New and confused!

I am very new to all of this and I am in my 2nd week of research. I am a second year Web Design major student and I am in the market for a notebook. I have a couple on my list and one of them is an Apple. I have been looking at Alienware Sentia 3450, Dell XPS M1210, and the Apple. I like the look of the Apple and the small footprint of the Macbook. I have a couple questions that are probably related to being new to Mac. I would like to know what the lifecycle is on a mac, if I decide to drop $1500-$2500 on a Macbook or Pro, how long will it be before I will need to buy something new? Having come from a PC based world I would like to know, with both PC and Mac running Intel Core 2 Duo, why does PC need more power but the Mac does not and will my web design software run nice on apple notebook? If there are any designers here, do you like coding on mac or pc? Lastly, will I need the Macbook or the Macbook Pro? I am will to ante up for the Pro but I absolutely love the footprint of the 13" model. I am not replacing my home pc just yet so I do have an excellent machine already, just looking for something new and portable, a good investment!

<R>

Well, it is hard to say the lifespan of a Mac. However it is certainly longer than a PC with equivalent specs. The main reason for this is, the same company make both hardware and the software.

Most of the folk here would agree if I say that the OS X is the best platform for designers, whether it is video/audio production or making a website using Adobe or any other similar software.

I have been using Widows, Linux, Unix and OS X for some time and all I can say is OS X is the most user friendly and reliable OS(at the same time) I ever tried. When I was using PCs for productive work such as web designing or video editing I was encouraged to download security patches from MS, new virus definitions from Symantec, updates for Zone Alarm, even before I actually start my real work. Obviously I also had to restart my PC at least once before all the updates become active. I have spent >40% of my PC time on maintenance.

When I switched to OS X, I had to give up all these activities(for good) and as a result my productive time increased dramatically. Perhaps you may think I am trying to exaggerate but some users may agree with me on this.

With my Macs, I am editing movies, writing codes, chatting with friends, etc,. etc,. simultaneously without any lags or crashes. Sometimes I wonder why I waited so long

If you want to get a honest opinion about Macs, you should try it yourself. Spend some time in an Apple store and play around. I have no doubts that you will fall in love with Macs in no time.

MacBook and MacBookPro are from different leagues. If you don't do hardcore video editing, or any resource intensive work a MacBook would be fine. Unlike MB, MBP has a separate graphic card (ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 128MB/256MB) which makes a huge difference when it comes to graphic intensive work.

Whichever you decide, make sure to add some more memory for the best experience.

Good Luck!

Ohh... ad Welcome to M-F!

Mac's seem to not be hated as much as windows
Have less or no security risks
Less "critical" updates
Dont crash as often
Dont restart after you install something
Dont make stupid noises for errors
Have a commonly used program bar instead on a start menu

After using a pc for my whole life, i went round to my uncles one day and was amazed by how easy a mac was to use, and the speed of it. The user interface is friendly, the designs of the machines are sexy, and web browsing on it is great - NO POPUPS!!!

I has great tools to make websites, music and graphics... Now you could argue that this can all be done in another OS however macs make it simple to do, and render very quickly.

When you upgrade your mac OS your mac will still be good and efficient, i have a os 9 mac waiting to be upgraded to tiger, and this isnt exactly a brand new mac.

But you buy a mac if it suits your needs, Dont spend the extra money if you dont need to. If a pc will benefit you better go for that. However with bootcamp coming out soon a mac might be the best investment out there as you will have both of best worlds.

Hope this helps.

what are your actual needs? that will really determine what you should get; pc or mac, macbook or macbook pro.

I have made my mind up about which platform to go and it's going to be Apple. Now my only decision to make it which notebook.

What are my actual needs?- Well, something that can handle web design apps. like Dreamweaver 8, Flash Pro 8, Photoshop CS2, Illustrator, etc... My desktop pc I do design on now is a P4 3.0ghz w/512mb ddr2, 256mb Nvidia pcie, and 80gb hd. I have seen no sign of slow down but the programs take forever to load and I do get pauses when switching back and forth between apps. sometimes.

As I read I am learning that the Mac gets it's speed from the quality of the OS and I am liking a lot about what I read. I like the idea of not going through all the ms security bs, pop-ups, windows updates, one version OS, re-boots, and I hope I won't have to re-format my Mac every six months! So now the only question is MB or MB Pro!

I appreciate all the advice and I am taking every bit of it in!

<R>

If form factor is an issue, the Macbook is very convenient size wise. The 13.3" screen at 1280x800 resolution is prefectly adequate, and I'm used to a 20" monitor at 1600x1200. I used the Macbook internal monitor for about a week before I went out and got an external monitor DVI-VGA adapter. Now I have both the internal monitor and the 20" monitor spanned, both at their highest resolution. If I don't have an external monitor available, I have no problem working with the built-in screen. I got my wife a DVI adapter for her Macbook, but she has yet to actually use it with her 19" LCD preferring instead to use her Macbook wherever she happens to be (couch, bed, etc.)

The MBP has a better graphics card with dedicated memory, to be sure, but if you aren't going to be gaming, you really don't need it. The MBP is also physically larger to lug around. I really like the handy portability of the Macbook and, of course, the reasonable price vs. the MBP. It sounds like for you you're going to do, the graphics capability of the MB will be perfect.

my macbook handles these apps fine

upgrade the ram tho, rendering can be tedious

go for the 2 gig ram bwahhha ha ha YES!

What are my actual needs?- Well, something that can handle web design apps. like Dreamweaver 8, Flash Pro 8, Photoshop CS2, Illustrator, etc... My desktop pc I do design on now is a P4 3.0ghz w/512mb ddr2, 256mb Nvidia pcie, and 80gb hd.

Click to expand...

I do all that stuff today on a 1.25Ghz Mac and it runs perfectly fine, that just goes to show how well the OS works.

As I read I am learning that the Mac gets it's speed from the quality of the OS and I am liking a lot about what I read. I like the idea of not going through all the ms security bs, pop-ups, windows updates, one version OS, re-boots, and I hope I won't have to re-format my Mac every six months! So now the only question is MB or MB Pro!

Click to expand...

There are very few popups, the updates are very rare and usually work perfectly fine, I only reboot once I've switched my machine off for the weekend other wise I've left it running for well over a month non-stop once without a single hiccup as for reformatting, I've never done that ether in the last 2 and a bit years of using these things in the home.

I know what your concerns are I had them as well and I do agree it is a VERY daunting task when you think about it, jumping to an entirely new Os that you know little about. I went through that whole faze as well. But once I jumped in, it was a matter of an half hour later that I was puzzled as to why I was so concerned in the first place because I was finally using a computer properly and efficiently while being so easy.

Nothing can prepare you for the amount of inventive and just plain useful and cool stuff that OSX packs in and even today after using OSX for over 3 years total I'm still learning things and awesome new features everyday.

I'll be very forward and just say do it, you won't regret it.

As for the Mac Book vs Mac Book Pro. I to also like the smaller footprint on the Mac Book but the real question for you is all about screen real estate, how much do you need?

If you are editing HUGE photo files and large file directories I would go for the Pro just because of the additional screen scape, other wise the standard one is excellent ether way.

I want to say I appreciate all the advice and help with this!

I am not worried about screen size, I like the smaller footprint. I am still in school and could not imagine packing around a pro. I also have read that the macbook will support another screen so I can use one of mine at home and have dual, correct?

I have read and researched about the pro and I cannot buy one just because it is so huge. I think the macbook will do what I need it to. My only concern now is I have read the rumors about a smaller pro coming. I have never been in the Mac community nor researched it before this so can someone tell me if this is something coming soon? How long have they had the line they have now?

I am very excited and if nothing is on the horizon as far as new then I am purchasing one this saturday at a store in Columbus! Thanks for all the wonderful help!

<R>

As for PS...right now CS2 is being run under Rosetta on the Intel MacBooks...Once CS3 is released PS will run faster as the app will be Universal.

Many notice that PS runs slower on the Intel Macs right now but still pretty darn good. I wouldn't let that sway you as CS3 should be out later this year and then life will be perfect.

I took my first step to my purchase today and I gotta admit, I'm pretty disappointed so far. I called my local store to make sure they would have a black macbook in stock for me to pick up saturday. The guy on the other end said yes, I was like wooohoooo! I asked the guy if they could give me my student discount at the store and he said yes! He then told me that if I was buying ram I would need to order it online and wait to get it He said that if I got the ram upgrade there it would cost me $350 instead of $175, what a real inconvenience! I am wondering what to do now, if I cannot get a small upgrade done local, should I really buy a mac!

<R>

The apple store sells the retail versions of the mac...

You can customise it online, the reason why it is more is because apple produces its customised macs in china, thats why my shipping took a while.
The black mac book's 1GB of ram is fine, however this may be something you think about upgrading as of a later date.

Getting your RAM upgraded from Apple is a ripoff in the first place. You should just buy it stock, and do it yourself. It's really easy, and saves you money.

One thing that I have found annoying using the apps your talking about in Mac as opposed to Windows is that the boxes float around. In windows all the little windows sit inside your application window, so if you want to move the app around everything moves. On a mac they are all individual, so if you want to move it to another screen like I do, you have to drag all the individual windows and place them. This also makes it annoying, because you can accidentally click apps behind it that are showing through.

Jhorra said:

One thing that I have found annoying using the apps your talking about in Mac as opposed to Windows is that the boxes float around. In windows all the little windows sit inside your application window, so if you want to move the app around everything moves. On a mac they are all individual, so if you want to move it to another screen like I do, you have to drag all the individual windows and place them. This also makes it annoying, because you can accidentally click apps behind it that are showing through.

Click to expand...

This happens to me sometimes, seems like a stupid mistake but when you try to click the little bars that you can use to drag them occasionally you can miss and hit whatever is behind.
If only it were possible to have it not respond to clicks in open space .
I personally prefer PS, Flash etc on Windows but thats probably because I used them on Windows more, might have to really start working with it on the Mac.

Anyway buying a Mac is a very good choice in my opinion, though Vista has impressed me a lot, I will certainly be buying a Windows Vista PC some time in the future.
I recommend a Mac for ease of use but if you prefer the Windows way of running things and want to save a little money Vista is very similar to OS X.

Even with all the annoyances, I still think I'm sticking with the Mac. I'll just keep a copy of Windows in Bootcamp and Parallels for those situations that require it.

More and more I am seeing that maybe a Mac is not for me. I am studying to be a Web Designer and from the sounds of it most of the tools I use are either proprietary to windows or work better in Windows. Maybe the Mac is just a dream. I am very torn now! I know I can dual boot but do I really need or want to. Is it just simpler to trudge through Windows than to try the Mac and put all the time and effort into making something it's not. I always heard it was better for design but now I'm wondering!

BTW, it's $175 for the ram upgrade from apple.com at the time of purchase, I cannot find 2gb of ram as cheap and as good or thats the route I would take.

Thanks,
<R>

fragged3d said:

More and more I am seeing that maybe a Mac is not for me. .....most of the tools I use are either proprietary to windows or work better in Windows.

Click to expand...

You are probably correct. If you need to use Windows the majority of the time, especially if it is for school, then don't get a Mac. Get the right tool for the job, a Windows machine. Getting a Mac and just loading Windows via BootCamp or Parallels is not the right tool for the job at hand.

If you are interested in checking out OS X and Macs, I would suggest getting an older, used machine (G3 or G4) and getting your feet wet with that in your spare time. A machine like that can be had for far less than the $175 RAM upgrade you mentioned, and you will still have your Windows machine separate for school.
That way you won't muddle your important schoolwork with your venture into Mac when you have the time.

:black:

Ok, I have slept on some thoughts and I'm ready to reply! This will be my last set of questions to make my decision.

I am going to college for a Web Design major, I know the programs I use now but I know little about what I am going to use in future classes. I have trial versions of the software for school now so I have not bought any of it yet, I will list below what I use. I know of new technologies evolving in the Web Design world like asp.net and asp, both being a windows only deal. Since I do have a windows based desktop that I use for my main coding machine would getting a macbook to run the rest work? Do the programs below run in OS X? If this is not viable I will leave and find the best windows machine but I am really hoping to switch!

Programs:
Adobe Photoshop CS2
Dreamweaver 8
Flash 8


Thanks,
<R>