MacBook advice

[Clunky]

I'm thinking about getting a MacBook to wirelessly network with my home PC. I'm increasingly fed-up with instability in Windows XP, crashes etc and hope that a Mac might be easier to use ( for my wife , really) and rather less hassle. I would need a program to allow basic editing of audio files (wav, MP3 etc) such as recording, track splitting, etc

From what I've read converting to Mac shouldn't be too tough.

Any thoughts re what spec of MacBook to go for, is 1G of RAM enough for standard applications.?

The biggest files it's likely to need to handle could be 900Mb audio files- would 1 G be ok or a little sluggish.?

Also I see some retailers are still selling Tiger OS rather than Leopard OS- does that matter?

Thanks in advance

[MagicAlex61]

I'm thinking about getting a MacBook to wirelessly network with my home PC. I'm increasingly fed-up with instability in Windows XP, crashes etc and hope that a Mac might be easier to use ( for my wife , really) and rather less hassle. I would need a program to allow basic editing of audio files (wav, MP3 etc) such as recording, track splitting, etc

From what I've read converting to Mac shouldn't be too tough.

Any thoughts re what spec of MacBook to go for, is 1G of RAM enough for standard applications.?

The biggest files it's likely to need to handle could be 900Mb audio files- would 1 G be ok or a little sluggish.?

Also I see some retailers are still selling Tiger OS rather than Leopard OS- does that matter?

Thanks in advance

All new Apples will ship with Mac OS X Leopard installed. It's the latest flavor of the operating system.

1 GB of memory will be sufficient...trust me, you will not be experiencing sluggishness, but of course 2 GB is superior and a notable improvement in all applications will be seen. I bought an extra GB for my MacBook Pro and saved quite a bit more just to pop the chip into the slot myself...you may give that some thought.

I cannot give you any suggestions for audio apps because I curently still do that type of work on Windows machines. However I enjoy using my Mac for just about EVERYTHING else and prefer it by far. It's a joy to use and after making this my latest computer purchase I can easily say that I'll buy nothing but Apple computers in the future.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

I've never had any trouble with XP crashing.

MG

[BERIGAN]

I've never had any trouble with XP crashing.

MG

Me neither. Has it become more unstable with your wireless network?(I assume you have one now)

[DukeCity]

On my MacBook I've had success using a free audio editing program called Audacity. I think you might even be able to do a certain amount of editing in GarageBand (comes with the MacBook), but I haven't really checked it out.

[Christiern]

All new Apples will ship with Mac OS X Leopard installed. It's the latest flavor of the operating system.

1 GB of memory will be sufficient...trust me, you will not be experiencing sluggishness, but of course 2 GB is superior and a notable improvement in all applications will be seen. I bought an extra GB for my MacBook Pro and saved quite a bit more just to pop the chip into the slot myself...you may give that some thought.

I cannot give you any suggestions for audio apps because I curently still do that type of work on Windows machines. However I enjoy using my Mac for just about EVERYTHING else and prefer it by far. It's a joy to use and after making this my latest computer purchase I can easily say that I'll buy nothing but Apple computers in the future.

I agree with your endorsement of Mac and memory requirement, MA61. As you note, 2GB is better and current memory prices favor upgrading--at least in the US. I have never used Windows' XP, but I hear only horror stories and find that many PC people I know are either switching to Mac or reverting to the older version of Windows. Conrad and MG are among the fortunate, I think, but it may also be that they are not putting XP to the test with demanding applications. Clunky, all new Mac should ship with Leopard. If you are being offered one with Tiger, don't buy it. I have been using Leopard since it was introduced and it is much better than Tiger, good as Tiger was.

[Chuck Nessa]

I think Chris is confusing his PC systems. XP is not troublesome in my experience.

[Christiern]

I may well be, Chuck. The one I hear bad reports on is the latest one--is it not XP? Or is XP the one people are reverting to?

[Stefan Wood]

Vista is the one with problems.

[Christiern]

Thanks. Pardon my ignorance, my last real first-hand experience (i.e. prolonged) was with MS-DOS.

[DukeCity]

Clunky, all new Mac should ship with Leopard. If you are being offered one with Tiger, don't buy it. I have been using Leopard since it was introduced and it is much better than Tiger, good as Tiger was.

One caveat: A friend recently bought a Mac (switching from PC) specifically to use Logic audio software. He received the new machine and software, only to learn that Logic will not run in Leopard! Trying to "downgrade" to Tiger, he somehow mucked things up. Weeks later, still trying to straighten it out.

[Quincy]

Just another to say go for 2 GB of RAM. While it will work fine with 1 GB, you'll be happier with 2.

Like MagicAlex I too am still using my PC for sound editing (which I don't do very often) so I can't respond to that part of your question.

There are applications that don't work under Leopard, partly due to the way that some software companies wrote their applications when OS X first came about. List available here.

[MagicAlex61]

Clunky, all new Mac should ship with Leopard. If you are being offered one with Tiger, don't buy it. I have been using Leopard since it was introduced and it is much better than Tiger, good as Tiger was.

One caveat: A friend recently bought a Mac (switching from PC) specifically to use Logic audio software. He received the new machine and software, only to learn that Logic will not run in Leopard! Trying to "downgrade" to Tiger, he somehow mucked things up. Weeks later, still trying to straighten it out.

Probably he bought the wrong version of Logic. The Universal for Mac OS X is the one he needs. I'd return that software for the newer version for sure. I've seen it demoed and it's very impressive.

[MagicAlex61]

I think Chris is confusing his PC systems. XP is not troublesome in my experience.

XP was extremely unstable before service pack 1 [sP1] was released. It took around a year for MS to release it. Vista seems to be following the same path. I wouldn't even consider using Vista until the first SP is available given the track record. That said, Microsoft made a test build of Vista SP1 available to the public today so there's relief on the way:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windows...a/bb738089.aspx

Not to down XP at all. I have been using MS software since MS DOS 1.0. Windows XP IS the best OS that Microsoft has delivered to the public to date. Can anyone say Windows ME?

[Clunky]

thanks for the replies, all very helpful

[Eric]

have been using Leopard since it was introduced and it is much better than Tiger, good as Tiger was.

Although I am stuck with a PC, both my father and son have Macs, both on Tiger. I am their "unoffical" systems administrator, although I am not a tech person (don't have to be with a Mac!) Anyway, would you (or others) mind to describe a couple virtues of Leopard that you have found useful - I have been trying to decide whether/when to upgrade the two of them.

Thanks

Edited January 12, 2008 by Eric

[Quincy]

have been using Leopard since it was introduced and it is much better than Tiger, good as Tiger was.

Although I am stuck with a PC, both my father and son have Macs, both on Tiger. I am their "unoffical" systems administrator, although I am not a tech person (don't have to be with a Mac!) Anyway, would you (or others) mind to describe a couple virtues of Leopard that you have found useful - I have been trying to decide whether/when to upgrade the two of them.

Plus side: I really like the way Time Machine works. Previously I had been using Retrospect Express for backup, but if I ever want to grab one thing that gets deleted Time Machine will make it so easy to do so.

I was slow to use Spaces but it's not bad. You may or may not find it useful. The Finder cover flow is also something I've used more than I thought I would, though I don't use it that often.

Negatives - Well, it broke my older edition of Photoshop Elements (2.0). Many older Adobe programs have been hosed. I believe it's because they took the carbon rather than cocoa route, but don't quote me on that. A new version of Elements comes out in late spring, and I still have a G3 with Panther on it so I can still use the program on the old machine.

I've also sometimes had kernel panics when running Azureus (bit torrent program.) I've read it relates to the program, the fact I'm using a laptop and wireless, and other things. Weirdly it only happens in spurts, like for a few days every 3 to 4 weeks, then it'll cure itself. Makes very little sense.

Check again to make sure you there aren't any programs that you rely on that may break, as that's probably the most important thing. Also, for an insanely in depth review of Leopard, see Arstechnica. Nobody does reviews better.

[Eric]

have been using Leopard since it was introduced and it is much better than Tiger, good as Tiger was.

Although I am stuck with a PC, both my father and son have Macs, both on Tiger. I am their "unoffical" systems administrator, although I am not a tech person (don't have to be with a Mac!) Anyway, would you (or others) mind to describe a couple virtues of Leopard that you have found useful - I have been trying to decide whether/when to upgrade the two of them.

Plus side: I really like the way Time Machine works. Previously I had been using Retrospect Express for backup, but if I ever want to grab one thing that gets deleted Time Machine will make it so easy to do so.

I was slow to use Spaces but it's not bad. You may or may not find it useful. The Finder cover flow is also something I've used more than I thought I would, though I don't use it that often.

Negatives - Well, it broke my older edition of Photoshop Elements (2.0). Many older Adobe programs have been hosed. I believe it's because they took the carbon rather than cocoa route, but don't quote me on that. A new version of Elements comes out in late spring, and I still have a G3 with Panther on it so I can still use the program on the old machine.

I've also sometimes had kernel panics when running Azureus (bit torrent program.) I've read it relates to the program, the fact I'm using a laptop and wireless, and other things. Weirdly it only happens in spurts, like for a few days every 3 to 4 weeks, then it'll cure itself. Makes very little sense.

Check again to make sure you there aren't any programs that you rely on that may break, as that's probably the most important thing. Also, for an insanely in depth review of Leopard, see Arstechnica. Nobody does reviews better.

Wow - very comprehensive. Thanks for the info and link.

[Clunky]

All new Apples will ship with Mac OS X Leopard installed. It's the latest flavor of the operating system.

1 GB of memory will be sufficient...trust me, you will not be experiencing sluggishness, but of course 2 GB is superior and a notable improvement in all applications will be seen. I bought an extra GB for my MacBook Pro and saved quite a bit more just to pop the chip into the slot myself...you may give that some thought.

I cannot give you any suggestions for audio apps because I curently still do that type of work on Windows machines. However I enjoy using my Mac for just about EVERYTHING else and prefer it by far. It's a joy to use and after making this my latest computer purchase I can easily say that I'll buy nothing but Apple computers in the future.

I agree with your endorsement of Mac and memory requirement, MA61. As you note, 2GB is better and current memory prices favor upgrading--at least in the US. I have never used Windows' XP, but I hear only horror stories and find that many PC people I know are either switching to Mac or reverting to the older version of Windows. Conrad and MG are among the fortunate, I think, but it may also be that they are not putting XP to the test with demanding applications. Clunky, all new Mac should ship with Leopard. If you are being offered one with Tiger, don't buy it. I have been using Leopard since it was introduced and it is much better than Tiger, good as Tiger was.

Learning curve starts here, got a 1G model ( twas all they had , and of course if needs be, I'll upgrade the RAM) Now I need to get a wirless router thingy for my cable broadband........it never stops

[porcy62]

Learning curve starts here, got a 1G model ( twas all they had , and of course if needs be, I'll upgrade the RAM) Now I need to get a wirless router thingy for my cable broadband........it never stops

I've got a Netgear router, great stuff, it covers all three floors of my house and the outside small garden, I've got three Mac and my laser Xerox printer on it. I am pretty happy with my wireless home system. An advise, you need a professional system's manager to configure all the devices connected, unless you got a serious skills on the matter. At first I tried to myself, and I lost a lot of time and bad results.

[Clunky]

An advise, you need a professional system's manager to configure all the devices connected, unless you got a serious skills on the matter. At first I tried to myself, and I lost a lot of time and bad results.

You have me worried, I thought it would be pretty simple, I was looking at getting a D-Link RangeBooster N 650 Router as it appears to be compatible (with Mac os 10.4 at least) and it's powerful, I have pretty thick walls in my home although the distances aren't huge.

[Christiern]

I really don't think you need a pro to configure the devices. The Mac OS system is intuitive and will do a lot of the work for you. That has been my experience.

[porcy62]

An advise, you need a professional system's manager to configure all the devices connected, unless you got a serious skills on the matter. At first I tried to myself, and I lost a lot of time and bad results.

You have me worried, I thought it would be pretty simple, I was looking at getting a D-Link RangeBooster N 650 Router as it appears to be compatible (with Mac os 10.4 at least) and it's powerful, I have pretty thick walls in my home although the distances aren't huge.

I didn't want to frighten you. Maybe I should have write something lighter then "professional system's manager". Maybe "a guy with some skills about the matter".

That's only my experience.

I had my router installed by the seller, who's a friend of a friend. Because of the three floors of my house and the specific place where I have to install it, I couldn't simply buy a router on Internet without previosly checkin it in my place.

Then I bought a Xerox printer and I couldn't see it in the home network. So I called the guy and he fixed the problem. It appeared that Xerox wanted his specific IP Mac address manually setted both on the router and the Xerox, (obviously, you say, not so obvious, when you think in a "plug and play" way, most routers usually check every active devices and automatically assignes to them an IP address, in this case it didn't work), plus I have three computers on the home network.

Overall, not a space rocket science, if you have some skills about it, I believed I could do it from myself. Well I couldn't. Plain and simple.

[Clunky]

Up- had my Macbook a month now, pretty seamless conversion from Windows, no regrets, nice software - great package. Wireless network with my PC working just fine

[tkeith]

+1 on the 2GB of RAM. I've been a pro-PC, anti-Mac guy since the early 90s. A year-and-a-half ago I picked up a used G3 on the cheap when my laptop died (Acer). That lasted not quite a year and didn't work well on battery power. When comparing comparable PCs to the the Macbook, the difference in price was about $200. The dealer was willing to give me a trade value on my Mac (which was a serious plus), and the Macbook could be booted as a PC. That was the clincher. I upgraded to the 2GB of RAM, and while it pains parts of me to say so, I'll never go back.

I haven't used Leopard, but I remember the nightmare of XP pre-SP1. As for the stability of XP, it's decent (for a PC), but still, if you choke it, it pukes. I've had precisely one system crash on the Mac, and it was totally my fault. I was running (no lie) 16 browser tabs, Parallels with Audition, Thunderbird, iTunes, iMovie, IM, and photoshop all at once. Yes.... I'm that much of a jackass. Anyway, it seized (duh!) and I had to reboot... perhaps if I hadn't had that 16th browser tab....

One thing I will say, if you're not concerned with color and don't need a large screen, just go with the MacBook over the MacBook pro. (about $500 difference in price)