[SmashinGarcia]

I am currently interesting in knowing the benefits of Macbooks in the eyes of the users, mostly designers. I will be planning to get a powerful laptop during the summer to assist with my graphic design work. I can only afford a Macbook since these things don't come cheap, but hope it would be useful. Does anyone know if they are coming out with a new series or upgrades during the summer before I purchase? I think since I am a student I may be eligible for a student discount.

Currently I keep records of clients in Excel does Mac's have Microsoft Office Suite?

Anything else you want to add about Mac's , etc, just add it here.

[UBERHOST.NET]

Currently I keep records of clients in Excel does Mac's have Microsoft Office Suite?

Here you go mate: http://www.apple.com...cations/office/

[Luke]

I have a desktop PC that I used to use for development. Ever since I got a MacBook, my first mac, that's all I've used. My PC stayed un-used for 6+ months. I just started using my PC as a test linux server (I wiped the hard drive clean).

[SmashinGarcia]

Here you go mate: http://www.apple.com...cations/office/

Thanks, will buy this at the end with the pc.


I need to find a local apple store so I can test out this computers, even more. Is it is easy to adapt?

[CTerry]

Thanks, will buy this at the end with the pc.


I need to find a local apple store so I can test out this computers, even more. Is it is easy to adapt?

I found it a fairly easy switch personally.

[Matt Marshall]

What kind of graphic design work are we talking about? I have one of the older 12" iBook G4s, and the screen size does bug me whilst using Photoshop. Other than that, I cannot fault!

[SmashinGarcia]

What kind of graphic design work are we talking about? I have one of the older 12" iBook G4s, and the screen size does bug me whilst using Photoshop. Other than that, I cannot fault!

Well I will be mostly doing web graphics, and be working with Adobe Photoshop & Illustrator mostly.

[Brandon C]

I am currently interesting in knowing the benefits of Macbooks in the eyes of the users, mostly designers. I will be planning to get a powerful laptop during the summer to assist with my graphic design work. I can only afford a Macbook since these things don't come cheap, but hope it would be useful. Does anyone know if they are coming out with a new series or upgrades during the summer before I purchase? I think since I am a student I may be eligible for a student discount.

Currently I keep records of clients in Excel does Mac's have Microsoft Office Suite?

Anything else you want to add about Mac's , etc, just add it here.

I have owned my MacBook for over a year and a half now, and I love it - it's a great laptop! As far as the benefits of having a Mac are concerned: they are easy to use, they have a variety of superior multimedia options available, the neat and unique applications that come on it, the support/value, peace of mind, aesthetically pleasing to the eye, doesn't suffer from spyware or viruses, more secure, and the fact that they just plain work (most of the time, anyway). Apple recently came out with the new version of the MacBooks, sporting a speed and hard drive increase, along with other increased tech specs. As others have stated, there is a Microsoft Office Suite available for the Mac OS X platform. There are some neat free alternatives to using Microsoft Office for Mac, such as NeoOffice, which is a fully featured set of office applications.

Switching over from Windows is an easy transition.

As far as Adobe products such as Photoshop running on a Mac, you shouldn't encounter any problems except the screen size may be a little too tiny for your personal needs, and may need a bigger screen.

I would recommend that you purchase an AppleCare Protection Plan with your MacBook. That way, should you run into any problems or need assistance with your Mac, you'll be able to receive premium support.

If you have any other questions, just ask!

[Matt Marshall]

As Brandon said, the only thing I can fault on will be the screen size with graphic design - but you can cope with it and it is really handy for being portable.

[Dªn]

I have owned my MacBook for over a year and a half now.

Are you sure? I bought my iBook G4 Jan 2006, that's not a year and a half ago, and the only reason I have an iBook G4 rather than a Macbook is because they hadn't been launched yet

[Stephen]

Yeah the Macbooks were released a year ago last Wednesday (no I didn't know that, I looked on Wikipedia )

[Rikki]

If you're getting a Macbook, you'll really want to get CS3 because it's the only native version. CS2 and previous will run pretty slowly.

[idav]

If you're getting a Macbook, you'll really want to get CS3 because it's the only native version. CS2 and previous will run pretty slowly.

Yes, I've noticed this too, and there are other Apps that have this problem as well. Until I read Rikki's post it didn't make any sense to me.

My problems with the MacBooks are:

#1 Apple decided to go the trendy yet impracticle route of equipping the screens on these things with that shiney reflective coating. This makes the LCD screen get dirty VERY easily, it makes it difficult to clean, and unless you are in a pitch black room you will frequently be distracted by that Cheeto powder thats all over your shirt collar. I cannot, for the life of me, figure out why manufacturers make screens like this.

#2 They get HOT, Apple has been specifically careful not to market the MacBook as a laptop because according to them it shouldn't technically be used on a person's lap. Temperatures on the bottom of the "notebook" can reach as high as 150F.

#3 If you need any maintainance done you MUST send it in for services. Gone are the days of just popping em open real quick to dust them out, or change/upgrade the RAM or HD. All of these things will automatically void your warranty. Also the keyboard cannot be removed for cleaning/repairing without voiding the warranty either.

#4 The palm rests of the MacBook are made of a particularly porous kind of plastic that is exceptionally remarkable at collecting dirt and oil from your hands. Just days of use can give you that off-white used look. The edge of the casing that your wrists will be hanging off of is also quite sharp and uncomfortable. Also creating a small recess of hard to reach surface area that is not easily cleaned. BTW although this plastic gets dirty very easily it also cleans to looking like new with Mr. Clean Magic Erasers. DO NOT USE MAGIC ERASERS ON THE LCD SCREEN.

#5 Gone are the days of closing up your laptop and shelving it for a week or two. With my iBooks the battery can remain charged for days while the laptop was closed and in stand by. These MacBooks do not follow those footsteps. Operational battery life is improved as you would expect but their ability to save power while clam-shelled is drasticly reduced.

#6 Within the operating system there are a couple of things that are very bothersome. Tab control behavior frequently doesn't work like you would expect it too. Home and End functions also are hit or miss.

Positive points:

#1 Thank god someone finally realized all that wasted palm rest space can be put to good use by installing a larger trackpad. I love the trackpad on the MacBooks, it's large, smooth, glides well, stays clean, and they've seemingly made an effort to make the dimensions of the trackpad reflect the ratio of the screen (hello, common sense anyone?!) Thank you Apple.

#2 Boot Camp/Parallels is great, my job is to support schools with both Macs and PCs, this feature makes it an invaluable tool for me. I don't have to lug around a D800 and a 14" iBook anymore or worry about keeping important files available to both.

#3 They keyboard is very responsive and very satisfying for me to type on. This could just be my personal preference though. Others could just as easily hate it for the same reasons I like it.

Here comes the hard part. Usage. You want to use it for graphic design. Well, I don't know about anyone else but using Photoshop and the like on a 12'' screen is 90% frustration 10% productivity. Laptops are just not meant for this niche if you ask me. It's like gaming, companies market all these gaming laptops and what-not. If you want to game sit at a desk. Any laptop that is good for gaming weighs way too much, costs way too much, and is far to big to still be portable in any practical usage. Graphic design falls in the same category with me. You need a large monitor, preferable multiple monitors to really be productive. Of course I'm not saying you can't do graphic design with a MacBook, but you're about to spend a lot of money, make sure it's on a machine that facilitates the kind of work you want to do.

Holler,

z0mgpwnr

[Luke]

#1 Apple decided to go the trendy yet impracticle route of equipping the screens on these things with that shiney reflective coating. This makes the LCD screen get dirty VERY easily, it makes it difficult to clean, and unless you are in a pitch black room you will frequently be distracted by that Cheeto powder thats all over your shirt collar. I cannot, for the life of me, figure out why manufacturers make screens like this.

They're easy to clean if you have the right materials. iKlear works great for this. And my screen still looks shiny. Regardless of how the screen is made, if you use windex (god forbid), tap water, and/or a standard rag you're gonna mess up your screen. It's like cleaning a pair of sun glasses.

#2 They get HOT, Apple has been specifically careful not to market the MacBook as a laptop because according to them it shouldn't technically be used on a person's lap. Temperatures on the bottom of the "notebook" can reach as high as 150F.

That's a bit of an exaggeration. Yes they do get hot, but I believe it gets up to 150F. And for some reason after resetting my PRAM, mine doesn't get nearly as hot as it used to. And it's fair to note most of the heat comes from the battery.

#3 If you need any maintainance done you MUST send it in for services. Gone are the days of just popping em open real quick to dust them out, or change/upgrade the RAM or HD. All of these things will automatically void your warranty. Also the keyboard cannot be removed for cleaning/repairing without voiding the warranty either.

You can't change the hard drive or RAM without voiding your warranty?

*cough*

http://youtube.com/watch?v=8c6ckjy-gdY

Granted you can't work on anything else besides the hard drive and ram and you can't simply pop out your hard drive... But anything else can be handled by the store.

#4 The palm rests of the MacBook are made of a particularly porous kind of plastic that is exceptionally remarkable at collecting dirt and oil from your hands. Just days of use can give you that off-white used look. The edge of the casing that your wrists will be hanging off of is also quite sharp and uncomfortable. Also creating a small recess of hard to reach surface area that is not easily cleaned. BTW although this plastic gets dirty very easily it also cleans to looking like new with Mr. Clean Magic Erasers. DO NOT USE MAGIC ERASERS ON THE LCD SCREEN.

Actually that's a defect of early Mac books that's a known issue. I had this happen to mine, and they're replacing the outter casing for me for free because it's covered under warranty.

#5 Gone are the days of closing up your laptop and shelving it for a week or two. With my iBooks the battery can remain charged for days while the laptop was closed and in stand by. These MacBooks do not follow those footsteps. Operational battery life is improved as you would expect but their ability to save power while clam-shelled is drasticly reduced.

Funny because I close mine all the time and it lasts a very very long time while closed... And when I open it, it fires up real quick and I'm ready to go.

#6 Within the operating system there are a couple of things that are very bothersome. Tab control behavior frequently doesn't work like you would expect it too. Home and End functions also are hit or miss.

I'm not sure what you mean by that... But what do you use the "Home" and "End" keys for on a mac? Granted it would be nice to have a one button "Print Screen" button, but there is a key combo for different variations of screen capture functions.

...

The BIGGEST negative point with a MacBook, and not a MacBook pro, is there is a metal bevel that keeps the CD rom level inside. If you hold your mac book from the side of the CD rom, letting all the weight hang off that side, you can bend it and you can have a problem where your CD will not come out. The thing that sucks about that the most is it's not covered under warranty. I'm like "so it matters what side I hold my mac book? Where is that in the !@#$%^ manual!?".

This doesn't happen with the MacBook Pro because the casing is metal and doesn't have this "bevel".

[idav]

Yes, I forgot about the CD problem Luke and thank you for dissecting my post...

The Home and End functions I was referring to is an OS X problem more than specifically a MacBook problem. For example, if I hit fn and left arrow this webpage is returned to the top rather than my cursor to the beginning of this line. That kind of stuff REALLY annoys me. Those functions should control whatever object has focus.

All the MacBooks Apple ships us are still prone to getting dirty and still have a sharp edge on the palm rest. To which part were you claiming was a known defect?

And BTW, doing what is show in that video will void your warranty according to all the people I work with, my boss, Apple Technical Support, and our Apple representative. That is, unless you are an Apple certified tech.

[Luke]

I went to an Apple store and asked them about the white plastic absorbing the oils in my skin and I was told it was an early manufacturing defect that was corrected later on (something to do with the mixture). They told me it was covered under my warranty and I'm getting it replaced

I don't see how it would void your warranty because there is no way to prove who did it. There is no protective seal preventing you from upgrading the ram or hard drive. On the LCD iMac upgrading the RAM is even easier (although the hard drive is MUCH harder to change out. that does require a certified tech).

Haven't really noticed the fn + Left/Right/Top/Down before. I've always used the two finger scrolling on my pad .

The mac technician told me that we would bend my bevel back into place for me, but most techs would not... The bevel is part of the bottom casing. Since it's part of the MacBook design only, it makes me want a Mac Pro.

PS: I wasn't trying to "dissect" your post. Splitting up lengthy posts makes it easier for me to comment on...

[Brandon C]

Are you sure? I bought my iBook G4 Jan 2006, that's not a year and a half ago, and the only reason I have an iBook G4 rather than a Macbook is because they hadn't been launched yet

My fault, that's what studying for final exams when you're already extremely tired does to you.

[Grant]

I am actually a certified technician, and changing your memory or HD will NOT void your warranty.

http://www.apple.com.../diy/order.html

You will need to order the parts from Apple however.

[kafloo]

I'd say go for it


--------------------
ruffa

[idav]

You will need to order the parts from Apple however.

Right, and that's the problem. Who wants to upgrade their 60gb SATA 2.5" HD to an 80 or 100gb for god only knows how many $100s of dollars. Parts from Apple suffer the most heinious price gouges I've ever seen. So really, the practicle way to upgrade is with parts from other vendors, which will void your Apple warranty.