Korean Job Discussion Forums

Chokse · Joined: 22 May 2009

Sure. But if you were to compare it to a similar PC (meaning same year hardware and software), then the Mac OS was basically uncrashable in comparison. I once had a G4 desktop and laptop running OS 10.1 or 10.2. I also had a Pentium 4 desktop running XP SP1. I had far more crashes on the PC at the time (probably a ratio of 4:1), and I was using the Mac far more often. If I had been using them equally, My guess is that the PC would have crashed at an even higher ratio.

Both platforms (hardware and software) have become much more stable over the past 5-10 years, but there is no question that in the days of Win 98 and XP SP1, PCs crashed quite a bit more often.

Underwaterbob · Joined: 08 Jan 2005 Location: In Cognito

Chokse · Joined: 22 May 2009

Whatever. I can see there there can be no rational conversation with you. You are obviously one of the knee-jerk PC users who immediately jumps to the "Mac is overpriced so you should have bought a cheap computer" argument.

I have a Mac and a PC. I use the Mac 10 times more often than I use the PC and the PC still crashes more often. Maybe it's just because I know how to use a Mac properly.

Also, I have gotten nothing but great support from Apple. I agree that Apple Korea kind of sucks, but it is not actually Apple. It is DaeWha Computer. In reality, Apple has the final say in all matters and DaeWha must follow what Apple says. Whenever I have a problem, I call Apple Asia directly (free call from Korea) and they tell "Apple Korea" what to do.

The last time I had a problem, it was with my TimeMachine. It died after 13 months of use... just one month after the warranty ended. I was a bit pissed about that and took it to Apple Korea. They told me I could buy a refurbished unit for 15% off the price of a new unit. I got out the phone and called Apple Asia. They looked at my information online and saw that I owned 3 Macs and had AppleCare on all of them. On the spot they said they would replace the TimeCapsule free of charge, and would give me a new one-year warranty with it.

Another time, my mother had one of the old eMacs with the 3-year AppleCare. After 2 years and 9 months, the integrated graphics processor on it died. I was home on a visit so I brought it into the local Apple Store. By this time, the eMac had been out of production for over 2 years (my mom got one just before they EOLd), and replacement parts were almost impossible to get. When I brought it in, the guy at the Apple Store said they would do a worldwide parts search to find the part. I got a call the next day telling me I could come pick up the computer. I went and they handed me a brand new 20" iMac (this was almost 3 years ago, and the 20" was the top of the line model at that time). He said they couldn't fix the eMac so they were giving us a new iMac as a replacement. He also told me that the new computer had a one year warranty and was also eligible for the 3 year AppleCare!

Honestly, how many PC companies would have done either of these things? Can you imagine Dell or HP doing this? I can't! This is where I find value in my Apple purchases. Apple has always done me right when problems have arisen.

Finally, I guess you won't like to hear this, but I live in Korea and I drive a very nice foreign car (European), and a Japanese motorcycle. Sorry, but there is a difference. Korean products are overpriced and low quality (this includes Korean cars), and I'm old enough and have enough money that I don't want to deal with inferior products.

cdninkorea · Joined: 27 Jan 2006 Location: Seoul

More Mac questions to anyone who can help (Choske?):

1) Do I have to use Apple's DVD player for the Air? It's pricey and some of the comments on the Apple Canada website are quite negative.
2) If I want to upgrade from 2GB of to 4GB, is there a cheaper way to do this than pay Apple $200?
3) Does it have a video outlet? I don't see it on the website. This is important because I want to be able to connect it to my TV.
4) I don't see an Internet outlet on the Air. Does it not have one or am I just not seeing it? http://www.apple.com/ca/macbookair/features.html [about 3/4 down under "Connectivity"]

Chokse · Joined: 22 May 2009

To answer your questions (assuming all of these are about the Air, and if they are, I strongly recommend the 13 inch vs the 11 inch).

1. No, you do not need to use Apple's DVD player. You can use any external USB DVD player. However, most of these external players are intended for desktop use and therefore require and electrical outlet connection (they are also too big to be portable). You can find portable USB DVD drives here, but they are almost the same price as the Apple unit and will perform no differently (all of them use the same DVD drive hardware). Here is an example. The Apple DVD drive uses an LG drive. Here is the same drive in a non-Apple USB case: http://blog.danawa.com/prod/?prod_c=1276414&cate_c1=861&cate_c2=878&cate_c3=987&cate_c4=0

With the education discount at the Apple Store, the Apple DVD drive is 95,000 won. The one I linked to is 80,000 won. There are cheaper ones available too, but I linked to this one because it uses the same drive mechanism, so it is a fair comparison.

You should also know that if you buy an generic USB DVD drive, it will come with a one year warranty. If you buy the Apple one at the same time you buy the Air (on the same receipt), it is covered under the Air's warranty, meaning if you opt for the 3 year AppleCare, your DVD drive will also be covered for 3 years. This is also true if you get an Airport Base Station, Time Capsule, Apple Cinema Display, mouse, Magic Trackpad, etc.

Basically, the choice is yours. If you plan to get the 3 year warranty for the Air, then maybe it is worth an extra 15,000 won to have the drive covered for 3 years. If you don't, then maybe better to save the 15,000 won for something else.

2. Unfortunately, the RAM on the Air is soldered onto the Mainboard (this is one of the things that makes the Air so thin). However, it means the RAM is not user upgradable, and the maximum you can go to is 4 GB. I hear that new MacBook Airs will be coming this summer and will use the SandyBridge platform from Intel. This will allow for up to 8GB of RAM, but it will still be soldered to the mainboard. Unless you want to go with a MacBook or MacBook Pro (Their RAM is user upgradable), I'm afraid you'll be stuck with Apple's prices for RAM. However, I just checked online at Apple Korea and bumping the Mac Air from 2GB to 4GB is only 116,000 won (with the education discount). That is actually not a bad deal. If you were to go to Yongsan Market to get new RAM for a Mac or PC laptop, you'd pay around 50,000 - 60,000 won for 2 x 2GB chips. Yeah, the Apple RAM is double what you would pay otherwise, but it is soldered to the Mainboard, resulting in a much thinner computer, and this does add to the cost.

3. Yes, it has a video outlet, but you'll need an adapter. It uses a MiniDisplay Port and you can get adapters for HDMI, DVI, or VGA. The adapters are about 20,000 won each and obviously you don't need all three. You can probably get away with the DVI only, and use a DVI to HDMI cable if you need to connect to a TV, or a DVI to VGA adapter if you need to connect to a projector.

4. The Air has 802.11n WiFi built in (as do most laptops these days). If you need a LAN connection, you'll need to buy an Ethernet to USB adapter. Apple sells one for 33,000 won, but I'm sure there are cheaper options available on Ebay. I can't say how well they would work, and if it were me and I really needed it, I'd just pony up the 33,000 won, but you do have other options should you wish.

Hope this helps. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. Again, I'd recommend the 13 inch vs the 11 inch. I think that 11 inch screen is just too small for extended use. Even 13 inches is pretty small without a larger monitor to use at home.

Underwaterbob · Joined: 08 Jan 2005 Location: In Cognito

Slowmotion · Joined: 15 Aug 2009

How many people have pulled off the Hackintosh thing on a pc? I wouldn't mind using the OS to use some of th software like final cut pro.

cj1976 · Joined: 26 Oct 2005

Slowmotion · Joined: 15 Aug 2009

cj1976 · Joined: 26 Oct 2005

I don't know what the exact difference is between OS X 10.5.x and SL 10.6.x. I have 10.6 on my Macbook and 10.5 on my hackintosh and the Macbook is (perhaps predictably) a bit snappier and more stable.
I really don't use OS X that much, as I find Windows serves a wider range of my needs. However, when I want to play my guitar or MIDI keyboard, I fire up the hackintosh and it does the job brilliantly.

Chokse · Joined: 22 May 2009

Bob:

I do find a huge difference in quality between a foreign car/bike and a Korean one. Also, the price of the car/bike is not double or triple. My car and bike were only 20% more than a comparable (type, year, mileage) Korean car/bike. That is not such a huge difference.

If you shop around, you can get some incredible bargains, even Macs. I keep my Macs for a little less than 3 years, and except for the first one I bought, I have never paid more than $500 out of pocket for a new Mac.

I can live with $500 every three years (almost) for a new computer, and I don't think that is a colossal expense.

Captain Corea · Joined: 28 Feb 2005 Location: Seoul

Here's a question.... does it matter when I buy?

i was considering getting an iMac this spring/summer... but I've noticed that with each gen of apple products, there's a fair bit of difference.

It's apparently been about a year since they upgraded the iMac. Any thoughts about holding off to buy?

god of English · Joined: 23 Jan 2009

Look here. Going by the average days between updates, it looks like the iMac is due for a refresh very soon. I'd hold off.

Chokse · Joined: 22 May 2009

The only new item that will be added in the next refresh is Thunderbolt. Thunderbolt is a bit like USB was when the first iMac had USB. The computer had it but it was hard as hell to find any shipping products that used it. I remember when I had the original iMac, I could only find one printer, an Epson, that had USB. It was pretty frustrating. In the future, there will be lots of Thunderbolt accessories and I think it will eventually become as ubiquitous as USB, but it will take some time to be adopted, just as it did for USB.

Other than Thunderbolt, all you will see are slightly faster processors, slightly better GPU offerings, and perhaps larger hard drives in the stock configurations. I don't think there will be any major design changes this year.

If you don't need anything faster than the current offerings and if you don't need/want Thunderbolt, then I would suggest buying a refurbished Mac (specific model) a few weeks after new models (same specific model) have begun shipping. This will give you the highest chance of getting an upgraded model of the older computer.