Quick Scan
Buy a laptop unless you must have a desktop.
Normally, you'll find the best prices online. I usually start with Mac Prices, a price comparison website.
Window shopping at an Apple store is the best way to determine your preferences.
For any extra items like printers, double check on the box that they work with Macs.
Questions About Buying a Mac From a Reader Who Doesn't Know Anything About Macs (Yet!)
Welcome to My First Mac's Q&A column. It is said that Macs are easier to use, but they are still complex in their own right. Here are a few questions we have received lately from readers like you. Sometimes we reformat the questions for clarity and presentation.
This week we have a series of questions about buying a Mac from a someone new to Macs and a newbie at tech in general. This is what we would call questions from Square One.
Like everyone on the site, I'm in the market for a new computer. The only thing for sure is, I'm going to buy a Mac system. Don't know why, I just am.
My novice sounding questions are based on my pure-novice background and non-techie life. Surfing, to me, is the best way to spend free time (and is done in the water, not on your gluteus for two hours). When someone refers to a cell, I automatically think of where prisoners spend their days. That said, and after reading pages upon pages of MFM, a Mac system is the way to go.
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Which Mac is best to get given I will be hooked up as part of a cable company's bundle plan? Phone, plus cable tv, plus internet hookup, that is. Does that matter? | |
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It doesn't matter. |
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Where is the best place to purchase for the best price? Online, Walmart, or other? |
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Normally, you'll find the best prices online. I usually start with Mac Prices, a price comparison website. (QUESTION TO YOU, THE READER: would you find it valuable if My First Mac provided a price comparison page for buying Macs? Let us know in the Comments.) Also, check Amazon to see if they are giving a rebate. If they are, it's usually the best deal considering no tax and free shipping. |
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What would you buy if size and appearance mattered to you?? To clarify, screen size and 'visual' matte screen appearance? | |
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Are you near an Apple store? Window shopping there is the best way to determine your preferences. Best Buy also carries some Mac models, but not all. I'd suggest a laptop to anyone unless they really, really need a desktop. I compare it to before you bought your first cell phone. Often you don't know how you will use it until you have it. If you are looking for the cheapest thing possible, I'd get the low end MacBook (white) new or an old model on clearance. If you are a value shopper, I'd get the new $1299 MacBook. If you have some discretionary money, I'd suggest the new low end MacBook Pro. For a desktop, I'd go with the $1,199 iMac. That's a pretty good value. |
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Is wireless a concern, and should I invest in some sort of secured device if using wireless?? | |
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I'd suggest getting a wireless (wi-fi) base station to attach to your cable router to send the signal to your Mac. You can use a wire that's cheaper, but who wants that? Your Cable company may provide one at a monthly rate. I'd do the math and see what's better. If you have the money, I'd suggest you get the cheaper Time Capsule from Apple because it has a built in drive for backing up with Time Machine. Personally, I don't worry about security. As soon as I read in the news about more than 1 person getting their wireless hacked, I will. |
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What software should I purchase if I need to work on Dell-version-MSOffice brought home from work and used my home Mac? | |
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Get MS Office 2008 for Mac. They have a cheaper student and teacher edition which almost anyone qualifies for. That's probably the only software you'll need to buy. The Mac comes with almost everything else you'll need. |
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Are silver and white the only color options?? | |
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It's pretty much just silver these days. The cheapest MacBook is still white. There also should be previous version MacBooks on clearance for a while, including a version in Black. |
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Can any printer be used with Macs? | |
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Most any printer. I'd just do a quick check in the tech specs on the box or website that it says it works with Macs before buying. |
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You can send in your questions via the Contact page or email us at editor[AT]myfirstmac[DOT]com. Because of the volume of email we receive, we can't reply to each and every question personally. We read each question that comes in and reply to the ones that fit the scope of this column. We also save some questions for future columns.
If you need your specific question answered right away, try asking it in the Comments section of a related article or in the MFM Forums.
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Your Comments:
The least expensive version of Microsoft Office 2008 is now called "Home and Student Edition" for $149 and _everyone_ qualifies for it.
It's a good deal.
Bot
ex2bot
10/31/2008 at 01:06 PM
HK
10/31/2008 at 07:33 PM
iMac 24inch
11/01/2008 at 05:58 AM
I only switched to a mac this past February with the 24" iMac and because I didn't look enough at the laptops (I've never had one, only desktops) I am now buying a new Macbook Pro less then a year after the iMac because I need the mobile ability. I could have saved myself a lot of money just buying the MBP and a good 24" or 30" display.
James Fleeting
11/02/2008 at 10:20 AM
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