doubts over macbook pro, do i really need one?

p1tse

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so i popped into a store which had macbook for sale. had a good play, feel with one 13" version, having not had a mac before.

really had in my mind to treat myself to one of these with all the praise.

main use will be to orgainse photos, learn to edit photo's i.e. maybe photoshop elements, office word and excel, itunes and internet.

had a play with iphotos and don't really see it much more than organising photos, as editing is limited and didn't get my head round how to edit a picture and save a new version and keep original.

so for circa £900 + spend on elements and office, £1k+ to get me going.

for a similar spec, bigger screen, granted it won't be as well built, but should i go for a £500 pc laptop and save myself £500?
 
Up to you mate.....

I have only had my MacBook Pro for a couple of months but it seems to handle everything I throw at it (and much better that a PC) is it worth £900+ not sure but if you can afford it it looks cool on the Lounge table (so people tell me!) :rotfl:
 
so i popped into a store which had macbook for sale. had a good play, feel with one 13" version, having not had a mac before.

really had in my mind to treat myself to one of these with all the praise.

main use will be to orgainse photos, learn to edit photo's i.e. maybe photoshop elements, office word and excel, itunes and internet.

had a play with iphotos and don't really see it much more than organising photos, as editing is limited and didn't get my head round how to edit a picture and save a new version and keep original.

so for circa £900 + spend on elements and office, £1k+ to get me going.

for a similar spec, bigger screen, granted it won't be as well built, but should i go for a £500 pc laptop and save myself £500?

As the poster before me says, it's up to you. You have to ask, are you willing to pay the Apple premium? As essentially, macs are niche products and Apple aims for the luxury end of the market and they make no apologies for that strategy and the prices they charge.

So have a good think as from the sounds of it, I'm not sure if a mac is for you and you don't want to spend a grand and regret it. Personally, I love Apple (and I am probably one of the few mac fans to admit, that they also likes Microsoft products) and I was prepared to pay the premium but that is my personal choice. OS X is not the ultimate OS (as Apple like promote it) it's another way of doing things that suit people more than Windows. Like I said, I like both operating systems and also LINUX on my netbook, they all have their own advantages.

What I would suggest, if you have a friend that uses mac, ask if they can be kind enough to allow you play around on it for a couple of hours to help you make the right decision :smashin:
 
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If you can afford it go for the MacBook. I could just roll out a list of reasons but the main one that I tell everyone that asks me is that a lot of people use windows all day, it's nice to come home to something different. That and the fact that OSX is pretty darn good.

iPhoto doesn't have vast amounts of editing powers but it probably does the majority of things that you want it to. Check out apple site for more info:

Apple - iPhoto - Organize, edit, and share photos on the web or in a book.

Apple - Support - iPhoto

There's a couple of videos on there you can watch to see some of the things it does.

You could also try Picasa from Google, it's free so would mean you wouldn't have to pay for elements:
Picasa 3: Free download from Google

If you wanted to save even more money you could also use Open Office or Google Docs instead of buying MS Office.
 
Have a look at Apple's refurbished stock on the Apple Store website as they can have some good deals. For example they've got a 13" Macbook Pro 2.26Ghz for £765 rather than £918 for new. You still get the same warranty and having bought a couple of refurbished iMac's in the past without any problems, it is a good way of saving money. The refurbished section updates each day somewhere between 12.30 and 1am. Also if Apple actually update the Macbook Pro next week there may be some good deals available.

Having said all that only you can decide whether you want to pay the extra for a Mac. Even though I'm a happy Mac user, there isn't anything particularly wrong with Windows 7.
 
Ah you see first mistake, you are still thinking like a PC user....You don't have to take an action to save a different version so not to overwrite...It happens automatically that's the Mac way...

Definitely worth checking out the links provided earlier regarding iPhoto as it is a lot, a lot more powerful than you currently think it is....Also what is really worthwhile, especially for switchers is to take out one-2-one lessons. You can only buy it when you buy a new mac in an Apple store. It is £79 pounds and gives you unlimited access to one-2-one lessons in an apple store...And these aren't the spotty Comet type workers, they actually know what they teach about...

And don't count your chickens, there really is not £500 difference when you compare like for like. A discussion that happens on here many a time...Fair enough you may not need such a powerful machine, but you don't have to get a macbook pro do you....
 
Yes.

Next question...
 
Ah you see first mistake, you are still thinking like a PC user....You don't have to take an action to save a different version so not to overwrite...It happens automatically that's the Mac way...

i think that was a very valid question. definitely not from someone who is thinking like any specific type of user at all...just someone who is wanting to know how things work on macs. you can't assume anything so the OP was right to ask.
 
i think that was a very valid question. definitely not from someone who is thinking like any specific type of user at all...just someone who is wanting to know how things work on macs. you can't assume anything so the OP was right to ask.

Read it outloud and listen to the intonation...listen carefully...Do you hear the light touch and tonque in cheek?

Lighten up bud :smashin: And also note that despite the tongue in cheek I actually also answered the question...
 
Read it outloud and listen to the intonation...listen carefully...Do you hear the light touch and tonque in cheek?

Lighten up bud :smashin: And also note that despite the tongue in cheek I actually also answered the question...

i wasn't having a go as such. i guess my tone may have been too serious. i just get annoyed at fanboys no matter how good a product is. i get sick of mac fanboys bashing windows and vice versa.

hope i didn't offend!
 
Ah you see first mistake, you are still thinking like a PC user....You don't have to take an action to save a different version so not to overwrite...It happens automatically that's the Mac way...

I was going to post something along the same lines myself, and I certainly find that iPhoto meets my (albeit limited) editing needs.

There is so much that 'just works' with a mac that once you've experienced it there's no going back.
 
i wasn't having a go as such. i guess my tone may have been too serious. i just get annoyed at fanboys no matter how good a product is. i get sick of mac fanboys bashing windows and vice versa.

hope i didn't offend!

Not at all bud! I don't get offended easily...But my comment was quite accurate, as the philosophy of Windows is that positive action generally needs to be taken in order to create a 'version' if my memory serves me right regarding PSE for example...Or when you look at it from a different perspective, the menu's on PC applications generally are 'rich' or some will call it busy and others will call it lots of functionality....The Mac UI guidelines dictate a much more baron approach, at first that could result in disappointment perhaps but once used to it, it becomes clear that a lot of the 'richness' of the PC/Windows environment is inherent....Just perhaps not so 'in your face' as it was on a PC...

I prefer the Mac approach and once one 'gets it' it all starts making sense...
 
in response to the OP, if iphoto doesn't fit your bill, you can always try aperture which has more editing features and in my eyes is a more robust tool. i use iphoto now and again but mainly to produce calendars and photo books.
 
in response to the OP, if iphoto doesn't fit your bill, you can always try aperture which has more editing features and in my eyes is a more robust tool. i use iphoto now and again but mainly to produce calendars and photo books.

Are you comparing it against iPhoto 09, as I am surprised about that comment...Besides the elements specifically of use for RAW photography it has exactly the same edit facilities unless I am missing something....Ok it has a plugin architecture but even those are more geared towards batch processing activities....

If the OP wants to do advanced editing with multiple layers etc neither will do...But there is always the Gimp for a free photoshop alternative...But cropping, straightening, white balance adjustment, level adjustment, colour adjustments etc...is all just there as standard....
 
Are you comparing it against iPhoto 09, as I am surprised about that comment...Besides the elements specifically of use for RAW photography it has exactly the same edit facilities unless I am missing something....Ok it has a plugin architecture but even those are more geared towards batch processing activities....

If the OP wants to do advanced editing with multiple layers etc neither will do...But there is always the Gimp for a free photoshop alternative...But cropping, straightening, white balance adjustment, level adjustment, colour adjustments etc...is all just there as standard....

i must admit i haven't looked at iphoto 09 in as much detail as i had already made the move to aperture by then. i also prefer the way aperture allows you to store photos.

agreed that if you want to start editing with multiple layers etc then you really need to be looking at something like photoshop.
 
thanks for all the input

i guess it's like a car question, a skoda still gets you to a to b, but so does an audi and there's a cost difference there. not meaning a pc is a skoda, but the apple is i know niche.

something i will think harder about. i tend to keep my equipment as long as possible and in good conditon i.e. my current laptop sony vgn-fs215s (this was over £1k when new) is still as it is from factory almost 5 years ago. so if it durability is better, thats another key.

tempted by the macbook pro, not the white macbook now.

yes still thinking as a pc user and owner, but i guess i can't comment on macs until i've brought and owned one.

i don't tend to take my computer out of home much and when i do it will be a car journey away so tucked away nicely.

i know it's my own choice. there's no reason for me to spending extra and buy a macbook pro 13", but i guess it's a way of life LOL .... I want I want hee hee

it's good to hear though that all who do have it love it.

if i was spending similar money, i will definately try the macbook, it's just do i save the money and go with an average laptop pc...hmmm
 
LOL You are already used to a premium range then...The Sony Vaio is really in the same category as the Apple Mac's...Higher specification before other manufacturers get them, and build to a decent standard....

All I can say is that my wife has got my old black Macbook which is now 3 years old....It feels just as solid and just as fast as the day I bought it...Almost annoyingly so as there is just no valid reason to change it...Likewise my MBP is over two years old and everything is just still instant...
 
yeah i'm used to having a well built machine, although it really struggles these days (maybe it needs a refresh, update, ram upgrade etc. but i'm not sure how etc.)

all i can say after 4.5yrs of continuous use at home, the screen, keyboard, casing still feels and looks as new. to be honest alot nicer feel than some of these new plastic cheap machines.

maybe i should look into upgrading internals on mine. as it only has 512mb.

problem is the battery doesn't last long and it seems to over heat really badly and upon start up and using programs it really is painfully slow.
 

You are asking in the wrong forum ;) Yes sure, nice price but I would just not have it...Everytime I'd open up the lid I wonder whether the machine will actually start up or not, and when I close it I would wonder whether it really went to sleep or is just draining the battery....Constant anti-virus updates and firewall intrusions...Just to name a few little pet hates...So if you keep it as long as the vaiou (if it lasts that long) you'd safe £100/year in capital outlay...Don't know about you, for me that is 1 professional hour gone...

But hey I am now biased, but also don't have to play the support person at home with 4 Macs...

yeah i'm used to having a well built machine, although it really struggles these days (maybe it needs a refresh, update, ram upgrade etc. but i'm not sure how etc.)

all i can say after 4.5yrs of continuous use at home, the screen, keyboard, casing still feels and looks as new. to be honest alot nicer feel than some of these new plastic cheap machines.

maybe i should look into upgrading internals on mine. as it only has 512mb.

problem is the battery doesn't last long and it seems to over heat really badly and upon start up and using programs it really is painfully slow.

Memory upgrade will definitely help, but I bet graphics is then also well old, and the quality of the screen, and the battery knackered, hard drive small and slow...So where does it stop upgrading?

But yes the build quality was great, I still have my Vaio Z600RE which was made out of magnesium...
 
very true on other bits probably really old and slow

shame, as my sony vaio probably looks and feel better than more than 80% of stock in currys/pc world. but i guess it's more than looks alone.

currys/pc world have the pro 13" 4GB 250GB @ £999
shame no discount codes and 0% finance deals
 
I've just sold a 10 yr old iBook on ebay for a tidy sum and have another of the same model in daily use at home.

The longevity of macs and high resale value alone justifies the initial price premium IMO.
 

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