Mac help

[scracha]

but for less than $1000 on a piece of high-tech machinery that'll last years, and never get a virus, you can have this sweet sweet attitude too..

For the love of ged. They don't always last for years (they're just bog standard PC's with things like RAM and hard drives that fail like any Windows based box) and some of them get viruses.

Your Mac cost under $1000? It must be a Dell Vostro running OSX86 or similar.

Why the hell do Apple charge so much for umm....EVERYTHING. I mean, I could understand charging a premium for the basic PC or the operating system but to then shaft their loyal customers silly is just astonishing. The fact that Apple resellers lie and tell folks that "normal" RAM won't work with Apple's is criminal.
$1600 for a 23" LCD? FFS, they're $400
$250 for an extra 1GB of DDR2 RAM ($50)
$160 for a keyboard and mouse? ($30)

Mooooo.

[RantyDave]

Your Mac cost under $1000? It must be a Dell Vostro running OSX86 or similar.

http://store.apple.com/0800-MY-APPLE...KxPoeM0/2.?p=0

You're right on the displays, though. I know of only one mac owner who has an Apple display and that was bought several years ago. Everyone else runs a variety of Dell's, AOC's etc. etc. Generic DVI monitors work just fine.

The RAM thing is curious. While Apple made their own north bridges they were very picky about memory timings and third party chips were the #1 cause of dodgy powerbooks. (#2 was airport cards going 'funny')

The keyboards are wonderful. You realise after a while that you've been done, and it's actually a (low end) laptop keyboard mounted under a slab of aluminium. But it still makes everything else on the desk look like it's escaped from the 1970's. They're damn quick to type on too.

Unfortunately while I started this post confident of being able to tell Finn how to install iDVD as a standalone thing, I just stuffed my 10.5 install disk in and have no idea. Ummmm, it does have a built in DVD writer, yes? Did iLife come as a separate DVD?

[bugjuice]

For the love of ged. They don't always last for years (they're just bog standard PC's with things like RAM and hard drives that fail like any Windows based box) and some of them get viruses.

Your Mac cost under $1000? It must be a Dell Vostro running OSX86 or similar.

Why the hell do Apple charge so much for umm....EVERYTHING. I mean, I could understand charging a premium for the basic PC or the operating system but to then shaft their loyal customers silly is just astonishing. The fact that Apple resellers lie and tell folks that "normal" RAM won't work with Apple's is criminal.
$1600 for a 23" LCD? FFS, they're $400
$250 for an extra 1GB of DDR2 RAM ($50)
$160 for a keyboard and mouse? ($30)

Mooooo.

lol.. don't be so high strung! just messin with ya
MacMini's are $948, but you have to get your own keyboard, mouse n screen. And yeah, I do agree some things are over priced that apple sell, but they work (most of the time), and they work well. They aren't for everyone, and if it's not you, then don't get one. But they've worked for me for the last 14 years of using nothing but macs, and my 4 year old iBookG4 is still going as well today as it was when I first got it, and it's the base model. I've upgraded it with PC ram in it, upgraded to 10.4, and a PC laptop 120gb drive in (from the original Seagate 40gb drive).

Apples' design is just gorgeous tho, that can't be denied. They've led that field for a while now, and everyone wants to copy them, proven. So they've done something right. And for a computer and OS to be built hand in hand, can only be good. I bet if Windoze built a PC, it'd rock. But they don't. I've used plenty of PC stuff with Macs, and I will continue to, when I have to. Never had issues. I'm getting a PC screen soon, so I have more room when at home. I have a Mac keyboard (cos they're sexy, and have the right keys for OSX), I use a MircroSoft mouse, and like I said, using PC HD & ram etc.. And I do graphic design and photography, and I just love how macs work for me. There's no 'superior' attitude that I've seen,may be some gloating that there's rarely a mac virus, but it's just a sense of well being and lack of frustration that I find nice about macs. Yes, like everything, they do go wrong, but find one thing in the world that never will, and you'd be either a millionaire for making it, or broke, cos no one needs you to fix and upgrade it.


Finn, what's happening with iDVD then? Is it launching? Or just bouncing the app in the dock? or opening and crashing? or not there at all?

[Big Dave]

It's a new, big imac ranty. I reckon the apps are on the 10.4 DVD that came with the machine and won't be on the Leopard upgrade disc.

I've got an Ilife 08 DVD, if needed.

[RantyDave]

I've got an Ilife 08 DVD, if needed.

Yeah, I reckon that'll be the one. No doubt you can whizz round to Finn's house and drink all his beer while it installs...

Dave

[bugjuice]

+1 ^

[Finn]

Finn, what's happening with iDVD then? Is it launching? Or just bouncing the app in the dock? or opening and crashing? or not there at all?

It opens but is unstable. I googled "iDVD & Leopard problems" and it appears I'm not the only one...

BD's coming over later with an iLife DVD to see if that works.

[bugjuice]

sounds like it should help/work then..

[scracha]

lol.. don't be so high strung! just messin with ya

Shh....I was just trying to wind up the Mac brigade.

of using nothing but macs, and my 4 year old iBookG4 is still going as well

I quote like the old G4 laptops I must admit.

Apples' design is just gorgeous tho, that can't be denied. They've led that

Oh...dunno. Don't like the style of the new iMac and the Mac mini is well.....umm.. The NeXT Cube was Steve Job's finest looking PC if you ask moi. A simple cube...genius.

field for a while now, and everyone wants to copy them, proven. So they've

??? Haven't seen HP, Asus, Acer, Toshiba, Sony etc trying to copy their design? As for the Mac mini....I think you'll find similar designs that Apple erm....found inspiration from (to put it politely).

I just don't get the point of their new "thin" laptop. I mean, it'll still pump out heat and it'll still need a big laptop bag and take up the same amount of desk space as other laptops. I think it'll flop but then again I also think the iPhone will flop. The iPOD was superbly marketed, is a nice product and has good software. Now if Apple made a good mini PC like the Nokia N810 I think they'd be on to "a good thing". Apple should have OS X incorporate Snerdware Group cal or come up with their own solution to link properly to a MS Exchange server. Also throw in an MS Word/Excel compatible app and a security suite. If they did this then the Mac mini might become a not quote so expensive proposition compared to your typical Windows PC + MS Office SBS + security suite. It'd also mean less peso's going to their Redmond competition as a lot of Macs run MS Office.

Last but not least.... I preferred their old rainbow style apple logo.

[Finn]

All working fine now thanks to Large David. However, I'm back to square one with my HD video camera. QT 7.4 won't recognise .TOD (JVC Mpeg 2 or 4) format.

[Joni]

Hmmm, glad to hear its all sorted. Go BD!

Everyone in my company works on MACs... except me (as I am a stubborn PC fan) Got a new PC today... nice and fast... but damn MS has changed so many things in the new version that its taking lots of time to figure the basic stuff out! And no one in the office knows anything about MS applications to speed things up

Maybe my stubborn streak has come to bite me on the arse!

[Big Dave]

All working fine now thanks to Large David. However, I'm back to square one with my HD video camera. QT 7.4 won't recognise .TOD (JVC Mpeg 2 or 4) format.

anything on the jvc web site? Was there any software with the camera.

[Finn]

anything on the jvc web site? Was there any software with the camera.

Zip. There was an apple codec with the camera but that only works on QT 7.3, not 7.4.

I'm not alone... http://discussions.apple.com/thread....sageID=6490513

[Big Dave]

Zip. There was an apple codec with the camera but that only works on QT 7.3, not 7.4.

I'm not alone... http://discussions.apple.com/thread....sageID=6490513

My eyes glazed over - did one of them say it worked if you buy the mpeg component?

Its about $30 - might be worth a try.

[Finn]

My eyes glazed over - did one of them say it worked if you buy the mpeg component?

Its about $30 - might be worth a try.

I'll give a whirl tonight. However, the thought of paying for software makes me feel sick.