What are the real elements that separate a MAC from a PC? (1 Viewer)

[Ronald Epstein]

I think today I am going to order a Mac Pro system at $3200.

Just one things is holding me back that I am now looking
for an answer about....

I own the Logitech diNovo bluetooth keyboard and mouse.
It's there top-of-the-line combo that costs over $200. So
you can imagine why I want to keep using it.

Logitech does not offer software for that combo for MAC.

I am wondering if I can still use that diNovo keyboard with
Macintosh bluetooth technology. Will it synch to their bluetooth
if there is no software for that keyboard?

Also, do Windows keyboards work fine with Mac?

Finally....

Any software I should consider buying with my Mac bundle? I
am possibly interested in putting camcorder footage onto DVD
and creating cool menus. I also do a lot of basic CD and DVD
burning for music and such.

Does OS X contain basic software that is "good enough" or
should I upgrade to better software?

Looking for some quick answers as I may order today.

 

[Todd H]

Ron, I make DVD's all the time using iMovie HD and iDVD, both of which are included on every Mac. I just plug my camera into the Mac's firewire port and import the video. They're pretty full-featured. I just wish Apple included more themes with iDVD, but you can buy third party themes if necessary.

Your Bluetooth keyboard and mouse should both work with the Mac. One of the first things I did was buy another mouse, as I hate the mouse included with the Mac.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I'd call up Logitech and ask them about the compatibility. For a $200 product, it's worth knowing. iDVD is fine as long as you don't want to stray from very limited defined menus. Think of templates somewhere in the number of the basic Powerpoint templates (without any add-ons) I found that very limited for my purposes when I was having burning problems and had to jump ships to burn some footage. You may not.

 

[Lee Scoggins]

Ron,

I have been a Windows/DOS user since the very beginning but two years ago I purchased an iMac G5 after being fed up with spyware issues in spite of pricey Norton protection. Here's what I think:

1. OSX is a much better operating system in terms of ease of use.
2. OSX is much more secure.
3. I like the quality of apps and the low cost to make creative things like photo albums, music, and publications like a newsletter I do in Pages.
4. The service at the local retail store is outstanding as Apple seems to attract a high quality person. No service issues at all.
5. I like the modern design of the iMac and the small footprint.
6. The new Intel dual core chips are very fast and features have expanded.
7. MS Office suite is fully compatible.
8. Safari is my favorite browser by far.
9. The built-in iSight on the new Macs can be combined with Delicious Library to catalogue DVDs and CDs by a quick scanning of the UPC label. It is really cool and you can download the lists to your iPod!
10. .MAC is a great place to store photos.

The business world does run on Windows but with the Office compatibility I see that as a non-issue. In any event you can subscribe to Parallels for full Windows compatibility or use the free Boot Camp software to boot into XP.

I think you will like the Mac Ron. It's a great experience. It was worth it for me to get away from the spyware/bot issues alone.

"Also, do Windows keyboards work fine with Mac?"

In my experience yes, as do all the mice I have tried even those from MS.

 

[Carlo_M]

Ron, I'd still counsel on waiting until Macworld Expo is over (this week), or maybe even a week after.

Just to make sure nothing new is announced (whether it's new machines or speed bumps for current machines). Nothing wrecks a purchase like a brand spanking new machine coming out weeks (or days) after your purchase.

I would think about a week after MWE ends (so end of next week) any new products would have been announced/leaked, and then you can decide to purchase or wait for your new machine.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Carlo is going to somewhat disappointed, but....

I just bought a Macintosh!

To be precise, I bought the Macintosh Pro

•Processor 065-6352 2.66 GHz Quad Xeon
•Memory 065-6358 2GB 667 DDR2 FB DIMM ECC-4x512
•Graphics Card 065-6410 NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT 256MB
•Hard Drive Bay1 065-6367 500GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s drive
•Optical Drive 065-6507 2x16x SuperDrive DL
•Wireless Option 065-6373 Bluetooth 2.0+EDR


Also bought Windows Parallels and Apple Care which gives
me a 3-year complete warranty.

In addition I bought a backup software called .mac that
backs up my entire computer in case of failure.

Now I have to find a Mac TV input card if one exists.


Though something better might emerge from this conference,
I think I got a very powerful machine here that will make me
very happy.

 

[JeremyErwin]

A tad old, but this article discusses hdtv on the mac

Or, for a slightly more polished commercial solution: miglia or elgato

 

[Todd H]

Very nice machine Ron! I have no doubts that you will be happy.

 

[DaveF]

!!!

Let us know how the transition goes!

 

[Citizen87645]

The Migilia TVmini HD is a great thing. If it came in an internal version for the Mac Pro users it would be even better.

Congrats Ron! I hope it meets your needs.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

I just bought the Eye TV Hybrid

Hopefully someone has experience with this.

Also bought an Airport Express Base Station so that I can
run my printer wirelessly in another room.

I am a bit confused by the base station as it seems to be ONE
unit and I thought there had to be a transmitter/receiver combo.

 

[JeremyErwin]

Macs have, or at least can be configured to have wireless capabilities-- the actual wireless antenna is built into the mac's case. The airport express has a USB port, which can be connected to the printer. It also has an toslink jack, so it can be connected to a stereo. I'm not sure that a printer and stereo should be in the same room, but...

 

[Citizen87645]

This is what turned me off about the EyeTV Hybrid:
http://www.macworld.com/2006/11/revi...brid/index.php

But you may not need worry given the machine you bought.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Cameron,

I'm using the EyeTV Hybrid strictly for TV watching. Not recording.

Hopefully there will not be a problem with processing.

 

[JeremyErwin]

and since hdtv is mpeg-2 already, well...

 

[Christian Behrens]

Congratulations, Ron! I have no doubt you'll come to like the machine (A LOT).


Considering that you have two of the fastest chips out there today in your machine, which you could theoretically just switch for Intel's new quad-core CPUs for a total of 8 cores, you won't know what to do with all that power 9x% of the time - I'm serious.

-Christian

PS: For a fun experiment of comparing processing power between machines (Windows AND Macs), download Maxon's Cinebench.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Christian,

Running tons of Windows startup programs on Parallels
combined with running a few widgets and an active EyeTV on my
MACINTOSH at the same time -- will I be pushing the limit
with all that power and 2GB ram? Will I notice a lag?

I really wanted 4 gigs ram but it was an extra $1K to add
another 2GB. I also wasn't happy that the 2GB ram came in
4 sticks instead of two. Hope that does not "F" things up when
it comes to adding more ram.

Is Mac Ram really that freakin' expensive?

 

[JeremyErwin]

It's standard stuff-- Apple just charges a lot to install it.

I think this crucial link is current. Check your manual to make sure that DDR2 PC2-5300 ECC is what's used.

 

[Carlo_M]

FB-DIMMs are expensive. The good news is that you have eight slots, and the system actually runs better (according to some tests I saw online but no longer have the link to) with more of the slots populated. So if you have 4 populated and need more, you can just add sticks to the empty slots rather than doing the old "toss the 512MB stick, put in the 1GB stick" method that PCs with only 2-4 memory slots made you go through.

And actually Ron, I know you just bought it, but did you order it online through their store?

If so, it may take a few days to assemble and build, and then a certain amount of time to ship. That in effect may lead to about a week or more until you get your machine.

If in that time Apple does release an updated machine, there were rumors of a quad-core--per CPU--capable Mac Pro (hence 8 cores total), you can call their 800 number and cancel the order and put in a new one. There's also a certain amount of return time after purchase where you can talk with your local Apple store or their 800# to ask about an amnesty trade in for a brand new machine. I don't have the details because I buy mine from an Academic store (with a 20% or more discount) but the trade off is "all sales are final". But browsing their forums I have read that some people who bought Macs right around the time a new build was released had some success in canceling or returning their Macs (particularly if they hadn't been received from the online store or hadn't been opened from the box) and trading it in for the newest one.

Regardless of what happens, enjoy that Mac! Feel free to post or PM me if you have questions, though I am by no means a Mac expert myself.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Carlo,

I have a feeling that whatever Apple announces is going to
be more expensive than what I have. I mean, I spent about
$3200 on this rig.

If you hear about these new machines coming out at a
comperable price, let me know. I think I got a good rig at
a decent price no matter what comes out afterwards.

I bought it online at the store. Paid $60 for next day
shipping. It is scheduled to go out Monday.