macbook users

[97guns]

my hd died and i just ordered my first apple, i opted for the macbook air with a ss drive, im just hoping that i can pick up on the operating system, i keep hearing its totally different than windows, any insight, i get it tomorrow

[ea1776]

I used to be a Windows person, but after switching completely to Apple products (iPhone, iPad, and Macbook Air, and 13" Macbook Pro, and 15" Macbook Pro), I cannot see myself using anything other than their products. Simply put, they make the best hardware and software. I'm in the tech industry which is why I have so many toys!!!

I recommend reading this switch guide from Apple:
Apple - Support - Switch 101

Also, it'd be good to know which OS you are using (Lion or Snow Leopard)? Knowing that will help you get the right info, as Lion (the newer one) has a lot of new (and super cool) features, and it's a little different.

And last, there are a ton of good video tutorials straight from the horse's mouth. Check these out:
Apple - Support - Videos

Congrats and Enjoy your awesome new piece of hardware!

[elessar78]

Originally Posted by 97guns

my hd died and i just ordered my first apple, i opted for the macbook air with a ss drive, im just hoping that i can pick up on the operating system, i keep hearing its totally different than windows, any insight, i get it tomorrow

I love Macs. I'm tied into it because of the type of work I do. But there's a lot to cover, so feel free just to ask any specific questions.

Don't leave it on for extended periods, as there seems to be the off chance that they can overheat. I'm talking like 3-4 days straight multiple times over two years. Keep it well ventilated so air can flow around it and dissapate the heat. Again, just precautions, they are generally great machines.

[ea1776]

Originally Posted by 97guns

my hd died and i just ordered my first apple, i opted for the macbook air with a ss drive, im just hoping that i can pick up on the operating system, i keep hearing its totally different than windows, any insight, i get it tomorrow

oh, and one more thing. The MB Air is so light that it feels like it has ZERO moving parts, kind of like an iPad. I made this mistake and would gently toss mine around from time to time. This turned out to be a bad idea (duh). Turns out, there is a tiny little fan in MB Airs, it's the "cooling system". So just keep that in mind before tossing it on the couch. My fan got misplaced a little and was rubbing up against another component, which produced a very high pitched squeaky sound. This was fixed, and it was my fault for tossing it around.

[kork13]

After my previous laptop starting to completely fail, I recently got a macbook. I do like it very much, though I'm not devotedly pro-Apple in any way. All I can say is that they're quality products. My brother's macbook is 6 years old, and although he's had to get some repairs done on it in that time (hard drive issues both times), Apple fixed it for free the first time (even though outside of warranty) 3 years ago, and he just got it fixed again this week fairly inexpensively. Still works very well for him, and he'll probably keep it for another 2 years (or probably until something happens again... he almost replaced it this time, until he looked into how cheap/easy the repair would be). Let's be honest, computers don't typically last very well beyond a few years anyway, so we've been quite surprised at how well his base-model laptop has performed.

The nice thing about Apple's computers and OS is that it is very simple to learn. If you're used to Windows, it'll be a change, but if you forget what you're used to, it's really a fairly straightforward system. Apple has made every effort for their OS and its programming to be fairly self-contained and easy to use, so I'm sure you'll find it a fairly uneventful transition.

[photo]

Originally Posted by kork13

After my previous laptop starting to completely fail, I recently got a macbook. I do like it very much, though I'm not devotedly pro-Apple in any way. All I can say is that they're quality products. My brother's macbook is 6 years old, and although he's had to get some repairs done on it in that time (hard drive issues both times), Apple fixed it for free the first time (even though outside of warranty) 3 years ago, and he just got it fixed again this week fairly inexpensively. Still works very well for him, and he'll probably keep it for another 2 years (or probably until something happens again... he almost replaced it this time, until he looked into how cheap/easy the repair would be). Let's be honest, computers don't typically last very well beyond a few years anyway, so we've been quite surprised at how well his base-model laptop has performed.

My (IBM-compatible) laptop is now 8 years old, and it's never had problems or needed repairs. What makes you say a macbook has quality, since your brother's macbook has had multiple issues?

[elessar78]

Originally Posted by photo

My (IBM-compatible) laptop is now 8 years old, and it's never had problems or needed repairs. What makes you say a macbook has quality, since your brother's macbook has had multiple issues?

Are you the exception or the rule?

Not trying to be snarky either. I really don't know if most PC laptops last that long with no issues.

[97guns]

Originally Posted by ea1776

I used to be a Windows person, but after switching completely to Apple products (iPhone, iPad, and Macbook Air, and 13" Macbook Pro, and 15" Macbook Pro), I cannot see myself using anything other than their products. Simply put, they make the best hardware and software. I'm in the tech industry which is why I have so many toys!!!

I recommend reading this switch guide from Apple:
Apple - Support - Switch 101

Also, it'd be good to know which OS you are using (Lion or Snow Leopard)? Knowing that will help you get the right info, as Lion (the newer one) has a lot of new (and super cool) features, and it's a little different.

And last, there are a ton of good video tutorials straight from the horse's mouth. Check these out:
Apple - Support - Videos

Congrats and Enjoy your awesome new piece of hardware!

thanks for the links, it is the snow leapard os i believe. i have haerd you can not cut and paste, what do you guys do? i get it tomorrow

[kork13]

Originally Posted by photo

My (IBM-compatible) laptop is now 8 years old, and it's never had problems or needed repairs. What makes you say a macbook has quality, since your brother's macbook has had multiple issues?

a) my previous experiences with a variety of laptops having far more frequent and more costly (if not disabling) problems than a hard drive going bad after 3 years of heavy use
b) I didn't mention the fact that my brother is not gentle with his electronics, and isn't one for maintenance or prevention
c) any computer (let alone a laptop) lasting 8 years without any sort of problem at all is so truly exceptional that I find myself forced to entertain reservations as to the veracity of the claim

[kork13]

Originally Posted by 97guns

thanks for the links, it is the snow leapard os i believe. i have haerd you can not cut and paste, what do you guys do? i get it tomorrow

you can cut and paste as normal. The hotkey combinations are simply a little different than on Windows machines, so it takes a little getting used to.

One other thing to look forward to... Apple laptops use a great touchpad, and the gesture capability is fantastic. Quite intuitive to use, and I now miss it anytime I use a different laptop (whether a friend's or at work).

You might also consider upgrading to Lion OS... it should be free, since you are just buying your computer. It really does have some nice added functionality.

[photo]

Originally Posted by elessar78

Are you the exception or the rule?

I don't know any statistics, but most people I know with IBM-compatible laptops haven't had problems.

Originally Posted by kork13

I didn't mention the fact that my brother is not gentle with his electronics, and isn't one for maintenance or prevention

That's probably the biggest reason. I wanted mine to last a long time (though I'm starting to keep my eye out for a new one just because it's so old now), so I took excellent care of it. That isn't to say that things can't go wrong, but how you treat electronics at least helps longevity.

[97guns]

Originally Posted by kork13

problems than a hard drive going bad after 3 years of heavy use

thats why i decided to go solid state, this hd only lasted me 5 months. im fed up with virus attacks too

[photo]

Originally Posted by 97guns

im fed up with virus attacks too

What kind of virus protection did you use?

[kork13]

Originally Posted by 97guns

thats why i decided to go solid state, this hd only lasted me 5 months.

I'm honestly not familiar with solid state hard drives... I know that they're much faster, but more reliable? I have no idea, of course, but interesting if they are.

[ea1776]

Originally Posted by 97guns

thanks for the links, it is the snow leapard os i believe. i have haerd you can not cut and paste, what do you guys do? i get it tomorrow

You can cut and paste TEXT, but not FILES.
For cut/paste style functionality for FILES, you have the following options:

1. Use mouse to drag one file to another location.
2. Use the "mv" command from the command line.
3. Copy/Paste, then delete the one you don't want.


There are a TON of keyboard shortcuts, multi-touch gestures, and little tricks involved with using Leopard. If you spend some time up front getting to know all of them, it'll make your Mac experience for fun and efficient.

[ea1776]

Originally Posted by kork13

I'm honestly not familiar with solid state hard drives... I know that they're much faster, but more reliable? I have no idea, of course, but interesting if they are.

They _are_ more reliable for sure. Solid state means just what it sounds like. They have no moving parts, just a bunch of memory computer chips, as opposed to a hard drive which is a spinning disk. For example, it's more favorable to have a SSD in a "dropped my laptop" type of scenario (although most hard drive systems have a sensor that knows when the laptop is moving downwards fast and automatically tries to shut the hard drive down prior to impact).

[ea1776]

Originally Posted by photo

I don't know any statistics, but most people I know with IBM-compatible laptops haven't had problems.

That's probably the biggest reason. I wanted mine to last a long time (though I'm starting to keep my eye out for a new one just because it's so old now), so I took excellent care of it. That isn't to say that things can't go wrong, but how you treat electronics at least helps longevity.

Nobody has the kind of reliability testing that Apple has.

That your laptop has lasted you 8 years is fantastic (I don't think any computer manufacturers test their mobile computer systems to have lifetimes past 4 years). But 8 years in computing-time is a dinosaur! Can you post the specs for your 8-year old IBM system, just for fun?

For example, I bet that IBM system didn't have the kind of space/heat engineering challenges that Apple faced with their current line of Macbooks.

[photo]

Originally Posted by ea1776

Nobody has the kind of reliability testing that Apple has.

I have a 3-year-old iPod that has worked perfectly since day 1.

Can you post the specs for your 8-year old IBM system, just for fun?

It's a Dell Inspiron 9100 with Windows XP.

[kork13]

Originally Posted by photo

I have a 3-year-old iPod that has worked perfectly since day 1.

bah, that's nothing... I had a 2005 iPod Mini ( !!! ) that only 2 months ago finally gave up the ghost... I was truly sad to have it finally die -- that thing has been my car's DJ since day 1, and it's design was perfect for that purpose. Everything now is too compact (not to mention almost all touch-screen), so it's hard to navigate it without taking my eyes off the road.

[97guns]

i got the macbook and am getting accustomed to it, it is much faster to boot and load up webpages than my pc was.

does anyone know how to open a link in it own window, i had multiple windows open one time but i forgot how i did it.

also how can i organize my favorates?