A list of the impossibilities

What is impossible with a Mac (including the Macbook and Mac OS)?

Can I please have help with filling my list?

There is no flaming or trolling intention and please avoid flaming or trolling each other !

Here's a list of the ones I have collected until now:

Pointing at Apple's service with a bad hand in general terms
Not having criticism from the stereotypes (even though that may be experienced from some other brands)
Connecting an expresscard/cardbus on the new models without external peripherals
Playing some Windows games without a separate copy of Windows when only having the Mac OS
Connecting >= 3 USB devices (depending on model) without using a hub
Switching between integrated and dedicated GPU without logging off and back in
Playing blu-ray disc without an external blu-ray player
Removing the battery without removing the case (new models)
Read memory cards that aren't SD without using an external memory card reader
Running mini-CDs without an external drive that has a tray
Freedom of choice when it comes to hardware without serious limitation
Plugging in some of the external monitors that exist without an adapter
Not having a high amount of price value considering it's hardware
Playing all of the games on Mac OS

Please point out which of them may be wrong so that they would be corrected

Any more impossibilities you can think of and share or are there any of the ones in the list that you do not agree with? feel free to post a decent reply and give your honest reasons

Thanks to everyone that participated in helping me with making the list until now and helped me with reaching closer to my conclusion and decision!

*Pshh Pshht* = ( Sprays the anti-troll spray in the air!)

/shoo

(Please keep the thread friendly, safe and clean)

 

Apple's service is some of the best in the business, with lenovo being the only Windows based pc maker to come close.

As for the computers themselves, value for money, etc., you'll know what's right for you. If the stuff you use is compatible with OS X, (we've talked off of NBR and we both determined yeah) you like the design of both OS X and the laptop's themselves, then why not give it a go?

 

Nooo!

Now everyone knows that I am interested in a Mac

Back to the topic!

What are more of the impossibilities?

 

Why else would you post a thread like this then?

Anyways. as you know, there's a "value for money" thing. In some cases, you might be able to get a higher spec Windows based PC for the same price. I think that whether this matters to you depends. You have to realize that when your paying for a Apple machine, your partly paying for the integrated experience that OS X and iLife provide, along with the astethic design of the product. To some people, this is well worth the price of admission, to others (kinda like myself tbh) not so much. It, like all computer buying decisions, is a personal one that you'll have to make for yourself.

 

You mean stuff like plugging in an external monitor without resorting to an adapter, connecting an expresscard/cardbus on the new models without external peripherals, playing Windows games without a separate copy of Windows, connecting >= 3 USB devices (depending on model) without using a hub?

 

Actually from my personal experience, Lenovo doesn't even come close. HP's business service is still better than Lenovo's Thinkpad services provided by IBM.

 

Woah! :O

Another four more impossibilities!

Ye, that's a good thing but I want more impossibilities!

So another impossibility would be getting around the same price as a Windows OS based PC?

 

I believe these are some of the largest obstacles you will face. Software bumps can be softened out by getting a copy of windows up and running but hardware obstacles are harder to get over.

With the growing world of USB devices 3 USB ports = few. Plugging in your MP3 Player, Printer, External hard drive are all doable but what if you have to plug in a usb stick etc? Or you want to use a mouse? or external keyboard? you can get a hub but it can become messy.

 

More: switching between integrated and dedicated GPU without logging off and back in; playing blu-ray disc without an external blu-ray player; removing the battery without removing the case (new models); read memory cards that aren't SD without using an external memory card reader; running mini-CDs.

Of course we're only talking about hardware limitations here, and I'm not including performance based limitations.

 

How about you please share what you know of the impossibilities of the performance as well?

 

replacing the battery with ease

 

ROFL @ this guy

 

I don't know which is worse, a flame bait thread or that the mods participating in it.

 

I wouldn't call it flamebait. No one is calling each other names. Just because there is disagreement, doesn't mean it is bases for flaming.

 

There is no flaming intention here and just like Surfasb had said, it's not supposed to be directly considered to be a flame bait

If every thread like this was a flame bait and should be locked or deleted then how will we ever know what we will have to face after getting the product?

I want to know every limitation and impossibilities I will have to go through if I consider a Mac since I am interested in one!

So any more impossibilities are there? or is this the end of the line?

 

Something I can chip in...

With Windows based Systems you can chose any hardware.

Macs will give you a choice of say 2 or 3 graphics card over their whole range...
Nothing more - i.e. no freedom of choice when it comes to hardware.

 

You have to realize though, that this kind of thread is just begging the trolls to chime in.

 

The trolls can chime in, we can be the orcs!

But I am about to reach to a conclusion..

 

playing really kickass games, even with windows installed

editing videos without the need to convert

 

Okay, that's it

Thanks everyone for helping me get to my conclusion

 

and your conclusion is?

 

Ok, I'll bite, what did you decide? I am considering the same choice...

 

Macbook is a great notebook but it's not for me

Macbook is not for me but that may not be the same for everyone but I am still working on the others on my consider list

 

Hey!

I don't want to go through problems cause of you

And please no flaming, the thread wasn't made for that

Macbooks are also good in their own way including Apple's service which is #1 in my opinion

 

I would say this is generalization.
In different place level of service quality differs.
It is mainly dependent on the attitude of the in charge and the employees.

 

not at all. no flame
my mom won a macbook and i find myself using it sometimes.it is an elegant machine indeed. i can easily understand why some people like it.
but just like you its not for me.

 

Like I said, it's service is #1 (in my opinion)

But I agree with most of what you said

Glad to know

 

very possible... while they are usually good, they aren't the best. No onsite service option? no accidental damage coverage? no Apple Store or AASP near you? send it of for a week or two....

this is a fact in everyday life across the world in all areas... nothing specific to Apple.

on what Mac? current models only? well thats not technically true because you can plug in any monitor that has a mini-DP plug on it... although only 1 exists right now... its still enough to nullify the statement. Maybe say "Plugging in almost all external monitors that exist without an adapter" though I still don't see how its any type of major limitation to even worry about.

and... so? you can't build every possible thing into a computer, that is why there are options to plug in the things you want, and it has all those ports on the side/back

thats just totally false right there.
change it to "Playing some Windows games without a separate copy of Windows" and its a true statement.
there are tons of 3rd party wrapper/ports using Wine and hacked Cider/Crossover that run great... not to mention just using Crossover Games itself to run things without Windows. Most people disregard this because its more technically and they cant wrap their heads around it... but grabbing a working wrapper and putting your game inside where someone else did all the work, and turning it into a Mac .app is NOT that difficult. Now I made most of the non-Cider ways to do that in the last 6 months that people are using now, so its a bit newer info, and I know more about it than most... but... check out the forums at http://portingteam.com and you can get all kindsa wrappers people share for running windows games.

yeah, it totally stinks too

you mean "Running mini-CDs without an external drive that has a tray"

subjective to what you consider "issues"

totally not true because its too vague. I can record videos on my camera directly to a .mov ... and edit them fine with no conversion. maybe its from having a $1200 camera and not a cheapy...

 

Useless! Unless he explains what the specific reasons were for not going with a MacBook......not that I'm trying to say that he should because everyone has their own laptop requirements. For whatever reasons he's chose, they are valid for him, but if the purpose of this thread is to give people insight, then not explaining the decision really makes it pointless.

It's like creating a thread to say you have a problem, and then finally saying "It's fixed" without any explanation. Maybe other people have the same problem and want to solve it too, but then they're left hanging without any more info.

 

@doh123 Thanks for pointing out the mistakes, I have corrected them

@Khris Okay

 

It's actually quite easy to change the battery for both the late 2008 model and the newer Mid 2009 model which would require more screws to get the back plate off, but it's no more difficult than adding memory.

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Repair/...Inch-Unibody-2-53-GHz-Mid-2009-Battery/1513/1

 

Thanks for pointing that out as well it's has been corrected and it was good to know

 

Not entirely true. The earlier gen MacBook Pro used the DVI, and both the earlier gen Mac Mini and Mac Pros also use DVI. The current models are using Mini-Display, but is actually a DisplayPort standard that for some reason not oftenly used in notebooks and laptops for some bizarre reason before Apple decided to use them. The # of pins for Mini-Display Port is the same as a regular DisplayPort port, it's sort of the same concept as HDMI -> DVI (without the audio) in a smaller package. It's still an adapter, but Apple is trying to popularize this rather than the regular DisplayPort and even DVI which are both significantly larger plugs.

More information on DisplayPort here

Point is, Mini-DisplayPort looks to be the replacement for DVI, it's just currently Apple is at the forefront with their products and I could see this actually working for all laptops, notebooks and monitors since there is no fee to adopt this adapter as long as the there is no patent infringement against Apple.

 

This shouldn't be on the list. Most PCs Come with Windows, because it's part of the cost of the machine that's paid for by the OEMs for each of the Windows Licenses. Technically, any notebook that you buy that comes with Windows, is a separate individual copy.

On a Mac, obviously Apple won't need the Windows operating system, so the cost of Windows isn't part of the machine.

The only difference between a Mac and a PC is that Windows come with PCs, and Macs don't. But that doesn't mean that the PCs isn't a separate copy of Windows, and neither does that mean you get it free neither...

 

Ohh

Those were lots of things to be fixed in the list

Is there anything else?

 

i believe apple is very good at editing uncompressed video formats like mp2's, mp4's, mov(not sure if this is uncompressed tho).
but it seems difficult if not impossible to edit videos in a container format such as .mkv or avchd without the need to convert.
to some converting formats may not be a big deal, to others it may.
but from what ive seen in with my friends video editing work, you do lose some fidelity, at least with avchd.
also, compressed or container formats are usually what is uploaded/shared in the web, thus its popularity/usefulness.
i therefore believe the op's statement regarding video editing is a valid one.

just my 2cents tho

 

I take issue with these:

Apple's service is really good, but many still have issues with it. You make an appointment, and walk into a very crowded store, end up waiting for about 15 minutes, and try to explain to a technician above the (serious) store noise what is wrong with the laptop, who will attempt to verify it on the spot. Issues can arise if they don't reproduce the problem on the first attempt, depending on the person dealing with you. I have had *some* bad experiences with some of the people. Granted, there are also a lot of perks to this system, and overall it is nice to be able to walk into a store and hand someone your machine, and the quality of service overall is very high. But it isn't impossible to point at Apple's service with criticism.

If you have an expresscard slot, you can get an "internal" memory card reader, so you at least need the qualifier "on some machines" or a more strict definition of internal.

"Freedom of choice is limited when it comes to hardware" is not written in the style of an impossibility so it doesn't belong on your list of impossibilities. It is just a statement. Additionally, it doesn't make sense to compare freedom of choice limitations of macs to ALL PCs. Apple is just one manufacturer. It would be like saying, with alienware, you lose freedom of choice compared to all other manufacturers, because you can only buy an expensive system meant for gaming that is relatively bulky compared to cheaper, slimmer, non-gaming laptops. On some level this is true, but again, alienware, like apple, is just one manufacturer. You give up the freedom of choice to select your hardware once you make your selection, REGARDLESS of what that selection may be. That has nothing to do with apple.

Playing the most powerful games without issues on a mac is easily possible on a mac and doesn't belong on the list. You *will* need a copy of windows, so again, you would need to add qualifiers for that to make the cut. But there are desktop macs with 4850 graphics cards, which can handle anything. The laptop macs have 9600m gt, which can also handle anything, not necessarily high settings, but it can still play any game.

No machine can plug into every external monitor in existence without some type of adapter or adapter cable, so that is trivial and doesn't belong on the list. Otherwise we will have to start considering other trivial things like "can't shrink to reduce volume to fit inside my pocket for travel" - ultimately i am an advocate for not including *super-trivial* things, like this. Laptops don't have more than one of DVI, HDMI, miniDP, because they would be redundant. Some monitors support only DVI, some support only hdmi, and some support only miniDP, so no laptop can plug into all of them without the proper cable or adapter.

 

The hardware - well, not impossible, but its a serious limitation.
So you have to ask - will you accept that you cannot get any hardware or not at the start.

The monitor... well, as far as I am aware most (to nearly all) current monitors are either VGA or HDMI - possibly with a VGA preference - the "video output port of choice" should thus be a VGA port or an HDMI port on a newer laptop.

And if - as someone stated before - only one monitor supports "DVI" without an adapter... well... its dying out, so why does Apple put it on its products? To be different and hence incompatible without an adapter?

 

I think perian allows you to deal with avchd without transcoding.

 

interesting. i googled perian and it does allow quicktime to play avchd and a number of other differnt formats.
i was however talking about video editing, not playing

 

perian should allow you to natively import video into os x video editors like imovie 09 and final cut, because perian adds system support for the formats specified on their site.

 

Should.... doesn't mean it does...

 

remotely connecting and having a remote desktop to my PC at work using juniper and safari in OS X... without first download and configuring Microsoft's Remote Desktop Connection app for OS X. Once I got that setup it works great, just as if I were sitting at my office desk

but had to have the MS app to get there

 

The MacBook Pro 17 Mid 2009 supports ExpressCard. All older MacBook Pros from early 2009 and downward support ExpressCard, including the first gen MacBook Pro 2005. It was only recently with the move of replacing Expresscard slot with an SD card slot on the 15" Model(which I'm not happy with). The 13" MBP(and maybe even the 15") shouldn't be called a "Pro", honestly, if it doesn't come with the Expresscard slot that allows for expandability that professionals would need.

 

quote from website:
Perian is a free, open source QuickTime component that adds native support for many popular video formats.

i think its more a quicktime plugin than a system file.
that statement tells me it works only with quicktime, but im no apple expert

 

Are you nuts? Final Cut Pro is the industry standard in creating professional video. I'm starting to think that the OP is a troll himself trying to prove that there are "impossibilities" with Apple products and he would prefer PCs being more "possible". Some superiority and inferiority complex...

When it comes to both Video and Audio editing, the options are superior to that of PCs. I wouldn't say that PCs can't do it, just that there are more professionals choosing the Apple method.

 

Are you peanuts?

Like I said, if there is anything wrong with the list just point it out with a decent reply cause I am only collecting what people are suggesting throughout the posts in the thread and what I cannot find proof for but since you've just given me proof and explained it for us, I have removed it and gained more knowledge which was thanks to you

Back to the topic!

 

http://cord.sourceforge.net/

Much better OSX Remote Desktop client, IMO.

 

I thought this on page 2 already.

 

i think that you're a fanboy and you like to make passionate love to your apple branded items.