Considering a Macbook instead of a Laptop.

[skijay]

I am about to purchase a new laptop and I think I am going with an entry level MacBook (the white one with the 13.3" screen, bluetooth, dvd burner, 1gb ram / 80 gb HD. It is on sale for $1049. I know I can buy a Windows Vista running laptop for that price or much less, but to be honest, I want to try something different. For my job, I run web based programs and it is 100% compatible with the OS 10.x and higher. Here are some questions that I know some of you Mac users can help me with.

Should I buy the Apple care warranty for 3years @ $249? I have been told that there have been failures with the "heat sink" on the laptops. Outside of warranty it is $400 to fix.

I am told that if I purchase and install Parallels this allow me to install my Microsoft Office for Windows 2003 and run it as if I was running Windows XP. Is this true? I do not want to buy the Office 2004 for Mac at $300+.

I am buying from an Apple Reseller (not an Apple store retail or online), as this is the cheapest I have found. Is it better to buy from an Apple store?

Owning a Mac, does this mean that this will not become obsolete in a year like my Windows based pc & laptop are since they are not easily upgraded to Vista?

Does Apple support previous versions of the OS and is it a free upgrade, not like going from XP to Vista?

Again, my only reason for a Mac is wanting to try something different and I do not want to spend a lot of money, just in case I like Windows better.

 

[BushMogulMaster]

Again, my only reason for a Mac is wanting to try something different and I do not want to spend a lot of money, just in case I like Windows better.

You want something different, try Linux. Should be 100% compatible with anything you'd really need to do. Much faster than Windows, and much more powerful than Windows or Mac OS. Really quite easy to use as well.

I can simply never advocate Macs. I can't come to terms with the proprietary hardware, and I just don't like the OS. I've used Windows for 13 years, Linux for about 6 years, and I used Mac OS X a lot in the last 2 years, and Linux is definitely the best. I'm not a Microsoft fan, but I still like Windows better than OS X.

Anyway, sorry to hijack your question. Just my .02 on the issue.

 

[wa-loaf]

Should I buy the Apple care warranty for 3years @ $249? I have been told that there have been failures with the "heat sink" on the laptops. Outside of warranty it is $400 to fix.

Yes, but you don't need to buy it right away. You can put it off for a year, because the warranty covers you that long anyway. You only miss out on the free phone support. I have a powerbook, after about a year they walled me and offerend me the extended warranty at a about 100 buck less than retail.

I am told that if I purchase and install Parallels this allow me to install my Microsoft Office for Windows 2003 and run it as if I was running Windows XP. Is this true? I do not want to buy the Office 2004 for Mac at $300+.

I don't know anything about it, but all intel macs can be booted in windows or run simulation software.

I am buying from an Apple Reseller (not an Apple store retail or online), as this is the cheapest I have found. Is it better to buy from an Apple store?

Doesn't make a difference, just don't buy any warranties that aren't applecare. Also check the specs of what you are buying with the ones on the Apple store, they might be selling you an older version.

Owning a Mac, does this mean that this will not become obsolete in a year like my Windows based pc & laptop are since they are not easily upgraded to Vista?

My Powerbook is 2 years old and works fine. We have an ibook that'a about 5 years old and still running. And I gave my dad my old G3 bought in 99' and it's still running fine. If you buy now you will probably get OSX 10.3.9, the new os 10.4 comes out at the end of the month I believe, check with the store if they will upgrade you for free or wait to buy until it is realeased, otherwise it will cost $125.

Does Apple support previous versions of the OS and is it a free upgrade, not like going from XP to Vista?

See above, but most applications work well through several versions of the OS. You won't be able to run OS9.

Again, my only reason for a Mac is wanting to try something different and I do not want to spend a lot of money, just in case I like Windows better.

The macbook is a good deal, comparable with at DELL and the same specs. The DELL may be cheaper initially but once you add all the options it comes out about the same. I have a Dell laptop that I use at work, It's brand new with dual 2ghz intel chips and a 128meg graphics chip and 2 gigs of ram. It still crashes and and has random slowdowns, it is nice when it works but I wouldn't trust for the long haul.

Enjoy your new mac. You might also want to check out some mac releated forums. Macnn is a good resource.

 

[BeanoNYC]

Wa-loaf has pretty much said it all. PM sent about software issues.

You'll love it and we can help you through any issues you may have.

....Oh...you'll be asked if you want to purchase a dot mac account. I find it very useful for my website and machine backup) My mac friends and I will throw apps in our dot mac public folders for FTP style accessibility. Depending on what you may want to do with your mac, you may want to get a subscription.

 

[skijay]

Thanks for the input.

 

[skijay]

I got my MacBook today and have installed the updates and installed Office 2004 and will install Iwork next. I have only used a Mac for about 5 minutes prior to this purchase.

I am shocked out how easy this is to use! I can not figure out how to get a full screen of Safari. I have clicked the maximize button, but that does open a full screen. There is no way to stretch the Safari. How do you get a full screen of Safari to appear? It is Version 2.0.4 (419.3)

 

[ckofer]

http://forevergeek.com/apple/mac_vs_windows_its_all_about_the_maximize_button.php

which reads

Mac vs. Windows - It’s All About The “Maximize” Button

Wednesday, Sep. 20 2006 | Author: J. Angelo Racoma

Chris argues over at restiffbard.com that the fundamental difference between Windows and Mac users lies not so much in the user interface in general, but only certain specific characteristics of the UI. In particular, it’s all about the “maximize” button and how it affects the user’s workflow. In Windows, the big rectangular box would maximize a window, causing it to take up all space on the screen except for the taskbar. In Mac OS X, the green “+” button would simply resize the current window to its optimal width and height, taking into consideration the current window contents.

Because it is a simple matter for a OS X user to increase the width of their browser on a case by case basis there is never a need to stretch to full screen. The button that most Windows people assume will expand a window to full screen instead, in OS X, expands or contracts to the documents dimensions. In the case of a browser it expands and contracts to the width of the web page.
In windows, there is no easy way to contract a window view. So, rather than jumping back and forth between window sizes a Windows person would just go full screen and stay there.
​

So in this case, the Mac user would be used to multitasking, with the slew of windows visible on the desktop, overlapping, and sometimes just peeking from behind the foreground window. The Windows user, on the other hand, tends to work solely on the current window visible in the foreground.
I’m both a Mac and Windows user, and I usually work on my Mac and Windows laptops side by side (each with their particular purposes). I’ve reached the point where I no longer get confused when I switch across the Mac and Windows interfaces. And guess what. I don’t usually maximize my Windows! Even before I started using a Mac, I never got used to maximizing. I always preferred having my Windows overlapping, with some peeking just behind the active window I’m currently working on.
A Workflow Issue

Yes, it’s a workflow issue. Having a window maximized has advantages, since this lets the user focus on the single task at hand. But having all your windows–or parts thereof–visible at all times (let’s not even mention Exposé) can also help in seeing the bigger picture.
Still, one has to consider that the human brain was not designed for multitasking. So it’s a question of productivity. Do you work (or play) better when you have a good grasp of the overall picture? Or do you need to be constantly focused on one thing?
Perhaps more interesting and intriguing with the restiffbard.com article is the reader discussion that ensues. There’s the Mac camp, and there’s the Windows camp, and there are the people that see things more objectively. Going beyond the My-OS-is-better-than-your-OS arguments, though, it’s really a matter of how effectively the machine can interface with the human. Both sides have advantages. And considering that Windows still has majority share in the world’s consumer OS market, how effective a UI may no longer be inherent in the operating system’s design. The Mac cult may argue about their’s being superior. But in the end, It’s about preference. It’s about user adoption. This is why some people still find it difficult to switch across platforms.
What about you? What’s your OS and what’s your preference in dealing with window sizes?

 

[wa-loaf]

Short answer: just drag the lower right corner of the browser to fill the whole screeen. Or download Firefox. :-D

Also if you maximize all your apps, which I like to do especially on a laptop. The apple key+tab allows you to switch between apps like the alt+tab on windows. Also check out the functions of the f9, f10, and f11 keys.

 

[skijay]

Thanks wa-loaf. I can not beleive I did not see that on the lower right.

 

[BeanoNYC]

A few quick keystrokes to start you out.

apple+option+esc= force a quit.

on safari: put the cursor over any word then apple+ctrl+D = word lookup.

Screen grab: apple+shift+3
Screen grab with parameters: apple+shift+4 (brings up cross hairs)

apple+w= close top window
apple+q= quit top program
apple+option+d=open close doc

Hold T on startup while macbook is firewired to another computer: = slave drive.
That should start you out. There are plenty more around!

Enjoy.