Can’t decide, can’t decide, brain aneurism!

$10 if you can place the reference.

My PowerBook G4 is showing its age, and I’ve been contemplating an upgrade for some time. Of course, I’d also love to build a new desktop PC as it’s kind of a fun thing to do, but monetary constraints won’t allow for such tomfoolery at present. The real question is whether a MacBook, MacBook Pro, or perhaps some IBM Lenovo machine is the way to go.

There have been a number of comparisons posted recently, and for most potential buyers it seems to come down to the available screen real estate and the graphics hardware. The MacBook Pro has an advantage in these areas, but it comes both with a premium ($2,299 for the higher end 15″ MBP vs. $1,199 for the higher end white MB) and at the cost of battery life, which has traditionally been much better in the consumer line of Apple laptops than with the professional models. I’ve listed the more expensive MBP model because, were I to go that route, I’d almost certainly pick that one up for the 256MB GPU and the increased stock RAM configuration of 2GB.

The MacBook, by contrast, is lighter, more compact, and just about as speedy where the processor is concerned. The integrated graphics chip absolutely murders its performance with all things pretty, however, and I would love to be able to dual-boot Vista (in all its Aero-y glory) and OS X on my new machine. (I realize this desire sort of nullifies my inclusion of Lenovo in the mix, but it was practically an afterthought to begin with as OS X is a major plus for me in a new laptop. The GPUs available for Thinkpads aren’t all that desirable, either).

But this is ignoring the almost certainly impending round of hardware revisions for the MacBook lines, so to purchase a new laptop right now without any pressing need would be foolish. Ideally the MBPs will receive a nice, beefy upgrade, including a better GPU (the X1600s are manageable but nowhere near spectacular; deliver me an X2300, thanks much!) and whatever other nifty features Apple has up its sleeve. Might we even hope for an improved battery life? (I’m not holding my breath).

And I’d like to thank the state of California for providing the funds for my new laptop-to-be. Anyone who attended high school within the Golden State during the early ’00s will remember the STAR (or SAT9) testing that was required of all students, and that a sufficiently high score would net you a cool $1,000 to be made available upon entering college. I was able to snag two such awards before the state rescinded the program due to economic crises (if we’ve got to cut, it might as well be from education, right?).

When I do decide to use the funds, given the interest that’s been accruing, there should be just enough to cover a shiny new laptop. Of course, it will be purchased under the auspices of scholastic use to avoid taxation, a fact that will ease my mind and wallet as I academically frag unsuspecting foes. I can’t wait.