Need advice! PC mom tempted to get new MacBook.

Parent Cafe
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<p>Am I nuts? </p>

<p>I need a new notebook and the MacBookPro is whispering my name. It may be a mid-life crisis, but I am tempted and could use level-headed advice. </p>

<p>A little background: I have very little tech savvy, but use my PC ALL the time. In other words, I know what I need to know to do my thing (I’m a writer and use WORD, and mostly use internet, email, a few others) but I can’t fix much when it goes wonky. LOL. I have turned to my DH for tech support. Also turned to me DS1 and DS2. But…</p>

<p>So is it time to embrace change? Or, will I regret it? </p>

<p>Anyone who has made a late-in-life change to Mac–did you feel you got enough support from Apple Store to get you over the learning curve hump? Were you happy to become a Mac person? Have I just watched one too many Mac vs PC commercials?</p>

<p>Thanks for any and all suggestions.</p>

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<p>The Mac is generally easier to use but you still will have to put in some effort to learn how to use it and learn the different ways of doing something with a new operating system.</p>

<p>The service levels at the Apple Store are pretty high and I’ve found that they patiently answer questions from customers. I also believe that they have training classes. There are many Mac forums around where you can ask questions too.</p>

<p>In general, there are fewer choices when using Macs. There aren’t as many hardware and software options so configuration is usually simpler. Email, web browsing and Microsoft Word should feel similar between PCs and Macs.</p>

<p>I have a MacBook Pro as my main laptop and the kids have MacBook Pros as theirs. We all have BootCamp with Windows XP so we can run Windows on our MBPs if we need to. The kids love their systems.</p>

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<p>I was a PC person too. About 5 years ago, after problem after problem with my pc, I decided to make a change to the apple side of the universe.</p>

<p>I wouldn’t ever, ever go back. You can get Word for Mac. </p>

<p>In terms of problems, they are usually easy to deal with. Schedule an appt with a genius as an apple store. They aren’t trouble free - but the difference is you won’t have to call an outsourced tech problem after hours of your own troubleshooting. I got pretty tired of the blue screen of death, and I was pretty good at figuring out what was wrong.</p>

<p>Now I just use my computer. Such a difference. </p>

<p>It does cost more. True. But viva la difference! I recommend that extended warranty. It’s worth it.</p>

<p>(Also, recommend backing up every day. I use Mozy (so do my sons). My husband uses Carbonite for his PC. </p>

<p>Good luck! :)</p>

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<p>I just got my Mac last weekend. I was the last hold out in the family. I like it. Everything is very intuitive. I chose to move data from my PC to Mac myself, so I bought a hard drive to do that. I also purchased a software for $10 online to move Outlook data to Mac. For $100 Apple will move all of your data from PC to your new Mac. It maybe worth it if you are not techn savvy. I did install Microsoft Office on Mac.</p>

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<p>oldfort, </p>

<p>I am curious - why did you need to buy an additional drive to migrate your data? I didn’t need to do that, and I did it myself using the built in Migration assistant…</p>

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<p>Do it and don’t look back. The learning curve is pretty easy. </p>

<p>I would wait a couple weeks if you can. Apple is due to refresh the entire MacBook Pro line.</p>

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<p>For many, it’s convenient to just mount an external drive to drag and drop their files to move them from one machine to the other. I generally move files around the household computer over the local-area network using FileZilla, a free and open source FTP client and server. It’s very easy to do once you get it setup but it can be a daunting to set up.</p>

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<p>Well, this has been true since last fall when Nehalem came out. Apple’s conundrum is chipset support being removed by nVidia over licensing issues.</p>

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<p>I tried to set it up through home network, and it was just too much pain in the neck. Last time when I did it between 2 PCs it was really slow. I also needed another external hard drive for backup, so I got one. The guy at Apple also told me it was easier.</p>

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<p>Well, the max throughput on home routers is usually around 11 mb/sec down to as low as 2 mb/sec using wireless G. Disk transfer rates are far faster. Transferring large files over a home LAN is sometimes an overnight operation. Things are a lot better if you’re using Gigabit Ethernet but you need upgraded routers and cabling.</p>

<p>Yes, an external drive is a lot easier. The network route is if you don’t want to spend any money.</p>

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<p>Thanks so much. oldfort, your recent acquisition gives me courage. But BCEagle91 – you’ve officially boggled my mind in post above. Which makes me nervous about everything I don’t know: Since we are an all-PC household, would you expect a Mac might have trouble using our existing home LAN? How about connecting to our printer? Will I need to get my own?</p>

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<p>My experience is that Macs are pretty easy to setup for networks and printers.</p>

<p>My post above is talking about FTP which is a old and geeky way of transferring files around the web which most people don’t use. It’s still used a lot by techies because it’s old, common and free.</p>

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<p>They must be coming out with new macbook pros any week now. Although apple doesn’t typically announce new computers in advance of their release, it’s been about 10 months since the last release, and that’s a significantly longer-than-average wait.</p>

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<p>Me too, me too! I am waiting for my PC to die so I can get a macbook. Have been playing w/S’s “Hackintosh” and love it, want the real thing. Just can’t justify the expense when PC is working</p>

<p>Am tired of Windows updates, virus scares, etc. </p>

<p>S1, a diehard PC guy, received a new Macbook through his grad program this semester. Needless to say, his PCs sits home alone while he uses the Mac for everything. I am so jealous…</p>

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<p>That’s because of the licensing issue.</p>

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<p>The suit relates to a disagreement between Intel, the maker of the Core 2 Duo CPUs used in Apple’s MacBook line and its desktop Macs (apart from the high end Mac Pro, which uses Intel’s Xeon “Harpertown” CPU), and NVIDIA, which last year expanded its role with Apple as a GPU provider into one where the graphics company now supplies the chipset-on-a-chip controller that serves as the glue between Intel’s CPU and everything else in the computer.</p>

<p>Intel and NVIDIA teamed up in 2004 in a patent licensing agreement that resulted in NVIDIA making a competitive move into Intel’s chipset business with its MCP79 chipset platform. Last year, Apple became the first PC vendor to adopt NVIDIA’s one-chip controller in its MacBook line. The move not only simplified and improved the architecture of Apple’s notebook machines, but also provided significantly better graphics compared to the Intel controller chips it had been using. </p>

<p>[AppleInsider</a> | How Intel’s battle with NVIDIA over Core i7 impacts Apple](<a href=“http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/02/21/how_intels_battle_with_nvidia_over_core_i7_impacts_apple.html]AppleInsider”>How Intel's battle with NVIDIA over Core i7 impacts Apple | AppleInsider)</p>

<p>ZDnet reports on NVIDIA’s announcement yesterday that it will “postpone further chipset investments” in the wake of licensing issues involving Intel’s Nehalem and Core processors. NVIDIA’s chipsets including integrated graphics processors are currently used throughout Apple’s low-end lines, and the shift to NVIDIA was seen as a significant improvement over Intel’s similar chipset offerings.</p>

<p>[NVIDIA</a> Exiting Chipset Business Pending Resolution of Licensing Dispute With Intel - Mac Rumors](<a href=“http://www.macrumors.com/2009/10/08/nvidia-exiting-chipset-business-pending-resolution-of-licensing-dispute-with-intel/]NVIDIA”>NVIDIA Exiting Chipset Business Pending Resolution of Licensing Dispute With Intel - MacRumors)</p>

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<p>Why? Huang blames chip giant Intel (INTC). Nvidia’s graphics chipsets, which Steve Jobs liked enough to buy by the boatload, aren’t allowed to work with Intel’s latest offering, code-named “Nehalem” – and in the computer world no Intel compatibility means no mainstream future. Nvidia’s Ion chip is designed to work alongside the chip giant’s Atom processor, but lately it’s been priced out of the market by – you guessed it – Intel.</p>

<p>[Intel's</a> latest headache: Nvidia - Big Tech - Fortune Brainstorm Tech](<a href=“http://brainstormtech.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2009/12/04/intels-latest-headache-nvidia/]Intel’s”>http://brainstormtech.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2009/12/04/intels-latest-headache-nvidia/)</p>

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<p>So Apple is in a bind. Current model MPBs use nVidia chipsets with Intel’s previous generation Penryn processors and the nVidia chipsets have the capability to switch between integrated and discrete graphics. Dell and HP started shipping Nehalem laptops in 2009. I assume that they’re using Intel or Intel-licensed chipset technology. Apple wants the switchable graphics that nVidia provides. Switching chipsets would have required a decent design lead-time. Intel’s integrated graphics in general aren’t very good even though their integrated graphics dominate the market (the vast majority of PCs and laptops do not require discrete graphics). So the Apple world is left waiting and guessing on the next MPB refresh. In the past, the wait was when Apple had the time and inventory to do the refresh. I think that the technology issues weren’t that big. This time there’s a licensing and technology issue.</p>

<p>I think that the easiest thing for Apple would be if nVidia just licensed Intel’s chipset technology. Unfortunately there’s some pretty bad blood between nVidia’s CEO, Huang and Intel. Huang is a bit of a loose cannon in the semi-world.</p>

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<p>Last released were macbook pros in June, Macbooks in October- I just bought a 13" pro, running 10.6, sized down from my 15" and am really enjoying the lighter weight ( and more RAM)
[Mac</a> Buyer’s Guide: Know When to Buy Your Mac, iPod or iPhone](<a href=“http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/]Mac”>http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/)</p>

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<p>Since I was recently hit by a nasty “rootkit” virus on my PC…which basically destroyed the OS, I wondered too if I should make the switch to a Mac.
I didn’t.
Reasons:</p>

<p>1) Expense…I couldn’t get past the price on those things. </p>

<p>2) A family member just made the switch…or TRIED to. She was all excited because the Apple “geniuses” offered to move all of her data over. Well, her outlook file moved over in one big LUMP. No file folders. She’s still working on her PC</p>

<p>3) Windows 7 is pretty cool. I think you’re fine as long as you get good virus/internet security protection. Now, the stupid thing I did was to let my virus subscription expire because I KNEW I was getting a different computer. Well, it forced the issue…my old computer is a MESS…although thankfully, I was able to transfer files. </p>

<p>4) I work with a lot of folks on PCs and I worry about compatibility. Most says it’s not an issue but I don’t want to take the risk. </p>

<p>BTW, I got an HP laptop with 14 inch screen. Terrific price at Costco. Plus they add on concierge service and you can take it back after 90 days. It’s working out just great. Windows 7 is a big improvement. And I’m keeping my virus software up to date! The only thing I’m sad about is having to create my itunes playlists from scratch…couldn’t figure that one out!</p>

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<p>If you’re using Windows, get Microsoft Security Essentials. Supposedly the best antispyware and antivirus out there and it’s free. I just installed it on one system and will put it on a few others. I think that Windows 7 is a lot better than Vista but still prefer Mac OS X - I work in a Linux environment at work and OS X is more natural for me. If you need Windows, you can run it under Mac OS X in a Virtual Machine.</p>

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<p>BC…I have Kapsersky now. Would I have to uninstall that in order to use the MS security product?
Re viruses…wow, I have ALWAYS been able to fight off viruses before but this one got me. Didn’t even let me boot to a rescue/av disk, using Linux. For those of you out there thinking about it, DO NOT LET YOUR VIRUS PROTECTION EXPIRE.
BTW, my h told me that they’re paying some guys in india to come up with viruses to disrupt Macs. Maybe the party will be over soon?</p>

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<p>thanks to all. I’m paying close attention to all of this. I’m even a little swayed back into line by toneranger’s evaluation. OTOH, right now there is a Macbook Pro banner ad at the top of this thead-page. Can that be mere coincidence? (Can you tell I like “Lost”?)</p>

<p>Okay, I’m starting to read tea leaves. </p>

<p>I have always been careful about $$, but I’m at that dangerous point (my bday today) where I’m just ready to say the heck with that. I want a Mac.</p>

<p>I’d love to hear more pros and cons. And I could certainly wait a few weeks–but BC has such compelling logic about why it won’t be that soon.</p>