A Month with a Mac II: The Mobile Experience
by Anand Lal Shimpi on January 24, 2005 12:14 AM EST- Posted in
- Anand
This was originally supposed to be a Christmas surprise, but me getting the flu/cold/pneumonia kind of put an end to that. Needless to say, the followup to my first Mac experience article is now live and it's called: A Month with a Mac II: The Mobile Experience. As the name implies, the article focuses on my experience with Apple's PowerBook after a month of use - similar in nature to the first article.
I originally took on the endeavor because after I came to realize the strengths of OS X, I quickly realized that they would work wonders on a mobile platform. So that combined with the fact that there were quite a few stones left unturned after the first article left me with the idea and premise for part II.
But that's not the end of it, check back Tuesday for a review of the new Mac mini as well as my impressions of iLife '05 and iWork '05.
As always, feedback is very much appreciated so keep it coming.
Take care.
I originally took on the endeavor because after I came to realize the strengths of OS X, I quickly realized that they would work wonders on a mobile platform. So that combined with the fact that there were quite a few stones left unturned after the first article left me with the idea and premise for part II.
But that's not the end of it, check back Tuesday for a review of the new Mac mini as well as my impressions of iLife '05 and iWork '05.
As always, feedback is very much appreciated so keep it coming.
Take care.
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Laylaa - Monday, January 24, 2005 - link
HiI just read your article. I found the first one after trying to find PC perspectives on macs because I was trying to convince my sister an iBook was the way to go for her and she was fed up of reading "PCs suck, Macs sucks, Apple sucks, Microsoft sucks etc". And that article actually made her interested!
And it reminded me of the things I liked about the mac and OS X when I had no choice but to use it for a month. And started making me want a Powerbook instead of what I was looking at. So thank you!
And this one is has made the decision firmer, just which one!
tpmoney - Monday, January 24, 2005 - link
A partial solution to your single mouse button issue. Raging Menace makes a control panel called "Side Track"http://www.ragingmenace.com/software/sidetrack/
This is a new control panel for the trackpad which allows you to assign different features to your trackpad.
i.e. you can make the actual button a left click, and a tap on the pad as a right click, or assign functions to the corners of the track pad like the 3 exposé functions and a right click. It also allows for scroll zones if you want them.
Jon - Monday, January 24, 2005 - link
#4: I know what they are. They serve similar purposes but are hardly alike. As well mistaking OpenFirmware and BIOS is inexcusable for someone of Anand's expertise. And you are correct; he was referring to his G5 when he mentioned it.Anand Lal Shimpi - Monday, January 24, 2005 - link
ViRGENormally you would've gotten me right, but remember I've already got the portability aspect down with the X505 - you can't beat 1.7lbs (I held a 12" PB after using my X505 and it felt like a ton of bricks). The one thing that didn't satisfy me with the X505 was my ability to get work done on it - the keyboard was cramped, and Photoshop was a pain on it. So I made the compromise and tried the 15", mainly because of the screen size and the faster CPU.
Back to working on the mini...
Take care,
Anand
ViRGE - Monday, January 24, 2005 - link
Frankly, I would have taken you for a 12" PB user, but obviously I'm not as good at figuring you out as I'd like to be. Still, it's a good article, and I think you've set yourself up very well for the Mac Mini piece.Rura - Monday, January 24, 2005 - link
Fascinating article Anand. I look forward to seeing a Mac Mini article soon. ;)#2, OpenFirmware *is* a BIOS in the "Basic Input Output System" sense of the term. And if you read more closely you'll notice he said he actually got a firmware update for his G5 (I got one on my Dual 2.5 awhile back as well. My SU history says November 17, 2004)
Chris - Monday, January 24, 2005 - link
Anand,Good article on the ALbook. Just one tip - if you put a folder in the dock (like the Applications folder, which I also do), and just click-hold on it for a second, you'll get the expanded access (just as you would when you right-click). I am guessing they did this with the laptops in mind.
Jon - Monday, January 24, 2005 - link
Anand, nice article, though a little on the light side for those of us already using a Mac. However, there was one issue I had. On page 7 you mention getting a BIOS update. First, Macs don't use BIOS, they use OpenFirmware. Secondly, as far as I know, there hasn't been any firmware updates for the latest generation of PowerBooks. So what the heck are you talking about?jeffosx - Monday, January 24, 2005 - link
Another great article. There is a site called macosxhints that publishes little helpful hints to use OSX that you may also like to browse one day or subscribe to the RSS feed...My wife really wanted to get a PB but she needs Windows for MS access and some GIS stuff and the 1Ghz G4 running XP was just a tad slow so hopefully a speedbump will let us get a new one. I do think that the PB lineup is in need of a refresh. Hopefully soon. The iBooks seems like better value unless you are looking at a big screen.