Mickey, please tell me about your experiences as a recent iBook purchaser?

Of course, having said that, the more memory the better.

just a suggestion, like.

I used the student discount through my university to get the 14" iBook for about $12,000. I highly suggest going to a store and playing with the different laptops for a while to see which feels most comfortable to you. I thought the 12" was too small, and I preferred the iBook over the Powerbook, which both have very similar specs.

I guess what's most important is using it. I swear, I've never had a computer that was so intuitive, so ready to use out of the box. I literally just plugged it in, turned it on, went through less than 5 minutes of telling it my name, where I live, what time it is, etc, and then it was on and ready to go. All the regular software you may need is there already, set up, and as I explained about widgets, certain things are a lot easier to do. Here's a quick run through of what I use.

Safari - I don't know why people use Firefox on a Mac. Safari is my favorite browser I've used. Very similar interface and features to Firefox, and it works great. I have yet to go to any webpage that doesn't work exactly as it's supposed to.

iChat - iChat works with your AIM account, which is what I use it to. Nothing fancy to say about it. It's a basic IM client. Works great, no complaints.

iTunes - same as it is on a PC, but runs smoother. That's one thing I've noticed. Programs that I ran on the PC and Mac run a lot smoother on the Mac. The difference is very noticable.

Some things I installed.

NetNewsWire - this is an RSS reader. Do you use those? I haven't used one before, but it seems very nice. It was recommended on dailykos.com. About 25-buck shareware at ranchero.com.

Pages - this is the Apple word processing program. I love it. I used to use Microsoft Word back in my piratin' days, and OpenOffice after that. I prefer this over both of those. Runs smoother, nicer somewhat unique interface.

Irssix - IRC util. I got the simplest one because I'm such a lightweight IRC user.

When thinking about switching over to a Mac, one of my biggest fears was that something I do very much with my PC, I'd somehow not be able to do anymore. Maybe my school webpage wouldn't work on Mac web browsers, maybe AIM wouldn't work... CD burning? IRC? Who knows, just something. I had a feeling that something wouldn't work anymore. So far that has yet to happen. It doesn't even really "feel like" I'm using an "alternative" computer, if that makes sense. I forget that I am. It feels like I'm using a PC, just like everyone else, except everything runs smoother and is easier to do.

I have to get off of here and run to class. This class is -- ha! -- in our school's only Mac lab! How nice. If you have any more questions, I'd be more than happy to answer them.

phew.

I don't even think he needs to worry about plunking the extra on memory if he's a typical user, unless he plans to like use iPhoto a lot or something.

xpost that's old hat Jimmy Mod, Spencer Chow to thread to explain how he does this on a daily basis!

I have a laptop though and haven't noticed my posture any different from work (where I have a desktop) to home.

I'm totally aware that no one can really answer this for me.

This isn't a question! Computer in bed, computer on balcony while you smoke, computer in front of television so you can read the paper during tv commercials, computer in kitchen for DVD watching while you peel/bake/stir -- just think how much closer you'll be to fulfilling your whims precisely when they occur to you!

Then, in a week or two, you'll get reams and reams of threads by me all going "CHECK THIS SHIT OUT GUYZ!!!!"

This sounds pretty much like exactly what I use my computer for. And, it's exactly what a Mac is best for -- this simple, end user stuff that shouldn't be too hard to do or require too much setting up. "Idiot proof" is the best way to put it.

Another note about the hardware. Not the technical stuff that I'm guessing you don't care about, but simply how it handles and feels. With my old Dell, I had a noisy fan on the bottom. Whenever I tried to use the computer on cloth, or hell, even my desk, it'd get extremely hot and often times die. With the Mac, that doesn't happen at all. I have no idea how the cooling system works. If it is a fan, I can't find where it blows out and I can't hear it at all. All I know is that it works great. The laptop rarely heats up. I can use it wherever I want. I'm always using it laying in bed now, on my lap (fancy that, a laptop in my lap!)

I highly recommend a Mac for you. My father used to work for IBM, so I'd used PC's since my oldest memories begin. It was really something for me to switch over to a Mac, and I couldn't be happier that I did.

Lastly, er, yes, obviously I spent $1,200, not $12,000...

Crucial.com sells RAM a lot cheaper, and from what I understand, it's easy to install. I'd just get the default setup, and if you choose to upgrade, do it later. There's no reason to go for that immediately.

TRY BEFORE YOU BUY.