January 30, 2009
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Solving the Dilemma
Last Sunday, I took Jeremy to the Apple store as he had never been. He wanted to go look at iPods as he had never shopped for them before and was not familiar with Apple’s product line. I was also trying to plant the seeds of doubt, trying to get him away from his horrid HP laptop running Vista.
Boy, did he like the Mac Book Air! I like it too, and the more I play around on the new Airs with the 1066Mhz memory, the more I want one. The more I want one, the more I get stuck in my dilemma. I think the Air has enough power now with the new nVidia chips and faster memory that I wouldn’t miss any of the things that it lacks. I say that now, but if I’m on the road and wanted to watch a movie, well I’d be right screwed. Of course, thinking back to the time I had that HP Pavilion, I think the only time that I watched movies on if while on the road was when I went home for Christmas.
Prior to my recent visit to the Apple store, I had settled on purchasing a unibody $1599 MacBook, upping the memory to 4GB and purchasing a copy of Fusion to run VMs so I could test various Linux distros. Hell, since it’s a VM, I could even use my XP SP 1 disc to install Windows.
(The reason I haven’t dual-booted is 1. Why would I want to run Windows at home, especially on a Mac? 2.I’d much rather run Windows in a VM rather than having to dual boot. Dual boot means never using one of the OSes. I HATE rebooting. 3. You have to have an XP SP 2 CD to dual boot. Something about needed drivers are missing from the SP 1 disc, as as I don’ t have two CD roms and there’s not a way to eject the CD during installation, you can’t install the needed drivers for SP 1.)
So, that having been said, I was looking at making a $2400 purchase walking out the door, but it’d be a unibody Macbook with an illuminated keyboard, 4GB of 1066Mhz RAM, and a machine capable of running multiple simultaneous VMs, damnit!
But during the afore mentioned visit to the Apple store, I heard a disturbing rumor: the White Macbook was getting a spec bump!
As you can see here the white MacBook now contains the new nVidia chips along and comes standard with 2GB of memory. Granted, it’s DDR2, so it’s a bit slower, but I don’t think that Apple would be doing a spec bump if it couldn’t run Snow Leopard, but then I am reminded of
ehowton‘s quip:
Remember the CAN-YOU-RUN-VISTA program you could download? The one which told you which “number” your system was?
1. Your system cannot run Vista.
2. Your system can run some core components of Vista.
3. Your system can run Vista, but many features will be disabled.
4. Your system can run Vista with most, but not all features enabled.
5. There is no hardware available today to run a full version of Vista with everything turned on.I like Apple’s approach better:
Leopard will run faster than Tiger, even on your old equipment.
Its the opposite of ‘bloatware’ and we, as cattle, don’t know how to handle this information. We don’t understand because its completely antithetical to our way of thinking. Microsoft has brainwashed us into thinking that security flaws and poor code are simply a way of life.
When the salesperson at Apple told me that the white MacBook was getting a spec bump, at first I shrugged it off. I don’t want a white Mabook, I want a unibody Macbook. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized what a fool I was for turning this down. 667Mhz DDR2 memory aside, this laptop would be running the nVidia chipset and be getting a faster FSB which is what greatly helped the Air Rev B. Now, I can do everything I wanted to do with the unibody on the entry level machine, which will save me up to $1K. Though I’m still waiting on a W2 to come in, I pre-figured my Federal tax return last night. I’m looking at getting at least$650 back from the Feds and have additional money currently saved for this project. Add to that I should be getting something back from the State (didn’t calculate that yet) plus Obama is talking about giving out
tax cutsstimulus checks.To get a white MacBook, upgraded RAM to 4GB + Apple Care + Fusion shipped to my door is $1596.19. Still a chunk of change, but not anywhere near the $2400+ I was looking at. The best part is, I’ll be able to pay cash and that’s if I don’t save another dime towards this project, which of course is a ludicrous notion because even though I’m behind the curve now, work is about to pick up and there is plenty of overtime ahead.
My only gripe to this plan is that it is backwards from what I had originally planned, i.e. buying the Nikon D60 and then the laptop, but this does make more sense. Despite not being able to justify the need for a laptop, I can afford it and I want it and I will buy it. Once bought, it will be used frequently and heavily. If for some reason I get to the point where I need the cash, the MacBook can be sold. Thankfully Apple products retain their value when reselling.
The flip side to this, of course, is that I was given a film camera and have only taken one roll of film with it. There are several reasons for that: it costs to have the film developed; it takes time to get the film developed; the majority of what I would want to do with the pictures I take would be to run them through Photoshop and then publish them on the web. This is much easier to do with a digital camera.
I know I will use the D60 when I get it because I will want to learn the art of photography. The other thing I’m thinking about is Sidewalk and traveling over the summer. If I want to take a laptop with me, I’d rather have it sooner so I can get all of my apps, data and customization done and out of the way. This takes time. The camera, on the other hand, will be ready for use out of the box. Yes, I’ll need time to learn how to use and and use it well, but the camera will take decent photos even if I don’t know what I’m doing with it whereas I might not be able to get set up for efficiency on the laptop without the proper lead time.
All in all, I think if I’m going to get a MacBook (and it’s not a matter of if but rather when) then I think this is the decision path to go down.
Now if only I had my refund money already. I’m ready to stimulate the economy.
Comments (41)
You lost me dolly. I’m bad with computer jargon. <33
@petitenoirtenue – Just so long as you’re reading.
The short version is, there is a laptop I want, but it’s too expensive. So I can get something else that doesn’t look as good or run quite as fast but will definately fit the bill and I can do this for $1K less. Additionally, I can get the camera I’ve been eyeing for a long time and pay cash for both of these purchases, I just need my tax returns and the alleged stimulus check Obama promised.
@petitenoirtenue – What’s up with calling everyone Dolly?
Oh okay I get it. That doesn’t sound so bad then. A camera and a computer? SWEET!
I dunno. Dolly or sweetface. Just a habit. Which is your preference?
@petitenoirtenue – sweetface…babyface….sugar pie honey bun
you know that I love you
can’t help myself…
@petitenoirtenue – A camera and a computer? SWEET!
My point precisely!
Hehe. No I know, I’m going to call you dollop of love. Dol for short. <33
@petitenoirtenue – Think we can spell it Dole like the banana company?
I love dole apple juice! It takes like a real apple!!! YuM! Kk. You are now Dole!! <33
@petitenoirtenue – YAY! for Dole. I drink their Pineapple Orange Banana Juice by the carton.
That’s yummy too. Amused. Oh hey, how do you feel about simply lemonade? <33
@petitenoirtenue – Dole’s lemonade?
It isn’t dole. It’s from a brand called ‘simply’. Dole just reminded me I love it. <33
@petitenoirtenue – oh.
Umm, it’s A-mazing. Trust me. <33
@petitenoirtenue – As amazing as a new MacBook?
Better in my book. But than, I use an hp. <33
@petitenoirtenue – The HP I had wasn’t a bad laptop, butthe graphics were underpowered and HP did have an issue with their wireless.
It’s biggest flaw was that it wasn’t a Mac.
I’ve only used a Mac like once. In my journalism class.
@petitenoirtenue – Jounalism? Do tell all.
Why journalism? What did you do with the Mac? Did you like it or hate it? Why or why not?
I’m taking a journalism class. I love it. With a passion. I’m seriously considering double majoring and having that as one of the majors.
I didn’t bring a laptop to class so she handed out a mac to anyone who had forgotten.
It was small and white.
Really cute.
I just bought this desktop over the summer.
But the next time I get a computer I think I might buy a cute mac. <33
I had to write a soft news article with the mac. <33
@petitenoirtenue – I’ve thought about going back to school for journalism. It could be fun.
And yes, Apple makes some of the sexiest products out there.
What’s your other major?
I wish I had problems like this. lol I bought the cheapest laptop I could find with more than 100GB, but then I’m poor.
@heidenkind – I’m poor too, but I have standards, damnit!
Also, I work hard for what I own.
Now that is one hell of a way to stimulate the economy. I asked my husband for a new Mac laptop a few months ago. I am getting a baby instead… I think he misunderstood our conversation about ‘uploading’…
@DirtyAndShaken – For real. Just think about how much you’re going to be stimulating the economy though!
Oh, thy refund*, I can’t wait for mine either….
@bluedreamer85 – The refund is me getting MY money back. The stimulus check is what Obama is calling a tax cut when it’s nothing of the sort. Either way, in the short term, it’s more money in my pocket.
the air is completely useless don’t even bother. if you think its expensive now wait until you have to pay for all the things it doesn’t do. XD
its just “pretty.” be wise! D:
@misswonderj – Sounds like you’ve been bitten from personal expirence.
I think that I could get along just fine with the limitations if I had a Rev. B Air. The thing that totally sucks about the White MacBook is that it’s heavier than the unibody MacBook.
@ProfessorTom - Oh yes. And true I am looking for a computer with the power I need within my budget that is also light weight. Apparently its a lot harder to find than anticipated lol
@misswonderj – What platform/OS? What do you need it to do? and what is your budget?
@ProfessorTom - I’m actually debating which OS I want. I favor Unix based OS’ a lot more than Windows, hence why Apple is so endearing to me haha. But there are just some programs that I need to use everyday that aren’t exactly user friendly with Mac OS’ so, that’s a bit of a problem. If I’m gonna be stuck with Windows it better not be Vista lol.
I also need a machine that has a lot of memory and a very good graphics card. I program things that require visual interface and its kind of hard to do that if my computer can’t run the program lol. My price range is around $1000 but I’m sure that will increase this summer when I start working again.
I personally love voodoo pcs. (http://voodoopc.com/) Their pcs are so incredible but they are far too expensive XD
@misswonderj - The voodoo wouldn’t be a bad choice if you were going to install some *nix distro on it. Personally, I’m going to get a Mac and run VMs as mentioned above. My problem is I went to the Apple store again today and I want a unibody MacBook. I think it will cost $200 more than the price above, but I think it will be more than worth it. Firsts things first though is getting the money and putting it in the bank.
What I think you should do, however is get your company to pay for your tools and splurge. You can get a Mac Pro with 2 30″ HD Cinema Display monitors, 32 MB of memory, 1.2 TB of 15,000 RPM SAS storage and the NVIDIA Quadro FX 5600 with 1.5GB of memory for only $23,446. Of course, Apple Care is included in that total.
@ProfessorTom - Haha oh if only I could splurge! The decision would be easy haha ;D
Thanks!
@misswonderj – I think you should fill out that requisition form.
@ProfessorTom - Will do
I have an older white macbook. A core2duo 2Ghz machine. I upgraded the hard drive to 320GB and the ram to 2GB (which is the most this model will take). But that doesn’t stop me from running CS4 and Final Cut Pro on it. I do video work professionally. I just didn’t have the coin the drop on a macbook pro. The new macbooks look great. Though I’d said to see the unibodies don’t have firewire which sucks for me. When I heard about the updated white macbook I was kinda thrilled. The Nvidia graphics would be a big bonus. I think if I were going to upgrade though I’d probably look for a used macbook pro 15″. Last years model. You can still find these new in the box for around $1400. To me that’s a better deal then the new unibodies. Bigger screen, dedicated graphics, backlit keyboard, matte finish screen, ect. But it all depends on your taste.
If you’re going to buy a machine don’t buy your ram or hard drive upgrades from Apple. Especially if you go with a white macbook, it’s so easy to upgrade both of those. Stupid easy in fact. All you do is pull off the battery, unscreen a metal plate and pull them out and replace them with the new one. Apple charges up the ass for those upgrades and you can save yourelf a ton of money by doing it yourself.
I don’t know if this will be your first mac or not, but welcome aboard if it is. Switching from windows they are an adjustment for the first couple of week to a month, after that, it’s pure love and you’ll wonder how you ever went without. I also thought about dual or triple booting windows and Ubuntu, but honestly, after having used my macbook for a while I decided it wasn’t worth it. Most of the software I use is avialable on mac, or there are great aternatives which most of the time are even better. So I decided there wasn’t a good enough reason to put windows on the mac for me. As for ubuntu, there wasn’ a point. At most I would just install it and play around with it for a day before realizing I can’t really do anything serious on it because the pro software isn’t there for it. All the casual stuff (web browsing, music, video, ect) I can just do in OSX.
@roxics - I like the unibodies. In fact, I’ve settled on getting the low end unibody MacBook with 4GB RAM and a copy of Fusion. I wouldn’t have the illuminated keyboard, but it would be a unibody with the 1066Mhz memory. I’m not afraid to do my own upgrades, but if I’m purchasing from them and can walk it out of the store with a warranty, I can always say, “Hey, I didn’t touch that thing.”
My reason for running the VMs is to allow me to have different flavors of *nix at my fingertips. I have a class I need to take where this could come in very handy.
This will be my third Mac. I purchased a MacMini the day after Leopard came out, and I’m lovin’ it. Minus work, I’ve been Windows free for going on two years now and I plan to keep it that way.
Thanks for stopping by.
@ProfessorTom - I don’t believe you violate the warranty by upgrading the ram. I could be wrong but I would seriously check into that before blowing all that money on Apple memory. With what you save you could buy another decent lens for the D60.
@roxics – No, it doesn’t void the warranty. I’m just saying it will be easier on me to walk it out of the door ready to go and won’t have to fight over that point later down the road. Of course, if I have a budget problem, I can always start out with 2GB on the unibody and then upgrade it later myself. I’m impatient and I’ll pay for the convenience.