb macbook was $500 CAD cheaper than the T61 I had configured, as well as the fact that the canadian lenovo website did not allow for a wxga+ with an integrated graphic card (but it did come with a 3-year warranty though).

We'll see how things turn out once i receive my macbook next week, and I might do a long drive outside of Toronto just to take a look at a T60 screen to get a feel for the T61.

 

I don't understand, you've seemed to have started a zillion threads questioning your purchase. Why didn't you do the research before you decided to jump for a refurb Macbook?

If you keep second guessing yourself, you're going to be stuck on this forum forever. Either that, or you didn't really think your decision through enough before you made it.

 

Ah, you again
Actually, I did do a lot of research before buying my MB. And I'm not second guessing.
And regarding the zillion threads, if you look (which I don't know why anyone would!), you'll see that I've only started ONE thread today, and one yesterday, and that's a huge improvement over posting 3 threads a day only a week ago. Basically, that means that all my questions are almost coming to an end.

But I do wish that people weren't so bitter about the fact that someone who is trying to see if spend his $1150 + tax on the right product is asking a lot of questions on this forum. almost a month ago when I started posting on this forum, I really did think it was a great place, because I could post all my questions and people were quick to answer and very helpful. But since yesterday, I'm receiving more 'complaints' about posting too many threads on the forum, and that's from people who have a lot of experience on this forum. That's my only complaint of this forum, and there's my 2 cents.

 

Did you notice that the ones that are complaining about you asking to many questions are all people without macs? They're trying to get you to actually regret buying a mac, cause they're jealous of your purchase.
It's ok to ask questions, even after you buy. I experienced buyers remorse for a bit until I received my MBP in the mail, then it all went away.

 

I'll admit I am biased against the Macbook seeing how I just purchased a Thinkpad, but you ought to be a lot more confident in your purchase. If you've done as much research, you have nothing to worry about! And in all honesty, in the off-chance that you Macbook wasn't a good purchase, you won't even remember that when you receive it because you'll be enamored with your new investment. Just stop visiting this website to avoid second thoughts. I know I will soon.

 

Well, isn't that a wild assertion. I certainly had the opportunity to get a Macbook, but eschewed it because the Thinkpad is superior IMO.

 

COME ON. Haven't you seen the mac vs. pc commercials? And I'm with homer simpson on this one: TV tells the truth!

 

Sepandee I love it, you just switched from thinkpad to mac, and I just switched from a ibook to the T61 For what it counts the reasons I made the switch:
Thinkpad is about the performance of the MBP but priced lower, and with better battery
Warranties are expensive through apple. whereas thinkpads come with a 3 year.

 

Johnny, learn to detect internet sarcasm.

Of those that look at apple products but decide against them, most of them go to the thinkpad. I know if I had decided against the MBP a Thinkpad was next on the list of laptops to look at.

 

That just sounds like an excuse for saying something stupid. <--- Or was that sarcasm?

 

i have to say I love those commercials even though they are always pushing it (they are never necessarily telling the whole story) but that is how advertising works baby!

I hope in the new Die Hard movie they refer to that guy as Mac

and PC was recently on the Daily Show I believe