Macbook thread

[Hehe]

After several days of debating and waiting.

My new toy:

[Armind]

rMBP 16GB is BEAST. Fuck yes!

[Iceman_2K]

oh shit that's nice

[Hehe]

For anyone looking to buy Mountain Lion, I have a spare redemption code up to grabs.

I got two from my purchases, but only needed one. (a single code allows for multiple macs under the same Apple ID)

Buy/Sell Link

[rk604]

^^^
good on yah for sharing

[604778]

Just bought 16gb for my mbp.
Also wanted to post this just in case other people wanted to know if it works the mid-2012 13"

[Razor Ramon HG]

Man, how do you guys handle the shitty resolution on the 13.3" MBP? Or am I just spoiled by my Zenbook Prime's 1080p display?

I don't understand why the MBP can't have the same resolution as the MBA.. I think I'm going to have to do an exchange.

EDIT: RS looks like shit on the MBP! Oh god.

[Ronin]

2880x1800.

So there.

[Ronin]

Fucking finally...Photoshop and Lightroom will be updated in the fall for retina display.

Adobe’s product teams are keenly aware of a creative professional’s desire to experience the highest quality creation experience. That is why I am delighted to announce our plans to optimize a selection of our products to display your content and creations on HiDPI displays, including the Retina Display available on the new MacBook Pro. Over the next few months, key Adobe products will deliver HiDPI display support to all customers on current releases.

HiDPI displays allow for a dramatic improvement in image fidelity and resolution. Naturally, designers, photographers and creative professionals want to take full advantage of this new technology. Software that is not native to HiDPI display uses interpolation to duplicate pixels to fill the screen, meaning text is not as sharp and images don’t have as much detail. The increased resolution of these displays requires that each product update the interface of the application and ensure that the content or the creation itself is displayed accurately with the appropriate level of fidelity. As an example, to enable HiDPI display support in Photoshop requires the replacement of 2500 icons and cursors and other engineering work which will be complete and ready for customers this Fall. This resolution shift in the new display technology presents unique challenges to teams that support bitmap, vector or video content. Therefore each product team will be releasing support for HiDPI display for Apple’s Retina Display as soon as the development is complete and tested for each individual product.

[Razor Ramon HG]

Originally Posted by Ronin

2880x1800.

So there.

Touche!

Going to get a MBA!

[Ronin]

Not gonna lie, I'm halfway considering selling my iPad and getting a MBA 11" for fun...

Met a dude on the plane home yesterday with one of the new ones and just seeing it on the tray made me want it. It's so much better than an iPad and not much bigger or heavier. Absolutely perfect computer to actually carry with you all the damned time, especially traveling. I carry a bag or backpack almost every day anyways and I simply wouldn't even notice that weight...whereas even my rMBP takes a little effort to carry.

If I were planning on going backpacking, I'd buy a MBA in a second.

[Razor Ramon HG]

Just picked up the latest mid-2012 13.3" MBA for $1100, woot.

Anyways, after owning a few tablets myself, I've notice just how niche they are. For me anyways, I find them practical only for browsing certain websites, watching videos, and eBooks. Even with a keyboard dock, it's still terrible for typing up documents and doing general office work. A laptop is a much better purchase overall, but I know some people that wouldn't necessarily want to have two notebooks, in which case they would get a tablet for fun.

[mrks]

I've tried really hard to replace my 11" MBA with a tablet and it's not working.
I have an iPad and a Nexus 7 and neither can easily do what I need.

1. Password manager such as 1Password. I can't remember all my passwords and I use the autologin function all the time.


2. I use excel a lot for work and personal stuff on a daily basis. I have a few workbooks that do not work on the tablets due to pivot tables and other functions. Most of the current excel apps are really basic and have horrible input capabilities.

3. Dropbox syncing or some sort of active background sync.
So files chan be accessed and saved on the fly.


Hopefully the new Windows RT tablets will be able to run office with decent excel functions and can save to the skydrive.

[Razor Ramon HG]

Do you guys keep your MB charged usually, or do you charge it only when it's about to die or if it's low? Reason I ask is that the latest generations of MBs don't have the detachable battery, and the general rule of thumb is to remove the battery if you're using the laptop at home.

[Ronin]

Just don't leave it always plugged in. Plugged in usually doesn't hurt it but make sure you cycle it (from 100% - 0%) every so often.

[mrks]

Originally Posted by Razor Ramon HG

Do you guys keep your MB charged usually, or do you charge it only when it's about to die or if it's low? Reason I ask is that the latest generations of MBs don't have the detachable battery, and the general rule of thumb is to remove the battery if you're using the laptop at home.

I do a full cycle of the battery every month from 100-0, then a full charge without unplugging.

Normally I try to use the battery down to 50%-30% then recharge.

Long term storage of Li-ions should be kept at 50% to avoid the loss of max charge on the high end and the inability to revive on the low end.

Overall it's been working really well for me. My 2009 MBP still lasts for a good 3.5-4 hours on the original battery.

[SkinnyPupp]

Originally Posted by Ronin

Just don't leave it always plugged in. Plugged in usually doesn't hurt it but make sure you cycle it (from 100% - 0%) every so often.

Worst. Advice. EVER.

The act of charging is what kills a battery. The LAST thing you want to do is have to charge it unnecessarily. So draining it when you don't have to is a horrible idea, especially with a non replaceable battery.

Keep the battery plugged in at all times, do not let it discharge unless you have to. And when you do, top it up and leave it plugged in again.

I have heard this type of horrible advice being given all the time, by people with laptops that last 5-10 minutes if that after a few years. Meanwhile my laptop from 2006 lasts almost as long as it ever did, because I rarely ever unplug it.

[too_slow]

Originally Posted by mrks

I've tried really hard to replace my 11" MBA with a tablet and it's not working.
I have an iPad and a Nexus 7 and neither can easily do what I need.

1. Password manager such as 1Password. I can't remember all my passwords and I use the autologin function all the time.


2. I use excel a lot for work and personal stuff on a daily basis. I have a few workbooks that do not work on the tablets due to pivot tables and other functions. Most of the current excel apps are really basic and have horrible input capabilities.

3. Dropbox syncing or some sort of active background sync.
So files chan be accessed and saved on the fly.


Hopefully the new Windows RT tablets will be able to run office with decent excel functions and can save to the skydrive.

Same here: I have a HP Touchpad and iPAD 3 3G. It's more of a 'toy' than something you can use for business/school. Macros/tables/multi-tab workbook/pivot-table graphs dont work at all.

Needless to say, I've sold them all, and am patiently waiting for the Win8 Hybrid solutions that are coming out in 1.5 mths.

HP Envy x2
HP Envy x2: the latest attempt to blur the line between laptop and tablet | The Verge

Samsung Ativ Pro
Samsung Ativ Smart PC and Ativ Smart PC Pro review: first look | PC Pro blog

This is actually my favorite thus far:
Acer Aspire S7; MBA form factor with 1080p touch screen for both 11.6+13" and 9-12 hrs batt life (almost double of the 11" MBA)
Acer announces Aspire S7 Ultrabook series with 11.6- and 13.3-inch touchscreens (update: hands-on!) -- Engadget

[Ronin]

Originally Posted by SkinnyPupp

Worst. Advice. EVER.

The act of charging is what kills a battery. The LAST thing you want to do is have to charge it unnecessarily. So draining it when you don't have to is a horrible idea, especially with a non replaceable battery.

Keep the battery plugged in at all times, do not let it discharge unless you have to. And when you do, top it up and leave it plugged in again.

I have heard this type of horrible advice being given all the time, by people with laptops that last 5-10 minutes if that after a few years. Meanwhile my laptop from 2006 lasts almost as long as it ever did, because I rarely ever unplug it.

Isn't that what I said? Keep it plugged in. Discharge and charge once in awhile.

From Apple:

For proper maintenance of a lithium-based battery, it’s important to keep the electrons in it moving occasionally. Apple does not recommend leaving your portable plugged in all the time. An ideal use would be a commuter who uses her notebook on the train, then plugs it in at the office to charge. This keeps the battery juices flowing. If on the other hand, you use a desktop computer at work, and save a notebook for infrequent travel, Apple recommends charging and discharging its battery at least once per month. Need a reminder? Add an event to your desktop’s iCal. When your battery no longer holds sufficient charge to meet your needs, you may choose to replace it. If your notebook came with a built-in battery, you should have the battery replaced only by an Apple Authorized Service Provider.

[Ronin]

And Macbook batteries are replaceable in store.

[Razor Ramon HG]

I think SkinnyPupp means to keep it plugged in all the time since the battery should stop charging once it's fully charged because if the battery is always discharging to like 90% and recharging to 100%, it'll die faster.

I asked my friend yesterday, and he has had his MBP for over a year now. He keeps it charged in most of the time, and his battery has only 120 battery cycles with a drop of 150mAh so he told me nothing should really matter.

[roverT]

I had my 2010 Macbook Pro 15" 2.66GHz i7 for a year and a half now. I use it heavily for graphic design and video editing. When I'm using it and near a power source it's always plugged in. If I need to use it away from power I don't hesitate to do so. I've never worried about draining it to 10% if that's what that use got me to. I know Li-Ion and Li-Polymer batteries like to be up high. I only do a full discharge on first and second use but after that I never worry about it. My MBP is ALWAYS on and hardly turned off or sleeping. The battery technology with these newer Apple units have a much longer service life and I believe by the time they need a $200 replacement, it'll be either time to get a new one or the computer just isn't worth the replacement. My Mac's system information is saying that I still have full charge capacity remaining and the cycle count is 136. Using the free iStat Pro dashboard widget it's telling me my cycle/battery life is holding at 90%. That's pretty good for having it plugged in and running for a year and a half of my MBP's existence!

[!MiKrofT]

I plugin whenever I need. I never drained to 0 since that's not good for LI-ION. As well anytime I plugin I ensure it hits 100% before unplugging.

[Razor Ramon HG]

Anyone know where I can get Moshi accessories such as this snap-on case locally in Vancouver without having to order it off FS/Apple online? Moshi 13" iGlaze Shell Case for MacBook Air - Apple Store (U.S.)

Also, my MBA runs pretty loud under load.. should I get a notebook cooler?

[Ronin]

Compu2000, Simply and MacStation all carry Moshi products. I don't know if they carry that specific thing but you can give them a call.

I'd check Compu2000 first...they tend to have similar pricing to NCIX so cheapest.