Toying with the idea of getting a Mac again, new questions!

[CurseTheSky]

Several weeks ago, I made a thread here since I was toying with the idea of getting a Macbook Pro. Between several software discrepancies and a few hardware complaints (low res screen on the 13", 15" with high res screen is too expensive), I gave up on the idea.

However, I've heard some new information that's giving me the itch again. I'm considering grabbing a Macbook Air if the refresh is worthwhile (Sandy Bridge, 7+ hours of battery life, 4GB+ memory, 128GB+ SSD, 1440x900 screen, etc.), but I have a few questions and concerns first.

- My #1 reason for giving up on Macs was the Contrl / Command / etc. keys. I'm far too used to Ctrl + Z/X/C/V/A/S/etc. on Windows, and I can't imagine trying to press what would be the Alt key instead. However, I heard from someone on one of these forums that you can switch the "command" keys around in OSX. Is that true? Could I swap the places of the Command and Control keys using software, so that it would be similar to a Windows keyboard layout? Will this work for external keyboards as well?

- Is there a decent, fairly cheap, and reliable virus scan available? I know OSX isn't targeted anywhere near as much as Windows is, but I'm not really keen on going completely "naked." Something similar to Microsoft Security Essentials or Avira, paid or free, would be great. What about independent malware scanners like Malware Bytes?

- I'm going to be upgrading my copy of Photoshop CS2 to CS5 soon, and because all of my computers are currently Windows-based, I'm going to grab a Windows copy. I'll most likely grab a copy of VMWare Fusion + an extra copy of Windows 7 to load on the Mac. Will Photoshop work flawlessly in the virtual machine?

- Any decent Thunderbolt single external hard drives on the horizon? The Pegasus R4 / R6 that Anand did a review on is really nice, but it's way out of my usage and price range. That is, of course, assuming that the next Macbook Air gets a Thunderbolt port. USB 2.0 is far too slow, and these things don't even have Firewire, let alone USB 3.0 or eSATA.

- Any reason why I SHOULDN'T consider a Macbook Air? For example, sub-par build quality compared to other Macs, overheating, etc. I will most likely be keeping my current Envy 14 as a work laptop, so this would be more for portability and personal use. I'd still like it to have enough power for basic tasks and very light gaming. In all honestly, I'd probably just grab a Macbook Pro 13" if it wasn't for that low-res screen.

Thanks. 🙂

 

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

- My #1 reason for giving up on Macs was the Contrl / Command / etc. keys. I'm far too used to Ctrl + Z/X/C/V/A/S/etc. on Windows, and I can't imagine trying to press what would be the Alt key instead. However, I heard from someone on one of these forums that you can switch the "command" keys around in OSX. Is that true? Could I swap the places of the Command and Control keys using software, so that it would be similar to a Windows keyboard layout? Will this work for external keyboards as well?

I wouldn't recommend doing that. You could use external keyboards and through software swap them, but it would limit you. You should try getting used to it. I go between Windows and OS X all the time and have no problem switching between the two OS.

- Is there a decent, fairly cheap, and reliable virus scan available? I know OSX isn't targeted anywhere near as much as Windows is, but I'm not really keen on going completely "naked." Something similar to Microsoft Security Essentials or Avira, paid or free, would be great. What about independent malware scanners like Malware Bytes?

ClamAV. Open sourced.

 

[Ka0t1x]

- Any decent Thunderbolt single external hard drives on the horizon? The Pegasus R4 / R6 that Anand did a review on is really nice, but it's way out of my usage and price range. That is, of course, assuming that the next Macbook Air gets a Thunderbolt port. USB 2.0 is far too slow, and these things don't even have Firewire, let alone USB 3.0 or eSATA.

Yes, on the way. Best use is an external SSD in use for an iMac to boot off of.

- Any reason why I SHOULDN'T consider a Macbook Air? For example, sub-par build quality compared to other Macs, overheating, etc. I will most likely be keeping my current Envy 14 as a work laptop, so this would be more for portability and personal use. I'd still like it to have enough power for basic tasks and very light gaming. In all honestly, I'd probably just grab a Macbook Pro 13" if it wasn't for that low-res screen.

I think the new Airs will be pretty good but I think they'll still be cripped CPUs, which is one of the things that I hate about them. Depending on use.. but I would stay away unless you're wanting ultra portable. Also yes, they realy need to upgrade the LCD's in the 13" Pro. It was the only reason I picked a 15" a few years ago.

 

[Kaido]

1. Yes, you can switch the Command keys.

2. I'll second ClamXav: http://www.clamxav.com/ (key, it's free!) Macs may not currently get viruses (just user-installed malware), but if you work with Windows users, it's a nice gestures to scan your emails & files for Windows viruses before forwarding them over.

3. Yes, Photoshop will work inside a virtual machine. However, virtual machines use emulated video cards, so it's not going to be as good as using it on a dedicated video card (even an integrated one will do better than an emulated one).

4. I've only seen RAID enclosures for Thunderbolt so far, but I'm sure (expensive) single-drive enclosures aren't too far off, especially since the new Sandforce SSD's are rated at 550MB/s+:

http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/SSD/OWC/Mercury_6G/

Sonnet does have a 2-bay SSD enclosure coming out, which would probably be the least expensive route to go right now:

http://www.sonnettech.com/news/nab2011/index.html

5. A Macbook Air is definitely in my future. I'm holding out for an 8GB RAM model. The 13" has the same resolution as the 15" Macbook Pro, which is really nice, and I'm reading that the new version may even have a backlit keyboard. If it has a thin-laptop i7 (the dual-core) with hyperthreading, we may get a virtual quad-core model too, which would be killer (especially for VMware!). Based on your post, a 13" Air with Thunderbolt sounds like a pretty good fit.

 

[alent1234]

Yes, on the way. Best use is an external SSD in use for an iMac to boot off of.



I think the new Airs will be pretty good but I think they'll still be cripped CPUs, which is one of the things that I hate about them. Depending on use.. but I would stay away unless you're wanting ultra portable. Also yes, they realy need to upgrade the LCD's in the 13" Pro. It was the only reason I picked a 15" a few years ago.

they are supposed to be core i5 CPU's like everyone else has once the refresh hits. what's so crippled? even the new intel graphics kills nvidia/ati in video playback

 

[alent1234]

only thing i don't like about the Air's is the SSD drives and the low space. i still like the $2199 15" MBP as a sweet spot. but probably will never buy it.

someone i know has a white macbook from 2007 or 2008. i saw it again a week or two ago and noticed that the screen quality on it is way better than my 2010 Core i5 Lenovo G560 laptop. so you do get what you pay for.

 

[Kaido]

only thing i don't like about the Air's is the SSD drives and the low space. i still like the $2199 15" MBP as a sweet spot. but probably will never buy it.

http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/SSD/OWC/Aura_Pro_MBA

:awe:

 

[alent1234]

$529 for the 240GB

i'll take the spinning 750GB drive in the MBP any day. more than enough for itunes, photos, a windows partition with games and other data. the Air is for business people always on the go. it's light and can good for taking it anywhere if you live in email

 

[suklee]

- My #1 reason for giving up on Macs was the Contrl / Command / etc. keys. I'm far too used to Ctrl + Z/X/C/V/A/S/etc. on Windows, and I can't imagine trying to press what would be the Alt key instead.

I actually prefer the Command key combo & placement. I find it easier to press CMD using my left thumb rather than using the pinky finger for CTRL. Also, if you need to do Ctrl + A for example I always had to shift my fingers (pinky on ctrl, ring finger on A) whereas using CMD my fingers can remain on ASDF.

- Any reason why I SHOULDN'T consider a Macbook Air? For example, sub-par build quality compared to other Macs, overheating, etc. I will most likely be keeping my current Envy 14 as a work laptop, so this would be more for portability and personal use. I'd still like it to have enough power for basic tasks and very light gaming. In all honestly, I'd probably just grab a Macbook Pro 13" if it wasn't for that low-res screen.

Can't think of a good reason. I too would be all over the next MBA refresh if I didn't have this mid-2009 13" MBP... 🙂

 

[Ka0t1x]

they are supposed to be core i5 CPU's like everyone else has once the refresh hits. what's so crippled? even the new intel graphics kills nvidia/ati in video playback

Haven't been watching them that much - If its truly going to be i5 and new intel graphics, probalby no reason I'd get a 13" MBP over the new Airs.

 

[alent1234]

rumor is a new MBA in the next week or two

 

[Tyranicus]

I wouldn't recommend doing that. You could use external keyboards and through software swap them, but it would limit you. You should try getting used to it. I go between Windows and OS X all the time and have no problem switching between the two OS.

You are not the OP. Telling him that you do something with no issue that he has stated he has problems with is not really productive. Also, you can change the modifier key mappings for both external and internal keyboards. I'm not quite sure how this "limits" you.

 

[CurseTheSky]

You are not the OP. Telling him that you do something with no issue that he has stated he has problems with is not really productive. Also, you can change the modifier key mappings for both external and internal keyboards. I'm not quite sure how this "limits" you.

Thanks. 😉

Yeah, I have ABSOLUTELY no interest in re-learning what's already so embedded into my brain. I would go as far as to say that if you swapped the Ctrl and Alt keys on my Windows keyboard right now, I would take a 50% productivity hit for the next several weeks or months (programmer). I can't deal with that.

Hearing that they can be swapped is good, though. Is it a featured built right into OSX, or is it something that I'll need to download extra software for? Also, is this on a per-keyboard basis? For example, could I remap an external keyboard but leave the attached keyboard as is? Not really necessary, but it would be pretty cool.

On a final note, are keys recognized in their "normal order" under Windows? So, the command key is actually the alt key, the ctrl key is the ctrl key, etc.

 

[Tyranicus]

Hearing that they can be swapped is good, though. Is it a featured built right into OSX, or is it something that I'll need to download extra software for?

It is built into OS X. You can find it in System Preferences > Keyboard.

Also, is this on a per-keyboard basis? For example, could I remap an external keyboard but leave the attached keyboard as is? Not really necessary, but it would be pretty cool.

Yes.

On a final note, are keys recognized in their "normal order" under Windows? So, the command key is actually the alt key, the ctrl key is the ctrl key, etc.

Unfortunately not. They will be in the order of Control, Alt, Windows.

 

[Kaido]

One thing I hope is that the Macbook Air will have 3G or 4G. Probably not (they want you to do tethering, and 2 gigs would be eaten up fast on a laptop), but it'd still be awesome!

 

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

The only reason I suggested not switching the keys is because there are so many other things you're going to have to be learning anyways.

 

[Spicedaddy]

they are supposed to be core i5 CPU's like everyone else has once the refresh hits. what's so crippled? even the new intel graphics kills nvidia/ati in video playback

They'll have the low-voltage versions of the Core i3/i5/i7. A little slower than the regular laptop CPUs, but still much faster than the older ULV Core 2 Duos they were using.

 

[CurseTheSky]

Even the ULV Core 2 Duos were no slouches, especially compared to something REALLY anemic like Atom. I had an ASUS UL30A with an SL7300 and it was perfect for everyday tasks. I wouldn't want to run a ton of VMs on it or do any heavy gaming (not that the GMA 4500MHD would allow you to anyway), but with an SSD in it, I couldn't tell it apart from my desktop for browsing the web, writing emails, and general office productivity.

I'm really eager to see what the Macbook Air ends up coming with for specs. I really hope they don't shoot themselves in the foot somehow (only a low res screen this time, 2GB standard memory with 4GB costing a TON more, etc.). I keep thinking about the Samsung 9 Series or waiting for the ASUS Ultrabook that's supposed to come out, but it always seems like there's a compromise on the Windows notebooks somewhere. The Samsung, for example, has a lot of plastic on it and has numerous complaints about WiFi problems.

My Envy 14 is the closest I've found to Mac-like quality in a metal chassis. If it wasn't for a few minor build quality issues, and especially for the issues with the touchpad, I wouldn't even consider giving it up. The 1600x900 screen, for example, is absolutely brilliant.