Post: #1

I'm on the market for a new computer. I want to get a MacBook, but not sure which version would be the best investment.

Not sure if a 4GB model would be plenty enough for me, or if I should go to a higher-end model??

Aside from the usual internet surfing, word/statistics documentation, emailing, etc.; my 3 biggest uses will be:

1) I'm sort of an amature photographer, I have a lot of photo/jpeg/bitmap pictures that take up a lot of space on my current machine.

2) I'm into music/guitar/recording/turntable/vinyl/CDs, audio stuff. I've always gone to studios to record anyways, so this doesn't have to be anything too super-pro, but I would like to have at least some decent audio software to experiment with my own vocal/guitar recordings, create my own mixes.

3) I'm strongly considering getting into those online/rosetta/pimsleur language software packages to sharpen my Spanish and maybe pick up some Portuguese and Chinese.

With these hobbies in mind, would a base-line 4GB MacBook be a solid enough platform or should I spend a couple hundred more and go for the more powerful versions??

Post: #2

I've liked my macbook, but when I was setting up my parents' new mac a few months ago I noticed their new OS makes you sign up for their app store just to get software updates, which is kind of gay.

Post: #3

4GB should be fine unless you're doing a lot of video editing. Just get the biggest Hard Drive you can unless you go with a solid state drive (SSD).

Post: #4

Get the most powerful version you can afford if you intend to hold on to it for a while. Technology gets outdated quickly, and software req's only get higher with time.

Post: #5

There are several threads on this, but I'd still recommend getting a MacBook Air with RAM upgraded to 8 gb (it's more beneficial than upgrading the processor).

It'll do all you want, is pretty bullet-proof (I've dropped mine several times), and is the best travel laptop you can get.

And, somehow, macmall.com is cheaper than Apple Store.

Post: #6

160 replies only a month ago covering both Macbook lines.
/thread-23720.html

Post: #7

I'm set on a 13/8GB/256 MBP retina. I hear MacMall is offering free shipping/no tax. Amazon also has some deals. Any drawbacks to ordering from one of these vendors rather than good direct through Apple? Do they offer warranties? Are warranties essential with these Apple products?

Post: #8

Wait until their Macbook/Hardware press conference on October 21st. Usually, they'll start chopping prices on older models right after if they introduce new things, probably and usually $100. Also, on Black Friday is the only time of the year that everything on Apple.com goes on sale. Places like Best Buy will give you a $100 gift card if you buy that day (you can do it online too).

Get Apple Care, its pretty worth it in my opinion. If you buy with an Amex then you get an extra year tacked on your warranty too I believe.

As for vendors, there's nothing wrong with ordering through them as well and as long as they are authorized then you should be good. You can get AppleCare on those products as well.

Post: #9

Curious what people's thoughts are on the new Macbook Pro, if its worth the extra cash for the Touch Bar.

Post: #10

(11-16-2016 02:14 PM)BallsDeep Wrote:  Curious what people's thoughts are on the new Macbook Pro, if its worth the extra cash for the Touch Bar.

I'm going to pass. I'm not a big fan of all of the changes they're doing. I was willing to forgo the super drive, but ethernet port, firewire, and all of the extra USB ports?

The insult for me was when they changed the power cable size. It's amazing that I haven't lost that mini adapter yet.

If I was in the market for a Mac, i'd go for a 2011 model with all of the bells and whistles maxed out ram and an SSD drive.

I've been using Windows 10 a lot and i'm pretty much sold on it. It's as good as OSX, dare I say better? Certainly faster even after several months of using it.

Post: #11

I just bought a 2011 mbpro with i7, 16gb ram, ssd.

It runs as good as my friends mbp retina and it cost me $500 on ebay.

Post: #12

(11-16-2016 02:25 PM)The Beast1 Wrote:  

(11-16-2016 02:14 PM)BallsDeep Wrote:  Curious what people's thoughts are on the new Macbook Pro, if its worth the extra cash for the Touch Bar.

I'm going to pass. I'm not a big fan of all of the changes they're doing. I was willing to forgo the super drive, but ethernet port, firewire, and all of the extra USB ports?

The insult for me was when they changed the power cable size. It's amazing that I haven't lost that mini adapter yet.

If I was in the market for a Mac, i'd go for a 2011 model with all of the bells and whistles maxed out ram and an SSD drive.

I've been using Windows 10 a lot and i'm pretty much sold on it. It's as good as OSX, dare I say better? Certainly faster even after several months of using it.

I have to agree. Apple is quickly fatiguing consumers with all the extra dongles you need to buy.

Macbooks are generally overpriced for their hardware but the new models are really stingy. The base model only comes with 8gb of ram. Its an extra $200 just to get to 16gb and 16 gigabytes of ram just isn't a ton anymore.

Post: #13

I'm thinking of getting a new laptop soon for the purposes of running linux on it. Or maybe Hackintosh? Black Friday sales coming up..

Post: #14

I've been anti-Mac since I was in middle school. Now I have a career in IT specializing in helpdesk administration and desktop support. I'm still anti-Mac.

It has a long and healthy history of being the most overpriced and over-hyped software/hardware monolith ever. The only thing that makes Apple a great company is their marketing. They are excellent at branding and targeting demographics. Somehow Apple has convince huge swaths of the population that their computers are somehow better than others for doing anything art related, and despite having the highest market value of any company on the planet, simultaneously convinced these same swaths of the population that they are somehow less of a "corporate evil" than Microsoft.

The thing I will say about Macs is that they do indeed work as a computer, and do work well and reliably.

Post: #15

Somehow, the marketing people at Apple were able to convince the masses that Mac is good for graphic design, and specialized tasks. What they failed to say is that Photoshop (Windows) and GIMP (Linux) do the job equally well, provided that you have a good quality calibrated monitor. Gotta give credit to Mac, they have a stable OS, but still not worth the hype.

Post: #16

People who use Macs for graphic design use primarily Adobe software which is also on Windows. People that use Macs for music recording primarily use Avid Protools which is also on Windows.

Post: #17

(11-18-2016 06:52 PM)General Stalin Wrote:  People who use Macs for graphic design use primarily Adobe software which is also on Windows. People that use Macs for music recording primarily use Avid Protools which is also on Windows.

That is true, but they original mac exclusive, weren't they? I think there is a larger community of users of those apps which use them on Macs.

Post: #18

(11-17-2016 02:53 PM)Rawmeo Wrote:  Somehow, the marketing people at Apple were able to convince the masses that Mac is good for graphic design, and specialized tasks. What they failed to say is that Photoshop (Windows) and GIMP (Linux) do the job equally well, provided that you have a good quality calibrated monitor. Gotta give credit to Mac, they have a stable OS, but still not worth the hype.

I used to have the same opinion that Apple was just marketing.

I used to use Windows as my primary work PC. I do audio work and a windows pc will NEVER be as reliable as an Apple. That shit will stop working at the worst possible moment. They are not reliable at all, and more vulnerable to all kinds of malware.

They do the same, but windows shit will break, stop working and give you more headaches than any Apple, hardware and software-wise. Also, use a windows pc for 6 months and it won't be as fast as the first day.

(11-18-2016 06:52 PM)General Stalin Wrote:  People who use Macs for graphic design use primarily Adobe software which is also on Windows. People that use Macs for music recording primarily use Avid Protools which is also on Windows.

I use Protools and I have it on both platforms, yet if I can choose I will choose the apple stuff always. When you're creating you want to think as little as possible, you can do that on the apple but windows is more prone to crashing, and stuff that will fuck up your creativity.

This is just my experience. I do own a windows machine bc at first I didn't have money for a mac, but soon as I did i made the change. Also, some software that just isn't available yet for mac.

Post: #19

Early Windows machines were notorious for hardware problems, especially in RAM, which caused crashes almost always misattributed to the operating system. The custom PC building hobby was largely born of the OEMs' low quality manufacturing. That has changed dramatically, for the better, over the past 10 years, but the reputation persists.

Windows 7 will run stable for months at a time. Windows 10 is also very stable. It is not a coincidence either that Microsoft is now producing their own hardware with industry-leading quality. Over 20+ years working with computers, I have never seen the "gets slower over time" thing on a system properly equipped for the user's needs. If you're getting malware, reconsider the websites you're visiting on a computer used for professional purposes.

Apple still wins on vertical integration, but OS X is not what it used to be. I still recommend used enterprise-grade laptops with Windows 7 for people on a budget. If you have to get an Apple machine, I highly recommend the used market as others have mentioned in this thread. New Macbooks are 100% not upgradeable. With solid state disks being ubiquitous, there is little practical value in cutting-edge hardware anyway.

Unless: You have heavy computational needs like HD video editing. In that case a PC workstation is your only option because Apple does not serve that market any more and hasn't for at least 3 years.

I'm not defending Microsoft here. They have created a lot of their problems. Apple has been disappointing lately though and the value just isn't there, in my opinion.

Post: #20

(11-19-2016 04:18 PM)Thoughtcrime Wrote:  That is true, but they original mac exclusive, weren't they? I think there is a larger community of users of those apps which use them on Macs.

Not exactly. Pro Tools and all Adobe software have been developed for both Microsoft and Apple platforms since the 80's, but the very first developments created by both companies were developed for Macs.

This just all goes back to the social programming that people gave succumb to that Apple computers are the platform for creativity.

Windows is more compatible with a much larger library of software, is far more customizable, and far less expensive especially considering Microsoft systems and Apple systems all use the same hardware nowadays.

Macs are less prone to error simply because of their proprietary nature.