Thinking of getting an Apple...

Raising that suggestion in this sub-forum is roughly the equivalent of telling an assembly of rabid ayatollahs dressed in rags that you're considering the idea of investing in a bacon sandwich.

So, stick to your own faith and ignore the clamour of those who'll tell you that your life will be spiritually unfulfilled unless you wage a daily battle against malware, bloat and drivers that don't work.

They regard anyone who writes in structured and coherent sentences as being dangerously subversive and in need of radical re-enlightenment.

In the middle of getting to grips with the Redmond Rednecks, you'll then receive a lecture (one, if you're lucky; an entire series of them if you aren't) on the virtues of Linux from an exiled apostle whose mantra is "spelling dont matter" (sic).

You get the general picture, here. :rolleyes:

The fact of the matter is that someone such as you will love a Mac, will take to its operating system like a duck to water and will never regret leaving the sinking ship that is Windows.

You'll find that in a quiet corner of the Techie bearpit there is a small but ever-growing community of Mac users with whom you will feel at home and who will assist you gently to acclimatise to your brave new world of hassle-free, malware-free computing if you do take the plunge

All you need to do, should you harbour any doubts, is take a look through the threads on here and see with which mentality of computer fraternity you feel more at home. I'd imagine it is among those who could actually compose the word "fanboy" in the unlikely event that they would ever wish to, but have no desire whatsoever actually to do so.

If you have any lingering concerns, ask yourself whether you wish to enrust your essential computing needs to a company run by this man or by this man. Says it all, really.


Now that's sorted, the answer to your question is that yes, a Time Capsule is (in part) a storage hard drive but that many Mac users prefer the greater flexibility that comes with attaching a conventional external hard drive to an Apple Airport Extreme Base station, instead.

You'll love a MacBook Pro and you'll grow to appreciate having a computer that comes with customer service and support that's in a different league to anything you have experienced before in the world of computing.

And, as knightstyle has already advised, the smart way into the world of Apple for the uninitiated is through its Refurbs store - as good as new, with full Apple warranty and at a very useful discount.

Go for it. You'll never regret it.

One word of caution, though; don't buy an Air as your first and only Mac – they're a lean and light supplement to, not a substitute for, a fully-featured Apple laptop. Get a MacBook Pro to start with.

pendulum wrote: »

As you can see by the sheer size of Leopard's post, he takes the whole Mac vs PC thing a bit too seriously. Some people do go a bit funny and spend their lives trawling techie forums "fighting the mac side" - just make sure to devalue their recommendations accordingly!

God forbid we should judge a person's argument based on its merits, instead of dismissing it due to ad hominem logical fallacies.

Leopard wrote: »

Raising that suggestion in this sub-forum is roughly the equivalent of telling an assembly of rabid ayatollahs dressed in rags that you're considering the idea of investing in a bacon sandwich.

Where has that happened in this thread?

So, stick to your own faith and ignore the clamour of those who'll tell you that your life will be spiritually unfulfilled unless you wage a daily battle against malware, bloat and drivers that don't work.

Except the drivers do work and I don't know anyone who has to wage a daily battle against malware.

They regard anyone who writes in structured and coherent sentences as being dangerously subversive and in need of radical re-enlightenment.


In the middle of getting to grips with the Redmond Rednecks, you'll then receive a lecture (one, if you're lucky; an entire series of them if you aren't) on the virtues of Linux from an exiled apostle whose mantra is "spelling dont matter" (sic).

Anything particularly wrong with Linux? Are you suggesting that no Linux users can spell?

You get the general picture, here. :rolleyes:

No, just your view of it.

The fact of the matter is that someone such as you will love a Mac, will take to its operating system like a duck to water and will never regret leaving the sinking ship that is Windows.

So you can judge the OP's character from a post on a forum?

You'll find that in a quiet corner of the Techie bearpit there is a small but ever-growing community of Mac users with whom you will feel at home and who will assist you gently to acclimatise to your brave new world of hassle-free, malware-free computing if you do take the plunge

You will be made to feel welcome in Leopard's cult anyway. :rolleyes:

All you need to do, should you harbour any doubts, is take a look through the threads on here and see with which mentality of computer fraternity you feel more at home. I'd imagine it is among those who could actually compose the word "fanboy" in the unlikely event that they would ever wish to, but have no desire whatsoever actually to do so.

If you have any lingering concerns, ask yourself whether you wish to enrust your essential computing needs to a company run by this man or by this man. Says it all, really.

Why do you keep doing this? Do you honestly think it helps your argument? All it does is make you look ridiculous.


Now that's sorted, the answer to your question is that yes, a Time Capsule is (in part) a storage hard drive but that many Mac users prefer the greater flexibility that comes with attaching a conventional external hard drive to an Apple Airport Extreme Base station, instead.

Finally, we get to the sensible advice.

You'll love a MacBook Pro and you'll grow to appreciate having a computer that comes with customer service and support that's in a different league to anything you have experienced before in the world of computing.

Can't comment as I've never had to use any sort of customer service for a computer.

And, as knightstyle has already advised, the smart way into the world of Apple for the uninitiated is through its Refurbs store - as good as new, with full Apple warranty and at a very useful discount.

More helpful advice.

Go for it. You'll never regret it.


One word of caution, though; don't buy an Air as your first and only Mac – they're a lean and light supplement to, not a substitute for, a fully-featured Apple laptop. Get a MacBook Pro to start with.

More sensible advice.

OP, it sounds like an Apple machine would be fine for your needs so go and have a look at them and buy whichever you prefer. The Macbook Air is a very appealing machine but make sure it's suitable for your needs. The connectivity is more lilmited than most laptops and it has no optical drive. In some ways it's closer to being a very posh netbook than a laptop.

Leopard wrote: »

You'll love a MacBook Pro and you'll grow to appreciate having a computer that comes with customer service and support that's in a different league to anything you have experienced before in the world of computing.

That will be customer service that consists of "we're Apple and we are always right, buy an upgrade to fix the problem".

Apple are known for the fact until they will admit any fault they'll stonewall and blame you. Anyone remember the cracking hinges on MacBooks a few years ago. Not a manufacuting defect, was a customer being heavy handed, all x thousands of them. Or the original Nano's Screen, Easy scratched but not a Apple fault the customer just had to remember not to put anything in his pocket with the Nano, or wear jeans with rivets. Interestingly both issues were never admitted by Apple, but both products are reported to have had spec changes so they would not have the same issue when V2 was released

And woe betide anyone how may try to derail the gravy train by that is the Apple brand by offering products at anything other than full RRP.

Don't get me wrong they are pretty computers, but you will be paying top whack for the Mac and any accessories you buy for it. Apple to computers is like Weddings are to parents. Take any item, brand it as a Wedding item in white and you can also triple the cost, Apple are just the same in computers.

My OH spent 2 years hating my MacBook because he didnt understand it and didn't want to make the effort to. He rigidly stuck with his laptop until DD managed to load it with viruses for the tenth time thanks to all the crap she downloads on it.

I bought a new 13" MB Pro and gave him my MB. A month on and he loves it, loves the simplicity of the OS and has turned into a complete Mac fanboy. It amuses me greatly