Macbooks

[anzo]

Afternoon all,

I've never been a huge fan of Macs, but I've never really used one 'purposely' so to speak (usually pissing about on one in the shop). So I'm a pretty avid PC fan - building is really my forté.

Any PC builder out there knows that its not a cheap hobby - my latest rig cost me well over £1000, and now the components I used are available for next to nothing; its just a false economy.

I currently use a Toshiba laptop when I'm in bed, which does the job, but thats all it does (pretty much internet/msn only). So I'm currently debating wether to build a new computer, buy a top spec laptop (windows) or buy a Macbook.

These are pretty much my main uses:

• Watch a lot of movies - must be able to use a projector with it (good graphics - HD if possible),
  
• Games, I play CS, half life and occasionally a few flight simulators, but its all things I can live without.
  
• Downloads - music and films being the main downloads; talking 20-30GB max.
  
• Office work - Word and excel is essential.
  
• Mobile - Usually laptop is in the car with me; for work and plesure.
  
• Compatibility issues - Wireless is essential, but its pretty much the standard now anyway, bluetooth would also be nice.
  

Questions;

• I was looking at the Macbook Air; but it looks a little flimsy for regular mobility?
  
• What would be my major compatibilty issues?
  
• How reliable are they?
  
• Are their any file extensions that are not compatible with Macs?
  
• Whats the good, and more importantly, the BAD points about Macs?
  

Please don't turn this thread into a Mac/PC war - theres a million of those on the net. I know there are a few Mac enthusiasts on this forum and hoping for good professional advice.

[Mark W]

Only file extensions that aren't immediately compatible would be stuff like .wmv and .wma I guess, but there are programmes you can download to watch them anyway.

To be honest, at the price, I wouldn't bother going for the Air? The spec's not as good as the regular Macbooks, you're literally just paying for the thin-ness of it, which I wouldn't of thought would've been that important if you're just lying in bed (or whatever...) with it.

[The Hitcher]

Have to pay to get Word for macs, but no need if you download NeoOffice, which has everything Microsoft office has but it free and it'll open microsoft files so that all good on the compatability front, Yay! I have a Macbook at the mo, running most Adobe programmes and movies at the same time and it doesn't so it down at all. Though I have upgraded to 2gb ram. So I guess for gaming it would be quality.

Macs got wireless, but then every laptop has, and has bluetooth.

Screen is a little small for my liking to watch movies but other than that is pretty good.

I agree if Onzaboymark on the macbook air thing, wouldnt bother, crap spec compared and not really worth the money.

Basic macbook has 120gb Harddrive i think, or is it 80, cant remember.

Anyway I would always go mac over pc now, just easier to use, plus im not a fan of vista and cant get along if it.

[Tomm]

The bad? Not a whole lot. Games are now entirely possible - either with boot camp or parallels or crossover, although the Macbook (Air or normal) has a pretty lightweight graphics card. The main problems are if you have to run certain programs for work or whatever. I had to use a statistics package for uni and I could only get the PC version (there is a mac version, but the university won't supply it). Although you can just use Bootcamp now and run XP for that sort of thing.

File types? I don't think I've ever come across any, nearly all programs have a mac equivalent.

The Macbook air is really pretty expensive like Mark says and missing quite a few things.

Projector - Macbooks have a mini-DVI port, but annoyingly they don't come with the adapter. So that's an extra £15. But that will let you hook up a projector via DVI or VGA (different adapter). The Air can't do this.

All Mac laptops have bluetooth built in, and have had for a while. To be honest, Macbooks are really nice spec-wise and not bad for the money at all. But I really hate that sharp-edged white plastic, it's horrible. MBPs are nice, but the price hike is huge. As soon as they do a Macbook equivalent in an aluminium case, I reckon I'll get one.

Have to pay to get Word for macs

Yes, just like you need to pay for Office for Windows?

[JonMack]

Projector - Macbooks have a mini-DVI port, but annoyingly they don't come with the adapter. So that's an extra £15. But that will let you hook up a projector via DVI or VGA (different adapter). The Air can't do this.

Wrong

http://www.apple.com/macbookair/features.html

[The Hitcher]

Yes, just like you need to pay for Office for Windows?

True in some instances.... but my old PC came with office ready installed on it. Just depends what comp package you get these days.

[Tomm]

Wrong

Ooops. Fair enough, that makes it slightly better. I really want to want a Macbook air. But I don't, there are just too many compromises.

[Mark W]

I'd have thought that the way you're paying over £200 more for the Air compared to the top spec Macbook, whilst getting a 1.6ghz processor not 2.4ghz, and an 80gb hard-drive instead of a 250gb hard-drive would probably have factored in there too...

[Tomm]

I'd have thought that the way you're paying over £200 more for the Air compared to the top spec Macbook, whilst getting a 1.6ghz processor not 2.4ghz, and an 80gb hard-drive instead of a 250gb hard-drive would probably have factored in there too...

Yer but it's thin, innit?

[Mark W]

My Dell laptop fell off a 42" or so high windowsill, straight to the hinges, and lived. I doubt a pissy thin little Macbook Air could handle it

[Tomm]

My Dell laptop fell off a 42" or so high windowsill, straight to the hinges, and lived. I doubt a pissy thin little Macbook Air could handle it

I was doing a presentation in front of my year group at university, and I pushed the laptop off the table onto the floor. That was probably the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to me

For the record, it was a sony, and it survived.

[Mark W]

I hope you did some sort of overly dramatic scream or something when it dropped, or alternatively went the other way and did a slow motion dive for it screaming "NNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO". It's the only acceptable way out of the situation.

[anzo]

I was doing a presentation in front of my year group at university, and I pushed the laptop off the table onto the floor.

Haha,smoooooooth.

Thats the only concern with the Air, just looks too fragile.

I think I'll go for the Macbook Pro instead, looks robust. What is battery life/quality like?

[JonMack]

Check Marks "What Mac should I buy" thread. Loads of discussion in there.

Mine's 2 years old, and has been through so much shit., and is still going strong.

[chrishayton]

macbook air is alu isnt it? and as its so light Id say its likely to surive a small drop at least, if not better that the standard macbook.

[nc7r]

The MacBook Air's are actually pretty sturdy for people who haven't held one in their hand. They're the same construction as the MacBook Pro's and have a good internal design meaning if you DO knock it off a table or whatever, it's unlikely to damage the hard drive or logic board which is really good and not many people know.

I'd be tempted to go for a top-end MacBook or a second hand MacBook Pro. If you're willing to spend £1199 on the MBA then you should just look at a MacBook Pro for £1-1.1k and make sure it's got Applecare. Means any hardware issues or whatever are covered so you're pretty safe to buy.

The MBA is a fairly good machine for people who either need an ultra-portable (E.G. business men/women, designers to show clients work or such), or have too much money and use it for an internet/msn/email computer in their homes. That's literally the only people it's good for. That's my opinion anyway,

The trade offs of not having an optical drive, a much slower processor and still shared graphics (as with the MacBook) kind of suck, especially for the price. And 80 GB is hardly a lot for hard drive.

Are you definitely stuck on a brand new machine? Because I'd go for something like this if you don't mind buying from eBay.

[Danny]

Id be highly dubious of the low end graphics on a std macbook if you want to play proper hd movies (1080p) as i think it would stuggle to decode them smoothly. A Macbook Pro should be fine though.

[GlynnP]

The trade offs of not having an optical drive

As Nick said this is the main reason i wouldnt get one along with all the hardware downsides like the slower procssor.

Is that standard they dont come with a cd drive at all. Which i mean lets face it you will need one

Been using Macintosh since i was about 6 i think and think they are brilliant computers and i dont care what people say they wont out date as quick as a pc and lots of people hate using a mac dont know why but they do. So in this world if you can use both pc and mac your a winner for a company.

[JonMack]

CD drive on my MacBook Pro stopped working about... 9 months ago. Hasn't bothered me at all.

[Tomm]

Yeah, I honestly can't remember the last I used the DVD drive on my laptop, it must have been ages ago, probably a year or more.

[nc7r]

Yeah, I honestly can't remember the last I used the DVD drive on my laptop, it must have been ages ago, probably a year or more.

Yeah I see your point, but the thing is mine's my online computer, and I use it a lot. If you need to use it at your ONLY computer that's when it's problematic, you either need to buy the lush USB optical superdrive for £55 I think, or use the software with the MBA to allow it to use a PC/Mac's optical drive wirelessly which is good.

I think that out and about it's pretty unlikely you'll need one too

[Thom]

mac rumors say that there'll be new ones coming out in the 3rd quarter of the year ?

[JonMack]

There are new/updated things expected within the next 2 weeks.

[Tomm]

Yeah I see your point, but the thing is mine's my online computer, and I use it a lot. If you need to use it at your ONLY computer that's when it's problematic, you either need to buy the lush USB optical superdrive for £55 I think, or use the software with the MBA to allow it to use a PC/Mac's optical drive wirelessly which is good.

Yeah I've probably used the DVD drive on my other computer once or twice in the past year - but only because my 2Gb USB stick broke. I really think I could get by without a DVD drive, no problems.

Even if the Macbook Air is slow compared to the Macbook Pro, it's still way faster than my Powerbook (obviously), and since I only really use this for Office, email and surfing the web, it'd be more than fast enough.

[Hendrix]

There are new/updated things expected within the next 2 weeks.

TWO WEEKS?!

Are the new MacBooks going to be as good as the currents? Any issues with them y'reckon?