cornishexpat

I bought an imac 21.5" in the new year when Dick Smith was having a 20% off day plus got extra by asking the sales rep for his best price and got applecare thrown in free for good measure.
They are wonderful machines,just waiting for my old laptop to eventually give up the ghost so i can get a macbook air.

77hil

PriceUSA.com are very good for one off things from the USA to get shipped here. I've used them before twice and was very impressed.

Jen1977ni

I wouldn't call it a low budget netbook, my OH is very happy with his, and I already have an ipad so....will do a bit more research and see, not decided yet.

Anyone who has a mac, is that iwork software any good?

discobay

I agree and there would be no faffing around with Australian-style plugs and warranty concerns.

Does it really not have a LAN connection?

How hot does it get when it's on your lap?

EvannTel

I agree. If you have iPad, save and go higher up the range, its just too restrictive - or will be.

I didn't check prices but with shipping costs and "possibly" US sales tax and GST its not worth it.

I've got iWork. iWork - Office. Pages (Word) good, Numbers (Excel) crap, Keynote (Powerpoint) fantastic.

Jen1977ni

Still so undecided between pro/air 13 inch... Still got my acer laptop so hmmmmmm @ the air, it's so cute n dinky lol

breezeboylan

Dont do it!!!! I bought one for my daughter which she loved and used for internet surfing daily. After some time the keyboard starting to warp. I did some research and found this is a common problem with the Mac book air, something to do with the battery apparently. I should have done something about it then but it wasn't affecting the computer so I left it Next thing the hinges started to crack on both sides, again a common problem! I went into Apple with it last Friday. First I had to book an appointment to be seen, the desk was packed with people with faults, never a good sign! After checking it out I was informed that as the warranty has expired (just) I would have to pay for repairs, a grand total of $970. They had the cheek to tell me that if I dont change the battery it will just keep expanding and eventually leak and destroy the computer!!! How the hell can that be an acceptable fault in a computer, warranty or not!! If you google these faults you'll see I'm not alone in this My husband had been warned by the computer geeks at work not to buy it but like you I thought its so nice and cute so didn't listen to them, paying for it now
I do have a MAc Book Pro and its a million times better, (so far).

discobay

You mean Mac Book Air not iMac.

breezeboylan

Woops so I did!!!
Just to clarify, its the Mac book air that was a rip off, the Mac book pro is running fine so far. I've edited the post now.

fish.01

just because something is just past its manufacturers warranty does not mean you have no recourse. You still have the statutory warranty. If the price and common life of something suggests it should last longer than 12 months then you may still be able to claim...contact your local consumer affairs dept for more details.

http://www.accc.gov.au/content/index.../itemId/815360


"Your statutory rights are not limited to a set time period – they do not just 'expire' or 'run out'. The length of time they apply for depends on what it would be reasonable to expect, given the cost and quality of the goods or services you bought.

For example, you would expect an expensive household appliance (such as fridge) to last longer than a smaller or cheaper appliance (such as a toaster)."

Note the law has changed for things bought after Jan 2011.

Dave.McLeod

I had a G3 iBook which I used for 4 years and even DJ'd off it profesionally, never had one issue with it.

I'm going to get a MBP later in the year, I really like the MacAir and I'm sure its more than enough powerful for what I'm ever going to use it for but the MBP gives you something that is solid and reliable.

Go for a MBP...its not much more...

username02

I bought a 15" MacBook Pro a couple of years ago (actually it was bought duty free on my validation trip). I use it everyday for my work (web development), and would buy one of the new MacBook Air models tomorrow if this didn't still have plenty of life left in it. Personally I wouldn't bother with the 11" model (but then again, I already have an iPad), but your needs might be different to mine.

What started out innocently enough (iPhone 3G) has now turned into a full-blown Apple addiction (3 x iPhone 4 in the family, iPad, numerous iPods & my MBP + accessories).

MacBook Pro does have "more" to offer, but the gap is closing really, really quickly. Unless you can name something you need the hardware for (e.g. lots of video editing), then get a MacBook Air.

As for iWork: Pages is great, Numbers is good unless you're a Excel fanatic (luckily I'm not) and Keynote is fantastic.

username02

Budget?!?! Have you seen the price of these things? The day Apple care about the "lower end of the market" is the day they stop being Apple.

I work with several people who use a MacBook Air for developing embedded Linux software (using virtual machines) and large scale web applications. Hardly just "web browsing". Of course, my anecdotal evidence is only as good as the guy who saw the Apple store full of returns.

Then again, there's no way I'd be gaming on one (or even on my MBP, but that's why I own an Xbox 360)!

Jen1977ni

So I got my mac today, I've still got my UK iTunes account, is it ok to buy apple software from the UK iTunes for an Aussie Mac or will it not work properly?

xzibit

LOL!!!

(Yes it's fine)

You can change your region on your iTunes account to Australia, so you pay in $$ if you want.