Do you like your macbook?

[quagmire]

Took a look at the macbook tonight.  It looks decent and I could use the keyboard decently.  One question I forgot to ask the saleskid, can you hook up a full size keyboard to it when at home.  My wifes laptop has a plug (ps2 I think) on the back that I just plug in my keyboard.  I think I'm gonna pull the trigger on one soon.  Still flip-flopping between this at $1k and the Dell 1501 for $550. Both have about the same hardware, but the mac is smaller and lighter, which is what I am looking for, but the $450 price difference is hard to miss.  I currently only have windoze software, but I guess I can run that on the mac by using bootcamp, or from within mac os.  Decisions, decisions...  

[kevin_stevens]

Took a look at the macbook tonight.  It looks decent and I could use the keyboard decently.  One question I forgot to ask the saleskid, can you hook up a full size keyboard to it when at home.  My wifes laptop has a plug (ps2 I think) on the back that I just plug in my keyboard.  I think I'm gonna pull the trigger on one soon.  Still flip-flopping between this at $1k and the Dell 1501 for $550. Both have about the same hardware, but the mac is smaller and lighter, which is what I am looking for, but the $450 price difference is hard to miss.  I currently only have windoze software, but I guess I can run that on the mac by using bootcamp, or from within mac os.  Decisions, decisions...  

Sure, any USB keyboard or mouse works fine.  Be sure you're comparing apples to, er, Apples spec-wise, the MacBook shouldn't be nearly that much of a premium for equivalent hardware.  That Dell comes with 802.11n, webcam, same speed optical drive, etc.?

KeS

[quagmire]

They are not apples to apples.  The Macbook is smaller and does have a webcam which I can't see using right now, but I might in the future.  The Dell is cheaper and heavier/larger, but they both have about the same hardware profiles.  The Dell is also $300 less than usual right now, so at regular prices the money is similar as well.  Going to also compare the macbook to the smaller more $$$ 1405 dell before I make my final decision.  

[nanbil]

I have a powerbook pro and love it.  Best computer on the market.

[quagmire]

Hmmn, everyone I talk to keeps crapping on the mac.  I have never owned a mac and the last one I used was in 1988/89 so it's been awhile.  I also don't really have any issues with Win XP.  I have now found comparable PC/windoze based machines in price/size/weight and hardware, why would I go with a mac when the rest of the world seems to think another PC is the way to go?  I'm not bashing them, I actually want to get one, but not knowing a great deal about macs I'm not convinced of the huge advantage.  Sell me!  

[ST1300Rider]

I'm not bashing them, I actually want to get one, but not knowing a great deal about macs I'm not convinced of the huge advantage.  Sell me!  

OS X blows XP out of the water in terms of performance and security. To me, not having to run Norton or it's ilk monthly to maintain system standards/security is worth any downsides. And then there's the whole virus/spyware thing. But, most office apps run better in XP on a PC than under Parallels. However if you dual boot XP, there are some benchmark tests out there that show Win. apps (some) running faster under the stripped down XP install Boot Camp delivers. The big thing is, after a couple of decades of PC ownership I find that the Mac works more like I think. I'll never go back......

[quagmire]

Hmmn... Interesting.  

[Nny]

Quag, what are you planning on using it for?  What kind of apps do you need to run?

[denny]

Sell me!  

I've never had any problem with my Powerbook.    Well except the time I spilled a glass of wine on it.
The result of that was inability to access all of the data on the drive.  I was able to boot from an external firewire drive
(something windows can't do easily)  and use some command line Unix utilities to completely recover everything.

I am very lazy about any routine maintenance etc. But still it just keeps on going.  My other half uses a PC.
I still spend time maintaining her machine, but I just use mine, unless I spill something on it.

[quagmire]

Quag, what are you planning on using it for?  What kind of apps do you need to run?

Well, right now I'm using my new macbook for typing this!    What I "intend" to do with it is access the web for info/email while traveling (by bike or other) storing photos, music and general low-end use.  I just wanted something small, light and with decent battery life for taking along on bike trips.  Now I will have some access to email and maps, weather conditions etc. while on the road.  I can also upload photos from my camera and shitcan the junk.   It will also be nice to keep a more detailed log than I usually do with my written journal.  I usually can't read half of what I write in my journal when I get home and by then I have no idea what took place.  

Loving my new mac!  

[DredheadV2.0]

 I just wanted something small, light and with decent battery life for taking along on bike trips.  Now I will have some access to email and maps, weather conditions etc. while on the road.

Hah!  Good.

Now, take ye the Next Step, if you truly want to post from the road.

[quagmire]

Ha, ha, ha...  Using free hotel wireless will be an "adventure" for me for now.  

[vitaminC]

Since I plan to keep mine for a while, and don't want it to get beat up like the last one, I just picked up one of these cases tonight. Very nicely made and doesn't interfere with the functionality at all.  

[quagmire]

I actually saw that case when I was at the apple store.  If it came in purple I would be all over it!  Besides, I figure scratches will give it "character" just like my travel bike.  

[MontanaNinja]

I use a Neoprene case, by InCase IIRC, when I'm transporting the MacBook.  The only thing protecting it during use is the UM-Grizzlies Sticker and Big Sky Brewing Decal  

[quagmire]

I haven't tried bootcamp yet as I am still getting to know mac osx, and was wondering about mapping software.  I currently use MS streets and trips, and I like it a lot.  Is there anything similar out there for mac, or should I just get bootcamp up and running and install all my windows based applications?  Thanks.

[mr. coffee]

I haven't tried bootcamp yet as I am still getting to know mac osx, and was wondering about mapping software.  I currently use MS streets and trips, and I like it a lot.  Is there anything similar out there for mac, or should I just get bootcamp up and running and install all my windows based applications?  Thanks.

If you're on a Intel Mac you'd want Parallels not Bootcamp. But you'll need a full versoin copy of Windows OS with SP2 as well to run windows apps. I'm in the market for a copy of Windows OS. Anyone want to go in on it?

[vitaminC]

If you're on a Intel Mac you'd want Parallels not Bootcamp. But you'll need a full versoin copy of Windows OS with SP2 as well to run windows apps. I'm in the market for a copy of Windows OS. Anyone want to go in on it?

From reading the manual ( ) it seems that Parallels will work with any flavor of XP, but you will need SP2 in order to get bootcamp going. There is much discussion around the web about "slip streaming" SP0 or SP1 up to SP2.

[mr. coffee]

From reading the manual ( ) it seems that Parallels will work with any flavor of XP, but you will need SP2 in order to get bootcamp going. There is much discussion around the web about "slip streaming" SP0 or SP1 up to SP2.

Yup. A full version of XP OS with SP2 is required to run parallels. Not cheap either, by the time you pay for parallels and XP OS.

[Sorthum]

All right-- I've gotten this question a lot, given the nature of what I do for a living, so I figure I'll write something up.

My computing background:  I'm a systems administrator for a university.  Until about a year ago I was a strictly Windows user, then started using a MacBook for my mobile machine, and running FreeBSD on my desktop, to the point where I don't touch Windows boxes anymore-- for the sake of argument, we're going to pretend the last machine doesn't really exist and restrict this to Mac versus Windows.

Politics of it aside, on technical merit the best advice I can give to someone without any driving urge to make a change is "go with what you're used to."  Mac has really come a long way over the years, and for my purposes, it serves admirably.

Mac Pros: They're slick, stable, and polished.  At the moment, Windows Vista is nowhere near ready for daily use (and likely won't be until at least Service Pack 1), while Windows XP is almost eight years old, so as technology has marched on, XP has failed to really capitalize on recent advances.  Net result, the Windows world is in a bit of limbo at the moment.  Meanwhile, MacOS has been updated repeatedly since its inception, and I don't have too many complaints about it.  Mac also has a certain aesthetic value that I've found hard to match with any other vendor-- they have a very organic look to them, and they're elegantly designed.  They have a solid feel to them that most vendors miss the mark on.  Their battery life is awesome, they tend to work out of the box, and they come with a lot of software-- you don't have to run around purchasing all kinds of stuff to write letters, edit photos or video, or surf the web.

Mac Cons: Compatibility-- they're still less than 10% of the market, so a lot of companies (Garmin, I'm looking at you) haven't gotten around to supporting MacOS.  The commercial factor:  On Windows, there's almost always a free utility to do what you need to get done.  On MacOS, the way they tend to view the world is "Yes, buy this program."  There are free utilities in MacLand, but they often require a working knowledge of Unix to get going, which needless to say, doesn't apply to most people who are asking this question!  Unfortunately, this boils down to "you can expect to pay more for software on a Mac."  The lack of a right mouse button can be annoying as well.  Finally, MacOS as a whole is fantastic if you want to browse the web, send email, upload photos, or write the Great American Novel.  For applications past this (GPS syncing, doing network diagnostics, filesharing, or anything else that's a bit off the beaten path for your average front-office secretary), prepare to encounter frustrations.

As far as price for the system itself goes, they're about even.  You CAN get budget laptops for $500, but when you do an apples-to-apples comparison (Bluetooth, drive size, processor type, various ports) Mac has finally become cost competitive.  Their market is not now, nor has it ever been the bargain-basement shopper.  

A lot of hype has been made about the ability to dual boot Windows with MacOS, but technically the feature is still in beta, which means "Don't blame us if it completely pooches your system," so I'm not going to consider it an option at the moment.

Anyone have anything further?   I'll gladly answer further questions, or shut up and go away if y'all would prefer. ;-)