[mamba315]

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I use Play for music reproduction on OS X.

x2 on my Mac Mini.
 
I don't think there's any need for a PC vs Mac war.  My other computer is a Dell laptop and I love both of em.  Both are dead reliable, fast, and meet different needs.

 

[Damnegy]

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They'll handle it... for a fee.  Hell, it looks like, from their webpage, they won't even talk to you about your Mac after the warranty is done for under $50, nevermind obscene repair costs on factory flaws.  (Logic board replacements.  Funny, I've had other laptops for 5+ years that didn't need that...)
 
The HDD 'excuse' isn't meaningless.  The ASUS has two drive bays, so someone could run an optimal setup of SSD+HDD and be truly portable.  They won't release a new version with bluray until NEXT years refresh.  There you go, paying a ton more, for not even cutting edge.
 
Let me be very clear with this one.  You can run Mac OSX on a Windows machine.  So any OSX arguments are out the window. (No viruses?  Remember this, OSX is the hacker's target of choice.  Viruses just go to the larger market share.)
 
And their 'advanced' way of thinking has them stealing as much as others steal from them.  It's the tech industry, do you really think Apple is the only one innovating?  Also, multi-touch trackpad?  Bleh.  I wouldn't use one if the computer had the feature.

Actually, I did precise that they mostly handle it for free (depending on what should be done : if a motherboard change is required, they may charge the motherboard hardware only), but apparently, it is only available here... Again, they prefer ergonomy before capability, that is why they wait for components to become "small" enough to fit their cases to use some, and of good quality (not any cheap hardware, nor cheap materials to build their comps). And another thing, there is no virus on Mac OS properly speaking (there are some hackers that attack them, but no worm or whatever) as far as I know. And that is not because there is only a small market share, but because of Mac OS's structure (based on UNIX). I do not know the details, but UNIX prevents viruses (look at Linux, etc.).
And that multitouch trackpad is part of their ergonomy centered policy, and it seems like you are just being stubborn, as many other computer brands have implemented it too, so it seems to have demand for it, it makes it easier to navigate, instead of moving the cursor to any button.

 
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I do prefer Macs.  I have to use the ones my school owns for Digi Media.  (Which is ridiculous in and of itself.)  I just can't justify the extra $1000 for a worse machine.  It makes no sense.  If you can explain it to me in some tangible way, except for the 'the value of a Mac is better', which makes no sense, I'd go out and buy one today.  Hell, I'll buy YOU one too.
 
Any OS arguments are invalid, as I run OSX on my Windows machines, aswell as Win7.
 
Any virus arguments are invalid, as OSX has been proven to have many many more security holes than Windows.  See my previous post for info.  It's all about the market share.
 
Any hardware arguments are invalid, as the superior ASUS is better in every way, except build quality.  It also doesn't suffer the current crash bug with the new MBP i7 systems. (Did they NOT test the hardware switching mechanics or something?  lolQ&Agogogo)
 
Build quality arguments ARE valid, BUT, lose points for the locked in battery, and is worth no-where near the $1000 asked.
 
Any support arguments are invalid, because as seen, the MBP i7 series are doing poorly right now.  Beyond this, you only get 1yr support with the purchase, and no accidental warranty.  $400 gets you two more years, but if you don't want to do that, it's $50 per case, AND you pay for all repairs, including most by their own fault.  (IE: Logic board replacements.)  To note, the ASUS has a one year accidental, and two year limited warranty.

By the way, installing Mac OS on a non-Apple computer is illegal (I think)
And by changing the battery, people do not void their warranty, as on the unibody, access has been made easier, just have to remove the trap and remove the battery (no screw involved, just a plastic thing to help removing the battery), and access to some other components has been made easier too (just a few screws for HDD and RAM). I am not familiar with the newest offspring from Apple (I have the first model of Macbook Unibody, bought in december 2008), but mine works fine, except when I tried messing around with some strange software...
Even if the computer is out of warranty, they change keyboard, case (for the plastic ones), etc. for free. I agree to say that they may not appeal everyone, but it is so much simpler on Mac... And I have not been in the deep part of the OS yet.

 

[Hybrys]

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Actually, I did precise that they mostly handle it for free (depending on what should be done : if a motherboard change is required, they may charge the motherboard hardware only), but apparently, it is only available here... Again, they prefer ergonomy before capability, that is why they wait for components to become "small" enough to fit their cases to use some, and of good quality (not any cheap hardware, nor cheap materials to build their comps). And another thing, there is no virus on Mac OS properly speaking (there are some hackers that attack them, but no worm or whatever) as far as I know. And that is not because there is only a small market share, but because of Mac OS's structure (based on UNIX). I do not know the details, but UNIX prevents viruses (look at Linux, etc.). And that multitouch trackpad is part of their ergonomy centered policy, and it seems like you are just being stubborn, as many other computer brands have implemented it too, so it seems to have demand for it, it makes it easier to navigate, instead of moving the cursor to any button.

By the way, installing Mac OS on a non-Apple computer is illegal (I think)
And by changing the battery, people do not void their warranty, as on the unibody, access has been made easier, just have to remove the trap and remove the battery (no screw involved, just a plastic thing to help removing the battery), and access to some other components has been made easier too (just a few screws for HDD and RAM). I am not familiar with the newest offspring from Apple (I have the first model of Macbook Unibody, bought in december 2008), but mine works fine, except when I tried messing around with some strange software...
Even if the computer is out of warranty, they change keyboard, case (for the plastic ones), etc. for free. I agree to say that they may not appeal everyone, but it is so much simpler on Mac... And I have not been in the deep part of the OS yet.

The lack of viruses is JUST because of the market share.  Making viruses on linux/unix structures would technically be easier.  A virus in python, although larger in size, could have DEVASTATING effects.  Python scripts don't run natively on Windows.  Penetrating is key, thus my focus on security holes/breaches.
 
I don't really think a multitouch touchpad is any more of a convenience.  I wouldn't even use it.  <_<  Maybe I am stubborn, but I just don't see the application on a laptop.
 
They definitely don't replace anything for free in the states.  Especially things like the case/keyboard.  So either you have a really good retail store you go to, or you're getting some kind of special treatment.
 
Installing OSX on a PC as long as you use a retail copy is TECHNICALLY legal.

 

[Damnegy]

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The lack of viruses is JUST because of the market share.  Making viruses on linux/unix structures would technically be easier.  A virus in python, although larger in size, could have DEVASTATING effects.  Python scripts don't run natively on Windows.  Penetrating is key, thus my focus on security holes/breaches.
 
I don't really think a multitouch touchpad is any more of a convenience.  I wouldn't even use it.  <_<  Maybe I am stubborn, but I just don't see the application on a laptop.
 
They definitely don't replace anything for free in the states.  Especially things like the case/keyboard.  So either you have a really good retail store you go to, or you're getting some kind of special treatment.
 
Installing OSX on a PC as long as you use a retail copy is TECHNICALLY legal.

I'm aware that penetration is the main way to hack a computer, but basically, there is no virus hidden in some .exe, .rar, etc. files that could infect Mac OS, not that I know of at least. And penetration, or at least hacking tools are all available on Linux systems, so these should be the most protected ones (e.g. UNIX based systems). Lately (in months), some security holes have been exposed to everyone on Mac OS, but I think most of those have been fixed. I do not deny that other computers have many more possibilities of upgrade, and maybe of features in Windows (features are quite more easily accessible), the computer I had before my Macbook was pretty much more powerful than it (it was more then one year old when I changed), and nowadays, computers have gone very far in power, capacity, etc. In this, if you do not mind size, computers ARE better than any Mac computer, indeed.

That trackpad is convenient when you do not (want to) use a mouse, the trackpad on laptops (except if you make it very sensitive) makes it very hard/long to scroll from one end to another of the screen, so if you're clicking on some link at the bottom of the screen for then pushing the "previous" button, it is quite a pain... Wanting to display the desktop at once, showing all the windows opened, etc. Thus the three-finger move of the trackpad, etc. Of course, if you always use a mouse and have space to move it, it may be useless...
 
As of the store, it may be because it was the first Apple store in France, but friends of mine told me the "case" on their old white plastic macbook was replaced because it was dirty for one, breached for another, and the keyboard was changed for another one because it was missing some keys, all for free (and one of them had his iPhone's plastic-cover replaced also for free because it had a breach, near the silent button). But when I went there for them to look at my comp (the magnets in the screen have, I think, broken as it has fallen several times on the ground, nothing very serious, it still closes well, but is just not at the same level on one side), I have been told it would not be interesting to repair it, since it would be 400€ for replacing the screen (apparently it cannot be only opened to replace the magnets), which may be the cost of such a screen...
 
Maybe is it because it has been a while since I searched for hackintosh, but back then it was illegal, and I do not think things may have evolved this way, since Apple is attached to their property over their products. Moreover, people cannot install it freely, as there are some drivers required for all the hardware available (that may be the illegal part, modifying their OS/DVD for having some drivers integrated). Maybe it is time to read the whole agreement licence of Mac OSX xD
 
So now that many points have been cleared (not that I try to cut you in the discussion, but I think we have reached some point where everything is clear and there is no point in going further), maybe we could go back to the topic

 

[Hybrys]

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I'm aware that penetration is the main way to hack a computer, but basically, there is no virus hidden in some .exe, .rar, etc. files that could infect Mac OS, not that I know of at least. And penetration, or at least hacking tools are all available on Linux systems, so these should be the most protected ones (e.g. UNIX based systems). Lately (in months), some security holes have been exposed to everyone on Mac OS, but I think most of those have been fixed. I do not deny that other computers have many more possibilities of upgrade, and maybe of features in Windows (features are quite more easily accessible), the computer I had before my Macbook was pretty much more powerful than it (it was more then one year old when I changed), and nowadays, computers have gone very far in power, capacity, etc. In this, if you do not mind size, computers ARE better than any Mac computer, indeed.

That trackpad is convenient when you do not (want to) use a mouse, the trackpad on laptops (except if you make it very sensitive) makes it very hard/long to scroll from one end to another of the screen, so if you're clicking on some link at the bottom of the screen for then pushing the "previous" button, it is quite a pain... Wanting to display the desktop at once, showing all the windows opened, etc. Thus the three-finger move of the trackpad, etc. Of course, if you always use a mouse and have space to move it, it may be useless...
 
As of the store, it may be because it was the first Apple store in France, but friends of mine told me the "case" on their old white plastic macbook was replaced because it was dirty for one, breached for another, and the keyboard was changed for another one because it was missing some keys, all for free (and one of them had his iPhone's plastic-cover replaced also for free because it had a breach, near the silent button). But when I went there for them to look at my comp (the magnets in the screen have, I think, broken as it has fallen several times on the ground, nothing very serious, it still closes well, but is just not at the same level on one side), I have been told it would not be interesting to repair it, since it would be 400€ for replacing the screen (apparently it cannot be only opened to replace the magnets), which may be the cost of such a screen...
 
Maybe is it because it has been a while since I searched for hackintosh, but back then it was illegal, and I do not think things may have evolved this way, since Apple is attached to their property over their products. Moreover, people cannot install it freely, as there are some drivers required for all the hardware available (that may be the illegal part, modifying their OS/DVD for having some drivers integrated). Maybe it is time to read the whole agreement licence of Mac OSX xD
 
So now that many points have been cleared (not that I try to cut you in the discussion, but I think we have reached some point where everything is clear and there is no point in going further), maybe we could go back to the topic

My initial point was that, although there's no 'exe' executable file, scripts can be run rather easily, if specifically made for the platform.  The problem is market share, since more exe viruses are made, and easy to distribute.  The fact that Linux is the hacker's OS of choice doesn't mean that OSX is more secure, especially since OSX uses a 'very old' version of the Unix kernel as it's base.  Over 100 security fixes were fixed in a recent March 2010 update, just by that amount you can say that OSX has been slacking on security due to their low market share.  If they overtake 30% of the market share, we'd see the rise of OSX viruses/security flaws.
 
I use a combination of touchpad and keyboard shortcuts to quickly and conveniently navigate.  I'd actually call it better than most other forms of navigation.  I don't really understand how a multitouch touchpad makes things better, BUT, I get that it might for someone that uses a mouse exclusively.  I've always used the keyboard to navigate, so...
 
I'm almost sure they were under warranty if they got free replacements.  Mac service under warranty is pretty good.  My argument is that if you are outside of your warranty, they gouge you.  Do you think your laptop screen costs 400 euros?   I replaced one, a 1440x900 screen, just the other day for $130.
 
You are correct.  Altered OSX installers are technically 'illegal'. It's a fine-line / grey area issue.  It comes down to the difference between reverse engineering and simply adding information.  To avoid all issues, you can just run the retail installer (on some machines) and patch hardware issues from there. (Which I recommend/do, and is 'legal'.)
 
On topic, I like Play and XMBC.  XMBC for a full featured and remote capable player, and Play for a nice little solution.

 

[Damnegy]

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I'm aware that English is not your primary language, but there's one typo that makes it a lot worse/odder than it sounds.
 
'it was more then one year old when I changed'  Change 'old' for 'ago'.  Ago means that it was in the past, where as 'old' implies age.  I'll edit this post for my response.

Ok, thanks but I was refering to the computer that was one year old when I sold it.
(Is that really obvious that English is not my primary language? xD)
 
I forgot to tell, the one that got his case changed because it was dirty was more than 3 years old (no Apple care), the one breached a few months younger (almost 3 years), and the last one was almost 2 years old, all without warranty.
 
I may add that in the screen (which is total 5-6mm I'd say by eye), there is the Sightcam, magnets, aluminum, the shining apple at the back, etc. I am aware that the quite new WVGA are around that price (in euro here -> ~130€), but there was no "shell" with the one I bought for a friend a few months ago, nor cam, etc. (for a laptop)

 

[Hybrys]

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Ok, thanks but I was refering to the computer that was one year old when I sold it.
(Is that really obvious that English is not my primary language? xD)
 
I forgot to tell, the one that got his case changed because it was dirty was more than 3 years old (no Apple care), the one breached a few months younger (almost 3 years), and the last one was almost 2 years old, all without warranty.
 
I may add that in the screen (which is total 5-6mm I'd say by eye), there is the Sightcam, magnets, aluminum, the shining apple at the back, etc. I am aware that the quite new WVGA are around that price (in euro here -> ~130€), but there was no "shell" with the one I bought for a friend a few months ago, nor cam, etc. (for a laptop)

Heh, I thought you meant to say 'I changed to Mac a year ago.'  It's not THAT obvious, you're actually doing quite well.  There are just a few small things that I'd picked up on.  Nevermind the fact that you mentioned you're in France.
 
That's odd.  My cousin tried to get support for a broken SuperDrive about a month after her support ran off, and they wanted to charge her $200 to fix it.  Mind you, I guess that's not just a case...
 
That's true about the screens, but, someone knowledgable should actually be able to open up the screen enclosure and just replace the physical screen (or magnets or whatever your issue might be). That said, it would more certainly void any active warranty.
 
That actually reminds me of a funny story.  A friend of mine had just bought a Mac, and came to me for some troubleshooting her second day with it, because it kept turning off.  (I'm a computer technician)  I went through all the normal steps, etc...  Then I look at her bracelet.  It was magnetized!  She was putting it into sleep mode accidentally each time she ran the bracelet past the magnet sensor for closing the lid!

 

[Damnegy]

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Heh, I thought you meant to say 'I changed to Mac a year ago.'  It's not THAT obvious, you're actually doing quite well.  There are just a few small things that I'd picked up on.  Nevermind the fact that you mentioned you're in France.
 
That's odd.  My cousin tried to get support for a broken SuperDrive about a month after her support ran off, and they wanted to charge her $200 to fix it.  Mind you, I guess that's not just a case...
 
That's true about the screens, but, someone knowledgable should actually be able to open up the screen enclosure and just replace the physical screen (or magnets or whatever your issue might be). That said, it would more certainly void any active warranty.
 
That actually reminds me of a funny story.  A friend of mine had just bought a Mac, and came to me for some troubleshooting her second day with it, because it kept turning off.  (I'm a computer technician)  I went through all the normal steps, etc...  Then I look at her bracelet.  It was magnetized!  She was putting it into sleep mode accidentally each time she ran the bracelet past the magnet sensor for closing the lid!

Well, was your cousin's computer a unibody? That's indeed strange, as an external superdrive for macbook air is 99$ (on Apple's site), but I guess it may be even smaller than this one...
 
In my case, I bet you have already seen a unibody, so there is no way of opening it without breaking it (I think : there is absolutely no screw, no "clipping" thing, etc.). So it would be quite hard to just replace the magnets (that is why I think the Apple store guy recommended letting it like this instead of replacing the whole screen)
 
Funny story indeed

 

[Hybrys]

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Well, was your cousin's computer a unibody? That's indeed strange, as an external superdrive for macbook air is 99$ (on Apple's site), but I guess it may be even smaller than this one...
 
In my case, I bet you have already seen a unibody, so there is no way of opening it without breaking it (I think : there is absolutely no screw, no "clipping" thing, etc.). So it would be quite hard to just replace the magnets (that is why I think the Apple store guy recommended letting it like this instead of replacing the whole screen)
 
Funny story indeed

It was an 08... I think it was one of the early unibodies?
 
There is a way to take apart the case without damaging it... I'm just uncertain right now how.  (I've never opened one up.)  Similar to the iPod Classics, it's all about the internal tabs, and somehow relieving those.

 

[moogoob]

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If you use the digital out and your EQ setting is off, itunes is bit-perfect on a Mac, nothing's going to sound better than it. iTunes is prefered by many "audiophiles" despite its consumerist appearance.

Exactly. Macs also make optical-out easy as well, as each of their computers are built with a mini-toslink port in the headphone port.

 

[Hybrys]

Exactly. Macs also make optical-out easy as well, as each of their computers are built with a mini-toslink port in the headphone port.

Lots of PC laptops have that aswell, and don't cost twice as much.  <_<

 

[Damnegy]

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It was an 08... I think it was one of the early unibodies?
 
There is a way to take apart the case without damaging it... I'm just uncertain right now how.  (I've never opened one up.)  Similar to the iPod Classics, it's all about the internal tabs, and somehow relieving those.

Sorry, class finished, I just posted what I already wrote...
I had never heard of that story, so I'm curious, what barcelet does that? Maybe I could make some jokes with one
 
Yes, it is, just like mine. I may go to the Apple store and ask for how much it would be to replace a Superdrive, to compare with the 200$ requested in the US.
For the screen, maybe if you remove the black rubber part, something may reveal, but I doubt it... And the glass screen is just deeper than the really hard aluminum case, so I do not think there is a way to open it like iPods. I have not opened any either, but I can't see any way of doing it...

 

[Hybrys]

It was just a generic bracelet with magnets on it, attaching the two sides.

 

[krmathis]

Back on topic anyone?

 

[neddamttocs]

I'm currently using Vox on mac for music, VLC for video, iTunes to rip to ALAC.