MacBook Pro Recommendations

[Gary Schiltz-4]

I'm getting ready to buy a new MacBook Pro, as my 2007 pre-unibody 15" machine is getting a little long in the tooth (I will fix it up a bit to serve as a backup). I'm looking for opinions on which to get. It will be used my main machine for software development, including Java, iOS, Lisp, Clojure, JavaScript, who knows what else... Here are some questions along with my own thoughts to get the ball rolling.

I'm sure I want to stick with a MacBook Pro, since I anticipate doing some iOS development. Unfortunately, Apple holds all the cards there (I want to stay in their good graces, so "hackintosh" is not an option). Also, I have a fair amount of software for the Mac, and it works quite well to run Windows and Linux as a VM under VMWare, Parallels, or VirtualBox.

I see my main options to be the just released (and barely shipping) MacBook Pro with the "retina" display (higher resolution), one of the later generation 15", or one of the discontinued 17" machines.

I'm leaning against getting the new one, since it seems very difficult to repair (iFixIt did a review, and they didn't even try to take the battery out, as it is glued inside the chassis).

That leaves me with the 15" or 17" MBPs. So, on to some questions.

15.4" vs 17"? Is the extra screen real estate worth the cost and extra size and weight?

Glossy vs. antiglare display? My last real experience with the glossy display is with Karen's 2007 MacBook, which I find hard to read.

;; Gary
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Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
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[Joe Spinden]

I have a 17" MacBook Pro with the non-glare screen.  I like the
non-glare screen a lot.  soon after I got it, I came across a friend
from LANL that had a similar MacBook Pro without the non-glare screen.  
He said that was the biggest mistake he had made.

I think the 17" is great if you are using it a lot.  But it is bigger..

I think mine is a 2008.  Probably too old for you.  but if you are
interested, let me know.  (Or if you know someone else that might be
interested.)  I would like to get a MacBook Air myself, but don't want
too many machines lying around...

Joe




On 6/14/12 8:52 AM, Gary Schiltz wrote:

> I'm getting ready to buy a new MacBook Pro, as my 2007 pre-unibody 15" machine is getting a little long in the tooth (I will fix it up a bit to serve as a backup). I'm looking for opinions on which to get. It will be used my main machine for software development, including Java, iOS, Lisp, Clojure, JavaScript, who knows what else... Here are some questions along with my own thoughts to get the ball rolling.
>
> I'm sure I want to stick with a MacBook Pro, since I anticipate doing some iOS development. Unfortunately, Apple holds all the cards there (I want to stay in their good graces, so "hackintosh" is not an option). Also, I have a fair amount of software for the Mac, and it works quite well to run Windows and Linux as a VM under VMWare, Parallels, or VirtualBox.
>
> I see my main options to be the just released (and barely shipping) MacBook Pro with the "retina" display (higher resolution), one of the later generation 15", or one of the discontinued 17" machines.
>
> I'm leaning against getting the new one, since it seems very difficult to repair (iFixIt did a review, and they didn't even try to take the battery out, as it is glued inside the chassis).
>
> That leaves me with the 15" or 17" MBPs. So, on to some questions.
>
> 15.4" vs 17"? Is the extra screen real estate worth the cost and extra size and weight?
>
> Glossy vs. antiglare display? My last real experience with the glossy display is with Karen's 2007 MacBook, which I find hard to read.
>
> ;; Gary
> ============================================================
> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
> Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
> lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
>
>
> --
>
> "Sunlight is the best disinfectant."
>
>    -- Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis, 1913.

============================================================
FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org

[Joe Spinden]

Sorry.  I meant to send that just to Gary.

Joe


--

"Sunlight is the best disinfectant."

   -- Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis, 1913.


============================================================
FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org