About to purchase my first Mac!

Question

I am looking at purchasing a laptop and I think that a Mac is the way to go. I have been deciding between the Air and the Pro. All I will be using the computer for is surfing the net, e-mail, maybe some netflix once in a while, and simple tasks (no gaming or photos). The other major purpose this computer will serve for me is MUSIC. I am just starting to get into DJing. My music library will have no more than 10,000 songs which is about 40 GB (1 GB = 250 songs).
I think I am going to go with the Air over the Pro but do you think the 128 GB Air will be able to serve my needs? I don't know how much space the operating system takes up and other programs that the computer comes with. As in how much space will be left of the 128 GB....aka will I be able to store 40 GB of music? Or will I need to run off external hard drives and maybe just store 10 GB of music on my computer at a time and change songs periodically using the hard drive.
Also I am probably going to get an adapter so that I am able to install DJ software onto the computer using a CD-ROM. I don't think that I always need this drive so that is another reason I am ok with the Air over the Pro since I can just use this adapter the few times that I will need it.
Thanks everyone for your help. I am completely new to apple but have had the iPhone 4s for about 3 months and now I want the laptop!

Answer 1

Hello,
Is there any bonus to getting off my butt and buying
the MBP17 from the store?
Yes, there are benefits to buying from the local store. And, good move going for the better 17-inch rather than the 15-inch with known problems.
I'll answer your questions below:
Will buying from the store increase my chances of
getting a "perfect machine?"
No
Will buying from the store make returns/exchanges
easier in the likely case I get a machine with one of
the annoyances?
Yes.
Returns are basically the same regardless of whether you buy online or from the retail store. But, you don't have to pay return shipping and risk them claiming they didn't receive it if you take it back to the store.
Unfortunately, you can only return it to the retail store if you purchased it there.
So, I would expect refunds / exchanges, etc. to be much faster dealing with a retail store.
Dealing with Apple directly, they are not going to refund you until they receive it back. Then, you have to be sure that you can prove when they receive it.
Can I get the education discount as a highschool
student at the store?
I asked my local store about discounts such as these (my wife has a corporate discount with Apple). I was told that they would not honor discounts because they would be selling the machine for less than they pay for it.
So, to get the discounts, you will have to buy from the online store (at least that is what they told me).
Typically, the discount is around $100 to $300 depending on the machine. The restocking fee is usually 10%. So, the difference may work out to about the same.