#257602 by honey lamb
12 Jan 2009, 00:12
I have decided to ditch my Sony Vaio laptop as it has given me grief almost since day 1. Although it was only intended for travel it has proved useful as a back up on the occasions when each of our hard drives died. Nonetheless the hard drive filled up with an amazing alacrity and the partitioned hard drive did not help. Partition Magic never really resolved it and the quote I got from a couple of techies for working on it is more or less the same as a Netbook.

For the past few years I have been tempted to get a Macbook and my regret is that I didn't do so instead of the Vaio. My excuse is that I didn't understand the concept of Apple resellers and thought I was getting a secondhand one [:I] I've decided to head for the city on Tuesday to do some research and would welcome some advice. My requirements seem to suggest that the netbook would be sufficient but can I write reports etc., or watch a DVD on it. Also with a small screen does this mean that one is constantly scrolling across a page when reading something like V-Flyer or is the print so small I would need a magnifying glass.

Or do I just say 'To h*ll with it! Life's too short to worry about petty things' and go for the Macbook? will the basic model meet my needs (as well as my pocket)
#464447 by PeterStansfield
12 Jan 2009, 00:40
Honey Lamb

It sounds like the Mac Book Air would be ideal for you, as it is for me. It gives you everything you want on the road. Great for DVD watching (although you need the external DVD Drive) and battery life is only mediumly OK.

With Apple you don't have to worry about tecchies, partitioning drives etc - IT JUST WORKS! Resizing the image to read it is simple - put your fingers on the trackpad and drag apart to enlarge, or drag together to make smaller

Oh - My previous laptop was a vaio, and I don't work for Apple...
#464455 by Jacki
12 Jan 2009, 07:58
I must say I use both for different things. The macbook is my workhorse and I use this all the time and it is totally reliable, it took me ages to buy one but I love it now. I have an Asus Eee that I take abroad for short trips, its great storing and sending photos, emails, etc and its easy to work in small places like trains and planes etc. I must say the macbook is quite heavy and I would definately be looking at the Air when I change. I am absolutely not IT literate but for easy access, reliability and convenience Mac ticks all the boxes.
#464462 by Darren Wheeler
12 Jan 2009, 08:57
If you want something for just travelling with, then the netbook is idea. Just remember you have no integral DVD drive and avoid the Solid State Drive models as they have very limited capacity and should the drive fail, they are expensive to replace. The standard HDD models are better (IMHO) as you get more flexbility to store films etc. OK, the battery life is shorter so invest in a multi-use power adaptor such as the iGo Juice.

Normally you'll have 2 OS options, XP and Linux. The Linux is bay far the quicker in loading does require a bit of knowledge to make changes. XP is suitable for most casual users. Also, the Linux can be a slimmed-down version such as Linpus with only a very basic user interface. If you really want Linux, replace it with Ubuntu or similar (queue Linux 'geeks' listing their favourite flavour'.


If you want something for mostly home use with a little travelling, then dive into a MacBook 13'. Try to get the new, all aluminium cases as they won't suffer from splitting around the edges like my white one has. You get a built in DVD drive and with Parallels can run XP too so you can use all your existing programs too. Use on-board with Empower is a doddle using the Magsafe aircraft adaptor, but buy one as VS don't carry them. First-time Mac using can be a little daunting for long-term PC users, but persevere with it and the rewards are great.
#464474 by mitchja
12 Jan 2009, 11:00
Having now been a MacBook ower for only 2 weeks, there's no way I'd go back to a Windows lap-top.

Yes, as Darren says, some things do take a while to get used to coming from Windows (for example, there's no right click on OS X).

Saying that I'm already finding the OS X keyboard and trackpad shortcuts so much easier to use and remember than with Windows shortcuts which really does speed things up. Even after using Windows for so long, I still dont use many Windows keyboard shortcuts.

The new Aluminium MacBooks have the new track pad with no visible buttons and many different finger sweep shortcuts. The whole trackpad clicks and depending on how many fingers you touch the pad with and which direction you sweep with, depends on the shortcut.

While having so many shortcuts does sound daunting, they are actally very easy to remember!!

Regards
#464480 by HighFlyer
12 Jan 2009, 11:49
quote:Originally posted by mitchja
there's no right click on OS X).


Yes there is, there's the right hand button on the Mighty Mouse, or hold down the Control key and click [y]

I also have a netbook and a Mac. The Mac is my big machine that I can do everything on, the netbook is for casual surfing and mail. I guess if you are replacing your mail laptop it might be a consideration as to what you use it for.

I wouldnt worry about switching to Linux or Mac, there are enough of us on V-Flyer to help you out with any queries you may have.

Thanks,
Sarah
#464485 by ukcobra
12 Jan 2009, 12:58
My suggestion is a Mac Book, check out the refurb list at Apple, as they can be obtained for around £530 for a White one.

With the latest version of Mac OSX 'Leopard' is a great feature caled Time Machine, which if you connect an external hard drive, it takes care of all the backups, and if you delete a file or have a hard drive failure, it is very easy to restore everything to the hour before it all went horribly wrong.

The Macbook is my suggestion, as it is small portable and has an integral DVD drive. We have not been too impressed with the Mac Book Air, mainly due to price, slower processor, and lack of external ports !

Mark
#464486 by ukcobra
12 Jan 2009, 13:02
Mac Book Air's are on the refurb list at Apple.com/UK right now at £749 a 27% reduction.
#464487 by Tinkerbelle
12 Jan 2009, 13:18
quote:Originally posted by Darren Wheeler

If you want something for mostly home use with a little travelling, then dive into a MacBook 13'. Try to get the new, all aluminium cases as they won't suffer from splitting around the edges like my white one has.


Though that is a known issue with a batch of white Macbooks - Apple will replace the casing if you take it to the Genius Bar at the Apple Store.
#464649 by honey lamb
14 Jan 2009, 00:25
I'm in love! I'm in love! Although if the truth be known Apple has been seducing me for the last four years at least!

Today I headed for Cork City and (deride me not) Curry's and PC World which sit side by side in a Retail Park on the edge of the city. My mission was to scope out both the Netbooks and the MacBook and, if the price was right, to purchase. Curry's was the first place and they had a reasonable amount of Netbooks but it was obvious that PCs and laptops are their stock-in trade. And as for Apple, it didn't exist which is surprising since it is one of the major employers on the north side of the city. On to next door and to PC World (deride me not). Quite frankly it is a dump and would not inspire me to buy anything there. Oh it was fine as long as you were looking for PCs and laptops but Netbooks were to be found under Children's Education [:0] and it took me a good ten minutes to find the Apple section in general and the MacBooks in particular. That section was a disgrace. There was a white MacBook and another MacBook on display although the computer section was relatively fine with 3 computers set up and running but in the laptop section there was only one that was booted up. Nonetheless I had an opportunity to play with it and although I didn't master the trackpad since there was nothing to tell me how it worked I could see its potential (and I did manage the right-click!) In the rest of the area Apple peripherals were thrown around. [:(!] It really was a disgrace. I did think of asking one of the staff for help but some of them seemed to share a brain cell between them and the rest looked as if the English language was an optional extra (and it wasn't because Irish was the first language). At least in Curry's they came up and asked if they could help. I however was fortunate in that in all my trips to San Francisco and New York had included a visit to the Apple store. My mission on those occasions had been i Pods but that hadn't prevented me from a look/see into MacBooks.

The Netbooks were seductive and wooed me like a siren but taking the long-term view the MacBook seemed to tick more boxes. If I already had a MacBook or a reasonably functioning laptop I would definitely have gone for the netbook.

As I said I was prepared to purchase if the price was right but I knew the exchange rate for Dixons in T3. The price differential is Û300 and Dixons will get my custom unless the Euro goes into free-fall in the next two weeks!!
#464650 by Tinkerbelle
14 Jan 2009, 01:51
quote:Originally posted by honey lamb
On to next door and to PC World (deride me not). Quite frankly it is a dump and would not inspire me to buy anything there.


So the same as every other PC World [:w]
#464926 by ukcobra
17 Jan 2009, 12:13
The Reading one has been re-vamped and is much better, along with th nearby Currys, where the Apple products are right by the door, in a well laid out arrangement.
#464932 by Scrooge
17 Jan 2009, 14:05
I still don't get it, I can see a little premium for a macbook, however after pricing out same spec laptops, I was not amused at the price difference, However the Imac with the 24 inch screen must be the bargin of the whole range.
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