Job Discussion Forums

[lapd08]

Does anyone out there have a Mac laptop? I bought one because my Dell died when I was in Iraq last year and all the teachers swore by them.

But then, none of them had worked in China. I get here and plug it into the line that was already in place-unfortunately to use the school system, which is what they have provided you need to download software that is MS Windows based. Apple told me they had opened a store in Beijing (I am in Luoyang, Henan), but nobody here seems to have ever seen a Mac.

The school system was awful and didn't work half the time, so I agreed to pay 660Y to install a separate landline so I could connect to the Internet. I tried it at the store (China Telecom, or China Unicom) and it worked fine, but when the tech. showed up and installed a modem, he then had to download some software-which you guessed-is Windows based.

I am using the school's computer which they gave me and is now mysteriously working (it is the mid--autumn holiday), but it could die at any moment and I can't get streaming radio or videos due to the fact that I can't install Windows Media because it's not registered.

Mostly, though after shelling out all that money for a Mac I want to use it!

SOMEONE in China must have a Mac besides me!

[chinatwin88]

the village has a mac shop. I dont use a mac but have a Ipod touch.

U can try this and not sure it will work but it is the email address I have received messages form them.

[email protected]
It seems to me you can run windows on some apples and that may be you cheapest solution athough some of the smaller laptops in Beijing are selling for a little as 1500 to 1750 during the summer.

[JGC458]

lapd08, I use a mac computer in Shanghai without internet access problems that are any worse than pcs get. I also used a mac in a town near Wuhan some years ago with no problems.

I've never needed to instal software to connect to the internet via any modem while in China, so not sure why you are being told you need to. I do connect my mac to the modem at home via a router/switcher (brand: TP-Link, model: TL-402), maybe that's why? Though at school or at hotels I don't use a router.

Of course you do need to change the network configuration...have you changed the IP address, etc?

Also, as chinatwin points out, you can use Bootcamp to instal Windows on your mac. I've done that using a 10rmb pirated copy and windows runs fine.

[chinatwin88]

There are some systems that do indeed need to install software.

[China.Pete]

"There are some systems that do indeed need to install software." -- China Twin

That's right. Because the DSL or 3G modems offered by service providers in China may require Windows-only software, you could be stuck with with booting your Mac in Windows mode. Or, you might try a much slower dial-up account which allowed you to log on with only a user name and password (no extra software required). Unfortunately, modern Macs are modem-less, so you would still need to invest in a USB modem if you decide to try that approach. Getting online via industry standard LAN or Ethernet router connections, however, should present no problems.

[El Macho]

Ask if you need to use PPPoE to log on to the internet. If that's the case, you can set it up in System Preferences --> Network. You can set up a PPPoE account there, complete with username and password.

Previously I had to use PPPoE to get online. Maybe that's the problem for you.

[Orrin]

I know of several FTs here in Zhuhai who are using Macs without any problems.