04-16-2005, 03:03 PM

Hi all,

Looks like a great forum with lots of helpful info!

I have worked with PC's all my life but am looking at getting a new laptop! I have heard everybody raving about Mac's for ages and so thought It was about time I looked into them properly and had a good look!! They are meant to be more reliable, easier to use, robust and they just look so very sexy!! :mac: :mac:

So with a kind of limited budget I have been looking at the following:

• A 14" iBook - 1.33GHz combo with the following: Airport Extreme Card, Keyboard & Mac OS, Bluetooth Module, 80GB Ultra ATA drive, DVD/CD-RW, 512MB SDRAM
  
• Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac
  
• Tucano Cobra Horizontal Limit Bag for 14" iBook

This is for a total of: £1,141.51 (I get an educational discount!).

So, I just have some questions about the Mac thing.

Where is the best place to buy it from in the UK?? The current quote is from the apple online store.

If you could and within budget + or - up to £100 what part of the spec would you change for the iBook?

Is the iBook a good system??

How easy is it to grasp the Mac concept comming over from PC??

What does the Combo bit mean in the description on the iBook??

There are wireless points at the places where I work- as all of the systems there are windows will they work with the iBook??

I am a professional thetare technician and I run some specialist software that only runs in Windows (called Cast Software WYSIWYG), I may just keep it on my home PC but If i wanted it on my iBook how good is Virtual PC??

Anything else you would suggest or recommend??

Many Many Thanks,

Sam

04-16-2005, 03:19 PM

Originally Posted by numacuser

Is the iBook a good system??

Definitely.

Originally Posted by numacuser

How easy is it to grasp the Mac concept comming over from PC??

OS X is very easy. You may get turned around a little bit but if you have any questions then use these forums.

Originally Posted by numacuser

What does the Combo bit mean in the description on the iBook??

Combo Drive = CD-RW/DVD-ROM
SuperDrive = DVD Writer and CD-RW/DVD-ROM

Originally Posted by numacuser

There are wireless points at the places where I work- as all of the systems there are windows will they work with the iBook??

Most likely yes.

Originally Posted by numacuser

I am a professional thetare technician and I run some specialist software that only runs in Windows (called Cast Software WYSIWYG), I may just keep it on my home PC but If i wanted it on my iBook how good is Virtual PC??

VPC is slow, buggy, and unstable from what I've heard. Not to mention expensive.

Originally Posted by numacuser

Anything else you would suggest or recommend??

Never mix Mountain Dew and chocolate powder. It's asking for trouble.

04-16-2005, 03:30 PM

Thanks for the info so far!!

Just one moren question whats the differenace between G4 and G5. On my specs from the apple store it doesn't say what it is, which one is it likely to be?

Sam

04-16-2005, 03:36 PM

Here goes:

Originally Posted by numacuser

So, I just have some questions about the Mac thing.

Where is the best place to buy it from in the UK?? The current quote is from the apple online store.

The Apple store is more or less as good as anywhere else (at least it is here in the States). You might be able to find slightly better pricing by searching around, but normally the difference is extremely small.

If you could and within budget + or - up to £100 what part of the spec would you change for the iBook?

I'd probably stick with the standard 256 MB of RAM from Apple, then purchase my own 512 MB stick from a third-party. You'll end up with more memory for roughly the same cost. Check out Crucial and compare pricing.

Is the iBook a good system??

Absolutely. I love mine and have never had a problem with it. When it's time for a new machine, I'll most likely purchase another iBook.

How easy is it to grasp the Mac concept comming over from PC??

It didn't take me very long at all. OS X is quite an easy and user-friendly operating system, but it's also extremely powerful. I had fun learning to use it.

What does the Combo bit mean in the description on the iBook??

This has already been addressed, but the Combo drive is Apple's term for a DVD/CD-RW drive.

There are wireless points at the places where I work- as all of the systems there are windows will they work with the iBook??

Yes, you should have no problems.

I am a professional thetare technician and I run some specialist software that only runs in Windows (called Cast Software WYSIWYG), I may just keep it on my home PC but If i wanted it on my iBook how good is Virtual PC??

I have no personal experience with VPC, but the reviews I've read are not terribly positive. You can give it a shot, but you're most likely better-off just using your PC when necessary.

Anything else you would suggest or recommend??

Nothing really. One you start using the machine, you may find that you want certain accessories. I have a cushioned lap pad, but that's really the only other accessory I use. Most of all, just enjoy it. :p

04-16-2005, 03:37 PM

Ohh sorry, just another thing.

This must be a really stupid question but I am not that in-touch with all the computer hardware type of stuff!! Whats are Ghz, I have been having a read and people are saying that the 14" screen makes the iBook a lot heavier so I was thinking about getting a 12" but it has less GHz so I don't know what this means!

Sam

04-16-2005, 03:42 PM

Originally Posted by numacuser

Ohh sorry, just another thing.

This must be a really stupid question but I am not that in-touch with all the computer hardware type of stuff!! Whats are Ghz, I have been having a read and people are saying that the 14" screen makes the iBook a lot heavier so I was thinking about getting a 12" but it has less GHz so I don't know what this means!

Sam

GHz is a unit of measure for a computer's clock speed. The 12" model does have a slightly slower processor, but it's probably not something you'd be able to notice unless you were testing it. I prefer the larger screen on the 14" model, but the weight difference between the two is 1 lb.

04-16-2005, 03:47 PM

OK Thanks for that, The thing is if I go for the smaller screen version I will be able to afford more accessorys and other stuff and still have more change, so I am guessing in the situation I will be using it for- mainly just word, excel, email etc. it won't be much of an issue.

Another thing- Do PC's and Macs network together well?? for instance if I wanted to share the internet conection from another windows PC in the house would there be a problem??

Thanks for all the info so far guys,

Sam

04-16-2005, 03:54 PM

Originally Posted by numacuser

OK Thanks for that, The thing is if I go for the smaller screen version I will be able to afford more accessorys and other stuff and still have more change, so I am guessing in the situation I will be using it for- mainly just word, excel, email etc. it won't be much of an issue.

Another thing- Do PC's and Macs network together well?? for instance if I wanted to share the internet conection from another windows PC in the house would there be a problem??

Thanks for all the info so far guys,

Sam

Nope, no problems. I've got 3 Windows computers, 1 Linux desktop, a PS2, an Xbox and my PowerBook all on the same (Linksys) router with no hiccups whatsoever.

04-16-2005, 04:47 PM

OK, um...I had something constructive that I thought was missed, but it wasn't...so um...never mind. :-)

Edit: oh man, i think i found something any way. The diff. between G4 and G5 is, in the simplest terms, more power. G5 is a new processor and should be better than G4 (though I love my G4 and wouldn't trade it for the world...ok, maybe the world). The one you'll buy most likely will be the G4 (if i read everything you typed down correctly [it's been known for me to skip key details, though]). Hope you like it.

04-16-2005, 07:54 PM

OK, This is less of a hardware question but is the iBook white or grey. It looks grey on the website but I really would prefer white- looks way better!!

Sam

04-16-2005, 08:03 PM

It's white.

When the G3 iBooks were redesigned people nicknamed them 'iceBooks' because of the arctic-looking exterior, but the interior is a bit greyish.

04-16-2005, 08:03 PM

Originally Posted by numacuser

OK, This is less of a hardware question but is the iBook white or grey. It looks grey on the website but I really would prefer white- looks way better!!

Sam

Its both. The outer case is white and it is a very light grey color when you open the lid.

04-17-2005, 06:06 AM

OK Guys, thats all good. Just wondering whats with the Tiger thing?? Will my iBook be shipped with it?? How is it different from the previous Mac OS??

Sam

04-17-2005, 10:12 AM

If you order your ibook right now or anytime later i believe it'll be shipped with it. I would wait until after april 29th though to buy it, just to be on the safe side. There is an overview of tiger's new features here: http://www.apple.com/macosx/

04-17-2005, 10:24 AM

Originally Posted by untoastytoast

If you order your ibook right now or anytime later i believe it'll be shipped with it. I would wait until after april 29th though to buy it, just to be on the safe side. There is an overview of tiger's new features here: http://www.apple.com/macosx/

Tiger won't be included on new machines at least until the OS itself begins shipping (even then, there will probably be inventory left over with Panther installed). If you order now, you qualify to receive Tiger for $9.95 once it becomes available, so no worries either way. Here's a link to the upgrade information: http://www.apple.com/macosx/uptodate/