[MarkTheMac]

Hi there,

I'm buying a new computer in the next couple of months and am very tempted to go for a Mac for the first time but I have some questions if they could be answered that would be great!

1. In my work environment I am still going to need Windows for ASP.NET Software development. With Boot Camp will ALL windows applications run on this, along with web servers such as IIS?

2. I also want to play some Windows based games like Football Manager so does the same apply here? I have heard some people say that Windows games generally won't work in Macs regardless of Boot Camp but I'm not sure if they have their facts right.

3. If I can run Windows games in Boot Camp will I be able to upgrade to the top end graphics cards such as ATI Radeon 4870x2 should I ever want to play the top end windows games like Crysis? Or is this only possible on a Windows Machine with compatible motherboard?

4. What is the support like should my machine become faulty?

5. Do they come with Blu-ray and support HD?

6. Will my ISP support then (Virgin media) or will I have to use my internet through the Windows boot mode?


Thanks in advance

[mduell]

1. Windows runs on Macs just like it does on any other computer. It's Windows, nothing more, nothing less.

2. See 1.

3. Sure. Unless the card is designed to be OS X compatible, it will only work in Windows and you'll need another card to use in OS X.

4. Hit and miss.

5. No Blu-ray from Apple. You can buy a drive from a third party, but there's no software to actually play movies. What do you mean by "HD"?

6. What kind of ISP is Virgin media?

[MarkTheMac]

Originally Posted by mduell 

1. Windows runs on Macs just like it does on any other computer. It's Windows, nothing more, nothing less.

2. See 1.

3. Sure. Unless the card is designed to be OS X compatible, it will only work in Windows and you'll need another card to use in OS X.

4. Hit and miss.

5. No Blu-ray from Apple. You can buy a drive from a third party, but there's no software to actually play movies. What do you mean by "HD"?

6. What kind of ISP is Virgin media?

"HD" is High Definition.

Virgin Media is a UK Based ISP so I guess I will have to find this out off them.


Thanks.

[mduell]

OS X supports some HD formats, but not all. You'll have to be more specific.

Virgin Media should work fine unless it requires some proprietary client.

[Andrew Stephens]

Virgin media support Macs just like any other isp. i.e they are platform agnostic in regard to you connecting and using your Mac on line but offer very limited support for Mac users and no Mac software to set up your account.

Not that anyone should need help getting broadband set up and running really. Setting up your router should be pretty straightforward using it's set up routines.

I guess because you mentioned upgrading the graphics card you were thinking of getting a MAc Pro. Graphics cards in the MacBook Pro line and the iMac line are not upgradable, the mini and MacBook use integrated graphics, which aren't upgradable either. So you'll be stuck with what apple offer unless you buy a Mac Pro (tower)

[Big Mac]

Originally Posted by MarkTheMac 

4. What is the support like should my machine become faulty?

All Macs come with 1 year Apple warranties that cover product defects and malfunctions (but not accidental damage, at least not officially). The standard warranty can be extended two more years by buying AppleCare as long as it's purchased within the first year. After that you're on your own unless you previously purchased a third-party warranty or insurance like Safeware.

[Ted L. Nancy]

4. I rate Apple service/support as excellent. If you plan on keeping your computer longer than 365 days, buy AppleCare. Buy AppleCare. Buy AppleCare. Worth every penny. Even if you sell your computer sooner than you think, having the computer under warranty for an additional year or two is a very good selling point for a used computer.

5. OWC (macsales.com) can hook you up.

[Mac User #001]

Originally Posted by MarkTheMac 

3. If I can run Windows games in Boot Camp will I be able to upgrade to the top end graphics cards such as ATI Radeon 4870x2 should I ever want to play the top end windows games like Crysis? Or is this only possible on a Windows Machine with compatible motherboard?

Doing this would require you buying a Mac Pro, the Apple tower computer, and the card would only work while booted in to Windows.

[SierraDragon]

...buy AppleCare. Buy AppleCare. Buy AppleCare. Worth every penny...

Applecare only covers years two and three of a purchase and does not cover damage or theft. Most repair needs occur during the free warranty year one; the odds of covered item repairs being needed during years 2 or 3 are small. And some likely repair items (e.g. hard drives) become better/cheaper over time anyway.

Applecare is perhaps cost-effective on an expensive major tower purchase with display(s) and multiple hard drives covered. However most (if not all) of the time AppleCare is life-cycle cost ineffective, especially for laptops that have higher Applecare cost. Note that the cost of Applecare needs be compared against the value of the box at 2-3 years old, not against the new cost of the box.

Of course a small percentage of the time expensive components of boxes fail in years 2-3 and folks who bought AppleCare are rewarded. That still does not make AppleCare generally cost-effective any more than betting on a number at roulette is cost-effective just because the number hits sometimes.

-Allen Wicks

[Ted L. Nancy]

Originally Posted by SierraDragon 

Applecare only covers years two and three of a purchase and does not cover damage or theft. Most repair needs occur during the free warranty year one; the odds of covered item repairs being needed during years 2 or 3 are small. And some likely repair items (e.g. hard drives) become better/cheaper over time anyway.

Applecare is perhaps cost-effective on an expensive major tower purchase with display(s) and multiple hard drives covered. However most (if not all) of the time AppleCare is life-cycle cost ineffective, especially for laptops that have higher Applecare cost. Note that the cost of Applecare needs be compared against the value of the box at 2-3 years old, not against the new cost of the box.

Of course a small percentage of the time expensive components of boxes fail in years 2-3 and folks who bought AppleCare are rewarded. That still does not make AppleCare generally cost-effective any more than betting on a number at roulette is cost-effective just because the number hits sometimes.

-Allen Wicks

AH! The age-old debate - buy AppleCare or not - has once again been revived!

I appreciate your perspective, but I tend to disagree. APP provides troubleshooting beyond mere hardware replacement. Also, instead of looking at comparative cost of (most) future component upgrades, one should instead look at APP as what it was meant to be: an insurance policy. The main difference between APP and real insurance is that you pay the premium up-front. Breaking it down into a per-month premium for the two added years, the $350 APP on the MBP boils down to under $15 per month. For the iMac, it boils down to about $7 per month. For the Pro, ~$10. Not a bad deal, considering what some people's cable bill amounts to each month just so they can watch more sports. Not to mention, APP isn't necessarily for easily replaceable components such as HDs, but is really there to prevent your $1000+, $2000+, or $3000+ investment from turning into a bulky paperweight when something admittedly more unlikely, but still possible, happens.

Also, unlike the protection plans that they push on you at the Best Buy cash register, APP is, IMO, top-rated service. You actually get the service you pay for.

I've been purchasing APP since 2000 on all of my Macs for the past 8 years, and it has "saved" me more than once.

[hadocon]

OP is a huge newb. Claims to be a asp.net developer and does not know how the internet works? Thinks his ISP is platform dependent?

Does not make sense.

[analogika]

Originally Posted by Ted L. Nancy 

The main difference between APP and real insurance is that you pay the premium up-front. Breaking it down into a per-month premium for the two added years, the $350 APP on the MBP boils down to under $15 per month. For the iMac, it boils down to about $7 per month. For the Pro, ~$10. Not a bad deal, considering what some people's cable bill amounts to each month just so they can watch more sports.

I do agree with you on the service point, however, you fail to note that the main difference between APP and a real insurance is actually that a real insurance will probably cover the stuff that IS likely to happen, while AppleCare does NOT: theft, drops, spillage, smacking the bookbag against the closing subway door, etc.

[B Gallagher]

Here's a list of everything that AppleCare doesn't cover:

(i) Installation, removal or disposal of the Covered Equipment, or installation, removal, repair, or
maintenance of non-Covered Equipment (including accessories, attachments, or other devices
such as external modems) or electrical service external to the Covered Equipment;
(ii) Damage to the Covered Equipment caused by accident, abuse, neglect, misuse (including
faulty installation, repair, or maintenance by anyone other than Apple or an Apple Authorized
Service Provider), unauthorized modification, extreme environment (including extreme
temperature or humidity), extreme physical or electrical stress or interference, fluctuation or
surges of electrical power, lightning, static electricity, fire, acts of God or other external causes;
(iii) Covered Equipment with a serial number that has been altered, defaced or removed;
(iv) Problems caused by a device that is not the Covered Equipment, including equipment that
is not Apple-branded, whether or not purchased at the same time as the Covered Equipment;
(v) Service necessary to comply with the regulations of any government body or agency arising
after the date of this Plan;
(vi) The provision of replacement equipment during the period when the Covered Equipment is
being repaired;
(vii) Covered Equipment that has been lost or stolen. This Plan only covers Covered Equipment
that is returned to Apple in its entirety;
(viii) Cosmetic damage to the Covered Equipment including but not limited to scratches, dents
and broken plastic on ports;
(ix) Consumable parts, such as batteries, except in respect of battery coverage under APP for
iPod or unless failure has occurred due to a defect in materials and workmanship;
(x) Preventative maintenance on the Covered Equipment; or
(xi) Damage to, or loss of any software or data residing or recorded in the Covered Equipment.
When providing repair or replacement service, Apple will use reasonable efforts to reinstall the
Covered Equipment’s original software configuration and subsequent update releases, but will
not provide any recovery or transfer of software or data contained on the serviced unit not
originally included in the Covered Equipment.

Acts of God? I didn't realise Apple was religious!

[OreoCookie]

Acts of God or Parliament is a standard phrase in contracts. Basically it excludes coverage of consequences of things like lightning strikes, natural disasters, etc.

Apple support is great, especially if you have extended warranty (Apple Care). I'm not sure what other manufacturers you have experience with, but it is about as good, if not better, than HP's support (my sister's notebook is an HP). I strongly recommend Apple Care.

Regarding everything else: if you don't like OS X, you can, at any point, convert to Windows-only. Boot Camp allows you to install your favorite flavor of Windows (XP, one of the 7 Vistas). Since Macs use standard PC hardware, all (supported) apps will run. In addition to Boot Camp, you can also use Parallels, for example, to run Windows apps alongside Mac apps in OS X. This should be useful if you need to use a certain dev environment.

[JKT]

Originally Posted by hadocon 

Thinks his ISP is platform dependent?

Many ISPs (especially here in the UK) offer 'solutions' that are Windows only or require software that runs only on Windows (e.g. anti-virus software, back-ups to server space, etc), or 'free' modem/router hardware that isn't (properly) supported for anything other than Windows.

They might also not bother to support you at all unless you are running Windows or will offer you crap (i.e. worthless) support because they don't have a clue about anything other than Windows.

Yet you still pay the same price.

P.S. I have no idea how good Virgin are as I have never used them.

[JKT]

Originally Posted by Andrew Stephens 

Virgin media support Macs just like any other isp. i.e they are platform agnostic in regard to you connecting and using your Mac on line but offer very limited support for Mac users and no Mac software to set up your account.

Fwiw, not all ISPs offer limited support for Macs and/or no set-up software.

E.g. Zen Broadband in the UK are excellent for Macs (and PCs), but not the cheapest.