Re: pc/mac
 

Something wrong with a Mac!?!?! NO WAY! I've heard those things are supposed to be perfect!!11!1oneone!!1

Re: pc/mac
 

(sigh) I decline comment, other than to mention that no system is absolutely perfect.

That's some form of software glitch alright, probably something in the battery not communicating the right battery level to the computer. Luckily, it shouldn't be particularly hard to get it shipped off to Apple (or taken to a Genius Bar if there's one nearby). Hooray for next-day air!

Re: pc/mac
 

Now with Boot Camp (free), you can run windows on your mac, and people say that it runs windows better than on a PC's hardware. I'm personally never going to get a PC again, since mac has better quality hardware and can run any windows software better.

Re: pc/mac
 

That's FUD and you know it. If you get a Windows PC with the same hardware as a Mac, then it will perform the same. A 2Ghz Intel processor does not magically perform better inside of a shiny white box. Also, Macs do not necessarily have better quality hardware. Their low-end systems just happen to be on a higher end than Dell/HP/IBM's low-end systems. Now that Apple's have Intel processors, you should be able to get the exact same hardware no matter who you're getting it from.

Now if you get Dell's budget system and Apple's budget system your comment would be true, but the computers do not have comparable hardware.

Re: pc/mac
 

If there's one thing I like about Apple, it's their customer service and their careplans. Buy them - the longest one possible. I bought a 2 year one on my 4th gen iPod. It just broke a week ago for the 2nd time, but it's painless to send to them. Apple pays for the shipping, they send me the box, I send it to them, and I'll get a new / refurbished iPod very quickly. Apple knows what they're doing when it comes to customer service.

Re: pc/mac
 

Possibly, but a few years back (maybe 5?) this same problem occurred on IBM Thinkpads. The problem was that the batteries are not 1 single cell, but a set of 3 or 4 cells in the battery case. What was happening was that the on screen gauge would read "combined" power from the cells, but did not read the individual cell voltages. That was watched and controlled by battery software. It is important not to completely drain a cell, so when the minimum voltage on a cell was reached, it shut the computer down, regardless of whether the other cells were full or not. Folks experienced the same thing you describe, start up at 80 to 100% power and having it shut down for low power within a 10 minute period.

If you could borrow a battery from someone else and test it in your laptop, you could give the Apple technician more information. Alternatively, you could suggest that they check the individual cells at the repair center.

Re: pc/mac
 

I am going to take it to the Michigan Avenue store this weekend. I cannot go to the one at Woodfield, I ran into a few problems there last time and they pretty much won't let me back (they thought that I stupid becuase I was a girl and I defended myself verbally).

Re: pc/mac
 

Personaly, I think that a PC is better, because, partially, it is a much broader term. With an Apple, it has its OS, and it is an apple, where as a PC could be a dell, IBM, etc. Also, as far as i know, you cannot build your own mac, like with a PC.

(by the way, I happen to dislike Macs)

Re: pc/mac
 

Boot camp is a joke. I can personally choose to boot Windows, Mac, and a couple kinds of Linux on my computer. People claim Boot Camp magically can make Windows run on a Mac, but what's stopping Windows from running with an Intel processor and standard generic equipment? People could dual-boot stuff on Macs for ages.
And anybody who points to Boot Camp as beneficial has obviously never used it because it is a pain to dual-boot stuff.

The "Mac is better for creative types" argument is also a joke. The "creative types" really use it because it makes themselves feel cool. There is no advantage. At all. There is no Mac-only software that would keep the creative types on Mac.
I believe that Ubuntu is comparable to OS X, except Ubuntu is free. They both come bundled with a bunch of software. Ubuntu is actually easy to use. They've made the interface pretty obvious, and probably matches the Mac for usability. If you want to, you can make Ubuntu's graphics hundreds of times slicker than Mac's (with Beryl and a decent graphics card), but it looks fine as it is (if orange doesn't bother you).
Ubuntu and Mac both share the same lack of commercially developed software, but there is a huge and thriving community around Linux.
Ubuntu and Mac also have problems with Windows networking, but most of the time it can be figured out easily.
Ubuntu is more versatile and most importantly, free.
As for the Mac...
The "Mac is more secure" argument is worthless. Yeah. Everybody already acknowledges that Windows is more popular and thus gets attacked like crazy. I have never gotten a virus or been hijacked by adware on Windows, and others, with a little common sense (i.e. don't install junk) can be perfectly safe.

Most of the PC/Mac commercials are a joke. I'm scared to imagine how many people feel for them.

And mykill, no more flamebait.

I acknowledge that:
Yes. Macs do look nice in a shiny white box.
Yes. Macs have a cooler environment

In the end, if you're going to choose a "weird" non-Windows OS, try Ubuntu first (it can be run without installing). It has the advantage of not requiring a $2000 shiny white box.

Re: pc/mac
 

Will people please not bite my head off if I say that I like both Macs and Windows?

Seriously, neither one is perfect. I personally am writing this on an HP laptop with Windows, which is my own personal computer. The reason why I chose a Windows operating system is that early on I had decided that I was going to be running AutoCAD and possibly Inventor. (This was before the announcement of Apple switching to Intel). However, the rest of my family uses Macs, and I definitely like how user-friendly these computers are. My high school is changing over to Macs, so I get exposure there. Macs are a little different to navigate and the keyboard shortcuts are annoyingly different than Windows, but you get used to it. I don't play games or listen to music on my computer, so I have no preference toward Macs or Windows on that.

It all depends how you use your computer. I only really need Internet access, Microsoft Office, AutoCAD. When I need to view a video or listen to audio, QuickTime or Windows Media Player works for me. I hope to add Inventor and Photoshop to my repertoire in the near future. With all of that, I have been very happy with Windows. As for what is the better choice, you have to try out both and not make decisions based on first impressions.

Re: pc/mac
 

What are you talking about? Before macs went with Intel processors, they were equipped with PowerPC processors, and could only boot Mac (classic & X), and a few linux distributions (like Yellow Dog Linux). x86 Macs uses EFI, which is the next generation of firmware which windows doesn't support (except in their 64 bit edition). What Boot Camp does is allows you to partition your hard drive, and creates a virtual BIOS, which can allow Windows to boot up on an x86 mac. Boot Camp is also very easy to use, and doesn't need you to reformat your hard drive.
Now this is just a rant. Just because you haven't used Mac OS X doesn't make it bad. That is just plain ignorance. While Linux (including) has definitely make good strides, it is still no where near the ease of use of proprietary systems. You have to realize that the majority of people don't want to use CLI's in terminals, and install packages or rebuild kernels. Most people don't even know what that is.

The reason why macs have always been associated with creative people is partly because of historic reason, and partly because of technical reasons. Historically Macs have had the third party software in the past (Photoshop, premiere, avid, etc). Technically macs have always been easier in handling media files better than windows. They also have more accurate colors pallets, better frameworks, APIs, and generally been well supported over the years. Final Cut studio is also a major reason why mac is still in the forefront of creative professionals. Yes there are always comparable programs on different OSs, but that’s not the point. The OS needs to be built so these programs can perform there best, and Apple has always put lots of effort into this.

Re: pc/mac
 

I dig Ubuntu--if I'm in need of a Linux distro, I go to them--but Mac OS X wins on one key thing for the Average User (and the Not-So-Average User): Hardware compatibility.

I installed the 64-bit version of Ubuntu on my desktop PC (yes, I own one, to stay fluent in both), and my network card wouldn't work. It took much digging and Googling through several forums to find an obscure patch to get it working. This had to be downloaded to my iBook, then transferred to a flash drive, then transferred to the PC, where it was applied in the Terminal. Now, I can survive that. My less-tech-savvy, one-Dell-toting mother would probably have a coronary doing it. (Actually, wait, bad example; she'd just call me to do it.) I've reinstalled OS X on a couple of systems, with no such issues.

Just like a pair of AndyMark shifters are pretty much useless without a good pneumatics system (servo shifter notwithstanding), an operating system is nothing if it can't support the hardware it runs on. By limiting Mac OS X to Apple hardware, Apple can optimize things a bit more and deliver a much-improved operating system experience. I bet they could come out with a $199 junk box just as well as anyone putting them out next week--they just choose to aim higher in their hardware designs.

Re: pc/mac
 

Were you using a wireless network card? Particularly a Linksys WUSB11 (or something like that), all linux distros had trouble with the v2.6 Atmel firmware version. I had that problem, but when the latest release of Ubuntu came out, my network card just worked.

Re: pc/mac
 

Nope. Normal, standard, integrated 10/100 Ethernet.

Re: pc/mac
 

That's really odd. Normally they support standard hardware like that.