As for Office... Windows should get the new version this year, but from what I have heard, the Mac version isn't expected until next year.
Someone didn't do there homework
Quote:
Microsoft Corp.?s Macintosh Business Unit (Mac BU) today revealed at Macworld Conference & Expo 2007 the news Mac fans have been waiting to hear: A new version of Office for Mac is on its way. The Mac BU announced its intent to deliver the first Universal version of Office for Mac for PowerPC- and Intel-based Macs ? Microsoft® Office 2008 for Mac. Scheduled to be available in the second half of 2007, Office 2008 for Mac will allow Mac users to work smarter and more efficiently with new and enhanced tools that are simple, intuitive and easily discovered.
On AppleCare: Most personal finance people strongly recommend against any of those types of extended-warranty plans. They sell AppleCare because it makes them a profit, period, in the same way that rustproofing makes car dealers a profit and electronics stores like Best Buy make a hefty profit from their extended warranty plans.
Because they profit from it, that means your expected value from purchasing it (i.e., the likelihood of a problem X the cost of fixing the problem) is lower than what it will cost to purchase AppleCare. If you get unlucky and have a problem outside of regular warranty, then you just have to pay for it yourself. If you prefer the peace of mind, that's cool, but just realize that's what you're paying for.
I disagree. Most experts I've heard have recommended against extended warranties EXCEPT for Apple products, since the normal warranty is only 90 days. There was a lot of discussion about this on the radio around Christmastime.
Me, I used my AppleCare to my great benefit a number of times during the life of this Powerbook, and it leads me to feel that I've never really had any problems with this computer.
I think of it as if I bought a new car, had some engine trouble - say, it needed a new head gasket - and I brought it in, they replaced the HG in 3 hours, and I was up and running again. I could sit around and complain about the faulty head gasket, or I could just whistle and sing Hi-ho-Hi-ho, smiling. I choose the latter, thanks to AppleCare.
I disagree. Most experts I've heard have recommended against extended warranties EXCEPT for Apple products, since the normal warranty is only 90 days. There was a lot of discussion about this on the radio around Christmastime.
Only 90 days tech support, but a full year of repairs. The AppleCare extended warranty extends it from one year to three years. Still a good idea for laptops, I think, but then I was one of the lucky folks to go through 3 iBook logic boards. My experiences with Apple service were all excellent - think a major reason consumer groups argue against extended warranties is that most companies make it as difficult as possible to collect on them. Not so much Apple, in my experience.
I highly recommend Applecare. I get it for all my Macs, especially the laptops (I've had 4 Powerbooks covered, and they've all had something go wrong at some point, from two broken screens to a bad mobo to dead HDs etc.) There was absolutely no charge to repair them on each occasion.
When i got my flat panel iMac G4 back in 2002 I learned my lesson: Always buy Apple Care! The display went bad on it, and it cost a good $500 to fix... ouch! twice as much as I would have payed for Apple Care, and it was only a one time fix. Summer of '04 I bought a PowerBook and although it's pretty steep, I did get Apple Care with it... it's definitely worth it in the long run, especially with laptops, and iMacs as some of you have said.
And back to the original topic, Ian: I think the only reason why you should get a MacBook Pro is if it'll pay for itself through work, or if your particular field of study requires the horsepower and screen real estate, such as graphic design, digital arts or biogenetics. If you're mostly going to write papers and do research on the web, I'd spare the cash, I mean the difference is not minimal by any stretch. And even if you need the horsepower, I'm sure a Macbook would be more than capable. I do a lot of high res photoshop work, and my trusty old 1.5 Ghz PowerBook G4 does great, and if I add another gig of RAM It'll be even better. Another option you might consider would be to get the MacBook, and a cheap 17" LCD monitor, and install it at home.
In yet another topic; Has anyone heard more on internal flash storage for laptops??? I know that it's still relatively small in size, but even if an internal flash drive were only 10 to 20 gigs, I'd install my system and all my apps (or as many as possible) on that drive and save all my work to the regular hard drive. If Apple adds that to the next revision of the MacBook Pro, I'm biting sooner than I'd planned, especially if Adobe CS3 comes out at around the same time.
You know....maybe its just me but I always hear about people saying how great Apple's products are, yet it seems that everyone adventually uses their Applecare warranty to get something fixed.
How reliable are Apple's really if having an Applecare warranty is almost a requirement for owning an Apple?
You know....maybe its just me but I always hear about people saying how great Apple's products are, yet it seems that everyone adventually uses their Applecare warranty to get something fixed.
How reliable are Apple's really if having an Applecare warranty is almost a requirement for owning an Apple?
Ian, it may seem like "everyone" uses their Applecare, however, think of it like this: People that have issues with an Apple product that need to use their Applecare are likely to post online about it to tell their tale of woe. Yet why is it that the overall message from Mac users on online forums is how much they love their computers and what a great company they think Apple is? Is this inconsistent? No, because the people who do NOT have problems, troubleshotting issues, etc. aren't going to post online routinely just to let everyone know that their systems are running perfectly. It wouldn't make for a very interesting post, you know? "Hi everyone, just wanted to let you know my MacBook is running perfectly. Ciao!"
Keep a couple things in mind, while you may be able to find hundreds of forum posts on different sites of people telling their Applecare stories, remember there are millions of Mac users out there, and for the most part, the people experiencing problems are in the minority. That's not to say their concerns, problems, whatever are not legitimate, it's just that out of the entire user base, it's not an overwhelming majority by any means. Also remember that while some user's issues are due to bad luck (ie faulty parts, etc.), there are also times where the blame falls clearly at the feet of the user. Take me for instance, I for some reason or another had FileVault running on my MacBook having no clue really why or what it did. I did a force shutdown about a month ago and I wound up corrupting the FileVault data structure or something like that. I could no longer log into my account. While my computer was under warranty, I had run out of the 90 days of complimentary phone support because I had not yet purchased Applecare. And guess what... they still provided me with an hour of phone support between 2 phonecalls on 2 different days free of charge to try to walk me through my problem. Now THAT'S what I call customer service. Both people I talked to were extremely nice and helpful, but my point is, while it WAS a horror story, it was clearly MY fault, and not an issue of quality control or anything like that. It turned out I had to do an erase and install, but I didn't lose everything because I had my most important stuff backed up. It sucked that it happened, but I learned my lesson. I don't blame Apple for my issue, but then some people would be bitter over it and go on long rants about Apple's QC instead of accepting the blame. If there's a bad display, RAM, logic board, etc. then it's Apple's fault but then again it's virtually impossible for a company that ships so many systems to not have SOME that experience problems. If all you read though are the horror stories, your idea about Apple will be skewed. Ok, sorry if I'm rambling I'll shut up now
It's just an unfortunate fact of life that between 3-5% of all consumer electronics will suffer failure.
That's one in twenty. Consider twenty people you know who have a given device. Statistically, one of them will have it fail.
If people want things better, faster AND cheaper, that's just the way it is. They COULD build them as robust as the Mars rover, but then you'd need the budget of NASA to buy them...
Something else to keep in mind about AppleCare: often it covers other, related products bought at the same time, eg, a display or AirPort Base Station. I had a PowerBook that never had a problem, but the AirPort Base Station failed, and AppleCare gave me a brand new one, which was good because since buying the model had gone from old "b" to new "g" and that's what the replacement was. Happy customer!
Forget about the waiting game. Those new intel mobile chips may be theoretically available as soon as July, so Apple may hold off until then with any portable updates.
Whenever you pull the trigger, and I would recommend not waiting, you'll be thrilled. This Core2Duo MBP is outstanding -- I'm certainly not regretting anything about it, with the exception that the aluminum is less durable than the MacBook plastic.
I personally purchase Applecare just before the year warranty expires. Sometimes they call you with a discounted price to entice the purchase.
This may be a silly question, but I need to confirm this.
Is the Apple "Mail" program compatible with my Hotmail? I can use it as my email program for hotmail (I don't know if this is a stupid question, but I need to confirm because I might be buying a MBP on an auction ending tonight.
You probably hear more people using AC because you're dealing with people who own more Macs, and therefore, the odds are higher that they'd had to use AC at some point.
Me, for instance: I've had 4 desktop Macs, 3 monitors, the iPod, an Airport....and the only time I've ever used AC is with my laptop. So, 1/10 Apple products I've owned, I've had to use AC. (And given it was the laptop, I think that's significant--laptops have a higher failure rate than desktops, I believe, because they are cooking inside when they operate, whereas desktops have roomier interiors that cool the electronics better.)
Re: Hotmail. If you used Hotmail with an email program like Eudora or Outlook, you can use the Mail program. If you just used it via a Website, you'd use a Web browser to look at it again (like Safari, Firefox, or the ancient IE). If you consult Hotmail's Website, they might tell you if using a mail program of any kind with Hotmail is possible.
I was in a similiar situation to yours but my decision was easy. I bought my current Mac of choice without AppleCare. When Leopard and the new hardware come out soon (?), I will sell the current unit on eBay and buy a new unit. In essence, I'm "renting" a Mac for a few hundred bucks until the one I really want comes out.
My mac IT guy told me to get AppleCare when I bought mine. So I did. No need for it yet but as it is a mobile device that gets some beating (even if I'm gentle with it more or less) and it IS a $2000+ item it seems worth it.
My old G4 Quicksilver never had an issue and still going strong. Never had AppleCare.
There are ways to get Hotmail compatible with Mail, but I don't think it is compatible directly, like you may need to download a plug-in for it as is suggested in the link below:
There are certainly many alternative messenger programs that use MSN as well, but there are advantages and disadvantages to each pretty much. That is something you'll have to research on your own knowing what you need in a program such as that.
Also, I suggest getting a gmail account eventually, it is better than hotmail IMO and it works with MSN once you get a passport for it which takes less than 5 minutes to do. Plus, it is very compatible with Mail.
I'm not a "Pro" the way Apple defines a Pro to be. However, I still need a notebook with a dedicated GPU to play games through BootCamp. So my options from Apple:
1) MacBook Pro 15/17". Price: $1999+
Or I can just go to Dell or HP or whatever other PC box manufacturer and get a decent GPU and CPU and RAM combo for:
~$1300
Moreover. I want a 15" screen. From Apple, I'm locked into one option, an expensive one.
So what I want from Apple (and they'd be stupid not to do this in my view) is:
MacBook: 13-15-17" with inferior hard disk speeds, ports, and no dedicated GPUs. However, I can configure it from Apple to have a dedicated GPU.
MacBook Pro: 13-15-17 with superior - FOR PROS - hard disk speeds and capacities, more ports, keyboard lighting, dedicated GPUs standard, etc.
So the PROS will spend the big bucks to get their Pro notebooks. I, as a regular consumer, will get my regular notebook with the ability to play games decently.
I don't see why they don't offer the same screen size for every notebook Pro and not Pro. They can be different designs/materials as they are now. Also, there would still be enough incentive for the pros to get the Pro model b/c it's the best.
Ian, I know this doesn't relate to your topic specifically, but I just needed to vent the ridiculosly high price that Apple is pushing on me. I'd recommed getting the Pro when Leopard comes, though.
Nice idea, but don't hold your breath. In case you missed it, Apple had a small form factor Pro notebook before, the PowerBook G4 12". It went the way of the dodo, and I don't see it making a comback. And I also doubt that Apple will release a 15" consumer line notebook in the forseable future. It just would not fit into a price point that would make sense for Apple.
Comments
As for Office... Windows should get the new version this year, but from what I have heard, the Mac version isn't expected until next year.
Someone didn't do there homework
Microsoft Corp.?s Macintosh Business Unit (Mac BU) today revealed at Macworld Conference & Expo 2007 the news Mac fans have been waiting to hear: A new version of Office for Mac is on its way. The Mac BU announced its intent to deliver the first Universal version of Office for Mac for PowerPC- and Intel-based Macs ? Microsoft® Office 2008 for Mac. Scheduled to be available in the second half of 2007, Office 2008 for Mac will allow Mac users to work smarter and more efficiently with new and enhanced tools that are simple, intuitive and easily discovered.
http://blogs.msdn.com/macmojo/archiv...cworld-07.aspx
On AppleCare: Most personal finance people strongly recommend against any of those types of extended-warranty plans. They sell AppleCare because it makes them a profit, period, in the same way that rustproofing makes car dealers a profit and electronics stores like Best Buy make a hefty profit from their extended warranty plans.
Because they profit from it, that means your expected value from purchasing it (i.e., the likelihood of a problem X the cost of fixing the problem) is lower than what it will cost to purchase AppleCare. If you get unlucky and have a problem outside of regular warranty, then you just have to pay for it yourself. If you prefer the peace of mind, that's cool, but just realize that's what you're paying for.
I disagree. Most experts I've heard have recommended against extended warranties EXCEPT for Apple products, since the normal warranty is only 90 days. There was a lot of discussion about this on the radio around Christmastime.
Me, I used my AppleCare to my great benefit a number of times during the life of this Powerbook, and it leads me to feel that I've never really had any problems with this computer.
I think of it as if I bought a new car, had some engine trouble - say, it needed a new head gasket - and I brought it in, they replaced the HG in 3 hours, and I was up and running again. I could sit around and complain about the faulty head gasket, or I could just whistle and sing Hi-ho-Hi-ho, smiling. I choose the latter, thanks to AppleCare.
I disagree. Most experts I've heard have recommended against extended warranties EXCEPT for Apple products, since the normal warranty is only 90 days. There was a lot of discussion about this on the radio around Christmastime.
Only 90 days tech support, but a full year of repairs. The AppleCare extended warranty extends it from one year to three years. Still a good idea for laptops, I think, but then I was one of the lucky folks to go through 3 iBook logic boards. My experiences with Apple service were all excellent - think a major reason consumer groups argue against extended warranties is that most companies make it as difficult as possible to collect on them. Not so much Apple, in my experience.
Couldn't recommend it highly enough.
And back to the original topic, Ian: I think the only reason why you should get a MacBook Pro is if it'll pay for itself through work, or if your particular field of study requires the horsepower and screen real estate, such as graphic design, digital arts or biogenetics. If you're mostly going to write papers and do research on the web, I'd spare the cash, I mean the difference is not minimal by any stretch. And even if you need the horsepower, I'm sure a Macbook would be more than capable. I do a lot of high res photoshop work, and my trusty old 1.5 Ghz PowerBook G4 does great, and if I add another gig of RAM It'll be even better. Another option you might consider would be to get the MacBook, and a cheap 17" LCD monitor, and install it at home.
In yet another topic; Has anyone heard more on internal flash storage for laptops??? I know that it's still relatively small in size, but even if an internal flash drive were only 10 to 20 gigs, I'd install my system and all my apps (or as many as possible) on that drive and save all my work to the regular hard drive. If Apple adds that to the next revision of the MacBook Pro, I'm biting sooner than I'd planned, especially if Adobe CS3 comes out at around the same time.
How reliable are Apple's really if having an Applecare warranty is almost a requirement for owning an Apple?
You know....maybe its just me but I always hear about people saying how great Apple's products are, yet it seems that everyone adventually uses their Applecare warranty to get something fixed.
How reliable are Apple's really if having an Applecare warranty is almost a requirement for owning an Apple?
Ian, it may seem like "everyone" uses their Applecare, however, think of it like this: People that have issues with an Apple product that need to use their Applecare are likely to post online about it to tell their tale of woe. Yet why is it that the overall message from Mac users on online forums is how much they love their computers and what a great company they think Apple is? Is this inconsistent? No, because the people who do NOT have problems, troubleshotting issues, etc. aren't going to post online routinely just to let everyone know that their systems are running perfectly. It wouldn't make for a very interesting post, you know? "Hi everyone, just wanted to let you know my MacBook is running perfectly. Ciao!"
Keep a couple things in mind, while you may be able to find hundreds of forum posts on different sites of people telling their Applecare stories, remember there are millions of Mac users out there, and for the most part, the people experiencing problems are in the minority. That's not to say their concerns, problems, whatever are not legitimate, it's just that out of the entire user base, it's not an overwhelming majority by any means. Also remember that while some user's issues are due to bad luck (ie faulty parts, etc.), there are also times where the blame falls clearly at the feet of the user. Take me for instance, I for some reason or another had FileVault running on my MacBook having no clue really why or what it did. I did a force shutdown about a month ago and I wound up corrupting the FileVault data structure or something like that. I could no longer log into my account. While my computer was under warranty, I had run out of the 90 days of complimentary phone support because I had not yet purchased Applecare. And guess what... they still provided me with an hour of phone support between 2 phonecalls on 2 different days free of charge to try to walk me through my problem. Now THAT'S what I call customer service. Both people I talked to were extremely nice and helpful, but my point is, while it WAS a horror story, it was clearly MY fault, and not an issue of quality control or anything like that. It turned out I had to do an erase and install, but I didn't lose everything because I had my most important stuff backed up. It sucked that it happened, but I learned my lesson. I don't blame Apple for my issue, but then some people would be bitter over it and go on long rants about Apple's QC instead of accepting the blame. If there's a bad display, RAM, logic board, etc. then it's Apple's fault but then again it's virtually impossible for a company that ships so many systems to not have SOME that experience problems. If all you read though are the horror stories, your idea about Apple will be skewed. Ok, sorry if I'm rambling I'll shut up now
That's one in twenty. Consider twenty people you know who have a given device. Statistically, one of them will have it fail.
If people want things better, faster AND cheaper, that's just the way it is. They COULD build them as robust as the Mars rover, but then you'd need the budget of NASA to buy them...
Something else to keep in mind about AppleCare: often it covers other, related products bought at the same time, eg, a display or AirPort Base Station. I had a PowerBook that never had a problem, but the AirPort Base Station failed, and AppleCare gave me a brand new one, which was good because since buying the model had gone from old "b" to new "g" and that's what the replacement was. Happy customer!
Whenever you pull the trigger, and I would recommend not waiting, you'll be thrilled. This Core2Duo MBP is outstanding -- I'm certainly not regretting anything about it, with the exception that the aluminum is less durable than the MacBook plastic.
I personally purchase Applecare just before the year warranty expires. Sometimes they call you with a discounted price to entice the purchase.
Is the Apple "Mail" program compatible with my Hotmail? I can use it as my email program for hotmail (I don't know if this is a stupid question, but I need to confirm because I might be buying a MBP on an auction ending tonight.
What exactly is Aperture?
Me, for instance: I've had 4 desktop Macs, 3 monitors, the iPod, an Airport....and the only time I've ever used AC is with my laptop. So, 1/10 Apple products I've owned, I've had to use AC. (And given it was the laptop, I think that's significant--laptops have a higher failure rate than desktops, I believe, because they are cooking inside when they operate, whereas desktops have roomier interiors that cool the electronics better.)
Re: Hotmail. If you used Hotmail with an email program like Eudora or Outlook, you can use the Mail program. If you just used it via a Website, you'd use a Web browser to look at it again (like Safari, Firefox, or the ancient IE). If you consult Hotmail's Website, they might tell you if using a mail program of any kind with Hotmail is possible.
What exactly is Aperture?
http://www.apple.com/aperture/
Also, can someone confirm i can use Mac Mail as my Hotmail email program?
Ian
I was in a similiar situation to yours but my decision was easy. I bought my current Mac of choice without AppleCare. When Leopard and the new hardware come out soon (?), I will sell the current unit on eBay and buy a new unit. In essence, I'm "renting" a Mac for a few hundred bucks until the one I really want comes out.
My old G4 Quicksilver never had an issue and still going strong. Never had AppleCare.
Vinea
http://forums.macnn.com/90/mac-os-x/...-mac-mail-app/
There are certainly many alternative messenger programs that use MSN as well, but there are advantages and disadvantages to each pretty much. That is something you'll have to research on your own knowing what you need in a program such as that.
Also, I suggest getting a gmail account eventually, it is better than hotmail IMO and it works with MSN once you get a passport for it which takes less than 5 minutes to do. Plus, it is very compatible with Mail.
Ok, let's be honest here:
I'm not a "Pro" the way Apple defines a Pro to be. However, I still need a notebook with a dedicated GPU to play games through BootCamp. So my options from Apple:
1) MacBook Pro 15/17". Price: $1999+
Or I can just go to Dell or HP or whatever other PC box manufacturer and get a decent GPU and CPU and RAM combo for:
~$1300
Moreover. I want a 15" screen. From Apple, I'm locked into one option, an expensive one.
So what I want from Apple (and they'd be stupid not to do this in my view) is:
MacBook: 13-15-17" with inferior hard disk speeds, ports, and no dedicated GPUs. However, I can configure it from Apple to have a dedicated GPU.
MacBook Pro: 13-15-17 with superior - FOR PROS - hard disk speeds and capacities, more ports, keyboard lighting, dedicated GPUs standard, etc.
So the PROS will spend the big bucks to get their Pro notebooks. I, as a regular consumer, will get my regular notebook with the ability to play games decently.
I don't see why they don't offer the same screen size for every notebook Pro and not Pro. They can be different designs/materials as they are now. Also, there would still be enough incentive for the pros to get the Pro model b/c it's the best.
Ian, I know this doesn't relate to your topic specifically, but I just needed to vent the ridiculosly high price that Apple is pushing on me. I'd recommed getting the Pro when Leopard comes, though.
Nice idea, but don't hold your breath. In case you missed it, Apple had a small form factor Pro notebook before, the PowerBook G4 12". It went the way of the dodo, and I don't see it making a comback. And I also doubt that Apple will release a 15" consumer line notebook in the forseable future. It just would not fit into a price point that would make sense for Apple.
RNP, are you a fan of FMR Audio? Only asking, becuase they have a audio pre-amp named "RNP".
I have a feeling that they are his initials............
Just a feeling......
RNP, are you a fan of FMR Audio? Only asking, becuase they have a audio pre-amp named "RNP".
Ian is correct in that those are my initials. I'm not much of an audiophile to tell you the truth.