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The Mac Webb
Switching from a PC to a Pair of Macs
- 2003.01.23
A PC using friend dropped by the house a few weeks ago to spend some hands on time with my Macintosh systems in preparation for a Christmas purchase. He spent a great deal of time using my new 17" iMac and my iBook 500.
His initial thought and budget was geared toward one of the new 1 GHz PowerBooks. His major concern with that course was moving to a laptop as his primary machine. Although he loves the capability of the current PowerBook, he does like the upgrade options of a tower machine. As we discussed his uses, I realized that he could easily compromise.
The portability of a laptop is important as he travels about 40% of his work time. During his travel, he uses his laptop for basic office work, including presentations using PowerPoint. The remainder of his computer work takes place from his home office. His budget had been set at $3,000 plus change for the new machine.
Over the course of a few hours, I recommended the following plan. Don't settle on a laptop or a tower - buy both. We spent some time confirming that he liked the form and function of the iBook 500. I mentioned that for the best balance of rugged build and portability, the iBook was the best choice.
We then headed to the local CompUSA to allow him to get some hands on time with the new 800 MHz iBook. We noted that OS X performance was much improved over my older model. The faster processor and updated video subsystem made OS X a joy to use.
The next trial was a new dual processor Power Mac. We worked with the 867 MHz and 1 GHz systems, and he made the determination that the 867 would be a good fit for his usage and his budget. Once we had validated this machine, we headed to the Internet to find the best deals.
I directed him to Small Dog and a few other well-known online dealers and said good-bye for the weekend. I received a call on Wednesday with an invitation to come over for a new machine setup party.
In the technology realm, I find nothing more fun than setting up a new Macintosh box. Setting up two was to good to pass up, and I did feel a sense of responsibility to making sure his initial setup went smoothly.
Over the course of a few hours, we had set up the Power Mac in his office and were completing a repartitioning of the default hard drive. After the drives were set, we began the software installs on the Power Mac adding Office:X and about 5 GB of additional applications. We then moved his important office documents and presentations to the new machine.
He was having so much fun, he almost forgot about the iBook. I took a turn driving the Power Mac while he spent some quality time with the new iBook. During the installation process, he asked about buying a switch to allow him to use one monitor with both the Power Mac and iBook. I asked him how often would he want to use the iBook at his desk with a Power Mac already in place. Assuming where my question was leading, he answered that it would probably be cheaper to simply exchange the files over the network and use the Power Mac.
At this point, I grabbed a FireWire cable from my bag to show him my favorite (and most underutilized) Macintosh feature. I asked him to turn the iBook off and restart holding down the "T" key during startup. This caused the iBook to boot into FireWire Target Disk Mode, changing the machine into one large FireWire drive.
I showed him that he could simply mount the iBook as a drive on the Power Mac and then use all of the peripherals connected to the Power Mac to run the 'Books applications and access its data. In this manner, he could effectively think of his iBook as a traveling hard drive.
I explained that I knew of users who plug a Mac laptop into a desktop while in the office, and then carry the work, apps, and files home in their laptop. This eliminates the difficulties in managing work/office information and provides a simple way to back up data at the end of each day.
I left him after a long day of setup and asked him to call if he had any questions. I heard nothing from him and dropped a follow up call a week later. He was absolutely smitten with his new Macintosh computers and was proudly using his iBook as his primary office machine.
No machine has the balance of cost, features, portability of the current iBook line. He mentioned that he uses the iBook the majority of the time based on the ability to walk around the house with a wireless connection.
After we left, I thought of a few of the main topics we discussed which would be a value to all switchers.
The top 5 list of interesting facts you need to know when switching to a Macintosh (focus on portables):
- FireWire Target Disk Mode. Your laptop acts as a hard drive (this also works with desktop Macs).
- iPod as a hard drive. You can store applications, documents, even an operating system on your iPod.
- Never turn off the machine. The sleep mode is great and allows for fast access to the machine.
- AppleWorks will read and write .doc files.
- Run at least two partitions. It is much easier to troubleshoot a
machine with multiple partitions.
Kevin Webb spent the last seven years selling technology consulting services. Of that time, at least two years have been devoted to trying to convince the world that the Macintosh is the pinnacle of the computing experience. He is the proud owner of eight Macs, ranging from a new iBook to a Classic. You can read about his newest computer in Kevin Webb's PowerBook G4.
Recent articles by Kevin Webb
- How Macintel could spell trouble for Windows, 06.15. "Apple has been working to change the game from simply a hardware discussion to an integrated system approach - the digital hub."
- Tech junkie swears off new hardware for one year, 07.14. "This is the day of the big freeze. I am going to choose my personal infrastructure and freeze those products for one full year!"
- What a long strange trip back to Pismo, 03.29. The 15" and 12" G4 PowerBooks were nice, but the old Pismo is the PowerBook that seems just right.
- Switching from a PC to a pair of Macs, 01.23. Friend buys a Power Mac and an iBook -- and uses FireWire Disk Mode to tie them together.
- More in the Mac Webb index.
Links for the Day
- Mac of the Day: 'Yikes!' Power Mac G4, Aug. 1999 - The only Power Mac G4 with PCI graphics was built on a modified G3 motherboard.
- Group of the Day: Tiger List is for anyone using Mac OS X 10.4.
- July 4 in LEM history: 00: When Randy met Mac - 08: Wouldn't life be great with an iSlate? - Mac Pro overclocking, Windependence with Darwine, Blu-ray for Macs, and more
Recent Content on Low End Mac
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- Amazon.com v. Interstate Sales Tax: Everyone Loses, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 07.01. Amazon.com is standing up to states that are trying to have it collect sales tax on interstate commerce, which most see as a violation of federal law.
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- Optimized Software Builds Bring Out the Best in Your Mac, Dan Knight, Online Tech Journal, 06.30. Applications compiled for your Mac's CPU can load more quickly and run faster than ones compiled for universal use.
- Checking Out Safari 4 on an Old PowerBook, Charles W. Moore, 'Book Value, 06.30. Safari 4 is the fastest it's ever been, but it's not without some frustrating drawbacks.
- Intel's Promise Fulfilled: More Processing Power per Processor Cycle, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 06.30. Apple promised improved CPU efficiencies when it announced the move to Intel in 2005. Three years of MacBooks show the progress.
- Is Steve Jobs' Health Essential to Apple's Future?, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 06.30. Steve Jobs' health is an important thing, but Apple has demonstrated that it can be profitable without him.
- More links in our archive.
Recent Deals
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- Best 17" PowerBook G4 Deals, 07.02. Used 17" 1 GHz PowerBook, $689; 1.67 GHz, $749; hi-res, $1,029.
- Best Xserve Deals, 07.02. Used 2 GHz single G5, $800; dual, $1,000; refurb 2.8 GHz 4-core Xeon, $2,100; new 2.26 4-core Nehalem, $2,888; 8-core, $3,449; 2.66, $4,799; 2.93, $5,999.
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- Best 12" PowerBook G4 Deals, 07.01. Used 867 MHz Combo, $400; 1.33 GHz, $448; 1.5 GHz, $599; 1 GHz SuperDrive, $509; 1.33 GHz, $599; 1.5 GHz SD, $679.
- Best Apple TV Deals, 07.01. Refurb 40 GB Apple TV, $199; new, $220; refurb 160 GB, $279; new, $320. Prices include ground shipping.
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- Best Mac OS X 10.0-10.3 Deals, 06.29. Mac OS X 10.0, $30; 10.1, $20; 10.2, $60; 10.3, $50; 10.3 Server, unlimited users, $130.
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- More deals in our archive.
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