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buying my first Mac

post #1 of 12
8/15/11 at 9:49am
Thread Starter 
Hey everyone, i am looking to buy my first mac and have a few questions for you current users.

I am looking at the 13" (500Gb) or the 15" (500Gb) MBP. I like the size and features of the 13, but also like the better processors and options the 15" has. I do not see myself doing a whole lot of video editing, but may try some music editing. I am primarily going to use the machine for web browsing and keeping my personal info together.

I am stuck in limbo as to what model i should get. Any info you have would be a help.
Thanks
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post #2 of 12
8/15/11 at 10:21am
Unless you really need the extra power and bells and whistles that come with the 15" MacBook Prp, go for the 13" model. It has sufficient power ans resources to do almost anything you plan. Also, if you plan to carry your computer around a lot, the weight and size of the 15" can burden you down.I have a 15" MacBook Pro and I'm sorry now that I didn't go for the smaller machine. The heft and weight make carrying it around a chore.
TCAT
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TCAT
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post #3 of 12
8/15/11 at 11:10am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by chipz View Post

Unless you really need the extra power and bells and whistles that come with the 15" MacBook Prp, go for the 13" model. It has sufficient power ans resources to do almost anything you plan. Also, if you plan to carry your computer around a lot, the weight and size of the 15" can burden you down.I have a 15" MacBook Pro and I'm sorry now that I didn't go for the smaller machine. The heft and weight make carrying it around a chore.

Thank you
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post #4 of 12
8/15/11 at 11:14am
I might also point out that if this is to be your primary (or only) computer, then you might appreciate the extra screen real estate of the 15" model. (of course, a cheap 19" external monitor could also be used with the 13" when at your desk... And still cheaper than the 15" MBP.)
From out there on the moon, international politics look so petty. You want to grab a politician by the scruff of the neck and drag him a quarter of a million miles out and say, "Look at that!" -...
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From out there on the moon, international politics look so petty. You want to grab a politician by the scruff of the neck and drag him a quarter of a million miles out and say, "Look at that!" -...
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post #5 of 12
8/18/11 at 5:18am
Thread Starter 
The idea of the iMac and the ipad isnt too bad. i already have a 32Gb ipad2. would the same option also work with a mac mini?

either way, i think i am going to get the 13" 500Gb next week.
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post #6 of 12
8/18/11 at 12:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by StageHandRy View Post

The idea of the iMac and the ipad isnt too bad.

It's pretty bad when you think about it, especially if you use expensive cumbersome nagware Teamviewer.

If you're on 3G you can forget having a reliable connection and you'll blast through your data usage in no time. Not to mention having to make sure you've setup your sessions properly. You will also be a bandwidth hog on shared wifi connections.

It's also only free for non-commercial use and if you try to use it for work from a home office or for helping out paying clients, they will track usage and expect a $750 fee (plus $140 for your iPad version).

If you need a portable machine for the purpose of editing music on the go or any kind of productivity, a remote desktop solution is a very bad way to go. Not to mention security risks if you use a public wifi connection and become susceptible to a session hijack while using unsafe Teamviewer.

Quote:
Originally Posted by StageHandRy View Post

either way, i think i am going to get the 13" 500Gb next week.

I think that's a sensible choice. The 13" MBP is pretty fast and has a good amount of storage. Just make sure to avoid installing buggy, expensive, unsafe, spammy, cumbersome, nagware Teamviewer.

The 15" does have a nice GPU and the CPUs are fast and the 15" screen is very good to have as the 13" screen is a bit cramped (not as cramped as cramped unusable Teamviewer on a 10" iPad screen) but still small.

Upcoming revisions of the 15" MBP should be much thinner but may come at the expense of storage. For now, the 13" is probably your best option weighing up portability, functionality, performance and price.
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post #7 of 12
8/19/11 at 12:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Parttimer View Post

"Expensive"? That's a blatant lie! Teamviewer is FREE FOR PERSONAL USE.

You often fail to include the last two words yet recommend it to everyone regardless of whether it's for personal or commercial use and paying nearly $900 to connect from an iPad to a home office is expensive.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Parttimer View Post

"Nagware"? Yeah, on your Wintel box perhaps!

Pretty sure this is a Mac UI:



You will see it on the iPad when it shuts down the connection when your iPad goes idle using cumbersome, annoying, lame, expensive, nagware Teamviewer. Real productive software.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Parttimer View Post

They, Teamviewer, would not only have to track and unravel my – mobile... – connections, all of them, which they can't

If expensive, nagware Teamviewer detects commercial use, they just cut you off:

http://teamviewerforums.com/index.php?topic=1337.0

^ this also suggests they monitor your activity. Great security.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Parttimer View Post

Of course if you do use Teamviewer for commercial purposes you're an asshole if you don't pay for it.

Because you won't get your paycheck?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Parttimer View Post

Teamviewer creates a new, unique end-to-end VPN channel between 2 devices for every session, with a new, unique, random password.

Only in the scenario you use it in, not the one you recommend. If you offer support to other users, they are at the other end and able to create a new, temporary session. The scenario you recommend is for people to have their desktop at home with an unmanned remote desktop connection available at all times with a static partner ID and password.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Parttimer View Post

I use VPN channels to transfer dozens of gigs of confidential data every month all across the globe

Teamviewer spam templates?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Parttimer View Post

Like if you kill your spouse with a frying pan I don't approve of the killing.

What if she was killed because she complained about how much time her husband spent online spamming buggy, unstable, insecure, expensive, nagware Teamviewer?
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post #8 of 12
8/22/11 at 9:57am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Parttimer View Post

Yeah, that's about what your other commercial RDP advertiser charges for a license too, is it not?

I don't think others are near $900. LogMeIn doesn't look that expensive - $30 for the iPad and $70/year for the Mac/PC. Mocha VNC is $6. Many also have free versions.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Parttimer View Post

there's still no way to intercept whatever happens in that VPN pipe

The software they sell you encrypts the unencrypted information and puts it into that pipe. They give you the encryption and decryption keys and store your passwords.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Parttimer View Post

BTW, it would be interesting to know why you're explicitly dissing one of your advertisers' products and censor every link to it. Care to enlighten your loyal readership?
And your boss?


Those are Google ads, not specific to any advertiser. They also generate revenue for the site where your links do not.

Anyway, I don't mind you recommending it when people actually want to use an RDP solution. To post it excessively in a thread that has nothing to do with RDP is irritating and off-topic.

If you posted a thread about buying a car, you wouldn't want people to come in and post links to their favourite bicycle shop and tell you the benefits of buying a bike instead. Show other forum users the same respect that you expect to get yourself.
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post #9 of 12
8/22/11 at 2:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Parttimer View Post

I know they are.

You seem to have a very deep interest in RDP solutions and software that competes with your chosen favourite but why? Do you really think that RDP solutions are workable alternatives to laptops?

The OP in this thread couldn't run a remote audio editing session as a way of working every day and should they choose to do commercial work, it violates the terms of the free license. So any of the inexpensive and free alternatives for commercial use are surely far better.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Parttimer View Post

The software they GIVE YOU FREE encrypts only the connection, the pipe, so that only two specific devices, one at either end, have access.

The software still has to take the data, format it to comply with the protocol they use and stick it in. At all times, the code they have written knows exactly what you are doing and there is communication with their servers at all times to match up IP addresses to domains i.e activity logs.

I'm not suggesting you can't trust them, just that you should trust no one when it comes to your desktop use. Keep important data offline and don't leave your ports and firewalls open - using software that hops right over your security is not a good idea, especially as a way of working every day.
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post #10 of 12
8/23/11 at 4:47am
Quote:
Originally Posted by StageHandRy View Post

Hey everyone, i am looking to buy my first mac and have a few questions for you current users.

I am looking at the 13" (500Gb) or the 15" (500Gb) MBP. I like the size and features of the 13, but also like the better processors and options the 15" has. I do not see myself doing a whole lot of video editing, but may try some music editing. I am primarily going to use the machine for web browsing and keeping my personal info together.

I am stuck in limbo as to what model i should get. Any info you have would be a help.
Thanks

I have a MBP 13 inch and I am perfectly happy with it.For your needs it would be really suitable for you.
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post #11 of 12
8/23/11 at 8:16am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by marvfox View Post

I have a MBP 13 inch and I am perfectly happy with it.For your needs it would be really suitable for you.

I ended up getting it on Sunday. i have had a little bit of time to tinker with it, but am happy so far. I have a few days of this week and will probably spend some time setting up all my accounts and syncing my ipod/ipad with it as the primary computer instead of my work computer
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post #12 of 12
8/23/11 at 6:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by StageHandRy View Post

I ended up getting it on Sunday. i have had a little bit of time to tinker with it, but am happy so far. I have a few days of this week and will probably spend some time setting up all my accounts and syncing my ipod/ipad with it as the primary computer instead of my work computer

I wish you good luck with your new MBP
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