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I'm considering purchasing my first laptop and I think it will be a Mac - but I'm not sure which one to buy. Can you share your experience in using a Mac? What model do you have? Do you like it better than Windows? How is it different? Can you offer any advice to a Mac-newbie?
As a long time Mac user I can tell you (and magazine reviews agree) that the best overall Mac laptop for non-technical users is the 13" White Macbook. Dollar for dollar the 13' Macbook it the best value in Mac laptops going.
The Macbook pro only has a larger screen and some user quibbles that the smaller Macbook doesn't. If you a pro buy the Pro...If your Joe Average get the 13 Macbook.
Tip: checkout the apple online store for a refurbished Macbook and save a bundle. All refurb's come with a full apple warranty and can't be told from new. Refurbs are all I buy for home and laptops.
Oh yes, Is Mac better than Windows? Let's just say that......."once you mac you'll never go back!"
Advice to offer? yes, Buy Applecare extended warranty from Amazon.com (it's cheaper than Apple sells it) to get 3 years of all the tech help you'll ever want with no limits.
Worth every penny it is.
Tightwad, I'm in a similar situation as the OP (getting first Mac in the fall) and was thinking of getting the Macbook Pro since it seems to have more RAM/better graphic card for mild gaming (ie, Sims games). there also appears to be some cheaper, smaller ones coming out soon. and to be honest, I'm not thrilled about the white Macbook in terms of looks. what are some of the "user quibbles" that you speak of? I'm not a "pro" but need a Mac for some video/sound editing
I have a white MacBook, have for a year now, and the case is fine by me. It cleans up real easily if it does get dirty, but I really haven't had that problem. By the way, I used it everyday with my work and carried it back and forth all the time.
The new MacBooks have the same video card as the new MacBook Pros and you can very easily up the RAM to 4 G on the MacBook which is the same as the standard MBP configuration. I'm not a "pro" either, I use the iMovie and GarageBand apps for all my video/sound editing, but I have been very pleased with the performance of my Mac. It has done all that I have asked it to and never complained a bit.
And by the way, I too would definitely say get the AppleCare. Better to have it and not need it, than to not get it and wish later you had.
Tightwad, I'm in a similar situation as the OP (getting first Mac in the fall) and was thinking of getting the Macbook Pro since it seems to have more RAM/better graphic card for mild gaming (ie, Sims games). there also appears to be some cheaper, smaller ones coming out soon. and to be honest, I'm not thrilled about the white Macbook in terms of looks. what are some of the "user quibbles" that you speak of? I'm not a "pro" but need a Mac for some video/sound editing
Please read "rrtechno" post here for some good perspective on how good the
little macbook is. Even Macworld recommends the white macbook over the larger Macbook pros for most uses.
If you really need hardcore graphics or other pro uses then get the pro otherwise the White Macbbook will take good care of 99% of your needs. Remeber, it's the programs that do the work and the programs are the same in both Pro and white.
For the average user the 13" Macbook will suffice. If you are heavily into graphics and video, then you should go with the Pro. The Mac OS is clearly superior to Windows and worth the extra up front cash to purchase. The main difference is it does not hardly every crash and viruses are not a problem. The most important difference is when you have a problem, if you have a problem, you only have to go to one source, which is Apple. No hardware here and OS over there stuff, which leads to nothing more than pointing fingers at each other and your stuck in the middle. You will never regret buying a Mac.
Check out the Apple website refurbished Macbooks if you want to save some $$. They have the same warranty as the new ones. I've had mine for over a year and it has never once had a single problem and I use it every day. If you want to do video, you can buy Final Cut Xpress and it works great. I've had friends run full the Final Cut and it worked too (even though Apple doesn't recommend it).
I have a MacBook (White the lowest end model), got it new this summer. It replaces an iBook.
It has been great so far, (which I would expect no less).
I like it a HUGE amount better than Windows. I made the jump from Windows to Mac a few years ago. As far as the difference, the interface seems more friendly and cute. There isn't the issue of "anti-virus, anti-spyware" this that and the other to deal with. Things seem to (as the cliche says) "just work" on a Mac.
I do not play games, so I don't have any gaming software or desire any, I use mine for music, pictures, word processing and surfing the 'net....and it does so perfectly.
I went ahead and got the Applecare on mine too... haven't needed it thankfully, but at least I know it's there if I do need it.
Nothing beats a test drive. Hit the apple store, and check it out. Or better yet, borrow a friends and see how it works. I think the less you know (or want to know) about computers, the better the Mac is. As other's have said, its not as susceptible to the most common spyware/malware out there - it's not because Mac's are "better", its simply not targeted as much. But the bottom line is that there is less overall risk... although that bullseye is getting bigger.
However, Mac's still have vulnerabilities, so the user will still need to be aware of what they're doing and keep their systems patched. And of course, many fraudulent schemes out there are not local computer based, so having a Mac isn't' going to protect you any better on that front.
And while its good for the novice computer users, it does have a BSD/UNIX like kernel - so your Linux/Unix administrators can also feel right at home.. well almost.
The bottom line though - it has to work for you. And the fact that Mac's HW architecture is now the same as a PC - you have the option of running Windows as well. And with a software like VMWare fusion, you can have it up on the same MacBook.
This is more of a plug for VMWare, but they have a tool that allows you to virtualize an existing workstation. So if you currently have a PC, and want to keep it around, you can run this tool to virtualize it, and put it on your Mac. This way you can toggle between your OS X and your old workstation with just a shortcut key.
I bought the 13" MacBookPro from the online Apple Educational store (I was taking classes at the local Community College) ~ saved a bunch of $$, and I am extremely satisfied with it
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What model do you have? 
Update !!
