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Buying my first Mac!

A

admcptch

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 2, 2007
14
0
Finally after months of anticipation, the new Macbook update has come and with it my time to buy my first Macbook (and Mac computer in general!).

I plan on just getting the mid-range one from MacMall (best price I've seen at $1219 shipped, with some nice freebies along with it. If anyone has any other suggestions on where to get it then please tell.). After I gets here I'll be buying 4GB of RAM at come point, and hopeful that'll be enough for a while.

My real question is, should I get Office for Mac from MacMall, since you get a discount when you purshace it along with your computer? Or should I try and find it cheaper (not sure if it is even cheaper), at MacMall it is $125 for the
Student + Teacher Edition (2004) or upgrade to MS Office 2008 for Mac for $7 (I'd get the upgrade, but I read on Apples site that you get a free upgrade to 2008 when it comes out if you buy Office for Mac?).

Thanks all, really great forum here, I've learned a lot!
 
at this point you are better off getting it at the website you are at, Apple will upgrade it for 10 dollars. And at one point they were offering a 100 dollar rebate for office but that was a year ago, and when they didnt have the momentum of people switching like they have now. They usually rebate microsoft stuff when they need a boost in sales, and I dont see them needing that in the near future, at least not soon enough for your purchase. I love apple and the apple store but often times they markup their items more than others, go with what you got, and 4 gb of ram, man Im jealous, I need to upgrade soon! Enjoy your mac, Im sure you will!
 
Congrats. Enjoy your new macbook. I have heard that there will be a new version of Office for Macs out in 2008. I'm not sure when it will arrive.
 
Congratulations on your decision, one I'm sure you will never regret.

There is indeeed a new version of Office for the Mac due out early next year. I believe it's slated for February but that might change. There is also an offer being talked about where you can upgrade to Office 2008 for a small cost if you're a new Office Mac purchaser. Check out the Microsoft Office Mac site for the details.

Having been an Office user for years, I will not be upgrading to Office 2008 though. I cannot stand the new User Interface. My company tried to roll it out a few months ago and pretty much everyone demanded that we go back to the old version.

Of course your experience might be different from mine, but take a look at oe bfore going out and purchasing the new version. You might not like it.

Welcome to the light side.

Cheers.
 
vanmacguy said:
Congratulations on your decision, one I'm sure you will never regret.

There is indeeed a new version of Office for the Mac due out early next year. I believe it's slated for February but that might change. There is also an offer being talked about where you can upgrade to Office 2008 for a small cost if you're a new Office Mac purchaser. Check out the Microsoft Office Mac site for the details.

Having been an Office user for years, I will not be upgrading to Office 2008 though. I cannot stand the new User Interface. My company tried to roll it out a few months ago and pretty much everyone demanded that we go back to the old version.

Of course your experience might be different from mine, but take a look at oe bfore going out and purchasing the new version. You might not like it.

Welcome to the light side.

Cheers.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that info, I haven't seen the new office, so I'll want to try it out for sure before I get it. I've been using Office 2004 since it came out so I'm used to the way that it works.

And I'm sure I won't regret my purchase! I've been using some of the older Macbooks almost daily and I've really gotten used to it. I can't wait to get my own! Thanks for all the helpful words all!
 
office '08 eh?


i have been using office for mac for the past 6 - 7 or so years, but in recent times have started using iwork more & more...


let me tell you that it is soooo much better in every way


dont even bother with office. m$ sucks.


iwork is fantastic in every way
 
doobi18 said:
office '08 eh?


i have been using office for mac for the past 6 - 7 or so years, but in recent times have started using iwork more & more...


let me tell you that it is soooo much better in every way


dont even bother with office. m$ sucks.


iwork is fantastic in every way
Click to expand...

See the thing I'm worried about is compatibility. I'll be using this computer for school, so I want to make sure I don't run into any compatibility problems when working on papers or projects. How's iWork on the compatibility side?
 
admcptch said:
See the thing I'm worried about is compatibility. I'll be using this computer for school, so I want to make sure I don't run into any compatibility problems when working on papers or projects. How's iWork on the compatibility side?
Click to expand...

iWork apps can all save in their corresponding Microsoft formats(.doc, .docx(Office 2007), power point and excel formats for Keynote and Numbers)

Even TextEdit, the Notepad-like app that comes with all Macs can save in .doc and .docx formats. Repeat: the Mac's NOTEPAD can save in Office formats... You have more out-of-the-box Office functionality than 99% of PC's, which do not come with MS Office.

You'll be fine with iWork.
 
There's a link in the Apple store now that says if you buy Office 2004 you can upgrade to 2008 when it ships for the cost of shipping and tax. Sounds like a good deal for me as I was loathe to purchase 04 knowing that 08 was just around the corner.
 
martychang said:
iWork apps can all save in their corresponding Microsoft formats(.doc, .docx(Office 2007), power point and excel formats for Keynote and Numbers)

Even TextEdit, the Notepad-like app that comes with all Macs can save in .doc and .docx formats. Repeat: the Mac's NOTEPAD can save in Office formats... You have more out-of-the-box Office functionality than 99% of PC's, which do not come with MS Office.

You'll be fine with iWork.
Click to expand...

That's really helpful information. I think I'll just order my Macbook, and pick up iWork or Office later on. Since MacMall has the same prices whether you buy it all at the same time or not. Thanks for the info.

I saw that link in the Apple store, and then the other night on Digg I saw that Microsoft was doing a free upgrade (you just pay shipping) on ANY copy of Office for Mac from anywhere, not just from Apple direct.
 
I had a terrible experience with MacMall's numerous freebies and rebates, and have heard of bad experiences from others. Actually, you have to pay for the stuff up front and then wait to get rebates. Many of them needed to be submitted within 14-days. Since the US Postal Service and I were affected by Hurricane Katrina during that 14-day period (submitted them about 21-days later) I lost out and paid way more than I was expecting. Because of their cold-cold heart, I will never shop there again.

While I agree that the Apple Store seems more restrictive and occasionally more expensive, I believe they are the better store. I actually shop at a local Mac Store that I think is great because of their superior knowledge, so if you have a local store I'd go for that.

You said something about using this at school, so I trust you're going for the educational discount. If you buy your mac from a local store, they usually will honor the educational discount you'd get at an Apple Store.

As for Office vs. iWork. Keynote is WAY better than PowerPoint, and Pages is great for layout design, but for general word processing and especially for spreadsheets, the Microsoft products are just easier to use. You should also consider OpenOffice as it is available for the low low cost of FREE!
 
Yeah the amount of rebates kinda worries me to get all the free stuff they say. But the thing about the student discount is that I won't be able to get it until late June, and I'd really like to get my Macbook before that simply so I can get used to OS X, being a Windows user my whole life. I'm going to email MacMall tonight and ask about the rebates, I really don't need any of them except the $75 manufacturer one, so we'll see.

Anyone else have any bad experiences with MacMall?
 
admcptch said:
Yeah the amount of rebates kinda worries me to get all the free stuff they say. But the thing about the student discount is that I won't be able to get it until late June, and I'd really like to get my Macbook before that simply so I can get used to OS X, being a Windows user my whole life. I'm going to email MacMall tonight and ask about the rebates, I really don't need any of them except the $75 manufacturer one, so we'll see.

Anyone else have any bad experiences with MacMall?
Click to expand...

The educational discount is year round. Only the "Free iPod!" deal is seasonal.
 
Well, I ordered my Macbook today!

2.2 GHz, 1GB RAM (soon to be 4GB), 120GB HD

+ Free Epson All-In-One Printer

+ Free copy of Parallels

Should be here in 3-5 days!
 
Thanks all!

I cannot wait, I've been waiting for the right time to buy for months now and I finally did. I'm sure I'll have a few questions once it gets here, but this is a place with the answers, that's for sure!
 
martychang said:
iWork apps can all save in their corresponding Microsoft formats(.doc, .docx(Office 2007), power point and excel formats for Keynote and Numbers)

Even TextEdit, the Notepad-like app that comes with all Macs can save in .doc and .docx formats. Repeat: the Mac's NOTEPAD can save in Office formats... You have more out-of-the-box Office functionality than 99% of PC's, which do not come with MS Office.

You'll be fine with iWork.
Click to expand...
I disagree somewhat. Depending on how complex your paper is, iWork (Pages more specifically) can present problems. If you're doing collaborative work, Office really is a must. Not to mention the fact that 99% of the working world uses Office, which means that it's best to keep these skills sharp ;)

OP, if you are a student, your university might have a very cheap version of Office (Mac or PC). Many schools discount it down to $10-15.

admcptch said:
That's not what I meant. I won't get my student ID until June, and you need an ID to use the education discount.
Click to expand...
So you're not in college yet? If so, you technically don't qualify for the EDU discount yet.
 
CalBoy said:
So you're not in college yet? If so, you technically don't qualify for the EDU discount yet.
Click to expand...

Nope, not in college yet, I'm a senior. Thanks for the info, I think I'll be going with Office just for the sake of saving myself future headaches.

Yeah, I wasn't planning on using the EDU discount, since it was only $20 more to order from Macmall.

On a side note, I'm currently posting with my new Macbook ^_^

I love it, setting it up was SO easy compared to the various PCs I've had to setup in the past.
 
admcptch said:
Nope, not in college yet, I'm a senior. Thanks for the info, I think I'll be going with Office just for the sake of saving myself future headaches.

Yeah, I wasn't planning on using the EDU discount, since it was only $20 more to order from Macmall.

On a side note, I'm currently posting with my new Macbook ^_^

I love it, setting it up was SO easy compared to the various PCs I've had to setup in the past.
Click to expand...

I'm glad you got your macbook, but be ready to be envious by the time you start college, as all the other freshmen will have the brand new ones:eek:

But hey, at least you get to use it now and enjoy it right?:)

I think you'll find that getting Office was the best move you could have made. In the end, it just saves time and will save your bum whenever you have an important project coming up.
 
Congrats

I got my first mac wow a year ago. I have never regretted it! I can't use windows anymore. The others in my house just said yuck at first. Now they only use my mac! Hubby was in a hurry to buy a laptop and now regrets not waiting to get a macbook. haha. Oh the lessons they learn.
I just got Iwork 08 the other day. I hope to use it soon.
Have fun!
 
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