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[BuddyC]

Given all my past hardware failures, I'm slightly hesistant to get something new, but at the same time, deathly afraid of going back to what has repeatedly suffered from the same issue. So I've been looking around at desktops and laptops, and I've been eyeing those Apple computers. But though I've used them pretty extensively in a few classes, my knowledge regarding some of the misc. points of Apple hardware/software isn't so great.

So I ask:

I know that the i/PowerBook lines haven't seen a significant processor upgrade in a while, and likely won't until next year, but is there any better idea as to when this upgrade will occur? January? July? Any ideas as to how significant of an upgrade is expected, or the effect it will have on price? Is it possible that the current top-of-the-line models will be outpaced by the entry-level models once the upgrade occurs?

Are there any extremely prevelant problems with the i/PowerBook lines that I should be aware of?

Is there anything else I should be made aware of, any common-yet-significant problems that occur when one switches from PC to Mac?

Anything else I should be asking or keep in mind?

Already answered:

Spoiler

Is there an AOL Instant Messenger compatible program that would let me use the PC interface for the program ? The PC side of things appears to conserve more space than the Mac setup, and I like the straight-up list more than the spacious "buddy icon -> name" mindset.

Is there any way to get tabbed instant messaging, a la DeadAIM, on the Mac?

As a precautionary measure, I would strongly advise against trolling in this thread. Negative comments are fine, actually encouraged, but make sure they're substantiated and factual, not just inflammatory tripe to rekindle the Mac/PC debate.

 

[bionic77]

I have been thinking about getting a Mac laptop too and the only thing holding me back is the price and fear of it being obsolete with a new line being introduced a few months later.

Didn't Apple just switch to Pentiums btw? It might not be the best time to buy a Mac if they are totally switching over, might be better to wait and see what happens with that.

How long until Shog ruins this thread?

 

[RevenantKioku]

Adium is better than any windows AIM client that I've ever used.

 

[BuddyC]

Adium is better than any windows AIM client that I've ever used.

That's exactly the type of program I was looking for. Thanks!

 

[shantyman]

I know that the i/PowerBook lines haven't seen a significant processor upgrade in a while, and likely won't until next year, but is there any better idea as to when this upgrade will occur? January? July? Any ideas as to how significant of an upgrade is expected, or the effect it will have on price? Is it possible that the current top-of-the-line models will be outpaced by the entry-level models once the upgrade occurs?

Next Summer the switch to Intel processoirs will begin. If you can wait, you should but if not Appl is working very hard to make the transition as painless as possible. because the new chips arte going to run cooler than the G4/G5s, it is expected they will appear in iBooks or Powerbooks first.

Are there any extremely prevelant problems with the i/PowerBook lines that I should be aware of?

There have a been a few recalls, but nothing major, in all seriousness. The recalls are easy to take care of, especially if you live near an Apple store. A lot of people say never to buy an apple product on the first generation of that product, and there is some veracity to that claim. They will iron the kinks out eventually on anything new they release though.

Is there anything else I should be made aware of, any common-yet-significant problems that occur when one switches from PC to Mac?

There should be none. You just have to get used to the OS X paradigm as opposed to Windows. If you are a competent user of computers it should not be a problem at all.

Anything else I should be asking or keep in mind?

I encourage you to go to an Apple store if you have one near by so you can see the stuff on your own. If you want a laptop I recommend the iBook.

Say goodbye to games, but you probably already knew that. It will be worth it though I assure you.

 

[shantyman]

That's exactly the type of program I was looking for. Thanks!

iChat is a good program as well, it's part of the OS.

 

[Lhadatt]

Given all my past hardware failures, I'm slightly hesistant to get something new, but at the same time, deathly afraid of going back to what has repeatedly suffered from the same issue. So I've been looking around at desktops and laptops, and I've been eyeing those Apple computers. But though I've used them pretty extensively in a few classes, my knowledge regarding some of the misc. points of Apple hardware/software isn't so great.

You will find that switching is a lot easier than you think. There are many programs (lots of them free, even!) that are essentially the equivalent of what you've been using on Windows.

Is there an AOL Instant Messenger compatible program that would let me use the PC interface for the program ? The PC side of things appears to conserve more space than the Mac setup, and I like the straight-up list more than the spacious "buddy icon -> name" mindset.

Is there any way to get tabbed instant messaging, a la DeadAIM, on the Mac?

Hell yes there is, and some of the programs are even better than Windows.

Adium X - http://www.adiumx.com/
Gaim - Available through Darwinports at http://darwinports.opendarwin.org/
iChat - bundled with OS X Tiger

I know that the i/PowerBook lines haven't seen a significant processor upgrade in a while, and likely won't until next year, but is there any better idea as to when this upgrade will occur? January? July? Any ideas as to how significant of an upgrade is expected, or the effect it will have on price? Is it possible that the current top-of-the-line models will be outpaced by the entry-level models once the upgrade occurs?

I'm not sure on the laptops, but someone else may be able to fill you in there. Macrumors and ThinkSecret had nothing on expected laptop upgrades. I do know that the Mac Minis may see an upgrade soon - http://thinksecret.com/news/0509macmini.html . A Mini is really a good buy, it's essentially an iBook board in a non-laptop case. Still a great machine.

Are there any extremely prevelant problems with the i/PowerBook lines that I should be aware of?

Nope. Aside from the speed issue, which really isn't that big a deal, they're the best laptops on the market. If you want raw power, get a Pentium-M. If you want the best OS, get the Mac.

Is there anything else I should be made aware of, any common-yet-significant problems that occur when one switches from PC to Mac?

You won't want to go back to using a PC for a while.

Anything else I should be asking or keep in mind?

Ask yourself:

- Do I want a desktop or a laptop? For a desktop, you can't lose with a Mac Mini or a G5 iMac. For the laptops, you may want to consider the iBook over the Powerbook, unless you need extra power or you just want the snazzy metal casing. If you're not going to be on the go much, and you're on a budget, try the Mac Mini. If there's no budget, try the G5 desktops or a Powerbook.
- Do I care about speed? Speed is not so much an issue, as even my 1.25Ghz Powerbook with 512MB RAM runs everything nicely - although I could use some more memory to smooth things out. Every now and then it chugs, but I do tend to want to push it. If you want the latest and greatest laptop, then buy a Mac Mini or G5 iMac now, and then get a Pentium-M or whatever laptop when they hit next year.
- Do I have applications needed for work or such that may not be on the Mac? Research the applications you use, make sure there are equivalents. Most of the big names have Mac versions - Adobe stuff, MS Office, OpenOffice, etc. Apple has it's own word processor, Pages, and it's own presentation package, Keynote - these are part of the iWork 05 package, and are really neat and easy to use.
- Do I like PC games? Macs don't get as many games as PCs, and alot of the ports are crap. There was a rumor a while ago that Apple was recruiting game and OpenGL developers for their own port house, but I'm not sure what's going on there.

Hope this helps.

 

[shantyman]

Oh yeah, one more thing- buys lots and lots of RAM for the machine. Crucial.com or ramjet are good palces to get third party RAM.

 

[DECK'ARD]

June 2006 is the target for the first Intel Macs, and Steve Jobs confirmed that again last week. Although whether that will include the PowerBooks is anyone's guess. PowerMacs are almost certainly the first to make the switch.

When they do make it into the laptops, there will be a big jump in speed, as the G5 never made it into the laptops, and most likely battery-life as well. And from what people have said about the very early devkits, they are going to run very fast indeed. Although the current iBooks/PowerBooks can still hold their own because of how well OSX runs in general.

They'll almost definitely be more details about what's going to happen with the Intel Macs in January at Mac World. Until then everyone's in the dark really. If you can wait, wait. But if you can't, the current iBooks/PowerBooks are by now very well refined and I doubt you will be disappointed.

 

[shantyman]

PowerMacs are almost certainly the first to make the switch.

I believe Apple said the opposite is true- the lower end machines will see them first.

 

[Akia]

I bought a Powerbook back in July, and it has served me well. The only thing that I hate about the Mac platform is not being able to watch anything encoded in the "WMV3" codec. That is annoying. Windows Media Player 9 for mac can't even play it. But everything else is fine. I also bought iWork, in short, Pages sucks but Keynote is freakin' awesome.

Everything else is amazing though. I'm thinking about selling it to some idiot sometime next year before the new ones come out.

If you can wait, wait. But if you can't, the current iBooks/PowerBooks are by now very well refined and I doubt you will be disappointed.

Right on the money.

 

[SuperPac]

If you're considering a Mac, you'll also want to eye this page:

http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/

Apple doesn't tell you when they're going to update their lines. Could be tomorrow, could be three months from now -- there's really no telling. There are several signs that they're getting ready to, but they usually only occur about a week before it happens... i.e., ship dates on the Apple Online Store go from same day to 5-7 days inexplicably, or key warehouses stop getting stock of current models suddenly. You may want to keep an eye on macrumors and thinksecret (especially their forums) to determine when is the right time to jump aboard, unless you don't mind possibly missing out on a speed jump. If you buy top of the line in terms of speed, you'll probably be down to mid-range or low-end after the next update in terms of specs.

You don't need to buy the AppleCare extended warranty right away (you'll probably get a sales pitch on it when you buy), but it's a good idea to do it before the first year is up. It's a decent price for 3 years of full service should anything break. Apple's customer service is quite good, though if you don't have AppleCare after that first year you will pay through the nose for repairs.

 

[Macam]

Regarding the laptop updates, at this point it's a bit unclear whether we'll see another refresh of either the iBook or PowerBook line-ups before the expected Intel transition in mid-2006; as noted, that should occur around June 2006 for the next MacWorld event, but it's anyone's guess whether we'll see a refresh straight across the board to Intel CPUs or whether it'll be a staggered transition. Given how tightly guarded the Intel transition was in the first place, I'm not expecting the Mac rumor sites to nail that one. That said, given that Apple's laptop sales make up the largest percentile of their computer sales, and that the line-ups will be in dire need of a refresh by then, they may be the first to get bumped. We may see another marginal PowerPC upgrade as well, but no one really knows. I wouldn't worry about a PowerPC upgrade; I have a 15" 1.5Ghz PowerBook and the new line-up featured some minor hardware upgrades and a bump to 1.67Ghz. All told, my laptop handles favorably against the new line-up and it should do so for some time. If you need a machine now, go for it; the Intel transition should largely be invisible to the end user and that's something Apple will be keen to nail, and with Jobs at the helm, I wholly trust his aggressive rollouts of late to reinvent Apple as needed.

Regarding the switch, it's exactly what others have noted. If you're decent with computers, you'll be fine. If you need help, ask. 3rd party applications are generally easy to find and are of notably higher quality than most of their PC counterparts in my experience; I have programs that can handle just about anything I throw at them.

The only other thing I'd note is to do yourself a favor and go for the AppleCare warranty when you can, especially with laptops. I use my PowerBook extensively and my hard drive failed just under 18 months into it and Apple took care of the situation in 3 days without a hitch. My parents iMac G5 just had the power supply fail and again, Apple handled it without a hitch (and again, in 3 days). All computers fail at some point, and while I can't guarantee that your experience with Apple will be 110% in case you do have problems, they do win out on customer satisfaction surveys year after year, so chances are you won't have any problems. It's well worth the money, particularly if you're going to push your computer a bit.

The only other things you should be aware of are that you'll probably become an Expose addict, love hiding windows, and desperately wanting a 30" Cinema Display once you get around to throwing a 1080p Quicktime movie on it.

 

[MC Safety]

Here's my ignorant Mac question:

If I upgrade now (or when the old Macs are being discounted to make room for the new Pentium ones), will I be SOL with newer software? Basically, how obsolete will the older Macintoshes be when the new ones come out?

 

[DECK'ARD]

Here's my ignorant Mac question:

If I upgrade now (or when the old Macs are being discounted to make room for the new Pentium ones), will I be SOL with newer software? Basically, how obsolete will the older Macintoshes be when the new ones come out?

All developers have been told to compile their apps for both PowerPC and Intel now. The same binaries will run on both the new Macs and the older (current) ones.

 

[Macam]

You won't be S.O.L. if you upgrade now. The basic premise is that developers will be creating universal binaries that will run on both PowerPC and Intel CPUs. The end result is that the transition will be transparent to users. Applications will simply detect the CPU and use the proper code and the new "Mactel" machines (as they're called) will use Rosetta, a realtime translation software that'll be included as part of OS X to run PowerPC programs that aren't recompiled to use universal binaries, albeit with a so-called marginal performance hit.

I've been holding out for a desktop Apple machine and while my initial plan was to wait for the Intel transition I may just go ahead and cave on a PowerPC machine as they're entirely capable and I could use the added benefit now rather than nearly a year later.

 

[mrkgoo]

Made the switch back near April (?), and am now the proud owner of a 1.5 Ghz 12" PB. I love it to bits. I, too, was worried about the switch, but it was smooth as - I even started appreciating the whole one-button workflow for a bit (Though I stll prefer having more - opening links in tabs is too convenient not to, not to mention manipulating objects in applications). Seriously, you will find it a doddle, no problems.

I don't use chat programs most of the time, and the only one I have besides iChat, is MSN messenger, necessitated more by who uses it, rather than by choice. I believe a newer version is out, but I haven't got it yet, because frankly, I don;t care much. This one works, and that's enough. I understand, though, that the Mac version of messenger is pretty bare-bones in comparison.

Again, for other apps, Macs have many alternatives, most being pretty darned good - even Office for MAc is better than the PC counterpart. Having said that, I'm one to normally stick with official, major programs, and I think it has helped in keeping the whole platform stable. Macs, especially during software updates, can run into problems (Apple updates pretty frequently) with third party stuff.

i understand the PPC PB have been rumoured ro undergo one final upgrade before the switch to intel. The rumor states a negligible speed increase (something like 30 Mhz, yes 30), possible upgrade in L2 Cache, and RAM speed. Possible graphics card upgrade for higher res on 12". I nearly can't see what else they can possibly do - the PB line is pretty refined.

I don't know much about the desktops, but the differences I can tell between a PB and the iBook line are:

Metal casing vs. plastic
12" PB is smaller, and 15"+ are widescreen.
RAM/Hardrive sizes (though you can build to order)
Superdrive option not available for 12" iBook
L2 cache size and speed
Graphics card/ram
PB has some enabled software options (like two monitor desktops)
PB has a DVI output (iBook, at least 12" only has analogue).

But apart from that I think there are little differences, even in processor speed.

I can't stress how pleased I am I made the switch. Most things have been smooth sailing, and those things that haven't been have been mostly easy to figure out. I'm sure you will have few issues.

 

[Minotauro]

Does anyone run Final Cut Pro on a Powerbook? I really want to get into video editing in the near future and since I'd have to upgrade my PC anyway and Macs seem to be the preferred platform for it, I thought I'd just go ahead and switch. I don't really have the money for a massive dual-G5 or anything so I've been looking at getting either a Powerbook or one of the G5 iMacs. Does anyone have any experience with FCP on either?

 

[DjangoReinhardt]

Don't underestimate the leap to widescreen in 15" and 17" PBs: OSX is built for multitasking, and widescreen is very conducive to that.

I made the switch not too long ago and couldn't be happier. Any losses - games, availability of software, etc. - are more than mitigated by the gains in stability and usability. And, as others have said, there is a Mac version of essentially every PC app.

 

[element]

I have an iBook and it slowed very quickly with the updates to OSX. Of course it is a 500 MHz G3.
RAM is really important. I'd try to get as much RAM as you can get.

 

[SickBoy]

There's been a lot of speculation that the switch to Intel had a lot to do with the fact that progress towards anything that resembled a G5 in a PowerBook was a bit on the slow side, so I'd be surprised if the laptops weren't the first thing to see upgrades.

I have an iBook (G3-500), and I like it, but really for OSX, a G4 is the way to be. The 640MB of RAM I have help the iBook's speed, but it's still a bit sluggish.