Thinking of buying a Mac laptop- Questions?

I plan on buying a Mac laptop, but before doing so I'm hoping for some informed opinions:
-Is there a better time to buy then not? Are any price drops being projected or upgrades?
-Should I get a MacBook or a MacBook Pro? I'm looking at either the top level MacBook (13-inch 2.4 GHz for $1399) or the lowest level MacBook Pro (15-inch 2.4 GHz for $1799). I'm not entirely computer literate and don't see what puts the MacBook Pro at an advantage considering right off I see that it has a 200GB hard drive compared to the 250GB of the top level MacBook.
I'm a Graphic Design student and am finally getting into the actual design courses so I'm plan on putting Photoshop and various other programs on it and that will be its primary purpose for me (beyond internet and such). Which model would be best suited for this type of work?
-Lastly, is there any advantage of buying from an Apple Store versus online or vice versa?

A mac usually the best choice for graphic design, and since the Pro model has dedicated graphics (a card separate from the motherboard) it should perform better in graphics applications even though the regular one has the same processor. But since you don't seem like you will be editing video, the difference will not be very big. If you do plan to buy the new version of photoshop (upgrades are very cheap for students) next year, which is CS4 as opposed to the current CS3, you will see an improvement in performance because the new version will make better use of dedicated graphics. Also, next year's version of the OS X operating system for Macs will give large performance increases.
A Mac will last far longer than a PC because future updates are largely performance focused, and Apple is good about supporting their computers and have great customer service.
You can also save a lot of money as a college student ($100+ on computers and an insane price drop on photoshop).
The current promotions are a free ipod touch or nano (or $300 off on a more expensive iPod) for students.
But, Apple will likely upgrade the iPods and possibly the MacBooks in the next few months.
So, you can get a free iPod with a Mac, bt they will both likely be updated soon, but by then the free iPod promotion will be gone.
If you dont care about the appearance of your Mac you should buy now because the updates will be largely cosmetic.
Also, the online and retail stores are the same.

unless your going to do professional video editing (macs dont even include the software!) or professional audio recording, any other PC can do what a mac can do. I use Photoshop on an HP 17" (with 8600GT graphics card! and 320GB hard drives), and its starts as fast as my friends mac, we literally started photoshop side by side, i lost by 2 seconds though.... (still you save about $700 in exchange for 2 seconds)

Mac Book is best suited for design......although you'd be better off going with a stationary computer as apposed to a lap top.

Buying directly from a store would allow you better option should something go wrong with your computer.

what ever you do dont get anything with vista!

get it i have one nothin bad ever happens

The Pro has a wider screen (the extra 2 inches is a big deal for graphics and video!), and higher definition, which should be important to graphic design, and it also has its casing out of titanium, which would make it more difficult to damage the LCD panel (believe me, I busted two LCD panels in three years, and no, Mac nor any other warranty will not cover it...so really the $400 difference in this case, covers half the price of an LCD panel installation).

As for the time of year to buy, BUY NOW! Before school starts, Apple is running a deal where students can get $200 off a MBPro and $100 off a MacBook, and Apple will throw in a free iPod touch. So, even if you have an iPod and you love it, sell the touch for a few hundred.

You're not going to notice a massive difference between 200GB and 250, even if you're doing video--which I do. It does not make the speed of anything any faster or slower, really.

I have not bought from an Apple Store, so I'm not sure if they do the student deals, but buying online, both my Macs came to me in about 3 days (and I live in Canada...crazy!), and I didn't have any problems with shipping etc. Shipping is free, if the order is over $75. I believe, if you need support, you can take it into an Apple Store (though I live in a small town, so I haven't done this yet).


Good luck! Macs are beautiful things!

You'll probably find a 15-inch screen easier to work with than a 13-inch. 13-inch is actually pretty small.

Considering you'll be using a lot of photoshop, you might want to spring for the bigger hard drive. You want plenty of room for your work without having to worry about getting an external drive.

There's not necessarily a better time to buy like there is with booking a vacation. Prices will slowly go down as the computer becomes "outdated" and sometimes you might find a sale. Chances are, it'll be easier to find a sale online but going into a store means there's people around to help you, plus you have a better chance at getting a good deal on a warranty plan.

If you're not worried about warranty and service plans, you can always go to a store to ask questions, then buy online when you have your answers.