...thinking about switching to Apple

GNoME

GNoME

Registered
High all

this is my first post and i'll try and hope i'll be staying on for awhile...
I've bin running XP for over two years now and windows for all eternity..
I'd like a change, as I'm getting older and don't feel the explicit need anymore to play games ...

Is it worth it ? What you recommend ? iBook 12" or iBook 14" ? Is it hard making the switch to the new environment ?

B weary ::alien::
 
To be truthful, ask yourself what you want the Mac to do. If all you are doing is surfing then a Mac Mini is just right for the budget conscious. If you are going to different places and like the idea of mobility then an iBook is right up a good ally. Now if you want serious portable power then a PowerBook is there. Lastly is serous desktop power then a PowerMac G5 is for serious video/music crunching. For the typical home users an iMac is more than enough for home videos/music.

Now coming from long years with Microsoft then a good by David Pogue called Mac OS X : The Missing Manual, Tiger Ed (Missing Manual) is must have for OS X beginners.

Lastly, the 14-inch iBook is the way to go unless you want to squint at the screen all the time.
 
It's definitely worth it, take it from me. I started using Macs in 1991, then decided to get my first PC in 1999 when the idea of gaming came about and Macs were starting to go down the craphole. Later in 2002 I got sick of Windows and I bought a Mac, and I'm so happy with Mac OS X that nothing will make me switch back.
 
the difference between the 14" and the 12" is VERY negligable.

they both run at the same resolution, so you don't gain any screen space. i'd go with the 12". its not as bulky and it;s cheaper.

however, if you want the best experience with the mac, get an imac. its the epitome of the mac experience.

ibooks are slow, powermacs too expensive. the imac is the best inbetween, but expect to pay £1000 after everything.
 
Lt Major Burns said:
the difference between the 14" and the 12" is VERY negligable.

they both run at the same resolution, so you don't gain any screen space. i'd go with the 12". its not as bulky and it;s cheaper.
Click to expand...

Most of the reviewer's state that the 12" has a sharper resolution but you loose out on the superdrive
 
Well I havn't made a choise yet. I read the iBook is slow ? How come ?
I thought 1,42 Gz was more then enough ...
Besides the powerbook has the same processor..
 
You will not regret switching to Mac - the headache factor of viruses, security issues, drivers, compatibility problems, and spotty support will be almost completely eliminated.

The first question you should ask is, do you really need a portable? Desktops have much bigger, brighter easier to read screens, bigger keyboards and are generally more comfortable to use. But then, you can't tote a desktop down to the cafe and read your email over a fresh coffee, either.

The iBook is a great laptop, all around. Its design is sensible and easy to work with. The only thing I would suggest is that you absolutely *must* expand the RAM. The standard RAM on the iBook is a little tight, and as a result an off-the-shelf iBook is a little sluggish to switch applications, etc. Not too bad, though, and certainly better than most PCs on the market, but still far from snappy. Adding RAM turns it into a quite snappy little machine.

As for the screen size, I own a 12" which I've had for years now. Its the ideal size for carting around as it is just so perfectly small and will easily tuck into a pile of textbooks, or balance on those weird lecture-hall tables. The screen is big enough to be easy to read but I wouldn't recommend it if you have vision problems or are planning to spend more than 4 hours a day working on it ... an all night session on a 12" screen will turn your brain to jelly.

The only real differences between the iBook and PowerBook are:
- PowerBooks are usually slightly higher specifications, especially for the video.
- PowerBooks have better video-out capabilities, for hooking up to external monitors or projectors. iBook has "mirror video" meaning the external video can only be the same as the built-in screen.
- PowerBooks are usually slimmer and sexier.
 
If you don't need a laptop go with an iMac. I just bought my first Mac, a 20" 2 GHZ, 512MB RAM, iMac G5 and I LOVE IT!!! It's the best computer I could have bought. The iMac's give enough power to get famiilar with the operating system and have fun using it to a great extent, but not delving too deep.

The Mac-Mini's, while cheap, wouldn't allow me to do video encoding, audio encoding, games, avi viewing, all that good stuff. So, I went one step higher! I LOVE IT. Next Mac I'm going to get is going to be a Power Mac, but that's when the Pentiums come out, go for it, you won't regret switching over, OS X is perfect, especially for someone like me who loves to run billions of programs at once.
 
NarutoSasuke said:
The Mac-Mini's, while cheap, wouldn't allow me to do video encoding, audio encoding, games, avi viewing, all that good stuff. So, I went one step higher! I LOVE IT. Next Mac I'm going to get is going to be a Power Mac, but that's when the Pentiums come out, go for it, you won't regret switching over, OS X is perfect, especially for someone like me who loves to run billions of programs at once.
Click to expand...

I don't think that apple will be using the intel pentium chips, apple is 64-bit chip technology and the current pentium is still 32bit. And Intel is going to have Dual-Core 64bit processors debuting next year (merom, conroe, woodcrest). I think the reason for the switch is that...
 
If it's the iBooks you're looking at, I suggest the 12" iBook. Take a look at the options there. If you really, really need to burn DVDs, then I'd look at an external solution for that, because a) it's cheap enough and b) you can later easily replace that external drive with an even faster solution that also does HD-DVD or Blu-Ray once that becomes available.
 
First of all, it depends on you. Does your windows software have mac versions? If not, what are the equivalants, what is the cost involved in new software? If you dont absolutely need any windows programs, I would recommend the switch. I speak from experience. For 3 years I have been planning my next computer, whether it would be a mac or windows computer. I am so glad I chose the mac, I have not had one crash, it wakes up when I want it to (I have a powerbook g4). I get on our windows pc to run virus and spyware scan, and within 5 minutes I have had enough. I would recommend saving up for the absolute best machine that you can. I saved up for months to get this high end 15 inch powerbook. 1.67ghz, 1gb ram, 100gb hard drive, 128mb video ram. I always felt its good to get the best now, it will take longer to go out of date. I was having a conversation with our neighbor a couple weeks ago, his first comment when I told him it was a mac was "o, those things never break". His also said that because I got the best, it should last me at least 6 years. Overall, owning a mac is a very positive experience from when you open the box!
 
Well I don't know if'd last me for 6 years, 2,5 is more like it but I have owned notebooks for over 4 and find desktops obsolete. There just isn't much to add. As for the heat problem notebooks generate when used as a desktop, I use a notebook cooler. I have had my notebook switched on for 1 week straight without it even feeling hot to the fingertips, while running programs, listening to mp3's, watching movies and surfing the internet ( downloading from eMule )
I could recommend one to anyone.
Thanks for all your tips and such. I've decided I'm in the market for an iBook with additional RAM, probably 14".

greetz
 
i have burned a total of 3 dvd's in my superdrive within a year.
Click to expand...

I've done over 200 (I know because I buy discs in lots of 50). I wouldn't have bothered getting a DVD writer if I was only doing 3 DVDs a year ... it would simply not be worth the money.
 
True. DvD does make for a great data storage util. Nevertheless I'm not a frequent user of them, so for me it's a definite no-no.
I'm getting the Iomega Rev for my all data needs. Make cd back up images for one is a great advantage. I got used to them over the past year. I use Alcahol120%. Excellent program. You can make exact images of a brand new cd straight out the box and they'll work! Never failed me once. Plus it has the capability of making as many virtual drives as you want. It's a gem.

On a side note:
eversince I got to this site my email program stopped working (rectified)
and somehow the computer now just starts up without login screen (something I never was able to disable before???) :D

lol
 
True. DvD does make for a great data storage util. Nevertheless I'm not a frequent user of them, so for me it's a definite no-no.
I'm getting the Iomega Rev for my all data needs. Make cd back up images for one is a great advantage. I got used to them over the past year. I use Alcahol120%. Excellent program. You can make exact images of a brand new cd straight out the box and they'll work! Never failed me once. Plus it has the capability of making as many virtual drives as you want. It's a gem.

On a side note:
eversince I got to this site my email program stopped working (rectified)
and somehow the computer now just starts up without login screen (something I never was able to disable before???) :D

lol
 
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