Macbook virgin
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- Jaline
I am *thinking* of buying a Macbook this summer. I have used macs before, but for the most part I'm a n00b when it comes to Macbooks.
I have always been a PC user, but I just want a change and something smaller. I will be bringing it with me to school on many occasions, and it will mainly be used for designing and word processing.
Something like this:
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog…1) How long is the battery life?
2) How is the portability?
3) How can you prevent the letters on the keyboard from rubbing off? I personally prefer black, but will the white ones get dirtier more easily?
4) I'm guessing that there are still more programs out there for the PC...but I'm also assuming that there are other great mac-related programs out there not available for the PC.
5) I need some info on the differences between a PC and Mac for designers, or if there are any at all.
Thank you, and keep the platform-fighting to a minimum ;)
- Jaline0
I suppose it'll take me a few days to get the mac versions of the programs I used to have and even the fonts...
- Crouwel0
some companies can deliver the next day though.
- Jaline0
For the ones I downloaded or received from other people, I mean.
- JesseJensen0
Sounds like a good idea, especially if you want to spend 75% of your life maintaining it, 15% so you can look cool while surfing the internet and telling everyone how awesome it is. and 10% bitchin about how much you hate Microsoft. What's not attractive about that?
- Jaline0
lol, I won't be doing that. I still use PCs...
- Crouwel0
i don't do any maintenance at all?
- JesseJensen0
What about work?
- Crouwel0
Marginal.
- JesseJensen0
mhmm.
- Crouwel0
daft eh
- since810
Go for the pro one, trust me it's worth it!
;)
- Jaline0
I was thinking about that, but I have a limited budget for a new laptop.
- AndyRoss0
I got one of the black MacBooks about 2 months ago, and I really love it.
I worried a little that I would find the relatively small screen insufficient, but I find it's fine. And, a smaller screen means the computer itself is smaller and more portable. So I take it more places, like cafes, restaurants, and out on the porch.
I'd buy the same again in a heartbeat. And I'd recommend it to friends, like I just did.
; - )
- Jaline0
thanks, Andy :)
I'm getting more serious about buying this now.
I was also worried about the smaller screen size, but the resolution is widescreen and that's exactly what I want. I have the same resolution right now on my Toshiba.
Too bad the cheaper ones don't come in black.
- TResudek0
I made the switch a couple of months ago after 7 or 8 years on a PC.
battery life is amazing on the mac. hours and hours and hours.
Extremely portable
Not sure about the letters but the white ones get really dirty, especially where your palms and fingers go. black would be nice for that but I solved it by making cut vinyl decals for those areas.
Program-wise i have not run into any trouble. Had to find a few things here and there (like an FTP program) but it is pretty much all the same.
I am completely happy with the switch and would recommend it to anyone. Day-to-day it is pretty much the same as a PC but the two big differences that I notice most are: 1. iTunes runs waaaaaaaay better. and 2. No viruses. Only recommendation is that you max out the RAM when you get it. I thought a Gig would do it and found out pretty fast that I really needed 2GB.
Take off your brown suit and join the rest of us wearing jeans and hoodies.
TR
- Jaline0
ha, thanks.
although I still love a PC.
But I actually won't know which one I prefer until I start using a mac for everything (just as I have used a PC for 10 years or so).
- rafalski0
I've had a blackbook for a year now.
It was a pain in the ass in the beginning as it suffered from http://www.macbookrandomshutdown…
I got that sorted out, but bad memories remain. Lesson learned: never buy rev.1 model.Small form factor is great, it's very portable, but the screen is too small to do real work. Glossy finish sucks bad. I use it with an external LCD and keyboard and it makes a nice desktop computer.
OSX is obviously pleasant to use, but some system features annoy me. What pisses me off is that OSX, which is supposed to be a multimedia and designer heaven sometimes performs worse than Windows in these areas. I downloaded all the codecs, but still sometimes random videos lack sound - this only takes one ffddshow codec on Windows. Some mpg videos that play flawlessly in Windows, appear shorter on the mac - strange.
iTunes - my video iPod takes about 45 seconds to mount on the mac (up to 10 sec on windows). This is laughable.
The system lacks a good photo browser/viewer. iPhoto is good for family and cat photos and has a bad habit of stuffing your hard drive with duplicates.
Another annoying thing is, you have to pay extra for Quicktime, in order to unlock features such as fullscreen playback- this is ridiculous!!!A big disappointment was that Windows Type1 fonts couldn't be imported (unless someone advises me otherwise).
I use mac at home and windows at work. I enjoy both and curse at both. Probably still get more work done on Windows.
- orkman0
Get it and put Windows on it as well.
- Raniator0
Wait until the end of the week – it's Apple's WWDC. Might not announce any new hardward (they've just updated the laptops), but any new software and other 'stuff' might influence your decision.