Apple Computers: Macbooks and iMacs

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Apple MacBook: Excellent computer or just a style statement?

Apple make some wonderful stylish consumer devices, which also function very well, but do they make good computers and software? The standard macbook looks cute and very well made, but it is quite expensive compared to most of the competition. The operating system is different to the majority of personal computers and not all software is available or may arrive on the market later. Is it worth the money or are you paying for style over functionality?

Macs, by default, use a different operating system, Mac OSX, instead of the usual Microsoft Windows, found on most personal computers, which should not be a problem from a usability point of view for most people, but does mean that some software is available later than for PCs, but the OS runs on a Unix platform (Called Darwin) and various Open Source (i.e. free) software can be used on Apple Macs or Windows can be installed as well as or instead of the Mac OSX (discussed in more detail below)

Viruses and other such malware programs are far less common for Macs, so infection is less likely, but do still exist, so anti-virus software is still recommended.

Here is a review of the Macbook, Mac OSX 10.5 Leopard operating system and other software and alternative laptops to consider. Please also see my review of a suitable backup or additional disk drive for your Apple Mac: LaCie Hard Disk Design by Neil Poulton Hard drive 1 TB

The Basic Macbook 

This Macbook looks great and quite different and is better made than many other machines with similar specifications. In white, which is the standard/cheaper option it looks very different from your average laptop. If you prefer Mac OSX rather than a Windows operating system I would certainly recommend it. I am a fan of unix, which is the underlying operating system for all Macs (i.e. the layer of software below Mac OSX) which is very accessible through a Terminal window, but this is probably irrelevant for most users. If however you prefer Windows (e.g. Vista) it is also possible to run Windows via a program called Bootcamp although of course this would add extra expense unless a copy of Windows is already available, because Apple only supply the one operating system, and this does impact a little on the available disk-space. Personally I think this is an extravagant way of getting a Windows PC , unless you really want that Apple style.

Apple Stuff 

Mac The Planet Kids Dark T-Shirt

Mac The Planet Kids Dark T-Shirt

From: Gifts Shirts and More

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Women's Dark T-Shirt

Women's Dark T-Shirt

From: Please Visit Us @ www.CafePress.com/ladykestrel01

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The Mac Army Women's Cap Sleeve T-Shirt

The Mac Army Women's Cap Sleeve T-Shirt

From: Artographyfx.com

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Trucker Hat

Trucker Hat

From: MyAppleStuff

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Mac OS X styled X Dark T-Shirt

Mac OS X styled X Dark T-Shirt

From: AppleBytes

Buy Now

See more designs like these on CafePress
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Free Opensource software for Apple Mac 

Some free open-source software is also available, such as GIMP, the Linux photo-editing program (similar to Photoshop), because Linux and Unix are in fact virtually identical, but any software specifically for Apple from any source will generally be as expensive as the PC equivalent and probably available some time later, because there are far fewer users of Apples (unless you run Windows on your macbook)

See the related article below:

Gimp Photo-editing Software 

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Used Macs and Mac Stuff 

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MacBook Performance 

In terms of performance it is a fast machine, with Intel dual-core processors, which can be made ever faster by doubling or quadrupling the RAM (1 GB is standard) although buying extra memory from Apple is expensive so upgrading using non-Apple memory at a later stage could be more cost-effective than buying a higher specification initially. Battery-life is very good at up to 6 hours and the clever magnetic power-cable that detaches if someone trips over it rather than pulling the macbook onto the floor has probably saved me a few quid in repair bills already.

Value For Money / Summary 

It is however perhaps more expensive than some of its rivals and the screen is quite small for jobs such as photo-editing and I use it mainly with an extra, large monitor, as well, but so far I have had no regrets in paying the extra for this wonderful little machine.

After daily use for a year, I have no problems at all, I am still impressed with the styling and the functionality, but if cost were an issue I would buy a linux machine and use just free software. This is only really an option for people who are quite computer-literate. Alternatively a netbook with Linux or an older version of Window is also a very cost-effective alternative if you mostly use a laptop for web-surfing.

Advantages: small, compact, fast, good battery life, stylish, well-made, Mac OSX/Unix

Disadvantages: Mac OSX/Unix?

I have included a review of one of my other computers below - a suitable alternative if you prefer Windows Vista machine instead of Mac OSX

Good Disk Drives To Use With Apple Macs 

LaCie Hard Drive Design by Neil Poulton (1TB)

I have several Lacie external hard-disks attached to my Apple Mac computers and have mostly found them to be reliable, quiet and fast, until a few weeks ago when one of them (a 500GB Porsche designed one which I purchased about 18 months ago) failed. I needed a replacement and after quite a lot of research decided to risk buying a Lacie again.

I did a lot of research and chose a Lacie Disk Drive by Neil Poulton1

Alternatives (If you really must buy a PC instead of a macbook) 

Fujitsu Siemens Amilo Pi 2515

The Fujitsu Siemens Amilo Pi 2515 is a very good-value laptop. It is relatively inexpensive, at about £550, but comes with a good feature set, reasonably fast dual-core Intel processor (1.8 GHz), but the 2GB of RAM means it will actually run surprising fast with some more memory intensive software (e.g. photo-editing software). It also comes with a large disk drive (minimum 120 GB but larger ones are also available) It seems robust and well-made although I have mostly used it at home and have treated it carefully, so I haven't really tested this assumption. The screen opens and closes fairly smoothly and doesn't feel fragile like some cheaper models, although I still treat it carefully because I have had laptops in the past that in later life have started to flex near the hinges.

The Fujisu Siemens Amilo Pi 2515 has Microsoft Vista home premium installed, which has been surprisingly robust, rarely crashing. Vista Home Premium provides a good feature set to cover most of my non-business needs, without needing to pay the extra for the more advance versions of the software. I use Apple Macs as my work computers. Vista is not my preferred operating system as I have been using unix for almost 20 years, so I would prefer either Linux or Apple Mac OS X which are both based on unix instead of Microsoft DOS, but most people however will be very familiar with Vista.

The finish and feel of the casing are good when compared to the cheapest of it's competition, with dual colour, silver and black, casing that makes it seem slimmer, although not as stylish as some more expensive models such as my Apple MacBook nor as indestructible as my old IBM T42. The keyboard also has a reasonable "weight" to the keys, which don't feel flimsy, as can be the case with cheap laptops. I find the touch-pad annoying. It is too sensitive for me and the tap to select function gets triggered all the time when I don't want it to. This can actually be adjusted or turned off, but I haven't found the right settings yet, for me, and I share this computer with someone else who finds these setting almost perfect. Plugging in a mouse, of course, resolves the problem completely.

The screen is very clear, sharp and bright and a good size, 15.4", which makes it big enough to use for photo-editing etc. but without being too big to carry. Battery life is not great, often lasting less than 2 hours, but acceptable, and a spare battery would be a good idea if using it away from a power socket.

Overall the Fujisu Siemens Amilo Pi 2515 laptop it is a very good package that looks and feels a cut above many similarly priced laptops.

Summary: Good inexpensive laptop

Used Laptops 

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About Me... 

Lensmaster AndyPo has been a member since July 7 2008, has rated 1,930 lenses, favorited 1,853, and has created 203 lenses from scratch. This member's top-ranked page is "GIMP FREE Photo Editing Software". See all my lenses

My Bio

Hi, I am Andy. I live in the U.K. but have worked and travelled all over the world. I am a semi-professional wildlife and travel photographer (i.e. I sold a couple of photos once), semi-retired consultant physicist (i.e. unemployed bofin) with a keen interest in finance (i.e. get rich quick..ly):

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  • Reply
    mrsir2009 mrsir2009 Sep 13, 2009 @ 12:59 pm
    I have owned Macs since 1995 LOL and I have never owned a PC since... At the moment I have an iMac thats been good to me for almost 4 years =) I also have an old iMac in my garage roof LOL =o
  • Reply
    Tipi Tipi Jul 1, 2009 @ 2:23 pm | in reply to JaguarJulie
    I agree that Andy is tops as the photo guy. I've never used an Apple or a Mac....but I would love to give them a try. Might not have experienced some of the problems I have with either. - Another great lens, you sure do have a lot of them!!!! Wow!
  • Reply
    AndyPo AndyPo Jun 8, 2009 @ 7:59 am
    Hi Julie, thanks very much for the comments. Yes I do have some Apples: just two at the moment, including my old iMac (maybe I should add a review of that too - they are still very popular on the second-hand market) and the macbook. I have also had various PCs, mostly for work - the silicon-chip design industry doesn't generally use Macs for design work, but I prefer them for my photographic work. I added my review of my Fujitsu Siemens laptop just to give a bit of contrast to the Apple. I have actually worked on the design of computer CPUs, but never had any input on the ergonomics or design of the case etc. I shall add some more detail of my experiences with Macs, especially for photography work. [in reply to JaguarJulie]
  • Reply
    JaguarJulie JaguarJulie Jun 7, 2009 @ 9:59 am
    So Andy -- you have an Apple? It might be neat to showcase more about personal experiences with your Apple provided you do have one and talk about PCs if you've used them. I still think of you though as THE photo guy! You are the tops in that department.
  • Reply
    AndyPo AndyPo Apr 21, 2009 @ 10:11 am | in reply to Shelly
    Hi Shelly,

    Thanks very much. I think the break-away cord has save my macbook a few times.
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by AndyPo

Hi, I am Andy. I live in the U.K. but have worked and travelled all over the world. I am a semi-professional wildlife and travel photographer (i.e. I... (more)

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