My First Mac

[xA4Hx]

I am in the process of trying to make my decision so far everyone is telling me Macbook not the pro since all I really do is listen to music, surf, chat, watch a casual movie, maybe a little email. Funny thing is I been holding out for over a year for vista and then I saw the small little macbook, I was like damn , I got to get me one of those. Now I am either trying to hold back for new os or trying to make sure 13in screen will be enough viewing area for me to use for next 3 years. I am tired just like another poster carrying the heavy laptop, around , I currently leave it at home. I have very little patents which tells me I be lucky to hold out long enough for me to recieve my tax check and already saved money on top of that for the laptop. Question is will macbook last for 3 years with the current hardware.
Modifications i will planning was 2ghz model, 2 gig of ram and 160 gig hd.

I dont have windows problems like everyone else, I am just wanting to try a new direction, lower operating costs by not needing antivirus, or spyware protection even though I never get it , it slows the machine down. I want things to happen snappy. I swear years ago I never get a mac and look at me now. I am on the edge of getting one just havent decide can I hold out a little bit longer , is 13 big enough so on. I will get applecare with it either at purchase or within the first year just because I rather they pay to fix it then I. I could tell u I am on my 3rd laptop because hp and toshia have crapy laptops or is it just bestbuy who sales crappy verisons. Anyway whatever the case maybe bestbuy had to pay for it.

I am hoping mac os to be better then linux, linux is always not viewing something on a webpage because I cant install like quicktime or media player or whatever so it shows up. I was going to be a network administrator but over the years at college I am starting to get burned out of messing with computers.

 

[steve_hill4]

I dont have windows problems like everyone else, I am just wanting to try a new direction, lower operating costs by not needing antivirus, or spyware protection even though I never get it , it slows the machine down.

I laughed like a drain upon reading that bit. Are you connected up to the internet or so used to the OS that you consider all that spyware slowing your machine down to be just regular slowdown due to age and bloat?

Anyway, I would personally not use a 13" machine as my main machine, but I know countless others that do. I mostly work with a 15" MBP at the moment, which seems comfortable most of the time, but I am looking forward to the purchasing of a 24" iMac in the not too distant future. A couple of years down the line, I'm hoping for an ultra portable MBP to be available for much easier portability, but it would never function as a main machine.

13" will be fine for everything you do, except maybe watching movies. My suggestion would be to go for the spec outlined by yourself, but get a good quality 20"+ WS monitor or TV and BT keyboard and MM. That way you have the best of both worlds long term.

 

[Fearless Leader]

I couldn't work on the 13" either, But I had been using a Gateway 15" as my portable and 17" apple screen at home. Both died at the same time leaving My G5 useless. I got the MBP as my main machine. 5 months latter I got a 23" monitor and a new graphics and My G5 sings. I could easily use the MB as my portable machine now.

The ibook was my first mac, then I loved it so much the G5. Your hardware being outdated isn't really your problem. Early g4's are still quite use able and g3 laptops. I think your issue will be the "meanness" you'll be putting on your laptop over the three years.

 

[xA4Hx]

In responce to steve_hill4

I am on linux right now. Spyware slow down meaning The tools to prevent it. Age, it is like a 2.2ghz intel. It is ok. I just dont have an antivirus anymore , slowed down to much. It has 768mbs of ram.

With a mac, i wouldnt need any of the tools. Also would be more portable meaning I will actually take it outside the house. I want the pc to be snappy. LOL I just figure that be a good word to use. I have no loyalty to windows, It just ant crashing like everyone else that is switch although I didnt get vista. But without windows I wont need a virus protection or spyware. 2 Less real time tools.

Well yes it does slow down over time. I am hoping mac to be the new direction for me to go in. Just taking alot of new directions this year. I got transfered to a different store in the company I work for to work with different people and thinking there will be more oppurunity. Change cell phone carriers end of last year to something that should be better.

It is good to step back from a given situtation and take a different path that could end up being the better path. I am as new to the MAC os as I can be but I am trying to learn something I never consider before this month ever going to.

It would be ignorant of myself to live in a windows world and not try to switch to mac to try something different hopefully for the best. I can not simply dismiss any longer mac for no reason. Hoping mac os to be everything windows isnt. Dependable.
Stable
Snappy.

-illusion

Ps. Lets not forget less overhead to keep it running, less wasted processing cycle to keep it from catching the next virus of the week/month.

 

[Xyl]

I laughed like a drain upon reading that bit. Are you connected up to the internet or so used to the OS that you consider all that spyware slowing your machine down to be just regular slowdown due to age and bloat?

First, disclaimer: I'm not saying Windows is better, it's not. I find OS X much more intuitive and user-friendly.

It is quite easy to have Windows not be full of bloat and age and slow till it dies. Mac OS X is better, but it doesn't automatically mean that Windows will crash every other day. I have a 6 year old Windows machine, 1.6Ghz, 512 MB RAM (yes, only 512). It runs as if it was new, it almost never crashes, and I've only reinstalled the OS once in 6 years - even some Mac users have have reinstalled OS X it more times than that. With that said, I wouldn't say Windows is unreliable - but its less functional (fewer useful features and bundled apps) and less enjoyable.

 

[johnmartin78]

I am in the process of trying to make my decision so far everyone is telling me Macbook not the pro since all I really do is listen to music, surf, chat, watch a casual movie, maybe a little email.

As far as money goes,you can get a pretty sweet Macbook for about $1,000.00 less than base MBP.

 

[xA4Hx]

I am trying to hold on for new Leopard and in case they do any hardware changes because if I buy now I will definitely buy leopard as an update. It is if I can hold on until it comes out or not. Since I have already been waiting a year + for vista and then changing my mind this year to go with mac.

-illusion

Ps. the one macbook I have configured would cost me around 1800 that includes tax and applecare.