Any Macbook fans here?

slickooz

slickooz

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I recently purchased a Macbook pro 13" base model, they had a good deal going so I pulled the trigger. It wasn't cheap, came out to about 1400ish with Applecare, case, free printer, and a 100 gift card to use in their apps store.

I got a powerful PC at home but I wanted to try something different. Needed something that portable yet still powerful enough to edit stuff on the go.

This is my first mac and wanted to know if there any mac users here, that can share their experience with theirs.
 
I deploy/use them here at work. I have alittle experience with them but not much. More along the lines of configuring them to my company's own security standard. I am trying to sell my custom built PC and laptop in order to get an iMac. I do music production as a hobby and really need/want a stable machine like a mac. Congrats on crossing over. You'll love it! Get you a midi controller and rock out on Garage band.
 
BTW...nice profile pic! LOL! I didn't realize it until after I replied.
 
I switched to Mac last year. I have a 17" Macbook pro. The Mac operating system OSX is far superior to Windows in that it is easier to use and more stable. I can leave my Mac up for weeks and not have to reboot it. I also liked how there are less viruses for mac's and less malware, although that may change as their usage grows. Hackers want to write nasty bugs for windows users since most people use windows PC's. I also hate window's file system which requires frequent de-fragmenting. All you need to do with a Mac is repair permissions occasionally. One of the most important reasons I switched is that windows gets slower with time. I don't know why, it just does. You basically have to reinstall the windows OS every year or so just to keep it running fast. There's a reason you see tons of commercials for windows products like finally fast and speed up my pc.... windows just sucks. Their operating systems upgrades are also generally way cheaper than what Windows charges. Often $50-100 for the newest operating system. I also love the battery life and solid reliable products they make. I'm big on music as well and I love Itunes and Itunes runs way better on the mac. Finally I love the time capsule and it's automatic back-ups. They are expensive machines, and I think their profit margins are a bit high, but they sure do make good machines. I hope to keep my mac for a decade. Re-sale value is also great, unlike laptops which are worthless in about 2-3 years. Hope you are enjoying yours!
 
Yeah, I got a macbook pro because it reliable laptop and it looks and feels great. The new Lion OS is going taking me some time getting use to but love all the great stuff that came with it.

I always wanted to learn to play some type of musical instrument. I was messing around with Garage band and found out it had some cool features.

Oh yeah btw ACURA FTW. :D
 
Julesh said:
I switched to Mac last year. I have a 17" Macbook pro. The Mac operating system OSX is far superior to Windows in that it is easier to use and more stable. I can leave my Mac up for weeks and not have to reboot it. I also liked how there are less viruses for mac's and less malware, although that may change as their usage grows. Hackers want to write nasty bugs for windows users since most people use windows PC's. I also hate window's file system which requires frequent de-fragmenting. All you need to do with a Mac is repair permissions occasionally. One of the most important reasons I switched is that windows gets slower with time. I don't know why, it just does. You basically have to reinstall the windows OS every year or so just to keep it running fast. There's a reason you see tons of commercials for windows products like finally fast and speed up my pc.... windows just sucks. Their operating systems upgrades are also generally way cheaper than what Windows charges. Often $50-100 for the newest operating system. I also love the battery life and solid reliable products they make. I'm big on music as well and I love Itunes and Itunes runs way better on the mac. Finally I love the time capsule and it's automatic back-ups. They are expensive machines, and I think their profit margins are a bit high, but they sure do make good machines. I hope to keep my mac for a decade. Re-sale value is also great, unlike laptops which are worthless in about 2-3 years. Hope you are enjoying yours!
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Yeah I also notice that with PC they become slower and always need to be reformatted every 6-12 months. One thing I like about Mac's is their resale value, thats was a big selling point when I was buying one.

I got a nice PC at home with a 24" screen and was wondering if I should return the 13" and get the 15" Macbook Pro. It about 600 dollar difference, but I don't know if it's worth it. I mean extra real-estate is nice but I won't be using it much because of 40+ hours I'm at work. If I was a college student I would probably drop the extra 600 to get the 15" because it easier on the eyes.

So far I'm very happy with this laptop. And for the most part I always hear good things about their customer support and their in-store service.
 
alko said:
BTW...nice profile pic! LOL! I didn't realize it until after I replied.
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Which model is your TSX? Mine is base model 2010, I wished I bought the V6. Sometimes while cutting lanes I wished I had the extra horsepower.
 
Gary, as an IT professional, I am not quite the typical user when it comes to hardware, and for years this ruled out Mac for me, especially in the Power PC era. In the past 3-4 years, however, they have made amazing advancements in their hardware and with the increased availability of software and virtualization support, I finally bought one about a year ago to replace my laptop. The hardware is expensive, but the design, engineering and resulting quality make it worth every penny. My 15'' MBP ended up tipping the scale at just over 3k, but I love that machine.

The reliability is good, and the UI is well thought out, and I can accomplish most of my tasks without going into my windows VM especially now that Outlook is part of Office 2011 Mac. Stability is about the same or even a bit worse than Windows 7, as a power user, OSX crashes on me about once a week, windows 7 I have crash on me once every 4-5 months. I am hoping the upgrade to Lion will help to fix that (my project today is to clone to an external drive and test the upgrade before doing it on my own machine).

IMO when people ask me for a computer recommendation, I tell them the 13'' Mac Book Air is the best way to go right now if you can afford it.

If you have any bootcamp/virtualization questions, that is one of my areas of expertise.
 
Nice to come on here this morning and read some good comments since I'm heading to the Apple Store tonight to get one. Probably going with the base 13" MacBook Pro model also. Been running a windows desktop at home that I've had since 2003! I've done a pretty good job keeping it running, but it has taken a huge dive in the past year... seems like it never wants to work anymore. Have a few family members with the MacBook Pro and they love them and for what I'll be using it for it'll be perfect! I have a few Windows based programs that will get very limited use, so I may reformat my dinosaur for the last time and not do any upgrades or connect it to the internet. Seems like when I start doing that the performance drops quick. Can't wait to start using the new Mac though!
 
LegacyGT said:
Gary, as an IT professional, I am not quite the typical user when it comes to hardware, and for years this ruled out Mac for me, especially in the Power PC era. In the past 3-4 years, however, they have made amazing advancements in their hardware and with the increased availability of software and virtualization support, I finally bought one about a year ago to replace my laptop. The hardware is expensive, but the design, engineering and resulting quality make it worth every penny. My 15'' MBP ended up tipping the scale at just over 3k, but I love that machine.

The reliability is good, and the UI is well thought out, and I can accomplish most of my tasks without going into my windows VM especially now that Outlook is part of Office 2011 Mac. Stability is about the same or even a bit worse than Windows 7, as a power user, OSX crashes on me about once a week, windows 7 I have crash on me once every 4-5 months. I am hoping the upgrade to Lion will help to fix that (my project today is to clone to an external drive and test the upgrade before doing it on my own machine).

IMO when people ask me for a computer recommendation, I tell them the 13'' Mac Book Air is the best way to go right now if you can afford it.

If you have any bootcamp/virtualization questions, that is one of my areas of expertise.
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Thanks Bill :dblthumb2:, I always thought Macbook was way over priced because you can get almost same spec laptop for around 700-800. But after reading about it and playing with it in stores, I can easily tell you where the extra $$ going.

The new Macbook Air seems a lot faster and also has a ssd drive which makes it a perfect for the go. I would of gotten the Air if they had a cd drive.
 
VTHokie said:
Nice to come on here this morning and read some good comments since I'm heading to the Apple Store tonight to get one. Probably going with the base 13" MacBook Pro model also. Been running a windows desktop at home that I've had since 2003! I've done a pretty good job keeping it running, but it has taken a huge dive in the past year... seems like it never wants to work anymore. Have a few family members with the MacBook Pro and they love them and for what I'll be using it for it'll be perfect! I have a few Windows based programs that will get very limited use, so I may reformat my dinosaur for the last time and not do any upgrades or connect it to the internet. Seems like when I start doing that the performance drops quick. Can't wait to start using the new Mac though!
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Congrats! Try to see if you can get their student discount. Right now they have 100 off for macbook pro, 100 gift card to use in Apps store, and free printer after rebates, also the Applecare is 183 instead of 250.

If you aren't a student and can't find someone who is one, you should order your macbook pro 13" from Amazon. Its cheaper and you don't get taxed.
 
I have worked for Apple for years and have used their equipment for even longer. Absolutely love them. They are on the pricey side, but they last forever. My 17" Power book is still going strong for over almost 8 years admits several drops by the TSA lol.

Enjoy the new MacBook Pro!
 
Thanks. I'll check out the pricing. Living right next to Delaware helps a bit since its "The Home of Tax Free Shopping", but I'll check out Amazon. Unfortunately my student status days have been over for what feels like forever now!
 
slickooz said:
Thanks Bill :dblthumb2:, I always thought Macbook was way over priced because you can get almost same spec laptop for around 700-800. But after reading about it and playing with it in stores, I can easily tell you where the extra $$ going.

The new Macbook Air seems a lot faster and also has a ssd drive which makes it a perfect for the go. I would of gotten the Air if they had a cd drive.
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You are right on, the SSD is what makes the Air amazing. Bottle neck in all computers these days is the hard drive. I put an SSD in my MBP, and that thing is blazing fast, application icons only bounce once when launching.

Hopefully Lion adds TRIM support, I spoke with our regional apple engineer, and he was not sure if that was added or not. On the CD drive, you can get a cheap external one for the times you need it, or use the mac utility to map to another computer with a drive.
 
slickooz said:
I always wanted to learn to play some type of musical instrument. I was messing around with Garage band and found out it had some cool features.

Oh yeah btw ACURA FTW. :D
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Go get you an el cheapo Midi Controller from Guitar Center (brand: Axium or M-Audio) or look on craigslist. Plug the midi controller up to the macbook and you'll be able to mess around a bit. There's always someone selling stuff on craigslist. Granted you can trigger sounds with your keyboard (as you have seen) but midi controller makes it easier, especially when you get into chord progression.

slickooz said:
I got a nice PC at home with a 24" screen and was wondering if I should return the 13" and get the 15" Macbook Pro.
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If you're able to exchange it and you're cool with paying the extra money, take it back and get the 15"

slickooz said:
Which model is your TSX? Mine is base model 2010, I wished I bought the V6. Sometimes while cutting lanes I wished I had the extra horsepower.
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Its a 2010 w/Tech. I love it. I'm straight on the V6...especially with the way these gas prices are these days LOL! The paddle shifters work great with a quick downshift in passing.
 
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slickooz said:
Thanks Bill :dblthumb2:, I always thought Macbook was way over priced because you can get almost same spec laptop for around 700-800. But after reading about it and playing with it in stores, I can easily tell you where the extra $$ going.

The new Macbook Air seems a lot faster and also has a ssd drive which makes it a perfect for the go. I would of gotten the Air if they had a cd drive.
Click to expand...


I've custom built a PC and laptop through Dell. My PC is still awesome...hasn't failed me yet. I maxed out the Dell and it is only 3 years old. It has gotten significantly slower and my battery doesn't last for chit. I can't wait to get a Mac. I have an iPad2 and a 15" Macbook Pro that I have for work, but I can't put any software on it. I would love to put a music sequencer on there like Reason, but my work would just strip it off
 
I would consider the 15" for the 4 core processor and better graphics card. I think it would allow you to use it longer before you needed an upgrade and it would also increase resale value as the 15" is one of the most popular models. Multi-core processing is the future and more and more software programs will take advantage of it. Anyway, just something to consider besides just the screen size.
 
VTHokie said:
Nice to come on here this morning and read some good comments since I'm heading to the Apple Store tonight to get one. Probably going with the base 13" MacBook Pro model also.
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If you're going to get a Macbook Pro, I would suggest getting atleast a 15"...you're gonna want it later. It may be a few extra dollars but it will be worth it.

Oh...and pick me one up while you're at it ;-)
 
VTHokie said:
Thanks. I'll check out the pricing. Living right next to Delaware helps a bit since its "The Home of Tax Free Shopping", but I'll check out Amazon. Unfortunately my student status days have been over for what feels like forever now!
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This is exactly where I'll go to get mine...I'll get the tax break and my gov discount.
 
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