[Discussion] Apple, Mac, and iPod

[redbeacon]

just pre ordered Macbook Air. I think i going to have a culture shock for at least a week before getting use to it, been a window user since day one..

 

Learn Mac OS X inside-out as compared to Windows, appreciate it, discover the niceties that comes along with it, be proactive.

 

Yeah, for me, I had a hard time adjusting...but frequent use of my former Mac, as well as discovering what apps out in the wild make Macs do the same tricks as what Windows can do (like Nero vs Roxio CD for Mac)...made the preserverance worthwile.

 

And it did turn heads as well

 

(Psst...did I say that the newest Macs in the market can dual-boot Windows XP and Mac OS X as well?)

 

Damn...it has been a long time since I had my Mac...I wanna make my next notebook a Mac...

 

Macbook, here I come

Edited September 1, 2010 by redbeacon

[eedwinn]

Damn Macbook air is sex! Saw from the website how slim it is. How much did you pay for it? Hope to see some comments on it after it arrives!

[redbeacon]

http://img184.imageshack.us/img184/7535/131583mbairlargeib4.jpg

 

Simply amazing...

They even inserted this into a Manila envelope.

Edited September 1, 2010 by redbeacon

[redbeacon]

Mac OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard" launch

 

Launch date confirmed to be August 28, 2009;

64bit Snow Leopard like Windows 7 - more of a speed and stability upgrade rather than new features

 

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a383/redbeacon/online/singaporebikes/c6a40fd1.jpg

 

Validating rumors, Apple has formally announced that Mac OS X Snow Leopard will ship on August 28th, just ahead of its predicted September launch date. The software is a $29 upgrade for individual Leopard owners, or a $49 upgrade for people needing a five-license family pack. It can also be had with a new Mac computer, or as a part of the Mac Box Set, which bundles the latest versions of iLife and iWork. Single-user and family pack versions of the Box Set cost $169 and $229, respectively.

The OS introduces several underlying architecture changes, for instance removing PowerPC support, while updating all major applications to 64-bit code. Grand Central Dispatch is said to enable better use of multi-core processors, while OpenCL support allows video cards to speed up tasks outside of graphics. Protocol support also been expanded to encompass Microsoft Exchange, allowing access to the contact and calendar info through Mail, iCal and Address Book.

 

Snow Leopard further bundles Safari 4, and QuickTime X, which sports a minimalist interface along with improved video and decoding playback through support for GPU acceleration. The latter app can also handle HTTP video streaming, as in Safari. Some general changes in the Mac OS include faster wake and shutdown times, and tweaks to Expose and stacks, which change their operation and improve flexibility.

 

The software requires an Intel Mac with 1GB of RAM, 5GB of hard drive space and a DVD drive.

 

A SGD$48 Operating System?!

 

Unlike previous editions of Mac OS X, which could be freely installed on any old Mac, Snow Leopard's license specifically limits it to users who are already using Leopard, which has been shipping since October 2007. If you are a Leopard user, you can upgrade a single Mac for $29, or up to five Macs in one household with the Snow Leopard Family Pack for $49. Users of Tiger--essentially people who bought Intel Macs before Leopard was released, and never upgraded--are supposed to purchase the Mac Box Set, which includes Snow Leopard, iLife '09, and iWork '09, for $169. (Snow Leopard doesn't run at all on PowerPC-based Macs.)

 

Don't worry about re-installation; the standard version of Snow Leopard 10.6 is also a bootable "full install" disc that doesn't actually check for the presence of Leopard 10.5 in order to install. This also means that if at a later time you want to wipe your hard drive and reinstall Snow Leopard, you won't have to first install Leopard and then run a separate Snow Leopard upgrade on top of it. That sound you hear is a thousand IT managers sighing with relief.

 

Signalling a move towards the Intel platform, Apple has decided that Snow Leopard will not work with PowerPC-based Macs

e.g., Power Macs, PowerBooks, iBooks, iMacs (G3-G5), all eMacs, and the G4 Mac mini.

Edited September 1, 2010 by redbeacon

[xiaobanz]

A lot of my frenz have converted to Mac and have since been fans already.. After my current notebook KOs i think i'm going to change to macs.. Macbook pro, here i come..~

[lwfc]

happy mac user here~

 

never look back since. cant wait for snow leopard to be delivered to my hse!

Edited August 28, 2009 by lwfc

[fong]

ooo.. snow leopard.. dono wan get anot.. haha

mac ftw !

[lwfc]

snow leopard installed~

[redbeacon]

ooo.. snow leopard.. dono wan get anot.. haha

mac ftw !

 

I have supported both Macs and Windows machines before and I have to say, Macs are very useful and user/pro-friendly machines.

 

snow leopard installed~

 

Dun just say say only leh...How's 10.6? Cmon, we want details and pictures heh

Edited September 1, 2010 by redbeacon

[lwfc]

hmm so far, the thing about faster boot up and shut down is true!

Edited August 30, 2009 by lwfc

[redbeacon]

Apple launches HD Widescreen iMacs, a redesigned white MacBook, and a big speed bump for Mac Mini & Mac Mini Server

 

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/6567/imac2009lg2.jpg

 

iMac redesigned for 16:9 HD screen resolution, uses Intel Core i7

 

Apple today completely revised its iMac with a new design and much faster performance. The series now switches to wider 16:9 aspect ratio, LED-backlit displays and a new look with edge-to-edge glass and a seamless aluminum body. The displays are also much denser and start at 1920x1080 (1080p) for a 21.5-inch display and an extremely sharp 2560x1440 for a new, largest-ever 27-inch model.

 

The lineup also sees the top-end 27-inch models use Core i5 or Core i7 quad-core processors that should dramatically speed performance. Also changed is theaddition of an SD card slot, four RAM slots that handle up to 16GB of memory, Mini DisplayPort output, and the inclusion of both a wireless keyboard and Apple's new multi-touch aware Magic Mouse.

 

The line starts at SG$1,788 for a 21.5-inch iMac with a 3.06GHz Core 2 Duo, 4GB of RAM, GeForce 9400M integrated graphics, a 500GB hard drive and a DVD burner. And at the top of the range of four iMacs, the fourth one is worth SG$2,988, bringing to it a 2.66GHz Quad-core i5 processor and Radeon HD 4850 graphics card. There's even an option to upgrade it to a 2.8GHz Quad-core i7 processor.

Edited September 1, 2010 by redbeacon

[redbeacon]

Redesigned 13.6" MacBook White (Fall 2009 edition) sees a unibody redesign, a multi-touch trackpad like the MB-Pro, plus an in-built 7 hour battery

 

http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/6311/macbook09sm.jpg http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/7074/designports20091020.jpg

 

Today Apple has updated the MacBook from top to bottom.

 

The new MacBook features a built-in battery that last up to 7 hours on a single charge (the same technology is available in the MacBook Pro laptops) and now features an LED backlit screen and the glass mutli-touch trackpad also introduced in the unibody MacBook Pros.

 

The price is still $999 (S$1588), has a Nvidia graphics card inside, but now it sports a faster Intel Core 2 Duo processor that zips at 2.26GHz, and larger hard drive, in addition to the new design.

Edited September 1, 2010 by redbeacon

[redbeacon]

Mac Mini has split personality, literally.

 

http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/6161/minifaq.jpg http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/6616/macmini2009.jpg

 

A 'desktop' Mac Mini with a speed bump to a Core 2 Duo 2.56,

or a 'server' Mac Mini with 2 hard drives (1TB) and with 'Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server' installed.

 

Apple hasn't forgotten about the buy-your-own-keyboard-mouse-and-monitor 'standalone' Mac Mini computers and the usual grouse from consumers is that this small little cube-sized PC was far too slow and under equipped, as compared to Apple's line of other computers such as the iMacs, Mac Pros, and laptop Macbooks.

 

But today, Apple's got not one, but two surprises for us.

 

1. Speed and RAM capability increase

 

Apple updated the CPU, default RAM, and hard-drive capacities of both its S$948 and S$1249 Mac Minis earlier today.

 

The cheaper Mac Mini now has a processor speed of 2.26GHz, the RAM is increased to 2GB, and the hard drive jumps from a 120GB to a 160GB model.

 

The expensive Mac Mini gets a bigger performance boost with its Core 2 Duo chip. It's speed is a zippy 2.53GHz. Its RAM also doubles from 2GB to 4GB, but its hard drive is still a 320GB one.

 

2. The Mac Mini is now a Server too.

 

http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/1179/macminiserver.jpg

 

Even if the standard Mac Minis do compete well on performance, Apple has decided to also focus on the Server market as well.

 

For SG$1588, Apple will now sell you a Mac Mini that essentially is the same as the new S$1249 model, except that instead of Mac OS X you get Mac OS X Server, and the DVD burner has been removed by a second hard drive, for 1TB of storage overall. The price might be more than the DIY crowd will tolerate, but any small workgroup environment that might benefit from an out-of-the-way traffic cop it can plug in and forget could very likely be interested in what the Mac Mini Server has to offer.

 

http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/7521/cage1.png

 

Mac Mini "Servers" lined up in a row. Pic copyright Mac Colo.

Edited September 1, 2010 by redbeacon

[lwfc]

i saw the new magic mouse vid.

 

totally awesome!

[redbeacon]

Apple: We're going to support Windows 7 in Boot Camp -- our "dual-booting" feature on all our Macs

 

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/2442/1256485153824.jpg

 

source

 

With the release of Windows 7 today, Apple has posted a new support article announcing that official support for running Windows 7 on Macs using Apple's Boot Camp solution will be coming later this year.

 

Apple will support Microsoft Windows 7 (Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate) with Boot Camp in Mac OS X Snow Leopard before the end of the year. This support will require a software update to Boot Camp.

 

The document also notes that a number of early Intel-based Macintosh computers will not support Windows 7 running in Boot Camp.

Note: The following models will not be supported for use with Windows 7 using Boot Camp.

 

Unsupported computers:

 

- iMac (17-inch, Early 2006)

- iMac (17-inch, Late 2006)

- iMac (20-inch, Early 2006)

- iMac (20-inch, Late 2006)

- MacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2006)

- MacBook Pro (17-inch, Late 2006)

- MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2006)

- MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2006)

- Mac Pro (Mid 2006, Intel Xeon Dual-core 2.66GHz or 3GHz)

 

While Boot Camp currently officially supports only Windows XP and Vista, many users have had success installing and running Windows 7 already, but official support from Apple should streamline the process and provide consumers with resources to assist them with setup and use.

 

Many users also prefer to run Windows virtually rather than turning to the Boot Camp dual-boot solution. Parallels Desktop 4.0 for Mac already includes support for 32-bit Windows 7, and VMware Fusion 3, scheduled to launch next week, will offer full 32-bit and 64-bit Windows 7 support for virtualization under Mac OS X.

Edited September 1, 2010 by redbeacon

[redbeacon]

i saw the new magic mouse vid.

 

totally awesome!

 

Yeah. Didn't know Apple could pull the multi-finger support trick on a physical mouse.

 

Droolz....

 

P.S.: I've been browsing the web; apparently some people were not happy that the mouse is so thin, it can be ergonomically uncomfortable as compared to a bigger mouse with a curve that fits the profile of a user's hand.

Edited September 1, 2010 by redbeacon

[Burnt]

Converting to mac soon .. in love with it already ..

[redbeacon]

Converting to mac soon .. in love with it already ..

What's your poison? MacBook or desktop iMac?

Edited September 1, 2010 by redbeacon

[Saddiq]

Hi mac users,

 

Im currently in the midst of changing faith. Been using windows for the past 20 years. Apart from gaming, everything else is a hassle.

 

Currently I would like to do some video editing of HD mp4 files, and I really love the iMovie application. Problem is since I have a tight budget (below SGD 1400..for now). So it seems I might go the Mac Mini way.

 

Any idea if the Mac Minis are capable of handling HD mp4 files and basic video editing?

 

Thanks alot guys, I really appreciate if you could help me in my decisions.

[Saddiq]

Sorry double post

[redbeacon]

Hi mac users,

 

Im currently in the midst of changing faith. Been using windows for the past 20 years. Apart from gaming, everything else is a hassle.

 

Currently I would like to do some video editing of HD mp4 files, and I really love the iMovie application. Problem is since I have a tight budget (below SGD 1400..for now). So it seems I might go the Mac Mini way.

 

Any idea if the Mac Minis are capable of handling HD mp4 files and basic video editing?

 

Thanks alot guys, I really appreciate if you could help me in my decisions.

 

 

All Macs (shall I say, all kinds of computers) can do video editing. All kinds, any kind, any format.

 

The only difference with the Mac Mini versus its other powerful Mac counterparts is that you will find that performance will go down a bit when you do video editing.

 

Technically speaking, the simple and cheap video card on the Mac Mini can only handle this much. When it is full of tasks due to video editing, it has to spill some over to your RAM (memory). This slows the system down by about 50%.

 

If you are a patient user who don't mind the hourglassing and waiting, this is fine. Power users prefer to buy much more powerful Mac to efficiently edit videos; Macs like those have much powerful video cards and hardware to handle the load.

Edited September 1, 2010 by redbeacon

[Saddiq]

All Macs (shall I say, all kinds of computers) can do video editing. All kinds, any kind, any format.

 

The only difference with the Mac Mini versus its other powerful Mac counterparts is that you will find that performance will go down a bit when you do video editing.

 

Technically speaking, the simple and cheap video card on the Mac Mini can only handle this much. When it is full of tasks due to video editing, it has to spill some over to your RAM (memory). This slows the system down by about 50%.

 

If you are a patient user who don't mind the hourglassing and waiting, this is fine. Power users prefer to buy much more powerful Mac to efficiently edit videos; Macs like those have much powerful video cards and hardware to handle the load.

 

Thx redbeacon,

 

And as i understand iMovie supports importing HD mp4 files right out of the box? Unlike windows which I either have to convert the files to something which windows could read (and thus degrade the video quality) or download the codec so that windows is able to decode the video (which I haave tried and seems to be a hit and miss affair)

 

I have tried playing back the files on a MacBook, seems smooth enough. I guess now its just a matter for me to try it out on the Mac Mini. Just like you said, I need to see if I am tolerant of the slowdown that you mentioned and if it is justifiable to pay more for a MacBook.

 

You see I'm not a pro, but I would like to edit some videos of my ride and tours.

 

Thx for the input once again.

[Burnt]

waiting for my bonus !! planning to get either i-mac or mac book.

any ideas which one more worth it ?

anyway wad r the dis-advantages of getting a 2nd hand mac bk lotsa of them selling in those IT forums now?

to be honest wads the rough lifespan of a mac bk ?

[èèæ]

hello redbeacon.. glad to see a fellow mac appreciator.. looks like you worked in the mac sales area before? i used to sell macbooks at courts too so know a few tricks or two to "con" people to buy mac.. HAHAHA

[èèæ]

For white Macbook user whos hand rest has start to turn to yellowish, get a soft eraser to rub them off. It works magically... and i use turtle wax to wax the exterior casing..

 

it is actually covered under apple warranty.. just go service centre and kpkb they will replace the casing for you

 

Hey guys, a noop question. Should we ALWAYS remove the battery from our MacBook when we are using the electricity cable? I heard battery will die out fast if we don't remove it while using the cable power, izzit true?

 

actually this is a very uncharted topic that needs to be touch upon. for me this really happened and sad but my battery broke down due to overcharging.. i would use it for long periods at 100%.. until one day it just go crazy.. the battery showed 100% but after around 2-10 minutes it will auto shutdown my laptop.. my gf's mac battery sorta "explode" also.. there was a loud pop and the battery kinda got to a swollen state.. so we've been living off the adaptor ever since. that doesnt mean that im encouraging everyone to pluck out their battery. mac's got a safe switch that will auto cut-off the power when it's at 100%. but so far how well does that help i still dont know yet.

 

Hi mac users,

 

Im currently in the midst of changing faith. Been using windows for the past 20 years. Apart from gaming, everything else is a hassle.

 

Currently I would like to do some video editing of HD mp4 files, and I really love the iMovie application. Problem is since I have a tight budget (below SGD 1400..for now). So it seems I might go the Mac Mini way.

 

Any idea if the Mac Minis are capable of handling HD mp4 files and basic video editing?

 

Thanks alot guys, I really appreciate if you could help me in my decisions.

 

actually at a 1400 budget, you could add the macbook into the list as well. so far the prices sometimes drop ( i knw even though they claim otherwise but it sometimes happen ) at road show and for older models.. cheapest i sold before at comex 1388. and i think some stores still have the old model MB881 going for around that price as well - try funan harvey - imo some pple might not like the idea of going for a "older model" but on closer comparing the MC240 is not a complete overhaul so it's up to you to decide whether you wan to pay 200 more for it.. between the macbook and the mini it's a diff choice but its really up to the buyer as well.. i like portability so i'd probably go for the macbook. but as you mentioned that you might be doing video editing the 13inch might not suit you and you might wanna get a bigger LCD to go along so that works as well. hope that helps..

 

waiting for my bonus !! planning to get either i-mac or mac book.

any ideas which one more worth it ?

anyway wad r the dis-advantages of getting a 2nd hand mac bk lotsa of them selling in those IT forums now?

to be honest wads the rough lifespan of a mac bk ?

 

 

macbook is very portable.. on the contrary alot people think that you can just unpluck and carry imac but its actually very very heavy.. i always carry around for customers so i know.. there are alot of disadvantages of getting 2nd hand.. i think not only mac but applies to the IT sector in general. but as pricing can always be a major factor going 2nd hand might have to come into the picture, when tt happens make sure u got everything clear before gg into the deal - like knowing what needs to come along in the package (recovery disc, application disc), and check the internal as well.. some might swap the ram in macbook as its easily done..

 

i wld be bias if i say mac has got a good/bad lifespan.. bcos there are alot of cases out there.. so i'll just say for mine.. for me i used my macbook for around 3 years already.. so far it's quite reliable.. except the battery - which was partly my negligence for gaming so many hours everyday w/o proper care, i think as long as have the proper knowledge you wont encounter it.. and the fan broke down once.. i replaced it at applecare for free.