Phoenix Gold Phorum

ive been thinking about it and i dont think i can go back to a pc based laptop
osx is good but that is not the reason
1 the magnetic power cord, ive had to fix a few busted power jacks ...no worries anymore.
2 there are no fan openings to block on the bottom of the case, in threw the keyboard and out threw the back.
3 the touch pad is awsome, once i figured out how to use it it KICKS ass. as soon as they make it work rite in bootcamp il be a happy guy. now i get annoid with the right click on pc laptops. with a mouse it needs to have a right click, touchpad ...total waste
4 the lighted keyboard, when the girlfriend is asleep ...and you type like i do its a lifesaver.
5 firewire 800. esata is ok but the data wire sucks, u look at them wrong and they disconnect. firewire is a tiny bit slower, maybe a min longer to transfer 300gigs of info ...but it finishes in one try cause the plug didnt come undone


In my exp. so far running osx the battery life is double that of running vista. it also runs much cooler in osx. im hoping win7 will fix these

when im running in vista the wireless connection is much better, especially when its a weak signal. osx constantly drops the wifi...

software wise vista and osx are alot alike for what i do
i use vlc media player on both platforms
i use nero7 in vista and toast10 in osx
i use dvd decriptor in vista and handbrake in osx. handbrake takes forever so i usually just use vista
i use itunes on both platforms
i use gasp.. internet explorer and safari firefox if either is not working
I use office2003 in vista and ive been meaning to download open office for osx but havent gotten around to it yet


Is there any pc laptops out there with the same features that i listed as the macbook pro? At this point i think ive doomed myself to being a mac user even if its running windows
...did i mention that the touchpad rocks

OS X is a big part of why I love Macs.

Before OS X came out (I was young and didn't know anything) I really shunned Macs. I was in a world of Windows, then Linux and loved the idea of being able to use any peicemeal hardware configuration.

Now that I don't tinker daily on machines, I love my Macbook. It's a first generation black. It's 39 months old and has received the following upgrades/fixes:

New battery on warranty
RAM upgrade (free from friend)
HDD upgrade (HUUUUUGE difference!)

That said, my tinkering is now done at work and that's where I still truly, truly appreciate Linux and I'm actually starting to appreciate the overbuilt IBM hardware.

Firewire rocks. I'm hoping we don't see it go away. It's still the best connection for digital audio and video production in my opinion, both technically and because of the wide availability. I was sad to see it not be included on the 13" Unibody MB (a mistake, I thought) but now that it's a MBP at 13", it got FW800 back! Yay!

There is good PC laptop hardware out there too. It's just not the machines sitting in the Best Buy displays generally as cheap PC machines simply don't compete with Mac hardware. Budget doesn't compete with Premium. Fit and polish of the MBP hardware is very nice though. Not without problems, but very nice.

Psh, wackos.

I really like my little Sony TZ. Small, light, I get 6-8 hours on the battery depending on how I use it. But my next one will be a Mac.

Hmm... I've had more issues with "new Mac" hardware than "beige Mac", though Apple has always made everything right for me... even well out of warranty. The hardware is definitely solid and has a good balance of parts. The new unibody laptops are a huge step back in the right direction as far as reliability and durability is concerned.

The OS is what makes it for me. It's the only one that works consistently. I spend way more time with Linux and Windows at work, so it really makes me appreciate how simple things are (and SHOULD be) when I get back to OSX.

what issues have you had with newer mac hardware?
The thing that has impressed me the most about osx10.5 is that it will run on a old powerbook with a 800 something mhz proc. and 512 of pc100 ram... doesnt run great but i put in a extra 256 ram chip i had collecting dust and it was actually usable as a internet box, try that with vista

I havent really checked out the newer unibody macbooks yet, but i know the white plastic ones take a serious beating. my cousin that is hard on EVERYTHING has one, she has killed 2 hard drives in it so far from throwing it around with it running, has cracked the keyboard cover slamming it shut and its still running strong...

as far as my 'older' macbook pro, its one or two models before the unibody. I guess its not the most durable in the sense that its made out of aluminum and dents and scratches. When i got it it was folded in half because someone had it in a backpack with a camera and it got sat on. I got a new bottom case and screen off ebay, put it back together with a 500 gig hard drive and its been smooth sailing since

Didnt they kill firewire on the new unibodys? I dont really care about the diff. between firewire400 and usb2, but firewire 800 is great

They kept FW800 on the unibody MBP. It was the unibody MB that they killed it on but they replaced it quickly with a 13" MBP.

I just think USB mostly sucks for video and professional audio. The number of wicked audio interfaces for FW400 vs. USB2 is staggering.

wash with gasoline wrote:what issues have you had with newer mac hardware?

Not much, but I am picky considering I had ZERO issues with any of the original beige Macs (they still all work today -- I have a "graveyard" at the lab). This is not limited to my personal experience... I take care of all the Macs in my dad's biochem lab as well.

Some of the G4 12" laptops had logic board issues due to cold solder. Most were fixed out of warranty, but the two that weren't, I easily fixed by reflowing the solder. This was the worst issue in my mind, which thankfully has not been the case with any of the Intel Macs. Of course none of them broke within the first 4 years... a PC would have been replaced by then

My 1st gen G4 15" laptop had some white splotches on the screen. It was replaced for free. That laptop also had an intermittent connection on it's lower RAM slot after 5 years, but I was pretty hard on it (took it in my backpack to school every single day). Worked out OK because I could still fit 2gb ram in the upper slot.

On my Intel C2D 15" Macbook Pro, the burner stopped working after my friend tried to repeatedly burn a disc upside down (rough surface of the disc probably scratched the lense). Replaced for free out of warranty (the Apple Store guys will pretty much fix anything for free if you ask nicely).

The 1st gen white Macbook keyboard covers can crack, but are replaced for free out of warranty if you ask at the Apple Store.

On the whole, they have been pretty reliable. The hardware definitely looks and feels better than the old beige stuff. The new laptops are way better with physical wear and tear than the original black Powerbooks, etc.

never had a problem with my toshiba.

ttocs wrote:never had a problem with my toshiba.

I had a garbage Toshiba while I was in college... it was mandatory to use a specific model provided by the college. They had terrible LCD problems. That said, Toshiba makes so many different models that this is all just anecdotal.

I have been selling puters for last 3 years and haven't seen a faulty Toshiba yet. Macs do have odd issue but V rare. I use an ASUS, as we sell more than any other brand, and they just don't come back.

I was shocked when Mac ditched firewire on macbooks, as I am into music production and most decent soundcards use firewire. A lot of mac users also have video cameras that use firewire too and had a few customers wanting to upgrade but put off by lack of firewire. Hopefully they bring it back on macbooks as the reports of firewires demise are definately premature.

Illuminated keyboard and 4 finger gestures are the things I would love to have a mac for. I like osx and stuff, but can do almost everything else on a windows machine, like using rocket dock, etc, so for me those features are what makes the Macs so attractive. maybe one day I'll get one, but I find it hard to justify when stuff I have works so well.
peace
Cyberpunky

All Macbooks and Macbook Pros currently have FW. The white MB has FW400 and all (13, 15, 17) unibody MBP have FW800 (which is backwards compatible). The MBA doesn't have FW, but that machine is definitely not geared towards A/V production.

It was only the in-between 13" Macbook with the unibody that didn't have FireWire. I think that was a mistake but that machine is no longer in the line up anymore (changed it to be the MBP 13").

I have recently been thinking seriously about making the switch to a mac. I've been using my sister's occasionally and have really grown to love it. I want a new laptop and the more I contemplate the purchase the more I'm starting to recognize the great value in a basic macbook even though they are relatively more expensive than a pc. Occasionally, I find myself longing for a macbook pro, but really it's only the illuminated keyboard that appeals to me and I just don't think I can justify the upgrade for that alone. I was thinking the unibody would be an upgrade as far as durability but it doesn't sound like that's the case after reading this thread.

I had considered having my sister purchase one for me in order to take advantage of the education discount, but will that complicate service after the sale? Obviously service is a big part of the mac value proposition, so now I wonder if it's not worth saving the $50-100 if they're going to hassle me about it. What do you guys think?

One more question...what screen size do you guys prefer for your laptops? It seems as if that may be the biggest decision I have to make!

The Unibodies are a definite upgrade! Tom's isn't unibody.

Thanks for pointing that out Ryan. Somehow I completely misread a post or two.

I like the 15.4 screens, 17 is just WAY to big to pack around.
From what i have been reading the unibody mbp have a glass cover over the screen. some people complain about glare and they are expensive to replace if the screen cracks... that being said i still want one

15" is definitely the perfect size for me, though I do have a soft spot for the 13" screens, as long as you don't have to use them for work. The little ones are unbeatable for travel, school, or just browsing.

The plastic white MacBooks are physically much less reliable than the unibodys. Internal reliability is about the same however.

As for AppleCare, I have never needed it... though if an issue does arise I am never shy to fix it myself. There are tons of parts available on eBay usually. The Intel chipsets seem to be extremely reliable in my experience, especially compared to the late Motorola G4 stuff. Only time I would recommend AppleCare is if you are buying a first-gen product. Usually by rev2, all the rev1 kinks have been worked out.

I got AppleCare for my 1st gen Macbook and the only thing I ever used it for was a battery replacement. I probably could have ebay'ed a new battery by then for slightly less than AppleCare.

That said, if you're not the kind of person that will open up your machine and fix it with parts you buy online, it may be worthwhile.