Right you lot. Brooksie Challenge Number two. Challenge One was a storming success and I am amazed at the breadth of knowledge and willingness to help amongst my fellow nutters Networkers.
Your Challenge:
I am converting to the dark side Catholicism Alternating Current Apple Products for my laptop. I have been ordered and instructed and willed to do this, and who am I to disobey a direct command from The Dragon Lady?
My problem (one of many, I know), is that I know virtually bugger all nothing about Mac products anymore. I haven’t used a Mac since around 1998. So…
HELP!!
I know a bunch of y’all use Macs of one flavour or another, and I need your advice. I need a laptop, with a fast processor, decent memory, a good battery. Weight (or lack thereof) isn’t important to me for I am strong and burly (no sniggering at the back there). I have big hands and spend most of my day writing, so a large-ish screen and keyboard are kind of essential.
Added bonuses like a web cam would be nice so I can Skype with some of y’all too. I’ve got a Dell Latitude E6500 right now, so that’s my baseline comparison. Money isn’t really a problem, but obviously I can’t be too extravagant.
I have to order through our general stores, so that limits me somewhat too. They list three types of laptop: MacBook, MacBook Pro & something odd looking called Air…looking at my choices, if I want a 17" screen I have to go for the MacBook Pro, which comes with the following…stuff…
- 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
- 4GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM – 2×2GB
- 320GB Serial ATA @ 5400 rpm
- SuperDrive 8X (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW
- MacBook Pro 17-inch Glossy Widescreen Display
- Backlit Keyboard (English) / User’s Guide
- Accessory Kit
…help…
I have a 15" MacBook Pro, about a year old, but if I was buying today I would very seriously consider the smaller MacBook. I’d get a large flat screen monitor for your desk, where you’ll probably do most work; you can then have 2 screens or just operate the laptop with the lid closed. Apple’s monitors do look nice thought are probably a shade pricier. If you go for this option you’ll want an external keyboard and mouse – Apple’s offerings are pretty good (though the mighty mouse will need a little maintenance…).
I know you said weight wasn’t an issue but size matters and the 17" is a bit of a behemoth. Even the 15" is slightly too big to work on comfortably on a plane or train. But it’s a trade-off between comfort and screen size when on the move.
Buy the maximum amount of RAM it will take (probably much cheaper to do that from a 3rd party supplier).
And get an external hard drive for back-up (the Time Machine program will detect it as soon as you connect and sort out everything from there).
Good luck!
We should all have your problems, Ian.
@Scurry: A great start! Thanks mate.
@Noah: I feel I must shoulder this burden alone, Noah. No! Don’t try and take it from me…I alone must face teh challengez of getting another new computer. And a payrise. And a promotion. Oh! The humanity!!!
The biggest difference between the Macbook and the Macbook Pro (other than the size) is that on the Pro you can run fancier programs (for video editing or whatever). But maybe the new Macbooks can do all that too, I don’t know.
If money is not an issue, I’d get the Pro. Because
size DOES matter after allit can do more. I have a Macbook and once in a while wish it was faster/stronger/bigger/better.The dual processor is good if you are going to run fancy computer programs on it…. other than that I guess it is down to if you fancy lots of power of little ;)
The Macbook air is thin as air, hence the name. As far as I remember, it isn’t as powerful as the Pro.
An external screen is essential since otherwise you will be squinting and huddling over the keyboard and in no time you’d need to change glasses and get someone to crack your back.
Oh, and all the macbooks come with camera and microphones so you can always skype on them :)
I just bought a new MacBook Pro (15") as Curry well knows.
Is very nice. Mmmm.
I got a new MacBook recently (one of the
ecofriendly“not quite as toxic as other laptops” ones). It’s my first ever Mac and I love it.In our lab most go for the MacBook and then a huge HD screen (not a Mac product, but you can get a decent one for only about £120). One thing to consider is if you sit at a desk all day, staring down at a laptop screen is going to bugger up your back and possibly your hands.
I’ve got the Pro, about a year old; it’s ok but not very aesthetically pleasing.
Apparently the Air is very short on USB ports.
I inherited an Air, and it runs nicely enough (and I do some hard core simulationing), but as soon as you install any Adobe product suites on it (e.g., Creative Suite), you run out of hard disk space. It started with 60GB, now only has about 10GB free. All my Files, Films and Music are stored elsewhere, which sucks a bit when on the move. It only has 1 USB port, but extensions with multiple ports are easily available. However, I wouldn’t recommend the Air. Style over substance – and this is already in the context of Mac!
I’ll be investing in a 15" Macbook Pro later this year, with extra RAM and as big a hard disk as possible. Should keep Eva happy at least.
I’ve also got a Griffin Elevator, which is considerably cheaper than a new screen, and much better for the
aging processposture than keeping your laptop on the desk.Bonne courage, brave soldier.
How come computer descriptions include so much information (weight, memory, speed, etc.) but very rarely do they indicate how much power they use. Surely how green a laptop is would be a useful thing to know for those of us who are constantly plugged in.
@Matt: MacBook – 60W; MacBook Pro – 85W. Those are the ratings of the power supplies. Actual consumption will depend on screen brightness and how hard you push the processor…
And, yes, I am jealous of Richard’s new machine. But ’tis ever thus with computer gear…
No advice here per se, it’s just that oddly enough I’m about to go the other way. The “s” key fell off my ibook, which is so utterly annoying (as my name starts with s and all) that I’ve gone anti-Mac. You can’t Skype on a PC?
You can Skype on a PC just fine. It’s just that the Mac has a built in Webcam, where as on a PC you pay extra. Or rather, the “free” webcam on a Mac is factored into the price already…
@Asa, I read you comment as
bq.An external screen is essential since otherwise you will be squirting and huddling over the keyboard and in no time you’d need to change glasses and get someone to crack your back.
ROTFLMFAO <- had to be done. Sorry.
So, I guess from all the advice and stuff, a Macbook Pro 15" with external monitor is the comp du jour. Lemme souurce this and see what the cost is. I’ll keep y’all up informed.
And, thanks, all of you, for your help here. This is Social Networking for Scientists actually working, even if it’s a simple thing like getting me up to speed on a new system. I <3 teh internest! i <3 teh N47ure N3tw3rk!
faster/stronger/bigger/better
@ Eva, have you tried out idaft
Graham, haha. That’s…useful?
Well, tis done! Should be here in a week. And, because I work with a
frankly terrifyingbunch of geeks, it took me less than five minutes to find a spare flat screen monitor and a keyboard…MacBook Pro, 15-inch, aluminum
Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter
Backlit Keyboard/Mac OS – U.S. English
Accessory Kit
2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
iWork ’09 preinstalled
SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter
250GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm
4GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM – 2×2GB
Two things to be aware of. The widescreen format on the 15" macbook is a little narrow top to bottom. Second, that you will struggle to cope with a two button mouse once you get used to multitouch on the trackpad. Haven’t figured out how to set everything up so as to ergnomically use a nice keyboard and the trackpad with an external screen. But enjoy…
I have a Macbook. It’s a good deal for the money I think. The only problem I find is sometime powerpoint crashes when I import large images. But if screen size is an issue, I’d go with something bigger.
@Cameron: I am a bit concerned about little things like mices and the funny touchpad that Macs have. But, as the Bard quoth’d, “Faint heart ne’er won fair maid,”. I used my mum’s G4 for three weeks when I was back in the UK last year and it was tough at first, but familiarity breeds usability, or something, and I was doing OK after a few days.
@Caryn: I am also concerned about sharing documents between PCs and Macs when images are involved. But, the DragonLady commandeth, and I needs must obey…
Another MacBook Pro girl here, and Ian, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. I switched four years ago and it’s made me stupid. Not enough goes wrong. I have no idea how this thing works — UNIX lite, blah blah blah, I don’t remember. Have not opened Terminal in at least a year. I don’t think I’ve ever had cause to take a Mac laptop apart. Have not had problems with PC→Mac files since sometime in the 90s. I do recall problems with hooking Mac and PC to print servers, but that was ages ago and probably nothing you’re interested in anyway.
Do make sure you buy the Applecare 3-year warranty, though. Am not a big fan of warranties but that one pays for itself. They don’t make components like they used to and the tech support can be handy. I’ve found the Apple techs to be smart and patient (in that annoying hipster/support-drone way), and the Indian ones don’t try to tell you their name is Mike.
@Ian, I have occasionally had problems with images not appearing on a PC in a PowerPoint document created on a Mac. I think there’s less of a problem as long as you use the Insert > Picture… method rather than dragging and dropping or cutting and pasting.
Should be here any day now. I’m all a quiver with excitement I must say.
@Amy: I got the warranty. Seems silly not to, especially if someone else is paying. Re: Indian tech-support: last time I called visa I had a chap from india try and convince me he was actually “Carlos”. Seriously.
@Stephen: I have this row with my RA every time she sends me a document. Figures are almost always missing. It’s very frustrating, and perfectly dealable with grrrr