What do I need to know about a Mac computer?

[disneyred]

Sure. Microsoft also makes Office for the Mac and the iPad.

do you know how much this additional cost would be ?? i assume its the same whether you buy it for the ipad or the macbook ?

 

[Lynne M]

do you know how much this additional cost would be ?? i assume its the same whether you buy it for the ipad or the macbook ?

No, they're not the same. The MacBook Pro and the iPad/iPhone/iPod use two completely different operating systems. The MacBook Pro is a traditional, keyboard and mouse/trackpad laptop computer, and it uses MacOS. The iPad is a touch-based tablet, and it runs on iOS.

Applications that run on the Mac don't run on iPad/iPhone/iPod, and applications for iOS devices don't run on Macs.

Microsoft Office 2011 for the Mac is $90 on Amazon, and oops...I was mistaken, no Office for the iPad yet. It's been talked about for so long I assumed it was out by now.

But - Apple's Pages and Numbers apps for iPad (their word processor and spreadsheet) can open and edit Word and Excel files, and save in Word or Excel format. They're $9.99 each.

 

[FergieTCat]

My computer died last week. I was considering a MacBook Air, but I haven't decided.

I had never heard of a tablet with a docking station, until a few posts ago, and further research showed me this:

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/technol...ws-8-tablet-with-keyboard-coming-in-november/

So I think I'm going to hold on until November. Meantime, I have a computer at work and can use my phone for the Internet over the weekend.

 

[phanomouse]

I am well above my area of expertise on this, I just know that Mac users call all the time asking when we are going to upgrade our websites to make them Mac compatible. Our Apps don't seem to be an issue.

Websites aren't a Mac issue, more likely a browser issue. Even then only if you are using outdated programming tech. In the last 5-6 yrs people have realized that IE isn't the best browser and we shouldn't be building to the Microsoft standard.

This has been a big issue for Universities who built their entire internal network based on IE. My wife is getting her doctorate from Stony Brook right now and they are spending a HUGE amount of money to update there infrastructure to not be reliant on IE. The change is making everything faster and more user friendly.

 

[ChrisFL]

Websites aren't a Mac issue, more likely a browser issue. Even then only if you are using outdated programming tech. In the last 5-6 yrs people have realized that IE isn't the best browser and we shouldn't be building to the Microsoft standard.

This has been a big issue for Universities who built their entire internal network based on IE.

That is really sad.


ChrisFL- Avoiding IE like the plague since 1997

 

[Albort]

That is really sad.


ChrisFL- Avoiding IE like the plague since 1997

problem is, most companies are still and only compatible with IE. Disney when i worked with them, their CM portal, everything works in IE but when it comes to firefox and chrome, a few things wont pull up no matter what i do.

 

[Squidgyness]

I wouldn't get a mac. I used to hate all apple products, but I recently got an ipad and love it. If you need an apple product for Internet browsing and not much else, get an ipad. If you want to do word processing and things involving software think very carefully about the choice you need to make.

I wouldn't buy a MacBook for several reasons, chiefly that the contents are NOT worth the money. Just flat out, in terms of hardware they just aren't worth it. The main draw of a MacBook is its Operating System and its aesthetics. If you have been chugging along okay with windows, I wouldn't spend all that money to switch. If you don't want an ipad, get a netbook. If you really want a laptop, you could get a MacBook if you can justify the purchase, only you can know this for sure.

It really irritates me when people point to macs not getting viruses, I've owned a pc for going on 15 years since I was 6 and I've had precisely one virus, which was easily solved with a wipe that you can do via instructions over the net. Unless you have sensitive information to worry about I wouldn't concern yourself with security concerns overmuch, free antivirus software solves those issues.

Also, in terms of ease of use, I'd say iOS on ipad is much easier to use, it can't really get any simpler, i thought macbooks OS is hard to use, JMO. So if you want to easily use the new device, go for an ipad I say.

To sum up in your case, I'd advise the following options, ranked:
1. Ipad
2. Netbook
3. Laptop (pc) but only a cheap one
4. MacBook
5. Desktop pc
6. iMac computer

But you are free to do whatever you choose

 

[ChrisFL]

If it were me, I'd get an Asus Transformer Prime and have nearly the best of both worlds, a laptop and a tablet.

Here's a video about it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQqdHfUVOiI

 

[tvguy]

Websites aren't a Mac issue, more likely a browser issue. Even then only if you are using outdated programming tech. In the last 5-6 yrs people have realized that IE isn't the best browser and we shouldn't be building to the Microsoft standard.

This has been a big issue for Universities who built their entire internal network based on IE. My wife is getting her doctorate from Stony Brook right now and they are spending a HUGE amount of money to update there infrastructure to not be reliant on IE. The change is making everything faster and more user friendly.

IE isn't an issue for her, she uses Firefox on her Mac. The combination of IE and a PC see to solve the small number of issues she has.

 

[Kathi OD]

The only thing you need to know is that once you buy one, you will never go back to PC!!! I love mine!

I would whole-heartedly disagree. I use a mac at school, and have had one here at home. When the time came to buy a new one here at home, I went back to the PC. For what I use a computer for at home, a mac is WAY over-priced.

If the OP is only using her computer for some online games and Dis-ing, a mac is not worth the price she's going to pay for it.

 

[clarkshel]

If it were me, I'd get an Asus Transformer Prime and have nearly the best of both worlds, a laptop and a tablet.

Here's a video about it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQqdHfUVOiI

That will not replace a laptop. You are dreaming if you think it will. Besides the OP asked about Mac products, not Android tablets.

 

[ChrisFL]

That will not replace a laptop. You are dreaming if you think it will. Besides the OP asked about Mac products, not Android tablets.

That entirely depends on what you use a laptop for. Plus the OP was asking for something that was portable, wasn't windows based and less prone to viruses, Android has that, and I was giving an alternative they might not have thought of.

You can set up a mouse and the keyboard is there just like a laptop. There's many office type programs available on the Google Play market and browsing, etc. is very easy.

 

[arthuruscg]

That will not replace a laptop. You are dreaming if you think it will. Besides the OP asked about Mac products, not Android tablets.

What can a laptop do that the Transformer can't?
The only thing I have found is it can't run windows (graphics intensive) games.

Asus should be upgrading them to JellyBean soon (if not already) so, they can run the full Chrome Browser and run normal "desktop" sites.

You can install a full office suite or access Google's online Gdocs.

 

[Lynne M]

For the OP's purposes, I'd definitely recommend a MacBook Air, or an iPad. Really, if they're not going to be writing long documents that will require a lot of typing, an iPad will suit their purposes just fine.

Yes, you can probably find an netbook or a Android tablet cheaper, but if they just want a low-maintenance, no-fuss device that doesn't require a lot of technical savvy, cheaper is not always better. My elderly parents manage their iPads on their own, just fine. They don't need my help with anything. My dad is 87 and had never touched a computer in his life before he got his iPad, he loves it. They read the news, browse the web, watch videos, play games, listen to music, send e-mail, look at family photos, read book, and many, many other things. They buy and install apps, do their own OS and app updates. At age 79 and 87. You can't possibly do better in ease-of-use than that.

I know that we have a bunch of techies on this thread, and I'm a software engineer myself, I get it. But we need to keep the end user in mind. Most people don't want complexity and fuss. They just want a simple device that does what they want it to, and are willing to pay a little bit more for it.

ETA: OP, if you really do want a full laptop, with keyboard and trackpad, get the base MacBook Air. It's extremely lightweight and portable.

 

[136368]

Money saving tip: look at the refurbs. There's nothing wrong with them and can save you around about 15%.

Macs generally rule, but the sting in the tail is the price.

As far as Windows compatibility goes, just buy Parallels or VMWare and a copy of whatever system you desire to be compatible with. "Coherence" means that applications for, say, Windows, will run seamlessly on top of your desktop, pretty much full speed, without you even noticing. There is a free piece of software that does this too, but tbh I haven't tried it much yet. As far as this practice goes (it's called virtualisation) I can vouch for it. I generally run three systems at the same time - the native Mac OS, Windows 7 and Ubuntu Linux. Between the three, there's pretty much nothing I can't do.

 

[pampam]

If I got a computer and only used free wi fi with it would I have less trouble with viruses with a mac than a pc?

 

[clarkshel]

If I got a computer and only used free wi fi with it would I have less trouble with viruses with a mac than a pc?

You always have less trouble with viruses on a Mac than a PC. But that doesn't mean you are immune to viruses on a Mac

 

[Lynne M]

Right now, there are far, far fewer viruses, trojan horses, etc, written for the MacOS than there are for Windows. I've had nothing but Macs in my home for 30 years and have never had a single virus. I don't run antivirus software on any of my Macs, never have. I'm not recommending that for anyone else, there are MacOS viruses out there. I'm just mentioning it to illustrate that Mac viruses are not common.

 

[136368]

Browsing the DIS on Firefox running on Pear OS running on MacOS X running on a MacBook Pro...

 

[ladypage]

Right now, there are far, far fewer viruses, trojan horses, etc, written for the MacOS than there are for Windows. I've had nothing but Macs in my home for 30 years and have never had a single virus. I don't run antivirus software on any of my Macs, never have. I'm not recommending that for anyone else, there are MacOS viruses out there. I'm just mentioning it to illustrate that Mac viruses are not common.

But if a person is prone to get them, they will anyways. My exbf's sister was like this with her mac, we couldn't figure out how, but every month or two she would get a new virus and we'd have to take it in to get fixed. She was like a magnet. I'm also assuming she would get the SAME viruses over and over again, because she got them so often.

Now me, I'm running PC, and have always done so. I've gotten a virus once, maybe twice. I don't pay for any fancy antivirus software either.


OP: Why do you want a Mac so bad? I can see their upsides. I'm probably going to have to convert in a few years because of my career. But if you're not doing graphic design or something visual, there really isn't a huge point. Just for browsing and online games? Assuming you're not playing something super graphic heavy, I would go for something cheap and spend that money else where.