The "Hi... I'm a Mac" thread

[markTHEblake]

do yourselves a favour, get a computer you LIKE using.

Great idea, go get a Intel computer and install Linux on it.

[BrisVegas]

i asked you about Macs laptops once, but quickly dismissed the idea once i saw the prices. If you're counting me among your mac wannabe's you're clutching at straws.

[Courty]

I'm not.

[Haydos]

I use a 20" mac...its beautiful.

The only thing is I run windows about 95% of the time which kind of defeats the purpose of having one. The Mac OSX is like my media centre though...its just awesome.

[Fishman Dan]

i asked you about Macs laptops once, but quickly dismissed the idea once i saw the prices. If you're counting me among your mac wannabe's you're clutching at straws.

Funny thing is, a spec'd up Dell Precision laptop with all the bells'n'whistles is around $4k.

[BrisVegas]

really?! I was pricing up Dell XPS 1530's with everything I could think of except say blu-ray and found it hard to get the price over $2k... Which was about $1k less than a comparable MacBook Pro (from memory, haven't looked in a while).

[Fishman Dan]

1530 isn't top of the range. There's about an $800 jump from 15" to 17" in the XPS.

I ended up getting a Precision for my sister in law, and once you get the added extras (everything from the Bluetooth module, highest res screen option, to the various support options), you'd be surprised.

The biggest kicker? I wanted Windows XP on it. It costs about $650 for "Vista Ultimate Downgrade" - i.e. you get Windows Vista pre-installed, and it comes packed with an XP installation CD.

[BrisVegas]

1530 isn't top of the range. There's about an $800 jump from 15" to 17" in the XPS.

I ended up getting a Precision for my sister in law, and once you get the added extras (everything from the Bluetooth module, highest res screen option, to the various support options), you'd be surprised.

Yeah I know there's a huge jump up from the XPS 15 -> 17, but the 17's are pretty hard core gaming machines, so are priced accordingly.

I've never looked at Precision laptops. I was interested in the XPS because of the metal case, HDMI, 256Mb graphics and various other things. I was comparing to the MacBook Pro in 15" with similar specs and couldn't understand why (other than it's intangible "mac-ness") why it cost so much more....

Anyway, whatever, I didn't buy one anyway. We just threw 2 Gigs of ram at the old Dell Inspiron and gave it a re-image and we're good as gold....

[Fishman Dan]

But you can have a PC on your Mac too

The sister in law is doing CAD - the Precision is 'certified for CAD', whatever the crap that means.

[kpac]

But you can have a PC on your Mac too

The sister in law is doing CAD - the Precision is 'certified for CAD', whatever the crap that means.

Macs are made for CAD!

[terryand]

Well, I might as well out myself now seeing as I am about to buy 17' Macbook Pro.

Never thought i would go to the dark side of the computing world, but there reputation, programs and work flow for editing photos is "apparently" second to none

I guess we'll see.

Terry.

[kpac]

Well, I might as well out myself now seeing as I am about to buy 17' Macbook Pro.

Never thought i would go to the dark side of the computing world, but there reputation, programs and work flow for editing photos is "apparently" second to none

I guess we'll see.

Terry.

with photo's and editing you'll be happy i'm sure.

Courty what is the tablet besides your computer there?

[Fishman Dan]

Macs are made for CAD!

Yeah, but 2 major factors....

1) Her uni studies are centred around PC's (friends etc)
2) She has limited understanding of PC's, nothing of Mac. I'm not putting up my hand from 1000 km's away for the nightly support call!

[kpac]

I'm not putting up my hand from 1000 km's away for the nightly support call!

yeah i hear ya. I'm the biggest Mac advocate going about, but often when the ol computer illiterate friends ask, "is mac the best way to go?", i'm carefully no to try very hard to convince them, as it means i'm first port of call for tech support.

[poidda]

Hi Courty, can I ask you for some advice?

Before I start, if any word of this gets back to the forum, I'll deny it unconditionally.

I'm considering getting a Mac...

I've been considering replacing the old laptop for a while now and was in at Myer on the weekend and sold. Just need to find a good deal. I thought those time capsules are pretty impressive. As long as you can back them up.

Also, considering I develop Microsoft applications, am I effectively doing myself out of a job in the long run??


oh, this was meant to be a pm wasn't it!

[terryand]

yeah i hear ya. I'm the biggest Mac advocate going about, but often when the ol computer illiterate friends ask, "is mac the best way to go?", i'm carefully no to try very hard to convince them, as it means i'm first port of call for tech support.

Cool Add you to list with Courty

Terry.

[kpac]

Cool Add you to list with Courty

Terry.

Your photo editing mate, courty before me! i'm still tinkering in that regard. Love it though. What program are you planning on using for photos mate?

[terryand]

Your photo editing mate, courty before me! i'm still tinkering in that regard. Love it though. What program are you planning on using for photos mate?

Aperture mainly, hence the reason for getting an Apple.

Plus CS3,I already have this, so I will continue to fumble my way through it

Terry.

[poidda]

Oh and regarding software. It is easy to "aquire" without going to shops?

[AndyP]

Oh and regarding software. It is easy to "aquire" without going to shops?

Yes. Or so I've been told.

[Fishman Dan]

I just went for a walk into the Apple Store. Holy friggin' crap - it's like a party inside that building, and everyone's invited! It was jam packed, there's product everywhere, more than enough hardware for everyone to play with, and it's all HIGHLY SEXUAL!

The funny thing was looking over the road through the glass wall from Level 3 to Telstra's flagship showroom - not one person entered or left the showroom. We then looked straight down to Apple's front doors, and you can pick people from the Cnr of George and King St's, with no intention other than to enter the Apple Store. You can even see people stop, think, then decide to enter the store on a whim.

Unlike department stores, you feel like wanting to buy something. Have to say that the iPod Touch is overpriced, considering the iPhone is just around the corner. A guy at work here has one and loves it (the Touch), he has software to encode any .AVI onto it.

Highly..... highly sexual.

[Courty]

Courty what is the tablet besides your computer there?

Just a little Wacom graphics tablet. It's quote a few years old now, but still works just fine.

[Courty]

Also, considering I develop Microsoft applications, am I effectively doing myself out of a job in the long run??

No, seeing as there are shitloads of 'anti-Mac' users around who will insist on using Windoze for years to come. You'll just be developing them on an inferior OS but on superior hardware.

Oh and regarding software. It is easy to "aquire" without going to shops?

Yes.

[Jarro]

I just went for a walk into the Apple Store. Holy friggin' crap - it's like a party inside that building, and everyone's invited! It was jam packed, there's product everywhere, more than enough hardware for everyone to play with, and it's all HIGHLY SEXUAL!

You clearly need to get out more

[Chris32]

I've had about 10 macs, my first computer was a Mac Quadra 700. I got it when I was 12! I still have it in my cupboard, in fact I have a old PowerMac 9600, iMac and a G4 in there too. Bigger Mac ho than golf shit!