What kind of stuff should expect when switching to Mac?

magiic

magiic

CAGiversary!
Feedback
144 (100%)
I am wanting to get a Macbook pro this summer for my travelling in the fall. I'm going to buy it through the Canadian Apple Education site as it comes with a free iPod. My question is should I buy it now so I can get used to it before I go or should I wait and get it near the end of the summer (the free iPod deal ends on Sept3.) and hope for some kind of price drop or anything like that. Just curious on what some of you think as far as expecting a price drop or just being better of grabbing it later in the summer. The other thing I would likely do is sell off my current desktop computer and just use the Macbook instead until I go and get a new desktop when I get back.

EDIT: While I have a thread going what are some tips or tricks or whatever for a long time windows user switching over to Mac?

EDIT EDIT: If I want to hook the macbook up to my LCD tv is this the adapter I need?
 
There could be an update to the hardware soon, the thing is it simply happens with out much warning. I would hold off as much as you can.
 
If it helps any, when I was working at the mac store they did all the updates near the end of the promo. This included the Mac's and the Ipods.

The promo exists solely for the purpose of getting rid of inventory and product before a refresh. I could be wrong though.
 
So then theoretically if I waited till end of summer I could get one of the "updates" but still take advantage of the free iPod promo? Or will the new stuff come out after the free ipod promo?
 
Near the end, like the last week, new ipods came out but people could only get the old ones in the promo. You can get whatever upgrade they do to the comps though. They WILL force you to get an older ipod.
 
Im not too concerned about getting a newer iPod of the deal I'd just rather get the most bang for my buck in the laptop department
 
A general rule of thumb is that major revisions within Apple products generally hit soon after WWDC (June) or Macworld (January). The latest WWDC ended just a few days ago with the introduction of the 3G iPhone. The first iPhone debuted at Macworld 2007 and the Macbook Air debuted at Macworld 2008. The MacBook Pro debuted at Macworld 2006. The latest minor revision of the MacBook Pro occurred a few months ago when they introduced a multi-touch trackpad. I doubt a major revision would occur by this fall since they generally happen at WWDC and Macworld.
 
I'm actually getting a macbook soon myself. Not too worried about the "upgrade" I believe you should get 100 bucks off too if you're a student and a free printer. That's what i'm getting w/ my purchase.
 
http://forums.macrumors.com/forumdisplay.php?f=78

There's a list of mac beginner guides at the top of that forum, also some helpful information all throughout. Macrumors is good, and there are a few othe worthwhile ones out there.

I found that usage was the best teacher for me in my switch, especially if you're technically inclined and/or good with computers in the first place.

There's also free workshops at the apple store - I actually plan to do one when I get back to the States.

As for waiting - general rule is wait as long as you can if you can, and if you can't wait, don't. There will always be some new technology coming and if you keep waiting to have the newest, you'll never get it. I got my MBP a month ago and couldn't love it more. Anything you buy now would be powerful enough to last you a good long time. Good luck.
 
Might not be true anymore, but dragging your stuff to a cd/dvd does NOT burn it.
You have to drag the files and then click burn in a separate menu.

In my experience, Macs seem to be slower in almost everything they do, you'll be seeing that little spinny color wheel very often, so just be aware and patient.

Standard mac mouse is terrible for PC users, you'll want to get a replacement asap.

Fewer games. Some of the software you like may not have a mac version.
 
watch this if you're waiting: http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#MacBook_Pro

You'll want to enable two finger right click when you get a mac. Also be aware that MBpros run very hot so you'll want to avoid putting it on your lap. Apple officially doesn't call them laptops but rather mobile computers or something like that.

You should be able to figure out most things by experience or googling your specific questions. Apples use the apple key instead of CTRL for a lot of common commands like cut/paste. It's annoying if you are used to PC keyboards.

Last summer I went through 4 or 5 macbook pros with major color display differences. They were apparently using two different manufacturers for the LED Display and one manufacturer had LED LCD displays with a yellow glow at the bottom. On top of this the displays in general were very inconsistent as I compared all of them to each other and to the ones in the store. After talking with manager, whom apparently had to keep pushing on me that he taught photography at a community college and he knows what hes talking about, he basically agreed with me that the displays are inconsistent and that if I wanted a good one to do media design work on, I would have to buy a $2000 apple cinema display. I got really fed up with the assholes at Apple and just returned the macbook pro.

I figure if you're spending that much on a laptop, it shouldn't have that kinda shit. Hopefully they fixed that stuff by now as last summer Apple corporate somewhat acknowledged it but didn't officially do anything about it. I am referencing this massive thread over at macrumors forum: http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=313239

I guess despite the fact that it's a Macbook Pro, most people who buy them wouldn't notice or care unless it was pointed out to them so Apple really doesn't care.
 
Not to sure about how hard of a switch it is, but many people say dump the standard apple mouse and go with a normal 2 button one. I was planning on going with a macbook or maybe even a pro but then realized if I'm going to dump $1,300 or even $2,000 it might as well be something that can run XP/Vista and blaze thru any pc game on the market with ease.
 
thanks for the tips guys
I am very tech savvy so I am sure I'll be able to figure most stuff out just by fiddling around with it. I've decided Im just going to buy it now as I've gotten a ton of money for graduation so I can buy it mostly with that. I have also got a number of offers on my current desktop PC. Keep the posts coming :)
 
If you use your mac in public expect random people coming up to you and want to start a conversation how awesome the apple computers are. I've heard of it happening to a few people.
 
[quote name='KingDox']If you use your mac in public expect random people coming up to you and want to start a conversation how awesome the apple computers are. I've heard of it happening to a few people.[/quote]

It's happened to me while I was in a bakery approving photographs on my friend's Macbook. My friend went off to use the restroom and up comes this girl who comments on one of the photos and then proceeds to go on and on about how awesome Macs are and why they're so much better than PCs. These people really are like a cult.
 
haha I love conversations with random people
Maybe it will be a good conversation starter when I am spending my time travelling
 
Most mac users aren't douchebags, just the ones that are get all the attention because they're the loudest.

I've found my macbook pro to be blazing fast with anything I throw at it - faster than my Sony Vaio that it replaced. I'm not sure where those comments are coming from, maybe from the old PPC processors. Simply not the case anymore.

I play City of Villains on Vista in Boot Camp and it's smooth as silk.

Good luck, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.
 
[quote name='Synergy']Most mac users aren't douchebags, just the ones that are get all the attention because they're the loudest.

I've found my macbook pro to be blazing fast with anything I throw at it - faster than my Sony Vaio that it replaced. I'm not sure where those comments are coming from, maybe from the old PPC processors. Simply not the case anymore.

I play City of Villains on Vista in Boot Camp and it's smooth as silk.

Good luck, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.[/quote]

I hope so. Leopard seems pretty cool. I watched a demo video on the apple site the other day. I was pretty impressed.
 
[quote name='magiic']I hope so. Leopard seems pretty cool. I watched a demo video on the apple site the other day. I was pretty impressed.[/quote]

Leopard is pretty tight, but when you get it, update immediately (insert the obvious d'uh comment here). When I first installed it, I had tons of annoying bugs.

Quick question OP, and perhaps I just glossed over it: why are you getting a Mac? I'm seeing a lot of folks getting Macs because they're trendy and not for any practical use.
 
I am partially looking to get the macbook because I need a laptop for travel and I'm looking for a change from Windows. The reason I am getting the pro is I do fair bit of video editing work and the link and would really like to have a laptop I can do that stuff while I am away. In addition I'd like to have a fairly powerful laptop to replace my desktop PC as I have decided to sell it off now as the depreciation between now and fall will likely be greater than any savings on the macbook by waiting.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
bread's done
Back
Top