# So whats it like owning a mac



## aggreko (Nov 2, 2007)

I need a new computer badly and in my situtation, for college, I need a laptop. That way Its portable. My desktop is old, crappy, and wont hardly run anything anymore, so Im looking for something that will be my main, everyday computer and that includes gaming. Plus, I work for an internet company. so even though I am at the bottom of the totem pole I may be able to work my way up and that will require me having photoshop and dreamweaver and all that design stuff. 

You can definately say Im on the platform fence, I dont hate windows or mac. But im leaning towards mac becuase I hear nothing but good things from it and I can get over how sexy the macbook pro's look. I've already designed the one I want, fully loaded. Including microsoft office for mac and Fusion that way I can run XP. it comes to a grand total of 3,000 dollars and it shouldnt take that long to save up for.

So, what should I know and whats it like owning a mac....etc...


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## ferrija1 (Apr 11, 2006)

I have a 15" MacBook Pro and it's an amazing machine. The LED back-light (which are not in the 17" version) is super bright and so is the keyboard back-light. The keyboard and touch pad are very easy to use (I love scrolling with two fingers) and comfortable. Unfortunately, there are only two USB ports on the 15" and three on the 17" but there is Bluetooth and the AirPort card supports Draft-N. If you're using Adobe programs, a Mac is great for you. If you want to play games, it's no good trying to do it through virtualization (Parallels or Fusion), use Boot Camp. As for the operating system, OS X, I think it is much cleaner and easier to use but there are many people who disagree. Make sure you go to an Apple store and look at the MacBook Pro and OS X.


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## aggreko (Nov 2, 2007)

ferrija1 said:


> I have a 15" MacBook Pro and it's an amazing machine. The LED back-light (which are not in the 17" version) is super bright and so is the keyboard back-light. The keyboard and touch pad are very easy to use (I love scrolling with two fingers) and comfortable. Unfortunately, there are only two USB ports on the 15" and three on the 17" but there is Bluetooth and the AirPort card supports Draft-N. If you're using Adobe programs, a Mac is great for you. If you want to play games, it's no good trying to do it through virtualization (Parallels or Fusion), use Boot Camp. As for the operating system, OS X, I think it is much cleaner and easier to use but there are many people who disagree. Make sure you go to an Apple store and look at the MacBook Pro and OS X.


Yea, well thats not really an option. The nearest apple store is on the other side of town. I dont want to drive to the other side of town. They are building a mall where I am at so I really hope they put an apple store in there. I dont really want the 17". Im looking to buy the 15". The one I designed to meet my needs is state of the art:

2.6 Ghz processor
2 gb of ram. (Will upgrade to 4 gb when I get the laptop. Much cheaper)
Nvidia GeForce 8600 256mb Vid Card. 
200 GB Hard drive
Office 2004 for Mac (buying it on the side)

Also, I will be buying XP to install when I buy it. Grand Total: 3000

That includes the education discount. It should only take me a couple months to save up for it.


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## ferrija1 (Apr 11, 2006)

I would travel to the other side of town to make sure you don't waste $3000 but that's your choice. I am glad you are getting the 15". The 17" has a darker screen and is huge. I don't think the .2GHz is worth $250, it doesn't make much difference at all.

When you change the processor and upgrade the hard drive, just the laptop is $3000, with XP and Office it is even more. You might want to take a look at iWork. It is Apple's simpler version of Office and it is compatible with Excel, Powerpoint, and Word files.


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## aggreko (Nov 2, 2007)

ferrija1 said:


> I would travel to the other side of town to make sure you don't waste $3000 but that's your choice. I am glad you are getting the 15". The 17" has a darker screen and is huge. I don't think the .2GHz is worth $250, it doesn't make much difference at all.
> 
> When you change the processor and upgrade the hard drive, just the laptop is $3000, with XP and Office it is even more. You might want to take a look at iWork. It is Apple's simpler version of Office and it is compatible with Excel, Powerpoint, and Word files.


 iwork is completely compatable with office? I didnt know that, thank you. That just shaved 300$ off my price. I managed to shave another 150 dollars off my price when I learned leapard comes with bootcamp. Also, I noticed in the shopping cart that it included an accessory kit. Whats in an accessory kit? Does in include a vga to dvi adapter so I can plug it in my moniter or do I have to buy it seperately. What about plugging my gateway mouse and keyboard in the laptop, how will that work?

Does anyone else have an opinion on the extra .2 ghz? How much of a difference is the 2.6 vs the 2.4?

With the 2.4 Ghz processor the new price is 2700. As I said before, I will buy the extra 2gb memory on the side and install it myself that way I can save 700 dollars.


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## ferrija1 (Apr 11, 2006)

Looking at a page in the AppleInsider forums, I think the difference is actually significant.
http://forums.appleinsider.com/showthread.php?p=1167760

The accessory kit is the remote, DVI to VGA adapter, and the power adapter.


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## aggreko (Nov 2, 2007)

ferrija1 said:


> Looking at a page in the AppleInsider forums, I think the difference is actually significant.
> http://forums.appleinsider.com/showthread.php?p=1167760
> 
> The accessory kit is the remote, DVI to VGA adapter, and the power adapter.


Thanks for that link. That really helped. Also, on Lepard, does it have a zip program to decompress files. I've been trying to read everything I can come across when it comes to switching. Im really excited to be switching to mac

As for any other utilities I may need, im getting it off of ebay, I've checked for software im going to need and it is so much cheaper.


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## ferrija1 (Apr 11, 2006)

aggreko said:


> Thanks for that link. That really helped. Also, on Lepard, does it have a zip program to decompress files. I've been trying to read everything I can come across when it comes to switching. Im really excited to be switching to mac
> 
> As for any other utilities I may need, im getting it off of ebay, I've checked for software im going to need and it is so much cheaper.


Leopard can decompress ZIP and DMG files and easily create zip files by right-clicking on files and clicking "Create Archive of ...."

As for utilities and programs that you need, it depends what you're going to do and how you like to work, but here are some popular programs.

*Quicksilver* -- App launcher and productivity app. It is much like spotlight except faster and with more features. When you type something, it searches for that in a small window to the right, you can then use the arrow keys to select items up and down and you can go inside folders. As shown on the website, you can also use it to do things, like send an email or move a file. Make sure you install the plug-ins that come with it for all the applications you have. Also, I suggest setting the trigger to Caps Lock twice. 









*Disk Inventory X* -- A graphical view of all the files on your computer that shows which types of files are taking up the most place. It also has a folder tree to look through all your folder and see which have the largest files.










*KisMAC* -- Wi-Fi tool which can be used to crack encryption on wireless networks but has great tools for viewing network signal strength and stats. Unfortunately, it has a steep learning curve and is no too useful if you are aways in one place.

*OnyX* -- OnyX is a system maintenance and monitoring tool. It also shows hidden (but built-in) options that you otherwise would have to reach from Terminal (Terminal in OS X's Commnd Prompt), such as a special "Suck In" effect for minimizing things into the dock.

*SuperDuper!* -- A great simple backup utility, it's best if you have an external dive to use it with. There is a free version which will work forever but does not have some features that the $28 version does (like scheduled backup).

Here are some links to even more software.
Lifehacker: Rebuild Your Mac with 20 Useful Downloads
Lifehacker: LH Top 10: Free Mac Downloads
Lifehacker: Top 10 Mac utilities

http://www.freemacware.com/
http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/
http://web.mac.com/simon_elliott/[email protected]/Software.html


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## ferrija1 (Apr 11, 2006)

Part Two: Preference Panes and Widgets.

Preference panes are applications that are put in the System Preferences windows. They always run and are typically programs that change how the operating system works instead of being an actual application with an interface. Here is my System Preferences window, installed preference panes appear under "Other."



*Afloat* -- Keeps windows on top, bottom, or transparent.

*Default Apps* -- Allows you to set which applications open types of files.

*Flip4Mac WMV* -- Lets you play Windows Media files on your Mac.

*Growl* -- A highly customizable system notifier that I just installed yesterday but have not found it to be too useful. It, for example, tells you when a download is done, probably good for really crazy multitaskers.

*Perian* -- Improves QuickTime's compatibility with certain files.

*TextExpander* -- Extends certain words to phrases that you specify. For exmple, when I type _tsgsolved_ it changes it to _If your thread is solved, please mark it solved by..._ and if I type _[IMG_ it changes it to _







_ and puts the cursor in the middle. It can also insert the date, time, pictures, and more.

I don't really know or care about Version Cue CS3, it came with Design Premium.

Now onto dashboard widgets. As you may already know, the dashboard is a program that can be accessed by pressing F12. It contains small Flash or AJAX widgets that do many things, from displaying how much of the world is happy (Moody or Not) to displaying time in arcs (Polar Clock).

http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/categories.html

I'm glad you're getting a Mac, you have been saved!


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## aggreko (Nov 2, 2007)

DUDE, 

I stopped by Fry's Electronics today since I found out they sell macs and I took a test spin on the macbook pro they had out and it was awsome. Even though it had tiger installed it was still awsome. I am definately sold. I enjoyed the experience.


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## ferrija1 (Apr 11, 2006)

Great!


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## dannyn (Nov 9, 2007)

macs are great and seem to last a long time.. they are built very sturdy. thew .2 more processor isnt worth the money.


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## ferrija1 (Apr 11, 2006)

Yes, they're future proof because of the great hardware and good OS support. The latest version of OS X can still run on Macs older than 5 years.


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## dannyn (Nov 9, 2007)

.... which isnt true with vista... anything a few years old vista would barely even run on.


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## aggreko (Nov 2, 2007)

ferrija1 said:


> Yes, they're future proof because of the great hardware and good OS support. The latest version of OS X can still run on Macs older than 5 years.


I didnt know that. My desktop is so outdated. When I get my macbook pro, Im sure im going to be having it for a long time.


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## dannyn (Nov 9, 2007)

yes you will... and you will love it.... mac are great!


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## aggreko (Nov 2, 2007)

I just hate that I have to wait to get it. I wont have enough money saved up untill January. Also, You dont think the 2.6 GHZ is worth the extra $$?


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## johnnyburst79 (Aug 16, 2005)

The Mac experience is one of beauty, wonder, and sheer enjoyment.


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## ferrija1 (Apr 11, 2006)

aggreko said:


> I just hate that I have to wait to get it. I wont have enough money saved up untill January. Also, You dont think the 2.6 GHZ is worth the extra $$?


Well I didn't but looking at those facts it looks like it is worth it.


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## dannyn (Nov 9, 2007)

still with the facts... FOR ME! the extra ghz... isnt worth the money.


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## ferrija1 (Apr 11, 2006)

dannyn said:


> still with the facts... FOR ME! the extra ghz... isnt worth the money.


Did you look at this?
http://forums.appleinsider.com/showthread.php?p=1167760


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## dannyn (Nov 9, 2007)

yes.. i just think that i have the 2.4 and it is blazing fast.. for what i do i don't think some of the apps could open or run any faster than they already do. for some reason i don't know about some of those numbers... i use photo shop cs2 and aperture and they go so fast i can barely click fast enough to keep them running fast enough to see the differnce


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## linskyjack (Aug 28, 2004)

Mac is no big deal. I bought one recently and don't understand the "fetish status" this piece of hardware has. Like any decent PC, its stable and runs well. Thats all folks.


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## ferrija1 (Apr 11, 2006)

There's a heck of a lot more than just that...


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## MSM Hobbes (Apr 23, 2004)

johnnyburst79 said:


> The Mac experience is one of beauty, wonder, and sheer enjoyment.


Very well said... 

Plus, they are hard working, fast, friendly, sturdy, and fun - all rolled into one dandy package.

_Yea, ok, the Koolaid did have a slight apple flavour to it this morning..._   But still, nonetheless, they are, seriously, great machines. I've had my MB and 24" iMac now for over a year - few minor learning curves, but quite enjoyable, w/o any issues to speak of.


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## VegasACF (May 27, 2005)

When I bite into a York Peppermint Patty I get the feeling of... 

...what? 

Oh, this is about the experience of Mac ownership. My bad. Um, it's good. Quite good.


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## Elvandil (Aug 1, 2003)

Owning a Mac is like being born with six toes on one foot and four on the other. There are times, when the terrain is right, that you can actually walk far better than everyone else. But it's near impossible to buy shoes, and people point and laugh at you. .

(This ought to prompt some comments)


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## ferrija1 (Apr 11, 2006)

Elvandil said:


> Owning a Mac is like being born with six toes on one foot and four on the other. There are times, when the terrain is right, that you can actually walk far better than everyone else. But it's near impossible to buy shoes, and people point and laugh at you. .
> 
> (This ought to prompt some comments)


Yes, but there are a few stores that have the special shoes, and they are great stores, though you don't get as many new models..  You can also buy an adapter (Windows on a Mac) to use regular shoes.


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## ronss (Nov 27, 2007)

I have just jumped into the mack world..i did not have much money for it, so i had to be selective in what i bought,,,and did some research too...had $400....i have a hp notebook,,but it just sits in my case,,,desktops are my choice ... so with the money i had, a mmd dual 867 was the best rig i thought i could get for the money..got it for $367 on ebay......then i bought a 9800 pro....i am pretty happy with this rig,,its fairly quick,,,not like the g5,s...but its fast enough i can surf without not much hanging on the web pages...

my personal opinion about apple,,, its linux that is made user friendly...i think i am fairly correct on this assumption since i have dived into linux some over the years... there are some little touches with apple that i really like,,, i will still have ibm pcs,,but there will allways be an apple in my world .....


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