OT: changing from PC to Mac?

[tv_vt]

My wife and I have been shopping for a new home computer and are really intrigued by the Apple iMac 17". We've both been PC users forever. Anyone out there have any thoughts on what the learning curve is for making the switch. Would be using basic software, MS Office type stuff mainly.

Thanks,

Thom

[Kirk007]

It is an easy and rewarding switch. I use a Mac ibook in a PC work environment.

With the Intel dual processor you can either download "Bootcamp" form Apple and run pc applicaitons or buy Parallels - a software that I use when I have to work on PC format like with WordPerfect. You can simultaneously have a windows and mac operating desktop and toggle back and forth.

I don't think you'll regret the MAC.

Greg

[swoop]

it takes about two minutes to master a mac. its so intuitive and visually logical.... that you just engage it and it does what you'd think it's supposed to do.

[gt6267a]

I made the switch from PC to MAC about two years ago for my home computer. I found that I was quickly working well but not super efficiently. If you are a casual user you switch in an instant but if you are pretty slick with windows, there is some learning to do of hot keys and ways and means of the user interface. For example, you’ll learn it’s not alt-F4 but apple-w and apple-q. It not just alt-tab but alt-tab and alt-`, it’s not flag-m but apple-h … you don’t right click but ctrl-click.

The apple interface is designed for a mouse but it’s slow moving around. To really get the most out of your MAC learn the hotkeys and then it will sing.

Also, if you know any UNIX, sometimes it’s plain old handy to drop into a terminal and run a find command.

In the end, it comes and it’s rewarding, but to be really efficient, don’t expect it to happen the first time you open the lid.

[Elefantino]

Mac = Campy

PC = Shimano

[kat_w]

The major gripe I have about Macs is how many programs and external components are not Mac compatable. It is a little annoying to choose software and external components based on which one works with your computer instead of choosing which one performs the best or which one is the most cost effective.

Go for a Mac as long as you have a backup Windows computer. Fortunately I think the new IBM based chip may help this problem. Otherwise Macs are great.

[avalonracing]

After using a Mac you wonder why you didn't switch years earlier. There are a few "Mac-Haters" out there. 9 times out of 10 they have never used a Mac and the remaining person is usually just a moron (or an IT guy set in his ways).

There is a reason that Mac fans are so enthusiastic about the product: Because it is some much better!

I'm not a big computer geek either. That is probably why a prefer Macs, they make my life easier not harder.

If you get a Mac, report back after a month or so and let us know what you think.

(FYI- I use Windows at work- against my will)

[ada@prorider.or]

i have both just have too design software does not run on power mac at least not the high end

do most other work on power mac
love the mac

[Jeff Weir]

The 17" imac is a great unit. Apple makes 2 17" macs: 1.83ghz & 2.0ghz. If you can afford it, go for the 2.0ghz model.

the 2.0 is a bit faster, more memory, superdrive, and better graphics card.

[Ginger]

Windows is the PC interpretation of the Mac interface -- the thing about any interpretation is they miss nuances in the language.


If it's for home use, or desk top publishing/graphics use and you don't mind the upcharge and inconveniences mentioned; Buy a mac. You won't be sorry.

If you're crunching data or databases, get yourself a bigger/badder PC than you think you'll need and you'll be good.

Ginger

[Ken Robb]

I have a new Toshiba laptop w/Centrino Duo and it is SO much better than the 3 yr. old H-P I had before--much nicer ergos and touch.

My wife has a 2 year old Mac laptop that I use when we travel. It's not easy to pick up the Mac system when you don't use it exclusively. The icons that are supposed to be so intuitive are not for me. Macs have wonderful ergonomics and the keyboards are lovely to use.

None of my Realtor-specific software runs on Mac.

Everything for Macs seems to cost more, probably due to the lack of competition.

If I were starting from scratch and didn't need any non-Apple compatible software I would think about a Mac. Leslie loves it. The funny thing is she seems to be able to adapt and use my PC better than I can do the reverse. Not only is she younger than I but smarter too.

[rnhood]

As others have said, the Mac is relatively easy to master. If you're buying from a local Apple store then you can take advantage of the free classes they provide throughout the week.

I would recommend the 20" iMac instead of the 17" due to the screen being a bit easier on the eyes. In addition, since the iMac is rumured to be getting a make-over in a few months, you might consider waiting a couple months to see if any announcements are made.

[avalonracing]

I have a new Toshiba laptop w/Centrino Duo and it is SO much better than the 3 yr. old H-P I had before--much nicer ergos and touch.

None of my Realtor-specific software runs on Mac.



I'm a Realtor as well and I do almost everything on the Mac, from my multiple list entries to my printouts for my listings.

I used to be a photographer so the Mac appeals to my aesthetic sensibilities as well.

[weaponsgrade]

I have a mac and a pc. I was a little hesitant at first because it seems there's a lot more software written for the PC, but since all I use is Word, Excel, and surf I didn't think it'd be a problem. The mac is definitely a slicker machine. I don't have many complaints other than it took some time for Tivo to come out with software for the mac. There's also a handful of websites that don't seem to display properly using Safari (mac's version of a browser).

[atmo]

i use both.

hey is there a one key shortcut thing on the ibook that is the equal
of home or end on a pc? i hate having to fn pg up and fn pg dn and
use keys on opposite ends of the pad. it's fn mp atmo.

clues?

[Grant McLean]

hey is there a one key shortcut thing on the ibook that is the equal
of home or end on a pc? i hate having to fn pg up and fn pg dn and
use keys on opposite ends of the pad. it's fn mp atmo.

clues?

forces you to keep both hands on the keyboard at all times... :p

g

[atmo]

forces you to keep both hands on the keyboard at all times... :p

g
that's not easy with azdc (http://www.drunkcyclist.com/store/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=56&ccSID285e73f64c04744fc5f33ff68f529742=fac0cde1c016 75ce56dd54c8801d1e58) atmo.

[samtaylor1]

That one key mouse thing on the mac is just really annoying. If you have been using the right click on a PC switching is hard.

Generally many programs (such as work from home programs, or in my case study from home programs were designed for PC, and then macs as an after thought). For example I am in medical school and can stream my lectures speeding up or slowing down the speed. For whatever reason, my friends with macs don't have this ability? I don't know why knore do I care, my computer can do it. Also if you use MS web outlook it is not good on a mac.

Furthermore, the notion of PC or windows crashing etc., is just not true any more.

Also, the PC choices out there are just FAR superior (and cheaper). Want to upgrade memory, 20 dollars on ebay (not so cheap with a mac). And like bikes, it is better to be able to upgrade your computer cheaply. Furthermore, think about all the times you didn't ahve to pay for software because your buddy had it. With the mac much more out of pocket costs for programs you would like, but just don't really want to buy.

There is not a better deal then Dell in terms of quality and cost (check out there outlet http://www.dell.com/content/products/category.aspx/notebooks?c=us&cs=22&l=en&s=dfh&~srd=true&sk=refurbished&scat=prod.

However the best laptops ( I would love to own one) are lenovo/ IBM. It is just not possible to get a better, stronger, more durable lap top that will last far past my dell and far past a mac. Both there T and X series (I am not sure of the others) have a built in system that senses if it is falling, and shuts off so you don't destroy your HD. And there warranties are the best. At least last year the full service warranty was 3 years at no extra cost (mac and dell come with a 1 year warranty) generally- though the high end dells come with 3.

Furthermore, though I don't know if mac has accidental damage insurance/ warranty (which is the most important warranty to buy with a laptop) both dell and lenovo's/ IBM's accident damage insurance is pretty cheap- 100 dollars a year. Thus if you drop it and break the screen you can get it fixed/ replaced at no cost.

P.S. I have definiitly used a mac. I have never bought one. But I have dealt with there warranty department for my Dad's mac ( he is not so good with computers and was getting mad at what he termed the very bad service department at apple. NOTE- I did not have a problem with them)

If I could afford it I would get a lenovo X series lap top with a docking station and external monitor (I just bought the Dell Ultrasharp WF2007- great and good price). And if I really wanted to go crazy you can get the same computer as a tablet for couple of extra hundred.

Good luck. Don't be swayed by niffty commericals

[wdlewis]

I was a Chief Information Officer for several Fortune 50 companies and put PCs into thousands of applications.

I now use an Apple MacBookPro and an iMac and my wife uses an iBook. My 88 year old mother-in-law is using a MacBookPro, her first computer ever.

The transition from PC to Apple isn't seamless, but is more than worthwhile.

I would strongly buying both the extended warranty plus support (AppleCare) and the in-store personal training package (ProCare). AppleCare entitles you to unlimited help desk support. The ProCare package is $99 for up to 52 one-on-one lessons over a year. They will also help you transfer your email, preferences, data, files, and documents to the Mac. It's not hard to do it yourself, but a lot easier to have an expert walk you through it the first time.

The in-store Mac Genius experts solve problems! These people know the Apple products and can resolve issue fast.

The telephone help desk people are Americans and they are SMART! Big difference from someone in India flipping through a script.

[atmo]

what i hate about ibook:
routinely i will be banging out text and look at
the screen only to notice that a glitch cause a
particular keystroke to plant a letter or a comma
where it doesn't belong, and then the rest of what
would follow is embedded in previously type text.

here's a made-up example atmo:
what i hate about ibook:
routinely i will be banging out text and look at
the screen ollow is embedded in previously type text.only to notice that a glitch cause a
particular keystroke to plant a letter or a comma
where it doesn't belong, and then the rest of what
would f


why?

[cadence90]

what i hate about ibook:
routinely i will be banging out text and look at
the screen only to notice that a glitch cause a
particular keystroke to plant a letter or a comma
where it doesn't belong, and then the rest of what
would follow is embedded in previously type text.

here's a made-up example atmo:
what i hate about ibook:
routinely i will be banging out text and look at
the screen ollow is embedded in previously type text.only to notice that a glitch cause a
particular keystroke to plant a letter or a comma
where it doesn't belong, and then the rest of what
would f


why?
I don't know why but it ust not be a mac-only issue. It's very annoying.
happens very often on my PC, so it m

[gt6267a]

in comparing an dell Vs. ibm / lenovo Vs apple. just on the plane of aesthetics and more importantly touch ...

i have owned / used extensively an HP, IBM / Lenovo, HP, DELL, Toshiba, Compaq, Apple.

Currently, i have an apple powerbook and an ibm t43. they are both well made. the t43 is much better than any dell, toshiba, hp ... i have ever touched. that said, by touch, the powerbook is nicer than the t43, it's not even close.

[BoulderGeek]

I've used every commercial and scientific operating system that has been made since 1981. Yes, that includes BeOS, AmigaOS, straight DOS, HP/UX, A/UX, SunOS, Windows 3.0 (not TCP/IP capable), etc etc etc.

I love the Mac=Campy assertion.

I support systems in the real world, where downtime costs real money, and supporting a type of laptop means you have 600 of them. I use systems where money is not an object; implementations stretching into the quarter million range just for one cluster. Yet, when I spend my own money, the choice is clear.

I'll never give Microsoft a dime. I use XP for work, and am typing this on Windows 2000SP4. As operating systems go, Microsoft makes garbage. The McDonald's of technology. Sooner or later, if you only eat fast food, you puke. And you definitely turn into a disgusting fat bastard. Computers are the same.

Mac OS is far from perfect. Actually, I think it was better in 1994 when it was NEXTSTEP. Now that was elegant and functional. But, it's far more secure, scalable, supportable and pleasing than anything Microsoft has ever made.

My view is that no one "needs" to run Windows. It is a marketing myth. If you need something that is only available on Windows, likely you are playing games, or your company will support it for you.

If you're doing your own support, and your time has any value, the Mac OS environment is the only one that makes sense. Maybe some pros love to do constant patching, backups and restores, virus scanning, etc. I'd think they are in the minority. I make my living doing that crap, and I have three Mac OS X machines in my home.

When my relatives come to me with computer support freebies, as always happens when you work in this industry, I get them a Mac Mini. The problems disappear.

It's not perfect. But,to me, it's the only sensible choice for the home.

I'd never buy a Dell or Gateway with my own money.

[Samster]

Mac = Campy

PC = Shimano
once you go mac, there's no turning back. atmo.

[David Kirk]

I had a PC for years and always had trouble with hard drives and viruses. I got a Mac about a year ago (I Mac 17") and I like it very much. I don't know much about these things frankly but i know I like the Mac. It's more intuitive to me and works more the way I think.

To me the biggest adjustment was the right click deal............but then I read the directions and saw that you can set the Mac mouse up with a right click.

The I-photo thing works very well for me too. I send photos out most everyday to customers and it saves me a good chunk of time each day. It's more simple than it was on my PC to make the photos the right size and attach them to an email. It saves me time each day that I can use for more fun stuff than downsizing photos.

I realize that in the end most things can be done on both Macs and PC's but I didn't get the most out of my PC because it was hard for me to figure out how to do those things. The Mac is simple just like me.

Simple Dave

[dgauthier]

BoulderGeek speaketh the truth.

I've been doing high end computer graphic special effects for television and film for 24 years, first on proprietary systems, then IRIX on Silicon Graphics workstations, and now Linux on Intel hardware. Through most of that, we've always had Windows PC's and Macs around to run various odd tools that didn't exist on unix.

As operating systems go, Windows is awful, and always has been. Windows only exists, and continues to exist, because most people don't know how a "real" os should behave. Macs used to be awful too, but the difference between the old MacOS and OS X is like night and day.

I own one computer and it's a Mac. It's far and away the best choice in consumer computing. Go for it, you won't be sorry.

Linux=Walser
Mac=Serotta
Windows=Huffy

[Ray]

once you go mac, there's no turning back. atmo.
I think the differences, as usual, are being ever so slightly exaggerated. I was a dedicated Mac user for years - from the first one megabyte Mac in about 1985 until about 1999 or 2000. In the early days there was a huge difference. It was Mac vs DOS and then Mac vs early windows and early windows was pretty much unusable. I worked in professional environments where there were a lot of compatibility issues but I stuck with the Mac because it was THAT much better. But then Windows improved. A lot. Maybe not from the techie's perspective - I don't doubt Boulder Geek is right. But from the end-user perspective, they just got to be different flavors but neither was really much better. Because of compatibility with my work (where I'd been using a PC) and my wife and daughter's schools, we switched to PC somewhere in the late '90s - don't remember exactly when. My brother continues to use Macs and I play on them pretty often. And I just don't feel the difference is that profound for what most of us do. I've bought a number of PC's since and run my business on one and have never regretted it.

So it's NOT true that once you try Mac you never go back.

That said, my younger daughter is graduating high school and going to a music conservatory next year. They all use Macs for the various types of music software they use. So when we get her a laptop to take to school it'll be a Mac. You just use what works for the environment you're in and you'll be fine. Macs are great, but not so much better that it matters much for 'the rest of us'. And there is a learning curve or adjustment period going in EITHER direction.

Contrary to popular misconception, it's not a friggin' religion. It's a computer and they both work FINE.

-Ray

[Climb01742]

maybe this is just the ad guy in me speaking but...

i like the symbolism/statement involved buying/using a mac. i think apple is dedicated to creating graceful, innovative, intuitive, human products. i like supporting "think different". i may have just been drinking the steve jobs/chiat-day cool-aid for years but...

[Ginger]

to notice that a glitch cause a
particular keystroke to plant a letter or a comma
where it doesn't belong, and then the rest of what
would follow is embedded in previously type text.


why?

Lots of people do that.


Generally it's because they're resting the rest of their hands on the keyboard, or they're typing on a laptop with a scroll pad or whatever that IBM thingy is called and move their cursor unbeknownst to themselves.

No ghost in the machine. I'm sure someone's invented a word for it.


I don't get lazy very often because time is money and all that. But it happens to me too...on a laptop.

[ada@prorider.or]

Linux=Walser
Mac=Serotta
Windows=Huffy


mmm
the free bsd = trek?

it can be all run on a power mac so............

[MarleyMon]

Deciding on what 'puter you want is like buying a bike. For the best results, be brutally honest with yourself about what you are going to do with it.

I used to be a Mac "true believer", and still use Mac (a really old, slow one that is on its last leg). I'm not sure what I will replace it with, but I think that Mac charges a premium for "cool" that is hard to justify for web browsing and balancing the books (what I really do), but well worth it for video editing (what I would like to do).

Climb - I used to work for an Apple dealer and I think Apple's appeal is marketing driven. They are geniuses at selling, but Jobs & co. are dedicated to making a killing by selling toys, not "making a difference". I think the bloom was off that rose a long time ago.

[avalonracing]

maybe this is just the ad guy in me speaking but...

i like the symbolism/statement involved buying/using a mac. i think apple is dedicated to creating graceful, innovative, intuitive, human products. i like supporting "think different". i may have just been drinking the steve jobs/chiat-day cool-aid for years but...

And just think about the crap that we would be stuck with if it wasn't for Apple pushing the envelope. DOS 9.0 on a putty gray 17 pound laptop?
For that reason alone everyone should at least say "Thanks Apple!" whether you use one or not.

[atmo]

Lots of people do that.


Generally it's because they're resting the rest of their hands on the keyboard, or they're typing on a laptop with a scroll pad or whatever that IBM thingy is called and move their cursor unbeknownst to themselves.

No ghost in the machine. I'm sure someone's invented a word for it.


I don't get lazy very often because time is money and all that. But it happens to me too...on a laptop.
it nevers happens on my dell inspiron.
it happens hourly on my ibook atmo!

[Grant McLean]

it nevers happens on my dell inspiron.
it happens hourly on my ibook atmo!

must be stage fright.

Stop looking at the keyboard when you're typing.
Didn't your 8th grade typing teacher tell you that?
Oh, wait, you're not one of those two finger types are
you? :)

g

[gt6267a]

it nevers happens on my dell inspiron.
it happens hourly on my ibook atmo!

what browser are you using?

[atmo]

what browser are you using?
i.e. on pc.
firefox on ibook.

would these affect my typing?

[tv_vt]

Thanks all for your input. This is truly a forum with a vast amount of experience regarding just about anything.

We made the plunge yesterday at a local computer shop. Got 5% off a 17 inch iMac (the 2ghz one) and an hour of free labor. They're going to run some updates and install some software.

Surprised at how dealers poo-poo the need for anti-virus software for Macs.

They suggested one of two books for us: The Missing Manual (or Missing Book?) or The Little Mac Book to help get started. Anyone have any preferences between these two.

Thanks again.

Thom

[BoulderGeek]

Good for you!

There isn't a need for anti-virus on the Mac. There's no Outlook or Visual Basic.

Plus, the UNIX user account structure and sudo means that a corrupt attachment payload is not likely to let the mail program ruin the OS, as it can and does on PeeCee.

Congratulations, and I hope you have a fun and rewarding exposure to a better computing experience. You can PM me any questions you have. While I am far from a know-it-all, I have a fair bit of experience in this arena.

Life is too short to ride crap or use poor equipment, computers included.

[ti_boi]

Wahooo! I love my new macbook pro....love love love it.

After suffering with two pc notebooks (toshiba and HP) in two years only to have each 'break' and effectively crap out for no good reason...I bought the MAC about a month ago. Wow. Tech support is good. The thing is lightweight and have a sublime keyboard that makes you WANT to type! It runs like a top....I'm a believer :banana:

[d_douglas]

I switched to Mac a year ago and love it, save for one flaw that may now be on its way to being fixed:

Macs don't work with AutoCAD. Is there any engineer, industrial designer, architect out there who can shed light on this one? I know there is virtual PC, but it doesn't work properly, so therefore (in my opinion) it doesn't work. Once you can use AutoCAD on a Mac, the search for the perfect computer will be over.

Thanks for your replies...

Darren

[danjammin]

Yes mate, I know the feeling exactly. Not only AutoCAD but most technical apps in my industry are for the Windows platform. Problem up until now. Solution?

An Intel Mac of course! I have an OSX partition, XP partition and a FAT32 partition for file sharing between the two so there's no need to have files stored twice.

Bootcamp runs ACAD and all XP apps just as fast (if not faster) as any XP only machine. Booting between the two is no problem whatsoever - I initially though I'd spend most of my time in XP, how wrong I was! I boot into Windows as little as possible now, really only to run the necessary apps.

Btw, if you only need AutoCAD, then perhaps ArchiCAD (reads and exports .dwg, .dxf, etc) would fit the bill??

[gt6267a]

i.e. on pc.
firefox on ibook.

would these affect my typing?

i don't think your problem is ibook-centric. to do a little debugging, i say install firefox on the pc and see if you still have the problem. otherwise, i am tempted to think along the lines of ginger, you are ghost typing on the ibook due to hand position and not on the pc.

[Samster]

once you go mac, you can't go back...

(work refuses to buy me a mac so i bought my own.)

[rnhood]

Macs don't work with AutoCAD. Is there any engineer, industrial designer, architect out there who can shed light on this one? I know there is virtual PC, but it doesn't work properly, so therefore (in my opinion) it doesn't work. Once you can use AutoCAD on a Mac, the search for the perfect computer will be over.
Darren

Parallels (http://www.parallels.com/en/products/desktop/) is a relatively new application on the Mac scnene and, will allow you to run AutoCad, or any Windows application, and your OSX at the same time.

[ada@prorider.or]

[QUOTE=d_douglasd:

Macs don't work with AutoCAD. Is there any engineer, industrial designer, n[/QUOTE]


well on other forum i read thast they tested solidworks ,inventor
on intel mac they say runs faster then on pc


of course under windows on a mac

i also still searching or really high end like fleunt ,ansys,catia and so on works on power mac
if its runs my next mac will be a intel mac (now double G5,wich i love)

[d_douglas]

Hmmm - this is my first 'hijacked' thread!

Thanks for the information. I figured that this whole intel business would entually bring an end to this problem, but wasn't sure exactly when and how well it would be done.

As I said, my buddy has a 1.5 year old Powerbook that did run AutoCAD properly with Virtual PC, so it was worthless. It has to be perfect and stable or I can't do it.

I use Vectorworks, Sketchup and Adobe CS for work for the most part, but realize that I am kidding myself if I do not figure out AutoCAD. Since about 90% of the architecture world uses AutoCAD and I do not intend to work for myself for several years (if at all), it is a necessary evil. Once you know it, a huge job market becomes available to you, in terms of CAD slavery (something I am trying desperately to avoid, but realize might be inevitable)

Experienced architects to an inexperienced architect: any opinions??

Darren

[William]

Good for you!

There isn't a need for anti-virus on the Mac. There's no Outlook or Visual Basic.

Plus, the UNIX user account structure and sudo means that a corrupt attachment payload is not likely to let the mail program ruin the OS, as it can and does on PeeCee.

Congratulations, and I hope you have a fun and rewarding exposure to a better computing experience. You can PM me any questions you have. While I am far from a know-it-all, I have a fair bit of experience in this arena.

Life is too short to ride crap or use poor equipment, computers included.

On mac security....G rated:

Viruses
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQb_Q8WRL_g

Security
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_n4mdcXa8B0&mode=related&search=


Japanese version
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-3MtYn9W5w&mode=related&search=

Japanese security
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tv__357JYXU&mode=related&search=


William

[ada@prorider.or]

On mac security....G rated:

Viruses
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQb_Q8WRL_g

Security
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_n4mdcXa8B0&mode=related&search=


Japanese version
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-3MtYn9W5w&mode=related&search=

Japanese security
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tv__357JYXU&mode=related&search=


William

i love those movies it is so true!!

[crf]

Just curious if anyone's ever used a Powerbook G4 with a 12" screen. I think (...granted Mac rumors are usually vapor) that Apple is coming out with a MacBook Pro with a 12" widescreen this year. I was thinking of using it for its portability, but then when I need to, hooking it up to a large monitor at home. Basically my plan is either a MacBook Pro (either 12" -- or 15", if the 12" never materializes), or a Mac Mini. I'd be interested in the iMac, but the examples I've seen have not had very impressive screens (large for sure, but not all that sharp). I've actually never really liked Apple's integrated screens, but the Pro notebooks are nice.

As an afterthought, I tried the Lenovo's keyboard in a shop over the weekend and it's much easier to find the keys than on a MBPro. But maybe I'd adjust to the MBPro without too much of a curve.

[BoulderGeek]

I would hope that a new 12" would come with greater resolution than the 1024x768 that the old 12" PowerBook had.

I have a 15" PowerBook, and I think that the 13" of the MacBook is a nice compromise.

But, it you just use teh 12" as a road warrior machine,and have it docked to a real monitor most of the time, you'd probably find it acceptable. I had mine on a 21" CRT in 1600x1200 most of the time.

I have a Mini on my HDTV. It's a great living room computer, and wonderful where space and silence are important.

[H1449-6]

http://www.apple.com/support/switch101/

Do it and never look back. Mac rocks.

[crf]

I would hope that a new 12" would come with greater resolution than the 1024x768 that the old 12" PowerBook had.

I have a 15" PowerBook, and I think that the 13" of the MacBook is a nice compromise.

But, it you just use teh 12" as a road warrior machine,and have it docked to a real monitor most of the time, you'd probably find it acceptable. I had mine on a 21" CRT in 1600x1200 most of the time.

I have a Mini on my HDTV. It's a great living room computer, and wonderful where space and silence are important.

Thanks, BG.

Is the Mini at a deficit when using it for Photoshop? Does one need the extra horsepower? Unfortunately there's a huge gap between the Mini and the Mac Pro desktop, which starts at $2500...

I think Apple needs to release a less dumbed down version of a Mini, or perhaps a less expensive Mac Pro. Otherwise the iMac is the only option in between.

[crf]

I actually like 1024x768, but I could see where it would push out a lot of info from 12" screen. I'd have to look at the MacBook screen again, but high resolutions on small screens can be a little tough to take (unless you squint). The 12" MBP is supposed to have the same resolution as the 13" MacBook, btw.

[BoulderGeek]

The MacPro Core2 Xeon desktop is ridiculously overpowered (like the Ferrari Enzo that Eddie Griffin just totalled).

I have a friend that just got one (MacPro, not the Enzo). It is amazingly fast, absolutely the fastest desktop I have ever encountered. The full version of Word for XP launches in a second within Parallels. Insane.

But, the memory is special ECC fully buffered DDR3. Expensive and finicky. Definitely an issue to consider.

I wouldn't think of spending the money for a MacPro desktop unless I were running CAD, Motion, Shake or other real-time compositing and rendering. It's totally overkill for running office apps, internet and pedestrian duties.

The downside of the Mini is that it uses laptop drives. So, your speed isn't going to be that great for large file transfers. You can run a fast 3.5" SATA drive in a firewire enclosure, though, and mitigate some of that issue.

IMHO (atmo), for Photoshop, a Mini Core2Duo 2.xGHz machine with 2GB of RAM would blow away my AMD 4600 dual core PC with 2GB RAM and RAID 0. And it would be 1/4 as noisy and consume 1/10 the power.

[ada@prorider.or]

The MacPro Core2 Xeon desktop is ridiculously overpowered .

sometime´s i dream of it owning one

well dreams...............................

[Kahuna]

In addition to a dual G5, I have and still regularly use a little 12" G4 Powerbook. Both are great machines. The small 12" p'book display is made easier to work with by running virtual desktop software like Youcontrol.

Rumor has it Apple will be introducing some new Macbook Pro models later this year that will have new LED displays to replace the backlit cathode florescent LCDs they're using now. The new technology is reportedly fabulous with a wider gamut and richer more saturated colors with greater accuracy over the life of the display. It's hard to imagine considering how nice the current displays are but that's good news for serious digital photographers.

I also heard the new Macbooks will have flash memory (for the operating system) that will allow the machines to boot near instantaneously. They're also going to have an option for a dual hard drives that will boost system performance in addition to storage capacity. The new displays will consume less power which *should* mean longer battery life. That is, as long as the power savings is not too badly offset by a second hard drive.

BTW, iPhone rumors has Apple working out deals with Google and possibly others to get the iPhone ready for voice-over-IP. That way the phone can be used as an Internet phone ala' Skype in addition to normal cell service.

-K