What do you guys think about my Mac purchase?

[tomster2300]

I know we have a Mac section now, but I was hoping this post would get more exposure here.

I drove over to Fry's Electronics yesterday to do some Christmas shopping, and took a look at the Macs before I left. They had a brand new low end Macbook (C2D 2 ghz, 1 gig ram, 80 gig hd, combo drive) marked down for $899, and they only had one left. So...I bought it.

Did I make a good choice? I've always wanted a Mac and will be giving my current laptop to my father (he needs one), so it is a good time to be getting a new one. The only problem I'm seeing is the lack of a superdrive (dvd burner), although it does have a dvd player. Do you think that could be a problem, or am I just being selfish?

The $899 pricetag is $100 less than I could get through my college's bookstore with my educational discount, so it is the lowest possible price anywhere unless I accidentally ran into another deal....

They also said I could receive Leopard through the mail for an additional $9, which I thought was awesome.

So, what do you guys think?

[hitchface]

I'd stick with Tiger for now, but I'd probably make the same purchase. Sounds like an ok deal for a Mac.

[SonicVanguard]

If you do any video work stay far away from Leopard. Doesn't support Final Cut Pro - I know many, many video pros that upgraded and had 48 hours of horrors until they figured out how to revert back to Tiger.

[tomster2300]

But do you guys think the purchase was a smart one? I've really been looking to get one, but I don't know if this one is worth it or not.

[Force Flow]

Originally Posted by SonicVanguard If you do any video work stay far away from Leopard. Doesn't support Final Cut Pro - I know many, many video pros that upgraded and had 48 hours of horrors until they figured out how to revert back to Tiger.

ah-ha...that answers a question to an issue I was having with a mac with leopard and final cut pro. For some reason, you couldn't transfer final cut files from tiger to leopard without adding a file extension. Otherwise, it would detect the files as unix config files. Really odd.

[Force Flow]

Originally Posted by tomster2300 But do you guys think the purchase was a smart one? I've really been looking to get one, but I don't know if this one is worth it or not.

I've been using a mac with Tiger consistently over the past few months, and while it does have its perks, I still very much prefer PCs.

Some people like it, some people don't. It's really a matter of preference.


One major thing that bugs me about OS X in general is limited customization/personalization/configuration from within the GUI. I've had to dive into the command line a bit to get it to really dance.

Troubleshooting is much the same, however, documentation/FAQs/forums and other sources don't seem to be as widespread as with windows. So when running into odd issues, you either get lucky with some searching, or have to figure it out yourself.


If you do get a mac, stick with tiger for now...leopard is akin to Vista when it first came out...lots of issues to work out.

[Jester]

I love my mac book. My wife loves her macbook. I also love my PC. That said I think you made a fantastic decision especially for the price.

On a side note. How is final cut pro not supported on leopard. Isnt FCP an apple product?

[Force Flow]

It is indeed an apple product. However, we're mostly talking versions released before leopard was released. I'm not sure how the newest version fairs on leopard.

[David M]

Originally Posted by tomster2300 But do you guys think the purchase was a smart one? I've really been looking to get one, but I don't know if this one is worth it or not.

A computer is nothing more than a tool for running software. Without software a computer is absolutely worthless. All it does is create heat and make noise. What do you want to accomplish with the software that you buy for your new computer?

[SonicVanguard]

Originally Posted by Jester On a side note. How is final cut pro not supported on leopard. Isnt FCP an apple product?

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=307092

Not everyone upgrades at the whim of Apple - I know many video pros that are very happy with FCP 4.5 or older - and they are very happy to stay with Tiger.

[tomster2300]

Well I have all the power I need here in my desktop, so I'm not looking to really be doing too much with a laptop. I mainly want a solid computer with a long battery life that I can take with me around campus and when I travel. I know the compaq (current laptop) kind of fit that description, but I've been looking into getting an Apple for a long time. The only reason I held off initially is because I was wary of compatibility problems in course software and wifi on campus.

I'm wiser now and know I'm not going to be running into much of a problem.

My current laptop has been sent in for repairs three to four times now, and I'm really sick of dealing with it. My father is looking for a used laptop for himself, knows all about the problems I've had in the past with it, but would rather have it then trying his luck with a used one up from a complete stranger. The laptop is in fine condition right now, the only problem is the warranty ran out so if something else goes wrong with it we're not going to be able to send it back in to Compaq for free repairs.

So, my main concern is if you guys think the model I got is going to be sufficient. I'd like to be able to run the iLife 07 - 08 suite (depending on which OS I stick with) without any hiccups or slowdowns. I originally planned on picking up the medium model because it included a superdrive so I could burn any of my work right off onto a dvd when I got finished, but I don't mind transferring the file over a network or external dvd burner if it means a cheaper pricetag (I think).

The cheapest I could get the medium model for would be $1,199.00 and that includes double the hard drive space, 2.2 ghz c2d, and a dvd burner.

I don't think that warrants a $300 price increase, do you guys?

[David M]

Given the purpose of the Mac is to run the iLife suite then you made an excellent choice.

[Jester]

do not upgrade to ilife 08. It is more of a downgrade. They crippled garageband and iMovie. The same thing that happened with vista is happening with leopard and 08 software. There just seems to be compatiblity issues left and right. I asked for leopard for x-mas. If I get it I will use my macbook as a test bed and I will keep tiger on the wifes macbook.

Course the main people that are having problems with both vista and leopard are those that seem to think that a windows 3.1 machine should be able to run vista. (extreme example but the mental image was too funny to pass up)

[tomster2300]

Do you guys think the low end Macbook will have any problems running Leopard? It won't run slowly on it, will it?

[hitchface]

If Leopard is anything like people are saying it is, then like Vista, it is all bass ackwards. It seems like it almost doesn't matter what kind of computer is running it....it will run how it wants.

2 computers, same settings, one with better hardware. PC with better hardware ran Vista slower, and ran M$ FSX slower. If Leopard is like that...ugh.

[glc]

The smartest thing you did was get rid of that POS Compaq - regardless of what you replaced it with. I am not a Mac fan, but at least Apple builds quality hardware.

[Lespaul20]

If you carry that around campus you going to look pretty hip too.

[hitchface]

I wish David Risley could see that comment

Living proof that Apple is an iconic figure...not a bad comment, just funny

[tomster2300]

I was going back through some apple forums and blogs and found out that Apple's latest revision to their macbook line happened around early November. Is there any way that the book I bought could be from before the revision, or do you think it's been long enough now that they're only selling the current release?

EDIT: Especially since Leopard came out in late October (26th?) and mine has Tiger installed, wouldn't that mean that mine was manufactured in early or before October? This thing may be going back since the revision came with a new video card.

[tomster2300]

I just checked and it looks like mine was made before the update - the specs on the box say Intel 950 graphics processor with 64mb shared memory. Apple's website says the new ones come with Intel GMA X3100 graphics processor with 144MB of DDR2 SDRAM shared with main memory.

Do you think it will make a difference?

[Force Flow]

nah, unless you plan on gaming

[glc]

The X3100 is not much stronger than the 950.

[kram 2.0]

Originally Posted by tomster2300 Do you guys think the low end Macbook will have any problems running Leopard? It won't run slowly on it, will it?

Now, I'm not recommending this, but I do have one iBook G4 running Leopard - not entirely smooth, but it's functional. Leopard isn't as resource intensive as many might figure it to be - though it would definitely help to have a fast-end system running it.

Originally Posted by Jester do not upgrade to ilife 08. It is more of a downgrade. They crippled garageband and iMovie. The same thing that happened with vista is happening with leopard and 08 software.

I watched Steven Jobs' keynote on iLife08 when it came out - he made it a point to say that iMovie 08 was substantially changed. It does have some neat features, though I'm sensing that the change was partially motivated by a desire to make iMovie and FCP more different.

Originally Posted by tomster2300 EDIT: Especially since Leopard came out in late October (26th?) and mine has Tiger installed, wouldn't that mean that mine was manufactured in early or before October? This thing may be going back since the revision came with a new video card.

Probably. Chances are, you're going to find Leopard on sale at your university computer store - more often greatly cheaper than retail. But really - use Tiger and see how you like it first.

kram

[David M]

After reading all this? ...I think you are worrying too much. Just enjoy your new computer.

[thefultonhow]

Check whether you have a Seagate hard drive -- for a while, they were using Seagates in the MacBooks that went bad left and right. Something about expanding parts inside; I don't remember all the details. I've seen a few MacBooks with that problem, including my roommate's (and unfortunately he was out of warranty, too, so he had to buy a new drive out of pocket). Some have said Apple should recall all MacBooks with that hard drive, but Apple hasn't gone that far yet.

Also, take good care of it, because I've seen a few people who were denied warranty work because there was cosmetic damage to the casing, even if it didn't affect any technical aspect of the computer. I'm getting a little disillusioned with Apple support; they seem to be preoccupied with finding reasons not to cover you, rather than actually providing good service.

[tomster2300]

Well I ended up buying an updated one through the bookstore for $100 more. It looks like it has Leopard pre-installed, and it definitely has the x3100 upgrade.

I've heard mixed results about Apple's warranty process. A friend of mine said his friend had to send a macbook in for repairs while he was in the process of moving. He called them and explained that he would at a new address in two weeks, and wanted them not to ship it to the wrong place. They told him that a new update was coming out for the macbooks, and if he postponed moving for two weeks they'd send him one of the new updated books when he sent his old one in.

It's good to hear both sides though because it shows the possibilities to expect.