Help with buying a Mac?

greenpea · April 12, 2007

I am considering buying my second Mac. My first Mac was purchased in 1984. However I've been primarily using PCs at work and home for the past 10 years.

In the past, I've complained that Macs were not worth the extra cost. But now its has clearly gotten to the point where a similarly configured PC and Mac are about the same price. Also I'm not interested spending the $$$ for a truly Vista capable box (new OSes scare me). Besides I will always use PCs at work, maybe if I get a Mac for home I'll be less likely to bring work home with me, and spend more time working with my photos.

I want a laptop, I will use it primarily for basic photo editing (probably just with PSE 4), I might do some basic video editing, and I'll use it for watching movies on planes.

So what I want to ask all you Mac users. Is a MacBook going to meet my needs, or do I really need to get the MacBook Pro? I do get a small price break since I work for a University, and the tax man has been kind to me this year, but not generous.

So please convince me that a MacBook will meet all my needs, or convince me that I need to go with a MacBook Pro. :dunno

wxwax · April 12, 2007

If you're serious about editing video, the MBP's separate graphics card might help. Ditto the 3GB of memory versus 2. Video really stresses a system.

Will you be hooking the laptop to a monitor for editing piccies? If so, no issue. If not, then the lappie's screen becomes an issue. I simply wouldn't rely on the MB's glossy screen for editing images. I'd insist on the MBP's matte screen.

greenpea · April 12, 2007

wxwax wrote:

If you're serious about editing video, the MBP's separate graphics card might help. Ditto the 3GB of memory versus 2. Video really stresses a system.

I've been doing video editing on a 2.4 GHz PC with 1GB and 64MB video (not great but it works), so any Mac should be a huge improvement over that.

wxwax wrote:

Will you be hooking the laptop to a monitor for editing piccies? If so, no issue. If not, then the lappie's screen becomes an issue. I simply wouldn't rely on the MB's glossy screen for editing images. I'd insist on the MBP's matte screen.

I would like to eventually get a 20" Cinema Display. But for the time being I would probably use my old 20" CRT.

jay · April 13, 2007

both would suit ya fine the new intel chips are very fast if im not mistaken the macbook pro is standard with 2 gigs of ram.all newer apple computers hold their value very well as compared to a pc

DavidTO · April 13, 2007

Hmmm.....

I agree with wxwax re: the screen. Anti-glare is the way to go, IMO.

MacBook's pretty good. You're thinking you might cut video? With iMovie, Final Cut? What?

Well, as always it depends on your priorities. I cut on Final Cut Pro for a living, and I wouldn't want to work on either laptop. The less you pay, the less you get. It's a trade off you have to decide on, ultimately. You will be happier with a MBP, but will you be up to $1000 happier? I dunno....

greenpea · April 13, 2007

More Mac Questions
I'm still undecided. I love the ideal of the smaller size and smaller price of the MB, but I'm still not convinced it would ultimately be enough computer.

Let me ask a few additional questions to the mac users out there:

Is there anyone using just a MB for their photo editing, and perfectly happy with it?
If you were buying a new mac would you spend the extra $$$ for the extended warranty?
What do you use on your mac for basic word processing and spreadsheet work?

wxwax · April 13, 2007

I would get the extended warranty.

I was given a generous deal and got Office for Mac.

colourbox · April 13, 2007

1. I do not use a MacBook but I think it's a better deal than the iBook it replaced. Apple migrated key features such as extended desktop on external monitor down to the MacBook and it is a much stronger entry level machine now.

2. I have gotten the AppleCare extended warranty for my last 3 Macs, because they are used for business and the rapid hassle-free service is a great benefit for that. In addition, 2 of those 3 Macs had service issues that would have invoiced to more than the cost of AppleCare, so it paid for itself. The best place to get AppleCare is not Apple, because you can find the same coverage for less at legitimate retailers such as smalldog.com. AppleCare does not cover accidental damage, so if you feel that is a higher likelihood, you'll need insurance. Or, if you have one of those credit cards that extends the warranty on things you buy with it, you can also decide whether that would be a better way to go, although that would probably only extend the standard warranty level and not AppleCare.

3. I use Microsoft Office because I need to exchange Office documents with other professionals. If you have more casual needs, you can try the open source alternatives, NeoOffice or OpenOffice. Apple's iWork is rather minimal in comparison.

greenpea · April 14, 2007

Well I did it. I Got the 2.33 MBP.

Now, can someone tell me how you use this thing?

jay · April 15, 2007

greenpea wrote:

Well I did it. I Got the 2.33 MBP.

Now, can someone tell me how you use this thing?

easy forget all u ever knew about windows

cabbey · April 15, 2007

welcome to the light side
I would certainly recommend the extended apple care warranty if you're planning on hauling the laptop around with you alot.

For word processing, *nothing* beats iWork's Pages application. For spread sheets... it's a bit bleaker these days, but see this post for some options.

greenpea · April 15, 2007

I got the extended warranty on my MBP. As for word processing/spread sheet I definatley need something compatible with MS Word and MS Excel. I'm looking at open office, but as a employee of an educational institution I get a pretty good deal on MS Office 04. For the short term the photo editing software will be PS Elements, then later maybe CS3 (I gotta wait and see what sort of deal their going to give us on that, should be 50% of retail).

For now, I'm stuck having way too much fun with my daughter playing with photo booth and garage band.

wxwax · April 16, 2007

greenpea wrote:

I got the extended warranty on my MBP. As for word processing/spread sheet I definatley need something compatible with MS Word and MS Excel. I'm looking at open office, but as a employee of an educational institution I get a pretty good deal on MS Office 04. For the short term the photo editing software will be PS Elements, then later maybe CS3 (I gotta wait and see what sort of deal their going to give us on that, should be 50% of retail).

For now, I'm stuck having way too much fun with my daughter playing with photo booth and garage band.

You're making a lot of the same decisions I would. Not sure if that's a good or a bad thing.

greenpea · April 16, 2007

wxwax wrote:

You're making a lot of the same decisions I would. Not sure if that's a good or a bad thing.

Didn't you also use to be a pc person?

wxwax · April 16, 2007

greenpea wrote:

Didn't you also use to be a pc person?

Still am, I straddle the computer world!

StevenV · April 16, 2007

wxwax wrote:

I straddle the computer world!

is that what this is all about?

wxwax · April 16, 2007

StevenV wrote:

is that what this is all about?

Watch it, you.

StevenV · April 16, 2007

sorry, dude. sometimes softballs are tossed so nicely it's tough not to take a swing.

in an attempt, however pittiful, to bring this back on topic... I've got a couple of pointers in this posting that might be of help to a Windows-Mac switcher.

DavidTO · April 16, 2007

StevenV wrote:

sorry, dude. sometimes softballs are tossed so nicely it's tough not to take a swing.

in an attempt, however pittiful, to bring this back on topic... I've got a couple of pointers in this posting that might be of help to a Windows-Mac switcher.

Your links are b0rked on that page.

StevenV · April 16, 2007

DavidTO wrote:

Your links are b0rked on that page.

oh crud, you're right. that's a page I didn't get fixed when I moved from blogger to wordpress.

in the meantime, here's an easy one: http://www.lacie.com/silverkeeper/

edit: links fixed. thanks for pointing it out, David.

greenpea · April 16, 2007

StevenV wrote:

in an attempt, however pittiful, to bring this back on topic... I've got a couple of pointers in this posting that might be of help to a Windows-Mac switcher.

Thanks for the link!

cabbey · April 17, 2007

greenpea wrote:

I got the extended warranty on my MBP. As for word processing/spread sheet I definatley need something compatible with MS Word and MS Excel. I'm looking at open office, but as a employee of an educational institution I get a pretty good deal on MS Office 04.

Pages is fully word compatible, I've yet to have any issues with it from an import of .doc or export to .doc files. Including a lot of very complex documents. Apple sometimes has free demo downloads you can try them out on, or slap a document on a usb key and go to a local Apple store to try it out. So far I've had more success with Pages than with OOo. Keynote is the same with PowerPoint files. I've been told Tables is excel compatible, but have yet to try it (I don't trade spread sheets with folks often enough to buy it).

greenpea · April 17, 2007

cabbey wrote:

Pages is fully word compatible, I've yet to have any issues with it from an import of .doc or export to .doc files. Including a lot of very complex documents. Apple sometimes has free demo downloads you can try them out on, or slap a document on a usb key and go to a local Apple store to try it out. So far I've had more success with Pages than with OOo. Keynote is the same with PowerPoint files. I've been told Tables is excel compatible, but have yet to try it (I don't trade spread sheets with folks often enough to buy it).

I see pages comes with iWork, but where do I find Tables? I couldn't find any info about that one.

Right now I'm fighting with my install of PSE4. When I try and install it from the DVD, it fails and tells me a file was missing. When I try and copy the files off of the DVD to the harddrive and install it from the hard drive (a suggestion from apple's support site) it NEVER finishes copying the files from the DVD. Everything locks up, eventually giving me back enough control to force quit the process of copying the files. I think I got a bad copy of PSE4. Today if I get a chance I'm going to see who will help me out with this problem: Apple or Adobe?

DavidTO · April 17, 2007

greenpea wrote:

I see pages comes with iWork, but where do I find Tables? I couldn't find any info about that one.

Right now I'm fighting with my install of PSE4. When I try and install it from the DVD, it fails and tells me a file was missing. When I try and copy the files off of the DVD to the harddrive and install it from the hard drive (a suggestion from apple's support site) it NEVER finishes copying the files from the DVD. Everything locks up, eventually giving me back enough control to force quit the process of copying the files. I think I got a bad copy of PSE4. Today if I get a chance I'm going to see who will help me out with this problem: Apple or Adobe?

This google search: site:adobe.com can't install elements macintosh

found this page: http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/knowledgebase/index.cfm?id=332811

Have you tried all of that?

greenpea · April 17, 2007

DavidTO wrote:

This google search: site:adobe.com can't install elements macintosh

found this page: http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/knowledgebase/index.cfm?id=332811

Have you tried all of that?

I went through most of that list last night. I just called the retailer, they said they would swap out my copy of PSE4 for a new one. So I'll see how that works. Maybe I just got a bad copy.

greenpea · April 18, 2007

So I went down to the University bookstore to swap out my bad copy of PSE4, and I noticed they had got their shipment in of CS3 (only for the mac, and only the extended version of PS).

I really didn't expect the University bookstore to have CS3 for a month or two (they're usually way behind in getting stuff...and I actually didn't think CS3 was going to be released anywhere until the 20th).

However they let me swap out my bad copy of PSE4 for PS CS3 (plus a few extra $$$, but not that much with academic pricing).

pathfinder · April 18, 2007

GO to the head of the class!!:D

Good trade!!

Seamus · April 22, 2007

greenpea wrote:

I see pages comes with iWork, but where do I find Tables? I couldn't find any info about that one.

Tables.

greenpea · April 22, 2007

Seamus wrote:

Tables.

Ok, Thanks. I was thinking it was software made by Apple.

cabbey · April 23, 2007

greenpea wrote:

Ok, Thanks. I was thinking it was software made by Apple.

Nope, just in the spirit of iWork in terms of UI design. There is however a theory that iWork '07 whenever it comes out, will include a spread sheet.

Help with buying a Mac?

Comments