Macbooks

[Quattrocento]

DD has decided she wants a Macbook - DH has agreed - we've just discovered they are quite pricey - the worry we have is that this gizmo (besides being pricey) will not be properly compatible with the Microsoft world in which we live.

Are they any good and will we have compatibility issues?

they are good and now most software works on either, but you do need to check that before you buy. I have mine networked to a Pc and have not had any problems but some Microsoft and windows stuff is not as good. EG messenger, you can use it but dont get all the extras. HTH

Thanks very much - how long has yours lasted?

We are a Microsoft family; my parents and sister's family are Mac families. I have had both at different times.

Macs are very sweet and sexy etc etc but it is a real pain IMVHO when everyone in the family (and the wider world you are connected into, which depends on your line of work) are not Mac.

We also get all our family computers serviced by DP's IT person at work, which is super convenient. Who would be dealing with your DD's Mac?

Ah, there's the rub. We have an IT bloke who comes and sorts things out - like the router when it goes wrong, but he is expensive and I don't know how much he knows about Macs (although for sure it will be more than I know).

Oh yes, getting your Mac to work on your wifi and things like that can be a pain.

I recently changed my laptop and we did think long and hard about a Mac (DP wanted a new techy toy to play with) but in the end it just seemed so convenient to plug-and-play into our existing setup, which has no downsides really.

I got my Macbook in November 2007. Its still working fine. Although saying that will probably crash it!

We are a Mac family. In fact, we have several and I am on my third. DH installed some sort of microsoft gizmo on my old macbook to allow me use the full range of microsoft office programmes. I didn't bother installing the gizmo on my new macbook, and haven't missed it.

I find macs exceptionally easy to use. It really is as simple as opening the laptop, charging it up, and off you go. The Apple Store employees are also very helpful, and we've been able to solve most problems through them.

What sort of compatibility issues are you worried about? I've used my work PC laptop at home on our home network and have emailed stuff backwards and forwards between my work and home laptop.

my macbook is on a wireless router that also has a PC.

No problems.

I ♥ my mac powerbook.

I think you can run windows on a macbook (if you really wanted to).

♥
my little loveheart's not very compatible with MN though apparently

The only thing that I don't like about my Macbook is that to plug in my monitors requires one of Apple's special cables.

You shouldn't have any compatibility issues. There is a version of Office for Macs and most things that won't be offered are usually more specialised.

I didn't find it at all difficult to use (mind you when I bought it I was using Linux on my desktop) and setting up my wireless was no more taxing than on my other computers.

I will say that I do consider my Macbook as a toy though not a work computer. The screen is too small and shiny to work on for long periods of time. If I sit with my back to a window its hard to see things on the screen due to the coating on it. I think the screen is optimised to viewing films in the shade.

Thanks all - really appreciate the contributions. I'm a bit worried that DD is being seduced by the brand rather than thinking about functionality.

Glad to hear for the most part that compatibility issues weren't a real problem around software - although this special cable thing sounds like an example of what we were concerned about.

The 'toy' thing rang a few alarm bells. Still - DD has set her heart on the thing so we're going to give it a go.

Having recently changed from a Dell to a Macbook, I can highly recommend the Mac. To be honest, most of the day to day things are the same. I've had it less than a month and already I'm playing around with photo and video editing - would this be something your dd might like?

Also, Apple offers free group classes, so if this is something that she would go to, it might be the perfect opportunity for her to learn through play, if you want. See here (click on workshops) for free options. I see there is also the option of "youth programmes", but I don't know anything about it.

I asked dh his opinion (he is somewhat of a geek!), and this is his answer:

While there are many cheaper PC's, you get what you pay for - a similar quality pc with comparable features will cost almost as much. Also, after dw broke the power connector on 3 laptops in a row, we're willing to pay extra for design features such as magnectic pull-away power cables, etc.

As for compatibility, there are good alternatives to the Windows software out there. For most uses the mac is as good or better than Windows.

Macs nowadays are basically PC's from a hardware point of view. You can install Microsoft Windows on the laptop and run it directly, or you can run in concurrently with Mac OS X via virtualization software, such as Parallels or VMWare, if there are Windows software that you just have to use.

The saddo geeks don't write viruses for macs, which is a huge plus.

When I turn on my macbook (bottom of the range) it starts very quickly. When I click on mail or internet they just appear.

When I turn on the lumbering desktop pc it takes more than five minutes to get going and then you still have to launch each thing.

I bought microsoft office for mac as my DH gets a cheap deal through his company - £18 - but it's not great. The reviews all say this but all the glitches are still annoying. But nowhere near as annoying as the constant crashing yuo get with windows. Macs don't really crash.

And they are lovely to look at.

I see when I mentioned it was a toy for me I scared you a little. I have to do a large amount of typing for uni so for me its better to have a desktop with 2 screens (one for work, one for MN). I have a 22" widescreen and a 17" attached at the moment. The larger keyboard also helps with my RSI.

I do sometimes take my Macbook into uni and work there but mostly it only comes out when I want to add photos and edit them or print them out. Basically it turned into a really expensive photo album.

I can treat it like this because I have a desktop as well and it was perfectly fine as a main machine during the first year of uni, even if I did have to close the curtains sometimes to see the screen properly.

DD's boyfriend has a MacBook and it went on our otherwise PC Orange wireless network with no trouble at all - we just put the CD in & it automatically ran the Mac program instead of the PC one.

Macs are so much easier to go wireless with. They are not just pretty trendy things, they have more useful functionality and after a while you don't have to think to use one - you've unlearnt all the stupid things that you had to learn with Micro$oft - like pressing the Start button to shut down!

Our desktop (Windows) died about a month ago. We took the plunge and became MacBook virgins and I have to say I am an instant convert .
It's a thing of beauty.
It starts in an instant.
It took me less than 5 mins to unpack and connect to my existing O2 wireless broadband (by the way O2 broadband is fantastic).
iworks (think word, excel, powerpoint) is great, no need for Windows for Mac.
In a word we love it

I've just got one and we have bonded! Mine doesn't have iworks but I have downloaded Open Office for free and it is all I need, you can save docs as Word files or pdfs and it reads all microsoft docs.

Well it's arrived ... DD disappeared with it all day, reluctantly emerging for meals. It's linked up with printers and wifi. So far so good

Thanks for all the advice

....as a Mac Anorak, may I welcome your daughter to the fold!

I have had few, if any, compatibility issues in the 4 years that I have used Macs.

...I have the ability to run Windows on my Macs, but only do so, in truth, for fun not function.

...that said, installing Microsoft Office for Mac, whilst not essential, certainly makes things easier academically.

It can be bought from the Microsoft Education store (all those currently in education eligible, I think) for about £30.