Well, I woke up this morning ecstatic that my laptop was broken (again)! No that's not sarcasm, seeing as this is the fourth major hardware repair under my Futureshop warranty, I get a new laptop. I'm going to have to pay some extra anyways in order to update everything a little bit so I figure I might as well keep my mind open.
I'm familiar with a PC (that's all I've ever used) but I'm interested in getting a Mac primarily for Garageband. My laptop is technically for school (I write lab reports, papers and download lecture notes for class on it) but I get a lot more personal use out of it (music, games, etc.). What's the oppinions out there. I'm almost sure I had a thread similar to this when I got my first laptop a couple of years back, but with the new OS available on Mac and PC since then, would like a fresh perspective.
Get a MacBook. And if need be, it'll run Windows better than most machines designed for Windows.
Microsoft Office for Mac is fine - reads/writes the same file types as the Windows version. Or save some cash and just use iWork ($79): Keynote (aka PowerPoint), Numbers (aka Excel), Pages (aka Word).
If I use iWork does that read MS files? Most files at my school are posted in PowerPoint format, so would "Keynote" open a powerpoint file with little or no fenangling?
mojo_mattv Wrote:If I use iWork does that read MS files? Most files at my school are posted in PowerPoint format, so would "Keynote" open a powerpoint file with little or no fenangling?
Yes. I haven't tried the new DocX format yet.
I think you can get an education version of Office for about $100.
chris Wrote:mojo_mattv Wrote:If I use iWork does that read MS files? Most files at my school are posted in PowerPoint format, so would "Keynote" open a powerpoint file with little or no fenangling?
Yes. I haven't tried the new DocX format yet.
I think you can get an education version of Office for about $100.
Ya come to think of it I'm pretty sure the U of T bookstore sells them at a "discount". Now I know just from my years of active hipbasery that Chris is fairly partial to Mac's (correct me if I'm wrong) is there anybody that's given the new Windows 7 a spin yet that would like to chime in?
mojo_mattv Wrote:chris Wrote:mojo_mattv Wrote:If I use iWork does that read MS files? Most files at my school are posted in PowerPoint format, so would "Keynote" open a powerpoint file with little or no fenangling?
Yes. I haven't tried the new DocX format yet.
I think you can get an education version of Office for about $100.
Ya come to think of it I'm pretty sure the U of T bookstore sells them at a "discount". Now I know just from my years of active hipbasery that Chris is fairly partial to Mac's (correct me if I'm wrong) is there anybody that's given the new Windows 7 a spin yet that would like to chime in?
I'm partial to a pleasant user experience, free* from viruses, malware, crashes, etc, etc, etc. And so far only Apple has been able to provide that to me.
* I know that there have been viruses, malware, etc that attacked the Mac OS but they are few and far between, and non have affected me.
mojo_mattv Wrote:is there anybody that's given the new Windows 7 a spin yet that would like to chime in?
I bought a new laptop last week the day Windows 7 came out. So far I love it. Its similar to Windows XP, but more "modern" I guess would be the right term. No complaints from me yet.
Best Buy was having a good sale last week as part of the Windows 7 release - not sure if its still on. That's where I got mine.
thompson girl Wrote:mojo_mattv Wrote:is there anybody that's given the new Windows 7 a spin yet that would like to chime in?
I bought a new laptop last week the day Windows 7 came out. So far I love it. Its similar to Windows XP, but more "modern" I guess would be the right term. No complaints from me yet.
Best Buy was having a good sale last week as part of the Windows 7 release - not sure if its still on. That's where I got mine.
Any notable new features I should be aware of?
mojo_mattv Wrote:thompson girl Wrote:mojo_mattv Wrote:is there anybody that's given the new Windows 7 a spin yet that would like to chime in?
I bought a new laptop last week the day Windows 7 came out. So far I love it. Its similar to Windows XP, but more "modern" I guess would be the right term. No complaints from me yet.
Best Buy was having a good sale last week as part of the Windows 7 release - not sure if its still on. That's where I got mine.
Any notable new features I should be aware of?
Um, I'm not aware of any. I'm not that computer-savvy though so maybe I'm missing something! :oops: All I know is the computer works for me, so I'm happy with it - I mainly only use it for MS Office stuff, and internet stuff though.
Oh, my only complaint is with the graphics of the old games such as Solitaire, etc. I like the old school graphics much better!
Hey Chris,
I think I've settled on getting a Mac Book Pro as well. The main thing I'm wondering about is if I should go for 2gb Ram or 4gb. Does it make a huge difference in terms of speed? All I will really be using it for is Microsoft word, surfing the net, music downloading etc. and some minor video editing software. Ideally I would prefer the 4gb's, but I heard its cheaper to buy the 2gb hard drive and upgrade to 4 on your own. Does this void the warranty in any way?
Thanks
emperor penguin Wrote:Hey Chris,
I think I've settled on getting a Mac Book Pro as well. The main thing I'm wondering about is if I should go for 2gb Ram or 4gb. Does it make a huge difference in terms of speed? All I will really be using it for is Microsoft word, surfing the net, music downloading etc. and some minor video editing software. Ideally I would prefer the 4gb's, but I heard its cheaper to buy the 2gb hard drive and upgrade to 4 on your own. Does this void the warranty in any way?
Thanks
It's $110 for Apple to upgrade you from 2Gb to 4Gb - how much cheaper are you finding RAM? Keep in mind that you need to buy 4Gb of RAM (2 x 2Gb sticks) to replace the 2 Gb (2 x 1Gb sticks) that ship with the computer.
More RAM allows more apps to run at the same time - no noticeable difference in speed for what you've suggested you'll be doing.
I just hope you Apple users do not smoke: (if this is true, what a freakin' joke)
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Caved, went in and picked up my new Macbook Pro. Put it on a financing plan. Ended up talking the guy down in Futureshop by $200 on the Pro with the 4Gig ram and 250 Gig of HDD. Still figuring it out, I think this will take a bit of time lol.