Mac Book Pro Or Not? Advice Please!

[pimmy5]

Hi Mac users, need some advice, I'm thinking of switching from a PC to a MAC, my current Vaio is 4 years and i just feel its time..... I've always wanted a mac but worry usability and its compatibility to other 3rd party application or products. Anyone can give me advice on this? eg. installing things etc etc because i've never had problems with PC.

Also regarding word processing, is it necessary to buy Microsoft word from apple or is there a cracked version from MBK?

Any advice you can give regarding this transformation would be much appreicated! what you like or don't like? should i make the switch?

Thanks a lot.

[CDNinKS]

Check this thread Pimmy:

Here

[nikster]

Go for it. It's a great machine. Hardware quality is unlike anything currently sold by PC manufacturers. Remember Apple making a very big fuss about their manufacturing technique - carving every MacBook Pro out of a solid block of Aluminum? Well - it really shows. This thing is built like a brick. Nothing is moving, nothing is shaking, in fact the machine looks pretty much good as new - and it's almost 2 years old, and I really abuse my laptops. I never had anything like it, and that includes any prior Apple products.

For compatibility - Microsoft makes MS Office for Mac, and you can use that. You can get illegal copies everywhere you can get them for Windows - and, I might add, that's what I've heard - no idea where that would be .

There's also Apple's own version called iWork - Pages (like Word), Numbers (like Excel), Keynote (like PowerPoint). These are a little nicer than the Word versions and they're better if you use them for your private use, like writing letters and stuff. They can import and export the Microsoft formats. But if you frequently need to exchange Word documents with others, you will need to use the Office suite from Microsoft. Import/export is 99%, but that remaining 1% makes it annoying enough to not be worth it for exchanging documents. Ok maybe KeyNote is the exception - presentations made with Keynote actually look really good, vs. your standard fugly PP presentations.

Anyway for what most people do with their computers, compatibility is a non-issue.

Edited October 13, 2010 by nikster

[klfopera]

and, of course, you can have a PC on your Mac as well. Just get Fusion or Parallels software. You will also need Windows 7.

[ragandboneman]

Just purchased my first ever Mac a few days ago after 12 plus years on windows.

I went for a Mac Book Pro 15 inch, first impressions, very impressed but still a lot of learning to be done. I have the office disc for the mac but have not installed it yet, still finding my feet with the basics, no hurry still have my windows desktop running as well. The build quality seems to be far far superior to any laptop I have used in the past.

Might be able to answer your querie better in a few months, hopefully in a positive manner.

Best Regards

ragandboneman

[Damacles]

Like ragandboneman, I have just switched from a Vaio laptop (which I absolutely loved; small and highly portable) after 5 years, and another 10 on PCs. Totally love it so far, but again lots to learn, none of which stops me using it. Learning all the many applications will take time I dont yet have but its got all I could ever need, is sleek, very portable and no problems at all. Bigger screen than my old Vaio, may it rest in piece, but is half the thickness; feels lighter to carry.

Fits in well with my iphone and ipod; synching is simple via itunes.

You need to get a disc player which plugs in via USB, and software loading was a doddle. So far its compatible with everything thats been sent to me including Word and Excel.

[CDNinKS]

You need to get a disc player which plugs in via USB

You are referring to the Macbook Air, the OP is considering a Macbook Pro which has a built in DVD drive.

I highly recommend spending a few minutes watching the Apple online videos that deal with switching from a PC to a Mac, makes the learning curve a whole lot easier.

Once you go Mac, you will never go back.....

[nikster]

My neighbor is just setting up his shiny new iMac.

So there's a few things you need, all free:

- Perian - makes QuickTime player good, e.g. play all AVIs and other files you download from the internet.

- VLC in case QuickTime with perian doesn't work - very rare, but good to have. If QuickTime works, then it's a lot nicer than VLC, it has proper FFWD and so on, it's generally just smoother.

- http://clicktoflash.com/ install as flash blocker for Safari. Safari is much better than Firefox on the Mac.

- Chrome and Firefox for those websites where Safari doesn't work - extremely rare these days

- MenuMeters - then set it up it constantly shows in/out

Maybe some others. But this gets you started.

[DMC1]

Go for it. It's a great machine. Hardware quality is unlike anything currently sold by PC manufacturers. Remember Apple making a very big fuss about their manufacturing technique - carving every MacBook Pro out of a solid block of Aluminum? Well - it really shows. This thing is built like a brick. Nothing is moving, nothing is shaking, in fact the machine looks pretty much good as new - and it's almost 2 years old, and I really abuse my laptops. I never had anything like it, and that includes any prior Apple products.

For compatibility - Microsoft makes MS Office for Mac, and you can use that. You can get illegal copies everywhere you can get them for Windows - and, I might add, that's what I've heard - no idea where that would be .

There's also Apple's own version called iWork - Pages (like Word), Numbers (like Excel), Keynote (like PowerPoint). These are a little nicer than the Word versions and they're better if you use them for your private use, like writing letters and stuff. They can import and export the Microsoft formats. But if you frequently need to exchange Word documents with others, you will need to use the Office suite from Microsoft. Import/export is 99%, but that remaining 1% makes it annoying enough to not be worth it for exchanging documents. Ok maybe KeyNote is the exception - presentations made with Keynote actually look really good, vs. your standard fugly PP presentations.

Anyway for what most people do with their computers, compatibility is a non-issue.

I work in Oil & Gas and all our reports are done in MS Word & Excel. So, if I did all my reports on a Mac offshore, would the client be able to open them in the office onshoreon a Windows PC? Is the file format saved so this would be possible? If it is then I am buying one!!

[CDNinKS]

So, if I did all my reports on a Mac offshore, would the client be able to open them in the office onshoreon a Windows PC?

Absolutely

I use Iworks which is Mac's version of MS Office. Pages, Mac's version of Word has the option to save as a word document, as does Keynote (Power Point) and Numbers (Excel).

The beauty of Iworks is it costs about 3000 baht, a far cry of what you would pay for a legitimate copy of MS Office.

Mac's come with an option to install bootcamp which is basically a separate partion that you can load a copy of a windows OS on to if you have any kind of software that is not compatible with Mac. When I got my Macbook Pro a year ago I was sure there was going to be something that I would have to run in windows so I installed the bootcamp option........never used it.

It will take you a couple weeks to get used to the slightly different way things are done on a Mac, but with the help of the Apple videos, it is easy to switch.

Enjoy

[boney]

Go for it. It's a great machine. Hardware quality is unlike anything currently sold by PC manufacturers. Remember Apple making a very big fuss about their manufacturing technique - carving every MacBook Pro out of a solid block of Aluminum? Well - it really shows. This thing is built like a brick. Nothing is moving, nothing is shaking, in fact the machine looks pretty much good as new - and it's almost 2 years old, and I really abuse my laptops. I never had anything like it, and that includes any prior Apple products.

For compatibility - Microsoft makes MS Office for Mac, and you can use that. You can get illegal copies everywhere you can get them for Windows - and, I might add, that's what I've heard - no idea where that would be .

There's also Apple's own version called iWork - Pages (like Word), Numbers (like Excel), Keynote (like PowerPoint). These are a little nicer than the Word versions and they're better if you use them for your private use, like writing letters and stuff. They can import and export the Microsoft formats. But if you frequently need to exchange Word documents with others, you will need to use the Office suite from Microsoft. Import/export is 99%, but that remaining 1% makes it annoying enough to not be worth it for exchanging documents. Ok maybe KeyNote is the exception - presentations made with Keynote actually look really good, vs. your standard fugly PP presentations.

Anyway for what most people do with their computers, compatibility is a non-issue.

I work in Oil & Gas and all our reports are done in MS Word & Excel. So, if I did all my reports on a Mac offshore, would the client be able to open them in the office onshoreon a Windows PC? Is the file format saved so this would be possible? If it is then I am buying one!!

I work Oil and gas also. I got myself a macbook pro 15" 10 months ago and I agree, once you had a mac you wont go back. I just got a 27" imac also.

I also run windows 7 with parallels on my macbook pro. Its all easy to do, (do not use bootcamp)

I use pages and save any docs in Windows format that I need to send off like CVs etc, no problems.

Mac's are great machines. go get one. you wont be disappointed. Mail is the only thing I have an issue with but that is sorted now.

lots of people out there to help on the forums.

enjoy

[CDNinKS]

Mail is the only thing I have an issue with but that is sorted now

Funny, Mail is one of the applications that I like the best, I have it setup to check all my email accounts and the search function is great, but the best feature of all is the "Quick Look" function. I get a work schedule as an attachment everyday in Excel format and it opens instantaneously with Quick look.

I agree that Bootcamp is not the best option if you do need to run windows, but for me personally I have no need for it.

[pimmy5]

Guys thanks so much for all your inputs! Also another quick thing... 13' or 15' ? I'm still undecided!

Also in addition to the laptop is applecare necessary? with my Vaio i never had any problem that needed fixing, how about the magic mouse? (does ordinary mouse from other makers work on a mac?) and of course Iwork.

Thanks in advance!

[VerbalKint]

I would/did go for the 13' and an external screen, you will have the advantage of a smaller portable and when in your office you will have dual screens

[CDNinKS]

Guys thanks so much for all your inputs! Also another quick thing... 13' or 15' ? I'm still undecided!

Also in addition to the laptop is applecare necessary? with my Vaio i never had any problem that needed fixing, how about the magic mouse? (does ordinary mouse from other makers work on a mac?) and of course Iwork.

Thanks in advance!

I guess that all depends on what you are using the laptop for. If you are doing a lot of traveling and dragging stuff thru airports the 13 inch will be a smaller lighter package, if you use it basically as a desktop unit 90% of the time and watch a lot of movies etc then the 15inch would probably be better. One of the guys I work with, since we do 6 week on, 6 week off rotations, actually went with a MacMini and a 20 inch screen. He leaves the screen in Thailand when he goes home and just takes the mini with him. Not a bad idea and a way cheaper option.

As to Apple care, you have until the one year included warranty is up to make that decision. I'm at the 11 months stage and just last week did buy the Apple care package. It is not cheap at 9000 baht, but it does give me a bit of peace of mind. Don't forget internal components such as video cards, hard drives etc are not made by Apple, so they are just as susceptible to failure as with any computer. Basically you are buying insurance, a personal choice.....

The track pad is huge and very easy to use and with the 2 and 3 finger swipe functions it works great but I still prefer a mouse and the magic mouse is a beautiful unit, I love mine.

I can't emphasize more the importance of watching the Apple videos, they will really show you the power and ease of use of a Mac.

Enjoy

[nikster]

Definitely get AppleCare. It's expensive but you have full protection of your investment for 3 years. Things break on laptops, and repairs outside the warranty can be expensive very quickly. Example I had my screen break just after the one year warranty expired on my last (pre-unibody) MacBook Pro - 20,000 baht!! I got it fixed and sold the machine for 30k...

Now I have AppleCare on the new one.

Though the above 20k baht I think I'll get back from NVidia, turns out there was a class action lawsuit against the company and I had one of the affected machines.

[unblocktheplanet]

I like open-source software and have all but deleted Microsoft and Adobe from my Mac. NeoOffice will work with anything MS Office, for example. Still find I need Acrobat Professional but there are so many alternatives, Photoshop is only necessary for a professional shutterbug.

A great site to explore: Macupdate http://www.macupdate.com

Have fun!

[Jimi007]

I am writing this on a Mac Powerbook G4 that I bought in June 2001. It's been around the world several times. I've replaced the battery once. I have an external monitor, external hard drives, an old 40 Gig iPod, a HP all in one scanner printer and a Cannon photo printer all connected to it. I have MS office, Adobe CS, and Quicken. It's a bit slow for some things, but still works fine for most everything other than video. Next time I go back to the US I will probably get a new Mac Book Pro, as I get an employee discount through friends that work for Apple. So, what I'm trying to say is they are well built and don't die. I also have a 15 plus year old Powerbook that still runs fine. You will need Firefox for a few things, like online banking with Bangkok Bank. The mail program is great. It checks my POP as well as my IMAP accounts, I never have to use a browser to check my mail. The only drawback is the price...

As for your question about a mouse, I'm using an IBM mouse...

Edited October 17, 2010 by Jimi007

[djvolak]

My neighbor is just setting up his shiny new iMac.

So there's a few things you need, all free:

- Perian - makes QuickTime player good, e.g. play all AVIs and other files you download from the internet.

- VLC in case QuickTime with perian doesn't work - very rare, but good to have. If QuickTime works, then it's a lot nicer than VLC, it has proper FFWD and so on, it's generally just smoother.

- http://clicktoflash.com/ install as flash blocker for Safari. Safari is much better than Firefox on the Mac.

- Chrome and Firefox for those websites where Safari doesn't work - extremely rare these days

- MenuMeters - then set it up it constantly shows in/out

Maybe some others. But this gets you started.

Another I am trying right now is open office for mac which is free, (they do ask for donations) but it seems to be working fine. Get the Mac you will love it. I am on my second macbook pro now the first one is now my wife's and still going strong too.

[negreanu]

Hang on until 20th. Apple Event possible Macbook Pro refresh and Macbook Air refresh. Would imagine only Air refresh but you never know.

[dominique355]

I made the same switch from PC (Acer) to MacBook Pro and have somewhat mixed feeling.

On the PRO side:

solid hardware, great finish, great looks

lot of software already pre-installed

most popular software also available for Mac (Firefox, Opera, OpenOffice, Truecrypt etc)

good battery life

On the CON side:

my machine seems to have a hard time connecting to my wireless LAN. All the other PC around have no problem, but my MacBook Pro always looses connection

only 2 USB ports (one taken by mouse)

screen not as good as the best PC

I was not able to find a fully satisfactory photo editor. I am not very good at this, so I need a simple but powerful editor and organizing software.

Mac software is more expensive that Windows equivalent and choice restricted

I would be curious of your experience.

[nikster]

^^ 13" then?

Photo editor and management: Use iPhoto. If you don't like it, try the free Picasa, same thing from Google. I used to be a huge fan of Picasa and hate iPhoto, but Picasa version 3 is somewhat screwed up, and they kept improving iPhoto to where it's almost suck-free now.

For WiFi, change your router. Some WiFi routers just don't work properly, but Windows is able to deal with them anyway. Macs are a bit more finicky. I recently spent an hour trying to fix a friend's D-Link router, then swapped the WiFi for a Linksys, and voila no more issues. Do you have a D-Link AP by any chance? The one my friend had caused all sorts of weird behavior on the Mac, it was bizarre.

If you need more than 2 USB ports, a USB hub (port replicator) costs a few hundred baht.

Mac software is not more expensive - to the contrary, there's lots and lots of free or cheap shareware software for the Mac of a very high quality. Unlike on Windows. Many free programs I use don't have an equivalent on Windows. Let us know what you're looking for or try versiontracker.com

[puuchai299]

I have also had a lot of times when the Macbook pro is losing connection to wireless,I use a Linskys router,and this macs only a few weeks old,you might want to look at the following link.60 pages of it.It seems Macbook Pros are more than finicky.Mine has been ok for the last few days without making any changes to any routers/settings.

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1352518&start=885&tstart=0

[nikster]

I have also had a lot of times when the Macbook pro is losing connection to wireless,I use a Linskys router,and this macs only a few weeks old,you might want to look at the following link.60 pages of it.It seems Macbook Pros are more than finicky.Mine has been ok for the last few days without making any changes to any routers/settings.

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1352518&start=885&tstart=0

Apple has a bit of a history with WiFi... still, it was working pretty well there for a few years, my 2009 MBP certainly has no issues. So I am surprised this has re-surfaced. Clearly in software, though, as Macs do use the same hardware as Windows machines. So the light at the end of the tunnel is a software update will probably fix this. Let's hope sooner rather than later.

I can attest though that in the one case I was a witness to, my MBP was affected just as any other Mac, so I think it was the router.

[CDNinKS]

only 2 USB ports (one taken by mouse)

Get a Magic Mouse.......it is Magic

[nikster]

To the OP you might also consider a new MacBook Air. It's getting rave reviews:

http://techcrunch.com/2010/10/26/13-inch-macbook-air-review/