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[Crazymoogle]

Also can anyone tell me for Airport Extreme... I'm moving to a new apartment and have to change internet providers. Rather than get a monthly rent fee on their routers could I just buy an Airport Extreme and use that as my router for my apartment or is that now how that thing works??

There's no reason to ever use a provider's router, which is why many in the world don't sell you routers. The general idea with a cable or DSL modem is that it has an ethernet plug on it - you just need a cable to go between that and your router. The router then handles wifi and wired devices you plug into it.

You're still stuck buying/renting a modem from your provider - those are usually locked down - but at least you don't have to redo your entire local network that way.

 

[mrkgoo]

A few days with my new iMac (lowe-end + fusion drive), and some impressions thus far:

Pros:
Fast! Everything opens with one bounce. Loving it!

Dat screen. (It's kinda lo-res in away - I have an old 20" Apple cinema display and at 1050, it's probably slightly higher pixel density).

Love the magic trackpad. It works JUST like my Macbook Pro. I'm actually surprised that I get very few mis-gestures. NOte, I haven't spent a lot of time with the 'buttonless' trackpads before. I'm using it with my thumb at the base, and it works remarkably well. Also love the bluetooth keyboard.

USB3! So fast. Makes transferring stuff less an overnight thing.


Cons:
Design. Sure it's thin, but at what cost? All the ports are pretty hard to get at. Fortunately I'm actually using the USB hub on my cinema display now, and that's more easily accessible.




Other:

Interestingly, because of the much larger trackpad and its position relative to the keyboard, and possibly the larger screen, I have found I'm using Launchpad a bit more.

I also got a superdrive with it, and that thing is nice to look at. I actually like it being modular - I can't imagine having to insert a disk into the iMac now. For some reason I think the computer looks very cool with the superdrive sitting next to the stand.

 

[Luthair]

I joined your guy's ranks, I got a imac 27 inch base model. I didnt get the fusion drive though, didnt really care all that much for it. I really love the computer though. Its amazing how apple does these things and the OS is really growing on my fast. I just don't what what programs to get yet.

 

[jcutner]

I joined your guy's ranks, I got a imac 27 inch base model. I didnt get the fusion drive though, didnt really care all that much for it. I really love the computer though. Its amazing how apple does these things and the OS is really growing on my fast. I just don't what what programs to get yet.

2 things I like
iStat Nano
A quicklook at your stats (temp, cpu, uptime) from the dashboard.

CloudApp
Press Shift+CMD+3 (or +4 for a selection) and it auto-uploads the screenshot and copies the link to your clipboard.

 

[sc0la]

I joined your guy's ranks, I got a imac 27 inch base model. I didnt get the fusion drive though, didnt really care all that much for it. I really love the computer though. Its amazing how apple does these things and the OS is really growing on my fast. I just don't what what programs to get yet.

if you use the calendar to enter appointments more than 2-3 times a week I recommend FantastiCal. It's pricey (10-20) but awesome and worth it. Everytime you create a new appointment with it you will save 2-5 minutes not futzing with apple's crappy calendar interface.

Demo version is available on the website.

 

[muddream]

Went to the Apple store to have a side-by-side look at the current lineup for the first time.

- High quality IPS screens are way more important than the current obsession with pixel density. The 27" iMac screen is just as impressive as the rMBP's, at least with my 20/20 vision. The sheer size vs the extra crispness cancel each other out at the typical viewing distance.

- Even simple browsing on the rMBPs still gets ridiculously choppy - obviously a non-issue on non-retina screens. Don't buy these turds, people.

- The MBA screens look like hot garbage by comparison even though I'm used to similar visuals on my cMBP at home and never minded them.

- Does anyone like the Magic Mouse? What a piece of shit...Magic Trackpad all the way.

I planned on getting a rMBP during the fall refresh should Iris Pro or some software tweak fix the UI lag, but the 27" iMac simply blew me away...guess I'm keeping my old MBP until Microsoft releases Office for iOS. Apple Care for the rMPB is twice as expensive vis-à-vis the iMac for some silly reason and mouse + keyboard is included, which further sweetens the deal. I still hate paying $250 for that damn Fusion Drive upgrade, but the rest of the package is too good for my current needs and choosing the mechanical hard drive is like having a gross bodybuilder sitting in your new BMW's passenger seat and ruining the new car smell with protein farts.

 

[CrudeDiatribe]

High quality IPS screens are way more important than the current obsession with pixel density.

Have had a 27" MonoPrice IPS display for a few months (seven weeks?) and I'm totally in love.

Does anyone like the Magic Mouse? What a piece of shit...

Every time I meet someone that uses one I look at them like they're brain-damaged (and eventually, hand-damaged). Apple hasn't made a comfortable mouse since their single-button Pro Mouse.

guess I'm keeping my old MBP until Microsoft releases Office for iOS.

They did (sort of, almost, maybe).

 

[fireside]

- Does anyone like the Magic Mouse? What a piece of shit...Magic Trackpad all the way.

I like it

Every time I meet someone that uses one I look at them like they're brain-damaged (and eventually, hand-damaged). Apple hasn't made a comfortable mouse since their single-button Pro Mouse.

Thanks

 

[Crazymoogle]

Have had a 27" MonoPrice IPS display for a few months (seven weeks?) and I'm totally in love.

Any drawbacks to it, or a good thread on the subject? Certainly seems like the best deal to get in on a 1440p display.

 

[Deku Tree]

- Does anyone like the Magic Mouse? What a piece of shit...Magic Trackpad all the way.

Magic Trackpad FTW.

 

[CrudeDiatribe]

Thanks

It's not like you're a terrible person. Here, let me help with the drool.

Any drawbacks to it, or a good thread on the subject? Certainly seems like the best deal to get in on a 1440p display.

Drawbacks:
1. Only DVI-D input, though they have a more expensive model with multiple inputs (that provide lower resolution).
2. Stand is really cheap and feels like it would break in a good breeze. Fortunately I have an office indoors.

 

[Gorgon]

- Even simple browsing on the rMBPs still gets ridiculously choppy - obviously a non-issue on non-retina screens. Don't buy these turds, people.

- The MBA screens look like hot garbage by comparison even though I'm used to similar visuals on my cMBP at home and never minded them.

OK, I'm a bit on an impasse right now so I'd like some imput. I'm getting ready to get a notebook and I decided I wanted to go Mac. As I've said before, I'm in the market for a Macbook Pro but Apple didn't refresh those. It seems to me that the new batch of Airs is by far the most rational choice (PCI-e SSDs and HD5000 mainly, since battery life is secondary for me). I can't afford a 15'' but I can afford a 13'' Pro or Air. I can even even pimp out an Air for a processor as fast as the fastest base retina, 8GB of ram and 256 GB SSD, for a lower price than the Pro, and get basically the same machine. However, I dislike the aesthetics of the Air and I'd really like the retina display, since I'm sticking to my computers for 4-5 years.

Now for the problem: a friend of mine is going to the USA in mid-August and will bring me a Mac, since they are vastly cheaper there than where I live in Euroland. Although I know the Air 13'' is the better and most rational choice, I still really prefer the Pro. So the question is if the HD4000 REALLY makes the 13'' pro choppy or not. Some people say that it doesn't, others say that it really is not a seamless experience and that it is very noticeable. Whats the real veredict here? How bad is it?

The second question is if retina displays really make a difference. How good does it REALLY look compared to the display on, say, an Air? Does it really look that crisp? I can't really go to a mac store to compare them right now.

I'm kind of torn on what to buy in August if Apple doesn't release the new Pros in the meanwhile.

 

[Crazymoogle]

Drawbacks:
1. Only DVI-D input, though they have a more expensive model with multiple inputs (that provide lower resolution).

Yeah, I see there is a higher-end one with DisplayPort and HDMI. Almost $100 more but probably worth it. I didn't see anything about lower resolution except that apparently Macs will see certain configs as TV? I guess the bigger problem is there's no input switching, though...

2. Stand is really cheap and feels like it would break in a good breeze. Fortunately I have an office indoors.

Not surprised on the stand. Any idea if it supports VESA wall mounts? Any weird power problems or other oddities? (Thinking back to Panasonic Plasma that sometimes just likes to not turn on)

2 things I like
iStat Nano
A quicklook at your stats (temp, cpu, uptime) from the dashboard.

It seems the app's website is dead.

 

[muddream]

I like it

Perhaps I'm missing the magical component, but to me it seemed extremely heavy, not particularly ergonomic and uncomfortable for quick gestures compared to a trackpad. Am I holding it wrong, Steve?

OK, I'm a bit on an impasse right now so I'd like some imput. I'm getting ready to get a notebook and I decided I wanted to go Mac. As I've said before, I'm in the market for a Macbook Pro but Apple didn't refresh those. It seems to me that the new batch of Airs is by far the most rational choice (PCI-e SSDs and HD5000 mainly, since battery life is secondary for me). I can't afford a 15'' but I can afford a 13'' Pro or Air. I can even even pimp out an Air for a processor as fast as the fastest base retina, 8GB of ram and 256 GB SSD, for a lower price than the Pro, and get basically the same machine. However, I dislike the aesthetics of the Air and I'd really like the retina display, since I'm sticking to my computers for 4-5 years.

Now for the problem: a friend of mine is going to the USA in mid-August and will bring me a Mac, since they are vastly cheaper there than where I live in Euroland. Although I know the Air 13'' is the better and most rational choice, I still really prefer the Pro. So the question is if the HD4000 REALLY makes the 13'' pro choppy or not. Some people say that it doesn't, others say that it really is not a seamless experience and that it is very noticeable. Whats the real veredict here? How bad is it?

The second question is if retina displays really make a difference. How good does it REALLY look compared to the display on, say, an Air? Does it really look that crisp? I can't really go to a mac store to compare them right now.

I'm kind of torn on what to buy in August if Apple doesn't release the new Pros in the meanwhile.

Stay away from the rMBP: 1. Every single one I've used so far has been a choppy piece of shit, 2. You'd be buying an expensive, choppy piece of shit one or two months before it's being replaced by something possibly good, which will lead to depression & alcoholism.

The MBA is good for what it's being marketed as. It can even be your primary computer, but only if you get an external display. The screen is energy efficient, but not pretty. It'll look even worse in a few years when everything else is IPS or OLED.

 

[fireside]

Perhaps I'm missing the magical component, but to me it seemed extremely heavy, not particularly ergonomic and uncomfortable for quick gestures compared to a trackpad. Am I holding it wrong, Steve?

You don’t have to use it

 

[The Real Abed]

Went to the Apple store to have a side-by-side look at the current lineup for the first time.

- High quality IPS screens are way more important than the current obsession with pixel density. The 27" iMac screen is just as impressive as the rMBP's, at least with my 20/20 vision. The sheer size vs the extra crispness cancel each other out at the typical viewing distance.

Retina is pretty damn cool though. It's in Apple's best interest to get their entire line to Retina as fast as they can. (It'll take a few years, especially for the bigger displays.)

- Even simple browsing on the rMBPs still gets ridiculously choppy - obviously a non-issue on non-retina screens. Don't buy these turds, people.

Come on, Haswell. Save us from the choppiness! The current Retina models are Revision A models. Rarely should you ever buy a Revision A. (Is Revision A the right term? Doesn't seem right. What do you call them? "Original Releases"? Revision implies the first updated model, which the current Retina models are not.)

- Does anyone like the Magic Mouse? What a piece of shit...Magic Trackpad all the way.

Magic Trackpad for LYFE. I play the shit out of first person games with it. People say I'm crazy. But I think using a mouse for a first person game is crazy. (Personal DOOM Episode 1 record all 9 levels: 50 minutes, 45 seconds with a trackpad.)

Magic Trackpad FTW.

This man knows what's up. High five!

 

[Aroo]

- The MBA screens look like hot garbage by comparison even though I'm used to similar visuals on my cMBP at home and never minded them.
.

Where do you even get off calling the screen hot garbage? It's anything but that especially given that size of the screen and Apple using the best TNs out of other TN panels.

 

[muddream]

Well, if you read my post again you'll notice I'm making a side-by-side comparison with Apple's IPS range, not other TN panels. They don't look terrible on their own, I've actually been recommending the MBA in this thread.

 

[twofold]

Now for the problem: a friend of mine is going to the USA in mid-August and will bring me a Mac, since they are vastly cheaper there than where I live in Euroland. Although I know the Air 13'' is the better and most rational choice, I still really prefer the Pro. So the question is if the HD4000 REALLY makes the 13'' pro choppy or not. Some people say that it doesn't, others say that it really is not a seamless experience and that it is very noticeable. Whats the real veredict here? How bad is it?

The choppiness isn't caused by the HD4000 - it's caused by a lack of cpu power.

To quote Anand's retina Macbook Pro review --

Apple does a lot of CPU and GPU work to make OS X look like OS X. Scaling the workload up from 1.76 million pixels to 4 and 5 million pixels creates additional work for both the CPU and GPU that neither chip vendor had planned on. Apple had to replace some fixed function code with general purpose CPU and GPU code to achieve consistent image quality in enabling Retina, which obviously has performance implications.

Next-generation GPUs should do a better job of driving these ultra high resolution displays, but today it looks like our biggest bottlenecks are software and single threaded CPU performance. In every situation where UI frame rate drops significantly on the rMBP, the offending application usually ends up consuming 100% of a single CPU core. This is true in Safari, Mail and other applications where I notice drops in scrolling frame rate.

...

The 13 I'm testing had demonstrably lower scrolling performance than my 15-inch rMBP, but I believe that has to do with the difference in CPU clocks more than anything else. My 13 uses a 2.5GHz Core i5 that can turbo up to 3.1GHz, while my 15 has a max single threaded turbo of 3.6GHz - an increase of 16%. There's also the fact that the 15-inch model features a quad-core CPU, leaving you with more idle cores in the event that you're actually doing more than just scrolling all day. I suspect the combination of these two things is why a lot of folks perceive the 15-inch rMBP to deliver faster UI performance.

The 15-inch model does have a discrete GPU, however I didn't notice a big performance difference in UI frame rates when I was on integrated vs. discrete graphics. I do believe that a lot of the present issues are related to Apple not GPU accelerating more of the drawing pipeline and as a result, single threaded CPU performance suffering under the load of 4 and 5MP displays.

...

There's not much you can do here other than wait for faster hardware or buy the fastest CPU available on whatever system you're considering. Single threaded performance will scale linearly with CPU clock speed, so higher clocked CPUs should deliver smoother scrolling performance. Ultimately just scaling CPU clock is an inefficient way to solve the current UI frame rate issues. Future revisions of OS X will likely shift even more UI workload to the GPU, plus we'll see new microprocessor architectures that will perform better with these types of workloads as well.

What we'll need however, without any significant changes to OS X is an outright doubling of single threaded CPU performance.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6409/13inch-retina-macbook-pro-review/5

TLDR; Haswell won't make much of a difference for Retina performance; we'll have to wait for Apple to optimise their retina scaling algorithm, which may take some time. Chances are, if (when) they do, it should improve the performance of the first gen rMBP too.

Personally, after playing around with a 13" rMBP at my local Apple store last week, the choppiness isn't too so bad. I could live with it.

 

[fireside]

TLDR; Haswell won't make much of a difference for Retina performance; we'll have to wait for Apple to optimise their retina scaling algorithm, which may take some time. Chances are, if (when) they do, it should improve the performance of the first gen rMBP too.

I believe that’s happening in OS X Mavericks

 

[CrudeDiatribe]

I didn't see anything about lower resolution except that apparently Macs will see certain configs as TV?

I just assumed HDMI topped out at 1080p (I see that it doesn't). Display port is fine for

Not surprised on the stand. Any idea if it supports VESA wall mounts? Any weird power problems or other oddities?(

It supports VESA; no power problems. It has an external power brick.

Where do you even get off calling the screen hot garbage? It's anything but that especially given that size of the screen and Apple using the best TNs out of other TN panels.

The TN panels are still shitty next to the IPS panels in the iMacs, Displays, iOS devices, and Retina MacBooks.

Spoiler

I have and love an 11" MacBook Air.

 

[Crazymoogle]

I just assumed HDMI topped out at 1080p (I see that it doesn't). Display port is fine for

Thanks. I think I have to bail if only that I saw a few reviews saying you can't input switch on the one with HDMI? Good to know it supports better mounts at least.

 

[Gorgon]

Thanks for the info, guys. Lets see if Apple saves me from this predicament by releasing the new Pros until August.

 

[mrkgoo]

I love the apple trackpads and was the first thing I changed to get with my iMac. Cannot live without gestures!

That said I actually like the apple mice as well.

I kind of learnt to not use mice ergonomically, with my hand sort of hovering lightly and cradling my fingers down, rather than restig my entire palm using the mouse as a rest. Yeah it's bad for really long term use, but I sort of adjusted.

I love the Mighty Mouse. More so than the Magic Mouse, which seems more novelty than useful. The Mighty Mouse has 4 buttons, which I find way more useful. And at the time that 360 scroll ball on top was awesome.

 

[CrudeDiatribe]

The Mighty Mouse has 4 buttons, which I find way more useful. And at the time that 360 scroll ball on top was awesome.

My complaints are as follows:
- cheap construction
- the side-buttons replaced the useful grips of the Pro Mouse, so you can't pick the mouse up and move it mid-drag as on all previous Apple mice (and other mice).
- scroll ball is not ergonomic for me

 

[mrkgoo]

My complaints are as follows:
- cheap construction
- the side-buttons replaced the useful grips of the Pro Mouse, so you can't pick the mouse up and move it mid-drag as on all previous Apple mice (and other mice).
- scroll ball is not ergonomic for me

Yeah, I can totally understand the beefs others have with it, they just weren't that big a deal for me. Which one was the pro mouse? the non-mighty mouse version of the same thing?

you can still click and drag and move the mouse, it's just a little bit more difficult because you MIGHT trigger the 4th button. You could always disable that though, right?


One thing I'm finding a little awkward is that with my MBP, I used to cmd+click like a pro. But with the trackpad off to the side instead of below, it now requires two hands...

 

[Aroo]

Well, if you read my post again you'll notice I'm making a side-by-side comparison with Apple's IPS range, not other TN panels. They don't look terrible on their own, I've actually been recommending the MBA in this thread.

Don't get me twisted, I didn't take it personally. However, the "hot garbage" is just not right, it completely paints a different picture an awesome computing device. I mean, why would you recommend garbage to someone? Anyway, the TN Apple gets are pretty awesome. They have great viewing angles (for TN obviously) though I know better than to say they're comparable to a retina panel.

The TN panels are still shitty next to the IPS panels in the iMacs, Displays, iOS devices, and Retina MacBooks.

Spoiler

I have and love an 11" MacBook Air.

I'm not sure how you can live with the 11" MBA screen, it's just so small. I played with someone's MBA11 and I found myself hunching over (with a nice neck ache later.) Then again, I'm sure it has its purpose and maybe I need to remember to sit properly with an MBA11.

I work with a pair of HP IPS 24" at work and have 3 Dell 2413's at home so I can definitely say it's a a great for a TN but not near "IPS great". I have an MBP 2011 13" SB and trust me, I've seen and used some pretty shitty TN panels before the MBP. Moreover, I can see an argument that Apple should just move to IPS as oppose to retina for the MBAs. Then again, for all we know they probably have a warehouse full of TN panels they need to clear and that's why we still have them.

If you were to ask me if I thought any of the Apple display panels were shitty I would say the Apple Cinema/Thunderbolt display. As if the MBP13 screen wasn't reflective enough that C/TB display is just awful. At the Best Buy Apple section I've seen the C/TB display right next to the 27" iMac and it's down right criminal that Apple still allows that product to exist in its current form. I wanted to love that display until I see that my pores need cleansing and the guy behind me needs to trim his nose hairs.

I love the apple trackpads and was the first thing I changed to get with my iMac. Cannot live without gestures!

That said I actually like the apple mice as well.

Not sure the name (magic mouse?) of it but the one that allows gestures is great if you use it sporadically. However, if you use the mouse constantly, it's terrible for your hand. I agree about the track pad. I gave up on the idea of Apple having a computer that I could have 3 displays (that's not a Mac Pro) with modern hardware. If the iMac allowed me to connect 2 displays (non TB) I would choose the track pad as well. I love the gestures.

 

[The Real Abed]

13" is the sweet spot for me. If only they would stop gimping them so the 15" models get all the fun. I want quad-core. I want 16GB RAM. I want discreet graphics. I want that as an option in a 13" package. At least in that order. I'm sure some of that stuff isn't feasible yet, but one day it will be!

 

[Aroo]

13" is the sweet spot for me. If only they would stop gimping them so the 15" models get all the fun. I want quad-core. I want 16GB RAM. I want discreet graphics. I want that as an option in a 13" package. At least in that order. I'm sure some of that stuff isn't feasible yet, but one day it will be!

I definitely feel you on the 16 GB part. There is absolutely nothing on Apple's part that they need to do to allow any Sandy Bridge model and up to have 16GBs of ram. At least on the MBPs you can upgrade to 16 GBs as I did on my SB i7 13. It really is a crappy situation, you can only got 16 GB of RAM on Apple's 15" rMBPs only.

 

[VPhys]

Went to the Apple store to have a side-by-side look at the current lineup for the first time.

- High quality IPS screens are way more important than the current obsession with pixel density. The 27" iMac screen is just as impressive as the rMBP's, at least with my 20/20 vision. The sheer size vs the extra crispness cancel each other out at the typical viewing distance.

I have to disagree. I had an HP 24" IPS screen and after getting the rMBA I couldn't use the HP screen anymore. A year later and I have not missed the size at all. Quality over quantity.

Apple Care for the rMPB is twice as expensive vis-à-vis the iMac for some silly reason and mouse + keyboard is included, which further sweetens the deal.

Applecare is insanely expensive, and it doesn't even cover loss or theft. Buy your macbook with a credit card that doubles the warranty. 2 year warranty for "free" and you are only warrantied one less year than with applecare.

 

[Crazymoogle]

The downside with CC warranties is that they aren't always an exact match of Applecare. For example; I recently had a hairline crack down the center of my iPad. Under Applecare it was covered. Under the CC, they only consider manufacturers defects and make a point of screening you to find out exactly how you're trying to file it.

I can't always recommend Applecare but it can be a good idea, particularly if you can find a way to swing the student discount.

Don't get me twisted, I didn't take it personally. However, the "hot garbage" is just not right, it completely paints a different picture an awesome computing device. I mean, why would you recommend garbage to someone? Anyway, the TN Apple gets are pretty awesome. They have great viewing angles (for TN obviously) though I know better than to say they're comparable to a retina panel.

I'll go a step further and say the MBA TN panel is the best TN I've ever seen. I think it definitely helps on a laptop since the perspective you can use it in is more limited, but it might as well be IPS compared to all of the Windows laptops I've owned.

(But yes, I would love a new screen. Even if it's not Retina, a 1080p IPS would be great.)

 

[The Real Abed]

I definitely feel you on the 16 GB part. There is absolutely nothing on Apple's part that they need to do to allow any Sandy Bridge model and up to have 16GBs of ram. At least on the MBPs you can upgrade to 16 GBs as I did on my SB i7 13. It really is a crappy situation, you can only got 16 GB of RAM on Apple's 15" rMBPs only.

Does the 16GB require more room that the 15" has but the 13" doesn't? Or has the chips gotten small enough to allow for 16GB to be packed into the same space that the 8 took up before and maybe we might get it as an option this time?

When the new models are announced I am going as best as I can get this time so I don't have to upgrade for a few years at all. So I'm going i7 again. Hoping for Quad option. More RAM option. Maybe 256GB Flash as the base model. You know, all those wild predictions that will probably never come true. But one can hope!

I'm sad that it probably won't be until October if last year is any indication. Which is 4 months away.

 

[CrudeDiatribe]

I'm not sure how you can live with the 11" MBA screen, it's just so small. I played with someone's MBA11 and I found myself hunching over (with a nice neck ache later.) Then again, I'm sure it has its purpose and maybe I need to remember to sit properly with an MBA11.

I have a Mac Pro with 27" and 24" displays attached; the 11" MBA is for when I need portable, so if I'm giving everything up for portable why would I pick something larger?

 

[Crazymoogle]

I have a Mac Pro with 27" and 24" displays attached; the 11" MBA is for when I need portable, so if I'm giving everything up for portable why would I pick something larger?

I originally thought this way but 20 seconds of typing on both the 13 and 11 told me the 11 was too small for my taste. Not sure if the keyboard is smaller or if the whole thing just feels more cramped.

 

[CrudeDiatribe]

Keyboards are the same size on the 11" and 13". 13" MBA feels too large to me now, 18 months into owning the 11".

 

[Laekon]

So I picked up a base model 13" Air on Saturday. I'm really impressed so far especially with the track pad and battery life. I had a MacBook back in 2008 and feel the OS and hardware are really improved. I'm still not sure if I should return it and get the 8gb ram. The 128gb seems like it will be enough since I will not store a lot of photos on it.

Now if I could only get my boss to pay for it.

 

[muddream]

Don't get me twisted, I didn't take it personally. However, the "hot garbage" is just not right, it completely paints a different picture an awesome computing device. I mean, why would you recommend garbage to someone? Anyway, the TN Apple gets are pretty awesome. They have great viewing angles (for TN obviously) though I know better than to say they're comparable to a retina panel.

Well, the entire post was filled with hyperbole..

I have to disagree. I had an HP 24" IPS screen and after getting the rMBA I couldn't use the HP screen anymore. A year later and I have not missed the size at all. Quality over quantity.

Have you seen the current iMac screens? If your HP IPS is like the Cinema Display, I can see where you're coming from, but the iMac is on some next level shit.

I can't always recommend Applecare but it can be a good idea, particularly if you can find a way to swing the student discount.

 

[Luthair]

2 things I like
iStat Nano
A quicklook at your stats (temp, cpu, uptime) from the dashboard.

CloudApp
Press Shift+CMD+3 (or +4 for a selection) and it auto-uploads the screenshot and copies the link to your clipboard.

Thanks! Ill check them out!

 

[Deku Tree]

Got my 11 MBA yesterday. Here is a question about the activity monitor:

On my i7 dual core 11 MBA the activity monitor shows "cpu activity" for four cores.

But on my i7 quad core 15 rMBP the activity monitor only shows "cpu activity" for one aggregate core.

Anyone know why is that?

 

[snack]

How big of a step up is it from a 2011 13 inch 2.3GHz MacBook Pro (MC700LL/A) to the new MBAs other than the insane battery life?

 

[Blackhead]

I'll go a step further and say the MBA TN panel is the best TN I've ever seen. I think it definitely helps on a laptop since the perspective you can use it in is more limited, but it might as well be IPS compared to all of the Windows laptops I've owned.

(But yes, I would love a new screen. Even if it's not Retina, a 1080p IPS would be great.)

Really? What Windows laptops have you owned? Anyway you could get a Sony laptop with an IPS display for under a grand back in '11 and practically all Windows ultrabooks today come better screens than the MBAs

 

[Crazymoogle]

Really? What Windows laptops have you owned? Anyway you could get a Sony laptop with an IPS display for under a grand back in '11 and practically all Windows ultrabooks today come better screens than the MBAs

3 different HPs, two lenovos (1 was IPS, but well, old IPS is not todays IPS), 1 compaq

The MBA kills them on colors, brightness, and to be honest the viewable angles are almost identical. (The HPs being TN are much worse, especially on larger panels you see the gradation looking dead-on.)

 

[Talon]

Really? What Windows laptops have you owned? Anyway you could get a Sony laptop with an IPS display for under a grand back in '11 and practically all Windows ultrabooks today come better screens than the MBAs

This "Ultrabook" I'm using is using a 1366x768 screen with dreadful viewing angles...so no.

 

[Blackhead]

3 different HPs, two lenovos (1 was IPS, but well, old IPS is not todays IPS), 1 compaq

The MBA kills them on colors, brightness, and to be honest the viewable angles are almost identical. (The HPs being TN are much worse, especially on larger panels you see the gradation looking dead-on.)

huh?Are you implying that the 'old' IPS was shittier than TN Panels? Would you identify these HP laptops, and lenovos and compaqs?

This "Ultrabook" I'm using is using a 1366x768 screen with dreadful viewing angles...so no.

Care to identify this ultrabook?

 

[Talon]

Lenovo U410

Greyface, man. Every single post you make sounds so indignant for some reason. Chill, brosef.

 

[ericexpo]

so apple care question, if i buy just apple care I can apply it to any macbookpro. Went to the store and they wanted to add it to my laptop without the student discount.

 

[Got the Shakes]

so apple care question, if i buy just apple care I can apply it to any macbookpro. Went to the store and they wanted to add it to my laptop without the student discount.

I bought AppleCare for my 15" rMBP right as the 1 year warranty was ending. There are different prices for AppleCare based on the size of your MBP screen so you need to make sure you buy the right one.

 

[Crazymoogle]

huh?Are you implying that the 'old' IPS was shittier than TN Panels?

Are you trying to argue that TN and IPS haven't evolved in the last 10 years? This Anandtech nits comparison is pretty telling of the leap in displays particularly since 2011. My X201 looks downright hazy compared to a current macbook or Samsung ultrabook display.

This isn't exclusive to Apple, but the sheer fact that I can read what's on my MBA screen from a severe angle without massive color distortion to either side is a huge improvement over my 5 year old desktop TN panels.

I don't think there's a question that we'd rather have IPS on all macbooks but this really is a good display.

so apple care question, if i buy just apple care I can apply it to any macbookpro. Went to the store and they wanted to add it to my laptop without the student discount.

Apple Care applies to one product only. I believe it's supposed to bind to a specific serial number?

 

[sweetvar26]

Alright, I need some help here guys. I just bought a Western Digital 2TB My Passport hard drive. I had a Macbook Air which I got rid of a while ago and I am waiting for the Haswell Retina updates.

I want this hard drive to be read/write on both Windows and Mac because my work laptop is Windows.

NTFS - Not writable on Mac
FAT 32 - Has its limits

How about exFAT32/FAT64? Is this a solution to make my hard drive compatible for both Windows and OSX?

I want to copy my data from my older hard drive to this new one but I want to format the hard drive first before I move data around.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Aroo]

Alright, I need some help here guys. I just bought a Western Digital 2TB My Passport hard drive. I had a Macbook Air which I got rid of a while ago and I am waiting for the Haswell Retina updates.

I want this hard drive to be read/write on both Windows and Mac because my work laptop is Windows.

NTFS - Not writable on Mac
FAT 32 - Has its limits

How about exFAT32/FAT64? Is this a solution to make my hard drive compatible for both Windows and OSX?

I want to copy my data from my older hard drive to this new one but I want to format the hard drive first before I move data around.

Thanks in advance.

Use exFat