Mac Computer

[hellodolly]

I have been considering purchasing the Apple desk model 27 inch screen.

Would appreciate some feed back.

I am not depending on it for a living or any thing in particular.

I am approaching it with the attitude that it might last me the rest of my life.

I play games email have some sites I visit. Have a lot of pictures that I would like to work on and organize.

In general I have been told it is more user friendly and dependable.

When it comes to computers there are nerds and there are dorks with a lot in between. I am a dork.

Also as I am not in a need to have it now is there a new model on the horizon?

[WinnieTheKhwai]

> In general I have been told it is more user friendly and dependable.

Meh. It depends. Some people like it, but ultimately it's just another computer, but with good build quality and even better marketing, at a slightly higher price.

User friendly is relative. You wouldn't believe the challenge I had getting a middle mouse 'button' to work on the Apple magic mouse. (And it's still very awkward to use). Also the mouse speed/acceleration is just nuts, and with inadequate control. All strictly IMHO. Also the Apple wireless Bluetooth keyboard seems to have a mind of its own sometimes.

But it sure looks nice. :/

Edited July 23, 2011 by WinnieTheKhwai

[sappersrest]

Once you have tried one you will realize how rubbish a windows system is.fires up first time no errors screen locks and all the other problems other systems have.

To sum it up a first class bit of kit.Go and play with one at your nearest reseller.

[nidge]

My wife has the 27" iMac and it's brilliant. I prefer the macbookpro just because of the portability.

If you get the iMac then the new model is already out. In the past few years i have convinced a number of workmates to change to macs and they are all very happy. I have never met anyone not happy with their mac, the only time i hear of it is in Thai visa, (and people always tell the truth here don't they!).

When I first started using a mac, the best thing was that if i was stuck or confused about anything then there were plenty of people eager and willing to help me out. Every time i was stuck the answer was really simple too. As sappersrest has already said, once you start using a mac, you will realise how bad windows really is and wonder how you ever put up with it.

Good luck.

[sfokevin]

Yes the Mac's are wonderful machines - Very user friendly

I would only recommend that you look at the whole Mac line before you buy... Both the MacBooks (Laptops) and the MacMini give you additional versatility that you may not have thought of needing - Example: A laptop can be with you in many parts of the house (I am writing this on my MacBook Air as I an lounging on my couch ;-) and you can travel with it or take it to a coffee shop... The Mac Mini allows you to use any screen - I have one attached to my TV that streams TV/Movies from the US and plays DVDs!...

One last suggestion - Note that Apple has just released a updated operating system (OS X Lion) - Make sure that whoever you buy your Mac from gives you a machine with this newest system installed.

[infernalman7]

I am a Mac person so I support all of the above comments.

It is more intuitive and easy to learn. If you do have a lot of photos to organize, it has a software suite which deals directly with managing home photos and videos. (it's called iPhoto).

You'll either love it or hate it and it isn't difficult to understand why. Some people really have problem learning new things (since they are so used to Windows machines for a long time).

[kalbo123]

It will change your live... and lower your blood pressure....

[WinnieTheKhwai]

It will change your live... and lower your blood pressure....

It will wash your socks.. bring you a beer from the fridge, perform oral sex on you in the morning. and ..

Come on, it's just a tool. I'm not a huge Windows fan, but Windows 7 is pretty decent and 8 looks highly promising too. OS X I think is better, but I wouldn't call it a life changing experience. I might get a Macbook when my laptop is due to be replaced but there will remain a lot of Windows software I need to use, so I may just end up running Windows on it (dual boot, or more likely in as a virtual machine)

Here is a nice recent plug of the Macbook Air: http://www.zdnet.com...ever-owned/4917 ..

Increasingly though, the operating system you use matters less and less as the world progresses to using applications on-line, and/or on a variety of devices. It won't really matter what you use as long as it runs a browser. Oh, and plays Angry Birds, course, the other must-have for any self-respecting platform.

Edited July 23, 2011 by WinnieTheKhwai

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

The new Mac OS 10.7 Lion software is pretty slick.

Not having to deal with disk's by downloading it online is great.. Good riddance to Install disks.

[hellodolly]

Thanks Guys for the answers.

The only thing I would worry about is as winnie pointed out

quote

"User friendly is relative. You wouldn't believe the challenge I had getting a middle mouse 'button' to work on the Apple magic mouse. (And it's still very awkward to use). Also the mouse speed/acceleration is just nuts, and with inadequate control. All strictly IMHO. Also the Apple wireless Bluetooth keyboard seems to have a mind of its own sometimes."

I know I used the mouse on the one at the airport plaza and it seemed very slow to me and I can see where there will be a definite learning curve learning to use it.

Same as when I went from a one click mouse to a right and left hand one and again when I went to one with the scroll.

I am going to the states next month and might consider a notebook.

Be that is it may I am defiantly going to gt the big desk model when I return. Is there any thing I should be looking at buying there and bringing back with me.

[nidge]

If you don't like the mouse swap it for a track pad. If you don't like that idea, plug in any old usb mouse you like. My trackpad is rubbish for some games so i just use a standard logitech one.

I had the original mighty mouse with the scrolling ball in the middle and hated it. Probably the only thing i dislike about mac computers. I'm sure the new one is much better.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

I know I used the mouse on the one at the airport plaza and it seemed very slow to me and I can see where there will be a definite learning curve learning to use it.

Yeah. The settings for this are easy enough to find so you can set it to the fastest possible speed, but the main issue is that they got the acceleration curve all wrong, so it still feels slow and awkward when making minor movements of the mouse pointer, but too fast when making bigger movements.

Apple is incredibly stubborn about many things, it's typically 'take it or leave it'. Background on this issue is here: http://tidbits.com/article/8893 (Note that this is from 4 years ago!)

There are some third party tools you can run to improve this and I've tried several of them. This will improve the situation but I still can't get it as spot-on as even Windows XP was straight out of the box in 2001... Maybe it's also the Magic Mouse (wireless) that makes it worse; not sure what happens in you just plug in a USB cord mouse.

> I am going to the states next month and might consider a notebook.

Prolly cheaper to buy it there then?

> Be that is it may I am defiantly going to gt the big desk model when I return. Is there any thing I should

> be looking at buying there and bringing back with me.

Yes, the MacBook computer. You can buy a nice big screen for it here in Thailand; that'd be awkward to bring.

Edited July 23, 2011 by WinnieTheKhwai

[noahvail]

No matter what Mac you end up with, get the AppleCare extended warranty. The motherboard on my MacBook Pro died a year into the extended warranty; sent the machine to BKK, they got the board brought in from Singapore (seems they don't have much of any stock in BKK, which is the only place they actually service it) and I had it back in 10 days.

As far as a mouse goes, I'm using an old Microsoft Optical Trackball that's already been rebuilt once. The trackball is on the side, so it's a thumb-ball, and it works great for any application. They stopped making them years ago, but there's a guy on eBay that services and sells them.

[Dante99]

Thanks Guys for the answers.

The only thing I would worry about is as winnie pointed out

quote

I know I used the mouse on the one at the airport plaza and it seemed very slow to me

did you adjust the speed to maximum in systems preferences before trying it?

[hellodolly]

Thanks Guys for the answers.

The only thing I would worry about is as winnie pointed out

quote

I know I used the mouse on the one at the airport plaza and it seemed very slow to me

did you adjust the speed to maximum in systems preferences before trying it?

No but when I purchase it I will have them give me a crash course on that. I also will have some games to load.

Not sure if I should put windows in . I would not use it on the internet just for games. It would be seperate from the apple home page. If I do decide to put it in I was thinking might as well get the real thing as long as I am spending that much for the machine.

[rakchaingmai]

Once you get a mac you never go back .

I used windows for many years until my friend lent me his mac for a day it was love at first site i went and bought one a week later the best thing i have ever done no regrets.

[Ashoka]

I would try using Linix Mint 11 on a PC or notebook first and see if you like it before investing in something as expensive as a Mac. Linix has all of the qualities of Mac mentioned above but it is free and virtually impossible to get a virus unless you are really trying. All of the software is built into Linux and additional software can be added from a built in menu free any time in minutes without searching the internet. Here is a link to Mint 11:

http://www.linuxmint.com/

It is not so much the machine it's the software.

[petertucker48]

Hi,

You may be interested in the new Mac Mini+new 27" monitor with thunderbolt check out at : (if anything ever goes wrong like being struck by lightning its much easier to take a Mac Mini to Bangkok than a 27" !!!) been there done that !!

http://www.apple.com/uk/ (UK prices are way out for use here in Thailand suggest deducting 20% and adding 7% for a more accurate idea)

Apples keyboards are OK but Logitect do a much better laser mouse (mine is the MX )

A good place for Apple info is :

http://www.macworld.co.uk/

All new macs now with the new Lion OS X operating system.

[msg362]

Thanks Guys for the answers.

The only thing I would worry about is as winnie pointed out

quote

"User friendly is relative. You wouldn't believe the challenge I had getting a middle mouse 'button' to work on the Apple magic mouse. (And it's still very awkward to use). Also the mouse speed/acceleration is just nuts, and with inadequate control. All strictly IMHO. Also the Apple wireless Bluetooth keyboard seems to have a mind of its own sometimes."

I know I used the mouse on the one at the airport plaza and it seemed very slow to me and I can see where there will be a definite learning curve learning to use it.

Same as when I went from a one click mouse to a right and left hand one and again when I went to one with the scroll.

I am going to the states next month and might consider a notebook.

Be that is it may I am defiantly going to gt the big desk model when I return. Is there any thing I should be looking at buying there and bringing back with me.

You can plug in another mouse. I've got a cheap wireless mouse and one of those ball thingies, both work. As others have said, starts up fast, reliable ( I have a mate and we both edit video, his windows machine keeps faulting on one thing or another, my 24" 4 year old iMac just keeps rolling). As WTK said, windows 7 is a good OS but Apple is still out in front I think. ( I'm told the new Lion OS is very slick, not got it yet due to TOT running at a snails pace for the last week)

I changed to Macs about 5 years ago and have never regretted it. Forget about antivirus! you don't need it and the iLife suite is really good. I like the way programmes are integrated so there are fewer if any at all coordination issues.

Best of luck

[dazzab]

The best source of info on new models from Apple is www.macrumors.com

I'm on my 4th Mac and this site always has the latest info as to new releases and is a great guide for buying.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

You can plug in another mouse. I've got a cheap wireless mouse and one of those ball thingies, both work. As others have said, starts up fast, reliable ( I have a mate and we both edit video, his windows machine keeps faulting on one thing or another, my 24" 4 year old iMac just keeps rolling). As WTK said, windows 7 is a good OS but Apple is still out in front I think. ( I'm told the new Lion OS is very slick, not got it yet due to TOT running at a snails pace for the last week)

I changed to Macs about 5 years ago and have never regretted it. Forget about antivirus! you don't need it and the iLife suite is really good. I like the way programmes are integrated so there are fewer if any at all coordination issues.

The 'you don't need anti-virus' (or the implied: 'Mac are immune to malware') will come back to bite Mac users in an unbelievably big way. I still see it in ads, for example by Mac Zone in Chiang Mai: 'Tired of viruses?' The implication is clear: "Macs are inherently malware-proof but Windows is not." This may come as a surprise but current versions of Windows are technically no more vulnerable than current versions of OS X. Just about any kind of malware currently relies on tricking the user into overriding the built in security settings (on both systems) . As Mac is gaining market share, it becomes increasingly likely that it becomes a target too. It may even be a softer target not because it’s worse than Windows (it isn’t) but because Mac users don’t expect to be targeted, all the ads having tricked them into believing they’re bullet-proof. Anyway, all I’m saying that it would be good to be vigilant, also if you don’t run antivirus software.

For example: http://www.thetechherald.com/article.php/201121/7200/Apple-finally-admits-to-Rogue-anti-Virus-problems

Another article, plus some heated dicussion in the comments: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/new-apple-antivirus-signatures-bypassed-within-hours-by-malware-authors-update/3396

My personal summary: You’re still less likely to encounter malware on a Mac than on Windows, but if/when you do, both systems work in the same way to prevent this getting on to your computer. The ‘Macs aren’t affected by malware’ line is a myth pure and simple.

[jackr]

If you don't know what you're doing, op, and would like to join the 'look at me' crowd so that you, too, can feel superior over the degenerate Windows masses, go for it. To be fair, there's not much in it nowadays, and you can get yourself as good a set-up, fully-upgradeable PC for half the price. Also bear in mind the hassles with upgrading and those dodgy iMac screens. On the virus argument, Mac is absolutely not infallible, and if that system were as popular as Windows, it's users would be just as targeted. If you're worried about viruses, go with Linux; Ubuntu works well.

[CMSteve]

Its the hardware and not so much the software. Mac OSX is built from a unix frame, so it is basically the same as any linux implementation. The difference with the mac is that there is standard hardware in all their machines and the software has been set up to work with that hardware. that's why 'its just works"

but like you say, if you had the time and expertise to tailor a computer with linux and its specific hardware you would have a bulletproof system like a mac.

that being said, I do not agree with the idea of switching to a mac for user freindlyness or ease of use. Its like saying I've chosen to learn to speak swahili because its an easier language. This may or may not be true, but it still requires learning a new language..... I think it would be of greater benefit to the OP to get a Win7/8 computer. Runs really well and he/she already knows how to use it.

I would try using Linix Mint 11 on a PC or notebook first and see if you like it before investing in something as expensive as a Mac. Linix has all of the qualities of Mac mentioned above but it is free and virtually impossible to get a virus unless you are really trying. All of the software is built into Linux and additional software can be added from a built in menu free any time in minutes without searching the internet. Here is a link to Mint 11:

http://www.linuxmint.com/

It is not so much the machine it's the software.

[hml367]

Its the hardware and not so much the software. Mac OSX is built from a unix frame, so it is basically the same as any linux implementation. The difference with the mac is that there is standard hardware in all their machines and the software has been set up to work with that hardware. that's why 'its just works"

but like you say, if you had the time and expertise to tailor a computer with linux and its specific hardware you would have a bulletproof system like a mac.

that being said, I do not agree with the idea of switching to a mac for user freindlyness or ease of use. Its like saying I've chosen to learn to speak swahili because its an easier language. This may or may not be true, but it still requires learning a new language..... I think it would be of greater benefit to the OP to get a Win7/8 computer. Runs really well and he/she already knows how to use it.

I would try using Linix Mint 11 on a PC or notebook first and see if you like it before investing in something as expensive as a Mac. Linix has all of the qualities of Mac mentioned above but it is free and virtually impossible to get a virus unless you are really trying. All of the software is built into Linux and additional software can be added from a built in menu free any time in minutes without searching the internet. Here is a link to Mint 11:

http://www.linuxmint.com/

It is not so much the machine it's the software.

Bulletproof system???? You must be joking. Bulletproof is a bit of a misnomer. And is Apple now being sold in China?

MSPain

Edited July 24, 2011 by hml367

[WinnieTheKhwai]

If you don't know what you're doing, op, and would like to join the 'look at me' crowd so that you, too, can feel superior over the degenerate Windows masses, go for it. To be fair, there's not much in it nowadays, and you can get yourself as good a set-up, fully-upgradeable PC for half the price. Also bear in mind the hassles with upgrading and those dodgy iMac screens. On the virus argument, Mac is absolutely not infallible, and if that system were as popular as Windows, it's users would be just as targeted. If you're worried about viruses, go with Linux; Ubuntu works well.

Finally someone to back me up against the almost religious adoration of Macs. I don't completely agree though, specifically:

* Sure, Macs are a lot more expensive, but they also look and feel the part. Apple also comes up with genuinely clever innovations, which must have been dreamed up and engineered by genuinely clever and expensive people, so they cost more. A Seiko watch is also more expensive than something from Kad Luang, and people don't mind to pay the premium. So if you got the money, then the price argument doesn't really apply.

* On Linux being less malware prone: Again this is because it has such insignificant market share in the consumer desktop market, and because there are a billion different flavors of Linux so if you're going to write malware for Linux then good luck trying to make it work across the board, for limited benefit due to the small market size, AND in the knowledge that most users will be geeks who aren't as easily fooled as your granny using a Mac in the rock solid belief that they's immune.

Edited July 24, 2011 by WinnieTheKhwai

[iSabai]

Don't think anyone mentioned that you can also run Windows on your Mac, if you miss it too much.

I'm also a happy Mac convert. Confused me at first for a while, but now I'm happy as hell with it. And there are tons of forums and help available online for any questions or how-to's if you find need.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Its the hardware and not so much the software. Mac OSX is built from a unix frame, so it is basically the same as any linux implementation. The difference with the mac is that there is standard hardware in all their machines and the software has been set up to work with that hardware. that's why 'its just works"

but like you say, if you had the time and expertise to tailor a computer with linux and its specific hardware you would have a bulletproof system like a mac.

Yeah. It's in very minor hardware details where you may still run into challenges with Linux. I never realized I'm such a mouse-snob but I guess I am; I had trouble making the built-in trackpoint mouse in my laptop work perfect in Linux (Ubuntu) as well (it moved to slowly there too). At least it was possible though without resorting to third party tools, but it did take some research. Developments in Linux are going hyper fast though, and not in a managed way. So it's exciting if you have an interest in it. And basically free; all you need is any cheap computer or laptop,so you're all set for 15K baht or so, about half of what you'd spend on a comparable Mac.

[zippydedodah]

Don't think anyone mentioned that you can also run Windows on your Mac, if you miss it too much.

I'm also a happy Mac convert. Confused me at first for a while, but now I'm happy as hell with it. And there are tons of forums and help available online for any questions or how-to's if you find need.

and...you can run mac on your windows. I run snow leopard on my win 7 quad core... usually only when a friend from US needs help figuring out some program controls or something. I crank up my VM software, run Leopard and help him out... no problem.

I raised all my kids on macs and was an exclusive mac user for many years... until my extended warranty ran out and i needed to replace parts in my first G5... when i ran up against the proprietary hardware in the mac (on such a basic item as the power supply) and the cost of genuine mac parts, i was simply disgusted. At that time, i was often running Virtual PC on my mac as i required it for certain programs... so i made the complete switch over to PC and never looked back.

My high end computers are much cheaper, i can install/upgrade whatever i want, i have not seen a blue screen of death in at least 2 yrs and not gotten a virus INTO my machine in around 5 years (my good anti-virus/malware detection programs have caught several, though).

Don't get me wrong, i respect the Mac, but am totally underwhelmed by its promises.... the cachet associated with the product is just too expensive for my blood.

[petertucker48]

Check out :

http://www.apple.com/uk/why-mac/

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Which VM software do you use, and where do you find the image? Or is it just a case of going to Apple.com and downloading the OS image?