Thinking of getting an Apple...

purt

Hey everyone,

I've a laptop PC that's coming to the end of its life and am thinking it's time for a new one. I've always toyed with the idea of getting an Apple Mac but have never been daring enough to take the plunge. I like the look of them and have heard they're pretty reliable but I wondered if anyone had any thoughts on their suitability for my needs.

A couple of things I want from a new computer;

1. That it's preferably a laptop.
2. Good performance in terms of running multiple applications (e.g. Word, Internet, MSN, simultaneously.) I know MSN isn't the same on a Mac but I'm not entirely sure why...
3. I've loads of quality photos (by quality I mean high resolution, the actual images are rubbish!) so a pretty decent hard drive.
4. All of my music collection is now on iTunes so again a decent hard drive. I've also a few videos that I'd like to store on my computer too so that's an added factor.
5. Durability. My last Sony laptop has been prone to overheat and go really slow. Someone told me a solid state hard drive is better but I don't know if that's any better for combatting the slowness.
6. Office Software (preferably Microsoft Office), Adobe Photoshop and some video/audio editing software. I currently use Photoshop Elements and Adobe Audition.

I've looked at Mac Book Pros and the Apple Time Capsule. Am thinking of a Mac Book Pro as my main computer and using the Time Capsule as storage for all my larger files.

Anyone any views on my requirements and the Mac v PC debate?

GymGirl_2

Hi there, I purchased an Apple MACBOOK PRO about 5 months ago, I initially went to a national retailer to buy a £300 laptop to replace my old one that had packed in, however had always fancied an Apple.
The store had an Apple department and after briefly looking at them the sales guy 'sold' it to us, wow absolutely amazing, I would not want to go back to a 'normal' laptop again.

Don't get me wrong I am not a techie at all, (so apologies that I can not answer all your questions!) but this laptop is amazing.

I have saved a lot of photos to the computer (cameras do not require installation disks, just automatically work with iphoto) and have alot of music saved on itunes with no effect whatsoever to the speed of the computer.

It is very quick on wireless internet, I never lose connection, which I did all the time with my other laptop.

I know i have answered your techie questions, but I would defo recommend the MacBook Pro. Go into an Apple supplier and ask for demo, they are fantastic, hope this helps :-):j

P.S.. The MacBook Pro is approx £800

bordercars

not a laptop, but ive just got rid of my shuttle for a mini-mac. the spec isnt as good but much more stable. once you use for a while you wont go back.

knightstyle

Look on the Apple store UK for refurbished, http://store.apple.com/uk/browse/home/specialdeals/mac?mco=MTM3NDY2NTI
What about an external harddrive to store your photos on?
It is very easy to add extra memory to a Macbook, maybe the same for a Macbookpro, in case the refurbished ones don't have enough memory.

purt

bordercars wrote: »

not a laptop, but ive just got rid of my shuttle for a mini-mac. the spec isnt as good but much more stable. once you use for a while you wont go back.

Forgive my ignorance but what's a shuttle?

knightstyle wrote: »

Look on the Apple store UK for refurbished, http://store.apple.com/uk/browse/home/specialdeals/mac?mco=MTM3NDY2NTI
What about an external harddrive to store your photos on?
It is very easy to add extra memory to a Macbook, maybe the same for a Macbookpro, in case the refurbished ones don't have enough memory.

Just had a look at the refurbished ones. I like the Macbook Air. Was thinking of getting one for its portability more than anything. Going down the refurbishment route would make it more affordable.

I thought the Time Capsule was an external hard drive? I was thinking of getting it for the purposes of storing all my memory gobbling files.

Any other advice greatly appreciated. Thanks to those who've replied so far. :cool:

closed

If you reinstall windows on the one you have, the slowness will probably go away. When a pc slows down, it's always caused by software.

knightstyle

Yes, Time capsule is a hard drive but make sure it will work on a PC in case your Mac gives trouble. I am sure an expert will be along to comment on this.

MX5huggy

Never used a Mac, but if I wanted to do what you are doing I would buy one. If you really could not get on with it you can install Windows on them now easily (but there should be no reed to).

purt

closed wrote: »

If you reinstall windows on the one you have, the slowness will probably go away. When a pc slows down, it's always caused by software.

Really? I thought some of it was down to the hard drive wearing out? Isn't a traditional hard drive some sort of disc type device that spins around? Or am I wrong?

knightstyle wrote: »

Yes, Time capsule is a hard drive but make sure it will work on a PC in case your Mac gives trouble. I am sure an expert will be along to comment on this.

Hope so. Thanks for the word of warning.

MX5huggy wrote: »

Never used a Mac, but if I wanted to do what you are doing I would buy one. If you really could not get on with it you can install Windows on them now easily (but there should be no reed to).

Thanks.

From what I gather though, Windows aint that stable on a Mac, or am I wrong again?

Marty_J

culchied wrote: »

Really? I thought some of it was down to the hard drive wearing out? Isn't a traditional hard drive some sort of disc type device that spins around? Or am I wrong?

It's more likely to be a software issue.

Windows gets bogged down in crap and quite often needs to be reinstalled in order to clean everything out.

Mac OS X does not have this problem.

From what I gather though, Windows aint that stable on a Mac, or am I wrong again?

It runs just the same as it does on any other computer.

Unless you have a compelling reason to install Windows on a Mac, I wouldn't bother though. It just eats up space on your HDD.

As for the MacBook Air, it's an undeniably beautiful computer; it's absolutely gorgeous in fact. However, I would recommend you look into getting a MacBook Pro. They're still pretty light and thin (the 13 inch model is only 1.5 lb heavier than the MacBook Air), but are more powerful.

RobertoMoir

Try one and see. Seriously.

I've got a Macbook Pro for mobile working, a PC desktop and a Mac Mini as a "media centre" and all of them are perfect for the job they're doing, but as much as I like Apple's gear, I don't think it is for everyone. If you are near an Apple store, they are great places to go and get a proper "tour" of the system to help you make your decision and you'll be able to "play" in relative comfort there too.

Don't forget to see if you can get any corporate/education/whatever discounts depending on your situation.

Oh and Windows will work perfectly fine on an Apple system these days - so whatever happens you could go back to Windows on it and it wouldn't be a wasted purchase. And no, computers don't go slower because the hard disk slows down over time.