Thinking of getting an Apple...

Bowling_4_Gold

Marty_J wrote: »

The little impromptu poll on their website begs to differ:

Wasn't talking about the user's poll on the WWW, but the actual show. Might I point out that all 3 presenters concerned (Jason, John, and Suzi:D) all own and use Macs.

busenbust

Originally Posted by busenbust
Indeed, that happened to a colleague's (white) Macbook (first release) also, with the wrist area actually 'peeling' away. Eventually, Apple did acknowledge the problem.
I have this problem with my Vaio. Is it fairly common with Macbooks?

^^

It was a problem with the early release Macbook (as mentioned) but it's no longer an issue on the new models AFAIK.

Leopard

................

culchied wrote: »

Firstly, I've been to the Apple store several times now and have had a play with them. They're great and seemingly easy to use.

Wise move.

I've agonised on the Apple website over what spec to plump for and really am in two minds of what options to plump for since I'm not techy minded.
That said, my current Sony Vaio hasn't the greatest spec and I've had it for five years.

I'd buy this.

High-resolution, matte 17" display. Firewire 800, Firewire 400, 3 USB2 and an ExpressCard port. Swappable battery. Supplied with 4 GB of RAM and a 320 GB hard drive.

But your own priorities might be different.

Remember that an ExpressCard port is crucial: it can provide an eSATA connection.

I'm thinking of a 13" Macbook Pro (I really don't need a bigger screen - I've seen them in the Apple Store and 13" is definitely fine) with;

Be very careful to check the spec of any 13" unibody MacBook sold through the Apple Refurbs store. The early ones had no Firewire port at all and no SD card slot.

The current 13' MacBook Pro is a star! (But remember, no matte screen option, no ExpressCard port and a sealed-in battery.)

I'd never buy the current, under-equipped 15".

4GB RAM
128 or 256GB solid state drive to accompany the Time Capsule

Wow! Apple RAM is expensive and a 256GB solid state is seriously so. :eek:

How easy is it to upgrade the RAM at a later stage if I decide it's not fast enough? I bought extra RAM for my Sony Vaio and hadn't a clue how to install so never did.

Very easy. Just takes time, care and the right screwdrivers. You come across as intelligent (if not, necessarily, to BillScarab :rolleyes: ) so, you shouldn't have any problems. And it will save you a lot of money if you buy your RAM from Crucial, instead of from Apple.

I have this problem with my Vaio. Is it fairly common with Macbooks?

You won't experience it with an aluminium one.

A few other questions if you don't mind folks;

Does anyone use MSN Messenger/Windows Live Messenger on their Mac? I know it's different on a Mac but I was just wondering how it differs etc.

Can't advise; I don't use it.

Also, does anyone use Microsoft Office on a Mac? If so, what's it like in comparison to a PC?

Probably the majority of Mac users do. It runs fine (I've got both Word and Excel running in the background, while I'm writing this). Compatible with the fenestrally-challenged version.

Apologies for all the questions.

You are most welcome and I hope we have helped you (in between the usual digressions ) That's what MSE is all about: providing the necessary mutual support for self-empowerment, not spoon-feeding the lazy! Come back if you need any further advice or help.

Marty_J

alexjohnson wrote: »

Yes, the big difference is despite years of promises, it does not support video! If you have contacts on MSN this could be a big deal for you, and yes you can use Skype and iChat (which suppports both AIM and Google Talk) but if that's not what your friends have, you're out of luck.

Two workarounds: you can run Windows on the Mac in a window (note small "W") and even make all the Windows desktop disappear so only Windows applications are visible. The software to do this is inexpensive and easy to use, but you need a full copy of Windows. That is harder to get, though a computer fair is a good start. You can run MSN on that. (And this is what I have done for my step-mother, who was in exactly this situation and she wasn't in a posititon to get all her relatives to switch to Skype just because she'd got a new PC.) It works just fine but it is really using a hammer to swat a fly in some ways.

The other is that there is a version of Microsoft's trial ("beta") software to bring video to the Mac MSN but it's buggy and if it's important to you, you will not find this a satisfying solution. You have to search in the darker recesses of the net to find it...

Microsoft has not covered themselves in glory on this one.

aMSN supports video chat on the Mac.

I prefer using Adium for messaging and Skype for video chats myself.

Millionaire

OP - Do you really need a Time Capsule? Or will a 1TB External Harddrive not be sufficient and which can be had from around £60-£70.

The Alu Macbook Pro's 13" are great machines.

Leopard

Millionaire wrote: »

OP - Do you really need a Time Capsule? Or will a 1TB External Harddrive not be sufficient and which can be had from around £60-£70.

The Alu Macbook Pro's 13" are great machines.

I've always assumed (but have never verified) that the advantage of a Time Capsule would be that it can process data directly to and from its internal SATA hard drive via its Gigabit LAN ports; whereas attaching an external hard drive to an Apple Airport Extreme Base Station – which one would wish to have with an Apple laptop – gives more flexibility and access to the drive itself but throttles the flow of data because it has to pass through the USB2 ports.

If, on the other hand, one is simply going to attach an external hard drive to a Mac (particularly a recent one, with FW800) it's well worth the extra expense of buying one with Firewire ports as well as USB2.

If the Mac laptop has an ExpressCard port, it enables an eSATA external hard drive to be used.

KimYeovil

(I can't be bothered with reading the other four pages but just wanted to pipe up with echoing "if you have money to burn on an external drive don't waste it on a Time Capsule but spend it on a Firewire interface")

Marty_J

alexjohnson wrote: »

Lastly, the MacBook Pro had a major refresh and even if it is upgraded, I am prepared to bet it will be a slightly faster processor, bigger hard drive etc. and not a new design. So, if you can get a deal now, I wouldn't worry about what's coming down the line. If you can wait, you'll probably thank yourself - but you could be waiting for a while for a slightly bigger hard drive...

While the MacBook Pro is unlikely to see a significant refresh for some time, MacRumors reports that Intel are releasing new Core i5 and Core i7 processors that could find their way into the MacBook Pro and "should represent a significant performance improvement over the Core 2 Duo processors that are currently found in Apple's MacBook Pros".

purt

Millionaire wrote: »

OP - Do you really need a Time Capsule? Or will a 1TB External Harddrive not be sufficient and which can be had from around £60-£70.

The Alu Macbook Pro's 13" are great machines.

I'm not sure if I do. It's my understanding that the Time Capsule is a wireless external drive? I imagine that I don't need to keep it next to my laptop or connected via a cable for me to be able to store stuff on it? Or am I wrong?

Leopard, what does this mean? I don't understand techy speak...

Remember that an ExpressCard port is crucial: it can provide an eSATA connection.

Why is an ExpressCard port so important? (In layman's terms, please!)

Also, thanks for pointing out that specific model. In truth though, it's just not for me. I don't want one as large as 17".

Again, what does this mean;

I've always assumed (but have never verified) that the advantage of a Time Capsule would be that it can process data directly to and from its internal SATA hard drive via its Gigabit LAN ports; whereas attaching an external hard drive to an Apple Airport Extreme Base Station – which one would wish to have with an Apple laptop – gives more flexibility and access to the drive itself but throttles the flow of data because it has to pass through the USB2 ports.

Thanks to everyone for your advice, particularly about MSN etc. I think I'll go and swot up a bit more!

Marty_J

alexjohnson wrote: »

No, it doesn't. It has webcam support, which isn't the same thing.

I'm not sure I understand the distinction.

Either way, it allows you to use your webcam to talk to people.