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UPDATED: So, I have taken the biggest leap of faith ever ...

M

mbp-abby

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 16, 2009
15
0
Leeds, UK
I know I know, I cannot really call it "Leap of Faith", after all, the capabilities of a Mac over any Windows machine has been proven enough number of times. But for a Mac Newbie like me, it all boils down to nothing more than hearsay (don't bash me fanboys!!) unless I am able to prove it for myself. And a bit of mindset change, I guess ;)

So, after using umpteen windows laptops and PCs over the last 15 years, I have just laid down my credit card for my first MBP, the 2.66GHz Glassbook pro. Scheduled for delivery in 3 days time - CAN HARDLY WAIT!! Sure, I miss the sheer configuration options on windows machines and I absolutely HATE paying the Apple tax, BUT, I hope the money is worth it !!!

I have read many posts about the various problems people have had with their latest UMBPs. And while I understand that the one's with problems form only a tiny percentage of actual users, I cannot help but keep my fingers crossed in the hope that I do not join that group.

Clock is counting .............
 
Congratulations.

If you have any hardware problems, a trip to an Apple Store or Reseller will alleviate them.

If you have any questions whatsoever, we're here. Use this: http://mroogle.************* and if you can't find what you're looking for, create a new thread.

May you have many happy years with your MacBook Pro.
 
I did the same about two weeks ago. Been working in IT for over 15yrs and never used a Mac. But somehow the unibody concept (and the great marketing) convinced me to try it. So I sold my Vaio laptop and got a MBP instead. I absolutely LOVE it. OsX is great to work with and I feel that I'm doing more and more of my daily computer-related things on the MBP than on my desktop pc. More so, I'm even considering selling the whole thing altogether since the sole thing I seem to be doing on the pc lately is playing a game occasionally. Unnecessary, since I also got a 360 and a PS3.
 
Congrats! :D

I'm sure you'll love it. I got a practically flawless MBP, so try not to fret too much.

'Apple Tax' is a load of rubbish. ALL companies; Microsoft, Sony, Adobe etc etc all mark up their products just as much. Microsoft didn't become one of the richest companies ever without their own 'Tax'. You're an Apple user now, time to distance yourself from the PC-crowd generated Apple myths.

Did you get Apple Care with your MBP?
 
Congrats! I was in your shoes about 6 months ago when I took the first step and purchased a Macbook. I have used Windows based machines for everything from programming back in the 80's to gaming. While I don't game or program anymore I can say I have been very happy with the Mac line of computers. I know we all get to pay the price, but after using my MB I have found myself in a 17" UMBP as my desktop replacement and still giving me the portability I enjoy.

I switched because I was tired of all the BS needed to keep my windows machine running. The obvious spyware, adware and other additional software people never take into consideration adds up $$$ fast. The time I waste keeping it running and the hassle finally made the Mac line worth trying. The results of switching has been more time to actually use my Mac vs jacking with it to keep it running. That is the reason I don't see ever going back, Windows is a ball and chain and OSX seems to be a very easy to use OS.

I've come to look at is as this, with Apple your paying up front all at once. Buy a windows machine your paying a less up front and the rest over time. They get you one way or the other lol, just less hassle biting the bullet up front with the Apple products.
 
post some unboxing pics here or on another existing thread:D, i'd like to see it and i'm sure others too but it's not needed to make a new thread for it lol.
congrats by the way!
 
I think overall you will be happy with Apple both in the short term and in the long term. OSX is the key thing in my book (no registry) and generally great apps. I use my UMBP daily both for work (usually in XP) and personal computing in OSX. I exist in a mixed environment with LINUX, Windows and OSX. I use both BootCamp and VMware. It does not get much better then this.

And you have a new version of OSX coming soon.

Neil.
 
mbp-abby said:
No, no applecare yet. But plan to get it in the next few days. Will get it definitely though.
Click to expand...
there's no need to rush out and buy it really. You have 1 year from date of purchase to buy and apply the AppleCare to your laptop. I always wait till the week before my AppleCare is going to expire before I buy the extended AppleCare :D. I do that because I usually upgrade my macs before the year is up anyway.
 
angemon89 said:
there's no need to rush out and buy it really. You have 1 year from date of purchase to buy and apply the AppleCare to your laptop. I always wait till the week before my AppleCare is going to expire before I buy the extended AppleCare :D. I do that because I usually upgrade my macs before the year is up anyway.
Click to expand...

Ditto! Good point to consider, I'm on Mac number 4 in 6 months and didn't buy any Apple care on any of them. (long story) Anyhow I don't see the point in spending the extra money prior to a few months at least going by to be sure it's the right Mac for you and as angenomon89 states, you do have a year to purchase it :)
 
angemon89 said:
there's no need to rush out and buy it really. You have 1 year from date of purchase to buy and apply the AppleCare to your laptop. I always wait till the week before my AppleCare is going to expire before I buy the extended AppleCare
Click to expand...

Now then ... here's another total newbie comment/question ...

I hear dealing with Apple if you have issues is a lot easier if you have applecare compared to if you don't. I know, Apple are obliged (within their T&Cs) to provide warranty assistance for a whole year, its just how well you are treated if you have applecare, the hassle you may have to go through if you dont ... blah blah ... get my drift?

Or have I got it completely wrong and am fretting for no good reason? And I should just wait and get applecare later before my year is up?
 
Apple Tax?

I love the word Apple Tax, since when is paying for better hardware a tax? If you purchase a alienware or XPS type system are you paying a alienware tax or a XPS tax? just because Apple don't cut corners by using cheep parts don't mean we should call that a tax you pay for what you get.
One thing apple should promote is the windows tax, Let me explain this. Let's compare if you own 2 macs and 2 PC's. If you want to upgrade the OS on the macs you can purchase a family package version of the software for a few dollars more then the single install version. For a family upgrade that includes Ilife 09 and Iwork 09 it will cost you 169.00. Ok lets look at windows VISTA ultimate upgrade version which is 199.00 per machine. So for apple it will cost 169.00 and for windows it will cost 298.00 oh lets not forget that the Mac upgrade comes with Ilife and Iwork, so you need to add a few more hundred dollars onto the PC upgrade to upgrade the office product and not to mention that don't even include the software that is coverd in the ilife package so the PC upgrade will cost even more. This should be called the Windows Tax I think.
 
mbp-abby said:
Now then ... here's another total newbie comment/question ...

I hear dealing with Apple if you have issues is a lot easier if you have applecare compared to if you don't. I know, Apple are obliged (within their T&Cs) to provide warranty assistance for a whole year, its just how well you are treated if you have applecare, the hassle you may have to go through if you dont ... blah blah ... get my drift?

Or have I got it completely wrong and am fretting for no good reason? And I should just wait and get applecare later before my year is up?
Click to expand...

Anyone ............. ????
 
Hi, and congratulations.

Don't buy your Applecare from Apple. Buy it from eBay, much much cheaper.
search threads for applecare, and you will notice a lot of people do, plus plenty of tips. Buy from ebay sellers with at least 95% feedback, and thousand plus sales, and you can't go wrong...but read the tips for more info.

If you do run into *any* kind of problem, with your new machine, calm down, take a breather, try and figure it out yourself, and if you can't, feel free to ask on here, great community of support.

Tip: Don't be negative about Apple, be constructive, give as much info as you can, if you run into problems, and don't get into any 'politics' if anyone other than you starts!

/just a little advice to a fellow comrade! :)
 
angemon89 said:
there's no need to rush out and buy it really. You have 1 year from date of purchase to buy and apply the AppleCare to your laptop. I always wait till the week before my AppleCare is going to expire before I buy the extended AppleCare :D. I do that because I usually upgrade my macs before the year is up anyway.
Click to expand...

Unless of course you are at college and uni, in which case on the presentation of a valid student ID you can have around 80% off the price of applecare as long as you buy it at the same time you buy the machine :D
 
mbp-abby said:
Anyone ............. ????
Click to expand...

Only downside to waiting the full 11 months or whatever is you only have phone support for 90 days, UNLESS you purchase the applecare extending both phone and hardware support to 3 years. So if your 6 months in and have an issue, expect to pay a fee (think 30 or 35 bucks) for phone suport. That's Apple nice way of encouraging you to go ahead and buy Applecare ;)

As far as support being less then standard for Apple I don't know, but based on my own experiences in the store it's been way better then I expected. They have taken care of everything I've asked with a smile and never been an issue. I think the negative reports of issues always seem to people blowing up and not being polite. If your an A hole to them, you won't get far. If your calm, collected and tell them what's going on they will help you resolve your issues.
 
Congrats :D
I was a Windows user for 15 years just like you and I purchased my first ever Mac a couple of weeks ago... loving it so far and for programs that don't work on Mac (like Nokia PC Suite) I use VMWare Fusion which is really good. I'm sure you'll like it.
 
Congrats... Couldn't have made a better choice. I was also a Windows user for over 12 years. I made the big leap in October with the UMBP... I dont regret anything about the switch. Neither will you!!!!!!
 
A user since, I could remember of windows. Made the switch to Mac a little over a year ago. Could never go back :D
 
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