Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Hardware
Macworld offers up new rules for Mac buying
Buying a new Mac is often a complicated business. Sure, there are only a few models to choose from, but do you need a laptop or a desktop? Can you get away with a consumer machine, or do you need to spend the money and get one of Apple's pro offerings? These are not easy questions to answer, but there have long been some simple 'rules' of Mac buying. Macworld takes a look at the current Mac landscape and offers up some updates for those rules of yore.
Take a look at the article, and you might find that the Mac you think you need isn't the Mac that you really need.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Raphael Salgado said 9:19AM on 5-14-2008
MacBook gets "Good" for expandability, but MacBook Pro gets "Fair?" Isn't one of the pluses MacBook Pro over the MacBook is that you can pop in an ExpressCard or remove the drive bay? (Scratching head...)
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thethirdmoose said 9:28AM on 5-14-2008
I think the hard drive is easier to replace on the MB?
DistortedLoop said 9:43AM on 5-14-2008
@Raphael- I've not read the referenced article, but they're probably just talking about the hard drive expandability.
The MacBook owner can easily replace the hard drive, it just slides in and out of a bay, but it's major surgery to this on a MacBook Pro. I've done it with my MBP, and even upgraded the 802.11g wifi card in to to 802.11n. The procedure is virtually identical for those components, in fact for most components of an MBP, but you need some technical skills and a set of torqx heads for your screwdriver.
As far as the MBP's ExpressCard34 slot, what do you really put in there of use to a laptop? I've got my Sprint EVDO card, but that's available in USB with no performace hit. I've also got an eSATA adapter, but rarely use it.
Kryptinite said 10:07AM on 5-14-2008
yeah it's really easy to switch out the hard drive on a Macbook. I upgraded my 1st gen Macbook with a 250 hard drive and used Time Machine to restore everything with no problem at all. I also put two gigs of ram in it with ease.
I'm starting to get into video editing work so I might need to look into getting something with a more powerful CPU. I wish I could upgrade that on my own.
Artr said 9:21AM on 5-14-2008
That's pretty much what they train the Mac Genius's in the store these days to do.
you get heaps of people walking in who want a mac pro, when what they really need is an iMac. or macbook pro vs macbook.
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Big Fat Hairy Tuna said 9:44AM on 5-14-2008
Talk about your soft-pitch posts.
This was a barely-useful article in MacWorld to begin with, but it's a true joke to actually reference it.
I think TUAW should dock McNulty his $4 for this post.
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mentalsticks said 11:19AM on 5-14-2008
I agree. A post referencing a mediocre, week-old post is a bit of overkill.
However, let Mr. McNulty have his $4. I think AOL still has a lot to pay back to the world...
Kyle Derouen said 11:04AM on 5-14-2008
Why do people always bitch about the articles here? Just don't read the site if you don't like it...
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Big Fat Hairy Tuna said 12:29PM on 5-14-2008
Kyle looooooves McNuty.
Blaktornado said 1:35PM on 5-14-2008
Exactly. It's the same on Engadget and various others, too.
Scott McNulty said 11:29AM on 5-14-2008
While I won't defend my writing style, I will say that I thought this Macworld article was far from mediocre. I read it when it was first posted, but I hadn't had a chance to post about it until today. This kind of advice doesn't really go 'stale' just because it was posted a week ago. Apple is still selling the same Macs they sold a week ago, aren't they?
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fd said 11:56AM on 5-14-2008
It always hurts when they point out Apple's line of systems and what it lacks. Apple knows best right? Just look at the numbers. Sure, the numbers are good. Now lets expand the range a bit.
I want and need my next two Macs purchases to be:
a 12" MBP matte
&
a Mac midi
I absolutely positively cannot stand screen glare and will not settle for a mediocre screen (iMac 20 & MB). The iMac is only all-in-one till you start plugging the extras.
Split the price between the Mac Pro and mini for something half or 1/3rd MP size with real graphics and 2 hard drive bays and I'm buying tomorrow. Heck, just resurrect the Cube (1 HDD) with '08 components and I'm buying.
There are plenty of reasons for the MBP 12". The MBA makes me laugh. High price, lack of features and I/O, mediocre screen, ... and still not an ultra-portable.
Since Apple can diversify with so many iPods and blur product lines with the MBA not resembling its MB siblings, etc. ... it is time they spread out with some products people have been asking for for several years. With the right features (iow don't leave stuff out) and price point, sales would be through the roof.
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Erik said 1:12PM on 5-14-2008
I just recently switched to an "all-mac" workflow. I purchased an iPod Touch in October, and since then found myself hardly ever booting my pc notebook from standby since I could check email and web-browse without using the extra time and wattage. I realized that I wasn't in need of a notebook any more (since I am out of college), so I sold the pc and picked up an iMac. Now, I can use the iPod when I am on the road, and the iMac when I am at home.
Even though the iPod touch clearly isn't a productivity device, if you are user like me who doesn't have to produce anything while traveling, then my system is definitely simple and ultra-portable for people who need to consume information out of the home/office, but need to be able to create and work from the home office.
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JayThree said 2:08PM on 5-14-2008
I bought a Mac Pro earlier this year and had to deal with a Genius who didn't seem to want to sell it to me! My needs are way below power using. I create several websites and have to do some minor graphics editing. I wanted to run Windows but only to check my sites in IE. I also use it for iLife type of stuff. So a Mac Pro really is overkill. But I had the money and I love tinkering with my Macs. But this Genius, correctly I admit, was telling me I didn't need that much computer and suggested some other options. This is great I guess for most non-geeky customers. But I wish there was a password you could say to a Genius so they know you are a 15 + year Mac user who knows what he is doing and knows what he wants so they can turn off their newbie spiel.
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