I absolutely need a mouse for my laptop. While I can get by with the touchpad when I'm laying down watching TV or at the kitchen counter; but when I'm in my home office, stationary for long ammounts of time I need a mouse.

 

So, is the Apple Mighty Mouse the best way to go? I've used them briefly in the Mac Stores and such and had no problem, but I have heard about reliability problems and some people don't care for it. If not that, anyone have any good recommendations? It needs to be wireless, and I like bluetooth technology.

 

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebO...;nplm=MB111LL/A

 

I will definitely be upgrading my RAM myself to probably the max of 4GB and I was wondering if anyone knew a really good 3rd party source to buy RAM. Obviously a Google search for this would suffice, but I'm curious if anyone knows of any hidden gems.

 

Is there any reason not to get a glossy display when there is no change in cost?

 

Also, how good is the AppleCare Protection Plan? Anyone have any experience with it good or bad?

 

Thanks.

Reference the AppleCare Protection...

 

Ive had a Powerbook for almost 4 years and didnt get the protection. Never needed it and I think they wanted around $350 for it.

 

Had to go to the Genious Bar twice in 4 years for some complications.

Good to know. Thanks.

 

I'm usually very lucky with hardware and don't have things fail on me and I take very good care of what I own but I also like to have a contingency plan.

 

Yeah it is 350 bucks. Which is why I'm hesitant.

ya i thought i would need a mouse too. but you really doget used to the touch pad...just sayin

 

didnt get the apple care...these things are well built machines...i doubt ull have any probs. all i did was turn on the mac real quick in the store to see if there were any dead pixels.

 

fox, leopard is supposed to come out oct 26 i think...which would be an extra 100-150 bucks. so idk if u can wait till then or work out a deal with apple...umm i got the matte screen because i was afraid of glare and supposedly the colors on a matte screen are "truer" whatever that means, if you work alot with photos and vids....but ive seen many people with glossy and theyve never had a prob...looking back i might have gotten a glossy...but im happy with the matte

I have had an ibook for ever now and you sound like me when you say "I take care of my things." My advice for the Apple protection plan is to plain out dump it.. Not worth especially if you take care of your computer which it seems like you do. It's a very big investment so why not take care of it right? Apple's are very strong and hardly come with problems.. Worse comes to worse you do what Don did, go to the genius bar.

 

As far as the mighty mouse, I can't really give you to much advice on that. I sometimes need a mouse for my laptop so awhile back I just bought a third party one. Came with a little usb stick... Stick it in and it connects wirelessly with the mouse. No problems at all...

Oh, I'll get Leopard.... :shifty

 

I feel ya on the touchpad, but I have big hands and they drive me nuts, I already know I'll be using/wanting a mouse for sure.

 

Thanks for the thoughts on the screen.

 

Edit: Thanks 4Life.

 

I actually have a real nice Logitech Mouse right now, I don't know why I thought I'd automatically need to get an Apple only one. I'll probably just stck with it to start off with.

As someone who owns a Macbook pro 2.4 15''

 

Don't get the glossy. Period. Way too much glare. The matte is definitely the way to go.

 

You don't need a mouse, but there's nothing wrong with the mighty mouse and you can even customize it to act like a windows right clicking mouse, so don't let the lack of buttons sway your opinion.

 

All the other souping up you can opt on if you order on Apple's website. Just something to think about.

 

And the apple care doesn't cover physical damage, so getting it for a laptop is not a great bet. A desktop on the other hand would be a good move.

Buying RAM from Apple is one of the biggest rip offs going.

 

I've seen far cheaper prices just by doing a few quick searches.

 

I think you guys convinced me, definitely not going to waste my money on the AppleCare

Oh, I'll get Leopard.... :shifty

 

I feel ya on the touchpad, but I have big hands and they drive me nuts, I already know I'll be using/wanting a mouse for sure.

 

Thanks for the thoughts on the screen.

 

Edit: Thanks 4Life.

 

I actually have a real nice Logitech Mouse right now, I don't know why I thought I'd automatically need to get an Apple only one. I'll probably just stck with it to start off with.

 

Now that I think of it.. I thinks its a Logitech mouse.. :lol But that mighty mouse is a bit over priced when the logitech is going to do the job for you just as good... Save money by not buying the mouse and the apple protection plan and use it towards buying your RAM... Best way to go! :thumbup Let us know when you get it

for ram search newegg.com . they've got a whole section designated for apple products. but from what i understand the apple website says that it maxes out at 3GB, but you can put up to 4GB in with special ram or something... anyone know about this?

Buying RAM from Apple is one of the biggest rip offs going.

 

I've seen far cheaper prices just by doing a few quick searches.

 

I think you guys convinced me, definitely not going to waste my money on the AppleCare

 

Hey, just throwing that out there since you were considering the extended warranty. Any 3rd party stuff voids the 1 year warranty.

4 gigs of ram for a laptop is just a waste of money. Go with 2 gigs and never buy ram upgrades from the manufacturer. Its cheaper to buy and install the ram yourself. Here is the best deal for 2 gig ram (1GB X 2):

http://shop3.outpost.com/product/5001625

 

Its quality ram too.

ya i say try out the 2 Gigs first i mean i got final cut pro( :shifty ) on this piece... and it runs like a dream....and the glossy vs matte debate lol its so annoying evryone tells you different things...twrecker and i spent a week debating lol...its the smallest little thing but so hard to make a decision. search google glossy vs matte there are hundreds of pages and you can never get a good answer so dont bother witht the frustration

Yeah I did that, seems like it became a pretty big deal. I had no idea.

 

I think I'm going to go glossy per what I've read (and the positives for choosing it are what my positives are).

 

As for the RAM, I'll definitely wait to purchase but I just want to be prepared for running Leopard in all of its glory. But I'll wait and see before buying more RAM.

if you get a wireless mouse, i say get bluetooth, since they are priced around the same, and bluetooth takes up less physical space compared to a usb port.

 

and wait a couple of weeks, leopard and possibly a mbp upgrade is coming soon, although i haven't really heard too much rumors indicating so.

Yeah I did that, seems like it became a pretty big deal. I had no idea.

 

I think I'm going to go glossy per what I've read (and the positives for choosing it are what my positives are).

 

As for the RAM, I'll definitely wait to purchase but I just want to be prepared for running Leopard in all of its glory. But I'll wait and see before buying more RAM.

 

Glossy scratches easier and creates greater glare...FWIW.

I just have a little Targus USB mouse and it works for me, I'm not really picky

if you get a wireless mouse, i say get bluetooth, since they are priced around the same, and bluetooth takes up less physical space compared to a usb port.

 

and wait a couple of weeks, leopard and possibly a mbp upgrade is coming soon, although i haven't really heard too much rumors indicating so.

I need it for work and my business trip coming out now.

 

Should be coming Monday. I'll probably nerd out and post some pics.

if you get a wireless mouse, i say get bluetooth, since they are priced around the same, and bluetooth takes up less physical space compared to a usb port.

 

and wait a couple of weeks, leopard and possibly a mbp upgrade is coming soon, although i haven't really heard too much rumors indicating so.

I need it for work and my business trip coming out now.

 

Should be coming Monday. I'll probably nerd out and post some pics.

 

oh ok. good luck, and you'll love your mbp. i'm loving my macbook.

AppleCare is a must, but I have never heard of a memory upgrade voiding the warranty. My Blueberry iBook even came with directions to install my Airport card (they weren't built-in back then) and install additional memory along with Apple's phone number and website in case I needed additional assistance.

 

I would check with Apple directly on this.

 

As long as your company is Mac friendly and you don't mind the machine, I would say go for it.

 

I'm typing this as we speak on the Blueberry iBook from 1999 running Mac OS X Panther on the FSU WiFi Network and it works just fine. Make sure that you get Microsoft Office on it along with downloading Firefox. I use Thunderbird for my e-mail, but Apple's Mail program and Microsoft's Entourage program seem to get rave reviews from the people that swear by them. I just needed it to be the same on the iBook as on my Dell desktop.

 

Good luck!

I'm going to be using Boot Camp and putting Vista on there so the few things that I will still need Windows for, I'll be able to use no problem.

 

Its already ordered, will be at my house Monday.

I'm going to be using BootCamp and putting Vista on there so the few things that I will still need Windows for, I'll be able to use no problem.

 

Its already ordered, will be at my house Monday.

Sweet! Congrats!

 

 

I'm considering getting a MacBook sometime in 2008 possibly to replace this iBook as it would be entering its 10th year of service for me and I don't think it can continue surviving in my backpack all the time. :lol

 

 

It all depends on how much I can save up and if I can get a good enough paying summer job to make it to the goal.

 

 

Anybody have any comments on Boot Camp? I haven't seen it run yet in person and would like to hear what y'all have to say about it.

Should have waited a couple weeks for Mac OS X 10.5 "Leopard". Unless they told you that you'll get a free upgrade this close to its release.

 

I've seen Boot Camp in action. It is, essentially, the Mac operating as a real PC. No emulation involved, since the Mac is now Intel-based. Just a typical dual-boot scenario.

 

(When you install Vista, though, you might want to download the latest Nvidia ForceWare driver package. Video drivers have been a bear with Vista in general.)

about applecare: you can order it anytime in the first year of your computer's life, so you don't need to get it right away, especially if you're short of cash.

Should have waited a couple weeks for Mac OS X 10.5 "Leopard". Unless they told you that you'll get a free upgrade this close to its release.

 

I've seen Boot Camp in action. It is, essentially, the Mac operating as a real PC. No emulation involved, since the Mac is now Intel-based. Just a typical dual-boot scenario.

 

(When you install Vista, though, you might want to download the latest Nvidia ForceWare driver package. Video drivers have been a bear with Vista in general.)

Yeah again, I'll 'get' Leopard. Also, as I've stated I can't wait for it. I need this laptop for a business trip next week. No waiting.

 

I've had no problems with drivers and Vista and I've had it since launch.

 

Thanks furcalchick for that tidbit.