Andy's Un-Official Unsolicited Mac Advice Thread

[wxwax]

mmmm expose + hot corners = tres sexy
I shall learn to use hot corners. Thanks for the tip, I'll see if it's what I want. :thumb

[Mike Lane]

I shall learn to use hot corners. Thanks for the tip, I'll see if it's what I want. :thumbNo problemo. It's not too difficult to set up. Just go to your sytem preferences > dashboard & expose and then make sure you set one of your active screen corners to application windows. :thumb

[BradfordBenn]

I started using Hot Corners and then I got a new multi button mouse and I was able to assign the same features to the mouse buttons. I found that a lot more efficient.

The mouse I use is a Logitech MX 400 (http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/mice_pointers/mice/devices/191&cl=us,en) and I am happy enough with it that I bought a second one for use at the office/

[andymillson]

Mine too, muahahahaha!

It won't break Parallels will it? :dunno:wink

Charlie

According to the official blog site

http://parallelsvirtualization.blogspot.com/

Parallels and Leopard play well together.....at least as well as parallels and Tiger anyway :rofl

Andy

[Hindsight]

I'm using an Apple 20" Cinema display on a G5 PowerMac, Spider Pro 2 calibrator. The question is.. during the setup/wizard portion of the calibration I'm asked to choose a target setting. The choices are stuff like "1.8 Gamma (Native)" and 2.2 gamma, sRGB, etc.

I chose the 1.8 as that's the standard Apple gamma. Is this correct?

Sorry that's not a lot of info, I'm at work not in front of the machine, just thought I'd ask since there are probably people reading this that know exactly what I'm talking about. Thanks. I'm editing photos in sRGB so.. should I choose that instead?

[DavidTO]

Don't rule out the glossy. I mean, it's better than a laptop display, IMO, and if you get a MacPro you need to get a monitor, anyway. You most likely don't need the power of a MacPro, so getting an iMac with a second monitor makes some sense. You can even put off the purchase, and use the glossy for the time being, knowing that a matte screen will be better in the long run for processing pics.

[BradfordBenn]

Don't rule out the glossy. I mean, it's better than a laptop display

I would basically agree, I should have been clearer, I meant that on a laptop where the internal display is available glossy or matte, I would recommend matte.

[zweiblumen]

Most bang for your buck is probably going to be the iMac with a second monitor... I plan on getting the 24" iMac for myself in the next few months, and then possibly upgrading Schmoo's monitor so I can steal her 23" (shh, don't tell her!) if I find the glossy is just too hard to work with. I've always been a big fan of LOTS of real estate on the screen, so the two big displays would make me a happy camper (room for all of this is another story for another thread). Get as MUCH memory as you can. When we bought her macpro we went for CPU over RAM with the thought that we can upgrade the RAM, can't upgrade the CPU (according to Apple, I haven't looked into this anymore than that). She really noticed the lack of memory. The CPU boost was almost an order of magnitude greater, but she halved the memory she had, and it was noticeable. Not that her new machine is slower than her old, just that when she starts really grinding you see it swapping to disk. Slow Slow Slow.

HTH

[kini62]

Processor IS upgradable, just not "authorized":D

I'm waiting for the Mac midtower with one Intel quad processor. The price has come WAY down.

Gateway starts the quad core (single chip) at about $950 now.

A 2.4 quad, with 2bg ram, 400gb HD, nVidia 8500 or 8600GT, dual layer drive and 24 inch monitor is $1500.

Now if it only ran Leopard:ivar

Gene


Most bang for your buck is probably going to be the iMac with a second monitor... I plan on getting the 24" iMac for myself in the next few months, and then possibly upgrading Schmoo's monitor so I can steal her 23" (shh, don't tell her!) if I find the glossy is just too hard to work with. I've always been a big fan of LOTS of real estate on the screen, so the two big displays would make me a happy camper (room for all of this is another story for another thread). Get as MUCH memory as you can. When we bought her macpro we went for CPU over RAM with the thought that we can upgrade the RAM, can't upgrade the CPU (according to Apple, I haven't looked into this anymore than that). She really noticed the lack of memory. The CPU boost was almost an order of magnitude greater, but she halved the memory she had, and it was noticeable. Not that her new machine is slower than her old, just that when she starts really grinding you see it swapping to disk. Slow Slow Slow.

HTH

[Ann McRae]

Thanks - so if I am hearing correctly:
iMac with as much memory and processing power as possible
second monitor if possible

Okay - I can handle that. I believe that I can get both for less than a mac Pro. And anything will be superior to my current monitor situation.

Now, what about CS3?
What about other stuff?
How about waiting for Leopard?

Thanks again

ann

[eoren1]

Hi Ann,
I'm in a similar boat. I've got a PC desktop dying a slow death and am about ready to get a new Mac. With the Leopard announcement, they also mentioned that anyone buying a Mac this month gets Leopard for $10 (S/H of a CD) so no need to wait for that. That being said, there are lots of rumors of new machines to be announced on the Leopard sale date or very shortly thereafter. I'm about to get a 13" Macbook (and external monitor for the photo work) but am holding off til word of new models comes out.
Good luck with the decision,
E

[zweiblumen]

Ann:
FWIW, that's pretty much my plan. And yes, you can get a 24" iMac with a second 23" display for less than the MacPro. IMHO, this system will have enough "umph" to handle all of your photo needs. IE, running your editing software and allowing you to do photomerges etc in a decent amount of time.

I'm really happy with CS3, but I don't know what you currently use and if it would be necessary... again, FWIW, I recommend it.

As far as purchased software, I'd get photomatix because it just rocks... I think that's all of the non-freeware I use. I'd consider picking up a copy of MSOffice for Mac if you don't use google docs, but that's what I use.

As for Leopard, $10 and the install... How soon do you want it? Personally, I'm not so good on the patience thing, my wallet is the only thing keeping me from buying right now.


eoren1:
You can wait for new hardware till the cows come home. Apple seems to upgrade some subset of their hardware about every 6 to 8 months. And they never say WHAT they are upgrading. It's a HUGE PITA. I've been on both sides of that crappy coin. Buying about 2 weeks before new hardware was announce, and waiting 3 months because there was rumor of an announcement that finally came 6 months later. You're screwed if you do, and screwed if you don't. So I just pick a time and GO. Again, this is just my outlook on it, it's free advice, take it for what it's worth :):

[cabbey]

How about waiting for Leopard?

It's announced ship date is next friday. If you buy a mac today you get 10.4.10, which is solid as a rock. And you get a certificate that for $10 you can buy 10.5 shortly after it comes out. This gives you the best of both worlds, you get known good and stable today, and you get new and shiny when it's in good shape, all that for pretty cheap (added $10 for the media and shipping). If you do go that route, and you aren't a hard core os developer type... leave 10.4.10 on the box for a while. Give us lunatics that will be installing 10.5 the weekend after it comes out a chance to beat it up a bit and see how stable it is before you install it. It's not at all uncommon for folks that want stable over flashy to wait until 10.x.2 or even .3 to hit the update servers before they upgrade their macs. For example, I'll have 10.5 on a secondary harddrive on my mac by the end of the month but I'd be surprised if either my wife or mother will have it installed before the end of the year. Maybe they'll get it installed over the post christmass, pre newyears lull, if it's good and stable and behaves for me between now and then.

[DavidTO]

I don't think the MacBook is in danger of being updated any time soon (http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/).

Don't buy MS Office unless you absolutely have to. iWork is really pretty darn awesome now, although if you're a real number cruncher you'll miss Excel. For the rest of us, I think Numbers is far better. And iWork is compatible with MS Office docs. Plus, it's a ton cheaper.

[cabbey]

I started using Hot Corners and then I got a new multi button mouse and I was able to assign the same features to the mouse buttons. I found that a lot more efficient.

The mouse I use is a Logitech MX 400 (http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/mice_pointers/mice/devices/191&cl=us,en) and I am happy enough with it that I bought a second one for use at the office/

I do the same with an MX700... if you have a hand on the mouse, it makes changing windows within an application a very simple two click afair. I particularly love it for photoshop.

[Ann McRae]

I will have access to several windows machines, and get my fill of excel at work. But I wouldn't be against a simple spreadsheet/word processing program. especially if I can also put it onto the kids imac minis for school work. Can I?

As far as current photo editing - well I am a PSP user, but realize the switch to Mac means moving to CS3. What about things like lightroom and bridge - are they extra? and are they necessary? And how about a RAW conversion program(am using RSE now)?
I have found PSP to meet all my needs to date, but don't mind moving on.


Thanks again

ann

[DavidTO]

I will have access to several windows machines, and get my fill of excel at work. But I wouldn't be against a simple spreadsheet/word processing program. especially if I can also put it onto the kids imac minis for school work. Can I?

Yes. A family license is an extra $20.

As far as current photo editing - well I am a PSP user, but realize the switch to Mac means moving to CS3. What about things like lightroom and bridge - are they extra? and are they necessary? And how about a RAW conversion program(am using RSE now)?
I have found PSP to meet all my needs to date, but don't mind moving on.


Thanks again

ann

Bridge comes with PS. Lightroom is extra. Both Bridge and LR convert RAW. LR right in the app, Bridge opens another app called Adobe Camera Raw (ACR).

[zweiblumen]

(David answered this much more succinctly already... feel free to ignore my yabbering)

LR is very good in of itself, especially if you don't currently use masks and layers for your work-flow, Aperture is similar to LR (many people will argue the pros and cons of these two and compare it with CS3/Bridge, see those threads for more details). So you could use either of those instead of PS3/Bridge (Bridge comes bundled with CS3). Either Adobe product will read all of Canon's RAW formats... I'm pretty sure Aperture will also, but don't quote me on that.

As for the word procs/spreadsheet programs, I'd say just use iWork or Google Docs because they both work really well. (Google Docs FTW, plus it's free)

An additional piece of software I'd install is QuickSilver (http://quicksilver.blacktree.com/) because it just rocks my socks (essentially creates a keyboard shortcut for EVERYthing on your computer). Coupled with Spotlight it makes for accessing anything on your system super easy/fast.

Again, HTH

[colourbox]

eoren1:
You can wait for new hardware till the cows come home. Apple seems to upgrade some subset of their hardware about every 6 to 8 months. And they never say WHAT they are upgrading. It's a HUGE PITA. I've been on both sides of that crappy coin. Buying about 2 weeks before new hardware was announce...So I just pick a time and GO...

Sensible advice. A little context...the iMacs are somewhat up to date, the Mac Pros are seriously due for an update. I love my Mac Pro 2.66, but it's a year old and they're still selling the same old model. It will probably get an update soon.

If you buy hardware and new hardware comes out, the first thing you do is look at your receipt for the terms. Apple has both a return period (short) and price protection (a few weeks). If you happen to fall within either period, you may have the option of a hassle-free exchange, or partial refund if there is a price drop. Worked for me.

[eoren1]

I completely agree that one can easily get 'stuck' waiting for the next great thing. However, there have been consistent rumors (is that an oxymoron?) of the macbook line moving to an aluminum encasing. What I really am looking forward to is the update of the motherboard to better integrated graphics. That should push the macbook to a reasonable lightroom machine. As my PC is chugging along (with some creative jerry-rigging of fans), I am happy to wait til the end of the month to see if the rumors come true and then plunk down cash on whatever macbook is available.
E

[eoren1]

Sensible advice. A little context...the iMacs are somewhat up to date, the Mac Pros are seriously due for an update. I love my Mac Pro 2.66, but it's a year old and they're still selling the same old model. It will probably get an update soon.
MacPro might just be coming out...
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/07/10/18/apple_to_fire_up_penryn_based_mac_pros.html

[DavidTO]

Leopard is a triumph (http://weblog.infoworld.com/yager/archives/2007/10/take_me_home_le.html).

[mrbill62]

Currently the best bang for the buck (IMHO) is the refurb 24" white iMac 2.16 GHz C2D @ $1449.

Cons include: 3 GB RAM limit, probably not eligible for $10 Leopard upgrade.

[I Simonius]

I saw a guy with his alptop on the train only had icons in the sidebar = howd'e'do'dat?:dunno

[cabbey]

Leopard is a triumph (http://weblog.infoworld.com/yager/archives/2007/10/take_me_home_le.html).

Rather glowing review. But it isn't too far off the mark from what I've heard from folks with developer seeds.

I would take a bit of objection to this quote though:

you can always count on framework objects being present and behaving as documented

I've got a few bugs filed that contradict that last bit. Hopefully they'll all be fixed in the GM of Leopard.

[patch29]

I saw a guy with his alptop on the train only had icons in the sidebar = howd'e'do'dat?:dunno


Drag the column divider to the left to show only the icons.

[Ann McRae]

So tonight I came home with the following:
iMac 20" with the same amount of 'guts' as the first level of 24". The more powerful 24" is special order and 6 - 8 weeks away...:cry . I didn't want to wait...
So, I decided on the 20" with a 23" apple cinema display.

The sales guy figured that as a "prosumer" :rolleyes I might be better off with a Mac Pro, but I didn't buy his stats re: processing speed as being important for me(hope I am wrong - I interpret speed as not being the same as ability). His arguement was iMac 24" with more power, plus second monitor = Mac pro plus mediocre monitor in $ amount. I felt better abot a good monitor rather than a few seconds difference in processing speed.

So hopefully I have made the best choice given my options for having it in my hands now!

I also bought CS3 and the apple extended warranty.

and the leopard upgrade did not have a price attached, that I have found yet anyway.

and I got confused about lightroom v aperture, so got neither.

ann

[DavidTO]

You should qualify for this (http://www.apple.com/macosx/uptodate/), and my vote is Lightroom. :D

EDIT: Dang, I forgot! Congratulations! :clap

[Ann McRae]

Thanks, David - yep I got a form for that 'up to date'. Funny, the sales guy's vote was aperture ('most real photogs use aperture') and I was sure the vote here was for lightroom....so I will wait and maybe try both trial versions.

I'm sure I have a big learning curve ahead of me!!

ann



You should qualify for this (http://www.apple.com/macosx/uptodate/), and my vote is Lightroom. :D

EDIT: Dang, I forgot! Congratulations! :clap

[cabbey]

The sales guy figured that as a "prosumer" :rolleyes I might be better off with a Mac Pro, but I didn't buy his stats re: processing speed as being important for me(hope I am wrong - I interpret speed as not being the same as ability).

:rolleyes and did he mention he works on a sliding commission? Even if the two sales receipts were equal in value, he'd take home more for the Pro sale than for the iMac sale. He probably also figured you'd be back for that second monitor sometime down the road.

His arguement was iMac 24" with more power, plus second monitor = Mac pro plus mediocre monitor in $ amount. I felt better abot a good monitor rather than a few seconds difference in processing speed.

So hopefully I have made the best choice given my options for having it in my hands now!

Let's say you use the machine for 1 hour a day working on photos. The difference in wait time for PS to chew on them in long batch processes might be a minute. (I'm assuming you spend a lot of time in long filters... it might be more like a tens of seconds over that hour.) On the other hand, you'll be staring at those monitors the entire hour plus a little bit. And the entire hour plus a little bit you'll be trying to figure out how to spread your work around on those monitors.

Nah, I think you made a pretty good choice. :thumb


I also bought CS3 and the apple extended warranty.

and the leopard upgrade did not have a price attached, that I have found yet anyway.

good choices on both. It's $10 for shipping and handling... the update itself is "free". If you bought ten machines, you could buy one physical media, and then request additional "right to copy" slips, which is basically the license, for each additional. When I got it for 10.4 they weren't even physical, they emailed me a PDF.


and I got confused about lightroom v aperture, so got neither.

ann

Lots of people do just fine without either. :)


Funny, the sales guy's vote was aperture

:rofl of course he did. Aperature is an Apple program. See above about commisions. :wink

('most real photogs use aperture')

That is what we call the Jobsonian RDF (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reality_distortion_field). Clearly the sales guy was under it's spell... congratulations for resisting it's siren song.

And welcome to the light side.

[Dee]

Congratulations on your new Mac!!!!!

I don't use Lightroom or Aperture... but then I don't do the type of photography where it would be useful. With your sports shooting, you might find you have more need of those programs.

Again, Congratulations!

[DavidTO]

Leopard Guided Tour (http://www.apple.com/macosx/guidedtour/small.html).

[wxwax]

I saw a guy with his alptop on the train only had icons in the sidebar = howd'e'do'dat?:dunno
You mean the dock? If you do, it's easily moved. I'm guessing you don't mean the dock. :hide

[DavidTO]

You mean the dock? If you do, it's easily moved. I'm guessing you don't mean the dock. :hide


http://myskitch.com/davidrosenthal/macintosh_hd-20071019-143123.jpg

[wxwax]

Oooh, that sidebar. :lol3

[I Simonius]

Drag the column divider to the left to show only the icons.

oh yeah...:huh .. actually I did try that first ting but I didnt realise it snapped to, when I did it it either showed a bit of text or went right over the icons

(aaagh I am going mad it is neaqrly half past midnight and the neighbours are playting REALLY loud and BAD music - pulls hair out....)

at leat my sidebar is right now.. that's something ...

[Ann McRae]

Thanks, guys!!! I am sitting here on my windows machine, looking at the splendor of my new iMac, as it tries to install some software upgrades. Keeps finding more things to upgrade!!

I have been thinking that the learning curve is gonna be huge - new operating system and new editing system!!!! But it is winter, and we Canadians pretty much hibernate so I will have lots of time to learn.

So I have many, many photos, strewn across the windows hard drive, the external hard drive, the old virus infected harddrive and many, many cds.

Where to starts, and what is the most logical orgnizational system?

Currently, I make a folder per month, and subfolders within that.

My RSE (raw shooters essentials) makes a subfolder for converted files. Will ACR do that?

Oh I can see this is going to be a huge process!!!!

ann

[BradfordBenn]

You are not in this alone. I have been going through this as well. I still use Windows at work and Mac at home for personal stuff and am trying to transition. I have put up a few of my comments on my blog. The two that might be interesting are:


Interesting Changing Computer Operating Systems (http://blog.bradfordbenn.com/?p=106)
or
Greetings from St. Louis (http://blog.bradfordbenn.com/?p=101)

I am asking questions everyday.

[Ann McRae]

Thanks, Brad. I will be asking lots!

First impessions:

Wow, what a difference a good monitor makes ...... and I haven't set up the 23" cinema display yet!!!

Second, my editing hasn't sucked too much lately, despite my lousy monitors! Gotta trust that histogram!

Third....don't tell my hubby buy maybe if we had bought a new monitor when we had to replace the HD, we wouldn't have needed this whole new system!!! But wait, there is still the dealing with vista and its random shut downs that would be ticking me off....

Loving the apple keyboard, loving the way smugmug displays in safari!!!!
So far so good.

ann

[DavidTO]

Ann,

I like the new keyboard, too.

For work I got the new wireless keyboard, which is the size of the keyboard on a MacBook, and is THIN!

I love that thing. Love, love, love.

Again, congrats!

[Ann McRae]

Thanks, David.

I just set the other monitor up - first issue - mouse cord not long enough. I imagine it is easily fixed with a wireless mouse.

Boy, these monitors are sweet.

too kewl!


Ann,

I like the new keyboard, too.

For work I got the new wireless keyboard, which is the size of the keyboard on a MacBook, and is THIN!

I love that thing. Love, love, love.

Again, congrats!

[DavidTO]

Thanks, David.

I just set the other monitor up - first issue - mouse cord not long enough. I imagine it is easily fixed with a wireless mouse.

Boy, these monitors are sweet.

too kewl!


Plug the mouse into the keyboard.

[Ann McRae]

WooooHaaaaaaaa! That is uber cool!!!!
Thanks!

Plug the mouse into the keyboard.

[Ann McRae]

Garage Band - 12 yr old boy, musically inclined... need to keep him away from my new toy!!!!

Gosh, these monitors are really nice.

Now, install PSCS3, transfer a few RAW files over, and maybe emerge from this room in time for work on Monday.

ann

[DavidTO]

Garage Band - 12 yr old boy, musically inclined... need to keep him away from my new toy!!!!



Or buy him one. :wink

Oh, and don't show him PhotoBooth!

[Elaine]

Congrats on the new goodies, Ann! I've been following this thread and enjoying reading about what you decided to get and your first impressions. We are looking to make a similar transition. To hear you talk about your new monitors makes me want to run out and buy stuff tomorrow...and since it's my b-day, why not? :wink Well, I think we'll wait for Leopard at least. Anyway, I hope you keep us updated on your impressions and ask your questions publicly so we can learn too! :D

[DavidTO]

A big thumbs up :thumb for TextExpander (http://www.smileonmymac.com/textexpander/index.html).

[wxwax]

Hot Corner rocks.

[Mike Lane]

Hot Corner rocks.ha ha awesome!

[wxwax]

ha ha awesome!
:thumb Thanks!

[Ann McRae]

Thanks Elaine. I am trying not to be totally intimidated!!!Just finished installing and registering PSCS3. I think I will move a few gigs of photos over, and spend the day playing/learning and testing.

Last night I looked at photos I have posted on smugmug..one photohas this rally wierd reflection in it that I had not seen before- on the PC monitor and on my husbands laptop and my work monitor - I do not understand how I couldn't see it on any other machine. But it is there, none the less.

I will keep you posted, and I am sure I will be crying out for help several times this weekend!

I have 3 basketball teams to shoot tomorrow - but not a tight delivery deadline for them so that should be fine.

ann

Congrats on the new goodies, Ann! I've been following this thread and enjoying reading about what you decided to get and your first impressions. We are looking to make a similar transition. To hear you talk about your new monitors makes me want to run out and buy stuff tomorrow...and since it's my b-day, why not? :wink Well, I think we'll wait for Leopard at least. Anyway, I hope you keep us updated on your impressions and ask your questions publicly so we can learn too! :D

[DavidTO]

Ann,

You need to calibrate that monitor, even if only by eye. The default gamma on Macs is 1.8, and you need to change it to 2.2. The reasons behind this are long and boring, but just do it. But the gamma alone could be the reason that you're seeing stuff you didn't see before. 1.8 makes the image look lighter.

If you have a hardware monitor, use it, and make sure the gamma is 2.2.

Otherwise, go to your System Preferences:

?>System Preferences>Displays>Color>Calibrate. Turn on expert options. You'll be shown a series of Apples in a box, your job to make it disappear. Squint your eyes, and take your time. It's certainly no match for a good hardware calibration, but it's better than nothing. At the end make sure you set the gamma to 2.2. You can leave the white point at native.

Good luck! :thumb

[Ann McRae]

So, that's not easy! It was easier to get on the cinema display than the iMac. Can't really be sure I got it right but I'm sure y'all will tell me if I am way off.

Any other settings to change?

What about aRBG vs. sRBG - that's something to pay attention to when saving files after edting, right?

ann
PS: This image (http://canadian-ann.smugmug.com/photos/205157640-M.jpg) has a 'reflection' of the hotel on the right - do not understand how it is there, and I have only realized it existed once I looked at it on the apples. This is one of the last images with my 17 - 85.....
Ann,

You need to calibrate that monitor, even if only by eye. The default gamma on Macs is 1.8, and you need to change it to 2.2. The reasons behind this are long and boring, but just do it. But the gamma alone could be the reason that you're seeing stuff you didn't see before. 1.8 makes the image look lighter.

If you have a hardware monitor, use it, and make sure the gamma is 2.2.

Otherwise, go to your System Preferences:

?>System Preferences>Displays>Color>Calibrate. Turn on expert options. You'll be shown a series of Apples in a box, your job to make it disappear. Squint your eyes, and take your time. It's certainly no match for a good hardware calibration, but it's better than nothing. At the end make sure you set the gamma to 2.2. You can leave the white point at native.

Good luck! :thumb

[DavidTO]

aRGB and sRGB are settings that aren't Mac or PC specific. You have to figure out your own workflow, there are plenty of posts here on that.

Yeah, there are other settings and things that we could go over, but nothing imperative that you do now. Getting your monitor on 2.2 gamma is important, the rest can happen more slowly. Just have fun for now!

[colourbox]

Thanks, David - yep I got a form for that 'up to date'. Funny, the sales guy's vote was aperture ('most real photogs use aperture') and I was sure the vote here was for lightroom....so I will wait and maybe try both trial versions.

Sales guy's vote...yeah right. If you want some actual statistics......
Aperture vs. Lightroom: What do the pros use? (http://blogs.adobe.com/jnack/2007/10/aperture_vs_lightroom.html)

[Ann McRae]

Thank You! Hope Apple pays you extra :D

ann

aRGB and sRGB are settings that aren't Mac or PC specific. You have to figure out your own workflow, there are plenty of posts here on that.

Yeah, there are other settings and things that we could go over, but nothing imperative that you do now. Getting your monitor on 2.2 gamma is important, the rest can happen more slowly. Just have fun for now!

[gluwater]

So, that's not easy! It was easier to get on the cinema display than the iMac. Can't really be sure I got it right but I'm sure y'all will tell me if I am way off.

Any other settings to change?

What about aRBG vs. sRBG - that's something to pay attention to when saving files after edting, right?

ann
PS: This image (http://canadian-ann.smugmug.com/photos/205157640-M.jpg) has a 'reflection' of the hotel on the right - do not understand how it is there, and I have only realized it existed once I looked at it on the apples. This is one of the last images with my 17 - 85.....
That is wierd Ann. The only half baked idea I can come up with is if you were hand holding my grad ND and you weren't covering the entire lens and it is a reflection off the back side of the filter. Because the hotel was behind us at that spot. Any other ideas?

[Ann McRae]

Yeah, that is the only explanation I can come up with as well.:dunno

Glad that I can finally see things like that. Have spent all morning playing, tried photo merge, ACR, Bridge...lots to learn, but at the same time pretty similar to PSP and the PC.
First edited image (http://canadian-ann.smugmug.com/photos/210533160-M.jpg)
ann

That is wierd Ann. The only half baked idea I can come up with is if you were hand holding my grad ND and you weren't covering the entire lens and it is a reflection off the back side of the filter. Because the hotel was behind us at that spot. Any other ideas?

[gluwater]

Yeah, that is the only explanation I can come up with as well.:dunno

Glad that I can finally see things like that. Have spent all morning playing, tried photo merge, ACR, Bridge...lots to learn, but at the same time pretty similar to PSP and the PC.
First edited image (http://canadian-ann.smugmug.com/photos/210533160-M.jpg)
ann I'm going to give it to you straight Ann. I think your image is too dark and you should have used a tri-pod :rofl. Look at your histogram. All your data is in the top and bottom third. You have no midtones. Try using a curve to bring out your midtones but don't touch the sky. This is where masks are a life saver. If you haven't bought it yet, get Katrin Eismann's book, Photoshop Masking & Compositing (http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=29443) . It is well worth the money and is very easy to understand if you are new to masks. Or at least check out the reading group we did here at the link above. We never actually finished the write up but it is still worth checking out. Here is a quick edit (http://www.smugmug.com/photos/210564286-L.jpg) on your web sized image.

[Ann McRae]

As always, Nick is right:bow ..except about the tripod for this shot!

Yes, I have some learnin' to do. and masks will be part of it. However, just yankin the middle of the curve did make a difference - although I do think one must be careful not to destroy the mood of the time of day..this was presunrise and the lack of mid tones helps portray that somewhat.

So, all this tells me is that we need to organize another workshop soon!:wink




I'm going to give it to you straight Ann. I think your image is too dark and you should have used a tri-pod :rofl. Look at your histogram. All your data is in the top and bottom third. You have no midtones. Try using a curve to bring out your midtones but don't touch the sky. This is where masks are a life saver. If you haven't bought it yet, get Katrin Eismann's book, Photoshop Masking & Compositing (http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=29443) . It is well worth the money and is very easy to understand if you are new to masks. Or at least check out the reading group we did here at the link above. We never actually finished the write up but it is still worth checking out. Here is a quick edit (http://www.smugmug.com/photos/210564286-L.jpg) on your web sized image.

[DavidTO]

As always, Nick is right:bow ..except about the tripod for this shot!

Yes, I have some learnin' to do. and masks will be part of it. However, just yankin the middle of the curve did make a difference - although I do think one must be careful not to destroy the mood of the time of day..this was presunrise and the lack of mid tones helps portray that somewhat.

So, all this tells me is that we need to organize another workshop soon!:wink


A workshop to make sure you get the most out of your image for print? Great idea! Stay tuned! :D

[gluwater]

The neverending Mac monitor question. Alright, we all know that people prefer the matte over the glossy screens. But how much of a difference is there between the 17" MacBook Pro Matte sceen and the 23" Cinema? Also, do users with the 17" MacBook Pro find it too big? Basically I'm trying to decide on a MacBook Pro vs a Dual 3.0 DualCore MacPro with 23" Cinema. If I do go with a MacBook Pro it would be a 17" and no additional monitor or a 15" and a 23" Cinema. I would not be purchasing this for at least 4 months so I have time to change my mind an infinite number of times. So what's the opinion of the Mac gurus around here?

[colourbox]

But how much of a difference is there between the 17" MacBook Pro Matte sceen and the 23" Cinema?

Don't know the exact answer to your question, but if the color gamut plots in this article (http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/content_page.asp?cid=7-8741-9027) are any indication, even the best MacBook/MacBook Pro screen will not be close to any desktop LCD. Also, the 17" still uses the older, conventional CCFL backlight, which in the linked article is shown to be inferior to the color rendition of the new LED backlight in the 15" MacBook Pro, which is still not as good as an iMac screen, much less a Cinema Display. Given all that, I'd conclude that the current 17" MacBook Pro LCD is probably not close at all to the 23" Cinema Display.

[Ann McRae]

Again, WooooHaaaaa! This sounds great David. Looking forward to details.



Spent the whole day playing and learning. Read about sRBG v aRBG for web display and even figured out how to change settings so that the files get converted to sRBG ( i am not 'tupid after all!). And I do see a difference in how they display on smug:
sRBG (http://canadian-ann.smugmug.com/photos/210633201-M.jpg)
aRBG (http://canadian-ann.smugmug.com/photos/210603166-M.jpg)

The mouse and I have not become bosom buddies yet. Minor detail.

And I haven't tried to do anything other than play in CS3 today. I am very impressed with ACR compared to RSE. And photomerge is working just like everyone said it would.

Thanks for all the support.

ann

A workshop to make sure you get the most out of your image for print? Great idea! Stay tuned! :D

[eoren1]

Alright. So I'm just about to jump over to the world of Apple and need two pieces of advice. My plan, after much contemplation, is to purchase the Macbook 13" 2.16 GHz in white. I'll upgrade the ram on my own after purchase. My questions are about external storage and monitors.

1. External storage. Currently have a PC with 4 drives (all formatted in NTFS) - 500 GB SATA, 250 GB SATA, 320 GB EIDE and 160 GB EIDE. The 320 GB is currently in an external housing and holds backups of my photos. I use Lightroom that is currently processing on the 500 GB drive. I expect that I will use both computers for photo processing for the near future but will likely switch to mac-only very soon after. So, what should I do as far as storage? Leave the photos on the 320 GB and plug this in to the Mac whenever I work with LR? If so, do I need to reformat this drive to another file format? Anyone have good success with using a NAS for primary storage of photos in this type of scenario?

2. Monitor. Currently have a Dell 17" but would like to upgrade this. I'm looking for an s-ips monitor that is under $500. Likely will try for the Dell 2007 WFP. Open to other suggestions.

Thanks!
E

[colourbox]

The mouse and I have not become bosom buddies yet. Minor detail.

I've got four USB mice lying around and the one I've chosen to not use is the one made by Apple.

On my Photoshop-equipped Mac Pro? Wacom tablet FTW!

[DavidTO]

I know the Apple mouse is not everyone's best friend, but I like it, quite a bit. Especially at work where I do a lot of horizontal scrolling in my video timelines. :thumb

[BradfordBenn]

The mouse and I have not become bosom buddies yet. Minor detail.



I got a Logitech MX400 and set the thumb buttons to do cool stuff like bring up the Dashboard & All Windows. Better for me than hot corners.

[I Simonius]

The neverending Mac monitor question. Alright, we all know that people prefer the matte over the glossy screens. But how much of a difference is there between the 17" MacBook Pro Matte sceen and the 23" Cinema? Also, do users with the 17" MacBook Pro find it too big? Basically I'm trying to decide on a MacBook Pro vs a Dual 3.0 DualCore MacPro with 23" Cinema. If I do go with a MacBook Pro it would be a 17" and no additional monitor or a 15" and a 23" Cinema. I would not be purchasing this for at least 4 months so I have time to change my mind an infinite number of times. So what's the opinion of the Mac gurus around here?

Bear in mind that a laptop will do damage to your neck faster than a desktop, if you don't need a laptop get the desktop.

The 23 cimema is a different experience altogether from any 17 screen after you have been staring at it for hours. Much bigger, certainly easy on the eye, and the extra desktop space makes a real difference

I had an earlier version of the 17 laptop and whilst the screen wasn't too big to look at it was annoying to carry about size wize, compared to the 15" that I now have.

So if that was my choice, Id go for the desktop + 23" cinema, without a doubt

[DavidTO]

All:

I merged a bunch of Mac threads (14, actually!) into this one. Let's keep all the Mac stuff in this one place, eh? :thumb

[Andy]

All:

I merged a bunch of Mac threads (14, actually!) into this one. Let's keep all the Mac stuff in this one place, eh? :thumb
:thumb

[patch29]

Bear in mind that a laptop will do damage to your neck faster than a desktop, if you don't need a laptop get the desktop.



Why? :scratch You could use an external monitor and keyboard if you seating position would be poor.

[gluwater]

Thanks guys. That was exactly the type of info I was looking for.

[DavidTO]

A big thumbs up :thumb for TextExpander (http://www.smileonmymac.com/textexpander/index.html).


Look, I don't want to oversell this app, but I LOVE IT. Saves so much time in making posts, writing HTML tags, auto corrects my typing...

[wxwax]

Look, I don't want to oversell this app, but I LOVE IT. Saves so much time in making posts, writing HTML tags, auto corrects my typing...
What do you write in your posts that you repeat often enough to need a macro?

Other than "Sorry, my mistake" of course. :deal

[DavidTO]

What do you write in your posts that you repeat often enough to need a macro?

Other than "Sorry, my mistake" of course. :deal


Funny. :wxwax


Well, I can grab a photo number from the URL of my site, or any photo #, say this one: 14326054. Once I've copied it to my clipboard, I only have to type: smimg and it writes out an img tag with the photo number in it, like this:

http://smugmug.com/photos/14326054-L.jpg

Also, it's much more than just expanding text. It can auto correct the things that I always mistype.

[wxwax]

It can auto correct the things that I always mistype.

That's teh Califronian in you.

[Ann McRae]

Nick - come visit! I'll show you the iMac plus 23" cinema dsplay :D:D

Honestly, the monitor is absolutely gorgeous - I frankly do not know how I managed before!!1 Of course, lps judges will tell you I didn't manage!

Anyway, I now have the opinion that all discretionary money should go toward the monitor purchase.

ann

Thanks guys. That was exactly the type of info I was looking for.

[Mike Lane]

Funny. :wxwax


Well, I can grab a photo number from the URL of my site, or any photo #, say this one: 14326054. Once I've copied it to my clipboard, I only have to type: smimg and it writes out an img tag with the photo number in it, like this:

http://smugmug.com/photos/14326054-L.jpg

Also, it's much more than just expanding text. It can auto correct the things that I always mistype.I said it once and I'll say it again...

Textexpander looks cool, but not $30 cool. :deal

Something like delicious library, that's worth the money ($40 in their case).

[I Simonius]

Why? :scratch You could use an external monitor and keyboard if you seating position would be poor.

true, but I didnt realise that until too late for my neck.. too concentrated on the screen..and my thinking was if you want external monitor and keyboard why not get a desktop anyway, given he has te choice from te outset?:wink

[Andy]

Again, WooooHaaaaa! This sounds great David. Looking forward to details.



Spent the whole day playing and learning. Read about sRBG v aRBG for web display and even figured out how to change settings so that the files get converted to sRBG ( i am not 'tupid after all!). And I do see a difference in how they display on smug:
sRBG (http://canadian-ann.smugmug.com/photos/210633201-M.jpg)
aRBG (http://canadian-ann.smugmug.com/photos/210603166-M.jpg)

The mouse and I have not become bosom buddies yet. Minor detail.

Get a two-button mouse with a scroll wheel, anything from Logitech that suits your fancy will work just fine :thumb

Anne: process in sRGB. Upload in sRGB.
http://www.smugmug.com/help/srgb-versus-adobe-rgb-1998

And to what David was talking about:
http://blogs.smugmug.com/don/2007/02/14/this-is-your-mac-on-drugs/

[SloYerRoll]

Are there any PC equivelants to texpander?
I use my Mac a decent bit. It's not my primary machine though.
I LOVE texpander but would love to have something like it for PC..

What do you write in your posts that you repeat often enough to need a macro?Mydislexic self almost always types the word "just" as "jsut". It's really annoying to spell check something when you know how to spell. Your fingers jsut (<-- SEE ARRGGHH!!) just don't do what you tell them sometimes.

[I Simonius]

Are there any PC equivelants to texpander?
I use my Mac a decent bit. It's not my primary machine though.
I LOVE texpander but would love to have something like it for PC..

Mydislexic self almost always types the word "just" as "jsut". It's really annoying to spell check something when you know how to spell. Your fingers jsut (<-- SEE ARRGGHH!!) just don't do what you tell them sometimes.


I gret that all the timr:wink

[DavidTO]

Try Texter.

(can't believe you've got me recommending Windows software HERE!!!! Oh, not a recommendation, I've never used it! :D)

[Ann McRae]

Thanks, Andy. Done the gamma and the sRGB already - good info here!!!
Will go mouse shopping soon.
ann

Get a two-button mouse with a scroll wheel, anything from Logitech that suits your fancy will work just fine :thumb

Anne: process in sRGB. Upload in sRGB.
http://www.smugmug.com/help/srgb-versus-adobe-rgb-1998

And to what David was talking about:
http://blogs.smugmug.com/don/2007/02/14/this-is-your-mac-on-drugs/

[wxwax]

A couple of interesting facts from Apple's Q4 success story (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=ai2aLUnI3BEM&refer=home).


The Mac accounted for half of revenue last quarter.

Apple's PC market share in the U.S. in the third quarter widened to 8.1 percent from 6.2 percent, according to Gartner Inc. That was Apple's highest share in at least a decade.

[SloYerRoll]

Try Texter.
Thanks David. I'll give it a shot. I'd post in in a DavidTO unsolicited PC advise thread. I'd probably get banned for life though:rofl

[jdryan3]

But how much of a difference is there between the 17" MacBook Pro Matte sceen and the 23" Cinema? Basically I'm trying to decide on a MacBook Pro vs a Dual 3.0 DualCore MacPro with 23" Cinema. If I do go with a MacBook Pro it would be a 17" and no additional monitor or a 15" and a 23" Cinema. I would not be purchasing this for at least 4 months so I have time to change my mind an infinite number of times. So what's the opinion of the Mac gurus around here?

I'm no Mac guru, but I recently did the switcheroo from PC to Mac for my primary CS3 machine. Since I already had a 24" FWP monitor, it made it a littel easier. I went for the MacBook Pro 15". It has a DVI connection and handles separate calibrated monitor profiles. My main issue was storage, so I have external drives for archive and backup (400GB).

This allows for a large monitor for my workspace (PS, LR or Bridge) and my tools go on the laptop screen. The advantage is being able to disconnect my trackball, monitor and hard drive and go. I had used a 12" ultralight PC laptop in the past, but the Mac is soooo much nicer for 'on-the-road' editing. YMMV but this setup has worked very well for me. :thumb

[BradfordBenn]

Apple's PC market share in the U.S. in the third quarter widened to 8.1 percent from 6.2 percent, according to Gartner Inc. That was Apple's highest share in at least a decade.


I wonder how much of this growth is due to the new Intel based hardware being able to be run Windows software. I know it was one of the reasons that used to be a barrier to me switching. Now I switched and am almost at my self-imposed 90 days wait to see if I need to install Windows on the MacBook Pro. Anyone wanna guess what I am doing this weekend?

[DavidTO]

I wonder how much of this growth is due to the new Intel based hardware being able to be run Windows software. I know it was one of the reasons that used to be a barrier to me switching. Now I switched and am almost at my self-imposed 90 days wait to see if I need to install Windows on the MacBook Pro. Anyone wanna guess what I am doing this weekend?


Going out for a ride? :ear

[Terrence]

The price on a 23" Apple Cinema may give you a small heart attack, but it is sooooo worth it. It is the most pleasing, easiest on the eyes display I have ever used.

[wxwax]

The other surprise from Apple's Q4.

"Apple just stated in their earnings call that out of 1.4 million iPhones sold since launch, 250,000 are unlocked. "

Staggering. Almost 1/6th of iPhones are being hacked.

[patch29]

Almost 1/6th of iPhones are being hacked.


Imagine how many they would sell if they were all unlocked.

[I Simonius]

I wonder how much of this growth is due to the new Intel based hardware being able to be run Windows software. I know it was one of the reasons that used to be a barrier to me switching. Now I switched and am almost at my self-imposed 90 days wait to see if I need to install Windows on the MacBook Pro. Anyone wanna guess what I am doing this weekend?

Cleaning the Windows?:wink :rofl

[photobanks]

The price on a 23" Apple Cinema may give you a small heart attack, but it is sooooo worth it. It is the most pleasing, easiest on the eyes display I have ever used.

Agreed, fantastic display. Wish I could afford the 30" though!!

[DavidTO]

My copy of Leopard shipped today, priority overnight.

Here's the interesting thing: no matter what shipping method you chose (if you pre-ordered), they shipped overnight, and charge $0.

I guess they want to ensure that their customers get it on 10/26, not earlier, and rather than have to deal with customers getting it later, or earlier, they upgraded all shipping to overnight, and then charge nothing, since it's their choice about how they want to roll out their product.

Anyway, I'll have mine by 10:30 am, on 10/26!!! :clap

[cabbey]

My copy of Leopard shipped today, priority overnight.

Here's the interesting thing: no matter what shipping method you chose (if you pre-ordered), they shipped overnight, and charge $0.

I guess they want to ensure that their customers get it on 10/26, not earlier, and rather than have to deal with customers getting it later, or earlier, they upgraded all shipping to overnight, and then charge nothing, since it's their choice about how they want to roll out their product.

Anyway, I'll have mine by 10:30 am, on 10/26!!! :clap

That seems to only be folks that ordered from apple. Three of us at work all got the same email this morning, and all have fedex showing a 10:30 local time arrival. (given my location relative to the local fedex air office, I expect to have it around 9:45 am... if not before 7am when the first round of trucks head out with the "by 9am" content.) Two others that ordered from Amazon are still showing a delivery date of tuesday, and they paid for the "express" overnight delivery (which ate up the whopping $20 they saved on the base price). I suspect Amazon won't get their palates of it until friday, same as the rest of us. I'm told the local worst buy won't have it on the shelf until "sometime next week".

[wxwax]

You guys must have hated Christmas Eve.

[DavidTO]

You guys must have hated Christmas Eve.


Yeah. My parents really hosed me with the shipping! :D

[Andy]

My parents

Parents? :scratch WTF are you talking about?

[Andy]

Anyway, I'll have mine by 10:30 am, on 10/26!!! :clap
Neat, I ordered my family pack this morning, it's shipping out Fedex and I'll have it tomw, too :D

[DavidTO]

Parents? :scratch WTF are you talking about?


You've got to keep up, Andy. :wxwax

[Richard]

Time to get a new machine and I'm considering switching to Mac (gasp!). My current Dell Win2K laptop is six years old and is literally held together with duct tape. Despite the cost difference with HP, Dell and others--which is substantial--I am now sufficiently irritated with Msft that I am looking at the MacBook Pro. I apologize in advance if some of my questions have already been answered here, but this thread is over 200 pages long and search was not helpful.

1) Printing: I have old HP932c which is using an even older Win95 machine as a print server on my network. Don't laugh--it works just fine with the other machines in the house running Win2K, XP and Vista. So the question is, will OSX be able to recognize and use a printer that is managed by Microsoft print sharing?

2) Software: I use Excel and Word occasionally, but not often enough to justify spending any money on a Mac version. My game plan is to use Open Office (free) instead. Most of my frequently used apps (CS2, XnView, Thunderbird, Firefox) have Mac versions available. Are there any gotchas that I should be aware of in migrating my old data? Does Adobe let you move CS2 from Windows to a Mac without charge?

3) Screen: I do my photo editing on my Dell, which has a 15" 1600x1200 display. The 17" MacBook Pro is awfully expensive, so I was thinking of going for the 15" model. I am a bit concerned about the lower resolution of the Mac (1440x900). Does anyone out there do their editing on a 15" MacBook Pro? I suppose I could add an external monitor, but I like the ergonomics of working on a laptop in a comfortable chair more than sitting at a desk. Is the 17" model so large that it is uncomfortable to use on your lap?

4) Mice: I want a wireless one. Are there any third-party mice that are better than Apple's?

5) Networking: I will need to use my home-built photo database on a Win2K machine while I figure out a new solution for the Mac. From what I have read, OSX should be able to see a Windows shared directory across the network and vice versa. How bad is the performance penalty of accessing OSX files in a Windows shared environment? It doesn't have to be great, but I don't want it to be terrible.

6) Are there any other issues that people have had in moving from Windows to Mac?

If you have read this far, you are truly heroic:thumb. Thanks in advance for any tips.

Regards,

[photobanks]

Time to get a new machine and I'm considering switching to Mac (gasp!). My current Dell Win2K laptop is six years old and is literally held together with duct tape. Despite the cost difference with HP, Dell and others--which is substantial--I am now sufficiently irritated with Msft that I am looking at the MacBook Pro. I apologize in advance if some of my questions have already been answered here, but this thread is over 200 pages long and search was not helpful.

1) Printing: I have old HP932c which is using an even older Win95 machine as a print server on my network. Don't laugh--it works just fine with the other machines in the house running Win2K, XP and Vista. So the question is, will OSX be able to recognize and use a printer that is managed by Microsoft print sharing?

2) Software: I use Excel and Word occasionally, but not often enough to justify spending any money on a Mac version. My game plan is to use Open Office (free) instead. Most of my frequently used apps (CS2, XnView, Thunderbird, Firefox) have Mac versions available. Are there any gotchas that I should be aware of in migrating my old data? Does Adobe let you move CS2 from Windows to a Mac without charge?

3) Screen: I do my photo editing on my Dell, which has a 15" 1600x1200 display. The 17" MacBook Pro is awfully expensive, so I was thinking of going for the 15" model. I am a bit concerned about the lower resolution of the Mac (1440x900). Does anyone out there do their editing on a 15" MacBook Pro? I suppose I could add an external monitor, but I like the ergonomics of working on a laptop in a comfortable chair more than sitting at a desk. Is the 17" model so large that it is uncomfortable to use on your lap?

4) Mice: I want a wireless one. Are there any third-party mice that are better than Apple's?

5) Networking: I will need to use my home-built photo database on a Win2K machine while I figure out a new solution for the Mac. From what I have read, OSX should be able to see a Windows shared directory across the network and vice versa. How bad is the performance penalty of accessing OSX files in a Windows shared environment? It doesn't have to be great, but I don't want it to be terrible.

6) Are there any other issues that people have had in moving from Windows to Mac?

If you have read this far, you are truly heroic:thumb. Thanks in advance for any tips.

Regards,

1. Yes you will.

2. If you have a full copy of widows, the latest MACS let you nativelly boot up in windows, so you can still run MS Office with the copy you already have. I have not come across and issue migrating files over yet.

3. I have not used a laptop for ages, but if I were to go down that route I would definately have my 23" Apple Cinema display hooked up, as the colours are awesome, and the extra desktop space always comes in handy!!

4. I love the apple mice... once you have used them for a while and got used to them in my opinion there is not a better one on the market.

5. I would recommend investing on a High Capacity Firewire 800 drive. Working over ethernet connection will be a lot slower, but it is do-able.

6. I use both windows and mac at work... when you have used a mac for a while, you will find yourself wanting to dump the PC and have more macs!! They just work straight out the box... no messing!!! But I find I do not have any problems going from PC to MAC and back again, other than font problems. If you are critical on fonts you will need the Open Type version so they work on both platforms.

Hope this help you.

Michael
:barb:clap:barb

[I Simonius]

Time to get a new machine and I'm considering switching to Mac (gasp!).

[/B][/I]If you have read this far, you are truly heroic:thumb. Thanks in advance for any tips.

Regards,

17" is probably more comforatble as you don't have to hold your knees so close together

My daughters had windows machines ( due to BFs) when here and they hooked up to my mac fine. we used ethernet and the girls Bfs connected them but they said it was really easy

[DavidTO]

For word processing/spreadsheets, spend $80 on iWork. OpenOffice is ok, but too windowsy. Ugly and cumbersome, IMO.

Mice: I like the Apple Mouse, others hate it. "Better"? Up to you, you need to find what you're comfortable with, any Bluetooth mouse should work fine.

There is a way to crossgrade from window to mac, I think you need to call Adobe. I know I've seen ppl on this board that have done it.

Why are you using a print server? I don't get it, I guess. I just plug my printer into the wireless router (airport) and it's available. Easy Peasy. Is there something I'm missing?

I would never rely on any laptop screen as my only editing display. They're just not good enough. Period.

[StevenV]

Does anyone out there do their editing on a 15" MacBook Pro?

15" PowerBook here, and I do.

4) Mice: I want a wireless one. Are there any third-party mice that are better than Apple's?

I use a Logitech two-button mouse w/wheel (I don't have it with me right now, I'll try to remember to get the model # tonight) with my Mac and I love it.

[greenpea]

Time to get a new machine and I'm considering switching to Mac (gasp!). My current Dell Win2K laptop is six years old and is literally held together with duct tape. Despite the cost difference with HP, Dell and others--which is substantial...


I just had to chime in on the cost issue, because that kept me from buying a mac for a long time. Look at the specs of a mac (hard drive, memory, processor speed, video card (video memory), etc), then go to Dell's web site and build a PC with similar specs. You'll find that there is really very little cost difference between a mac and a dell. When I did this 6 months ago a mac book pro was slightly cheaper than an equivilant Dell XPS, and a Mac Book was slightly more expensive than a Dell Inspiron.

Dell sells some real low end laptops Apple doesn't.

[Richard]

Thanks, Michael, Simon, David, Steven and Andrew for taking the time to reply.

Just a few comments about the comments so far.

I know there are several ways to virtualize Windows on the Mac, but I don't want to go that route. Boot camp forces you to use one environment at a time, which does not suit my work style at all. Parallels sounds more like it, but as a former professional programmer, I know that there are always little gotchas with virtualization.

Much as I would love to use a 23" Cinema Display, they sell for almost 1400 USD in Spain. Out of the question on my budget, I'm afraid.

I am using a print server because there are three machines on my network that need to print from time to time. My wireless router does not have a built-in print server, so I simply recycled an old machine for that. As I said, it works fine, and if Michael is correct, it should work fine with a Mac.

Regarding price, I configured a 17" HP DV9500xxx to be very close to the Apple MacBook Pro and it was around 900 dollars less. This was about three months ago. I have looked at this often over the years and my personal experience has been pretty consistent that Apple charges a premium for what I want. I just wish that Apple would sell OSX as a standalone product.

I bought a Mac years ago and was happy with it, but to be honest, I have been perfectly happy with Win2K as well. I have no doubt that OSX is prettier and smoother, but as a long-time Windows user, I know its quirks well enough that they are second nature to me. It is mainly recent news about Vista and irregularities in the Windows update process that are making me consider a switch.

Thanks again for your comments.

[DavidTO]

Check out the Dell displays. Whatever you do, I'll repeat, don't rely on the laptop display as your only photo editing display. If you do, prepare to be frustrated.

[DavidTO]

Good advice on upgrading to Leopard from MacFixit.com (http://www.macfixit.com/article.php?story=20071026082852658).

[Richard]

Check out the Dell displays. Whatever you do, I'll repeat, don't rely on the laptop display as your only photo editing display. If you do, prepare to be frustrated.

:dunno I have done my editing only on my laptop since I started doing photography three years ago. The color, contrast, brigntness and resolution of my 133 dpi Dell screen seemed good enough to me. Of course, things can always be better...I'm sure I would prefer a 40D to my 20D. :D

[wxwax]

Good advice on upgrading to Leopard from MacFixit.com (http://www.macfixit.com/article.php?story=20071026082852658).
That's a lot of work for "it just works." :bluduh

[DavidTO]

That's a lot of work for "it just works." :bluduh


Yeah, well at least you only have to re-install the system for an upgrade. I haven't reinstalled my system for anything other than a hardware failure or a major system update. Windows users seem to be reinstalling every month or two. :dunno

(I know, I exaggerate.)

[DavidTO]

Another good read on Leopard (http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/07/10/26/an_introductory_mac_os_x_leopard_review_meet_your_new_desktop.html).

[wxwax]

Yeah, well at least you only have to re-install the system for an upgrade. I haven't reinstalled my system for anything other than a hardware failure or a major system update. Windows users seem to be reinstalling every month or two. :dunno

(I know, I exaggerate.)
:cool I have never, ever needed to reinstall an operating system, winders or otherwise.

I'm a gonna wait. I simply can't believe it's necessary to go thru the contortions your link describes. It's absurd.

[DavidTO]

:cool I have never, ever needed to reinstall an operating system, winders or otherwise.

I'm a gonna wait. I simply can't believe it's necessary to go thru the contortions your link describes. It's absurd.


Contortions? For a major upgrade? Back up your system, and upgrade. Easy. If you are at all paranoid, then do an archive and install, which will leave a previous system folder which you can grab anything you want from, or just delete.

I've done the simple upgrade every time I've gone through this. I'm going to do the archive and install this time, because I think it's smart.

But tell me, how is this more contortious than any other major system upgrade? I really don't think it could be any simpler or more user friendly. You have 3 major options, the easiest and most brainless of them is already selected for you. And what would you gain by waiting? The procedure ain't gonna change. :dunno

[Richard]

And what would you gain by waiting? The procedure ain't gonna change. :dunno

Ever heard the saying "the pioneers get the arrows, but the settlers get the land"? Unless there's something that you absolutely can't live without, it's never a good idea to be the first on your block to get a new piece of software. If I were a current Mac user, I would wait till the .1 revision comes out. There are always issues with a .0 release.

[DavidTO]

Ever heard the saying "the pioneers get the arrows, but the settlers get the land"? Unless there's something that you absolutely can't live without, it's never a good idea to be the first on your block to get a new piece of software. If I were a current Mac user, I would wait till the .1 revision comes out. There are always issues with a .0 release.


I know that, but waxy was talking about the upgrade process. If he had said, "I want to wait for the bugs in the system to be ironed out," I wouldn't said anything.

On that note, however, the two links I posted above contradict each other about the stability of Leopard. One says it was released too early, the other says the opposite, that it's very stable and mature. I'm willing to see for myself. But waiting makes sense, too. My work system certainly isn't going to be upgraded right away, but that's not my call, anyway. I leave that to the tech department here who have much larger issues at hand than just my one computer. :D

[Richard]

I know that, but waxy was talking about the upgrade process. If he had said, "I want to wait for the bugs in the system to be ironed out," I wouldn't said anything.


An installer is just another piece of software, David. All software has bugs. It's not like sticking a fresh battery into your camera. Anything other than a clean install on a newly formatted disk is enormously complex. It is literally impossible for a vendor to test all the possible combinations of system state and configuration, so while the process is likely to go smoothly for the "typical" user, there will almost certainly be issues for groups using a particular revision of something or other. Apple will undoubtedly need to make revisions to its installer script as well to the OS itself.

[DavidTO]

An installer is just another piece of software, David. All software has bugs. It's not like sticking a fresh battery into your camera. Anything other than a clean install on a newly formatted disk is enormously complex. It is literally impossible for a vendor to test all the possible combinations of system state and configuration, so while the process is likely to go smoothly for the "typical" user, there will almost certainly be issues for groups using a particular revision of something or other. Apple will undoubtedly need to make revisions to its installer script as well to the OS itself.


Which is why macfixit.com doesn't recommend the basic upgrade. I've found it to be fine. Future updates of the OS are not going to lower the risk you take in doing anything other than a clean install. The field keeps shifting. The basic OS will become more stable, but I doubt that the installer will be more reliable in any measurable way. Apple is pretty good with that out of the gate.

But I fully realize how complex it is, which is what my point was in the first place. It's not a minor update, but a major upgrade. It does deserve the respect of caution. :thumb

[wxwax]

On that note, however, the two links I posted above contradict each other about the stability of Leopard. One says it was released too early, the other says the opposite, that it's very stable and mature.
Egggzacly.

I'm in no hurry. From your Macfixit link.

Apple, having allowed this shipment to slip six months already, has had to get Leopard out the door before the end of October by hook or by crook. You may reasonably conclude that this cake is probably not entirely baked. As with Tiger, an early software update (10.5.1) will likely be needed to correct a multitude of issues. Until then, consider yourself a beta tester.

[StevenV]

the first commenter provides an alternate view.

Or some alternate reasoning for point one: Apple, having allowed this shipment to slip six months already, has had an extra six months to perfect the OS, therefore you may reasonably conclude that this cake is perfectly baked.

Having been through releases in many different OS' (DOS, Windows, NT, OpenVMS, OSF/1, Digital UNIX, Mac OS 7, OSX) I suspect the real "truth" is somewhere in the middle. prudence favors the reasonably cautious.

[wxwax]

the first commenter provides an alternate view.



Having been through releases in many different OS' (DOS, Windows, NT, OpenVMS, OSF/1, Digital UNIX, Mac OS 7, OSX) I suspect the real "truth" is somewhere in the middle. prudence favors the reasonably cautious.
Don't call me Prudence. :wxwax

[DavidTO]

Don't call me Prudence. :wxwax


You got it, Shirley.

What's your vector, Victor?

[StevenV]

Don't call me Prudence. :wxwax

only if you come in through the bathroom window.

Hey, anyone seen anything that would indicate there are any differences in Leopard between an Intel-Mac and a Power-Mac? I'm not expecting any, but given that current Macs are all Intel, I'd expect all the "what's new" stuff to ignore any PowerPC omissions if there were any.

[DavidTO]

only if you come in through the bathroom window.

Hey, anyone seen anything that would indicate there are any differences in Leopard between an Intel-Mac and a Power-Mac? I'm not expecting any, but given that current Macs are all Intel, I'd expect all the "what's new" stuff to ignore any PowerPC omissions if there were any.


Here (http://www.apple.com/macosx/techspecs/) you go. I think that's complete.

[StevenV]

Here (http://www.apple.com/macosx/techspecs/) you go. I think that's complete.so PhotoBooth won't work on my G4, it looks like everything else is ok. Cool, thanks. One of these years I'll get around to upgrading hardware.

[StevenV]

http://www.macjournals.com/news/despicable.html

[DavidTO]

http://www.macjournals.com/news/despicable.html


Very interesting.

Look, if you've regularly followed MacFixIt's advice to lobotomize your system by mixing and matching components from old and new system versions, you've screwed the Installer. There's no way it can anticipate or deduce a mish-mash hacked-up system installation that has parts of everything from 10.4.3 through 10.4.10. If that's the case for you, for whatever reasons you did it, you should either restore all the components back to the current versions before installng, or you should definitely choose "Archive and Install" or "Erase and Install." The Installer can't hope to figure things out if the version of your operating system does not contain the files that it's supposed to contain.


Otherwise, the normal "Upgrade Mac OS X" installation choice is the default for a reason: it works. The Installer contains a lot of logic to let installation packages specify upgrades, how to replace components, how to upgrade them, and so on. The code is designed and written specifically to automate all the upgrading tasks that you'd otherwise have to do by hand. It knows what files to keep, what files to replace, and what files to add. It just works. There are a few specific reasons to avoid it, as noted above, but there's no need to fear it in other circumstances. It works.

[wxwax]

http://www.macjournals.com/news/despicable.html
Thanks Steven. Quite a spat!

Dummies like me don't know what to to think. So I sits and I waits.

[cabbey]

Why are you using a print server? I don't get it, I guess. I just plug my printer into the wireless router (airport) and it's available. Easy Peasy. Is there something I'm missing?

Said wireless router is a print server... it's just an embedded one instead of one running on a desktop machine.

[DavidTO]

Said wireless router is a print server... it's just an embedded one instead of one running on a desktop machine.


Yeah, I'm slow with that kind of stuff. :D

[gus]

So whom here does ALL their processing on a macbook pro & how do you find it ?

Signed curious.

[DavidTO]

So whom here does ALL their processing on a macbook pro & how do you find it ?

Signed curious.


Gus, I don't do all on it, but I'll throw this in: the problem with a MBP display is the opposite of the glossy iMac. It's not as rich and poppy. If you get a calibrator it will be pretty close as far as color balance, in my experience, but you'll have to get used to the difference in saturation and pop that will be missing in it. You may tend to overdo things because of that if you're not careful.

[greenpea]

So whom here does ALL their processing on a macbook pro & how do you find it ?

Signed curious.

Currently (as I save up for a large LCD display) I do all my processing on a tiny 15" MBP. The screen is definately smaller than I would ideally like for all situations, but its fine for most of the stuff I do.

[gus]

Tks guys.

TO...the apple.au site says i can get the 17" in glossy. I like glossy (i know a lot dont) is there something im not seeing here ?

Also another for you. What do they mean with the bit about for an extra $150 i can get the glossy in High Res (http://store.apple.com/133-622/WebObjects/australiastore.woa/9614021/wo/fA3uZfyIR5yG2PaAvuw93E0evYT/5.?p=0) ? Is it worth the $150 extra ?

[DavidTO]

Gus, get the glossy. It might actually help offset the shortcomings of a laptop display. No guaranteeds, though.

The rez, Apple says this:By upgrading the display resolution to 1920 x 1200 pixels, you'll enjoy a workspace with 30% more pixels than the standard model, or as many pixels as the 23-inch Apple Cinema HD Display. You'll have more space for palettes and windows, and you can watch 1080 HD video content at full resolution.

I'd say it's up to you. 30% more space is cool, but then all it's doing is making everything smaller, so you have to decide for yourself. I have a friend with the 17" reg display, says he wouldn't, he likes the normal rez.

[DavidTO]

BTW, Gus, I can see why you've hesitated. Talk about paying a premium for not living in the US. That is really expensive over there!:huh

[gus]

BTW, Gus, I can see why you've hesitated. Talk about paying a premium for not living in the US. That is really expensive over there!:huh
I told you mac was as dear as poison here !! Considering our $ is currently very close to yours.

Juicy sweet mangoes are growing free on the roadside though ...sort of makes up for it some what.

[DavidTO]

I told you mac was as dear as poison here !! Considering our $ is currently very close to yours.

Juicy sweet mangoes are growing free on the roadside though ...sort of makes up for it some what.


Yeah, you're paying an extra $700USD, roughly.

[Andy]

Egggzacly.

I'm in no hurry.
Just installed Leopard (upgrade, no archive & install) on my Macbook Pro 17", not a single problem. Piece o' cake.

:clap

[Andy]

Just installed Leopard (upgrade, no archive & install) on my Macbook Pro 17", not a single problem. Piece o' cake.

:clap
Aaaaaaaaaaand just installed it on my Mac Pro, upgraded, no archive & install, not a single problem. Piece o' cake X2.

Thank you, Sir Steve :bow :bow

Now off to do AndyKid's Mac Mini and AndyWife's Powerbook G4. This is so easy even a button pushing monkey can do it. I shudder to think about the hassles of doing this sort of upgrade in the olde Winders days :lol3

[StevenV]

So whom here does ALL their processing on a macbook pro & how do you find it ?

PowerBook G4, but I love it. I'm sure that I could get better colors using a "real" monitor and a calibrator, but the tips I've found here (skin tone, etc) have helped me get pretty good stuff.

on the whole "upgrading to Leopard" topic, here's an article from a guy I trust: http://daringfireball.net/2007/10/murphys_law

[Andy]

Aaaaaaaaaaand just installed it on my Mac Pro, upgraded, no archive & install, not a single problem. Piece o' cake X2.

Thank you, Sir Steve :bow :bow

Now off to do AndyKid's Mac Mini and AndyWife's Powerbook G4. This is so easy even a button pushing monkey can do it. I shudder to think about the hassles of doing this sort of upgrade in the olde Winders days :lol3 Mac Mini done... 3 installs, no problemo.

[gus]

Mac Mini done... 3 installs, no problemo.
:rolleyes What next ....the cat will be walkin' funny ?

[gus]

Yeah, you're paying an extra $700USD, roughly.

yeah...crazy isnt it ? You can soon see what happens when you add CS3 & another few gigs generic ram what would happen to the price...a $5k laptop.

I do want a mac though...seeing what everyone did on them at glacier sealed it for me. The interfaces were just so so smooth & nice. My accountant is giving me some grief over the purchase though. My plan is to get her drunk tonight & get a signature before she knows whats going on.

How upgradable is a macbook pro ? I mean how much ram will a new one handle & can i upgrade the processor in 2 years time ?

Speaking of Glacier & macs...anyone got that photo of everyone sitting down in the bar room with all the macs ? I even got one handed to me to seal the photo.

[colourbox]

My accountant is giving me some grief over the purchase though. My plan is to get her drunk tonight & get a signature before she knows whats going on.

Hmm...were you talking to this cartoonist (http://web.mac.com/aaronandpatty/What_the_Duck/Comic_Strips/Entries/2007/10/26_WTD_333.html) a couple of days ago?

[gus]

Hmm...were you talking to this cartoonist (http://web.mac.com/aaronandpatty/What_the_Duck/Comic_Strips/Entries/2007/10/26_WTD_333.html) a couple of days ago?
yeeeep !

[colourbox]

How upgradable is a macbook pro ? I mean how much ram will a new one handle & can i upgrade the processor in 2 years time ?

RAM - up to 4GB, installation time 1 minute (http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Mac/MacBook-Pro/RAM/85/3/Page-3/Battery), user upgrades OK under warranty

Hard drive - moderate difficulty if good with tools (http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Mac/MacBook-Pro/Hard-Drive/85/5/), voids warranty

CPU - not upgradeable

Video card - not upgradeable

[cabbey]

I'd say it's up to you. 30% more space is cool, but then all it's doing is making everything smaller, so you have to decide for yourself. I have a friend with the 17" reg display, says he wouldn't, he likes the normal rez.

It's not "more space" so much as it is "finer grain". With resolution independence in Leopard, things should not be smaller any more. They should be the same size, just crisper. I've seen the high res display with Panther, and were I in the market for a MBP right now, I'd go for the higher res screen in a heartbeat.

[gus]

RAM - up to 4GB, installation time 1 minute (http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Mac/MacBook-Pro/RAM/85/3/Page-3/Battery), user upgrades OK under warranty

Hard drive - moderate difficulty if good with tools (http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Mac/MacBook-Pro/Hard-Drive/85/5/), voids warranty

CPU - not upgradeable

Video card - not upgradeable
ta mate :thumb

[Andy]

Now off to do AndyWife's Powerbook G4.
All done here, 4 different Macs, no problems with any install. The last one was my wife's Powerbook G4. Just finished that one :thumb

So nice....

[DavidTO]

It's not "more space" so much as it is "finer grain". With resolution independence in Leopard, things should not be smaller any more. They should be the same size, just crisper. I've seen the high res display with Panther, and were I in the market for a MBP right now, I'd go for the higher res screen in a heartbeat.


Is there truly resolution independence in Leopard? I don't believe that ended up in the final release, and I'm not finding it. :dunno


(Although I wouldn't know what to look for, exactly)

[thebigsky]

Just installed Leopard on my Mac Pro, had a few problems, now resolved.

After what seemed a successful install the machine would boot and get to the desktop but with only a mouse pointer and nothing else.

Had a look around and found the problem seemed to lie with those that had installed Application Enhancer, but I hadn't or so I thought.

I started up in target disk mode with my G5 and found there were indeed some Application Enhancer files on my drive even though I'd never knowingly installed it, turns out it was installed by Logitech when I set up my Laser Mouse (cheeky sods.)

Anyway I removed the offending files, rebooted and everything's fine.

Here's a link to one site with the required process:-

Remove application enhancer files (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=375444)

Momentarily reminded of my Windows days, but apportioning full blame to a third party :wink

Charlie

[DavidTO]

Is there truly resolution independence in Leopard? I don't believe that ended up in the final release, and I'm not finding it. :dunno


(Although I wouldn't know what to look for, exactly)


I will tell you this: I change the resolution of my display, and the effective area of it does change.

[colourbox]

Is there truly resolution independence in Leopard? I don't believe that ended up in the final release, and I'm not finding it. :dunno

Reports are it is the same as Tiger: present in the OS, not promoted, possibly not finished, not really used by any apps (including Apple's), accessible only by developer tools.

[Andy]

My wife must've thought I've been looking at pr0n all day long, I've been having multiple Apple-gasms :lol3

Seriously, it's so good, one cool thing after another :D

Coverflow :lust - Spaces - Improved iChat & networking - Time Machine - Quick Look and more

[CatOne]

Reports are it is the same as Tiger: present in the OS, not promoted, possibly not finished, not really used by any apps (including Apple's), accessible only by developer tools.

It doesn't really make sense until there are 200 DPI displays available ;-)

[CatOne]

On that note, however, the two links I posted above contradict each other about the stability of Leopard. One says it was released too early, the other says the opposite, that it's very stable and mature. I'm willing to see for myself. But waiting makes sense, too. My work system certainly isn't going to be upgraded right away, but that's not my call, anyway. I leave that to the tech department here who have much larger issues at hand than just my one computer. :D

Okay, so 3 little notes that are about as close to you'll get to the absolute truth on the subject:

1) Leopard is quite stable. I'd say it's at *least* as stable as 10.4.10, probably a fair bit more. It's been through the wringer for quite a while. And there are some really snazzy tools like Dtrace (and the GUI for it, Instruments) which can really help with testing, leak detection, etc that Leopard was built with.

2) No software ever ships without bugs. Software as complex as an OS has lots of bugs (some more serious than others). If it was held to fix 100% of all bugs, then no software would ever ship. Decisions have to be made based on what bugs are "showstoppers" (i.e. will block shipment).

3) There are numerous 3rd party application and "tweaks" (a.k.a. "haxies") that will either not work, not work 100%, or destabilize the OS itself. Since no developers (or very, very few!) had the GM of Leopard before yesterday, these take time to get fixed. This is by far where the largest number of issues will be found -- some of your bread and butter apps won't work (yet). And probably the best reason to wait a few weeks before upgrading -- to let other people take the bullets for you. From a photography perspective, for me, LR 1.2 cannot change to the Print module, and there are no drivers for my Epson 3800 Pro printer. So I can't print on Leopard right now. If I made a living from that... upgrading would cost me money. But I don't, so it's just an inconvenience (and I can dual boot back to Tiger if I want to print).

The good thing on #3 is that the Mac developer community tends to be *hugely* responsive to OS upgrades. Like 90% of these things are ironed out within 2 weeks.

[DavidTO]

I had one problem after an archive/intsall: I had a font conflict, and had to remove Helvetica Narrow. Once removed, all is good.

Things that I wish worked, but I have to wait for updates that are compatible with Leopard: Pith Helmet and SAFT.


All else seems to be good. My new love, Text Expander is working just fine! :lust

[DavidTO]

List of Incompatible Applications in Leopard (http://guides.macrumors.com/List_of_Applications_Not_Compatible_with_Leopard).

[cabbey]

Reports are it is the same as Tiger: present in the OS, not promoted, possibly not finished, not really used by any apps (including Apple's), accessible only by developer tools.

Yeah, I was really hoping it woulda been more widely adopted by at least apple's stuff, but so far, every thing seems just the same as in 10.4.

Well, everything except one: they finally properly detect that my apple supplied graphics card is capable of rotated screens... which means when I'm working on code, or a portrait, I can now spin my monitors around and have two tall screens, instead of two wide screens. :lust

It doesn't really make sense until there are 200 DPI displays available ;-)

Sigh. I was really hoping apple woulda stepped up to the plate anyway and fixed the biggest resolution dependent bug ever... the menu bar. But no, it appears to still be hard coded to pixels. (and it's traded nicely rounded corners for transparency it would seem.)

[thebigsky]

I've now installed it on my Intel and PowerPc Mac mini's with no problems, just the Powermac G5 to go. I've just set up Time Machine and it's working nicely and I'm really liking Finder and Spaces, excellent stuff!

Charlie

[gus]

So here is a superseded 17" 2.33 GHz MBP (http://www.nextbyte.com.au/nbnews.html) for $3399 ($600 below the new model here)

The new MBP is a 2.4 GHz & im not about to be worried over a small processor power increase.

Sound like a decent deal ?

[DavidTO]

So here is a superseded 17" 2.33 GHz MBP (http://www.nextbyte.com.au/nbnews.html) for $3399 ($600 below the new model here)

The new MBP is a 2.4 GHz & im not about to be worried over a small processor power increase.

Sound like a decent deal ?


No.

Check out the Aus. Apple Store refurbs (http://store.apple.com/133-622/WebObjects/australiastore.woa/wa/RSLID?mco=AA9C1547&nclm=certified). You can get a 2.4ghz 17" MBP with 2GB memory for $3299AU. Plus, Apple refurbs come with the same warranty as new.

[gus]

No.

Check out the Aus. Apple Store refurbs (http://store.apple.com/133-622/WebObjects/australiastore.woa/wa/RSLID?mco=AA9C1547&nclm=certified). You can get a 2.4ghz 17" MBP with 2GB memory for $3299AU. Plus, Apple refurbs come with the same warranty as new.

ahhhh sandshoe.

[DavidTO]

ahhhh sandshoe.


no wuckers, cobber.

[gus]

no wuckers, cobber.
I( suppose the thing is what OS they would come with.

[colourbox]

So here is a superseded 17" 2.33 GHz MBP (http://www.nextbyte.com.au/nbnews.html) for $3399 ($600 below the new model here)
Sound like a decent deal ?

You asked about RAM earlier. I could be wrong but in a quick lookup of that model number, it looks like the one that can only recognize up to 3GB RAM, even if you put 4GB of chips in it. The current 2.4 GHz version has an updated Intel logic board that supports a full 4GB of RAM.

[gus]

You asked about RAM earlier. I could be wrong but in a quick lookup of that model number, it looks like the one that can only recognize up to 3GB RAM, even if you put 4GB of chips in it. The current 2.4 GHz version has an updated Intel logic board that supports a full 4GB of RAM.
tks CB ..3 gig ram would do me fine as would 2 gig probably. Im still weighing it all up whether i sould buy one. I will procrastinate for another week or 2 maybe.

[DavidTO]

tks CB ..3 gig ram would do me fine as would 2 gig probably. Im still weighing it all up whether i sould buy one. I will procrastinate for another week or 2 maybe.


Those refurb deals come and go, so if you wait a couple of weeks, you may end up waiting a couple more waiting for it to restock, FYI.

[KED]

Aaaaaaaaaaand just installed it on my Mac Pro, upgraded, no archive & install, not a single problem. Piece o' cake X2.


I get mine tomorrow. Is "upgrade" an installation option? I didn't see it as a purchase option.

[DavidTO]

Upgrade/install options all explained here (http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=306517). Upgrade is a technical term, not meaning there is a special upgrade price. Every copy of Leopard sold is essentially an upgrade, yeah?

[gus]

Been speaking with some mac people...they said not to even consider glossy for photograpy but they all said the higher def screen is very much worth the few extra bob.

[devbobo]

I( suppose the thing is what OS they would come with.

Check out this page (http://store.apple.com/133-622/WebObjects/australiastore.woa/wa/RSLID?nplm=FA897X/A).

Every Refurbished Mac ships with Leopard

[KED]

Upgrade/install options all explained here (http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=306517). Upgrade is a technical term, not meaning there is a special upgrade price. Every copy of Leopard sold is essentially an upgrade, yeah?
Yep, and I certainly did search for an upgrade discount! Thanks for the link.

[DavidTO]

Ars Technica (http://arstechnica.com/reviews/os/mac-os-x-10-5.ars) has posted their review of Leopard.

[gus]

Check out this page (http://store.apple.com/133-622/WebObjects/australiastore.woa/wa/RSLID?nplm=FA897X/A).
tks mate...TO pointed that out to me a page back.

[colourbox]

Ars Technica (http://arstechnica.com/reviews/os/mac-os-x-10-5.ars) has posted their review of Leopard.

And it has some very interesting paragraphs about the resolution independence issue discussed slightly earlier in this thread. See page "Core UI."

[patch29]

Does Lightroom work well with 10.5? I read this from Adobe, so I might hold out.


Photoshop Lightroom 1.2 is not fully certified
for Mac OS X Leopard, but future updates will
address areas of Leopard compatibility

[patch29]

Does anyone know which Airport/Airport Extreme card goes into a PowerMac G5 Dual 2.7? I cannot find the part number.


I found this one (http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?nplm=F8881LL/A) on the Apple Referb site and the price is right, but I cannot figure out if it will fit. :scratch

[patch29]

Is the burn disc feature in Leopard any different?

[patch29]

Has anyone tried any of the Canon programs running under Leopard? DPP or EOS Utility/Capture?

[DavidTO]

Has anyone tried any of the Canon programs running under Leopard? DPP or EOS Utility/Capture?


Man, you have a lot of questions! :D


Unfortunately, I don't have an answer to any of them. :dunno

[colourbox]

Does Lightroom work well with 10.5? I read this from Adobe, so I might hold out.

From what I am reading on Adobe's Lightroom user forum, I am holding out. Reports are inconsistent. Some say it won't print, but others can, so the problem could be the Epson driver, not Lightroom. But Lightroom is getting the blame, warranted or not.

Ordered Leopard this morning to take advantage of a discount, but took the cheapest slow-boat shipping will not install it until the update patches roll in for my apps.

[gus]

Just looking at the refurb units....all current spec but no Hi-Res screen. The decision is do i want to save $800 & not have the Hi-res.

[DavidTO]

Just looking at the refurb units....all current spec but no Hi-Res screen. The decision is do i want to save $800 & not have the Hi-res.


No brainer for me. Hi-Res might be nice once resolution independence is enabled in Leopard, but for now the extra res ain't worth $800, even if those $$ are just aussie play money.

[gus]

even if those $$ are just aussie play money.

We we at 0.92c against USD yesterday. At least ours looks nice. (http://www.thirteenmonths.com/images/australia/auA/au_money.jpg)

[DavidTO]

We we at 0.92c against USD yesterday. At least ours looks nice.


Yikes, we're slipping.

And yes, our money is fugly.

[gus]

Yikes, we're slipping.


So why isnt this mac getting cheaper damn it !!

[Ann McRae]

The weakness of the USD has a net result of lots more internet shopping - Cdn $ at 1.04 today, but electronics prices haven't budged!!!!!

I just paid $900USD for a lens that would cost $1500Cdn from a store here!

So why isnt this mac getting cheaper damn it !!

[Giphsub]

We we at 0.92c against USD yesterday. At least ours looks nice. (http://www.thirteenmonths.com/images/australia/auA/au_money.jpg)

:rofl What, and ours don't look like play money?!?

Actually this strong Aussie dollar is screwing my plans for world domination...
My move back to Aus next year is gonna lose me some money :cry