Possible 1st Mac I own, need some questions answered

[irDigital0l]

So I'm going to college soon and its pretty obvious I need a laptop. I actually don't have a laptop (never had one) so this is pretty exciting. I first started using the iPhone and then I got the iPad. Judging that I'm quite firmly planted in Apple's ecosystem, I think a MacBook Air would do me good.

I'll probably pick up the 13-inch MBA model 2012 at like $1200.

The only problem I have with this is that despite using the Mac at my school's library (old ones which I hate) and in my digital imaging class, I'm not familiar with them at all so I have a couple of questions I would like to ask.

1. Does the MBA 2012 come with OS X Lion preinstalled or would I need to buy it from the Mac App Store? Mountain Lion is included free with it I belive.

2. Is iPhoto, Garageband, and iMovie free or do I need to buy them like the iOS versions?

3. When I was reading about FaceTime, I noticed that you need to buy the app for Macs. I found out its only $1 which isn't a big deal, but do I need to buy it in order to use FaceTime?

4. Will software and services like Spotify, Skype, Dropbox work with Mac? Not the apps, the actual software.

5. Can you get Adblocker for the Mac or does the Mac not need it?

6. iPhone earphones work with Macs right?

7. Can 1st gen iPad be charged from the MBA? Reason I say this is because for my windows pc which I use as my computer, it won't charge.

8. Can anyone give some apps (free or paid) that are must haves? I know the iOS app store pretty well, but I never actually checked out the Mac App Store. Are there the same apps that are found on iOS? and if you bought an app for iOS, do you need to rebuy it for the Mac?

Sorry if many these are noob questions, but I'm pretty clueless about Macs and would like some info before I go and probably get it.

 

[Intell]

Lion comes pre-installed with Mountian Lion being a free upgrade because of the close proximity to its launch.

iPhoto, GarageBand, and iMovie are all included for free as part of iLife.

FaceTime is included for free in Lion.

Spotify, Skype, and Dropbox will all work in Mac OS X just like they do in Windows.

You can get AdBlocker for Safari an FireFox. I am unsure about Chrome.

I believe the iPhone headphones and microphone work on the 2012 Air. If not, at least the headphones part of it will.

A Macbook Air can charge an iPad. Your PC is charging your iPad, even if the iPad says it isn't. Under a certain threshold of charging, iOS states that it isn't charging when it really is. However, charging only occurs in this state when the screen is off. iPads need a minimum of 500mah to charge. Which is also the maximum of most USB ports. Anything less then that and the iPad will not charge at all.

 

[flatfoot]

1. OS is preinstalled and you get a free option for Mountain Lion if you buy your Mac before its release.

2. They're free.

3. I would think so.

4. Yes, there are Mac versions of those.

5. I use an ad blocker in Safari. They're also available for FireFox etc.

6. Yes.

7. Might work, but doesn't make sense to me (charging off of a battery device). Just get a USB wall charger.

8. There are several threads about must-have apps here on these forums.

 

[stiligFox]

6. Yes the headphones work, the volume, play/pause, all that works like on an iPhone, as well as the mic.

 

[Hydrocide]

Mac's are very user friendly and reliable, it's a good choice for school. I had a Mid-2010 MacBook Pro and it served its purpsoe very well.

1 Yes they come with Lion pre-installed
2 iLife comes preinstalled on all Mac's
3 Facetime is free on Lion, comes pre-installed
4 I know skype works with windows, linux and mac. not sure about the other programs
5 Firefox still has all the wonderful addons you are use to
6 Yes they will work with the Mac
7 It should, not sure why it didn't on your PC
8 None of the apps for iOS work with a Mac, you will have to get the Mac version from the Mac App Store.

Non-App Store apps (Google to find them)
-Firefox
-LibreOffice (free productivity software)

 

[irDigital0l]

Alright thanks guys!

 

[isrefel]

AFAIK...

1. Lion comes pre-installed, ML for free later this month

2. They are free, pre-installed.

3. FaceTime is preinstalled as well.

4. All three have mac versions of their apps.

5. Yes AdBlock has a safari extension.

6. The audio controls and mic both work.

7. I'm not sure about this one, but I believe it should be able to.

8. The mac app store is a separate store with unique titles, though some designers have ported their games to mac from iOS, such as Angry Birds or Order & Chaos Online.

http://www.apple.com/support/mac101/

Check this out for OSX basics, overall its a straightforward OS...easy to get the hang of.

EDIT: Check out Onyx by Titanium Software (http://www.titanium.free.fr/), it runs the OSX maintenance scripts for you, clears caches, cookies, etc. Its a great tool that kept my macbook working for 7 years with no hiccups.

If you're into gaming the new MBAs can handle source games really well, such as the Half Life 2 games and Left 4 Dead/2. They're all available on the Steam store/platform (http://store.steampowered.com/)

 

[silverjam]

On the charging point.

New Macs are excellent for charging iPod/pad/phone etc as the USB port adjusts the amperage automatically for the device. Your PC could only output 500ma. That is why it could not charge and was also so slow. When I plug my iPad in, the Amps are 2.1. With the iPhone it is 1 amp.

Yo can check this under USb under Sys Info. You will notice the current available 500ma and current required is added to the 500. Current required when my iPad is plugged in says 1600 (i.e. 500+1600+2.1amps)

Soo cool if you don't like carrying around a charger.

Technically this is against USB protocol (500ma) but you tell Apple that.