PC Developer...considering MacBook Pro. Questions.

[CodeCowboy]

I have been developing on and for PCs for the past 15 years but am considering the as yet to be released model of the 17" MBP.

Questions:

1. Does anyone know if BestBuy allows customization of laptops? ie, anti-glare screen instead of glossy, 7200 RPM or SSD HDDs vs the 5200RPM?

2. I need full HD resolution (at a minimum) has anyone heard if the 15" pros are supposed to be getting an upgrade to their screens?

3. is Parallels still the best Windows emulator?

4. Anyone know if Adobe products have an easy way to change the license from PC to Mac without a re-purchase?

I realize I could float around a bunch of sites and find most of this info out, but I figured there were tons of already well informed mac-heads here who could lend their expert opinions

 

[Ohrstrom]

I have been developing on and for PCs for the past 15 years but am considering the as yet to be released model of the 17" MBP.

Questions:

1. Does anyone know if BestBuy allows customization of laptops? ie, anti-glare screen instead of glossy, 7200 RPM or SSD HDDs vs the 5200RPM?

2. I need full HD resolution (at a minimum) has anyone heard if the 15" pros are supposed to be getting an upgrade to their screens?

3. is Parallels still the best Windows emulator?

4. Anyone know if Adobe products have an easy way to change the license from PC to Mac without a re-purchase?

I realize I could float around a bunch of sites and find most of this info out, but I figured there were tons of already well informed mac-heads here who could lend their expert opinions

2. Noone knows I think, (well, bar the apple people who are in the loop) It has been rumoured it will get retina while others believe (hope) for atleast a slight "up" where others think Apple wont bother with getting a better resolution.

 

[mikeo007]

I have been developing on and for PCs for the past 15 years but am considering the as yet to be released model of the 17" MBP.

Questions:

1. Does anyone know if BestBuy allows customization of laptops? ie, anti-glare screen instead of glossy, 7200 RPM or SSD HDDs vs the 5200RPM?

2. I need full HD resolution (at a minimum) has anyone heard if the 15" pros are supposed to be getting an upgrade to their screens?

3. is Parallels still the best Windows emulator?

4. Anyone know if Adobe products have an easy way to change the license from PC to Mac without a re-purchase?

I realize I could float around a bunch of sites and find most of this info out, but I figured there were tons of already well informed mac-heads here who could lend their expert opinions

I can answer a couple of these:

1. No, Best Buy only sells select models. Customization has to be done directly through Apple.

2. Not sure, it's anyone's guess at this point.

3. Parallels is the fastest, VMWare is slightly more stable. Whichever you are using, I suggest running the Windows VM as it's own, independent environment. Parallels' "Crystal" mode and VMWare's equivalent both clutter up your interface and really bog down both systems. Always isolate your VM from your main OS for the best speed and compatibility.

4. I believe Adobe offers cross-grades for some of their products. You'd be best to contact their customer service for the specifics.

 

[/user/me]

I have been developing on and for PCs for the past 15 years but am considering the as yet to be released model of the 17" MBP.

Questions:

1. Does anyone know if BestBuy allows customization of laptops? ie, anti-glare screen instead of glossy, 7200 RPM or SSD HDDs vs the 5200RPM?

As far as I know, Best buy only carries what they have in stock, so most likely no antiglare or hdd upgrades, although, you could do the ssd upgrade yourself. It's not very hard . If you want an antiglare, go to the apple store online because it's a custom order gig.

2. I need full HD resolution (at a minimum) has anyone heard if the 15" pros are supposed to be getting an upgrade to their screens?

Nobody knows if they're getting an upgrade. The hi-res screens on both the 15 and 17 inch laptops are "true" hi res.

3. is Parallels still the best Windows emulator?

That's the one that I prefer, and it works quite well.

4. Anyone know if Adobe products have an easy way to change the license from PC to Mac without a re-purchase?

Virtually impossible because they're different operating systems.... I was able to transfer my CS5 license to another mac, but they won't send you new software for a different operating system.[/QUOTE]

 

[mslide]

2. Nobody outside of Apple really knows the answer to that.

3. I prefer VirtualBox. It's free and works well for what I use it for. I've tried Parallels and Fusion in the past but it's hard to beat free.

Virtually impossible because they're different operating systems.... I was able to transfer my CS5 license to another mac, but they won't send you new software for a different operating system.

Are you sure about that? Everything I've read says that you can do what the OP wants but it requires contacting Adobe.

 

[Ccrew]

Are you sure about that? Everything I've read says that you can do what the OP wants but it requires contacting Adobe and it's free (minus shipping charges perhaps).

With a valid key if you're dealing with the current version you can just download the trial though and it accepts the full version key and exits trial mode.

The Windows keys and Mac keys are different, I can say that for sure as we have corporate licenses and they're not the same across platforms.

 

[/user/me]

With a valid key if you're dealing with the current version you can just download the trial though and it accepts the full version key and exits trial mode.

The Windows keys and Mac keys are different, I can say that for sure as we have corporate licenses and they're not the same across platforms.

This : I experienced this issue when I switched platforms from Windows to OSX. I contacted Adobe, and they wouldn't allow me to get essentially free software because I still use my Windows laptop every once in a while... 1 license=1 machine. I even had a hell of a time transferring my license to my new Mac when I dropped it from lighting catwalks. I had to send adobe a photograph of the destroyed computer with my ID in the picture so that they knew I wasn't scamming them... When companies have software that costs 500-2000+dollars per license, theft is a very real issue. Not that it isn't with smaller programs, but since Adobe is so expensive, and has a very select audience, they're just covering their pocketbook.

 

[p4madeus]

1. Does anyone know if BestBuy allows customization of laptops? ie, anti-glare screen instead of glossy, 7200 RPM or SSD HDDs vs the 5200RPM?

1. As others have said, no, you have to order through Apple directly. The only worthwhile upgrades to get through Apple are any you can't do yourself such as screen or processor. As far as upgrading your RAM and/or HD I highly recommend getting the minimum (cheapest) from Apple and upgrading yourself... excellent instructions can be found at www.ifixit.com and you can always get the parts cheaper on your own instead of through Apple.

2. I need full HD resolution (at a minimum) has anyone heard if the 15" pros are supposed to be getting an upgrade to their screens?

2. I would be surprised if Apple didn't make 'retina' screens at least an option on the new models, if not the default. I'd count on it, as it would set their line of laptops even further apart from PC competitors.

3. is Parallels still the best Windows emulator?

3. For most users, probably, when properly configured. Booting natively into Windows via BootCamp will get you the best performance, however.

4. Anyone know if Adobe products have an easy way to change the license from PC to Mac without a re-purchase?

4. Contact Adobe, I'm not sure. If they would do such a thing they would probably have to invalidate your Windows license so they weren't effectively giving you two licenses for the price of one. If they don't another possible option would be to see if you can purchase a Mac upgrade license for a newer version using your current Windows license, I'm not sure if they let you get upgrade pricing for cross platform upgrades, once again you'd have to contact Adobe.