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loslobos71 · Apr 12, 2007, 05:27 PM

Whats up guys, I recently decided that I want to buy a Macbook before this summer, and my family has only used Windows so I'm new to this mac thing. I was planning on buying right after Leopard but now that its delayed until October...( I need one before July):

If I get the current Macbook ( w/ Tiger), I'm assuming its no problem to upgrade to Leopard in the fall, but is it really a pain to do so? Whenever I hear "upgrade operating systems" I think about spending days getting Vista to work and I don't want to repeat that.... Apple's site says that TIger takes 30 minutes to update to which sounds great but I was wondering if this was true.

Also will Leopard come with the new iLife features and whatever updates they change with that or will I have to buy a new copy of iLife altogether?

Haha last question: Are Apple's refurbished products any good? I see that on most of their products the refurbished ones are like 15% off and come with the same warranty-- can you see the scratches and stuff or does it look new?

Thanks guys, I really appreciate it.

Stu

SirCastor · Apr 12, 2007, 05:35 PM

Originally Posted by loslobos71

Whats up guys, I recently decided that I want to buy a Macbook before this summer, and my family has only used Windows so I'm new to this mac thing. I was planning on buying right after Leopard but now that its delayed until October...( I need one before July):

Hi, and welcome to the forums!

If I get the current Macbook ( w/ Tiger), I'm assuming its no problem to upgrade to Leopard in the fall, but is it really a pain to do so? Whenever I hear "upgrade operating systems" I think about spending days getting Vista to work and I don't want to repeat that.... Apple's site says that TIger takes 30 minutes to update to which sounds great but I was wondering if this was true.

Yes, it really is true. Typically the update process really is painless. Occasionally you'll have something that will stop working, but I've found my upgrade processes to be boons, rather than frustrations.

Also will Leopard come with the new iLife features and whatever updates they change with that or will I have to buy a new copy of iLife altogether?

You will likely need to buy a new copy of iLife, assuming that a new version is available when leopard comes out. We were all expecting iLife 07 back in January. Of course, iLife 06 will continue to function just fine, so unless you need the new features, you won't have a problem using the old one.

Haha last question: Are Apple's refurbished products any good? I see that on most of their products the refurbished ones are like 15% off and come with the same warranty-- can you see the scratches and stuff or does it look new?

Thanks guys, I really appreciate it.

Stu

I don't speak from experience, but from what I understand, refurbished products are essentially new. because some components are maintained from a previously sold product, Apple cannot label it as new, but a Refurb shouldn't feel any different to you than something new.

alexjdb · Apr 12, 2007, 05:36 PM

1) Mac OS X is a real joke to upgrade; even my 6 months-old sister could do that.
2) Mac OS X has always been separated from iLife, should be so for iLife 07 and Leopard.
3) Looks brand new, besides the box which is a brown PC-like box lol.

Hope this answers your

loslobos71 · Apr 12, 2007, 05:43 PM

Oh great, thanks. Will I need to install new drivers to work with my printers?

SirCastor · Apr 12, 2007, 05:48 PM

probably not. OSX has drivers for most everything. If they don't, you're likely to be able to find one online. Installation is easy.

peeb · Apr 12, 2007, 05:53 PM

Just check what your printer is. Most, but not all printers will work fine out of the box. Occasionally there are printers that do not work.

mduell · Apr 12, 2007, 06:04 PM

Upgrading OSs is relatively painless and quick, but many people advocate doing a fresh install to avoid accumulating and creating cruft. Same advice as using the Migration Assistant vs manually copying files from an old Mac to a new Mac; it works, but it's not a great idea and it can cause performance issues. Search the forums for more info.

Leopard will not include a new version of iLife, and is unlikely to "unlock" any new features in the current iLife ('06). You'll have to buy the next version of iLife if you're interested in the new features, but I suspect it won't be released until Jan 2008.

Refurbs are generally good... they can have scratches and other cosmetic defects, but most don't or aren't very severe.

pcryan5 · Apr 12, 2007, 06:22 PM

<> I'm assuming its no problem to upgrade to Leopard in the fall, but is it really a pain to do so?

Kids todays!

Where is your sense of adventure?

P
Tongue firmly in cheek

SohailK · Apr 12, 2007, 07:30 PM

I guess I'm in the same position as the author of the thread. I was waiting until leopard but since it's been delayed, I see no reason for waiting. The only thing that's holding me back is the possibilty of a hardware upgrade within the next couple months. Is there any possibiltiy of this occuring? (I would have thought they would have done it with Leopard.)

peeb · Apr 12, 2007, 07:47 PM

Yes, there is a possibility! There is a virtual certainty that pretty soon after you buy something nice comes along. Don't let it paralyze you though. Now is not a bad time to buy.

mduell · Apr 12, 2007, 09:37 PM

Originally Posted by SohailK

I guess I'm in the same position as the author of the thread. I was waiting until leopard but since it's been delayed, I see no reason for waiting. The only thing that's holding me back is the possibilty of a hardware upgrade within the next couple months. Is there any possibiltiy of this occuring? (I would have thought they would have done it with Leopard.)

Yes, Centrino Pro (faster FSB, more memory, flash memory acceleration, etc) will be released in May (the 8th I think). I'd expect Apple to update lost of their mobile-based systems (MacBook, MacBook Pro, iMac) quickly.