even newer apple product/updates

[kramwest1]

The speed issue with Thunderbolt is only with the cables, right? The ports will handle either copper/metal or fiber.
So, it should just be a matter of getting fiber optic cables for maximum speed, yes?

 

[powerhour24]

I'm not sure what it is that's holding them back from releasing optical cables, I just know that at launch TB will be copper-wired, but has the potential to be fiber-optic down the line.

 

[kramwest1]

I'm not sure what it is that's holding them back from releasing optical cables, I just know that at launch TB will be copper-wired, but has the potential to be fiber-optic down the line.

Cool.

In the meantime, I'll keep an eye on:

Blue Jeans Cable -- Quality Cables at Reasonable Prices

HDMI Cable, Home Theater Accessories, HDMI Products, Cables, Adapters, Video/Audio Switch, Networking, USB, Firewire, Printer Toner, and more!

and

USB | FireWire - Angled - Short - Custom - Cables - 877-522-3779

Great sources for cables.

 

[Canadiens1131]

You basically get on the Apple bus or you don't.

The proprietary Apple Display cord thingie, Firewire/Thunderbolt, having to have an iPod to USB cable handy if you want to sync, etc.

I love Apple products and have bought iPod after iPod after iPod Touch, but they love their own ecosystem, and you either love it or hate it.

 

[kramwest1]

You basically get on the Apple bus or you don't.

The proprietary Apple Display cord thingie, Firewire/Thunderbolt, having to have an iPod to USB cable handy if you want to sync, etc.

I love Apple products and have bought iPod after iPod after iPod Touch, but they love their own ecosystem, and you either love it or hate it.

I keep chugging their Kool-Aid (and offering it to thirsty friends).

 

[Jive Turkey]

I'm sorry

 

[Canadiens1131]

Is it me or does anyone else find a white enclosure / bezel really distracting on any kind of mobile device with back-lit screen?

Just looking at the white iPad 2 I can tell I would never want to watch more than a few minutes of video or read more than a few pages on it.

 

[Jive Turkey]

Ya, I completely agree. The white just keeps drawing your eye to the edge of the screen

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

yeah, as much as i like having a white macbook and ipod, i'd want my ipad to be black.

 

[kramwest1]

...like my coffee.


...like my men.


...like my soul.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

the best thing apple did with the ipad is to convince the buying public that they need an item that they don't need.

 

[Jive Turkey]

the best thing apple did with the ipad is to convince the buying public that they need an item that they don't need.

I have an iPad, but I'm fully aware that I don't need it. Much like I dont need my PS3, a smart phone, more than one guitar, etc. But you know what? I use the shit out of all those things, so it doesn't matter if they're needs or wants. They're still fun to have. I know what you're saying, as I used to think the same thing, but then I realized it's not the point. It's a cool little gadget that I've integrated into everyday use

 

[Canadiens1131]

The industry-specific applications of the iPad and other tablets are fascinating, actually.

YouTube - iPad Medical Application - BRIT Systems

 

[Jive Turkey]

The industry-specific applications of the iPad and other tablets are fascinating, actually.

And this. There are some awesome ones for what I do. I can't wait to see what else they come up with

 

[kramwest1]

From what I understand, one of the biggest commercial uses of iPads is for restaurant and wine menus.

Yeah, progress.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

i think steve jobs has heard my constant apple bashing because i can no longer open iTunes

 

[BoMac]

Alright tech people, I have a question:

It's about time that I learn how to use several programs in Adobe Creative Suite (i.e. Photoshop, InDesign)that is necessary for survival and advancement in my line of work (journalism).

I'm planning on self-teaching myself, but I'm wondering what would run those programs better: MacBook Air or MacBook Pro? I really like the look and updates made on the new Pro, but I'm leaning towards the Air because it's more within my price range.

Or should I go PC on this one?

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

i've also got a question. has anyone here ever bought anything refurbished from the apple store? ipads are ridiculously expensive here (even when converting the price to usd everything's still about $100 more) and until recently i was going to get one from the us store and have my mom send it to me. but the nz store has refurbished ones for the same price as the clearance ipads in the us.

aaaaanyway, my point is what are the refurbished models like, if anyone's bought any from them? it doesn't have to be an ipad of course, just anything so i can get an idea. do they come all scuffed up or do they look just like they're new but they're cheaper? going a week without one surely won't kill me so i can still go either way on this.

 

[kramwest1]

i've also got a question. has anyone here ever bought anything refurbished from the apple store? ipads are ridiculously expensive here (even when converting the price to usd everything's still about $100 more) and until recently i was going to get one from the us store and have my mom send it to me. but the nz store has refurbished ones for the same price as the clearance ipads in the us.

aaaaanyway, my point is what are the refurbished models like, if anyone's bought any from them? it doesn't have to be an ipad of course, just anything so i can get an idea. do they come all scuffed up or do they look just like they're new but they're cheaper? going a week without one surely won't kill me so i can still go either way on this.

I've got a refurbished iPod Nano. Couldn't tell that it wasn't new--new packaging, etc. I've had it at a year, and it's worked fine.
I'm looking at a refurbished iPod Classic now, too.
A cheap and safe example, but I think you'd be okay.

 

[kramwest1]

Alright tech people, I have a question:

It's about time that I learn how to use several programs in Adobe Creative Suite (i.e. Photoshop, InDesign)that is necessary for survival and advancement in my line of work (journalism).

I'm planning on self-teaching myself, but I'm wondering what would run those programs better: MacBook Air or MacBook Pro? I really like the look and updates made on the new Pro, but I'm leaning towards the Air because it's more within my price range.

Or should I go PC on this one?

My only advice (I don't use a full Adobe suite, but plenty of other things) is to max out the RAM. I don't know how much the Air can be upgraded to. I've got 4GB of RAM on my MacBooks, and I think we got my wife's new MBPro with 8GB.
That is my usual advice when you get a Mac--max out the available RAM capacity.

Someone here must have some useful Adobe experience though.

 

[Jive Turkey]

Photoshop can't utilize anymore than 4 gigs of RAM so it won't improve performance there, but I suppose it would benefit multitasking. That said, it would be hard to discourage someone from maxing out their ram in any case

 

[BoMac]

OK, so as long as it has at least 4GB of RAM, then I should be fine even with a MacBook Air?

For the record, I'm typing this from a MacBook laptop I bought in 2006 that has 512 MB of RAM.

 

[Jive Turkey]

Ya, I wouldn't worry about it. I have 2 gigs on my 2.5 year old Macbook Pro and use Photoshop nearly every day. Often on 16bit files that are over a gig in size. Would I like more RAM? Ya, and I'm picking some up very soon, but I havent ever had problems with the machine chugging along. Usually it's PS, Capture One Pro, and iTunes running simultaneously. No problems.

Maybe ask the guy at the Apple store to take photoshop for a test run on one of the demo laptops. I've never used the air, so I can't really speak for it

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

I've got a refurbished iPod Nano. Couldn't tell that it wasn't new--new packaging, etc. I've had it at a year, and it's worked fine.
I'm looking at a refurbished iPod Classic now, too.
A cheap and safe example, but I think you'd be okay.

thanks. i'll probably go the refurbished route then. i'd also be afraid if i shipped an ipad to my parents' place and my mom knew what was in the box, i'd probably never get it!

 

[kramwest1]

Photoshop can't utilize anymore than 4 gigs of RAM so it won't improve performance there, but I suppose it would benefit multitasking. That said, it would be hard to discourage someone from maxing out their ram in any case

My wife likes to have every application open at once, and she never empties her trash or restarts her computer.


64GB of RAM would be perfect for her.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

already mentioned it in the ipad/iphone app thread but i got an ipad! the online store didn't like my debit card but i was able to get it on sale in the store anyway (and got the last 16 gb wifi model in the region, woo). i'm already enjoying it, as is ian.

i don't regret not waiting at all (especially since it doesn't come out for two more weeks here) because honestly the new features don't impress me. plus i got it cheaper than i would've had a new one, so yay.

btw in case anyone's curious, foursquare works with the wifi version just fine. i'm glad i can check into stuff again. now everyone will know when i'm at school or home, cuz this shit matters

 

[kramwest1]

already mentioned it in the ipad/iphone app thread but i got an ipad! the online store didn't like my debit card but i was able to get it on sale in the store anyway (and got the last 16 gb wifi model in the region, woo). i'm already enjoying it, as is ian.

i don't regret not waiting at all (especially since it doesn't come out for two more weeks here) because honestly the new features don't impress me. plus i got it cheaper than i would've had a new one, so yay.

Enjoy!

( /jealous )

btw in case anyone's curious, foursquare works with the wifi version just fine. i'm glad i can check into stuff again. now everyone will know when i'm at school or home, cuz this shit matters

 

[powerhour24]

OK, so I was going to try and avoid even going near an Apple store so that I don't get tempted into upgrading (confession, despite being an Apple junkie I wasn't at all interested in the iPad when it was first announced, until I was in an Apple store for some reason and needed to look something up, no one was trying out the iPads so I used Safari for about 30 seconds... and then I had to have it, since then I've found many many uses for it I would never go back to using a laptop for) but I'm noticing Gazelle and eBay still fetching good prices for the original despite the price cuts from Apple, so if I can upgrade for around $200, I may just do it.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

Enjoy!

( /jealous )

and you have no idea how much i've missed foursquare. my phone's decided to be mean these days and despite being fully charged, it turns off pretty soon after me doing anything. it sucks since now i need my phone to do things (mostly meeting people to carpool which requires texting), though i should get a new phone in like a week.

 

[vjacqb]

Alright tech people, I have a question:

It's about time that I learn how to use several programs in Adobe Creative Suite (i.e. Photoshop, InDesign)that is necessary for survival and advancement in my line of work (journalism).

I'm planning on self-teaching myself, but I'm wondering what would run those programs better: MacBook Air or MacBook Pro? I really like the look and updates made on the new Pro, but I'm leaning towards the Air because it's more within my price range.

Or should I go PC on this one?

First of all I don't have a Mac, so my knowledge is limited to whatever articles I've read and also my experience with ultra-portable PC laptops. And I can tell you Photoshop Elements runs slow with other applications running on 1 GB of RAM.

I think when you're considering whether to get Macbook Air or Macbook Pro, you also need to think about what you're going to use it in general. Macbook Air doesn't come with an optical drive (CD/DVD), so you will have to connect it to an external optical drive (that's one USB port gone). Plus, the hard drive capacity is very limited on Macbook Air. If you're dealing with large files on Photoshop, your hard drive is going to be filled pretty soon. Which means you will then have to connect an external hard drive to it (that's another USB port used up).

Macbook Air is great as a secondary device, something ultra-portable that can still do a lot more than an iPad. If you need a computer on the field that can download wires, do word processing and basic templates so you can submit your stories quickly, Air is a great option. But if you're looking for a primary device, and you're going to deal with manipulation of big files (pictures, video footage, etc) then I think you'd be better off with Macbook Pro. And since you're considering Air, I'm guessing you don't need a big display screen. So you can go with a 13-inch Pro.

A 13-inch Macbook Pro that already comes with 4GB of RAM, 320GB hard drive, CD/DVD drive and faster i5 processor costs roughly the same as an 11-inch Macbook Air with 4GB of RAM with only 64GB hard drive and Core Duo processor + a SuperDrive.

Of course if price is really a factor, you can always go with a PC. I'm a fan of the Sony Vaio laptops. I think they have the best display screen among the laptops. Oh, but this is an Apple forum, huh?