[tilt]

One thing about the Mac is that you don't need to concern yourself with processor speed. It will work well, don't worry. It's not like the PC world when it comes to processor speeds.

I would recommend against the entry level iMac. The screen is too small for the money you're paying. Seriously the mini is the way to go for you, with a huge display and Apple keyboard.

Cheers

[Jaggu]

If processor speed is a priority go with MacBook Pro, it will help in running newer apps which might be more suited for the better processor. More than the OS it is the apps that become power hungry with each iteration. SSD will also make a big difference compared to HDD.

I am running a 4GB 2011 2.3 Ghz MBP and with SSD it has become substantially faster.

[omar]

Does anyone know any good reliable repair centers for macbooks in Mumbai?

[ashish.uno]

Originally Posted by abs182

I need advice from fellow Mac users. I want to get my first Mac just for a different experience and to try a different OS. But he Mac line up and its pricing in the India is a case of marketing genius because I am totally confused. I looked at the MBA 13 inch, Mac mini and iMac entry level models and they all are speced similarly i.e. with 1.4 processor and 4 GB RAM. I find them to be not enough as far a 'future proofing' is concerned and hence am confused. Another big confusion is that I'm a desktop person but am willing to go Laptop just to get my 1st experience with the Mac OS. So I need suggestions what is the best way out. I will us the computer for normal web surfing, word processing, Youtubing and watching a lot of Videos of an External HDD...

I'm super confused and hence need as much help as I can. Here is my shortlist:

1.) MacBook Air 13 inch - 128 GB
2.) MacBook Pro 13 Inch - 128 GB with Retina display
3.) Mac Mini 2.6 GHz processor: The Apple store guy was very discouraging for this saying I wont be getting the total Mac experience if I stick with by age old monitor, Keyboard and mouse.
4.) I am not sure if I want to go for the middle specs iMac.

It seems your needs are fairly simple.
"I will us the computer for normal web surfing, word processing, youtubing and watching a lot of Videos of an External HDD"

If you are sticking with the above statement then all the quoted options are good enough for the job at hand. Also Macs these days are coming with SSD, makes them faster than usual. So atleast for watching videos, surfing, you tubing etc. Its nearly future proof (5 years). So unless you are editing videos or running simulation don't worry about Quad core/Dual core or 1.4/2.4.

Secondly, you may note that 'portables' offer an advantage of easy mobility as compared to desktops. So while you might sometimes use a laptop as a desktop, reverse will not be possible. Also Macbook portables offer a battery backup of approx. > 10 hours. Nearly makes it a desktop

Lastly if you are purchasing a computer for the novelty factor of using OS X then Macbook Air 13" will suffice beautifully for all your requirements.

Infact i have been using Macbook Air 13" myself for last one year. Never found it lacking in anything. Since i didn't care much about either the Retina display or DVD drive, Air 13" was a natural choice. however if you want these 2 options go for Pro.

Cant go wrong with either of these.

[abs182]

Originally Posted by ashish.uno

Lastly if you are purchasing a computer for the novelty factor of using OS X then Macbook Air 13" will suffice beautifully for all your requirements.


Cant go wrong with either of these.

Thanks for the feedback. I'll have to finalise between an MBA 13 inch and a MBP 13 inch with retina. My whole idea was to get a feedback about their longevity as I'd not like to be in situation where I have to look for a replacement for them after 3 years especially after I've spent a bomb on it.

Hence the rant about the Processor clock speed and the limited RAM on the MBA 13 inch.

Thanks once again.

[Rachit.K.Dogra]

Originally Posted by abs182

Thanks for the feedback. I'll have to finalise between an MBA 13 inch and a MBP 13 inch with retina. My whole idea was to get a feedback about their longevity as I'd not like to be in situation where I have to look for a replacement for them after 3 years especially after I've spent a bomb on it.

Hence the rant about the Processor clock speed and the limited RAM on the MBA 13 inch.

Thanks once again.

Hi,

I have a macbook pro 15 inch with Retina. Its almost 3 years old now. In my opinion, Macs dont degrade that much in performance, battery backup as, generally other Windows laptop do. Generally hardware software combo of mac stays much more consistent for much longer.

What you can do is go to an Apple store, try the laptops there for sometime. They generally let you play with them. You can check the speed of some of the regular tasks you do. Probably will help you decide.

What I would recommend is probably get something one level faster than you think you need right now. If everything goes well, you will be using this laptop for longer than you think.

Regards
Rachit

[ampere]

Originally Posted by abs182

Thanks once again.

Originally Posted by Rachit.K.Dogra

If everything goes well, you will be using this laptop for longer than you think.

On prolonged life: I have a white Mac with polycarbonate unibody. And that I had got in 2008. Its now 7+ years. Still serves my needs well. Its a 2GB LPDDR3 with Snow Leopard.

[Mugen_Power]

Jaggu,

Thanks for details,pics and video for swapping SSD in MBP.

Do you have Yosemite or Mavericks?

Regards

[abs182]

Thanks for all the advice guys. Finally picked up a Macbook Pro 13 inch with Retina Display and Force touch. I was agonising to decide between the Pro and iMac. I took an hour of playing with both the devices I finally decided to go with the Pro. My wife simply abandoned me with my indecisiveness and wandered off to other shops in the mall!

I will be back to a laptop after 10 years! My last one was for university work way back in 2004. Hope it will serve me for a long time. Currently the local shop was running a Rs. 10,000/- off on accessories and hence took the Apple care plan which was for around Rs. 15,000/- by paying another Rs. 5,000/- for it. And also picked up a nice Thule bag also on which extracted a discount of 15% and paid Rs. 4,000/- for it.

All in all it was a very expensive day!

Thanks once again for all your advices guys.

[shreyak_ss]

Hi all!
I am contemplating to buy a Macbook pro (non retina) which is available for 55k right now. Does it make sense to invest in this laptop? I'll be needing it to surf the web, listen music, watch movies, and rarely run some big applications like Adobe Photoshop. I don't want the laptop to get sluggish in performance and should be able to handle above tasks easily. Please help guys! Should I buy this or not? The offer is only till Sunday

[tilt]

@abs182 - congratulations on your purchase. AppleCare was a good decision and is highly recommended for any portable machine.

@Shreyak_ss - The MB Pro will do for almost all the uses you mention. Photoshop on the other hand, requires a lot of RAM. You did not mention how much RAM comes with the machine. My advice is to get the maximum amount of RAM you can afford - and you have to do it right at the time of purchase because you cannot upgrade it after purchase.

Good luck on your decision.

Cheers

[shreyak_ss]

Originally Posted by tilt

@abs182 -
@Shreyak_ss - The MB Pro will do for almost all the uses you mention. Photoshop on the other hand, requires a lot of RAM. You did not mention how much RAM comes with the machine. My advice is to get the maximum amount of RAM you can afford - and you have to do it right at the time of purchase because you cannot upgrade it after purchase.

Cheers

Hi tilt,
The MB Pro comes with 4gb RAM stock. Will it be able to handle Photoshop?

[tilt]

Originally Posted by shreyak_ss

Hi tilt,
The MB Pro comes with 4gb RAM stock. Will it be able to handle Photoshop?

I seriously doubt it Shreyak. I think you would need an absolute minimum of 8 gigs, but since I am not a Photoshop user I shall leave our resident experts to answer your question.

Cheers

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by Mugen_Power

Do you have Yosemite or Mavericks?

Regards

Yosemite is what i am running now, i think i was already running it when i did the SSD upgrade.

EDIT: Yes i was, as shown in the video.

Originally Posted by abs182

Thanks for all the advice guys. Finally picked up a Macbook Pro 13 inch with Retina Display and Force touch.

Congratulations!

Originally Posted by shreyak_ss

Adobe Photoshop.

Originally Posted by tilt

@Shreyak_ss - The MB Pro will do for almost all the uses you mention. Photoshop on the other hand, requires a lot of RAM. You did not mention how much RAM comes with the machine. My advice is to get the maximum amount of RAM you can afford - and you have to do it right at the time of purchase because you cannot upgrade it after purchase.

Yup its the RAM that would be needed in this case, get min 8 or 16 ideally.

I didn't understand last bit though, why can't it be upgraded later? Or did you mean you wont get the exchange/upgrade benefit?

Originally Posted by tilt

I seriously doubt it Shreyak. I think you would need an absolute minimum of 8 gigs, but since I am not a Photoshop user I shall leave our resident experts to answer your question.

Yes 8 gig, 4 it will be very slow. This is true for even Win, the newer version of photo shop ie. Older versions should not be an issue.

[tilt]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

*SNIP*

I didn't understand last bit though, why can't it be upgraded later? Or did you mean you wont get the exchange/upgrade benefit?

*SNIP*

Newer Mac notebooks are not field upgradable at all. You are stuck with whatever you initially buy. So, if you don't order your new MacBook with the amount of RAM you need, you can never increase it later on.

Cheers