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Am I the only one?
- Thread starter LordeOurMother
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An iPhone 4s running iOS 6(or lower) will sync with the most recent version of of iTunes for Leopard. The 4s can run iOS 7 and iOS 8, and if it's running those forget syncing at least through iTunes.
As for Office-Office 2004 and Office X both work great, but lack native XML compatibility. There are plug-ins to get around it, but in my experience they don't give full XML compatibility. Depending on what subject you're studying, this may be a deal killer. I need XML.
Office 2008 is-to be blunt-a steaming pile of crap regardless of the platform(Intel or PowerPC). It does offer full XML compatibility, but that's about the only positive to it in my eyes. When working on my thesis(as has been my life for the past month and a half) I typically have Word, Excel, and Powerpoint all open at the same time and am constantly copying and pasting things across them. I've learned to live with Word 2008 crashing pretty much hourly, and click the save button pretty much every time I finish typing a paragraph or inserting a figure.
Office 2011 is at least a little bit better in this regard, although is Intel only.
In all honesty, for a budget Mac, I'd steer someone to a 2009 model White Macbook. These can run the most current OS, and even though they are Core2Duo they are still plenty useable.
The 2008(pre-unibody) Macbook Pro I'm typing this from is also a great computer and one which cost me $90(plus another $30 for a new HDD and $20 for a battery). I've actually been using it a lot lately for my thesis work. It doesn't have as much screen area as my 17" DLSD Powerbook, but can at least run Office 2011 and has more working area than my 13" Macbook Pro. I'm running Mavericks on it, although I could upgrade to Yosemite. The downside to these is that they have known GPU issues.
I love PowerPC Macs(no one could look at my collection and doubt that) but honestly when the rubber meets the road I have to forgo my love of them for practicality-especially when I'm working on a deadline. The only PPC computer I have that I could get away with using for my thesis is my dual core G5.
As for Office-Office 2004 and Office X both work great, but lack native XML compatibility. There are plug-ins to get around it, but in my experience they don't give full XML compatibility. Depending on what subject you're studying, this may be a deal killer. I need XML.
Office 2008 is-to be blunt-a steaming pile of crap regardless of the platform(Intel or PowerPC). It does offer full XML compatibility, but that's about the only positive to it in my eyes. When working on my thesis(as has been my life for the past month and a half) I typically have Word, Excel, and Powerpoint all open at the same time and am constantly copying and pasting things across them. I've learned to live with Word 2008 crashing pretty much hourly, and click the save button pretty much every time I finish typing a paragraph or inserting a figure.
Office 2011 is at least a little bit better in this regard, although is Intel only.
In all honesty, for a budget Mac, I'd steer someone to a 2009 model White Macbook. These can run the most current OS, and even though they are Core2Duo they are still plenty useable.
The 2008(pre-unibody) Macbook Pro I'm typing this from is also a great computer and one which cost me $90(plus another $30 for a new HDD and $20 for a battery). I've actually been using it a lot lately for my thesis work. It doesn't have as much screen area as my 17" DLSD Powerbook, but can at least run Office 2011 and has more working area than my 13" Macbook Pro. I'm running Mavericks on it, although I could upgrade to Yosemite. The downside to these is that they have known GPU issues.
I love PowerPC Macs(no one could look at my collection and doubt that) but honestly when the rubber meets the road I have to forgo my love of them for practicality-especially when I'm working on a deadline. The only PPC computer I have that I could get away with using for my thesis is my dual core G5.
I agree with Bunn. PPCs are not good reccomendations, especially if people aren't tech savvy and don't know all the work arounds. Using any remotely modern PC and then switching to a PPC in many regards would be a step down due to the incompatibilities and no longer supported programs (flash, Java, etc).
Especially if you're looking for a laptop. Laptops wear out faster than desktops and are harder to work on. Most anecdotal opinions suggest that Intel Macs are more reliable than PPC Macs. The newest PPC laptop is over 10 years old. On the basis of basic reliability I wouldn't reccomend PPC, especially a laptop. The iBooks imo are one of the worst products apple produced.
Spend a few extra bucks and get better compatibility, better reliability, a newer computer, etc.
Thanks for the Info. I do have to take into consideration that even though i USED PowerPC in school for all my school work (school had Macs) back when i was IN high school PPC Macs were still made and supported The Intel switch happened when i was in high school. Ill just recommend her a System76 laptop then
Thanks for the Info. I do have to take into consideration that even though i USED PowerPC in school for all my school work (school had Macs) back when i was IN high school PPC Macs were still made and supported The Intel switch happened when i was in high school. Ill just recommend her a System76 laptop then
The problem here is that you are going off of how capable PowerPC macs were when they were still in use. The entire aspect of a computer, the Internet, and the way we use computers and what we use them for has completely changed. The Internet, being the most used thing, has changed much too drastically, thus the systems struggle to keep up on modern web. That was basically MS's explanation to get people off Windows XP, that it wasn't modern. Thinking back, it really was extremely modern for its time, and everyone liked it, which is why people used it even until now, 14 or so years later. A PowerPC Mac can easily be compared to windows XP, both are ancient and not updated, yet people still use them and can be useful for certain things.
I seriously doubt she'll be happy with any PPC laptop. Just because it can run those programs doesn't mean it will run them as quickly as she''ll be expecting, not to mention various problems with stuff like Flash.
Plus she'll be running a hopelessly outdated OS that hasn't seen security patches in years and unless she runs TenFourFox, most likely a hopelessly outdated and insecure browser as well.
I like PPC Macs, but it takes someone willing to live with all this or work around it to enjoy them. A cheap ThinkPad T60 or T61 will be a better option, as would any early Intel Mac.
Not many consumers, but anyone who require high security still may be using BB. Government/Military, Defense Contractors, Healthcare, Banking/Finance, Celebrities, etc.
My dad who works in banking had a blackberry up until about 1 year ago. My mom is a doctor and her hospital still sticks with Blackberry.
Blackberry once controlled over 40% of the market and were "the phone to have". I was never a huge fan of their user interface, but they offered and still offer a level of security no one else can. They were built as a business phone because that is who could primarily afford them at the time. They were never meant to be consumer devices like the iPhone and Android phones. By the time they realized they get into the consumer line, they were already too far behind.
Sadly, I don't think their phone business will be taking off any time soon. I invested in them over a year ago around $5. Luckily, due to their extensive patents, enormous amount of cash, and other assets, their stock is over $10. I don't see them taking back the phone industry, but they're still a player in components and technology.
I've never used a BB myself, but I've heard from plenty of folks who had iPhones for personal use and BBs for work say that they thought the BB had a much better email client.
A lot of companies have transitioned over to iPhones-I know when my BIL was in the corporate world, he had a BB for about a year that was switched out for an iPhone.
Now that he's back in the Aviation industry(he's a pilot for Netjets-a "time share" private airline) he again has a BB for work. I think that when he was briefly with US Air, he had an iPhone. Of course, he also has an iPhone for personal use.
I've heard many folks who have used both(including my BIL) say that they prefer sending emails on the BB for no other reason than having a physical keyboard. I can type fairly fast on an iPhone keyboard, but my error rate is high and I rely on autocorrect to clean up my mistakes. All mobile keyboards are tough to use, but I feel like I can type a lot more accurately on a physical keyboard(my first smartphone-a Samsung Blackjack 2 running Windows Mobile 6) had one. If the autocorrect coding in the iPhone weren't as good as it is, it would take me a LONG time to type anything on it.
also for me personally PowerPC does everything i need to do even 10 years later..... I personally don't do anything other than use the web and watch YouTube on my macs. I used Windows 2000 over XP for as long as i ever had a XP system. to me, Windows 2000 and PowerPC are a better comparision whereas XP to this day is still supported by all hardware and software manufactures whereas Windows 2000, Like PowerPC require tweaks and modification to use in modern times as well as the time it takes tracking down any currently-supported/developed software.
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the only mac shes ever used is a MacBook..... she said shed probably just get another TOSHIBA but i'll tell her System76 is better they are like the MacBook for Linux and just like a MacBook, will run windows better than any native windows laptop i know for a fact Linux has things out of the box that will do everything (I have been a avid Linux user for 10 years).
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I thought the Motorola RAZR was "the phone to have"?
There's a difference between the consumer and the business market.
Blackberries were the smartphone to have before most people even knew the word.
RAZRs were just cell phones, but yes were enormously popular(I had one "back in the day").
People learned very quickly the RAZR was a piece of garbage. Most consumers back then had no interest in anything more than a regular cell phone.
My first smartphone was a Palm Treo. I had a RAZR for about 10 minutes, everyone though it was super cool, but it was garbage. I returned it within 30 days and switched to a BlackBerry. After 2 years I got an Android and eventually an iPhone 5 once Verizon started carrying the iPhone and my Android contract was up. Now I have an iPhone 6.
When the RAZR came out, you and I were in High School. The average high schooler did not have the need for a smartphone and could not justify the extra cost. Smartphones were not targeted towards consumers, the App market did not exist like it does now. Not many people had smart phones when I was in high school. Now everybody and their grandma has a smartphone.
The closest thing to a RAZR i had was a W375 (which was more like a KRZR rather than a RAZR) and that thing was indestructable, I kicked it, stepped on it (putting my entire weight on it) dropped it in puddles, spilled water on it, sat on it, dropped it countless times, even accidently kicked it across the room as it smashed hardly and loudly into a wall, STILL works even to this day. My mom has the next model up (W377, which is the exact same thing except a different style keypad and bluetooth). same exact interface as a RAZR too. just doesn't have a external display just Icons.
Through most of high school and a lot of college, I used a Motorola flip-phone. I don't remember the model number, but it was a fairly popular phone. It effectively had the same OS and same features as the RAZR, but was a bit chunkier and IMO probably a lot more useable.
It was the only cell phone that I actually legitimately wore out(after about 5 years of use). I started having to hold it slightly closed to hear the person I was talking to, and it finally got to the point that I couldn't hear anyone. At the time, I always kept a 500 minute calling card in my wallet "just in case"(anyone remember those?) and remember calling my parents from the seldom-used telephone in my dorm room(on a calling card) to tell them that my cell phone had died and not to try calling me on it. I think I probably still have that particular card around here, and probably with about 400 minutes on it if it hasn't expired(most of my minutes on it were "connection charges" and not actual talk time).
My dad had a RAZR in the drawer that he had bought a year or so before and didn't like, so passed it on to me. I used it for a little while, then finally replaced it with the Blackjack that I used through my senior year of college. I bought an iPhone 3Gs as a graduation present to myself.
i will always prefer a real computer over a "smart" phone, i dont have the money to get one if i did want one. Doesn't make much sense to buy a $750 iPhone when i can buy/build a computer with 4x the specs for 1/4 the price.
Try putting a computer with "4x the specs" in your pocket.
dont need too. when im not home then my computer-related stuff stay at home. phones are not computers not even comparable
Believe it or not, some of us have jobs where we aren't in front of a computer all day but still need to be reachable and/or have access to information.
It's not just at work though. Let's say-hypothetically speaking-I'm at a gun store and see an Smith and Wesson revolver I'm interested in but something doesn't look "right" about it. I go to my iPhone, open the Kindle app, and then pull up the Standard Catalog of Smith and Wesson to check on it. If that doesn't lead me anywhere, I do an internet search, and if I still don't get anywhere I call a friend
. Or, maybe I'm at a flea market looking at a watch. Again, something doesn't look "right" so I go to the internet and pull up factory ledgers or other resources that are available(but would be impractical to carry around with me) to check things out. If that doesn't lead me anywhere, I snap a photo and text it to a friend who I think would know the answer and wait for either a reply or a phone call. I've been through both sequences of events before. Once you get used to having a smart phone, it's hard to go back to not having one.
Believe it or not, some of us have jobs where we aren't in front of a computer all day but still need to be reachable and/or have access to information.
It's not just at work though. Let's say-hypothetically speaking-I'm at a gun store and see an Smith and Wesson revolver I'm interested in but something doesn't look "right" about it. I go to my iPhone, open the Kindle app, and then pull up the Standard Catalog of Smith and Wesson to check on it. If that doesn't lead me anywhere, I do an internet search, and if I still don't get anywhere I call a friend
Once you get used to having a smart phone, it's hard to go back to not having one.
ive used one once before.... didnt even have it a week it was a complicated clunky slow piece of junk my eMac is faster than it was (literally) my eMac has better specs
I don't know what device you're talking about here, but a modern iPhone is much faster than even the best eMac.
I can browse the internet on my iPhone 6 faster than I can on a G5-web pages render faster and scroll faster. Even my old 4s wasn't that bad using iOS 6(although it's miserable with iOS 8). Both can play Youtube videos a lot better, too.
Granted, a real computer(even an older one) is better for "heavy lifting" than an iPhone, which is pretty much optimized for web browsing and other "consumer" tasks. I'd guess 80% of the people who use a computer regularly could probably get by with a large screen iPhone(or an iPad in other words). Heck, back in the day my dad was what most folks would class as a "power user." Now that he's retired, he basically uses a computer once a week to do the layout for the church bulletin. He uses his iPad for everything else.
A bit harsh
The Razr was never about functionality, it was all style - I used mine whilst out socialising, for all other times I had an O2 XDA II PocketPC phone (in an aluminium crash case) - it was like carrying a hip flask around in my pocket - good protection against a sniper's heart shot
Modern phones are undoubtedly powerful and indispensable, however, they're all samey and characterless - I have an Android and struggle to remember what model it is until I inspect it.