Questions about Mac Books?

Question

Im a high school student and I'm planning on getting a laptop. I would be using my laptop for chatting, editing, web surfing, typing and pretty much for school work. I'm looking into a mac but I know there are some programs that are not compatible with it.

can it support adobe photoshop cs2? is it compatible with msn messenger? can you access microsoft word and presentation? what are the pro and cons for a mac?? please name me some issues you have occured with using the mac book?

also, what is the different between the mac book and the mac book pro?

Thanks in advance!

also, I'm a designer and i like to mix music so i was wondering if programs like such will be compatible with the mac book too.

Answer 1

[Using Windows Software on Mac]

Although there are many programs that you can use on Mac, there are even more programs for Windows.

On the next version of Mac OS X (Leopard), there is already a feature that you could install Windows XP or Windows Vista on your Mac (Boot Camp). In that way, you can install any Windows applications on your Mac.

If you want to buy today, there is already a beta version of Boot Camp which you can install on the current Mac OS X Tiger

Also, there is a software called CrossOver Mac which you can install on your Mac so that you can use Windows many applications on Mac OS


[MSN Messenger]
There is a version of MSN Messenger for Mac.
http://www.microsoft.com/mac/default.aspx?pid=msnmessenger
You can also use Yahoo! Messenger for Mac to IM those on MSN
http://messenger.yahoo.com/mac.php


[Using Microsoft Office Files]
To open and edit Word documents and PowerPoint presentations, you can buy Office 2004 for Mac, or you could simply download the OpenOffice.org 2.2.1
http://www.openoffice.org/


[difference]
The most obvious difference are the size and color. MacBook have 13.3" screen while MacBook Pro have 15" or 17"
If you want it more portable, go for MacBook. If you want the more powerful, buy the MacBook Pro.

Answer 2

dont believe mdigitale he's just a troll

yes macs can run all thoses programs. to mix music u can use audacity

http://audacity.sourceforge.com

i highly recommend a mac. u do not need to install anti-virus or other programs like that. u can use msn messenger on mac, but i suggest adium.

http://www.adiumx.com/

the main diffrence between the macbook and macbook pro is that the pro has a dedicated graphics card and a larger screen. the dedicated graphics card wont matter much to u unless u do high end video editing, or play games.

Answer 3

OK simple answers to all your questions

photoshop is supported as i know yes
msn is compatible (but limited, no webcams or voice chat. its VERY limited)
microsoft office is available for mac so yes you can access word files and powerpoints.

the pros are you will probably never ever get a virus again on OSX, very secure and stable. also more intuitive operating system. get used to it very quickly.

cons are that the computers are expensive! lol

also macbook and macbook pro are mainly performance, check out apples website and that wil give you the lowdown

also about music mixing:
http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/audio/
that surely has what you need somewhere

oh and btw i woudnt bother going back to XP unless you have to. theres pretty much a alternative for everything on OSX that XP has

Answer 4

I highly recommend getting a PC -- Toshiba, Lenovo, HP are just a few of the brands that make reliable laptops. All the software that is available for the Mac is available for the PC but not visa versa. You'll want to buy something you can use for a long time without regrets.

Answer 5

CS2 will run a little slow since it will run under Rosetta, CS3 is a Universal app and will run much better.
MSN will work but you should think about AdiumX, it will chat with Yahoo, MSN, AIM and others.
M$ Office 2004 trial will be pre-installed along with iWorks '08 trial, but if you can't afford them a free donationware alternative is NeoOffice.