First Mac

Hi I am going to buy a Mac with my own money, although I know my parents will help me if the price gets to high. I am going to be using some photo editing and video editing programs and iWork. I also want to be able to play minecraft and portal 2 flawlessly. I don't like lag but I can cope with it if I know it's a hard task. Can someone help me decide what to buy

Based on what you've mentioned any of the computers Apple makes would suit you. The 15" MBP has a dedicated graphics card which gives more oomph to 3D graphics, but Portal and Minecraft just fine on my 2011 MBA. Granted, a notebook is cool, but I'd recommend an iMac.

Similar Messages

  • This is my first mac, it is a macbook pro. i restarted it but when it started back up i saw a white screen and then it prompted me to insert the reboot disk. anyone else have this problem?

    I recently bought a Macbook Pro, this is my first Mac. I restarted it, but when it started back there was a plain white screen and then it prompted me to insert the reboot disk. Has anyone else had this problem and is there a way to do this manually like with PC's?

    The new Mac's came with OS X Lion 10.7 and there are no boot disks.
    Since it's so new, take it back to the Apple Store and let them deal with it.
    If not you can hold Command and r (as in rotten) keys down and boot the computer.
    You'll be presented with a several options, including one to reinstall OS X Lion provided you have a Apple ID, which means you have to use Safari in there to set one up. To do that you need to set up a email account with Google or Yahoo. Once you get the ID, then you can download Lion and reinstall it.
    It's so stupid not having a copy of the OS on hand to perform your own repairs.
    Of course Apple will be happy to sell you a $69 Lion USB stick.
    Like I said, take it back to the store, and try to get your money back, that will force them to think about just giving you a replacement machine that works.
    Lion doesn't work really but it can be acceptable until the patches get released.

  • I have my first mac. the music folder does not appear in favourites from the finder menu so i cant transfer my itunes library

    I have my first mac. I want to transfer my iTunes library from my pc but the music folder does not appear in favourites when I select finder.

    Choose Home from the Finder's Go menu.
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  • My first Mac and so far I love it!

    I just bought a MacBook with OS 10.4.8, and so far I am absolutely besotted with it...I mean, as much as you can love something that's an inanimate object. I have had PCs since I got my very first computer when I started grad school, and I was generally satisfied with them...but when I recently had to call my PC manufacturer to come and install a new motherboard on a less-than-six month old computer...THEN wasted another four hours after that fighting with the antivirus people trying to get that issue resolved...WELL, enough was enough, and off to the Apple store I went.
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    So...PC to Mac converts, are there any "wish I'd known that with my first Mac" tips you can pass along?
    Thank you!
    A "happy" camper
    MacBook   Mac OS X (10.4.8)   My very first Mac

    Welcome aboard. As for tips, remember to try out Expose and Dashboard. Just press the buttons F9 - F12.

  • How did you feel about your first mac?

    As an early christmas present I received a 13 inch macbook air, 2GB RAM and 1.86GHz dual core cpu.
    I am mostly used to PC laptops running linux or often I put solaris on them. I study Computer Science and have Asperger's Syndrome.
    I got my mac as windows had too much bloatware and Linux was too unstable on my 64-bit hardware (needed 6 GiB RAM for large compilations). I was going to use the macbook air to take notes and some minor work between classes such as writing assembly subroutines, C and java. The primary use of this system was going to be as a personal assistant to have my calendar and files etc.
    The system is so powerful with a full 12 hours battery life when working on the localhost that it can out-do a 2.4GHz dual core with 6 GiB RAM PC running any OS. This system is now used for all my work due to it's capabilities and portability. After only one week with a mac I dont know how I lived without one, and my carer says it has made me show immense improvements day-to-day. I am now tempted to learn Objective-C as well as how to use Cocoa from Python to be more efficient, especially after seeing the perfection in this system.
    How did you feel when you got your first mac?

    A related question might be, what did you think about the introduction of the IBM PC?
    I had been designing digital systems and working with computers for a few years before the PC's introduction in 1981. The mainstay systems were 8 bit Z80 or 8085 machines running at 4 or 6 MHz. They ran CP/M with its command line interface. Although the maximum memory these systems could use was 64 MB, being a single user, single-task operating sytem, even the most resource-hungry programs (word processors for instance) ran very fast. CP/M itself needed only a few K.
    Dual floppy disk systems were common, 180 KB per disk unless you had double sided floppies - 360 K. The A drive booted the operating system, after which you could insert a program disk. The B drive held your data. I had one machine with a whopping 5 MB hard disk - the C drive. I treated it with special reverence.
    When rumors began about IBM producing its version of a desktop PC, many people including myself had grand expectations. Clearly Big Blue would emerge as the leader in desktop computers, since they had the resources to dictate what the standard would be. Everyone knew the others would be left in the dust. What kind of processor would it use? How much memory? Would it have a slimmed down version of the multiuser, multitasking operating system used in its System/34 minicomputer? Or would it resemble something that DEC used in its PDP-11?
    Well, when the IBM PC came out in 1981, needless to say it was an enormous disappointment. It wasn't much better than anything else I had already been using for three or four years already, except the PC was much, much more expensive. No hard disk unless you wanted to buy an upgraded power supply (more $$$) and then all they offered was 10 MB. Forget about multiple users or multitasking. It didn't even have the equivalent of CP/M's PIP. The whole thing seemed... intentionally crippled. This was supposed to be the future of computing? In my opinion it was a major step backward. The XT that followed it offered only minimal improvements. I rejected the IBM PC as not cost effective and kept using my CP/M dinosaurs.
    So, when Apple introduced the Macintosh a couple years later I finally saw, in the flesh, what I thought a computer ought to be. A totally bit mapped display, a robust 16/32 bit processor, real sound capability (everything before it could only "beep") and a true graphical UI. You could name a file anything you want, no 8x3 idiocy. +To this day+ Windows carries remnants of 8x3 filenames!
    The Macintosh blew away the PC, if not in performance, in its potential. Unlike the "crippled" PC the Mac seemed limitless. This was cool. The Mac wasn't without limitations though - there was no good way to install a hard disk for instance - but for some reason I considered those limitations trivial and believed they would be overcome in the near future. I waited for the first "upgrade" - the "Fat Mac" with a whopping 512K memory. Half a megabyte!
    I used that computer for several years, until the SE/30 came out, which I kept in service for about ten years. I ultimately expanded its memory to 32 MB while PC users were struggling with extended memory or expanded memory - you had to know which was which - to get beyond the PC's stupid 640K barrier. My 30 MB HD eventually grew small, but that was easily remedied with an external SCSI drive. Although the computer did everything I ever expected it to do, the Internet eventually made it functionally obsolete. It could run a browser (forget which one) but the black and white limitation made it marginally useful.
    I eventually replaced it with an iMac, which echoed the original Mac's introduction with its forward-thinking design. The iMac opened up a new world in much the same way the original Macintosh did in 1984.
    All my Macs still work.
    yoshitaka wrote:
    ... After only one week with a mac I dont know how I lived without one, and my carer says it has made me show immense improvements day-to-day.
    That pretty much sums it up.
    In retrospect, I believe that IBM and its marriage of convenience with Microsoft delayed the evolution of desktop computing a decade or more. I cringe whenever I think of the aggregate productivity loss and utter frustration shared by millions of PC / Windows devotees all these years.

  • HT1338 I purchased keynote, numbers, and pages when i bought my macbook air. However, the December update will not update because it says I do not own the software, but I do. What can I do to get the software to load? This is my first Mac so I am still le

    I purchased keynote, numbers, and pages when i bought my macbook air in late september. the december update will not load because it says i do not own the software and returns an error messgae 100. i have read manuals and looked over the web but i cannot figure out how to get this software update to identify that i do own these three pieces of software. they are installed and usable. any ideas would be appreciated before i call apple support.
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    thanks

    First, make sure you are logged into the App Store with the same AppleID that you used to purchase the apps.
    If that is not it, look in the App Store under Purchases. Are they there?
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  • Just purchased a new IPAD 2 Retina, first MAC computer and have an old IPOD Touch.  Trying to sync all the accounts (2 different accounts) to one account.

    I have 2 accounts in Itunes.  My old one and new one.  I just purchased my first MAC book pro and my 2nd Ipad (Retina).  I have an old IPOD Touch and have different stuff on each device.  I am trying to sync without having to ERASE and REPLACE to sync.  Any ideas?

    jgueller1313 wrote:
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    Why?
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    If you were syncing your iPod touch to the old computer, use Migration Assistant to get all your user data to the new computer.
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  • First Mac Purchase - iMac i3 - Please Advise

    Hello, I am very close to purchasing my first ever Mac, but I am unsure of which direction to take. I am debating between the iMac i3 - 21.5 inch base model with 8gb of ram, or the next model up. I know that the hard drive is double, the processor is a little bit faster, and the video card is better. I am hoping there are some Mac gurus who might help with some insight is this decision. I will be mainly using it for work, but also for some light gaming, nothing serious. Is the $250 worth the 3.20 i3, 1TB HD, and the better graphics card? Or, should I increase the ram on the base model from 4gb to 8gb? Any suggestions on above mentioned information or any other relevant information would be much appreciated, thanks.

    Thank you all for your quick responses. As far as the first respons goes, I just do not know enough yet about the OSx applications, so I am really not sure yet what applications I may be using. However, I do edit/add new products to the web for the company I work for. It's primary used will be for work, but the web editing I do is nothing too crazy. Mainly just editing photos and writing the info in HTML.
    In reference to the second response, that was the way I was leaning. I am unsure if I can convince my wife to go up to the i5 model though, ha. I do want to check out some games on I though, even though I have a ps3. I also may want to run Windows with the parallel program. I guess I'm just trying to make the most informed decision since I do not know a lot about the macs and which one is the best value.
    The third response has almost convinced me now to go with the base model. The bottom line for me is $250 is not a huge deal, but $450(to go to the i5) is getting closer to being a big deal. To me, it seems like the faster processor and the graphics card are worth $250 and the hard drive is a bonus as well. I definitely liked the point of getting an external drive, but how much am I going to spend for a 500gb external drive? Will I be getting closer and closer to the original $250 difference I could have spent to go with the nicer model? Once again thank you for responding, and I hope to hear some more insightful thoughts to help me with my first Mac purchase, cheers.

  • I bought  my MacBook Pro in 2010. This is the first Mac I have owned and recently it is having some difficulty loading we pages, often timing out. This Mac environment is entirely different for me and I am not sure where to begin troubleshooting/clean-up.

    I bought  my MacBook Pro in 2010. This is the first Mac I have owned and recently it is having some difficulty loading we pages, often timing out. This Mac environment is entirely different for me and I am not sure where to begin troubleshooting and/ or clean-up. I have moderate computer skills and try not to download or access questionable material, however recently I visited the Ap Store and purchased a couple of different aps to use in record keeping and for making a flyer. I am not even sure how to remove these programs to see if it helps.
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    Thank you!

    Time to see about the PRAM battery.
    By the way iOS and OS X are different systems.
    iOS is the operating system for iPads, iPhones, and iPod touch.
    Mac OS X is the operating system for Mac labelled computers.

  • I got my first mac and wonder what is the max ram capacity?

    This is my first mac and I gotten it for school for my animation and visual effects. Since they like using tutorials that uses a lot of mac commands instead of windows so I am doing this so I can easily follow along. I gotten a Apple iMac MD063L from newegg it is coming with 8gb of ram and just wonder if it can go higher like what is the max it could do? I just want to make sure it can handle programs like Maya, adobe after effects but primarily Maya and related programs. When it comes to rendering a project. 

    That partial part number relates to 3 different refurbished 27" iMacs at NewEgg. All 3 can be upgraded to 32GB of ram. Only buy ram from either OWC http://eshop.macsales.com/  or Crucial http://www.crucial.com/ and avoid the bargain basement brands sold by other vendors. They're all mid 2011 models I believe.

  • Just purchased first Mac computer what workshop should i attend

    I just purchased my first Mac computer.  Any advice on which workshop I should attend

    Apple One to One is the best.
    http://store.apple.com/us/product/D4213Z/A/one-to-one-membership-1-year
    1-800-692-7753
    Best.

  • Just bought my first Mac. I have 1000s of photos on my PC, well organized into folders independent of any organizing software.  I want to do the same on the Mac (i.e., ignore iPhoto) and use basic photo editor. Any suggestions?

    Just bought my first Mac.  Have 1000s of photos well organized in files I created in the Pictures folder on my Windows PC.  I plan to copy everything to the Mac and maintain my "independent" collection rather than dump everything into the iPhoto library. Any suggestions for a basic photo editor similar to MS Photo Gallery that I can use on the Mac?

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  • My first Mac is coming: best way to import in iPhoto all from my old PC

    Next monday I will receive my first Mac...
    Now I'm planning how to trasfer everything, I'm ok with documents and iTunes library (very easy becose I was using iTunes also on my pc) but I've some doubt with my photo library...
    In win 7 64 I'm using Picasa but i'm managing directly the file structure: I've a folder for each album (for example "2008.04 Vacation to Maldives"), I've more or less 50 different folder/albums for 10 gigas of occupation.
    I've read about events, folders, and albums on iPhoto and I'm a little bit confused...
    Is iPhoto managing automatically the folders on the hd?
    Should be ok with the defualt setting of iPhoto at the first launch to import one folder, letting iPhoto to build automatically events and file structure (I'm not sure but at the moment this is my understanding) and then build an album with new events and again for all 50 folders?
    Many thanks in advance

    Congratulations on your new Mac and even more congratulations on asking these questions before using iPhoto.
    *Best Tip*: Create a Library and import 100 pics into iPhoto and explore the app for a few days. It's an excellent app but not right for everyone.
    Then, as more questions arise, you can ask for information on here.
    iPhoto is quite different from Picasa and similar apps on WIndows.
    It's a Photo organiser. The idea is that you import your files to iPhoto and then forget about the files and concentrate instead on the Photos. Apps like Picasa try and straddle the line - part Photo Organiser, Part File Organiser.
    So, the best thing is to let iPhoto manage the files and you can manage your Photos in the iPhoto Window.
    This is the default way of using iPhoto. It's much more flexible than folders of files.
    You can set it to work with your file system, but I strongly recommend that you don't: especially as a new Mac user and new iPhoto user.
    As you have a system already set up, you can copy it into iPhoto`:
    *If you want to duplicate your Folder Tree in iPhoto:*
    Start at the bottom of the hierarchy and drag a folder of images to the Album Heading in iPhoto. The pics will be imported and an Album of the same name created.
    You can then create the Enclosing Folders in the iPhoto Window (File -> New Folder) and drag the Album to it. Folders can contain other Folders (Nested Folders) and Albums.
    However, is your folder system date based? Then this form of organisation is a bit pointless in iPhoto when Smart Albums or the Calendar tool (Click on the wee magnifying glass in the Search Box) mean you can find the photos taken on any day, month or year at a click. With Smart Albums it's easy to find photos from specific range - say, June 3 to August 25, 2009 etc.
    If your folder system is theme based - Xmas pics, Birthday pics etc, then you'll find Keywords are much more flexible, and can be used in conjunction with other criteria for making Smart Albums and searches.
    *Where are your File stored?*
    By default, your files are stored in the iPhoto Library in your Pictures Folder. This is a Package File. This is simply a folder that looks like a file in the Finder.
    Want to look inside? Go to your Pictures Folder and find the iPhoto Library there. Right (or Control-) Click on the icon and select 'Show Package Contents'. A finder window will open with the Library exposed.
    Strong Warning: Don't change anything in the iPhoto Library Folder via the Finder or any other application. iPhoto depends on the structure as well as the contents of this folder. Moving things, renaming things or otherwise making changes will prevent iPhoto from working and could even cause you to damage or lose your photos.
    In this folder there are various files, which are the Library itself and some ancillary files. Then you have three core folders
    Originals are the photos as they were downloaded from your camera or scanner.
    (ii) Modified contains edited pics, shots that you have cropped, rotated or changed in any way.
    (iii) Data holds the thumbnails the the app needs to show you the photos in the iPhoto Window.
    *How do you access files to use in other apps? Email etc?*
    There are many, many ways to access your files in iPhoto:
    *For Users of 10.5 and later*
    You can use any Open / Attach / Browse dialogue. On the left there's a Media heading, your pics can be accessed there. Command-Click for selecting multiple pics.
    Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!
    (Note the above illustration is not a Finder Window. It's the dialogue you get when you go File -> Open)
    You can access the Library from the New Message Window in Mail:
    Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!
    *For users of 10.4 and later* ...
    Many internet sites such as Flickr and SmugMug have plug-ins for accessing the iPhoto Library. If the site you want to use doesn’t then some, one or any of these will also work:
    To upload to a site that does not have an iPhoto Export Plug-in the recommended way is to Select the Pic in the iPhoto Window and go File -> Export and export the pic to the desktop, then upload from there. After the upload you can trash the pic on the desktop. It's only a copy and your original is safe in iPhoto.
    This is also true for emailing with Web-based services. However, if you're using Gmail you can use iPhoto2GMail
    If you use Apple's Mail, Entourage, AOL or Eudora you can email from within iPhoto.
    If you use a Cocoa-based Browser such as Safari, you can drag the pics from the iPhoto Window to the Attach window in the browser.
    *If you want to access the files with iPhoto not running*:
    For users of 10.6 and later:
    You can download a free Services component from MacOSXAutomation which will give you access to the iPhoto Library from your Services Menu. Using the Services Preference Pane you can even create a keyboard shortcut for it.
    For Users of 10.4 and later:
    Create a Media Browser using Automator (takes about 10 seconds) or use this free utility Karelia iMedia Browser
    Other options include:
    1. *Drag and Drop*: Drag a photo from the iPhoto Window to the desktop, there iPhoto will make a full-sized copy of the pic.
    2. *File -> Export*: Select the files in the iPhoto Window and go File -> Export. The dialogue will give you various options, including altering the format, naming the files and changing the size. Again, producing a copy.
    3. *Show File*: Right- (or Control-) Click on a pic and in the resulting dialogue choose 'Show File'. A Finder window will pop open with the file already selected.
    *To use iPhoto with another Editor:*
    You can set Photoshop (or any image editor) as an external editor in iPhoto. (Preferences -> General -> Edit Photo: Choose from the Drop Down Menu.) This way, when you double click a pic to edit in iPhoto it will open automatically in Photoshop or your Image Editor, and when you save it it's sent back to iPhoto automatically. This is the only way that edits made in another application will be displayed in iPhoto.
    Note that iPhoto sends a copy+ of the file to Photoshop, so when you save be sure to use the Save command, not Save As... If you use Save As then you're creating a new file and iPhoto has no way of knowing about this new file. iPhoto is preserving your original anyway.
    Regards
    TD

  • Bought my first Mac and am curious about the learning curve for FCE HD

    After 30+ years in the DOS/Windows/PC world, I've ordered my first Mac -- a Mac Pro -- with Final Cut Express HD.
    I was wondering if other switchers could give me an idea of the kind of learning curve I'm looking at. I have used Sony Vegas Video almost exclusively for the past 5-6 years.
    Thanks!

    I have no experience with Vegas so don't know what the similarities and differences will be.
    People like Tom Wolsky (the main contributor to this forum) will be able to advise you on that.
    I came from Premiere 6.5 and found the transition reasonably quick and pain-free.
    I would suggest that you get an editing workshop book. Tom has written several but of course you will need FCE 3.5.
    He guides you easily step by step from the complete basics (connecting the camera etc.) to a high level of editing skill.
    http://www.fcpbook.com/FCE%20HD%203.5%20Editing%20Workshop.html
    While you are there, take a look at the rest of his site, which has a useful FAQ etc.
    Ian.

  • First Mac: iMac G5 or Powermac G5

    Hi, After using windows for 5 years I have decided to purchase my first mac, as it is my first, and I dont know much about them I wanted a reletively cheap option and the iMac G5 and the Powermac G5 caught my eye, after buying these I am getting a Power Book G4 (Titanium.) I just want a recommendation of what one to get, or if to jump straight into the mobile computing enviroment.

    OK, to make it easier for anybody else wanting to help...
    http://tinyurl.com/2bd5x2j
    More info on the G5 iMac...
    http://tinyurl.com/2cp2kda
    http://tinyurl.com/27u36bp
    There were 4 different G5 PMs, all different.
    http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/powermacg5/stats/powermac_g5_2.0dp.html
    http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/powermacg5/stats/powermac_g5_2.0_dp2.html
    http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/powermacg5/stats/powermac_g5_2.0_dppci.html
    http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/powermacg5/stats/powermac_g5_dual2.0.html
    Seems like good prices on all though.
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    No video upgrades on the iMac, RAM upgrades are easy on both, but Mac compatible RAM is essential.
    See japamacs page here on the best AGP cards for G4s & G5s...
    http://www.jcsenterprises.com/Japamacs_Page/Blog/4B4B7BA2-7ABB-47F1-87AC-B03D379 42BEE.html
    G5 PCIe options are listed here:
    http://www.jcsenterprises.com/Japamacs_Page/Blog/71BBF3EF-9713-4C53-8B80-26771F8 A4087.html
    Hopefully the master himself will drop in a bit later with the whole skinny!

  • I have just bought my first mac and have been told that i can get a free upgrade to lion but it seems that this is only an option in the us and canada, not the uk. is this true?

    i have just bought my first mac and have been told in pc world that i can get a free upgrade to lion, but it would appear that this is only for those in the u.s. and canada. is this true? also from reading the discussions it seems that lion is not a good thing. i am already regretting my decision to go to a mac.

    I have found that both Linux and Mac (unix) are capable of reading "deep" folders while win 32 will have issues, your it people are clearly wrong.  I run a network with both win/mac. And as long as the win servers/pc's that have shares are set to allow apple file sharing in their folder properties.   And the macs are set to allow smb there should absolutely no trouble with you accessing anything across the platforms, heck, from a Mac to a win pc on some occasions you don't even need to include a "domain" name to log on to, and you can create aliases and make your own shortcuts etc... So you don't have to manually connect each time you boot up etc... But that's all personal preferences I suppose.
    All I can tell you is that, I do it on a daily basis managing a small business. So your answer is yes you can.

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