Purchasing Questions and aftermath

[danmac21]

I'm thinking of converting to a Mac from long long time use of windows xp. My future career requires a more intensive computer that can handle video/audio and design aspects, plus I'm just completely fed up with windows.

So right now I'm thinking of buying a Macbook Pro for my needs but I have a few questions:

1. Should I get a glossy screen option for graphic design?

2. Do Mac owners have their own e-mail/ get their own e-mail? or do I have to stick with MSN's hotmail?

3. Is there anything I need to know about maintenance, spyware, etc? Im coming from windows where I had to constantly keep my machine updated, scan for spyware/adware/viruses and defrag constantly. Is there anything similar that I have to do with a mac?

4. Is there anything else that I need to know to help me get settled in with my new mac family?

[Brad]

Welcome, danmac21!

1. Should I get a glossy screen option for graphic design?
There are mixed opinions. Having used both matte and glossy extensively, I would say this depends mostly on where you'll be using it. If you'll be in an office-type environment where there are a lot of lights in the ceiling, I'd advise against it. If you'll be in a home-type environment with softer indirect lighting, It'll be great. More opinions in this discussion: regular vs glossy (http://forums.applenova.com/showthread.php?t=16532)

2. Do Mac owners have their own e-mail/ get their own e-mail? or do I have to stick with MSN's hotmail?
Apple does not provide a free email service. With the built-in mail client, though, you can use any IMAP or POP email service. IMAP and POP have been widely-used since the mid 1990s and virtually all email services provide one of the two (if not both).

I do not believe Hotmail supports either IMAP or POP, but I do know that the free Gmail service supports POP. Also, don't forget to check with your ISP. Most people seem to forget that their ISP provides email with IMAP or POP support.

Apple does, however, sell email as part of its US$99/year .Mac (http://www.apple.com/dotmac/) service.

3. Is there anything I need to know about maintenance, spyware, etc? Im coming from windows where I had to constantly keep my machine updated, scan for spyware/adware/viruses and defrag constantly. Is there anything similar that I have to do with a mac?
Not really. So long as you allow the automatic Software Update mechanism to pick the occasional bug-fix or security patches, you should be fine. "Anti-virus" software typically causes more problems than it fixes. To date there are still zero major Mac OS X viruses or other propagating exploits.

Defragging isn't an issue either unless your drive gets very full. Mac OS X automatically defrags small files on-the-fly and rearranges files on disk to move the most frequently accessed files to a "hot file" cluster.

4. Is there anything else that I need to know to help me get settled in with my new mac family?
If you ever have tech support issues, the first place to check is our ubiquitous FAQ: Check this thread *first* if you have problems or questions! (http://forums.applenova.com/showthread.php?t=24) thread. :) As for general usage, I'd also suggest reading Mac 101 (http://www.apple.com/support/mac101/) and Switch 101 (http://www.apple.com/support/switch101/) from Apple. Also, these threads may be helpful:

How do you initially set up your Mac preferences? (http://forums.applenova.com/showthread.php?t=11909)
Really Cool OS X Apps (http://forums.applenova.com/showthread.php?t=14157)
After all these years, Apple STILL ships appalling color profiles. (http://forums.applenova.com/showthread.php?t=18462)

Good luck with everything and welcome to AppleNova! :) Feel free to ask any other niggling questions.

[danmac21]

Thanks for all the help. It really does seem so easy and I cant wait until I get my macbook.

One last question before I check out the links you posted,

How do I get the battery to last the longest?

[Brad]

How do I get the battery to last the longest?
These tips all reduce the rate at which your battery is used:

Turn off Bluetooth when not in use
Turn off WiFi (aka. AirPort) when not in use
Reduce the screen brightness
Avoid using the CD/DVD drive
Avoid high-CPU-usage activities (games, web pages with embedded Flash, videos)


Also, try not to completely deplete the battery each time you use it. This will shorten the overall life of the battery. For more information, see Apple's pages on Batteries (http://www.apple.com/batteries/) and Notebook Batteries (http://www.apple.com/batteries/notebooks.html).

On a related note, most Mac users allow their system to sleep rather than shut it down and restart frequently. Mac OS X's power management is superb and allows for near-instantaneous return from sleep.

[atomicbartbeans]

Also, try not to completely deplete the battery each time you use it.
Huh?

[Brad]

Huh?
In other words: "don't run the battery dry" or "don't run it down to 0% and it stops."

[atomicbartbeans]

Well yes, I understand your directive; where'd you hear that full depletion with each cycle isn't good for the battery?

That's how I typically use mine... I unplug the iBook and crash on the couch, and move back to my desk when the battery dies. It's at 97% capacity, but then again it's only a few months old...

[Brad]

Well yes, I understand your directive; where'd you hear that full depletion with each cycle isn't good for the battery?
I can't remember where I first learned about this. It's been years.

A quick search found a Wikipedia page, at least, that supports this claim:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium_ion_batteries
Lithium-ion batteries should never be "deep-cycled" like Ni-Cd batteries
Lithium-ion batteries should never be depleted to empty (0%).
That page reference this one: http://www.batteryuniversity.com/parttwo-34.htm
Avoid frequent full discharges because this puts additional strain on the battery. Several partial discharges with frequent recharges are better for lithium-ion than one deep one.

[danmac21]

Just to jump back into the conversation, I'm assuming I should never leave my macbook always plugged in, so if I'm using it at home or at school what is a good cycle to use it on? Drain most of the battery then plug it in?

[Brad]

Just to jump back into the conversation, I'm assuming I should never leave my macbook always plugged in, so if I'm using it at home or at school what is a good cycle to use it on? Drain most of the battery then plug it in?
Correct. Good habits mean you should still routinely use your battery also. More details are at the two links to Apple's pages on batteries above. ;)

[digitalprimate]

In the year 2020 every Applestore will run a clone of Brad, to make up for the employees who don't know how to answer the questions posed by switchers!

(That is, if by then there still are people left to switch!)