I can't believe I'm actually looking at Macs

T

theshadow27

Gawd
Joined
Sep 7, 2004
Messages
695
Current laptop is a W3V and it's just about perfect for me. Two years is a long time for a computer though and it's getting outdated, so I'm starting to look for a new one. Asus retired the platform which sucks because it's hard to find a 14.1" with an aux battery these days.The requirements are the same, primary use school work + programing:

core 2/4mb L2
2-4gb ram
hard drive is irrelevant, 7200 rpm would be nice
anything other then integrated graphics

Portable class:
14.1 - 15" (15" MAX) wide screen
<6 lbs, slim profile
3+ hours battery, preferably aux battery capable

I've been looking around for a while now, and there is just about nothing that fits the reqs... except a MacBook pro. I have been a die hard PC guy forever, but the line has blurred now that Apple is running Intel. I really like the power connector on the Mac (working as a pc tech it seems a bad power connector is #2 behind hard drive failure), it's light, and I hear it gets decent battery life. On the other hand, it starts at $2k, which isn't a problem, but it is over priced for what you get. I also hate the one-button mouse.

So anyhow, anyone got an idear before I cross over to the dark side?

Tnx, jsd.
 
Try a refurb. I got 2.2GHz Macbook Pro for $1700. They come with a 120gb hard drive (5400rpm though) and 2gb ram.

The track pad is programmable to use two finger taps as a right-click. You get used to it really fast.
 
I recently bought a MacBook refurb and absolutely love it. I grew up with Macs, but jumped to PCs in 1996 for work-related issues. My last PC laptops were the Latitude D630 and Thinkpad T42. My MacBook blows them away in every category. Go for it! You're not turning to the dark side, you're stepping into the light!!
 
I just made the "switch" two weeks ago. It was a toss up between a T61p and a Macbook Pro. I just finished my last week of college, but before I was officially done, I joined the Apple student ADC (developer connection) program which allows 1 discount on a hardware purchase.

I got a 15", 2.2C2D, 2GB, 8600GTM 128MB, 120GB for about $1750CAD. I had to purchase a $100 student ADC kit (includes monthly dev library dvds, extra copy of OS X, and a t-shirt), but I still came out on top when compared to the student discount @ $2000CAD or $2200CAD regular price.

So far I really like the MBP. There are a few quirks to get used to though, such as the 1 button mouse (you can enable two-finger right click or just plug in a mouse), also various keyboard shortcuts are a little different. ctrl+c/v has become second nature to me, but now its cmd+c/v. In the far left corner is the fn key instead of the ctrl key. I do wish it had more than 2 USB ports.

All those issues are minor though. The size, weight and finish are designed extremely well. I get about 4 hours real world usage. Keyboard is responsive and the back lit keys are a nice touch. I was initially concerned with the quality of the screen as I do colour critical work for a living, however I gotta say I'm quite pleased with it. It's bright, colours are vibrant, I do notice some banding, but thats a given since all notebooks out there are pretty much TN panel based. I have my MBP hooked up to a 2007WFP IPS screen when I'm at home. It games quite well too (COD4, COH, Crysis @ medium settings) just be careful cause it gets pretty hot.

When it comes down to it, an OS is an OS. All the same functionality is there, just gotta get used to how its done. I have to say though, OS X has been a breeze to use. If you need to decide which to get, base it on the apps you use most. Of course, there is always Bootcamp and VMWare/Parallels for those situations (Bootcamp/VMWare runs great by the way).

If you can, wait till January for Macworld...

--
http://developer.apple.com/ (ADC Info)
http://developer.apple.com/membership/hardware.html (select your country and click on the "ADC Select Member Store" link to see what kinda discount you can get)
 
theshadow27 said:
Current laptop is a W3V and it's just about perfect for me. Two years is a long time for a computer though and it's getting outdated, so I'm starting to look for a new one. Asus retired the platform which sucks because it's hard to find a 14.1" with an aux battery these days.The requirements are the same, primary use school work + programing:

core 2/4mb L2
2-4gb ram
hard drive is irrelevant, 7200 rpm would be nice
anything other then integrated graphics

Portable class:
14.1 - 15" (15" MAX) wide screen
<6 lbs, slim profile
3+ hours battery, preferably aux battery capable

I've been looking around for a while now, and there is just about nothing that fits the reqs... except a MacBook pro. I have been a die hard PC guy forever, but the line has blurred now that Apple is running Intel. I really like the power connector on the Mac (working as a pc tech it seems a bad power connector is #2 behind hard drive failure), it's light, and I hear it gets decent battery life. On the other hand, it starts at $2k, which isn't a problem, but it is over priced for what you get. I also hate the one-button mouse.

So anyhow, anyone got an idear before I cross over to the dark side?

Tnx, jsd.
Click to expand...

Just an FYI, there is a setting in the mouse properties for the trackpad to detect two fingers. Then when you use two fingers and click, its a right click. Same thing for scrolling, two fingers scrolls.

edit: didn't see someone had already mentioned it, sorry.
 
Good looks, thanks man - I had completely forgotten about the student discount, I'll absolutely check that out. The only other one that came close was the leveno; I'm just wary of stepping into what I've criticized so much in the past... I guess I could always paint it black :D

parallax said:
I got a 15", 2.2C2D, 2GB, 8600GTM 128MB, 120GB for about $1750CAD.
Click to expand...
Thats about exactly what I need... The duo is so much faster then anything else the speed doesn't particularly matter, and even in Canadian that's less then what I paid for mine in USD.

parallax said:
So far I really like the MBP. There are a few quirks to get used to though, such as the 1 button mouse (you can enable two-finger right click or just plug in a mouse), also various keyboard shortcuts are a little different. ctrl+c/v has become second nature to me, but now its cmd+c/v. In the far left corner is the fn key instead of the ctrl key. I do wish it had more than 2 USB ports.
Click to expand...
Hmm, yeah, I've heard about the whole two finger thing... Is it *that* hard for them to put in a second button? I'm sure I could get used to it though. The Fn and Ctrl keys on my Asus are reversed, I'm already over that... but what a PITA

parallax said:
The size, weight and finish are designed extremely well. I get about 4 hours real world usage. Keyboard is responsive and the back lit keys are a nice touch... It games quite well too
Click to expand...
back-lit keys++, lol, games well in windows or OSX?

parallax said:
If you can, wait till January for Macworld...
Click to expand...
PMI but what happens at macworld?

Anyhow thanks for the info, I'll definitely look into the ADC thing. I think I even have an account or something...
 
No way anyone would paint over the aluminum body, laser etch maybe ;)

There are two light sensors in the speaker grills that adjusts the screen brightness and keyboard back light automatically (or you can set it manually). I haven't tried gaming through OS X yet. The only native OS X game I would even consider is CNC3, but I already got that for PC. Windows through Bootcamp is the way to go, DirectX > OpenGL. But like I said before, it gets "holy-shit-this-fucking-thing-burned-my-legs" hot when gaming, the case is like a giant heat sink. Regular usage it's quiet and cool to the touch.

I'll admit I've criticized Apple as much as the next person, but so far my experience has been good. The way I see it, it can't hurt to be familiar with another system.
 
i love my macbook, and i got it for size, no other comparable 13" on the market when i got it a year ago!


the 13" screen i thought would be too small but it isnt, it is perfect at 1280 x 800 and i would recommend just go into an Apple store and check one out for yourself.


get the lowest end one and upgrade the ram and HD yourself, neew macbook can hold upto 4g of ram
 
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