Gettin a mac in 4 days!

[krewelement394]

ok im a noob here!
sorry if this does not go here!
anywho
i am getting a macbook and i do not know what .mac is it is being offered for 60 $$$ all i understand is making a webpage but will i have to pay monthly how does this work is it worth buyin it?

ok here is another question, i am purchising a printer with my macbook it is an hp printer all in one. can the macbook print wireless trhough the printer? i do have a wireless router! if so how do i set this up? can i have some instructions!

last question i promise.
this is more like a recomendation.
should i buy a wireless apple mouse?
the one that runs on batteries and bluetooth?
i am not use to using the laptop built in touchable mouse pad....
but is i teasy and fast in gettin used to?

Thanks in advance!

 

[David G.]

First off, congratulations!

1. a. There is a 60 day trial for .Mac, I am actually trying it out myself right now. b. And it does do much more than what you just listed.

2 Probably, I don't know the particulars.

3 Many people here will recommend a logitech mouse over the mighty mouse any day. I however like it.

 

[bakerster]

.mac is only worth it if you need exactly what it is used for. read up here : http://www.apple.com/dotmac/

to print wirelessly with just plug and play (and it seems obviously you dont know much about macs) you should get an airport express. It simply plugs into the wall, and you plug in your printer, interent, and speakers too if you would like, and then you can print things wirelessly, and also listen to itunes music from speakers that are connected to it. its 100 dollars. well worth it if you hate constantly plugging and unplugging speakers & printer.

and finally about the mouse, I never personally have owned a mighty mouse, but i have used one before and it really isn't my cup of tea. I have read alot of bad reviews about it, it going bad real quick, and the scroller not working for very long. I would recommend getting a nice bluetooth microsoft mouse or logitech mouse. those work real great, and last long.

 

[djinn]

I've had a .mac account for the past year and love some of the features. However, I don't see myself renewing cause I never used the WebSite feature nor did I use the Photo Albums. The only things I really enjoyed was the mail and the sync'ing of all my bookmarks.

So for mail I setup a Linux email server and for bookmarks I carry around a USB stick now.

I used to own the cord mighty mouse and found it interesting. I wouldn't say I didn't like it but I really prefer logitech mice. As far as cord vs cordless. I just purchased the bluetooth keyboard from Apple and love it. The big question is how long will the batteries last. And that question goes towards your decision with the mouse. Reason I got rid of the mighty mouse was the ball got clogged and didn't work. Little did I know that my Apple care covered it, oh well.

 

[MarkMS]

I used to own the cord mighty mouse and found it interesting. I wouldn't say I didn't like it but I really prefer logitech mice. As far as cord vs cordless. I just purchased the bluetooth keyboard from Apple and love it. The big question is how long will the batteries last. And that question goes towards your decision with the mouse. Reason I got rid of the mighty mouse was the ball got clogged and didn't work. Little did I know that my Apple care covered it, oh well.

I don't know, I enjoy my wireless Might Mouse. Yes, the ball does get dirty from time to time. But all I have to do is flip the mouse over and rub the ball hard on a clean, smooth surface and the dirt comes out. I probably do this once every few months. As for batteries, I'm not sure how long they exactly last. I think I change the batteries every 4-5 months. I don't run the batteries all the way down, but change them when they OS X tells me I have low batteries. That usually means I have about 10-15% of juice left.

 

[apple90]

yea i had .mac like 2 years ago when my ibook g4 was still working

it's good when you have to do formatting your comptuer and you realized, "OH SHOOT I FORGOT MY BOOKMARKS, CONTACTS, etc!"

but then you remember about yo .mac

buy it yo

what it do

what it do

 

[krewelement394]

.mac is only worth it if you need exactly what it is used for. read up here : http://www.apple.com/dotmac/

to print wirelessly with just plug and play (and it seems obviously you dont know much about macs) you should get an airport express. It simply plugs into the wall, and you plug in your printer, interent, and speakers too if you would like, and then you can print things wirelessly, and also listen to itunes music from speakers that are connected to it. its 100 dollars. well worth it if you hate constantly plugging and unplugging speakers & printer.

and finally about the mouse, I never personally have owned a mighty mouse, but i have used one before and it really isn't my cup of tea. I have read alot of bad reviews about it, it going bad real quick, and the scroller not working for very long. I would recommend getting a nice bluetooth microsoft mouse or logitech mouse. those work real great, and last long.

yeah i really do not know a thing about macs. i have always owned a gateway, anywho.
so if i do not buy the air port thing i will not be able to print wirelessly? i do have a wireless router does that not count? i created a wireless network and made my printer shared wont that work?:/

about the .mac so you have to renew it every year? so this means it is 60 $$$ a year or what ever it costes laster on?
wow.!!!
about the mouse i think i might get a logitech since all those bad comments metioned by all you guys...

TASK comepleted:
ok so i know all about the mouse issue but not teh rest i need help on so please keep helping me
gladly appreciate this!

 

[JSchwage]

Most definitely get a Logitech mouse. I'd recommend the Logitech VX Nano. I originally had a wireless Mighty Mouse, but could stand it. So I replaced it with the VX Nano, and I'm very happy so far. It's amazing how tiny the USB receiver is!

 

[RumMunkey]

Hey there. Welcome to the bank account draining obsession that is Apple fandom. Don't say you weren't warned! ;

I'm a .mac user and I love it. It's great for syncing more than 1 Mac (a laptop with a desktop at home for example) and I LOVE it for simple, no-fuss webhosting. Then there' e-mail... and iChat... ugh! It's WORTH IT.

Some people bitch about the cost, but really, it's less than a cup of coffee a day.

I can't really help you with printers.

Lastly, I might be one of the few that loves the Mighty Mouse. It sure is expensive, but you get what you pay for. It's beautiful and functional. I (personally) couldn't imagine using a 3rd party mouse on either of my Macs, but maybe that's just me.

See... here's the thing. I switched from the Windows world... oh... a year or so ago, and here's the first thing I noticed: Apple stuff works REALLY WELL with other Apple stuff.

Apple is good at integration with 3rd parties, that's true, but for me, I wanted to give up on "hacking" and never wanted to see the word "workaround" again.

I am now a 100% Apple user and wouldn't dream of going back. Apple's stuff works SO WELL with other Apple stuff that I don't have to worry.

In a sentence, Apple has made computing FUN again for me. It used to be like WORK, now it's fun again.

That said, machines are still stupid machines, and nothing is perfect (Macs have problems too), but by and large I've found this to me a much less troublesome experience.

Welcome.

 

[AppleFan360]

I would highly recommend .Mac. When I first heard about it, I thought I wouldn't need it. Then I started exploring a little more.

First, it's very easy to setup a nice looking web site. If nothing else, you can at least setup a blog or something sharing your experiences with your Mac. That would give you a good feel on how iWeb works.

The features I really like are the screen sharing and synching. I now have a MacBook and an iMac. Thanks to .Mac, both computers carry the same bookmarks, address book, preferences etc. You never have to worry about one computer being different than the other. Add something to the calender on one computer and it automatically syncs to the other. Very nice!

Screen sharing is wonderful! When you are away from home with your MacBook, you can use your computer at home just like you are sitting there.

I know the screen sharing thing may not apply to you now, but if you get another Mac, you will at least have more options right from the start.

 

[nickXedge]

Congratulations on your future Macbook purchase! I am in a similar boat, I bought my Macbook 3 days ago! I absolutely love it, it is my first Mac and it is the cause for my last PC being in fact my last PC. I don't know much about .mac but if you buy it in the store they will "assign" you a personal shopping assistant who will gladly educate you on it. In terms of the printer, you're in luck if you didn't already know! They have a promotion going on right for when you buy a Macbook you get a free HP Photosmart C4280 All-in-One P/S/C! It's $99.95 in store and you get a $100 mail in rebate! I'm not sure about wireless printing without any extra accessories, however, I am going to purchase a Time Capsule when they become available in the beginning of March and I know you can do wireless printing via that device, as well as many other fantastic features that it holds. Last but not least, your question on the mouse. I bought a Wireless Mighty Mouse with my computer purchase, which covers it under my AppleCare Prot. Plan. So if I should encounter any problems with it, I will get it taken care of. In terms of use, I have a Logitech Wireless Trackman for my PC and I absolutely love it, but this is the best mouse for traveling hands down! The other wireless mice have cables/antennas/usb plugs to connect to the computer, this one however is bluetooth and talks to your Macbook without the need for any extra device! The scroll ball is fantastic. I absolutely love it. Enjoy!

 

[krewelement394]

Congratulations on your future Macbook purchase! I am in a similar boat, I bought my Macbook 3 days ago! I absolutely love it, it is my first Mac and it is the cause for my last PC being in fact my last PC. I don't know much about .mac but if you buy it in the store they will "assign" you a personal shopping assistant who will gladly educate you on it. In terms of the printer, you're in luck if you didn't already know! They have a promotion going on right for when you buy a Macbook you get a free HP Photosmart C4280 All-in-One P/S/C! It's $99.95 in store and you get a $100 mail in rebate! I'm not sure about wireless printing without any extra accessories, however, I am going to purchase a Time Capsule when they become available in the beginning of March and I know you can do wireless printing via that device, as well as many other fantastic features that it holds. Last but not least, your question on the mouse. I bought a Wireless Mighty Mouse with my computer purchase, which covers it under my AppleCare Prot. Plan. So if I should encounter any problems with it, I will get it taken care of. In terms of use, I have a Logitech Wireless Trackman for my PC and I absolutely love it, but this is the best mouse for traveling hands down! The other wireless mice have cables/antennas/usb plugs to connect to the computer, this one however is bluetooth and talks to your Macbook without the need for any extra device! The scroll ball is fantastic. I absolutely love it. Enjoy!

yeah i do know about that and it is free since 100 $$ back mail and rebate!~
so it is bassically free!
anywho i am buying a airport extreme since that is the only way i can print wireles!
oh and is this a good deal!!!:
EVERYTHING IS NEW!!!!
macbook2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
1GB memory
120GB hard drive1
Double-layer SuperDrive (white)

airport extreme

HP Photosmart C5280 All-in-One Printer, Scanner, Copier


all for

$1,542.20!!!!
all those things yup!
i am gettin student discount so if yar wonfdering why it is so cheap!

 

[taylorwilsdon]

YOU DO NOT NEED THE AIRPORT EXTREME. Whoever told you that is a liar. I print wirelessly fine using my Linksys wireless router. DON'T BUY IT IF YOU DON'T NEED IT.

 

[krewelement394]

YOU DO NOT NEED THE AIRPORT EXTREME. Whoever told you that is a liar. I print wirelessly fine using my Linksys wireless router. DON'T BUY IT IF YOU DON'T NEED IT.

well i heard lots of times that i do need it!
sorry if i didnt tell you but my printer does not have a ethernet dock....(hole thing...)
so do io still need it if not then how do i print with out using the airport and using my linksys router? *wireless*

PLEASE gimme instructions!

 

[bakerster]

I was the first person that told you to get an Airport EXPRESS for wireless printing. You don't NEED that to print wirelessly, there are many other options to do it, although having a router such as Airport Express / Extreme is your easiest route.

If you have a PC in the house, you can install the printer on the PC, and share the printer in the built in sharing features. For someone who does not know much about macs, this can get a bit tricky. Leopard is pretty flackey on Windows support when it comes to networks. Sometimes they see the box's, sometimes they dont. It's often a long, hard fix thats quite confusing to the average user. But the sharing of the Printer is still possible.

Another route, which taylorw. suggested is getting a linksys print server. With this, you simply plug the USB of the printer into the print server, then plug the print server into the router. Wa-La, you now have a "server" thats sharing a printer. Same thing as a airport express, minus the ease of apple, the airtunes, and having a wireless access point built in.

Its 100% worth paying $100 for an Airport Express, its a wonderful gadget.

 

[krewelement394]

I was the first person that told you to get an Airport EXPRESS for wireless printing. You don't NEED that to print wirelessly, there are many other options to do it, although having a router such as Airport Express / Extreme is your easiest route.

If you have a PC in the house, you can install the printer on the PC, and share the printer in the built in sharing features. For someone who does not know much about macs, this can get a bit tricky. Leopard is pretty flackey on Windows support when it comes to networks. Sometimes they see the box's, sometimes they dont. It's often a long, hard fix thats quite confusing to the average user. But the sharing of the Printer is still possible.

Another route, which taylorw. suggested is getting a linksys print server. With this, you simply plug the USB of the printer into the print server, then plug the print server into the router. Wa-La, you now have a "server" thats sharing a printer. Same thing as a airport express, minus the ease of apple, the airtunes, and having a wireless access point built in.

Its 100% worth paying $100 for an Airport Express, its a wonderful gadget.

wow that allsounds very confusing...
ill probably end up buyin the airport...!