So your boss tells you to go on Amazon.com and pick a laptop

[PhillyGirl]

Well I put in a request for a 13.3" Macbook with the Windows XP already installed and Office 2008 as well. MacMall has some great prices right now on them. So for everything its about 1400 (after rebates).

All I'll have to get is a universal docking station for my desk.

I should have no issues using my current monitor and keyboard/mouse right?

[Sgt PSN]

macs are pretty user friendly.. i mean its not like its in klingon or something.  and most of the programs your familiar with now are compatible.

and sarge your particular model might be ok.. but its one of the few.. toshiba had a $1.2 billion class action go through against them back in '99.. then of course for the class action on mine in '05 with the faulty mother boards.. over heating.. and the power cord problems to go along with the battery recall.. we got either a 1 yr warranty extension.. or 50 bucks toshiba credit.  yeah.  pretty sweet.  maybe that was alot of money over in asia.. but it doesn't amount much to here.  and why the farg would i buy another toshiba piece of shtein? anyways mines a m35x something or other.  its sitting in my closet until i decide to try and fix it myself cuz they want $450 to replace the motherboard.  the same motherboard they've "replaced" twice before.  stay. away.

and their customer service really makes me love heroshima sometimes.

i think when you compare the different "big name" manufacturers, they all suck.  sony, tosiba, hp, dell, etc, etc.  they all have their faults and they all have faulty products that somehow make it through quality control.  you had bad luck with toshiba and because of that you'll never buy them again.....which is reasonable enough.  but you could just as easily have bought a vaio and got a lemon as well.  or you could have gotten a toshiba that worked great. 

when in the market for a new computer, regardless of what brand you go with, i think it's pretty much hit or miss with all of them. 

apple might be the exception because i've really never heard an apple user say they hated anything about it.  the only people who really complain about them are pc users who are afraid of change.  that's why they voted for mccain. 

[Sgt PSN]

Well I put in a request for a 13.3" Macbook with the Windows XP already installed and Office 2008 as well. MacMall has some great prices right now on them. So for everything its about 1400 (after rebates).

All I'll have to get is a universal docking station for my desk.

I should have no issues using my current monitor and keyboard/mouse right?

i do not believe you can use windows based mouse and keyboard on apple computers so you should probably tell the boss to open his wallet back up again. 

[PhillyGirl]

http://www.pcmall.com/p/Microsoft-Keyboards/product~dpno~186439~pdp.chfddjj

[Susquehanna Birder]

USB mice and keyboards work fine. Bluetooth mice and keyboards work fine. You should have no problem.

[PhillyGirl]

Sus, any recommendations for a dock?

[Seabiscuit36]

Space Dock?

[Susquehanna Birder]

I think there are a couple of docking gizmos, but none of them are made by Apple. In all seriousness, plugging in a couple of USB cords and plugging in a monitor only takes a few seconds, so a dock may not be necessary. For what it's worth, I have no experience with docks for the Macbook.

That said....here is one that looks interesting:

http://www.dock-a-mac.com/Dock-a-Mac_Home.html

[PhillyGirl]

hahahaa, so my boss emails me this morning that he has a brand new (only booted up once) 17" Macbook Pro that I could have. Dude, a 17" laptop? That IS bigger than me! I have to lug that thing to and from NYC.    But it doesn't have Windows and Office on it so I told him that unless it has those, I can't use it.

So now I'm waiting to hear back again.

[Susquehanna Birder]

I'm using one of those right now, and it's really not as big as it sounds. Remember that this isn't a gigantic PC. It's still only about an inch thick. Maybe your boss can pick up a copy of XP, Parallels, and find somebody to do the setup. That might be a win-win opportunity for you.

[Tomahawk]

hahahaa, so my boss emails me this morning that he has a brand new (only booted up once) 17" Macbook Pro that I could have. Dude, a 17" laptop? That IS bigger than me! I have to lug that thing to and from NYC.    But it doesn't have Windows and Office on it so I told him that unless it has those, I can't use it.

So now I'm waiting to hear back again.

I'd fire you for insubordination

[PhillyGirl]

I'm using one of those right now, and it's really not as big as it sounds. Remember that this isn't a gigantic PC. It's still only about an inch thick. Maybe your boss can pick up a copy of XP, Parallels, and find somebody to do the setup. That might be a win-win opportunity for you.

I actually told him that in the email. That if he could get Office 2008 and XP/Parallels...it would be fine. At least those things combined are way cheaper than getting an entire new Macbook.

[mussa]

Tell him you know a guy that will take the macbook pro, free of charge.

[PhillyGirl]

Turns out, it already has XP and Office 2008 on it! All I need is Parallels and I'm set!

[Susquehanna Birder]

If it's set up to dual boot, then they two OS installations are on separate disk partitions, and you can't use Parallels. You'd need to reformat and reinstall the MacOS, then add Parallels, and then install the Windows.