Apple
From EdVoncken.NET
If you are looking for Unix on the desktop, Mac OS X is for you. We run Mac OS X Leopard on our MacBook and MacBook Pro. Our house is slowly becoming a showcase for Apple technology:
- MacBook Pro (late 2007, work-related) with T-Mobile UMTS Stick (Huawei E176)
- MacBook White (early 2008)
- Mac Mini (early 2009)
- Time Capsule 500GB for 802.11n WiFi and Time Machine backups
- 2x Airport Express for streaming iTunes to our stereo equipment (both analogue and optical digital outputs)
- 2x iPhone 3GS (late 2009)
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[edit] MacBook Pro
- I *LOVE* this machine, but...
- Just before it turned one year old, my MBP was returned for a faulty LCD (vertical yellow line). The whole clamshell was replaced under warranty. So was the battery.
- The matte screen is great if you need to work in an office environment with overhead flourescent tube (TL) lighting. Colleagues with glossy screens (i.e. mirrors) on their laptops complain about the reflections quite a bit.
- Battery and RAM are user-replaceable parts.
- I upgraded my RAM from 2GB to 4GB.
[edit] MacBook White
- Overall, it's a very nice 13" laptop
- Sound is pretty bad (and mono) on this one. You'll definitely want to use headphones (or better yet, AirTunes ;-))
- The glossy screen is not so bad when inside our house. Haven't tested in the office yet. It is quite bright.
- Battery and RAM are user-replaceable parts.
- I upgraded the RAM from 1GB to 4GB - a huge difference!
[edit] Time Capsule
Some notes:
- Run the initial backup over wired ethernet - or it will take forever to complete
- My experiences with Time Machine /Time Capsule are really good. YMMV ;-)
- I'm only using the 5GHz band on this access point. Most people are still on 2.4GHz, so the 5GHz spectrum is still nice and quiet.
- Newer models can use 2.4 and 5GHz simultaneously.
[edit] Airport Express
One of the nicer features of the Airport Express is Wireless Distribution System combined with bridging. In other words: the Airport Express is part of your wireless network, the Ethernet port is bridged with the wireless network. This allows you to put a wired network device anywhere in range of your WiFi network.
In fact, I use this configuration to provide network connectivity to an old Xbox (running XBMC). Wired ethernet was not an option.
The AirTunes functionality (audio streaming) only works with iTunes on Mac or Windows. However, there is third-party software that will allow you to stream any audio to your Airport Express:
Airfoil looks promising; they also offer the free Airfoil Speakers download, so any Mac or Windows computer can participate in wireless audio streaming.
[edit] iPhone 3GS
Ah, the iPhone. What is there to say about the JesusPhone ;-)