New Apple Lust Objects

If you aren't a business consumer, then you can probably run what you want/need on a Mac, with the exception of games.

Games are stupid, anyways.

have any of you people fooled around with the new iphones or itouches? particularly the video functions?

i actually won one of those stubby video nanos (8gb). it's OK i guess, i've always been anti-iPod due to DRM restrictions and my general dislike of iTunes. but free is ok by me.

there's one really tantalizing feature i can't access. under video > settings there is a tv out function set to off. no matter what i do, i can't turn it on, even with a 1/8th to RCA plugged into it. is this one of those hardware functionalities they will activate in future software upgrades?

anyone out there with a 3rd gen nano, itouch or iphone able to send a video signal to their TV through this video out function?

If you aren't a business consumer, then you can probably run what you want/need on a Mac, with the exception of games.

also, all those microsoft apps run fine under parallels now if you have an intel mac (which all new macs are); it's not slow emulation like the virutalpc days. but if that's all you need to work on, there is no point in getting a mac.

Is it for tv out as in a cable, or as in their fancy new tv doohickey whose iName I can't recall right now?

Are there third-party apps for the iTouch, and/or does it run Java apps?

also, all those microsoft apps run fine under parallels now if you have an intel mac

Fusion > Parallels.

sanskrit my impression is that

a) you need a fancy new proprietary adapter ($50... bullshit) to access tv out on the new ipods
b) they only output shit resolution anyway

too bad too

lol get a mac

(srsly)

3. Are there any problems with Macbooks? I have heard they can be hot and noisy - how hot and how noisy?

My mother had that silver laptop but switched to a Macbook and still complains about hotness. :-(

my freakin iphone gets crazy hot when i look at the internet for too long (and thats not very long because it drains the battery quick)

Fusion > Parallels.

pls elaborate.

VMWare are doing good things with passing directX calls on to the gpu where as parallels is doing them all on cpu.

xposts-In my experience, Macs run hot but are extremely quiet. Or rather, Macs run hot because they are extremely quiet.

Since 2001, I've owned over 10 Macs

My god, what were you doing to them? Didn't you want a computer that lasted more than 6 months?

libcrypt was saying don't worry about the oil the other day because he's going to use it all to make all his computers I guess

what exactly is the Mac "computing experience"? And what's the appeal of it?

I like the keyboards for typing on but other than that....

You can do shit other than typing these days, like look at naked ladies and stuff.

on macs, the ladies come in a variety of colors

i could have said that differently

Person on Internet Accuses PCs of Institutionalised Racism

Fusion > Parallels.

pls elaborate.

Fusion catches the evil spinny-ball disease less. Also, more Windows applications run on Fusion than on Parallels.

Since 2001, I've owned over 10 Macs

My god, what were you doing to them? Didn't you want a computer that lasted more than 6 months?

I sold most of these in working condition. The two that broke down were my fault. (E.g., by dropping a laptop on the PS while it was plugged in.)

Some of them were gifts, but some were WeirdStuff salvage I bought to futz with A/UX or OS X Server or whatever. I still have 6 of 'em, 4 of which are in storage and 2 of which I busted and can't bring myself to pitch.

Definitely get Applecare. It sucks that it's so expensive, but repairs or replacement can be more so...and my experience with ipods and a mac is that they're really not failproof, but if you get a machine or part that is dud, having it replaced for free makes it worth it (I've had to replace...um...3 ipods within 2 years - I think I was too harsh on them - and a computer battery that was almost brand new, and it's been done no questions asked.)

And you should have no problems integrating a Mac into a wireless home network that is otherwise full of Windows PCs, it just automatically connected with mine!

Another thing you can look into is getting a refurbished Mac, I've heard they're cheaper, but I'm not sure what kind of warranties they come with. Honestly I like my computer, it's very pretty and light and pleasant, but don't know if it's worth being twice the price of the equivalent PC, unless Vista has big issues and you can't get XP.

If you get a refurb Mac, get it FROM APPLE! Then you can buy the full (3 years from date of purchase) Applecare with it.

Oh, that is awesome, I'm glad it works that way.

in the UK, i always advise ppl to buy their apple kit from john lewis, 'cos you get a two-year warranty ... if there's anywhere local to you that can do this kind of thing, seek it out first 'cos it could be a cheaper way of getting a decent guarantee.

what exactly is the Mac "computing experience"? And what's the appeal of it?

for me, it's working seamlessly with the computer -- 99% of the time, anyway -- as opposed to having to work out how the fuck to get it to do what i actually want. libcrypt's explanation upthread absolutely nails it for me; i think it's one of those things you either get or you don't. obviously i think macs are "better" but i'm not going to get into dick-waving about it; it's like ... i dunno, i think olives are "better" than peanuts.

one day someone might invent a computer/OS that's even more in tune with me and my needs and desires. but until then, apple come pretty bloody close.

and i say this as a convert: i used my first mac in 1993, having been a keen PC advocate (even defending CGA fucking games in the face of mockery from amiga and ST-owning friends) from about 1988. i just remember thinking, woah, so this is what using a computer can feel like. simple. effortless. sensible.

we're getting fucking PCs at work soon (we've got vv old macs running OS 9 now). good job i'm not planning to stay here much longer ;)

don't expect anything too swift from yr john lewis warranty tho - it's all 3rd party outsourced paperwork and takes forfuckingever.

i too have a free nano now, btw. coincidentally i often find myself quite peckish for an after eight.

don't expect anything too swift from yr john lewis warranty tho - it's all 3rd party outsourced paperwork and takes forfuckingever

oh! hmm. never had to make a claim, touch wood.

ah well. good to know that; thanks.

alllltho that could also mean some depts are quicker than others i guess? i've only heard stuff regarding washing machines and tvs and whatnot, don't know anyone who's used it for ipods etc

john lewis were a bit of work at the end of my two year warranty when my computer (hp laptop) died but I got a brand new one out of it so I don't bear too much ill will and am glad I bought from them

My mother had that silver laptop but switched to a Macbook and still complains about hotness. :-(

How hot is it? Like, hot enough to be a bit uncomfortable, or too hot to keep on your lap? I read somewhere some dude got 1st degree burns from his (!!)

Jeezo - one "computing experience" thing I learned today: on Windows laptops, to scroll down through pages with the touchpad you have to go over to the scrollbar and drag that! This is so slow and annoying, especially on ILX. With my Macbook you just put two fingers on the touchpad and pull down. Is this patented by Apple? Otherwise I can't imagine why all manufacturers wouldn't implement it.

I can't imagine ever getting burned by my MacBook, but it does get toasty enough for it to make me worry that it's not good for the computer/my fertility. I tend to use it on a tray in bed.

Yes, it is patented by Apple. PCs have a similar side-scroll feature with their trackpads, but it's inferior.

I can't imagine ever getting burned by my MacBook, but it does get toasty enough for it to make me worry that it's not good for the computer/my fertility.

It can get warm, but my gf's old Dell laptop used to routinely overheat and crash. Her MacBook never does that.

Also, I have noticed that the first gen G5 iMac I had at my old job would get worrisomely hot (but never crash), but the iMac I have now at home doesn't get near as hot, even running as much stuff at the same time.

yeah, the touchpad scrolling is an amazing feature.

I think my macbook caused my infertility. it's noisy when hot and sometimes gets hot when noisy (cause effect goes both ways here) but I still love it.

another thing: it gets absolutely manky, more so than my old ibook did : /

my touchpad has a wee line to the right that you can can scroll w/ by stroking

I think that would give me a sore finger and probably make me infertile.

rather a macbook than a vasectomy

fertility is not the greatest freakin' virtue in the world.

How hot is it? Like, hot enough to be a bit uncomfortable, or too hot to keep on your lap? I read somewhere some dude got 1st degree burns from his (!!)

The silver one you can never ever put on your lap, it gets madHOTT. Hers? She told me that she'd never put it on her lap, but then I don't know how she "grades" hottness. :-) I think it's less so than her previous one but still hot enough never to put it on your lap.She doesn't mind that much. The silver one's keyboard even gets hot at times!

on an itouch feeling fat-fingered

Get used to it though. Really gotta watch the keyboard

How's the error correction working out for you? Trust the machine.

Is it true that the iPhone keyboard only goes horizontal (and usefully
bigger) when you're in Safari and not when you're texting? That seems mental.

That's true on the iPod Touch, where it's slightly less mental given that you only really enter text when using Safari.

There's no way you can do it 'blind' (as you would with a normal phone) and I don't even think haptics would resolve that tbh.

I don't think the iPhone is for me. I'm quite a tactile person.

couldn't work out how to select the different guesses it was having at what I was trying to type. they appear in a wee balloon w/ an X in it and you finger it and it Xs off. the keyboard was vertical--dunno how you make it switch if you can. all seemed a bit too...fiddly

You can make it switch by turning it on its side and press space to accept its suggestions. Like quicksilver, it learns as it goes. It's an auto-correct function more than an auto-complete and so doesn't kick in till you're almost near the end of the word. Also you can't scroll through a list of suggestions, like you can on a normal phone.

I have a silver one and it does get too hot to put on your lap, but it doesn't start off that way, it makes no noise, and i just put a book under it to keep it on my lap when it heats up. i don't see this as a big deal, my old dell used to get very warm too.

i have a very early macbook pro and it would definitely be possible to get burnt off it, so when it's on my lap i tend to turn the fan way up.