Which Apple laptop is most appropriate for university students?

I just purchased a 15.4" MacBook Pro for university, which I am starting for the first time in the fall. After having received it however I have my doubts if I chose the right one - weight and size being some of my biggest concerns, along with battery life. The model I have has a 2.53 GHz i5 processor, 8 GB of RAM, a 500 GB ATA drive @ 7200 rpm and a hi-res antiglare display. I believe going down to the 13" would also mean going to a lower resolution, glossy display which I have concerns about.
I will be majoring in English, taking for the most part humanities and arts classes, so my computer needs for school would be mostly word processing and presentations - I will be purchasing either iWork or Office to use. I will watch movies and TV shows from time to time, but I don't think the smaller screen size would bother me as I watch them all the time on my iPod touch. I have a fairly extensive music collection and have photos and home videos as well.
As well, after my four-year English degree I will be getting a Masters degree in book publishing, which will require becoming familiar with Adobe Creative Suite 5. I won't be working with these programs in the next four years, but after that my computer will need to be able to handle working with the Suite.
I would be extremely grateful for any opinions - switch to the less powerful but more portable 13", or stick with the 15"?

I appreciate your dilemma. I recently bought a new 15" MBP to replace an older one. While making decisions, I wondered about the smaller screen (size/weight) but stuck with the 15" as it is easier to work with.
You can add to any of the notebooks with an extra monitor (not too dear these days) for graphics work when needed; and as you have arts courses the screen area may help with better appreciation of any works you view.
As regards presentations, the medium of the presentation display is a large screen, but the resolution and size are limited by the projector (using Displays Preferences you can play with this for the best display). Colours also are changed by these devices, so it would be worth taking time to calibrate.
The main reason I would suggest that you make no change for now is that you already have this computer in your hands. Switching now would need data transfers and a (relatively small) learning curve. The machine specs are a bit above what most university students have or need in my opinion, but changing now would cost you (unless you can get a good deal) and there is the data question (above). The power requirements of the Adobe product also suggest the current machine is a better bet (although in 4 years time I would be thinking of a change anyway). Stay with the 15"

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If a 13" screen is "Good Enough" then it would be a less expensive option.
If you do not need a lot of storage, then a 13" Macbook Air is a very good traveling system, as it is extremely light (my Wife has one). If I didn't need more storage, I would own one.
If you need more storage, then a 13" Macbook Pro can be a good buy. Not as light, but a very good machine.
If you really need to 15" screen then a 15" Macbook Pro is what you should look at. Whether you want to pay extra for the Retina display is up to you. I think the laptop screens are very good even without Retina.
NOTE: If at home you will mostly be sitting at a desk, then a smaller screen and an inexpensive 20" to 24" external 1080p monitor (or even your HDTV via a mini-Display port to HDMI adaptor) can satisfy the larger screen at home, but the smaller more portable device while away from home.
I would consider getting more than the default RAM (8GB or 16GB if you can afford it). The more RAM will allow memory greedy apps to run in years to come as apps and the OS start wanting more RAM.
I would not worry about the CPU speed. Your stated needs to not require a premium price for a faster CPU.

Help determining which Apple laptop to buy...

Hello:
I will apologize as I previously posted this topic in the wrong forum. However, I think this area might be better. Anyway...
I am going to be buying an Apple laptop and want some opinions and assistance selecting the model.
The last Apple I had was an Apple //e. Yes, I would like to return to the fold...
I would like to produce audio for podcasts and make DVDs from video of my family/children.
I program (not for a living) and mainly would use the laptop for writing, web/blog updates, and audio (iTunes and other).
Comments are appreciated.
Counsel
Pocosin Blog
I agree to the following: License to Use Submission. By sending a Submission to the Site you agree to grant Apple a perpetual, royalty-free, non-exclusive worldwide right and license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, perform, play, make available to the public, and exercise all copyright and publicity rights with respect to the Submission. If you do not want to grant to Apple the rights set out above, please do not send your Submission to the Site.
In reference to the above...Mr. Jobs should make a new commercial for those of us who are returning to Apple. Picture thisMr. Jobs walking around a campus. The song, Welcome back Kotter, starts playing as Steve sees an Apple Powerbook being used by a professor. Steve looks down and smiles. Gabriel Kaplan (Mr. Gabe Kotter) looks up and smiles. The words of the song begin to play as Mr. Jobs and Mr. Kaplan smile at each other. Mr. Jobs nods, Mr. Kaplan nods, and Mr. Jobs walks away as the theme song trails off. The commercial ends with the following two lines of text on the screen, Welcome backto that same old place that you laughed about. Followed by Apple.com on the screen.

Hello Counsel,
And a hearty pre-Welcome Back. (however, I suspect your not going to see an Apple commercial with that tag-line).
I agree with ytesjammer on everything he said and that a PowerBook is the way to go. The only other consideration is how much you really will be hauling the laptop around. If your still on campus backpacking books and a laptop, size & weight would be a consideration. If youre in a biz setting, and occasionally making biz trips with a laptop in the case, then it's not such a big deal for an occasional presentation or travel. The reason for "bigger screen is better", is that if your programming, looking long & hard at the LCD screen, the more space you have for display the better. This is also very true for timeline's on a video.
FWIW, it is that most people like the idea of portability but don't really end up carrying around a laptop all that much.
So, PowerBook, Yes.
Size determined by how much you really will be porting the computer.
Respectfully,
Bill Gallagher

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