ot - which macbook for my son?

[themudderqueen]

My son graduated from hs in June and I want to buy him a (belated) present - a macbook (ibook?) that lets him record his own music. I am getting him a PA system for xmas and would ideally like things to kind of coordinate. I just don't want to make the stupid mistake I made 2 xmases ago - I bid for, and won, a mixer on ebay. He had absolutely no use for it at the time, it required accessories about which I was clueless, and to this day it sits in its box. Any help for the musical moron here from all you musical majestics?

[TheEqualizer]

Frankly, I think any of them, even the cheapest ones, are great. So if cost is the concern, I think he will be happy with even the cheapest they offer. If cost is not a concern, a 17inch MacBookPro is fantastic.

[TOWOS]

Mac Mini ist Perfektion!

[Shangeris]

Frankly, I think any of them, even the cheapest ones, are great. So if cost is the concern, I think he will be happy with even the cheapest they offer. If cost is not a concern, a 17inch MacBookPro is fantastic.

I agree completely with EQ.

Apple has even launched a new version of the whole macbook series, wich should be faster and... better!?

[conroy]

The first thing I would ask is to be sure he wants a Mac.

I'm with lil T and I would recommend the Mac Mini, iMac or MacPro . I am becoming increasingly frustrated with Mac's unibody portable line. While they have remarkable battery life and are gorgeous works of art in their design, the batteries are designed not to be easily replaceable by the end users. This is a purely greedy scheme on Apple's part. Since the batteries will most likely die after the warranty expires, they are banking on the user simply replacing the machine when that happens just like they do when the iPhone and iPod Touch batteries crap out or get gouged by Apple to replace them. Also, I keep hearing reports of heating issues with the batteries on the recently refreshed Macbook models. Additionally, they have phased out the Firewire ports. This is a shame since I find Firewire to be faster and more reliable than USB 2.0

Happy Shopping!

[TheEqualizer]

That is very true about the battery. I ALWAYS have mine plugged in.

[moonstone]

Hi MQ

How about setting him a budget and letting him choose his own?

I do this if I'm going to buy my daughter anything even remotely technical cos being an oldster Im guaranteed to get it wrong if I try and choose

Good luck!

[themudderqueen]

Thanks for all the wonderful advice - especially about the battery. I got him the cheapest one, 13" pro and bought the most expensive warranty, lol. He was ECSTATIC - and he apparently had already bought some program for it, hoping that's what I was going to get him . I will most certainly be hitting you all up when PA system time comes around next month.

[conroy]

Yay! Glad to hear he likes it. Also, glad to hear you got the Applecare warranty. Normally, I think extended warranties are a waste of money, but Applecare is one of the best out there and I'm glad I got it for my iBook when I bought it. Keep us updated on what he does with it.

Also, if this is one of the newer unibody Macbooks, make sure he does regular back-ups with Time Machine to an external drive. Some tech bloggers are reporting this week about the high failure rates on the hard drives of the newer Macbooks and Macbook Pros.

[themudderqueen]

Wow, conroy - thanks for that advice, it sounds crucial. And, yes, I too have heard that the applecare warranty is one of the few legit and imperative to have warranties out there.