Should I buy an Apple laptop?

seriously, i prefer pcs by miles; but that's cos the things that i want to do (maths stuff, downloading mp3s) are v easy on pcs + next to impossible on macs, and this prob isn't true for most users.

Aww Graham that's the one I want! Either that or I'll go whole hog and get the 833mhz Powerbook, which looks stupid good.

Toby my Desktop is a PC so no worries there.

Also, if you fly or take train rides, it's nice to have a DVD drive, then you can put in headphones & watch movies. :) It looks like the new ibooks are the way to go-- they're much tougher, and have pretty much all the features you're likely to need. 1 GB of RAM might be nice, but I run os X quite nicely on 192 MB, so it's not really necessary. Anyway, sound in ports can be added w/ USB adaptors & the ibooks are lighter if you're going to be carrying it around.

Granted, sound editing or Photoshopping might be a different story. Which leads me to my next question: how much audio related work (ie. sound editing, Reaktor, VSTing, sequencing, etc) could I be expected to get away with on a G3-800mhz with 640MB?

Compaq does have nice tiny laptops, but all windows computers have TERRIBLE color... and, well, they run windows. I wish Apple would someday make a laptop that weighed less than 3 lbs, but it'll probably never happen.

that being said, one of my main hesitancies regarding the iBook is that i really want to get a computer that *lasts* and at the rate apple is upping requirements for things i don't know whether an iBook is a better "long term" investment.

And oh yeah; Macs *are* cooler!

Ultimately, the final answer to this is a question of money - you get what you pay for. I've had four Mac laptops over the years (currently I have a PB G4/800MHz) and for the most part the quality of them has been several degrees higher than that of any other manufacturer. At work we have a mixed network of Macs and Windows 2000-boxen, and the few PC laptops we have (this includes Dells, Sonys, and Toshibas) literally have to be babysitted. If you want to fuck around all day tweaking settings, then go Windows. If you just want to get to work, get a Mac.

BTW, SoulSeek for the Mac DOES exist. Check out PySoulSeek

(A nice alternative for Mac users who don't want to rely on Python for PySoulSeek...)

It's not that PCs are significantly better than Macs, technology and interface-wise (or vice versa). I have had PC laptops, and haven't had to spend any time "babysitting" them, whatever that means. I've had Macs too, and watched them crash every 5 minutes. If Macs were the standard platform, I would use a Mac with no complaints. But they're not, and you pay a penalty for being on a different platform from everyone else. Whether it's that software you can't use yet, or the hassle when you want to transfer your files to a PC computer and something goes wrong... who needs it?

PS A lot of Mac design is really kind of cheesy. The milky white iBook and titanium thing are dope (tho they ripped off Vaio on the latter), iPods rock, but the bright colors and the exposed circuitry lines? So Swatch. And the iMac looks like an ugly lamp. Then there's the whole techno-elite superiority image projected by Apple/Steve Jobs...

All reports I've heard suggest that Virtual PC will run 90+% of Windows programs without a hassle, and at decent speeds. It's certainly a good argument to buy a Mac -- with OS X, Virtual PC, and Fink, you've potentially got access to programs from just about every current OS. I don't think the state of Mac emulation on Windows is nearly as advanced, last I heard anyway.

I'm getting an 800mhz 12" after work today. Thanks all.

OS wise OS X is second to none, it is stable as anything going, it looks nice. You can use it without tweaking a thing or get right into the nuts and bolts if you want.

As far as the hardware goes, build quality is second to none, my only gripe is that the headphone port broke, but this appears to have been fixed with better ports on newer models.

Buy a mac you won't be disappointed.

Plus apple just upped specs and cut prices on iBooks and powerbooks.

Which is slightly distressing...

OK, Mac happiness it is, although getting used to iTunes over Winamp is gonna take some work...

There's a version of Winamp for Mac but it's an Alpha and kinda light on features (stable but you can't fiddle with the settings like you can in windows).

As a result, I recently purchased a rather nice PC laptop. It cost AUD $2k. Specs: 12" TFT (1024x768), 1ghz Celeron, 20gb hdd, 256mb ram, DVD, ethernet, 56k modem, 3 USB ports, firewire.

Photos: one, two, three.

So far it works nicely.

so dave q ... please do keep up to date on this thread about your progress with iBook/OSX. i'm so perilously close to buying one of these that a good iBlog could push me over the edge.

isn't that 12" screen WAY too small to be useful?

Sean C! Glad you saw this thread; I obv. took yr advice re: the iBooks and took the plunge. So far, I'm pretty happy I did (although I'm holding off on a full thumbs up until I get another 512 megs of ram, hopefully soon...)

i would say get a mini with maximum RAM.

really enjoying these responses so far, dismayed by lack of consensus, waiting on you guys to duke it out & make a single decision

truly my ~video~ ~editing~ isn't going to be intensive or anything, & i wouldn't be able to afford any kind of pro model, but at the same time i guess i would like it if i felt like doing something along those lines in two years for it not to just be totally impossible w whatever i have

what is your budget

i am using ebay logic right now in having this kinda vague idea that it's ~$1000 but knowing that that's subject to weird additions like "oh but i need applecare" &c, & also semi-conscious-of-without-fully-understanding some of the complicated mathematics that people were i think discussing in an iphone thread regarding buying better memory or whatever so as to make it actually better value in a couple of years time. but i guess ~$1000, maybe a little more if it makes sense to.

i have this crappy actual laptop that while broken in a lot of ways i am still content to use for a lot of stuff & schlep around with me without reverently fearing breaking it, so i guess i am thinking of the mac being this potentially-stationary-object (whether or not it's actually portable) that i use for the kinda modern ... edit-y ... functions

ty for the air rec btw k3v

yeah i mean i really have no use for all that extra space or RAM or whatever (tbh i don't understand computers) but my 13" air has been awesome. just don't spill iced tea on it

depending on how much room your videos take up you might be in a different boat tho

applecare isn't bad, it's something like <200 for 3 years with the student discount. and the refurbished air i got was like 840 before taxes, you can get it right on the apple site and it has all the same warranties and everything

No such thing as extra ram. It makes everything happier and will extend the life and usefulness of a computer. 8 gigs should be the min.

The 13" MacBook Air is a pretty good deal/price per capability but the base model is stuck with a conventional hard drive. Equipping that with a SSD would blow through your budget, so I'd go with a 13" MBA and do anything possible to make sure it has 8GB of RAM. Between that and the MBA's standard solid-state flash drive you should be in good shape.

You have one year from the date of purchase to get AppleCare straightened out, so it's OK if you can't swing the $$$ at first.

yeah wait a year to buy applecare because it covers the same stuff as the 1 year warranty

i think an macbook pro retina is probably best if youre mostly edting images and video, though with any of the MBP or MBAs youll want a fast external HD to keep your media on.

the SSD goes a long way toward making it last at decent speeds

he keeps saying he doesn't mind if it's stationary so why do you guys keep wanting to lump him with the premium demanded by mobile shiz?

b/c i think a retina display and an SSD would better fill some of his needs?

but yeah you cant really go wrong w/ an imac

I got a 27" imac about a year ago, maxed out w/32GB ram, very happy with it.

my 2011 mini maxes at out 8GB :(

however, i am going to add a second internal HD and make my primary drive an SSD :D

Mac mini w monitor

Or a 21 imac

i like how most of us are basically just repping for whatever choice we made

/lyfe

on that note why apple

Because they save money on their taxes by running them through Ireland

I have a 2010 macbook pro that was good for a while. A few weeks ago i finally maxed out the ram at 8 gig and replaced the optical bay with an SSD. It feels good for now. Also finally put an SSD in my Mac Pro. Prices are finally reasonable. The Samsung 840 series is a big seller.

xp i am reading an article on that in the other window so double lol

I have a Mac Air with VMWare Fusion and a Windows 7 virtual machine installed and it's great!! Mac and PC on the same system. I can run ANYTHING.

Drunkwithpowerbook

i am using ebay logic right now in having this kinda vague idea that it's ~$1000 but knowing that that's subject to weird additions like "oh but i need applecare" &c, & also semi-conscious-of-without-fully-understanding some of the complicated mathematics that people were i think discussing in an iphone thread regarding buying better memory or whatever so as to make it actually better value in a couple of years time. but i guess ~$1000, maybe a little more if it makes sense to.

i have this crappy actual laptop that while broken in a lot of ways i am still content to use for a lot of stuff & schlep around with me without reverently fearing breaking it, so i guess i am thinking of the mac being this potentially-stationary-object (whether or not it's actually portable) that i use for the kinda modern ... edit-y ... functions

― mustread guy (schlump), Sunday, January 12, 2014 7:44 AM (Yesterday) Bookmark

So I'd break it down like this

Below $1000 you're looking at either a Macbook Air (go for the 13) or the Mac Mini

The Mac Mini hasn't been updated in a while and it might be another six months - a year before they do so. Nice thing about a Mac Mini is you can open it up and put two drives in, maybe one SSD and one conventional for media storage. But you gotta buy the monitor. You can upgrade the RAM though too. It's versatile. The hamstring is the video card which is still tech from like 2 years ago. It's fine for movie watching / most things but probably a bit slow for video editing.

The MBA already comes with a SSD. You can't upgrade the RAM or SSD so you gotta get it with 8 GB from the factory. The video card is better than the Mac Mini one by one generation, they're both capable cards, just dunno about video editing. You could hook this up to a monitor pretty easily too

Above $1000 and with the iMac, the 21.5" is an okay size but slightly small, I wish they still had the 24"

Main benefit here is you get a nicer video card + a screen that's pro photo/video editor-quality without having to calibrate anything

But you gotta spend like, an extra $200 just to get it with an SSD from the factory

CONCLUSION: Whatever you do, budget an SSD into the equation, they're about ~$150 for a 256GB one if you have to buy one separately. Also don't get the upgrade RAM from Apple unless you're getting the MBA where you can't change it once it's set. Buy refurbished if possible. Buy the applecare from B&H. Buy it in a state with no sales tax. Don't stay out in the sun for too long without applying adequate sunblock

If you want to lose yourself in nerd talk check out the reviews at http://www.anandtech.com/tag/mac

Oh obviously if you get a Mac Mini you'll have to budget in the SSD + display

You can get a pretty okay IPS panel, 23-24", for ~$150-200

You'll want it to be IPS tech for more better accurate faster harder colors

Also I don't even know how relevant the video card is to video editing

I think if you use Final Cut Pro maybe it's relevant. IDK

Nice to have if you just want to play some sickass games

Where's my homie markers

not sure

since we're doing laptop talk: I'm just using an old shirt as a cover for my rmbp in my backpack (snorgtees obv), but I dunno maybe I should use something a little more durable? I like the shirt because it's so light & other laptop cases I've had have been bulky & heavy. can any of you heads point me to a good light sleeve for this beast, something with THINTENSITY™?

macbook air 13, I'd still get, or save up for, a nice 24 or 27" monitor, like the Dell ultrasharp or try one of the monoprice ones. I think the 13" screen is gonna feel tiny, esp for video editing or any kind of work like that, and for less than 300$, adding a budget IPS monitor will make things feel great. Even the 24" is ok when used in a dual monitor set-up with the macbook air 13.

http://www.fcp.co/final-cut-pro/news/1209-real-life-editing-experiences-with-a-macbook-air-and-final-cut-pro-x

just fwiw someone asked me similar re video editing on a mba recently and i found this for them

Nice

I think the 13 MBA is like one of the best values in computers right now

I got mine for ~930 refurbished

Sadly locked out of the world of 8GB RAM. But that would have meant buying new

The 10+ hour battery life is a goddam miracle

dayo otm

hey thank you so much everybody. it feels like when you google for some kind of tech problem & find some sort of utopian, 100% benevolent online commune of forum guys just helping out people dropping in, Welcome to the Board Jeff! Post your Error Log Alan Forbe, Posts: 11872 Old hand]. i really appreciate the hand-holding. i have to figure out what i can get. when i buy my new computer i will bump this thread every time i use it.

thank you x

early 2015 13 mba 8gb. buy now? not immediate necessity. mistrust what apple might do this year but havent read up

do you care about retina display?

^

no i don't think so. i don't do anything that relies on imgs and i prefer my films to look shitty. i havent had much interaction with retina either though so maybe just ignorance i will rue in the future. i imagine non-retina would have longer battery, which would def be more important

i'm pretty sure i know that the 2015 would be totally fine for my usage case tbh, i'm just fully not sure what i'll be missing out on from the 2016 lineup. and yknow that classic fake processor anxiety they do where it's like SKYLLAKE ugh how can i use this broadwell DOGSHIT when you could never tell in ur entire life

force touch i guess

i have totally lost track of the CPU situation but for me if you want a laptop now and you don't care about retina then get an air and max out the RAM

the dinky processor on the macbook is slower than the one in the air iirc, and the skylake is not in macbook pros, never mind the airs, so i don't think there's a massive cpu jump imminent

more likely i think is that they just ditch the air form factor?

MacBook Air likely dead walking, but that's no reason not to buy one now if it meets yr needs.

I got the latest one from work, and it's really not a great machine. The screen is really pretty poor, even by MacBook standards, and it seems to have weird hardware issues - kernel panics a lot when connecting devices or monitors, sometimes is reluctant to startup. This is probably just a lemon, mind, my 2011 11" is one of my favourite ever Macs.

my 2013 13" air is my favourite ever mac (os x sucks though)

I love love love the Macbook Air. It's so light! Why would Apple kill it?

is there a PHYSICAL reason a macbook air would intermittently make a noise that sounds like a quiet, brushed cymbal roll? i've been hearing it recently and i can't tell if it's the hardware or the software, whether i'm causing it, etc.

i thought maybe it could be connected to some kind of esoteric feedback for high-inertia/speed / long-distance two-finger scrolling in safari, but i can't replicate that - and i would have heard it doing this before if that were the case.

also i recently started running garageband, and the sound is recognizably musical, but other than that i have no ideas.

i say PHYSICAL because it almost sounds to me like something vibrating up to a resonant wave, like upon repeated trackpad swipes

I’d plug in headphones to see if it’s a software generated sound. If not, the only moving part would be a cooling fan, which may be gunked with dust.
My MacBook generates a quiet hiss when it turns on speakers to put out a sound - only audible in quiet environments, and lingers a couple of seconds after the sound.

i'll try that. this has the definite profile of an EVENT of some sort, but as far as i know i have done nothing that would have caused it to start happening. uncanny!!

i read a neat trick to grep fs_usage's output for 'aiff' to catch accesses to the system sounds' files, which unfortunately does not catch even other UI sound effects like trash-emptying, let alone whatever this is. but maybe i'll be able to spy something happening in the console if i'm ever paying enough attention when the sound happens again.