I'm in serious need of a new notebook and I've been looking hard at the 13 inch Macbook. I've been to local apple stores and I've been to the Apple site and even looked around at other websites dedicated to Macs, but I still have some questions that can't seem to find the answers to on my own, so I came to you all.
I've been using PCs as my primary system for the past 12 years. So I'm acclimated to Windows and its quirks, I consider myself quite proficient with a PC as I've built several systems for myself and friends and I'm usually able to trouble shoot problems quickly. My first computer was an Apple IIe and since getting rid of that I did have a G3 Power PC for awhile that I mostly used to watch movies or surf the net while gaming on my PCs. I'm not much of a gamer these days though, life gets in the way much of the time. So my questions are few, but I still would like to get some answers before I drop over $1,000 on a system I may regret purchasing in a few months time.
1. Battery Life - I've heard of people saying that the battery on the MacBook lasts up to 9 hours and as little as 3 hours. What does it actually get?
2. Start up time - How long is it really? I've rebooted them at the store although I'm sure they must be optimized. 30 seconds seems awfully fast to me.
3. Heat - I've heard the horror stories of people receiving 1st degree burns from the MacBooks sitting on their laps. I realize that all laptops get hot, and the smaller ones usually more so than larger ones. But is this really an problem?
4. When to purchase - I know that Leopard is coming out in a few months, but I'm not really concerned about that. What I am concerned about is the new 45nm processors from Intel. Are there any plans to use these in the MacBook in the foreseeable future, as they will create less heat and have better energy conservation and therefore better battery life?
5. Add ons - Being a PC guy I'm use to having to purchase add on pieces/software for every machine I have. And I realize that Mac's big thing is that you pull it out of the box and your good to go. But for actual daily usage for the average person what needs to be purchased with the MacBook? I already plan on picking up iWork or Office for Mac. I want to use the system for editing of video on the prosumer level, podcast producing, and normal web surfing/email.
6. Is there a cheaper option to Final Cut Pro with equivalent functionality? $1300 is a bit high for my budget as it is.
Thank you for your sincere answers to my questions. And hopefully I can convince my wife that a Mac is a superior option.
I've been using PCs as my primary system for the past 12 years. So I'm acclimated to Windows and its quirks, I consider myself quite proficient with a PC as I've built several systems for myself and friends and I'm usually able to trouble shoot problems quickly. My first computer was an Apple IIe and since getting rid of that I did have a G3 Power PC for awhile that I mostly used to watch movies or surf the net while gaming on my PCs. I'm not much of a gamer these days though, life gets in the way much of the time. So my questions are few, but I still would like to get some answers before I drop over $1,000 on a system I may regret purchasing in a few months time.
1. Battery Life - I've heard of people saying that the battery on the MacBook lasts up to 9 hours and as little as 3 hours. What does it actually get?
2. Start up time - How long is it really? I've rebooted them at the store although I'm sure they must be optimized. 30 seconds seems awfully fast to me.
3. Heat - I've heard the horror stories of people receiving 1st degree burns from the MacBooks sitting on their laps. I realize that all laptops get hot, and the smaller ones usually more so than larger ones. But is this really an problem?
4. When to purchase - I know that Leopard is coming out in a few months, but I'm not really concerned about that. What I am concerned about is the new 45nm processors from Intel. Are there any plans to use these in the MacBook in the foreseeable future, as they will create less heat and have better energy conservation and therefore better battery life?
5. Add ons - Being a PC guy I'm use to having to purchase add on pieces/software for every machine I have. And I realize that Mac's big thing is that you pull it out of the box and your good to go. But for actual daily usage for the average person what needs to be purchased with the MacBook? I already plan on picking up iWork or Office for Mac. I want to use the system for editing of video on the prosumer level, podcast producing, and normal web surfing/email.
6. Is there a cheaper option to Final Cut Pro with equivalent functionality? $1300 is a bit high for my budget as it is.
Thank you for your sincere answers to my questions. And hopefully I can convince my wife that a Mac is a superior option.