Mac for a student...

[Arthur]

Also iTunes Store if I recall correctly has a drm free area but think they charge a little bit more for those.

All of the music in the iTunes Store has been DRM-free since late 2009 / early 2010.

 

will PC3-12800 DDR3 RAM work and just work at a slower speed or will I need to get PC3-10600 RAM?

1,600MHz (PC3-12800) DDR3 RAM will work at 1,333MHz so you don't necessarily need to buy PC3-10600 RAM. The difference in price between the two isn't massive, so you could get whichever is cheapest.

 

is it possible to once the applecare / warranty has expired to upgrade the cpu as well?

The processor is soldered to the motherboard, so no.

[Primus]

Well we went direct to Apple and got a Macbook Pro on a student deal for £859.00 which is %15 off list I believe.

 

The other benefit is that the student warranty is 3 years rather than 1 year from retail and he got a £70 voucher for the app store.

 

Now I just have to get used to having an Apple in the house...at least until he goes back to uni...

 

Did you get this online? Just checking as the 3 year warranty only applies if you buy it over the phone or online, not in-store. Lots of Apple employees get this wrong.

[CESIL]

Did you get this online? Just checking as the 3 year warranty only applies if you buy it over the phone or online, not in-store. Lots of Apple employees get this wrong.

Oh yes he did buy it over the phone...after I had called an hour before to get the full details of what deal he could get.

 

When he called back to order they tried to sell him Applecare but since that only gives him "international" cover that was not taken up

[seawolf]

iTunes, which turns all your music, videos, podcasts etc in to Apple-only formats that'll only work on iDevices.

 

Windows Phones, AFAICT (and I've only just got one) don't do that.

 

So once you've gone down the Apple route, it's very hard to get out because all of your stuff is in formats that can only be easily read by iDevices. The transition back to PC is complex.

 

As suggested by others, not really. Only where it's DRM as required by the content owners (Movies, TV shows).

 

 

Well, not really. If you're going to write an app for Apple store, first you have to be an approved developer. Then you have to have your app vetted. And correct me if I'm wrong, but Apple devices can only get apps from the Apple store.

 

It's not very hard or expensive to become an "approved" developer. Only iOS devices are restricted to the App Store, Mac owners can get their apps from anywhere they choose. However, from an end-user standpoint getting apps from a "walled garden" is safer (in regards to malware and payment details being compromised) and the user is less likely to pay for totally rubbish non-usable software because of the vetting process. Yes, it has its cons, but for many non-technical users it is a fantastic solution.

 

Overall, there are no more restrictions or lock-in on Apple devices than PCs.

 

If you want total freedom (but currently a lesser selection of apps) then Linux is what you want. I'm quite a fan of some of the Linux distros and I hope the Ubuntu tablet and phone devices takeoff.

[seawolf]

I have to say I was REALLY surprised when I read it has a 5400 drive. I know it's to extend the battery life, but a 7200 drive makes such a huge difference to performance.

 

Actually, with the Mac Minis the reason for the 5400RPM drive is to keep the unit cooler. A 7200RPM drive generates more heat and in such a small case with a small fan heat is difficult to dissipate. The fan would be running hard a lot of the time. In the laptops it is as much about battery life as heat.

 

The Mac Mini isn't that hard to upgrade, you just have to go slow and careful. I upgraded a mixture of 32 of the 2009 and 2010 model Mac Minis a few months ago with SSDs. Dramatically improved overall performance as would be expected.

[mac_shinobi]

Actually, with the Mac Minis the reason for the 5400RPM drive is to keep the unit cooler. A 7200RPM drive generates more heat and in such a small case with a small fan heat is difficult to dissipate. The fan would be running hard a lot of the time. In the laptops it is as much about battery life as heat.

 

The Mac Mini isn't that hard to upgrade, you just have to go slow and careful. I upgraded a mixture of 32 of the 2009 and 2010 model Mac Minis a few months ago with SSDs. Dramatically improved overall performance as would be expected.

 

I haven't got the money now but I have applecare until august 2014 so will leave it until then as otherwise I invalidate the warranty anyway as ram is the only user upgradeable part