I finally broke down and bought a laptop yesterday, a 13" Macbook Pro. I took advantage of the tax free weekend here in TN and got said laptop tax free, free shipping, as well as a free 8GB iTouch iPod....all of this for $1099.00, not a penny more. Definitely not bad.

I've had PC's all my life and one Mac before, but I'm just about over PCs. My last computer was a top-of-the-line 2006 Dell XPS M170 (a $3100) computer. It was impressive at first, but quickly started slowing down; it had lots and lots of power, chips, whatever; unfortunately that all made it so hot and noisy with the fans that it was just stupid. The battery life was about an hour long, seriously. I then notice that my mom's basic, plain Macbook seems to be suiting her fine for quite some time, it's lightning fast and has never frozen up, hiccuped, ANYTHING on her or me. I also start noticing clever engineering in it. For example, how the the power cord is magnetized so it'll slip right in the jack...brilliant! My $3,000 Dell's power cord falls out all the time; if only it had that feature!

So I've been using my better half's laptop since mine crapped out (it won't even stay on), and I'm sick of it and want my own laptop again, so I finally just got it. $1099 for all that shit is a helluva decent price, IMO.

I can't wait to see the backlit keyboard and sturdy, aluminum construction. It should perform pretty well; it's running 2.4 with 4GB RAM. My mom's basic macbook is about four years old now and is still pretty "fast", even now.

There are 2 people I work with who have the exact Mac I bought and they rave about it. Half of it was based on their recommendations.

So yeah, I'm just ready for it to arrive.

Anyone have any cool websites they'd recommend, great apps to check out, etc. Just anything useful for a new Mac user?

If you hate macs or whatever just leave it at that and don't piss in my Cheerios please. :-)

 

MBP FTW! I love mine as well, and I was in your shoes before. Now you'll never have to perform Disk Cleanup, or Disk Defragmenter.

There are many shortcuts that'll have you wondering why you didn't go Mac sooner.

Congrats.

 

Thanks! It should be here tomorrow--I can't wait! Yeah and Macs don't get viruses either I don't believe. And yeah, my mom's old like 2006 Macbook is still plenty fast, and easily was better than my Dell that cost over 3Xs more. Plus, MacOS is where it's at!

I was gonna get a netbook, but they're just too damn small and teeny, and Mac doesn't make one, lol. I figure this notebook will last me AT LEAST 5 years, so I figure I needed to just get a whole computer.

I hear the battery life is unbelievable.

 

^
All true. Macs are very "intuitive". Learn as many shortcuts as possible.

I was a hardcore PC guy, but I've come to like Apple's Kool Aid.

 

First step? Get Mozilla Firefox. I love my Mac but Safari sucks out loud.

I'm amazed at the number of people taking a sip of the Apple juice and realizing they like what they taste. My MacBook is three years old and despite slightly reduced battery capacity (I only get 3 hours of life with Wi-Fi on instead of the 4 I got when new), is still running like a champ. The only reason I'll have to replace it is that I've got the 150-GB hard drive pretty much loaded up with photos, videos and music. My next purchase will probably be a Mac desktop with a 2 TB hard drive. I'll never use all that space!

 

Yep, Mac convert here...

Things to know:
-Yes, get Firefox for your browser.
-Learn the trackpad gestures, they are awesome.
-Don't get hung up on the keyboard shortcuts yet.
-Get a copy of parallels or do boot camp and put XP or 7 on it.
-Download and run Onyx periodically.

Some things I don't like:
-Closing the lid turns off everything including networking, so you need a wait a few seconds to get back online. There are a few programs that will keep everything on, but it has some issues that I wont go into.
-The trackpad sometimes does things you don't want it to do, IE resize the screen.
-The power cable is magnetic and comes out when you don't want it to. The new one you got is a bit redesigned, so maybe not an issue.
-Edges are sharp and your wrists may feel them, like me.

 

My kids are finally starting to complain that the G4 mini is slow. That gives me an excuse to give them my imac and get a 27"

Enjoy your MBP!

 

I like Safari.



Meh.

Can't wait a few seconds for your pr0nz to turn back on...???

 

congrats...

its all about the desktops when it comes to Mac for me...

then again, i dont like laptops in general...

 

Get Chrome.

No kidding, how long does it take to get used to the lack of Backspace key and the Ctrl key being in the wrong place?

What, you need to do that on a Mac?

I use InsomniaX, I haven't seen any issues with it yet. It's stupid that they haven't given the option to do nothing when the lid is closed.

And it feels pretty heavy.

 

The Ctrl key is killer since I use a PC at work. I'm always looking for it in the wrong place.

 

Meh.

 

Lack of backspace key...??

 

I seriously don't get how people turn their PCs into crap and get viruses.

I haven't gotten a single virus since maybe 2001.

My current build from 2006. Still runs like a champ.
Only formatted it to go from XP to Vista. Vista to 7RC2. Then 7RC2 to 7.



I never run defrag or disk scan either...

 

No backspace. Only delete.

 

Anyways. I do love the trackpad gestures. And overall simplicity of macs.

A Mac might be my next computer.

 

I'm a Mac convert too-I love it, and won't ever go back to a PC. I have to use a PC at work, so I get my fill during the day.

 

Isn't it the same thing....???

 

if you're not an idiot, you know what not to mess with.

i've had an XPS400 (most of the internals are newer now) since 06' i think.... never had any hiccups.. only girls and dummies get viruses..

ps. it hasnt had any virus protection from day 1...

im getting an iMac soon but only for video/photography applications... my PC will be my Beater computer until i get sick of it.

 

No it's not the same.

On your pc. Type out a sentence. Can be anything.

Now press the delete key and see what happens.

Press backspace and see what happens.

 

Have a Mac, not a PC.

Maybe they meant lack of delete key?
Cause the 'delete' key on Mac is the same as backspace on a windows keyboard.

 

It is?!!?!?? Is it an option you change??

I have limited experience with macs, but I remember hating the delete key because I never use it on my PC keyboard.

 

Erm...backspace on a PC keyboard is the one two above the 'return' key, yea?
If yes, that's what I meant by delete key on Mac is same as backspace on windows.

 

I'm an idiot so I will just

 

Congrats! I love Mac's as well, but just can't break down to buy one. Ole reliable is still running strong for me I agree with Mizouse though.. just watch your shit and never worry about viruses on a PC. WINDOWS 7 WAS MY IDEA

 

Anyway. One of the keys is missing on the Mac, but you can do "Ctrl" to get the other functionality. Not a huge deal but still a small PITA.

 

Congrats! I've had my MBP for 3 years now and I love it

 

You may want to reconsider http://www.microsoft.com/windows/win...pc-vs-mac.aspx

 

Just sold my MBP after three years, ready for harmony between desktop and laptop.

 

<- Waiting for i5 13'' macbook pro. Original macbook is still tick'n, although it's taken a beating, most of the chassis is cracked, dvd drive doesnt work nor does bluetooth.

 

When did you get it?

 

I can't even remember. It's a 2ghz core duo so that puts it somewhere between may and nov 2006.

 

I still am using my 1.83 CD MBP.

 

Long wait, isn't it, OP?

 

I got it last night :-)

I was kind of drunk last night because I was on the lake all day, so I wasn't, like, in the yay-I-just-got-a-new-computer mood that I am now.

I am blown away by this computer. I never say this word but it is truly fabulous. Just the way it feels is worth the extra price. The way the backlit keyboard fades on and off and adjusts to ambient light automatically is just sick, and very suave.

I'm just now getting around to reading up on stuff so I can quickly become a pro with this.

Worth every penny so far, and actually people were shocked when I told them all the shit I got for $1099. Lol.

 

You cheap SOB.

 

1. Conrats.

2. Price is a big issue with many people, but when they actually realize everything that's included in the price, it's really not "expensive" compared to the competition.

 

 

Big .
I want to say they have become a little bit more competitive in their pricing over the years, too. There used to be a bigger gap (IMO) between Mac's and similar counterparts.

 

I've been tempted to delve into MBP for awhile. Can you please explain everything that is included in the price that makes it worth the extra $$$? (serious, total Mac n00b).