Apple Questions answered by the Mac Guy

<p>As someone that has used both macbook and macbook pro, I can say that I definitely do prefer the macbook for "everyday class usage" - I love how I can just whip it out and flip it open (thanks to the magnetic latch) and the plastic case can take some hits and still keep fairly nice.</p>

<p>Although, among other apple affectionados (sp?) that I know (i.e., upperclassmen and grad students in sci+engineering) seem to invariably lean to macbook pro by a very large margin. So maybe I'm in the minority.</p>

<p>BTW, amazon, in case you might know, I have to send my macbook to applecare for a couple of minor issues, and it's almost the end of my 1-year free warranty and I'm thinking about upgrading to the 3-yr. Is there any benefit to buying now (before I send in) vs. waiting to see how my experience is and buying later? Thanks.</p>

<p>jbusc- There is no advantage. In fact, it seems like a good idea to wait and see how the service goes. Just make sure you purchase it before your 1-year is up, or you will not be able to add it. You can check the exact date the warranty expires by entering your serial number at Apple.com/support.</p>

<p>diehdun- iPhone rocks. I'm actually on mine right now. There are some things that are not perfect yet, but I defy anyone to show me another phone that even comes close in features AND interface. Steve Jobs has also repeatedly said that he plans to "surprise and delight" iPhone customers with new features via Software Updates, so there is even more to come.</p>

<p>As for the MB vs. MBP: There are very few people who actually NEED a Macbook Pro. They are limited to gamers, professional level editors, special effects professionals, or anyone working with a lot of 3-d design (i.e. Maya, Lightwave, 3ds Max, Autocad). For the rest of the population, the Macbook is a true workhorse.</p>

<p>But as you said, for some people it's an issue of asthetics. The Macbook Pro is arguable the sleekest looking computer on the market. Also, though the processor is negligibly faster, it can be maxed out to 4 GB of ram, twice that of the Macbook, so you have "room to grow" in the future. It also has a faster system bus (800 mhz vs the macbook's 667 mhz). It also features the new LED backlit screens, which are much brighter than previous LCD iterations (including the Macbook's), and provide nearly 45 minutes additional battery life. It also has some other fun perks, like better speakers and the ambient light sensor, which will automatically adjust the screen brightness to match the lighting in the room, as well as light up your keyboard in the dark. </p>

<p>Again, there are pros and cons either way. It all comes down to budget and preference.</p>

<p>Eh.. I like macs and Apple products, but I would discourage people from buying an iphone just yet. The user interface is incredibly sleek and intriguing, I'll give you that. But as for your statement that other phones don't "even come close in features and interface" is wrong. The phones you purchase through your standard U.S. carriers, ex. Verizon, Sprint, etc. ARE crappy phones. However, if you buy a phone online, and use a SIM card you have a wealth of options.</p>

<p>I would put the iphone against any of the Nokia N Series phones, as well as the Sony Ericsson w880i and various other Sony Ericsson and LG models. Most of which are comparable or cheaper than the $500 and $600 price tag. Also, there is the horrendous touch screen keyboard which is hard to use with a steep learning curve, questions about screen malfunctions (black screen of death), and apple's long history of buggy first editions.</p>

<p>Basically don't let yourself be so intrigued by the style of the phone that you overlook apple's lack of experience in making phones. It WILL show. Give them a few years and a few more models and the iphone might be worth buying, but for now I'd stay away..</p>

<p>P.S. just my personal opinion. Maybe I'm just biased because apple imitated and improved on the LG Chocolate base (amazon3001 will vehemently deny this) and still gets away with saying thinks like think different and be different.</p>

<p>I could go on and on about the great features of the iphone (FULL INTERNET is one)- I LOVE MINE. </p>

<p>But about the keyboard- I'll just tell you my son has been doing the "typing test" on his iphone, which calculates words per minute and I think he's up to about 70 wpm- and he's only just begun!</p>

<p><a href="http://iphonetypingtest.com%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://iphonetypingtest.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>I'm not saying the iphone is a bad phone and it isn't any good. I'm just saying that its American user-base will be too easily enamored with its features because they have never truly known any good phones before, and thus tend to overlook flaws it might have.</p>

<p>cc411- Full internet browsing has been a feature on most/all high-end phones for the last 2-3 years. And as for your son typing at 70 wpm on his iphone is a joke. At the National Text Message Competition in New York over 2 months ago, a girl typed a 151 character phrase in 42 seconds. Now lets calculate that into wpm.</p>

<p><a href="http://money.cnn.com/2007/04/23/news/funny/text_champ/index.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://money.cnn.com/2007/04/23/news/funny/text_champ/index.htm&lt;/a>
(Note: The source is CNN. Pretty legit, I'd say)</p>

<p>Assume the average length of a word used in a text message is 5 characters.</p>

<p>151 divided by 5 = 30.2</p>

<p>Round this number to 30 for ease. So she typed approximately 30 words in 42 seconds.</p>

<p>60 divided by 42 seconds = 1.43</p>

<p>Multiply 1.43 by 30 for wpm = 42.8 rounded to 43.</p>

<p>So, the national text messaging champion typed 43 words per minute. And this was on a LG full qwerty keyboard just like the Apple phone keypad. And your son just started typing on your iphone and he is doing 70+?? Wow, that is absolutely incredible!! You should enter him in text messaging competitions all over the world. You'd never have to work again.</p>

<p>The website you listed is a joke. It says right on the site that "This site is not associated with Apple, Inc." So I wouldn't use it as your sole means of determining typing speed on your iphone.</p>

<p>Hi againnnn Amazon, </p>

<p>Sorry to change the subject... but back to the computers. lol.</p>

<p>Well anyway, I ordered my MacBook, printer, and ipod :) I was just trying the MacBook out and I have a few questions.</p>

<p>1)when I first turned on the MacBook and did all the setup, the backlight was a lot brighter than what I'm using now. It just seems a bit darker but it's not that much different. Is it normal? </p>

<p>2)When I turn on the computer, it makes this weird flash and then turns black. Then when I press the power button again, it shows up normally. Is this normal?</p>

<p>The reason is that I'm sending my rebates in now and I don't want to be stuck with a bad one.. you know?</p>

<p>So if ANYONE could help, I'd greatly appreciate it!</p>

<p>Naughtysanta forgot to take his chill-pill today. :)</p>

<p>ForverA - The flashing sounds odd. I would make a tech support appointment to have the genius bar look at it. It's under warranty so if anything's wrong they'll take care of it. As for the brightness, you have your brightness controls to the immediate left of the escape key in the top left of your keyboard. The Macbook's screen is very bright so if you feel it's dim something may be wrong. Again, have the genius bar look at it.</p>

<p>NaughtySanta - I think you're overlooking something key about the iPhone. There are several phones, especially in overseas markets that can hold their own with and at times surpass the iPhone. But something that Apple's competitors have never been able to understand is that features are only part of a product. Interface is key. This is why Apple holds 78% of the MP3 player market in competition with behemoths like Microsoft and creative, who think they can win market share by throwing a laundry list of features on the side of a display box. Nearly every task on an Apple Product is silky smooth and easy to accomplish. It's natural and doesn't require a lot of deliberate effort, and this is something that I have never seen another phone do, including the Nokia N Series. It seems that something about my position at the Apple Store compells nearly every middle aged male in the city to show off their latest gadgets during the course of the sales process. Consequently, I have seen many of the latest and greatest phones in recent months, especially with the subject of phones being such a hot topic in our store. Some of Nokia's new stuff is nice, but the interface and design are clunky. As for Sony Ericson I have never used a single phone of theirs that wasn't confusing, and I'm a relatively tech savvy individual.</p>

<p>Sure full HTML web browsing has been on some phones for years. But the interface is so awkward and clunky (i.e. PSP) that it is hardly usable on nearly every other phone I've tried. The newest blackberry seem to be closest to getting it right. On my iPhone, I never feel as if I'm sacrificing anything in the name of portability. The iPhone OS, though new also seems to be vastly more stable and less glitchy than it's established counterpart Windows Mobile. Companies like THC are making decent products, the clunky OS again holds it down. The best thing on the market so far has been the Symbian OS, but it's still nowhere near OS X mobile in terms of usability. </p>

<p>Sure, other phones have MP3 players, but do they have iTunes? Can you flick through your music library in three dimensions? </p>

<p>Sure, some phones have 3g, but those phones get less than half of the surfing time as the iPhone. 3g is a power hog. AT&T HAS 3G. Apple consciously chose NOT to use for this reason.</p>

<p>As for the typing, the error correction on the iPhone is one of it's most underspoken aspects. One can type so quickly and sloppily, yet still have nearly perfect results because the error correction is so good. I can do it without looking while driving and no tactile feedback and be almost 100% accurate. </p>

<p>As far as a typing test goes, I don't see how it not being from Apple has any basis in its legitimacy as a testing agent. Typing tests have been around since the earliest days of the computer and are a pretty straightforward process. Remember, the iPhone's keyboard is not like a normal QWERTY keyboard.</p>

<p>And finally, the iPhone has been in development since 2002. I assure you that no inspiration was drawn from the LG Chocolate, and anyone who has spent more than a few mintues with either of these devices would see that. About the only similarity is the inclusion of a decent MP3 player with the phone. The comparisons pretty much stop there.</p>

<p>Again, there is no other device that even comes close to the iPhone as a total package. Feel free to rebut this all you like, but at the end of the day, Apple's already sold nearly a million iPhones, so I think it's safe to say that the marketplace has spoken. There was a clear void in the phone market that has not been filled. Apple has filled it and is finally delivery consumers what they want. Why else would people be lining up to pay $600 for a phone?</p>

<p>But there are thing about the iPhone that are far from perfect and I'll be the first to admit it. There is no clipboard from which to copy/paste. The headphone jack is recessed, requiring the purchase of an adapter to connection normal headphones to it (so Un-Apple-like). MS Office files can only be viewed, not edited at this point. Custom ringtones cannot be added at the moment. Bust Steve Jobs has said that many of things will be addressed via free software updates, so I'm definitely anxious to see where things go. It's already the best phone on the market. It's only going to get better.</p>

<p>zzzzz. arguing with people who are apple addicts never works. They always think their company is the best. So, i'm not really going to try anymore.</p>

<p>cc411- I didn't forget my chill pill, it just got lost in the mail! And they said they sent it Fed-Ex.. Just... a... few... more... days tho. lmao..</p>

<p>Amazon - as for your remarks about other phones, I assume you haven't spent reasonable amounts of time with Nokia, Sony Ericsson, and LG phones, just as I haven't spent reasonable amounts of time with an iPhone. We both can give specs and laundry lists (as I believe you called it), but when the rubber hits the road it all comes down to personal preference. I like my Nokia because it has more power than an iPhone and it can do far more things better. (I've also spent more than 2 minutes playing on a customers Nokia or Sony Ericsson). I'm willing to give up some silky smooth interface and hype for additional power. Many people are just the opposite, and they are the strongest proponents of the iPhone.</p>

<p>Also, the iPod is a totally different story because it was the first TRUE hard-drive based mp3 player. It was original, new, and creative. By the time Microsoft and Creative came up with matches to the iPod, it was too late. The world had chosen iPod, including me, I love my iPod. The iPhone is a different story. They were first on the market in America, but elsewhere around the world they will probably have trouble matching sales.</p>

<p>Furthermore, as for your argument that Apple understands it is more about interface than features and that is the reason the iPod controls 78% of the market.. that isn't really true. What I said above is the reason iPod controls the market. Take a look at Mac's vs. PC's. I don't think anyone would argue that PC's have a better interface and are easier to use. Yet PC's hold around 90% of the computer market (I don't know the EXACT percentage). Why? You might ask?? It's because PC was the first on the market, and Apple hasn't yet made a good enough product for the vast majority of people to switch over. If the Mac was truly as superior as most Apple fans think, the world would have switched to Mac and left their PC's in the dumpster. Yet, that still hasn't happened.</p>

<p>The million sales of the iPhone, you of all people must realize as a worker in an Apple Store, isn't because the phone is far superior, as you claim it is. Most of those sales are due to the incredible hype. You have people from every walk of life camping outside of Apple Stores to get their hands on the newest gadget that they probably believe will get them laid. Furthermore, the iPhone is limited to the American market at the time, where consumers have long suffered with junky Nokia, Samsung, and Motorola cell phones. In a market like that, the iPhone will clearly stand heads above the competition. When the Asian edition iPhone is released, then we will start to see how Apple can compete in the true cell phone market.</p>

<p>Anyway, that's pretty much all for me right now. I admit the iPhone is a damn attractive phone and its smooth interface along will cause a lot of sales. I just, personally, wouldn't shell out the 500 or 600 dollars yet.</p>

<p>P.S. as for the iPhone vs. LG Chocolate.. Well, the LG Chocolate was relased well over a year before the iPhone. So I'm guessing design and development was started before the iPhone too. Interesting.</p>

<p>OKAY. Some people like iPhone/Macs, some people don't. Seriously, we're here to ask questions, not to fight with each other. Come on, let's get along. :)</p>

<p>Amazon3001, what's your stance on AppleCare? I've thought about it, and I'm going to end up buying a MBP + iPhone 8GB together at an Apple Store. This is what I'm planning to buy that day:</p>

<p>-MacBook Pro 2.2 GHz (stock config.)
-Incase Neoprene Sleeve
-Tumi T-Tech Flow Large Capacity Expandable Messenger Bag
<a href="http://www.tumi.com/business_laptop_cases/t_tech_flow/category_search/large_capacity_expandable_messenger_bag/product_detail/index.cfm?modelid=41681%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.tumi.com/business_laptop_cases/t_tech_flow/category_search/large_capacity_expandable_messenger_bag/product_detail/index.cfm?modelid=41681&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>-iPhone 8GB
-Incase Molded Rubber Case for iPhone (Black)</p>

<p>I didn't get AppleCare with my PowerBook, but that's because I'm usually pretty careful with my things, and it spent most of its time on an iCurve at home. I've heard it's recommended for college students... and if so, am I better off buying it right after I purchase it, or 1 year later, before the standard coverage expires? And if I do that, do I basically get a total of 4 years of protection (first year + 3 years of AppleCare)? And finally, does iPhone have AppleCare avaliable too? Thanks, amazon3001!</p>

<p>Jonathan - Get Applecare. You can get on campus and in store service if you have any problems. Applecare provides three years of coverage from the date of purchase, so you stand nothing to gain by waiting. Like any warranty, it's a gamble because you may not ever need it, but this computer will probably be far more mobile than your G4 was, so the chances of internal problems will increase exponentially. On a machine as expensive as the MBP, my mentality is that it's better safe than sorry, especially with the $110 student discount on MBP Applecare.</p>

<p>You get a free ipod and 3-in-one printer with rebates if you buy them with your computer.</p>

<p>.Mac is cool. I can definitely see you using it. You geta $30 discount on it with your machine, so it's $69. You might want to check that out as well. </p>

<p>Love the InCase sleeve.</p>

<p>Frankly I wouldn't get a case for your iPhone. I'm not getting one for mine. They are insanely durable. </p>

<p>Check this out <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=czCCavcnNd8%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://youtube.com/watch?v=czCCavcnNd8&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>When you go the Apple Store check out the iPhones. I assure that they have all been manhandled by likely thousands of people by this point. You will then observe that they have no scratches on the screen, and since the back is aluminum neither will it. I am confident enough in the screen to actually scratch my keys across the screen of my own iPhone to demo this to some people.</p>

<p>iPhone Applecare will be coming later this month for $69, though you're probably better off getting a rider on your homeowner's insurance policy. I have two customers who have purchased theirs through State Farm for $3.50/month and it covers both theft and accidental damage, which Applecare will not.</p>

<p>Hope this helps.</p>

<p>Naughtysanta - OK a few things. The fact that you think PCs were the first on the market means you have no understanding of technology or the tech market. Bill gates used to WORK for Apple making office programs for the Mac and REVERSE ENGINEERED the original Mac OS and liscensed it cheap asian manufacturers. The Mac came before windows, this is undisputed history (though it was a rip off of an earlier Xerox product). Windows is dominant because Microsoft made available CHEAPER machines in an emerging market. Business bought into that option. Now the world's business IT infrastructure (about 60 percent of the world's computers) is already in place and companies physically cannot switch without investing an insane amount of money in retraining a new IT department and buying all new equipment. This dominance in market share also means that most business apps have been deveoped for the PC, and will probably continue to be so since that's what dominates the market, thus creating a vicious cycle. Macs will never be dominant in the home market because Apple refuses to compromise the integrity and quality of their product to meet the Wal-Mart price point, and unfortunately that's what the average consumer wants in a home PC.</p>

<p>Secondly the Nokia N series uses a 253 mhz TI OMAP Processor. The newest Sony Ericson p950i has a 205 mhz processor. The iPhone uses a 620 mhz processor. Which one is more powerful? Well the iPhone by about 300 percent on both accounts. Let me also point out that you just credited part of the iPhones success in the US market to "junky Nokia, Samsung, and Motorola cell phones," which proves much of my original point. Secondly, you say your Nokia can do "far more things better." What are those things and in what way are they better than the iPhone. The only things I could think of would be customer ringtone support (coming to the iPhone soon) and 3g (a battery drainer). Please enlighten me if I've missed something else.</p>

<p>And finally, standard development time on a phone is 1 year. So unless LG broke all molds of production and R&D for their company, they began working on the Chocolate in 2005, three years after iPhone development had begun.</p>

<p>Not to get into a flame war, you just had some serious inaccuracies which needed to be corrected.</p>

<p>If anyone is interested, I will be selling my current Macbook when I arrive at USC because I will be getting a new one. It is a white Macbook in excellent condition and features a 2.0 ghz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 2 GB RAM, an 80 GB Hard Drive, and a Dual Layer Superdrive. </p>

<p>It's in mint condition and will come witha fresh OS install so that it will be like it just came out of the box. I'm asking $1050 for it. If anyone's interested let me know and we'll work out arrangements.</p>

<p>Jonathan, how about for security (laptop locks), what do you recommend? I was checking Apple's website, and it seems almost all of the kensington locks got horrible reviews online.</p>

<p>I wouldn't reccomend any of the anit-theft devices or programs actually. Instead it's best to get a third party theft insurance program. State farm sells personal item insurance which covers both theft and accidental damage. It's $2.20/year per $100 of value insured, so you could cover your MBP and iPhone for $57.20/year. There is NO deducible if you have to make a claim. It's awesome because not only do you not have to worry about theft, but you don't have to stress about dropping or spills either.</p>

<p>FYI for others reading there is a $30 minimum annual premium so if you only have a $1000 Macbook or an iPhone you would need to add something else onto the plan to meet the $30 mark.</p>

<p>All of the major insurance programs offer similar plans, but State Farms seems to have the best price.</p>

<p>Trust me, I know my computer history and the whole Bill Gates stealing Apple stuff. (Still doesn't really explain why you guys get so ****y about Microsoft) </p>

<p>As to your question regarding areas where Nokias having more power.. I think you need to stop looking at the "laundry lists" and use one first hand. You will be surprised, trust me.</p>

<p>As to processor speed. You've told people in this forum that Apple's have less memory than PC's but work better and faster. Get my point about processor speed. Seriously, the laundry lists are bad..</p>

<p>Apple works on their iPhone for over 5 years and most standard cell phone companies only spend 1?? First of all where are you getting your information, and secondly why in the world does it take apple engineers that long to make a phone!! (Don't give me crap like, "They wanted to make sure it was perfect in every before releasing it to the consumers")</p>

<p>Anyways, I'm just stating my views on the iphone so no one cares, obviously.. (It's a bad place to diss the iphone, in an apple thread.)</p>

<p>Finally, Amazon 3001, I trust I'll see you on the debate team at 'SC?? I'd love to debate with you.. You're quite intriguing, I must say.</p>

<p>not exclusively Mac related, but I heard the book store sells some sort of computer lock... can anyone elaborate?</p>

<p>This has actually been covered on this board, but I would advise against relying on the computer locks. They just don't make a lot of practical sense and aren't really going to be much of a deterrent if someone wants to jack your computer. Instead opt for personal item insurance for your insurance provider to cover theft. It is remarkably cheap, usually under $30/year. See previous posts on this board for more details.</p>

<p>A couple final points about the iPhone and then I will officially stop.</p>

<p>I have an iPhone. There is absolutely no lag or wait time for any of it's functions, so I can't imagine how it could possibly be more powerful in terms of realized use and speed. You simply cannot get faster than zero lag</p>

<p>Secondly, I never said "Apple's have less memory than PC's." I said they could run FASTER with less ram than a PC due to OSX's memory allocation.</p>

<p>My information comes from a Wired magazine article from february or march shortly after the iPhones launch talking about how it was "game-changer" for the industry. It compared the iPhone to other offerings on the market.</p>

<p>And finally, Apple put so much time into the iPhone for a few reasons. The first being that Steve Jobs doesn't like any Apple products entering the market until they're ready for consumption and a viable hit. Apple is doing this with an unsubsidized phone. Companies like Motorola has no incentive to deliver outstanding or revolutionary products because they are essentially guaranteed business by phone companies through "free phone" incentive subsidies. Even though their phones cost hundreds of dollars, the consumer never effectively sees that cost and thus doesn't demand much out of the product. Since the iPhone has no subsidy, Apple had to make a good enough product to convince the masses to pay $600 for a phone, when they could get a RAZR for free, or a Blackjack for $99. Thus the product did need to be as impressive as possible in order to create that "WOW" factor that is Apple's bread and butter.</p>

<p>Secondly, Apple is implementing a new technology (multi-touch) that has never really be used in consumer level electronics yet. It is a totally different technology from what is found in in palm pilots and other touch screens. The efforts required to get this right took a dedicated team several years alone. </p>

<p>And finally, Apple had to wait for the costs of parts to drop to a point that they could provide the technology they wanted to at a price which could be profitable.</p>

<p>So I am now done. Debate sounds fun, but I doubt I'll have time for it. I'll definitely check it out.</p>