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I've just upgraded from a late 07 MacBook Pro to a current Air, and the one thing that wowed me the most (probably because it's not something people tend to focus on due to SSD being so badass) is my CPU usage for video decoding has dropped insanely. Before, the top 3mbit HD feed on my NFL subscription would oversaturate the CPU and be jerky as hell... Now it's barely a thing. Same with 1080p MKV... Like 13% usage and I can't even hear the fans kick in. The difference that the GPU decoding makes is insane, especially comparing the fact I had discrete graphics before and now it's all on one chip. The CPU runs hot (80c) but nothing to worry about. Loving it so far.
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Nov 12, 2011 12:14
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Bob Morales posted:A) The home/end keys don't work like they should (like they do on a PC) I've seen this moaned about quite often but never really understood it. Home/End sounds like it should go to the beginning or end of a document, yet the 'correct' behaviour is to skip to the start or end of a single line? I didn't even realise PC behaviour did this by default, and when I learnt about it I didn't suddenly realise how much better it made my life because I still don't use them like that. Mac behaviour can do the same with a key modifier anyway, so I can't work out what the big deal is.
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Nov 13, 2011 20:15
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Right, I know this. What I'm asking is - why is it a big deal? There's a million things that change when you switch from Windows to OSX but people seem to get hung up on this function that I can't personally see being used so often in the first place.
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Nov 13, 2011 20:45
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I've been told that Apple are rolling out new policy to put a stop on their genius bar doing free out of warranty repairs for people now. Not great news as I always read great feedback when this happens. Must be causing them a fortune though.
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Nov 14, 2011 10:09
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I've got a longhaul flight coming up, and it's never occurred to me that I've pretty much only ever used my MacBook Air (2011) on power and with wifi. If I just use it for video playback to keep me entertained with no internet/bluetooth or anything like that, how long can I expect out of it... about 5-6 hours?
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Feb 27, 2013 15:12
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I need to start thinking about replacing my 2010 27" i7 iMac and hoping some of you guys who follow the hardware closer than I do might be able to confirm/deny some stuff... 1. I know it's never a certainty, but it's fairly likely that the Summer will bring a new 5K iMac, yeah? If not, are people generally happy with the latest 5K machines? 2. Is there a general timespan between model release and it entering the Refurb market, or is it just a case of refreshing until they start appearing? 3. The ever fun storage decision... is it just a case of get the biggest flash drive you can afford, or are the Fusion drives generally pretty decent? I'll have a 2TB USB3 external drive with my iTunes library (about 300gb) and my Lightroom catalogs (similar in size) from my old machine and presume I should just keep things as they are, and will probably buy a portable Thunderbolt hard drive for the photo side for the future so I can pair it with my 2011 MBA also. 4. Anyone know if upgrading the graphics card makes a significant different when using Lightroom or Photoshop? Nothing heavy layer wise at the moment, but my images are 24MP so quite large, and I'm expecting my library to grow pretty quickly when I'm settled. Thanks!
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Feb 18, 2016 23:14
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Quantum of Phallus posted:5k iMac is a beast. I Use one in work every day and I'd never use anything else that's out right now when given a choice These are the words I like to read. I know there were some issues with Lightroom (Adobe, so go figure) when the model first came out, but it's been long enough now that they really should have their poo poo together. And the Metal demos they showed off last year for Premiere and Illustrator? Yes please.
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Feb 19, 2016 00:11
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TheAngryDrunk posted:Lightroom and Photoshop performance are more tied to CPU and having enough RAM. There are some features that use the GPU, but you don't need a high-end card to take advantage of those features. Yeah, I don't know much about PS to be honest as I don't use it much but LR is stepping out into the world of GPU and not doing a great job of it to the point where it can be faster if you turn off the hardware acceleration. If it's unlikely the extra graphics power will ever be useful even a few years down the line when they've revamped it, then I'll skimp I think. I just don't want to be locked into something I know the user can't upgrade themselves. I take it the extra GPU options are for people doing lots of stuff in FCPX or 3D animation tools then? I'm guessing it's not there specifically for games, even if they can make use of it.
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Feb 19, 2016 02:03
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Yeah as awesome as it is that these 15" notebooks are legitimately powerful beasts, I'm spoilt by the size and weight of my 13" MBA. I don't even need it to be that portable, but the form factor is so goddamned nice I never want a bigger laptop.
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Feb 20, 2016 04:56
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Mu Zeta posted:It's definitely time for a new form factor for the Retina Pros. I hope the 1 hole experiment of the Macbook is over. What was the customer satisfaction like on this after? I heard a bunch of the early sales were returned, but people who knew what they were buying into hopefully liked it? I think if my 13" air had gotten damaged and it was replaced with one, I'd have been OK with it. I don't care for things dangling off my laptop so a single USB connector is fine with me. I only used the keyboard once to do some copy typing off a spec sheet of a display model, and while i agree it's not quite as nice I was still able to type fast and accurately. I mean, never buy a first generation apple product and all but I still think it seemed a cool machine for certain uses.
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Feb 22, 2016 14:27
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Is there a place I can get a US 2 prong AC cord for my MBA 2011 (L connector, 45w) magsafe adapter? And the duckhead too, if possible (although not as essential)? I don't trust the ones on Amazon to be the legit thing, and Apple don't seem to have them for sale separately. At worst, I'm guessing some people here will probably have old dead adapters that have been replaced but have working AC cables at least as that's not the end that tends to break.
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Feb 23, 2016 17:02
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FCKGW posted:The prongs and duckheads are just electrical passthrough so there's not really anything to worry about unless their lovely aesthetics bother you. Yeah, I was going to do exactly that in the meantime or just use one of my converter plugs (I just don't like using those things, they're cheap and nasty usually). Just nice to have the real cord, that's all. Phantom Limb posted:Try going to an Apple store and asking, last time I did this they just gave me one. Ha, that's a good idea. Cheers.
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Feb 23, 2016 22:08
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Yeah I have a dent to my Air in the corner like that after a flight I took. It's in a more padded bag now.
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Feb 25, 2016 00:42
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I get the feeling the new MBPs are going to make me question do I want to get a new 27" iMac to replace the one I sold recently, or sell my MBA as well and just get a laptop and a good screen. Ugh.
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Feb 29, 2016 16:58
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Bob Morales posted:I'm very happy with a used 27" ACD and my 2013 MacBook Pro (and previously 2013 MacBook Air) BOB YOU'RE NOT HELPING!!!  e: still no Retina Thunderbolt display? If that comes out this year that might make my mind up. My photos are 6000x4000px and the 1440p display on my iMac was nice but I want better. Plugging in a Retina MBP to a 1440p Thunderbolt display will make me sad knowing I'm gaining size but losing a ton of resolution. e2: ah, read something saying apparently it's essentially Intel's fault as even the Skylake processors can't run a 5K display over a single cable. Ugh. EL BROMANCE fucked around with this message at 18:52 on Feb 29, 2016 |
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Feb 29, 2016 18:01
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These are the quotes from the MacRumors buyers guides. I'm not knowledgable enough about the situation to discredit them, but maybe there are workarounds?quote:but with Intel's latest Skylake chips not supporting the DisplayPort 1.3 standard needed to drive external single-tile 5K displays like those used in the 27-inch Retina iMacs, we still may not see a Retina Thunderbolt Display for quite some time. quote:Plug-and-play support for 5K external displays will require the DisplayPort 1.3 standard, but it is not clear when systems will support the new standard. Intel's latest Skylake processors launching in late 2015 and early 2016 do not support DisplayPort 1.3, meaning Skylake systems will be unable to support an external single-tile display similar that used in the Retina 5K iMac. So essentially they say 4K is possible but not likely, and 5K isn't possible until other manufacturers pull their thumbs out. Makes sense, but is frustrating.
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Feb 29, 2016 20:38
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Quantum of Phallus posted:the Magic Mouse not being able to left and right click at the same time is some shameful poo poo I'm trying to think of any time I've ever needed to do that, and the only thing I can think of is rocket jumping in Quake 3.
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Mar 1, 2016 17:26
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It's gone daft how small components have gotten. Need to do a look up at a teardown of the latest Mac Mini because based on the rMBP it should be tiny. Guessing it has more active cooling at least, maybe it's just they didn't fancy changing the design. They could probably get it down to the size of the Apple TV if they wanted.
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Mar 1, 2016 22:27
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oaok posted:Is os x/mac hardware actually better (vs windows) for music production in terms of latency? Most of the hardware is the same these days, the advantage I've always seen for OSX running on Apple hardware is that it's the same company making the software and the hardware, and there's only a limited amount of model variance. I've just found in most cases, the system as a whole just feels more stable. I still use Windows machines for work and other things, and simple incompatibilities still annoy me. Apple/OSX aren't perfect by any means, but it's definitely better and the fact if you run into an issue you can generally find others who have too. If audio production is your thing though, I've always found people who run studios that I'm friends with often lock themselves into an OS version and only upgrade when they know everything is 101% stable and tested.
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Mar 20, 2016 23:44
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Mandals posted:Ultimately it comes down to the realization that using Windows makes me angry and takes me out of whatever it is I'm trying to focus on. And nothing sums this up better than the lack of focus stealing in OS X. A problem I never knew existed until I switched to an OS that didn't switch me out of whatever I was working on every time it wanted my attention. God drat do I hate that.
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Mar 21, 2016 05:58
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While I can't specifically remember a time that a PRAM reset has ever fixed any issue I've had, at least it's a 5 second attempt that doesn't cause any issues. I tend to start with PRAM, then SMC, then sacrificing a child or pet.
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Mar 22, 2016 07:42
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I was hoping for a slither of news of new iMacs amongst the portables in that piece. Hopefully something will emerge at the same time at least.
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Mar 22, 2016 22:06
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I don't love the keyboard, but found I could still type fast on it on a quick check. As someone who usually doesn't have tons of hardware hanging off my laptop and likes travelling, I dig that machine. But I use Lightroom enough on my Air (which is a struggle with 24mp raws, especially when combining exposures or images) that I know it's not for me, sadly.
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Mar 23, 2016 02:55
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GutBomb posted:I've finally been worn down by this thread and others and have given Safari on the mac another shot and it's actually a lot better than Chrome so I'll admit Safari isn't poo poo anymore. Been using it without major issue since 2006. Welcome back!
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Mar 26, 2016 23:23
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Housh posted:I've been using Firefox on a 10 year old MacBook with no issue until I open more than 5 tabs. Ouch. Just because I'm useless with the reading list, I find I often have 30-40 open sometimes.
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Mar 27, 2016 02:57
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I Am Crake posted:I just figured out cmd+` is the alt-tab for same-app window switching which is good to know. Yeah that's a good one, especially because Windows has an implementation of it but unless things have changed its often dependent on the application so half the time doesn't work. Cmd+, will bring up the preferences for the app you're in, which is useful If you're in finder (or click the desktop) you can jump to certain folders. Ie cmd+shift+A will take you to Applications Cmd+opt+3 will take a screen shot and dump it as a png to desktop. Change 3 to 4 and you can draw a box around what you want. However if you don't drag a box, you can press the space bar and the cursor will change to a camera and you then put this over an app window and click and it'll do a clean screenshot of just that with a drop shadow. Cmd+Space is spotlight search and can find a ton of things or you can ask it stuff like maths questions Most Mac native installations are really simple and literally just involve mounting a disk image and dragging an app to the Applications folder. I refused to believe this was actually installing anything when i first converted. Mac apps are essentially bundles, if you right click one and choose 'show package contents' you can see the actual files inside the app which can be useful. Holding the option key before clicking certain things gives you useful poo poo - ie Opt + "Go" will let you go to the Library. Opt + Wifi logo will give you tech specs and stuff. It's basically a 'show extension options' thing. Learn to use the multiple desktop expose stuff, I love that especially when I'm working on a single screen. But yeah there's a ton of little things hidden away, and a lot of the time the way to find them is pure instinct. You think 'I wonder if I do X will Y happen?' And it does. That's always really neat.
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Mar 28, 2016 21:07
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If there's no lag, what am I supposed to blame for my poor performance? My inadequate skills?! Puh-leaze.
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Mar 30, 2016 07:23
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My 5 year old air is still reporting 75% design capacity after nearly 300 cycles and no dicking about to keep the battery at any specific percentage, or make sure it's not left empty etc. I'll take that.
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Apr 13, 2016 06:49
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Verisimilidude posted:Can anyone recommend a printer that works with PCs, iPads and iPhones? I'm looking for something my mom and grandma can use, so it has to be relatively simple and on the smaller side. Price range is about $100-$200, and printing photos is a plus but not necessary. My mum was in a similar boat, so I bought her one of these Samsung lasers. Pretty cheap, small, has AirPrint. Can't do photos naturally because it's a b&w laser but it means you won't be cursing inkjet refills when it's only been used 5 times and the inks dried out.
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Apr 13, 2016 18:31
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Yeah Apples own refurbs are the gold standard. I think B&H are big enough that I'd blind trust them. Them, and Adorama, are the two big names in camera gear sales. They're super established.
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Apr 17, 2016 01:19
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flosofl posted:If you're really concerned, look on YouTube for some Window/OS X differences. Yeah this was me. Bought a MacBook for my dad to use but never really wanted to use it myself. Always hated the Apple way, like a lot of PC users did. One day in 2005 I forgot my crappy Windows laptop when I visited them, so made a profile on that machine and forced myself to learn it a bit more (mainly so I could help do tech support in the future), find equivalents to the software I used and after about 10 hours sat in front of it everything clicked. Despite not really having the cash, I bought a second hand CoreDuo black book the next day.
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Apr 17, 2016 23:13
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I love my 2011 Air, but it's understandable that the once 'insanely thin and light' option that now stands in the middle of the two others will be phased out. I'd be interested to see the performance difference of running something like Lightroom on the MacBook compared to my 5 year old hardware. Lack of SD slot would be a pain for me (and I'm not someone who moans about lack of ports on notebooks and I can see why they don't bother with it) but it's not really designed to do that kind of work. I just love travelling with my MBA, and a Pro feels massive in comparison.
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Apr 19, 2016 21:18
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Bob Morales posted:Not Lightroom, but it should be comparable: Ah neat, I'm not gonna buy a notebook for a while but at the worst it'd be a side-grade for performance while giving me a nicer screen and lighter/smaller machine. I know I shouldn't be using it for LR anyway, but its useful while travelling and processing some stuff in downtime.
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Apr 19, 2016 22:34
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I'm sure I've seen boxes that sit between consoles and the iMac display to do that, maybe that would work for a PC output too? Can't see why not as plenty of video cards just use HDMI these days.
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Apr 20, 2016 13:26
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I've always done Crucial too and never had a single issue.
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Apr 21, 2016 20:19
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I'd be just as concerned about the 4gb of ram. I have a 128/4 model, and both limitations are the aspects that get on my nerves the most.
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Apr 25, 2016 17:51
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My Air is my travel machine (and right now, my only machine as I had to sell my iMac before moving) and even despite be 4/128 limits I still use it for Lightroom with 24mp images. It's not fast and I can't keep the images on there long, but it's usable enough. Like, I want a new iMac in the next 6 months but I probably won't change this machine for another year or two.
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Apr 25, 2016 22:48
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Bob Morales posted:
Can you imagine how that would've gone with Steve? Would've spent the whole time berating you over your dress sense or similar. Would've been worth it.
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Apr 26, 2016 18:19
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General feeling towards the MacBook refresh seem so different to how the original was received... I thought it was just a minor bump? All I remember from last time was moaning about the keyboard and the lack of ports.
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Apr 28, 2016 02:49
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mediaphage posted:happens every time they do something daring. True, there was a similar turnaround on the Air but I felt that had a bigger bump between revisions. I guess people were just pissed the new and fancy thing wasn't aimed at them last year.
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Apr 28, 2016 03:48
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