[Rayzilla]

Hello fellow Head-Fi'ers,
 
Let me start off by saying that I am not a techie so I would appreciate any help or advice on this decision.
 
Brief background: I have a 3G iPod Touch.  My wife likes the games in it over those in her BB, so now she would like one too.  My eyes light up because that means it gives me the 'green light' to look for a Mac laptop which I have been wanting to try out.

  Any time you get this kind of clearance from your significant other to spend on gadgets, you have to move fast before she changes her mind.

 
Plus our daughters will probably be forced to use Mac laptops at their school in a couple of years so it might be good idea for us to get used to their system.

---

Here's my questions:
1) Is this promotion (buy a Mac and get a 2G 8g Touch free) worth it?  Or is there another better time of the year to buy a laptop where the discounts are even better than this?  Then I would just buy a used Touch for my wife.
 
2) So if I do go for it, I have the option of the MacBook Pro or the MacBook Air.  Is the difference mainly just the size and weight?  I would probably lean towards the basic of each model.
 
3) I am living in Hong Kong now but I will be traveling back to Toronto for business at the end of September.  I can either order it here or I have friends and family in Toronto that can order it for me there.  Is it the same computer in either case?  I would much prefer the English version if there is a difference since I can't read any Chinese.  Where should I buy from?
 
If there is anything else that you need to know to help me out, please let me know.
 
Much appreciated!
 
 
Cheers,
Raymond
 

 

[mr56k]

          1. The iPod touch deal is something they seem to do every year. If you need/want a iPod then It's a good deal. I believe It's a mail in rebate however. 
  
          2. Macbook Pro for sure! The Macbook Air while light and thin definitely has It's downsides. No cd/dvd drive for watching movies or burning discs. Half the ram 2GB only instead of 4GB on the Pro's. It is also slower and has a smaller hard drive. 
 
          3. Probably order it in Toronto. 
 
                     
                    My only advice is make sure if there is any software you have to run make sure It's either available on the Mac or there is an alternative that can do the same thing. 
 
 
         PS:  Have fun! Mac OSX is a joy to use. Once you go Mac you don't go back    

 

[J W]

If your wife is interested in games on the ipod touch, you may want to spend a little extra to get a 3rd generation ipod. I think it only costs around $50 more or so extra.
 
Macbook Pro (any model) if you're looking for something for general use. MBA if you want something swanky to travel with.
 
If this is the same education promotion (buy a mac, get a free ipod) with which I'm familiar, you can also get a free printer (with $100 USD Mail in rebate).

 

[Maxvla]

If it were me, I'd just get a used 3G Touch in the 16-32 range. I saw one here on the forums for about $150-175 earlier. 2G with 8GB just isn't good enough for me.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Apple has run a promotion like this for several years now.  I think it's a pretty good deal and have been tempted myself, but I think I'll give my white MacBook another year or two and upgrade when the 13" gets the i5.
 
Don't worry about the languages - OS X supports a lot of them and you'll be able to choose whichever you want.  Chinese and English are supported.  As is Klingon.  Seriously.

 

[Rayzilla]

Thanks for all of your replies.  I was unable to make the purchase before I had to leave for a business trip to London (UK, not Ontario

).  I just arrived in London this morning, so if anyone has a Ultrasone Pro900 to sell me while I am here, send me a PM.  (I'm actually still waiting to hear back from another board member on one but he hasn't responded for some time now.)
 
Apparently the promotion has a pretty strict criteria.  I thought that I could get it for my daughter under the education requirement but it seems like the student has to be going to "higher education" which they define as university.  If my 9 year old was going to university, she probably wouldn't need a computer because she would be processing everything in her head.

 
The other funny thing is that the price on the Apple website is cheaper than the resellers that I saw in Hong Kong.  Is that normal?
 
I have to go out to check out Oxford Circle and other touristy places before they close today.
 
Thanks!