How do you protect your mac?

[NOYFB]

I''ve had a Mac for over 11 years and never needed any anti-virus software. It''s one of the things I love about it!

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 1/21/2009 4:51:39 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
Do you guys think the pro is worth $300 more?

Not for basic internet/word processing stuff.

 

[Elmorton]

The current mac book does a LOT. My dad does a bunch of music editing on his, which is kinda impressive. I know you''re an artist, so if you were planning on doing specific design type stuff it may be worth it, but if like NF said, if you''re mainly doing word processing, ''net, non-professional photography/sound/movie/web design stuff, then I think you''ll be more than OK with the reg mac book.

 

[bee*]

I don''t use any anti-virus on my mac either.

 

[Miscka]

Date: 1/21/2009 7:30:43 PM
Author: neatfreak

Date: 1/21/2009 4:51:39 PM

Author: Tacori E-ring

Do you guys think the pro is worth $300 more?

Not for basic internet/word processing stuff.

BUT for the occasional Graphic Design job it might be...

Which did you choose?

 

[PaulaW]

I would definitely spend the $300 for the upgrade. I think the macbook and macbook air only come in 13" screens and I think that''s a wee bit small. I would love the 17" macbook pro, but I wouldn''t kick the 15" out of bed for eating crackers!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I still haven''t made up my mind! I am so bad at making decisions on stuff like this. Anyone know off hand what size screen the old ibooks are? I want to say 15" but am not positive. That is what I am used to so Paula makes a good point.

 

[Miscka]

I just looked, mine is TWELVE inches! Seems tiny...but I don't remember if there was a bigger option when I bought mine.

 

[princesss]

I think the old iBooks were 15".

(Add me to the list of people who use no anti-virus protection on their Macs. I love my 12" Powerbook. It''s never done me wrong.)

 

[Maria D]

Tacori, you don''t have to choose Applecare, the extended warranty, right away. You can purchase it anytime in the first twelve months after purchase. When we bought my daughter''s macbook, we waited until the last minute to get Applecare. My thinking was that if anything went wrong in the first 12 months it was already under warranty, so why pay for extended yet? Also, if the thing got lost, stolen, or accidentally damaged (NOT covered!) during the first year we wouldn''t have wasted money on the extended plan.

The school district I work for provides macbooks to every teacher. I absolutely love mine. I can tell you that it is not uncommon for hard drive failure and battery failure. I''m not saying they fail more than any other laptop but since all the teachers here have one I hear about the problems. I normally don''t go for extended warranties but I do think its worth it for a mac because they are so expensive to fix.

 

[Elmorton]

I have the 12" screen on the older white ibookg4. It is small. My dad has the smaller of the two macbooks I think - 15"? I love the size. It''s still a lap-sized laptop (I like to be able to stash my laptop in a big tote rather than have to carry a real laptop bag). I chose the smaller size because I really do carry my laptop around the house or out to coffee shops or to campus etc. If you mostly sit at a desk with your laptop, the bigger probably makes more sense.

 

[cara]

I usually get applecare because I can't afford to self-insure. I need my computer to last 3 years before having to deal with a replacement or serious repair. Things def. happen to those machines. The old Apples used to be superreliable but the new ones seem only average. If you can afford to selfinsure, or want to wait and see, skip it and see how you feel. But you do have to buy the extended plan while still under your 1 yr of free coverage.

As for Macbook vs. Macbook Pro, the Macbook should be fine for any light home use - it is a pretty capable little machine - but the screen is the biggest factor. It is not just size, but also resolution. Your iBook is probably a 14" screen with 1024x768 pixels. The new Macbooks and Macbook air have a 13.3" screen but higher resolution: 1280x800 so they will be an improvement even if slightly smaller form factor. The 15" Pro's screen used to be a huge step up from the ibook at 1440x900 pixels, but is not as much an improvement from the new better smaller screens. Some personally get on on the smaller screen just fine but I am spoiled to big screens. I usually use an external monitor with a 15" Pro, so even the 15" Pro screen seems limiting when I am on it. That said, you can get a kick a** external monitor for the price diff. between the regular and the pro. And monitors usually last longer than computers...

I'll just through out a plug for the Macbook Air - though its probably the right machine for a traveling professional not a home use machine - I played with one and the new 128 GB flashdrive makes that machine a nice option. In addition to not having to worry about your hard drive crashing as the solid state memory is very robust, it is fast!! No delay in starting programs waiting for the hard drive to spin up. I think you can also get the flash drive in the Pro for big $$$ but anyhoo... Apple plug over. Good luck!