About to buy a Macbook, questions

[whitefang]

I have a lot of questions about macbook and OSX.

1) When I get the macbook pro, do I need to reinstall Leopard? (most PC notebooks come with bloatware, so re installation is a must)
2) Is a Leopard installation CD included? (I plan to install an SSD later on, so I will have to reinstall Leopard)
3) Is 2gig of RAM really enough? I know for Vista, 2gig is not enough,
4) Is there a planned "new revision" of the 15.1" Macbook pro?
5) If I wanted to get the "latest" revision, should I buy from BestBuy or Apple? I sort of want to buy from BestBuy because they have an accidental coverage warranty where as Apple does not.
6) Can I install SSD + Ram myself without voiding the warranty?
7) Can I make the "trackpad" NOT click and instead require only taps?
8) If I decide to run Vista perhaps "emulate", will 2gig be enough?

iWorks 09
I currently use Microsoft Office 2007 for research. One of the apps I use is OneNote for notetaking + inking (math equations). Is there a replacement app for OneNote? If I get Office 2007 MAC version, will I get OneNote too?

[Ninju]

1) Some people like to; I didn't. I can't remember if there's any 'bloatware' pre-installed, but I'm pretty sure there isn't. Either way, you're used to Windows (by the sounds of it), this is a Mac.

I have tons of programs installed, I've also had tons of junk that I've downloaded, installed, and then removed, yet it's still as fast as when I bought it, which is something to which most Windows users can't relate, I imagine.

2) Yes.

3) My macbook runs great on 2gb. It's very fast.

7) Not sure what you mean. Could you please explain.

[ElDiabloConCaca]

1) When I get the macbook pro, do I need to reinstall Leopard? (most PC notebooks come with bloatware, so re installation is a must)

Nope, not unless you want to remove unwanted languages or printer drivers. There is no "bloatware" in OS X, and even if they were, OS X and Windows differ in that department -- the amount of applications you have installed on your hard drive does not affect the stability nor the speed of OS X (with certain exceptions).

2) Is a Leopard installation CD included? (I plan to install an SSD later on, so I will have to reinstall Leopard)

Yes, but you also have the option of "cloning" your current drive to the new SSD for minimum downtime -- you can use Disk Utility (included with OS X) or many other offerings (Carbon Copy Cloner, SuperDuper, etc.) to simply migrate your existing install to a new hard drive.

3) Is 2gig of RAM really enough? I know for Vista, 2gig is not enough,

Yes, but more is always better. If you plan on upgrading to more than 2GB, be aware that you must replace the 1GB RAM sticks that come with the computer, as both RAM slots will be populated.

4) Is there a planned "new revision" of the 15.1" Macbook pro?

People will speculate, but in the end, only Apple knows when new computers will be released and they keep those dates and upgrades as secret as possible. Anyone who claims to know for definite sure about an upgrade date is either lying or has just been fired from Apple for breaking their NDA.

5) If I wanted to get the "latest" revision, should I buy from BestBuy or Apple? I sort of want to buy from BestBuy because they have an accidental coverage warranty where as Apple does not.

Buy from Apple if you want the latest and greatest, but for the most part, the latest and greatest is also available in the retail supply chain. Apple offers AppleCare, but it does not cover accidental damage. If you buy from Best Buy, you can have Best Buy's accidental coverage in addition to AppleCare for maximum protection.

6) Can I install SSD + Ram myself without voiding the warranty?

Legislation was passed long ago that protects users wanting to upgrade their hard drive and RAM. You may upgrade RAM and hard drive without voiding the warranty, and Apple even shows you how on their website.

7) Can I make the "trackpad" NOT click and instead require only taps?

I don't know.

8) If I decide to run Vista perhaps "emulate", will 2gig be enough?

It should suffice, but it all really depends on the experience you want to have with Vista. I would say that 2GB is plenty, but if you really get into the shizzle, you may want more. That would be a question best left for really experienced Vista users, not Mac OS X users.

With the new switch to Intel processors, "emulation" is no longer possible (as with VirtualPC) nor is it needed. You will now be "virtualizing," meaning you can run Vista within OS X with software like Fusion, Parallels or VirtualBox (paid, paid, and free) and see near-native speeds, since no CPU instruction translation needs to happen (like it did when Apple was using PowerPC processors). You also have the option of dual-booting OS X and Vista with Apple's BootCamp (also included with Leopard).

iWorks 09
I currently use Microsoft Office 2007 for research. One of the apps I use is OneNote for notetaking + inking (math equations). Is there a replacement app for OneNote? If I get Office 2007 MAC version, will I get OneNote too?

iWork (no 's') comes with Pages (word processing, a la Office Word), Numbers (spreadsheet, a la Office Excel), and Keynote (presentation, a la PowerPoint). That's it.

http://www.apple.com/iwork/

I don't know about a replacement for OneNote, since I don't use it, but there are plenty of note-taking applications out there for Mac OS X. You may want to check in with the Omni Group and see about their offerings (OmniGraffle, etc.):

http://www.omnigroup.com

[whitefang]

Thanks for the detailed reponses!

By trackpad clicking, I mean that when you want to click something, you must PRESS down on the trackpad physically and make it "click". Is there anyway to just TAP instead of pressing down the trackpad?

[ora]

RE: ram and Vista, 2gb is ok for runnign a virtual machine through say Parallels, VMware fusion of virtualbox, but i do find when the VM is runnign other processor/ram intensive programs run slowly. For me for instance, VM running windows + photoshop = slowness and i have a 2.33 ghz macbook pro and 2gb of ram.

There is no direct onenote replacement, not in Office 2008 - the latest Mac version of office. What I have done in the past is run Windows Office 2007 within my windows VM as i found in a corporate environment it made more sense (outlook integration with the company systems etc).

That said as the ever-helpful EDCC says above, there are other note taking programs available for mac that you coudl consider.

I woul advise against using iWork if you are tied to a windows based working world though, the opportunity cost of making sure things are windows readable, especially with spreadsheets, is not worth it in my opinion. That said I haven't used the very latest version of iWork.

[Ninju]

Thanks for the detailed reponses!

By trackpad clicking, I mean that when you want to click something, you must PRESS down on the trackpad physically and make it "click". Is there anyway to just TAP instead of pressing down the trackpad?

My trackpad doesn't click, you just tap. I've used a fairly new Macbook Pro too, and I can't remember that being any different.

[MisterMe]

1. Reinstalling the OS is the Windows user thing to do. I never do it. Windows computers are loading with bloatware because the bloatware pays for your computer in the same way that real estate and department store ads pay for your daily newspaper. Macs don't include that stuff.
   
2. You computer includes a model-specific System Restore DVD. You cannot use this disc on a different model Mac.
   
3. Although more RAM is better, it also costs more. The 2 GB RAM that ships with your computer is ample.
   
4. Today, the only computer that you can buy is today's computer. There will always be a new model tomorrow. Apple only recently begun shipping the new 17" MacBook Pro. I received mine Thursday. Rather than worrying about what's coming next week, I will make the most of my new computer this week.
   
5. Thursday, I received a brand new copy of a brand new computer with its model-specific version of MacOS X 10.5.6. During setup Software Update downloaded OS updates that were waiting for my new computer. Since Apple added Software Update back in the days of MacOS 9--or was it MacOS 8--this is way it has been. You cannot expect to have the absolute newest OS on a new computer out-of-the-box. However, you get the absolute newest OS via Software Update as a free download.
   
6. If you want an SSD, then I would advise you to chose the SSD option when you buy your computer. It is an expensive option, but it is not as expensive as buying an SSD and HDD. That said, the new MacBook Pro's body is milled from a solid billet of aluminum. The internals are held in place by 10 tiny x-slot screws. It is not designed to be futzed with by the buff. You are not supposed to change the battery! The hard drive? Forgedabowdit!
   
7. What you are describing is not workable. The new trackpad is a 3-D device. It gives accepts clicks for selection and app launching, finger swipes, and gestures. My advise is to learn how to use your new machine.
   
8. The MacBook Pro is an Intel-native computer. Windows Vista is an Intel-native OS. No emulation is necessary. No emulation is possible. With Book Camp, you may establish a partition from which you run Vista just like any run-of-the-mill Dell or Lenovo. With Parallels Desktop or VMWare, you run Vista in a virtual environment. In either event, you are running Intel software on Intel hardware. Because you are running Vista just like you are running it on any other Windows computer, all of the rules for running Vista apply.
   
9. What about iWorks 09? It is a great suite for the person who does not have to share documents. All of the bundled applications are nice, but the killer app is Keynote. It makes presentations developed in PowerPoint look the scribblings of a child with crayons.
   
10. The latest version of Office:mac is Office 2008. It is file-compatible with Office 2007. Be reminded that Office 2008 does not include Visual BASIC for Applications. As for OneNote, Microsoft does not develop this notetaking app for the Mac. You will have to explore other notetaking options such as Vortimac Software's Memoir or Circus Ponies™ Notebook. You might consider the freeware NeoOffice, the Java version of OpenOffice. It does a pretty good job of handling Microsoft Office 2007 files.

I give you the same advise that I have given others: You are in a new land. You should learn new ways. Of course, you need to be productive while you acclimate yourself to your new computer. However, it is a serious mistake to try to hew to the Windows way of doing things in MacOS X. Learn the Mac way and then you will understand why so many switchers and Mac veterans alike will let our Macs go only when the mice are pried from our cold dead hands.

[ElDiabloConCaca]

Thanks for the detailed reponses!

By trackpad clicking, I mean that when you want to click something, you must PRESS down on the trackpad physically and make it "click". Is there anyway to just TAP instead of pressing down the trackpad?

Yes, you can either tap or press the button. You can also customize this to a degree in the System Preferences.