RAM is user replaceable and will not void your warranty unless you break something while doing it. Replacing RAM on the MacBook Pro is as simple as removing the battery and undoing a screw or two.
If it's in the one year warranty—or the three years from buying Apple Care—they will replace the drive. Batteries, however, are not covered under AppleCare unless they go bad within the first year and have not been cycled...
Boot from your install disk while holding, I believe it's the option key or the d key, and it should boot up into the Apple hardware test. Run it with the extended test option selected.
Processor performance between both computers should be relatively the same, theoretically, as they're only 2.0 and 2.1 GHz. The 3 gigs of RAM on the Dell will speed things up, however, one must take into account the fact that Vista is a...
No one but Apple really knows when there will be updates. You either have to wait—could be a month, could be two, could be more—or just bite the bullet and buy now and hope that they don't update the line 15 days after...
Even the 1099 MacBook—999 with educational discount—can handle everything she wants to do without a problem. The only thing you would really have/want to add to it would be memory. Stepping up to the 1299—1199 with...
