12-30-2008, 06:19 PM
AppleCare is a MUST for every lappy of mine (been on them since '97 or so). Can be had on eBay for a MacBook for $129 (digital delivery) today. Get a padded bag. I had 3 adapters in my iB/PB days but now am down to one on my MB and am dealing with it okay. I have a LogiTech BT mouse but rarely use it as I'm on batt a lot and BT sucks up the juice.
About every 4-6 weeks, let the battery on your laptop drain down to nothing so the screen goes black, then do a full recharge cycle. This helps calibrate the battery. Also, try not to let the batt drain to less than 30 minutes before plugging in. This is stuff I've read and put into practice, it seems to not hurt anything, ha.
Don't clean the screen or keyboard with Windex/glass spray. Harsh chemicals not so great for the machine imho. Better off with a bit of warm soapy water dabbed onto a clean, wet cotton rag -- or an eyeglass cleaning solution.
MagSafe is da' bomb. Get a MB/MBP for this benefit alone. Second the refurb notion, good idea. Or closeout model for less $$ than the latest/greatest. I got a new MB last Feb when the 2.4s came out. I justified it to myself based on longer battery life claims on these 2.4s. The battery life is just fine (about 3-4 hours the first six months, a little less from there) but it isn't any longer than previous MBs imho. Beware the marketing bunko! I could have gotten the same model (previous model, a 2.2 IIRC) for $300 less.
My next upgrade will probably be in a year or two if my old iBook ever dies (wife is on the iBook). My upgrade will be a refurb or previous-gen model.
About every 4-6 weeks, let the battery on your laptop drain down to nothing so the screen goes black, then do a full recharge cycle. This helps calibrate the battery. Also, try not to let the batt drain to less than 30 minutes before plugging in. This is stuff I've read and put into practice, it seems to not hurt anything, ha.
Don't clean the screen or keyboard with Windex/glass spray. Harsh chemicals not so great for the machine imho. Better off with a bit of warm soapy water dabbed onto a clean, wet cotton rag -- or an eyeglass cleaning solution.
MagSafe is da' bomb. Get a MB/MBP for this benefit alone. Second the refurb notion, good idea. Or closeout model for less $$ than the latest/greatest. I got a new MB last Feb when the 2.4s came out. I justified it to myself based on longer battery life claims on these 2.4s. The battery life is just fine (about 3-4 hours the first six months, a little less from there) but it isn't any longer than previous MBs imho. Beware the marketing bunko! I could have gotten the same model (previous model, a 2.2 IIRC) for $300 less.
My next upgrade will probably be in a year or two if my old iBook ever dies (wife is on the iBook). My upgrade will be a refurb or previous-gen model.