11.26.2008

Apple Computers: Part II

Hello everyone!

Thank for you all the comments/advice on my previous post about Apple. They made my day and led me to write a second post.

Now that you're considering buying an Apple, where do you begin? Here are the basic "specs" about computers and what they mean. I will use an example of a person drinking coffee.

Processor Speed (2.0 GHz, 2.4 Ghz, etc): This is the brain for your computer. You (the computer) made a decision that you want to read a newspaper and drink some coffee. How fast you made those decisions is your processing speed.

Memory (2 gb, 4gb, etc): Your processor has made you realize that you want to read the newspaper and drink coffee. Your memory is actually performing the act of reading the newspaper and drinking your coffee. How many tasks can you take on at one time? As a person, are you capable of drinking your coffee AND reading the newspaper, or should you just focus on one thing at a time? Relate this to a computer. You are doing a research paper for school. You are using a word processing program and using multiple websites in order for you to find your research. The higher the memory, the more tasks your computer can take on.

Hard Drive (160gb, 250gb, etc): How much space can you store in your brain? How much data do you want to keep on your computer?

Now that you know some of the basic specs, now it's time to figure out which Apple model suits you best. I recommend first figuring out if you want a laptop or a desktop. Both take up little space, but a laptop would give you easy travel capabilities. Assuming you want to buy a laptop, let's ask more questions (I am assuming because I know most of my readers are more mobile. If you want desktop advice, I can help with that too! Just email me or apply the information learned in this post).

Next, you need to ask yourself: What will I be using this computer for? Here are some examples of answers; hopefully you will find yourself within one of these people:

Person 1: I am in graduate school and just use my computer for basic word processing, blogging, and surfing the internet. I love to watch movies on my computer too but I don't do that often - usually only on road trips. I have a ton of pictures and documents that I like to store on my computer as well.

- For this person, I would recommend the basic level MacBook for $1,299 OR the white MacBook for only $999. There are a few differences between these models:
- The white MacBook has 1gb of memory (still good for her needs) and the basic level MacBook has 2gb of memory (probably more than she needs).
- The white MacBook has a 120gb hard drive while the basic level MacBook has a 160gb hard drive.
- The graphics card (good for playing video games and making movies) is lower on the white MacBook than the basic Macbook but the white Macbook will still fit her needs.
- Question to ask: How much data do you have? Do you need 40gb more space? If the answer is no, go for the white Macbook and save yourself some money!

Person 2: I have been a computer user my whole life and, recently, I am getting into PhotoShop. In fact, I may want to start my own business and design websites in the future as well. I am not into video editing - just photo's and tweaking them using PhotoShop. I have a ton of data and would like to keep all my data on my computer so I can easily use it.

- Anytime you are using high-end software, like PhotoShop, make sure you purchase 2gb of memory or more.
- I recommend either the higher end MacBook or one of the 15" MacBook Pro's.
- The major differences between the two 15" MacBook Pro's is that there is a slightly higher processing speed (not a big deal), 2gb vs. 4gb of memory (big deal), and a difference of 70gb of hard drive space (big deal depending on how much data you have).
- Another thing you should consider is if you want the 17" MacBook Pro
. If you like a bigger screen, then go for it, but I can tell you that it's not as portable as the 15" screen is. In my opinion, 17" is huge which is a big deal as far as portability. If you're not sure, go to your local Apple store to find out if it's right for you!
- A positive thing about the 17" MacBook Pro is that you can pick between an Anti-Glare or Glossy screen. This decision is a personal one. I prefer the Anti-Glare, but many people prefer the glossy screen. Again, go to your local Apple store and try it out for yourself.

I hope those basic examples help you out. Here are some more pointers:

- If you plan to do serious video editing, plan on purchasing a MacBook Pro for their graphics card
- The MacBook Air is nice except for the processing speed. I think it's expensive just because of the portability factor. Go for it if that's important to you and you are using it for basic computing (like the first example). Please note: the MacBook Air does not have an optical drive (listening to CD's, burning DVD's, etc). You can purchase an external one though.
- Remember my previous post about Educational Discounts? Save money, find a student! (We all know one!)
- Don't forget your AppleCare! It's important!
- Visit Macrumors. They have great information/forums/where-to-buy... Also, they will have information on Black Friday deals!

I hope this helps! Please email or comment if you have more questions. Like I said before, I am no expert - these are just my opinions from working at Apple. Let me know what you end up purchasing!

xoxo,

Julie

P.S. Don't forget to enter my giveaway! It ends Friday at 11:59 pm.